Occupy Congressional Offices to End the War in Iraq
Ten anti-war activists led by Father Jerry Zawada were arrested today on orders from Senator John McCain's office after members of the peace groups CODEPINK, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and Veterans for Peace tried to meet with the Senator's legislative aide to discuss defunding the war. Activists sang the names of the 75 US servicemen and women from Arizona who have been killed in the war in Iraq, interspersed with the names of Iraqi civilians killed, and collectively chanted "We remember you," after each name and dropped a flower petal on the ground. They delivered framed photos of Iraqi civilians and US soldiers from Arizona who have been killed in Iraq and carried banners reading "Stop Funding War!" and "Americans Want a Prez for Peace".
This is just the start of a national campaign of nonviolent occupations of the offices of Congress Members who support the war and the war-president. Let them have a tiny sense of what Iraqis are experiencing - let them feel a tiny sliver of the inconvenience of an occupation. Let's get them to behave like we have a democracy!
In Fairbanks, Alaska, actions are underway at the offices of Senators Murkowski and Stevens and Representative Young. In Northern Alabama, join a sit-in inside or a demonstration outside the office of Representative Bud Cramer. In Arizona, creative demonstrations are being organized against Senator John McCain. Activists in Los Angeles have planned protests at various offices. In the South Bay, sit-ins are underway in the offices of Representatives Honda, Lofgren, and Eshoo. In Des Moines you can sit-in at the offices of Senator Grassley and Rep. Boswell. In Illinois, the focus is on Representatives Jesse Jackson, Ray La Hood, and Mark Kirk, and Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama. All over Minnesota, every Tuesday, constituents will enter the offices of their Congresspersons and Senators at 9:00 am and begin a vigil until 5:00 pm or whenever the offices close. Actions are underway in Portland OR, St. Louis and Seattle as well.
Join these actions - or organize your own!
http://vcnv.org/occupation-project/campaign-descriptions
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Join the Impeachment Race in State Legislatures
New Mexico and Vermont are in a race to be the first state to send impeachment resolutions of Bush and Cheney to Congress (see details below). Several other states are also in the race, including Maine (http://www.maineimpeach.org) and New Jersey (http://www.impeachthem.com). A state legislature, without a governor, can petition the House to begin impeachment, and a single Congress Member can force an impeachment debate by accepting the state resolution.
http://impeachbush.tv/impeach/states.html
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition
You can also join a Congressional District Impeachment Committee to hook up with others in your area:
http://www.democrats.com/cdic
Here is useful information on how the impeachment process works and how to do it:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions
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Vermont: Impeachment Mountains
If you live in Vermont, please contact your state representative to the Vermont House and ask him or her to please cosponsor. You can find out who represents you here .
http://www.leg.state.vt.us
If you live in Vermont, please also contact Representative Bill Lipert and Speaker Gaye Symington to politely ask them to please cosponsor and support.
If you live anywhere else, please forward this to everyone you know in Vermont and ask them to send it to all of their local friends:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/vt
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New Mexico: Land of Impeachment
Senate Joint Resolution 5 was introduced on Jan. 23, 2007, by eight Senators. There is a Rules Committee hearing this Friday, and four of the five Democratic Senators on the Rules Committee have already signed the bill: Chairwoman Linda Lopez, Vice-Chair John Grubesic, Cisco McSorley, and Dede Feldman. Ben Altamirano, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, is sending positive signals - anyone who knows him personally should encourage him to be present and vote Yes on February 9.
New Mexico activists can do two urgent things:
1. Come to the Rules Committee hearing this Friday, February 9th, at 9 a.m. in Room 321 of the State Capitol Building. We need a big turnout to let the Senate know we want action!
2. Call local talk shows to discuss the urgent need for New Mexico's legislature to start the impeachment process by passing Senate Joint Resolution 5.
The key point to stress is this is not a matter of a state stepping inappropriately into a federal issue. This is a state following a procedure that is laid out in the Jefferson Manual of rules for the U.S. Congress, a procedure that has been used successfully in the past to remove judges and other officials from office. And impeachment is the official position of the New Mexico Democratic Party.
If you live anywhere else, please forward this to everyone you know in New Mexico and ask them to send it to all of their local friends:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/nm
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If You Want to End the War, Investigate It
The investigation season is off to a slow start. In "Beyond Oral Sex: The Bush Investigations" , David Swanson and Jonathan Schwarz lay out what's needed. Very little has been begun. Chairman John Conyers has held hearings on signing statements . Chairman Waxman is holding hearings this week on corruption . To lobby for the right investigations done the right way, go to:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/investigations
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Stopping the Next War
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/iran
Our voices are being heard. Bills have been introduced in Congress to block an attack on Iran. Read about them at
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/iran
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