Wednesday, April 26, 2006

A Grassroots "Velvet Revolution" Underway in America

An insurrection against the Bush regime is underway right now in America. It may turn out to be nothing less than a "velvet revolution" that brings down Bush's lawless regime. The best part is that it's entirely non-violent and legal; there is absolutely nothing George W. Bush can do about it —except throw one of his well-known temper tantrums. It's an impeachment juggernaut that will peak as Bush's support continues to wither away.

In the latest developments, the Illinois General Assembly seems certain to join a rising chorus in other state assemblies —Vermont and California —seeking the impeachment of George W. Bush. Meanwhile, Democratic state committees in New Mexico, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina are sure to support articles of impeachment sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. Here's the good news: the impeachment movement is no longer quixotic. It has growing grassroots traction. The GOP had best pay attention. This impeachment movement is positioned to advance on Washington where it will dictate the national agenda.

Impeaching Bush State by State

The legal basis for these unprecedented state-level actions was discovered when, according to Steven Leser, Illinois Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough "stumbled on a little known and never utilized rule of the U.S. House of Representatives." The rule was written in a book formerly known as Jefferson's Manual, which, according to C-SPAN, "is a book of rules of procedure and parliamentary philosophy … written by Thomas Jefferson in 1801 … [used by the House] as a supplement to its standing rules." Section LIII, sec. 603 states, "There are various methods of setting an impeachment in motion … [one of them is] by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State …"

Each of the three resolutions mentions Iraq lies, torture and illegal spying, with slight variations in tone and specifics. Assemblyman Paul Koretz's California resolution (which includes Dick Cheney) and the Illinois resolution both include the leak of Valerie Plame's identity, while Vermont's focuses almost exclusively on Bush's most salient transgression, his illegal spying on Americans. The spying charge leads the other two resolutions' list of charges as well. ...

Here's why this grassroots movement has legs. Bush's approval rating is down to 32 percent. If the elections were held today, the "decider" would get only 17 electoral votes from 3 states that voted heavily for Bush in the last election: Alabama, Utah, and Wyoming. [See: SurveyUSA]

As I previously pointed out: Bush is chalking up net negatives in what had been "red" states: -12% in South Carolina, -17% in Indiana, -18% in Virginia, and -19% in Tennessee. The really bad news for Bush is that he is losing his base support in Texas where he now has a net negative 14 percentage points. Bush has no legs, no broad base support from which to counter what is beginning to look like an impeachment juggernaut.

Here's an update on another development:

Council demands Bush impeachment

BERKELEY: City joins Santa Cruz, Arcata, San Francisco in move

By Alan Lopez, CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Berkeley has joined three other California cities in calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

In a resolution that will be sent to U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., the Berkeley City Council accuses the president and vice president of, among other things: defrauding the country and Congress regarding the Iraq war; authorizing torture in violation of the Geneva Conventions; ordering secret surveillance of U.S. citizens; and failing to respond quickly to the Gulf Coast hurricane.

The council unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday and also took a step toward giving residents a voice. The Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission will recommend whether the city should ask voters for their opinion in an advisory ballot measure. ...
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'Toons by Dante Lee; use only with permission

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