Gem Fire Air
www.gemfireair.com
NM Lawmakers Launch Impeachment Resolution of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
marty kleva
January 27, 2007
permanent url


Simultaneously, earlier in the day, in the state of New Mexico, Senators Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque and John Grubesic of Santa Fe, announced that they had introduced a resolution to the New Mexico Forty-Eighth Session Legislature calling for the Impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, named: (SJR5) Impeachment of George Bush.

The issue of impeaching George Bush has been almost as old as this administration has been in office. To my knowledge, soon after the Patriot Act was passed, one of the first movements calling for GW’s impeachment was born. Since then there has been a surge of various groups calling for impeachment, a surge of sentiment much different than that called for lately by George Bush when he announced his “new” policy on Iraq saying that he would be deploying “twenty thousand plus” more troops to the Middle East in a “surge” to win this war — a war that has created more terror than it has rhetorically declared itself against.

In a new Congress that has been clearly given a mandate to end the war in Iraq, where Republicans have lost the overwhelming majority they formerly held on this issue alone, one might think that the call for impeachment would be one of the priorities of this new Congress. One of the main complaints by the Democratic Party about the former Republican majority is that there was no oversight of the Bush Administration. The Dems now have that majority and hold the leadership positions in committees and the power to begin Impeachment hearings. Yet we hear the Democratic House Leader say that impeachment is a tabled issue.

All this in the face of the latest Newsweek and USA Gallup Poll showing that at least 51% of Americans favor the Impeachment of George W. Bush, while a 1-3-07 Harris Poll shows 56% of Americans want impeachment investigations carried on.

One has to wonder how much more evidence this administration must accumulate to its record of violating the law to convince this Congress that the topic of the Impeachment of George W. Bush is in the forefront of American minds rather than being on the back burner.

Perhaps what is simultaneously overwhelming is the appalling reality that it will be a nasty job to undertake, and these national politicians are not up to creating a wave in their mutually supported corporate waterbed. So goes the feasibility for a two-party system — right down the drain.
And so, the onus must once again fall to the people to pick up the reins of Democracy and hold the Congressional cold feet to the fire.

Enter, a groundswell from New Mexico that began convincing Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic to introduce SJR5 Impeachment of George Bush to the state legislature that can force this issue to the floor of the U.S. Congress.

In the ultimate wisdom of the creators of this country, Thomas Jefferson wrote out a manual containing rules of law that allows a state legislature to bring forth a resolution of impeachment to the federal Congress.

To date several other states have also introduced such a resolution, but failed to pass it. As announced on January 23rd, New Mexico has begun such proceedings. The process will take place over the next several weeks having to move through the Rules, Public Affairs, and Judiciary Committee, before it can ultimately be voted upon by the entire legislature. This legislative session ends sometime in March and such a challenge to move a bill through 3 committees is not considered favorable.

New Mexico’s resolution has drawn nationwide attention and is reported by such influential Internet media as Truthout.org, Huffington Post.com, thenation.com, and Counterpunch.org.

At first glance, this may appear to be a national Congressional issue and many mistakenly dismiss it as such, but in fact it is the people of the entire nation that have a stake here, each one of us as citizens has a Constitutional duty to perform — to be informed of what has occurred, to know what constitutes an impeachable offense, and to learn the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors.

As a New Mexican myself, I believe that all Americans can also consider themselves to be New Mexicans by proxy and call the Senators of the NM Legislature and encourage them to support this Resolution “(SJR5) Impeachment of George Bush”, and to urge them to do all they can to move this bill through the three committees. There is a very easy to manage website designed especially for this session that lists the phone numbers and websites of all the Senators. Write to them or call them to voice your concerns and opinion on this matter.

The resolution, SJR5 Impeachment of George Bush, has five main charges warranting the impeachment and removal from office of George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney:

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the national security agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the foreign intelligence surveillance court of review, duly constituted by congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Chapter 113C, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Geneva Conventions, which under Article VI of the United States constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the president of a United States citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law; and

WHEREAS, in all of this, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as president and vice president, subverting constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of New Mexico and of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, petitions from the country at large may be presented by the speaker of the United States house of representatives, according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII; and

WHEREAS, Section 603 of Thomas Jefferson's Manual on Parliamentary Practice and of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives states that impeachment may be set in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a state;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to cause to be instituted in the congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, to the end that they may be impeached and removed from their offices; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of state be instructed to certify and transmit to the speaker of the United States house of representatives and the clerk of the United States house of representatives, under the great seal of the state of New Mexico, a copy of this resolution and its adoption by the legislature of the state of New Mexico. The copies shall be marked with the word "Petition" at the top of the document and contain the original authorizing signature of the secretary of state.


