Papers of Impeachment: A Citizens’ Action

28 July 2007

by Lucinda Marshall

I’m p****d off. And judging from the polls, most of you are too. We’re in a war without end that we don’t want to be in, our economy is in the toilet, and we don’t have healthcare. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, the play was fabulous. Well not really, the Executive branch of our government has gone amok, the Constitution is in crisis and our democracy is hanging by a thread. Not only are we not too wild about our President, we like our Congress even less.

With few exceptions, I really wonder what kind of kool-aid these folks are consuming. The Attorney General blatantly lies under oath, the Veep doesn’t even think he’s a member of the Executive branch and the President has broken so many laws that treason is the only possible word that would describe his tenure. The need for impeachment is not in question, it is an immediately necessary act to defend our Constitution from assault by our government.

But while the crisis facing this country continues to grow, Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers have staked out their impeachment-free table and are framing this as an election issue. As the Rev. Lennox Yearwood eloquently points out:

To uncritical supporters of the Democratic Party, I say this is not a time for partisan politics. To use the American people’s frustration with Bush as political leverage in the 2008 elections, and to ignore the constitutional responsibility the legislative branch has to hold the executive branch accountable through the impeachment process, flies in the face of our democracy.

He goes on, “The challenge we face as activists and leaders is how can we possibly bring an end to this madness when the Democrats in power are not with us?”

Last week, Rev. Yearwood, along with Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern and 400 suporters delivered petitions with one million signatures in favor of impeachment to Congressman Conyers, who heads the House Judiciary Committee. I’m not sure what part of one million signatures Conyers, Pelosi and the rest of Congress don’t understand, so let’s try this one more time, I promise we’ll keep it real simple, no room for misunderstanding.

Get a blank piece of paper and in big capitol letters that fill the page, write the following one word:

IMPEACH

Fax that word to Nancy Pelosi (202) 225-4188 and John Conyers (202) 225-0072 and your Senators and Representatives. If enough papers of impeachment as it were pile up, we will literally put that word right back on the table where it belongs in such force that it cannot be ignored. And then maybe, before it is too late, we will be able to begin to reclaim our country.

Lucinda Marshall is a feminist artist, writer and activist. She is the Founder of the Feminist Peace Network. Her work has been published in numerous publications in the US and abroad including, Counterpunch, Alternet, Dissident Voice, Off Our Backs, The Progressive, Countercurrents, Z Magazine , Common Dreams, In These Times and Information Clearinghouse. She also blogs at WIMN Online and writes a monthly column for the Louisville Eccentric Observer.