Dear Friends,

We are poised to reap rewards from the extraordinary efforts of the few who launched the campaign for regime change in America. Here in Chapel Hill, NC we have wrestled with the issue of partisanship in regard to the impeachment movement. Our most progressive churches cannot hold rallies or host meetings for PDAmerica or Democrats.com CDIC’s. But they can sponsor impeachment rallies allied to organizations that are Constitutional rather than partisan.

Impeachment is fundamentally a Constitutional issue. If impeachment was primarily a partisan issue, Republicans would not have forced the resignations of Nixon and Agnew in ’74. We need to find ways to harness the rising tide of 60%+/- of independents and 30% of Republicans who are warming to impeachment as the only way to stop the rogue Bush/Cheney regime.

And we need a higher level of coordination among our steadfast founders of the impeachment movement and the many ad hoc organizations blossoming in red states and blue. We need a conversation of key organizers and web masters to outline our tasks and shape assignments among our revolutionary fellowship.

We can meet face to face in DC, St. Louis or elsewhere. Or, if we are ready to don the mantle of Constitutionality instead of partisanship, we can borrow teleconferencing facilities in our churches and schools.

We need the discipline to put aside our irascibilities in a spirit of mutual respect as chiefs among equals. This is the spirit that Jefferson, Franklin and the others learned from the Iroquois. We will need to draw deeply from this spirit to put our fledgling democracy back on the track toward the fulfillment of its promise.

The following reports reflect a North Carolina perspective on the recent events in DC.

Peace and Solidarity,
John Heuer, co-chair
NC Grass Roots Impeachment Movement
www.impeachbush/cheney.net
heuer@fac.unc.edu
919-933-6589

Report from DC
1.29.07

On Saturday, January 27th, many of us traveled to DC for what was billed as a peace march, which turned into America’s 1st massive impeachment rally. How many of us? Tens of thousands, according to newspaper reports, 500,000, according to Air America. The NC Independent reported 1, 0000 North Carolinians participated. Many of us marched under IMPEACH for PEACE banners for the 4th, 5th, 6th and 13th Congressional Districts. We had representatives from the 3rd, 8th and 11th Districts participate in a lobbying training workshop at Chevy Chase HS in Bethesda, MD on Sunday, sponsored by UFPJ. 13 of us lobbied the offices of Burr, Coble, Jones, Miller, Price and Watt on Monday.

My take on meetings with advisers to Jones, Miller and Price is that each Congressman wants to end the war on Iraq, but that non-binding and de-funding resolutions, while important symbolically, are problematic in that they A) could expose Congresspersons to charges of betraying the troops and B) Cheney and Bush have both vowed to ignore any such resolutions from Congress anyway.

I came away from DC more convinced than ever that the only way to end the war is to impeach Cheney and Bush.

Tactics

• Connect with activists across North Carolina. There are very active folks beyond the Triangle. There are peace enthusiasts in every hamlet.
• We need to post a statewide calendar for every public event. Greensboro (Mondays) and Winston-Salem (Fridays) have had weekly protests for 4 years, nurtured by hardy souls, often lonely, but much less so now. They deserve our admiration and support.
• Writing to and meeting with editors, legislators, and party officers. Letters to these worthies should be followed up with face to face meetings. Phone calls are usually more effective than emails. If you are like me, I never know when last night’s eloquence turns into this morning’s incoherence. If you want someone to comment on a draft letter, feel free to sign up for GRIM Writers by return email.
• Walter Jones, NC’s most conservative Congressman was the 2nd Republican to call for an end to this war. His aide, Corby Pon told us that only a major grassroots effort will end the war, and to never underestimate the influence of local government on national issues. We need to encourage our local pols to lobby Hackney, Insko, Kinnaird, Price and the others to work for impeachment.
• Republican Senator John Warner’s opposition to Bush’s surge is HUGE. Warner could well play the role of Baker and Goldwater (ala Nixon in ’74) in convincing Bush to step down. Warner joins Republican Senators Brownback, Coleman, Hagel, Smith and Snowe in opposing Bush/Cheney. We will need at least 16 Republican senators to vote for conviction on impeachment charges. Republican Senate allies will need starch from the Republican House membership.
• Plan to spend more time in DC. While regular visits to local Congressional offices are necessary, we need a growing congregation on the national mall. By April we will need daily protests at the Capitol Building. They do not have to start big, but they need to grow. Our campaign should target our resources to reserve campgrounds in the DC area, to stage daily rallies at the Capitol.
• Next Meetings: We need all hands on deck for the 2/10 HK on J Rally in Raleigh, http://naacp.ubernc.com/, 3/17 in Fayetteville and 3/18 in Charlotte. The NAACP Rally is an effort to reconnect the wages of war and racism, effectively severed with the assassination of MLK Jr. We have invited Cindy Sheehan to come to NC, and may use that occasion to bring people together for potlucks, music and conversations.

Strategy
• One scenario is to work in tandem with Congressional investigations the next 3 months to press for the impeachment of Cheney in May, Bush in June, celebrate independence on the 4th of July, and all troops home by Christmas.
• No pardons. We must hold this administration accountable for their crimes.
• Supporting candidates: Biden, Clinton, Edwards and Obama are all trying to catch up with Dennis Kucinich. We need to encourage this race and support a challenger to Senator Dole. Our senior Senator would not return our phone calls. We need a strong woman to challenge Dole for the NC Senate.

Report from DC
2.8.07

Speaking with Congressional staff about non-binding and de-funding resolutions, it seems clearer than ever that the only way to end the war is to impeach Bush and Cheney. One scenario is to:

1. Impeach Cheney for his illegal ordering of no-bid contracts to Haliburton, and other crimes;
2. Force the nomination of a replacement VP and demand a vow of no pardons for any Bush administration member before confirmation in the Senate. Put the squeeze on Bush—if he fails to nominate a suitable replacement for Cheney, then his impeachment would produce a Pelosi presidency.

Convictions would require 16 Republican senators and all 51 Dems.

Victor Kittila, the Viet NamVet who organized Detroit’s weekly protests 4 years ago, has an intriguing theory:

Not only is impeachment the only way to end the war, it is the only way to win the war on terrorism. By deposing our own imperial terrorists through democratic, constitutional mechanisms, we will demonstrate that democracy can work. The impeachment and conviction of Bush will evoke an instantaneous international holiday.

Drumming Bush and Cheney out of office

Steadily rising pressure on Congressional representatives, both at DC and local offices, needs to be accompanied by a siege of Capitol Hill with 436 (including DC) delegations with flags, fifes and especially drums.

Around April, we need to fill up campgrounds in the DC area with rotating brigades from every congressional district to be bussed to the capitol every day Congress is in session until convictions are won.

Rebuilding Iraq

Resources must include fines and forfeitures from convicted war criminals in addition to a steep war profits tax.

International labor organizations can assist Iraqis and international volunteers. US Labor Against the War (USLAW) has been laying the ground work with Iraqis for the last 4 years.

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