| 05/15/2007 |
| Petition Impossible? |
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By: Steven J. Ferrari |
 The rally on the afternoon of April 28 wasn't the only one held in the United States that day. According to the Web site www.a28.org, which calls itself "the people's impeachment movement," rallies were held in more than 125 different locations throughout the country. The demonstration at the Bernie Milton Pavilion, organized by John Hamilton and local activist Fay Gougakis was just one cog in a growing movement. Like-minded individuals, along with those that were convinced of the cause during the event, signed their names to petitions that would be sent to elected representatives, asking them to support impeachment resolutions. The petitions, which have grown to include more than 1,000 local signatures since first being distributed at a rally on March 17, will ask the Tompkins County Legislature to urge representatives in Congress to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney [the legislature has tentative plans to address the issue at a June 5 meeting]. Just 10 miles north of Ithaca, a group of organizers has plans to bring a similar resolution to the Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees. As the activities on The Commons began to reach a fever pitch, a group of people gathered around a table in Center Ithaca to discuss the roots of the movement in Ithaca and Tompkins County and where they hoped it would go from here. Throughout the course of the conversation, some at the table got up to join in on the rally while others came inside, took a seat and took part in the conversation. The group of organizers that took the time to sit and discuss the movement - a small part of the many involved within the county - expressed a sense of hope through what has been a trying time for the country. They cited the beginnings of the impeachment movement at the local level with the state of Vermont, where the state Senate, along with 36 towns, passed resolutions calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Before getting up from the table to speak at the impeachment rally outside, former City of Ithaca Mayor Ben Nichols advised that the impeachment movement was not a radical one. Instead, he noted, the motivations behind the actions were quite the opposite. "What we are is a conservative group that is protecting the Constitution," he said. During the course of the conversation about the impeachment movement, organizers noted that they had heard many people express doubt that resolutions from local governments would prove fruitless in the grand scheme of things. Those involved with the impeachment movement, however, see things a bit differently. "A futile effort? Pursuing justice is never futile," said Greg Potter. "You can't not do it just because you don't think it'll come to pass." Others stressed that the damaging results of the war in Iraq are felt locally; and that beginning the process at the town, village and county level is the most appropriate way to send a clear message. "Every time someone gets maimed or killed in a war, we mourn here, not in Washington, D.C.," noted former Assemblyman Marty Luster, who also served as the attorney for the City of Ithaca. "It's the first logical step for a redress of grievances." Luster called the impeachment process a "focusing mechanism" for investigations into any wrongdoings that may have been perpetrated during the four years that the United States has been at war. He said that despite the president having only 20 months left in office, the process itself is what's important. "Even if we run out of time, it would have served a valuable purpose," Luster said. "All the information would be out there and it would be a statement for history." Organizer John Hamilton noted that the groundswell of support at the local level is one of the keystones of American government. He said that the processes are already in place, waiting to be used. "We're not trying to change the law," he said. "We're just trying to enforce the law that already exists." Luster also noted that having more people sign the petitions would send a clear message to those in higher elected office - notably representatives in Congress that can actually vote to impeach the president - that this is an action that people want to see happen. "We're hearing the demand locally with so many signatures to the petitions," said organizer Alexis Alexander. "I see this as the start of a growing effort across the country." Hamilton explained that he felt that the precedent set by the war in Iraq, which has resulted in nearly 3,400 American military casualties since March 2003, is doing nothing but "making the whole world unsafe for our children. "[President Bush] violated the law, he committed a crime," Hamilton said. Former City of Ithaca Mayor Ben Nichols added to that. "If the president violated the law, he should be impeached," he said. The County Response With a resolution calling on representatives in Congress to impeach the president and vice president set to be introduced in the Village of Trumansburg (see sidebar), the next step for the movement locally is getting the Tompkins County Legislature to pass a similar resolution. Luster, no stranger to dealing with members of the Legislature in his former role as state assemblyman, said he's already "had conversations with local office holders," and said that a member of the Legislature would soon be introducing a resolution to the county's governing body. The former city attorney noted the impeachment resolution in Trumansburg, but admitted that the movement's focus would be at the county level. "We need a lead agency to get the ball rolling," he said. The impeachment movement already has one admitted follower at the Legislature, in the form of Chair Tim Joseph. In a telephone interview where he was