local Downing Street memos and impeachment campaign launched

Alliance Marxist-Leninist (a member of the After Downing Street Coalition) and the Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee are circulating a petition to Rep. Price to ask that he support investigation of the Downing Street memos as evidence of impeachable crimes by Bush & Co. Price has supported Rep. Conyers' efforts on this, so he may be willing to go further, especially if we push. The petition is based on the After Downing Street Coalition's demands. Email me at alliance_trianglenc@hotmail.com if you want to circulate the petition (or use it in your own Congressional district). I encourage other groups to join the effort - just email me to be included. This is also an opportunity for practical cooperation of communist parties in the area. Currently this is just a petition effort, but there are further steps to take. I suggested that Alliance work on this campaign in all of its US branches, and I think there is interest in doing this.

The petition will be circulated here at the peace vigil every Friday at the corner of E. Franklin St. and Ellit Road (and maybe at other vigils) and at the BORDC's table July 4th at the Carrboro Town Hall. We will probably present the petition in late July or August. July 23rd is an anniversary of one of the memos and the Coalition is calling for a national day of action then.

The petition says:

"We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, want to thank Rep. Price for signing Rep. Conyers’ letter to President Bush asking for an explanation ofthe Downing Street memos (seewww.afterdowningstreet.org), but more needs to be done. We ask that you co-sponsor Rep. Barbara Lee’s Resolution of Inquiry (which is not about impeachment) and that you introduce or support a Resolution ofInquiry into whether the leaked memos contain groundsfor impeachment. These memos suggest that the Administration deliberately misled Congress to justifyaggression against Iraq, a felony and a violation of international law. If there are grounds for impeachment, with or without involving this newinformation, we ask that you support impeachment ofthe President and anyone else who has committed impeachable offenses."

After the 2004 election this is the next way we can politically fight the entire Bush agenda, rather than only fighting particular battles. This campaign should be supported by social justice groups because removing or weakening Bush will aid many of our campaigns, it is a good organizing tool and cause for unity for our groups, it is a framework that allows us to show how the Administration is criminal, and because Bush should not continue to get away with all of these crimes.

The Administration is losing support, the Republicans are less unified, the Congressional situation couldchange next year, and these memos have been revealed, so impeachment is now more likely. Ramsey Clark (www.votetoimpeach.org) shows that impeachment is a justified and reasonable step to take and it could remove more than just Bush. The Administration could have been impeached before, over Bush's wars of aggression, violation of civil rights, torture, etc. (see the articles of impeachment drafted by Clark and the National Lawyers' Guild), but the Democratic Party as a whole would not support it. Now with these memos there are Democrats willing to speak of impeachment. Congress members pledged to uphold the Constitution, so they should vote for impeachment if there is a clear case, but I realize that the oath isn't taken seriously. If they don't impeach Bush then they will be exposed as acting unconstitutionally, again weakening the opponents of democracy.

I think any neo-conservatives left in the Administration would be lame ducks after impeachment of the others. If it fails, the Administration would still be weakened by the effort.

We have not planned steps to take with our Senators, but a petition to them could say:

"We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, ask that you urge the House to introduce and pass a Resolution of Inquiry into impeachment of the President and others over the evidence revealed by the Downing Street memos (www.afterdowningstreet.org). These memos suggest that the Administration deliberately misled Congress to justify premeditated aggression against Iraq. This would be a felony and a violation of international law. We also ask that you support Senators Kennedy and Kerry in their efforts on this issue. If there are grounds for impeachment, with or without involving this new information, we askthat you support impeachment of the President and anyone else who has committed impeachable offenses."

Let me know if you want to circulate this and we could coordinate a Senate campaign also.