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The People Take Their Case to the Speaker

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Mrs. Tenney went to Washington, and The Speaker of the House ran for cover.

Three years ago, G W Bush stuffed some padding in his pants, flew dramatically onto an aircraft carrier anchored a few hundred yards offshore, and declared "mission accomplished".
Today, in memory of the thousands who have since died in Iraq, and fulfilling their obligations as citizens to protect the American Constitution, Ellen Tenney and Julia DeWalt presented the first three Vermont town resolutions calling for Congress to impeach the President to the U.S. Speaker of the House. Except the Speaker was afraid to meet them. He was afraid to face the naked truth that Congress will now have to be dealing with the wrath and determination of forthright American citizens who are calling their government to accountability. Congress now has to answer to a public that does not rely on timid political advisors, repeating the same outdated and losing conventional wisdom, worrying about potential "backlash" to ideas that are true and to demands that are just.
The night before her scheduled meeting with the Speaker, Ellen Tenney went to the Jefferson Memorial and laid the petitions at his feet. It is, after all, section 603 of Jefferson's manual that gives towns the right to bring impeachment resolutions to Congress. From his seat in the memorial, Jefferson looks directly at the White House, and we can be assured that he doesn't like what he sees. Sec. 603 was written precisely because he did not trust an all powerful executive branch of government. America had just freed itself from the tyranny of King George, and Mr. Jefferson was determined to prevent another one from taking his place.
We see that the so called opposition politicians, as well as their supporters in the popular and news media, are unwilling to take seriously their duty to uphold the Constitution.
Therefore we must step into the breach and take action before the nation sinks under the weight of corruption, corporate domination and creeping fascism. Some nations have proud histories of "peoples' revolutions" wresting power from corrupt governments from the Philippines to South America to Eastern Europe. Tens of thousands would take to the streets and stay there. Or most of the nation would go on strike, or as www.therudeguy.com puts it, they all call in "well", saying I'm not sick, but I'm not working until you and your lousy government are out of here.
For whatever reason, America today is not ready for those sorts of mass actions. When massive protests greeted the Iraq war, they were met with a collective yawn and a few dismissive jokes by the government and the media. Protests just aren't seen as part of the process.
Impeachment however, is absolutely part of the process. Correctly worded impeachment resolutions must be passed from the Speaker to the Judiciary committee. If only one member of the House brings one of these resolutions to the floor, the House MUST vote on it. Thanks to Jefferson WE have the power to force this conversation. The time for a constitutional People's Revolution is at hand. The March town meetings followed by The May 1 delivery of the petitions/resolutions are our declaration of independence and battle of Bunker Hill. If the Speaker of the House is on the run, let's give him something to run from and keep a barrage of resolutions and declarations coming his way.
NOW is the time to take your Senators and House representatives to task for not upholding their obligations to the country and its constitution. NOW is the time to write letters to the editor demanding that we begin a national conversation about the rule of law. NOW is the time that we demand that morality and truth take center stage in our governance.
Thomas Jefferson said that the Tree of Liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of tyrants. Charlie Parker said "Now's the Time".
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Dan Dewalt is a musician/woodworker/teacher who authored the Newfane impeachment resolution passed at March 2006 town meetings.
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