asked to share his views about the impeachment movement, Joseph said that he thought that impeaching the president and vice president was "completely justified. "Violations of the UN charter, the Geneva Convention and the Constitution with warrantless searches, these are high crimes and misdemeanors," he said. "If it comes to the Legislature, I'll vote for it." While he was adamantly in favor of the effort for impeachment, Joseph, a Democrat who represents the 12th District of Tompkins County, said that he doubts that Congress would actually vote in favor of impeachment. He also noted that he was "not going to make a crusade out of" the impeachment movement. "There's not the slightest chance he will be impeached," Joseph said. "You need to get 16 Republican senators to sign on to it or it will never happen." An e-mail from the Trumansburg-based group Back to Democracy noted that the impeachment resolution would be introduced at the County Legislature at the June 5 meeting. Going to Washington Hamilton said that, after passing the resolution at the local level, the next step for those in favor of impeachment would be to get local representatives in Congress to sign on to the impeachment resolution sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich. The Democratic Representative from Ohio introduced a resolution to the floor of the House calling for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney on April 25, but has yet to have any co-sponsors for the measure. The organizers of the local movement said that it was no surprise to them that the measure so far has garnered no support, even from the local Representatives in the House. "I don't feel disappointed because I expected it," Luster said. Luster said that he has spoken to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D - NY 22), whose district includes the City of Ithaca. Hinchey, Luster said, has spoken on the need to remove the president and vice president from office, but was not at the point of supporting the impeachment resolution. In a telephone interview, Hinchey was very candid about his thoughts on whether President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached. "This president and vice president are the most impeachable in the history of this country," he said. "No administration has acted as badly as they have." Hinchey, whose opposition to the war in Iraq dates back to 2001, when the first grumblings about invading the country started to surface, said that the administrations continued loss of support is proof that "more people are understanding what people in Ithaca understood early on." While he would support impeachment proceedings, Hinchey said that Congress was not at a point where a measure like that would be passed. He cited the recent close votes on legislation calling for a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq as an indicator that impeachment wasn't a likely option - yet. "The assessment here is that there just aren't enough votes to achieve those objectives," he said. "But that could very well change sometime soon." For all of Hinchey's candor on the topic, the area's other representative in the House, Congressman Michael Arcuri (D - NY 24) played things closer to the vest. When contacted by the Ithaca Times to discuss the impeachment movement, Arcuri, whose district includes the Village of Trumansburg, issued a statement where he criticized the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq war and encouraging comments and suggestions from his constituents. Arcuri, who defeated Republican Ray Meier in November to take his seat, replacing 24th District stalwart Republican Sherwood Boehlert, was critical of the president, but stated a clear stance against beginning the process of impeachment. "I have voted twice to begin to bring our troops home and provide the necessary care for our troops and veterans - legislation this President has vetoed. I welcome the opportunity to hear from constituents about their views and I continue to be open to the insights and resolutions of our local communities." Arcuri's statement then touched on the impeachment movement. "I am concerned that impeachment proceedings would only serve to further divide the country, preventing us from bringing our brave troops home and delaying our domestic agenda to improve the lives of Americans." The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the impeachment movement. Keeping Hope Alive "I can't explain the feeling of excitement I have with this," Alexis Alexander said. "It's like I'm a small cog in this and it's starting to get a lot of noise." Despite some hesitance from their representatives in government that their efforts - and the efforts of others around the country - would actually result in the impeachment of the president and vice president, those calling for impeachment believe that in the end, there will be enough support for their cause to bring about some change. John Hamilton noted that grassroots efforts have been successful in the past and could very well be successful again. "Lynching was always against the law, but it still happened," he said. "It took several years to end lynching, but we did it. We've made huge changes before." He also said that he sees the movement gaining support with every rally the hold and every signature they get. "Since I've been involved in the impeachment campaign, the support we've received has brought tears to my eyes," Hamilton said. Marty Luster said that as more and more local governments pass resolutions calling for impeachment, and if people continue to show their support through signing the petitions available, elected officials in Congress would have no choice but to take notice. "If these rallies continue to be successful," he said, "that will send a strong message."
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©Ithaca Times 2007