As has been reported here before, one of the gravest and most unconscionable acts this administration has done is to deliberately mislead the country and Congress along with the rest of the world to believe that Sadaam Hussein had WMD’s. Over and over this accusation was intentionally backed up with manufactured and doctored evidence. Our supposed statesmen cajoled and coerced Americans and Congress to believe it was true, and in the process they conveniently presented and forced The Patriot Act through Congress, an Act which stripped every American citizen of their long and hard-fought-for Constitutional Rights.

This administration introduced a wave of paranoid hysteria that has swept through this country like a hoard of locusts, stripping otherwise reasonable citizens of their ability to determine what is truly the greater threat to this country — that being the debasement and shredding of the Constitution of the United States.

Every time George Bush signs a law enacted through Congress, he also places his pen to a “signing statement” that in essence says, “I will follow this law, only when I want to.” It’s akin to swearing to something while placing his hands behind his back and crossing his fingers — a wonderful role model for children to emulate.

There has been much reported about George Bush’s belligerence, but the most offensive and unpardonable of these, reported to be corroborated by three GOP politicians, is the infamous November, 2005 meeting in the Oval Office with Republican Leaders of Congress, where the question of Constitutionality was brought up. Apparently George had it up to his ears hearing about how he couldn’t do what he wanted to, and he ranted in a tantrum saying about the Constitution, "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face! It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"

If so Mr. President, I ask you then what does your presidency stand on sir— your goddammed piece of paper?

What do you as Commander and Chief hold the military troops accountable for if not their oath to uphold the Constitution?

Why else are they in Iraq fighting and dying? Over 3000 Americans reported dead, thousands injured and maimed — tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians dead — all for your goddammed piece of Paper?

For all means and purposes, he might just as well have thrown the Constitution onto the floor and spit and stamped on it. What is more appalling is that there are no reports that anyone present in that meeting challenged him right then and there.

Further, are we all condemned to obsolescence when in his interminable use of double-speak he says, “America, it’s just an idea.”? Did he miss the 200 years of reality since the ratification of the Constitution?

Perhaps it is time for this ‘idea' to become a physical force to be dealt with.

New Mexicans are more than an idea; we are flesh and blood lovers of the Constitution; we are messengers of reason, the deliverers of justice, and the terminators of this madness to spread terror by such abominable means.

Destroying the Constitution by waging wars of deceit and lies are nothing less than the outcome of a Bushite temper tantrum. Instead we should be using diplomatic means to promote peaceful co-existence with those who choose to live differently from us. Do we have any statesmen left in this country? Certainly, Condi Rice and those who represent us diplomatically seem to be more like common thugs with little understanding or desire to act within of a code of diplomatic ethics.

This country’s survival hangs by a precarious thread — a thread nevertheless that is made up of the people who when we come together across party lines, can pull us through this most decadent period in our history.

It is time to send a second message to Congress and to any future presidents, that the people of America are not ruled by a monarchy, nor do we support a fascist state. It is time to tell Congress that we hold them accountable to uphold the Constitution and investigate the criminal misconduct of GW Bush and Dick Cheney. GW Bush has it all upside down; not he, but the people are the Deciders, he is not above the law but must obey the rule of law just like everyone else, even if he thinks he has a private line to God.

What can be more important than this? To ignore that it has happened and think that we can survive the next two years with these two men in office is the most absurd, immature, and unrealistic patrimonial denial of duty for any politician to harbor. It smacks of a fear to do one’s duty — a cowardly resistance to accept an undeniable reality.

Every American is also a New Mexican. Call the New Mexico Senators to encourage them to support Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic by voting to pass bill SJR5.

Send the unequivocal message to stand and deliver the Constitution back to this country’s people!

In the service of the Exploration of Peace, I bid you all ‘hayam’ (love that wanders the earth).

Con Amore,

~ mek