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LOCAL News :: Elections & Legislation

Orange--The Shade of Impeachment

The World Can't Wait Coalition announced a campaign to put impeachment back on the legislative table at a town hall meeting on Thursday, June 21st in Chicago. Using the color of prison jumpsuits, terror warnings and a recent democratic movement, coalition members hope to convince millions to don orange scarves, t-shirts and ribbons to spread support for impeachment nationwide.
KINDLING AN ORANGE FLAME

Advocates for impeachment raised the democracy threat level to orange at last week's town hall meeting in Chicago, saying that if Bush administration officials are not held accountable for their crimes, future presidents of either party are likely to carry on, even increase executive lawlessness. Sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of The World Can't Wait Coalition, and endorsed by the Chicago Chapters of the National Lawyers Guild and Code Pink, the Northside Chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America as well as the Progressive Democrats of Illinois, this town hall meeting on impeachment held at De Paul University Law School was just one of three such meetings planned in the Chicago area in the next few weeks.

Just like the "Orange Revolution" that swept the Ukraine in 2004-2005, leaders of the campaign to put impeachment back on the table in the U.S. Congress have chosen the color orange to show support for House Resolution 333 introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich which calls for the impeachment of Vice President Richard Cheney. But he is not the only one on the orange radar. John Nichols, author of The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism suggested other royal heads should roll including "King George" himself along with Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales and political advisor, Karl Rove.

In addition to Nichols, three other speakers made up the panel who presented reasons for impeachment as well as the nuts and bolts of carrying it out. David Swanson, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.Org, urged the audience to lean on Representatives from Illinois to co-sign the Kucinich resolution and he challenged Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the only co-signer so far from Illinois to lobby her state colleagues as well.

Larry Everest, author of Oil, Power and Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda argued that impeachment may be the only way to stop the war in Iraq citing the recent supplemental funding bill for the war that the democrats helped to pass. Everest asked, "Are we going to continue to play Charlie Brown to the democrat's Lucy"… I say it's time not to fall for this anymore." John Nichols answered the charge that it is too late to impeach with sobering statistics. He reminded the crowd that every 10 seconds an Iraqi is killed, every 10 hours a U.S. soldier is killed and every 10 days, we spend 2 billion dollars on this war.

Finally, Elaine Brower, a military mom whose son has served both in Iraq and Afghanistan said she has been arrested five times for demonstrating against the Bush administration but it hasn't stopped her drive to resist. She hands out flyers every day on her lunch hour, speaks out and, of course always wears some orange.

Impeachment play book:

Urge your representative to support HR 333
Urge the IL state legislature to support the joint resolution 125 calling for the impeachment of Bush.
Bring a resolution for impeachment before your city council
Tie and orange ribbon around the trees in your neighborhood.
Write a letter to your local newspaper
Set up a town hall meeting in your town
Put a sign in your window
Put a sign on your car
Wear orange
Pass the word

To listen to the three hour Town Hall Meeting, click on the following files:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
 
 

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