Santa Cruz to ask Congress to consider impeaching Bush
By MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer
Last Updated 7:00 p.m. PDT Tuesday, September 9, 2003

http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/7382279p-8325847c.html

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) - With a sweeping 6-1 vote, the Santa Cruz City Council became the first local government in the country Tuesday to ask Congress to look into impeaching President Bush.
"It's time for us to open up this can of worms," said councilman Tim Fitzmaurice.

City leaders say Bush violated international treaties by going to war in Iraq, and that the president manipulated public fears to justify the war and undercut Constitutional rights.

The resolution authorizes Santa Cruz Mayor Emily Reilly to send a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner asking if Bush has committed any impeachable offenses that could lead to his ouster.

The council vote came in packed chambers where supporters of the resolution lined the walls. Some carried signs that read "Honor the Constitution. Impeachment now" and "God bless and keep Bush out of power."

The sentiments of those signs was echoed by members of the council.

"I happen to think that what's going on is a high crime and misdemeanor, but let's leave that to the U.S. Congress to decide," said councilman and UC Santa Cruz professor Mike Rotkin.

Tom Mullen, a retired dentist, was one of three people at the meeting who spoke out against the resolution.

"It's not an issue that the city council should be involved in and this just serves to divide the community," he said.

Such divisive political stands aren't unusual in the coastal town.

A year ago, Santa Cruz became the first of what would swell to 165 city councils to oppose the war against Iraq. Santa Cruz was also one of more than 100 cities declaring its opposition to the Patriot Act. And in April, the city and county of Santa Cruz sued the Drug Enforcement Administration and Attorney General John Ashcroft, marking the first time a public entity has sued the federal government on behalf of patients who need medical marijuana.

White House spokesman Ken Lisaius, responding to Santa Cruz's current proposal, said Tuesday that the president "welcomes the fact that we live in a democracy and that people are free to make their opinions known."

"The president understands that peaceful protest in any form is the strength of our Democracy," said Lisaius. "That being said, it's important to point out that there are large numbers of people in this country who very much support this president and what this president is doing to keep Americans and the people of the world safe."

Francis Boyle, a University of Illinois law professor who has founded a national "Impeach Bush" campaign, said local city council resolutions can have a significant impact in grass roots movements. Anti-apartheid resolutions, among others, have sparked policy reforms, he said.

"I think this will take off too, and a lot of cities will give serious consideration to what Santa Cruz has done," he said in advance of the council meeting.

Arcata, another California coastal community about 350 miles to the north, will be considering a similar resolution calling for impeachment next month.

Mark Primack, an architect by trade and the lone voice of opposition on the Santa Cruz City Council, voted against the resolution.

"The truth and the honest truth is that we work better as a city when we focus on city issues," Primack said.

There are still some Americans that can be saved! Good news... :)

i've never met Bush. all i know about him is what i've been reading about him on the net and CNN.

i don't know how smart he is personally (i'm sure his advisors aren't stupid even if he is), but considering that he was incharge of things when the worst American tragedy happened, and all these nuclear crisies started. it's hard to say how any president would have acted. even "the best" president.
give him a break

Originally posted by otheadp
give him a break
The Americans could totally forget him during 50 years! That would be nice, no?

Originally posted by otheadp
. it's hard to say how any president would have acted. even "the best" president.
give him a break

0_o, errr im sorry but do you even know half of what he's doing? how badly hes pissing off everybody even your allies over the sea, what a mess he's making of what was left of America's international reputation, i know a lot of people on here are of the mind set "who cares what the little people over the sea think" but then thats half the problem with bush and co.

Even the "best president" wouldn't be perfect yes because he or she? would be human but that doesnt mean just becase there is no realistic example of perfection we cant critisise the complete and dangerous messed up retards that are doing there best to screw everybody that doesn't have their head up his arse or is it visa versa....

I think the Santa Cruz city council should stick to city politics. Whether you argue Bush violated international law or not, his lawyers would probably be able to successfully defend that it was not an impeachable offense by arguing that he didn't violate US constitutional law. The Congress regrettably gave him carte blanche last fall to wage war. Unless investigations can prove he actually lied to Congress and the American people, he hasn't committed an impeachable offense. To be brought up on treason charges it would have to be proven that he wasn't acting in what he thought was the best interests of the nation. And even if the House actually brought up impeachment charges, which they won't since it is controlled by Republicans, the Senate would not vote to impeach. Nobody really wants to open up Pandora's Box. The Santa Cruz city councilmen should just vote Demo in '04.

Originally posted by otheadp
i've never met Bush. all i know about him is what i've been reading about him on the net and CNN.

i don't know how smart he is personally (i'm sure his advisors aren't stupid even if he is), but considering that he was incharge of things when the worst American tragedy happened, and all these nuclear crisies started. it's hard to say how any president would have acted. even "the best" president.
give him a break

Let's see, he graduated Phi Beta kappa, while receiving his MBA, compared to Gore who flunked out of seminary.

Impeached? Not likely, though I certainly feel he is more deserving than Clinton was.

Despite an absence of evidence that Iraq had been involved with 9/11, Bush's men had decided to take out Saddam years before taking office. After floating a variety of excuses that all turned out to be lies, they got their way in March 2003. Neither America's allies, nor its people marching the streets, nor facts that contradicted Bush's baseless charges, could stop them.

Instead of abandoning standard party-line politics, Bush cheapened the 9/11 attacks by using them to promote Republican platform planks like free trade and huge tax cuts for his rich contributors. Instead of uniting Americans, he smeared Democrats as unpatriotic. Instead of going after the Saudi and Pakistani government officials who contributed to 9/11, he called them allies in a "war on terrorism" that killed and maimed ordinary, innocent Muslims. And he ruined a feeling of post-9/11 national unity that had prevailed among all Americans.

http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/

I'll be doing everything I can to see that he does not serve a second term. I've never been so politically motivated in my life.

biblthmp, bush is definitely known for his stupidity, not just from looking like a monkey in the tabloids or his bad speech. He most likely got into phi beta kappa because of his dad, because he was known to get many C's in his years in college. I don’t know a site that lists his grades offhand, but you could probably find one in a search.

As for Gore, not many ppl consider seminary a worthy accomplishment, and has no relevance to how smart someone is. Some ppl believe having an overly religious president like bush is bad for separation of church and state, because of the obvious effects he could have against it.

Impeaching bush is very unlikely because of all the pro american stuff that has influenced ppl since the war. Most of americans have forgotten how bush was ruining our economy after his war on terrorism and iraq.

bush is definitely known for his stupidity, not just from looking like a monkey in the tabloids or his bad speech. He most likely got into phi beta kappa because of his dad, because he was known to get many C's in his years in college.

Getting C's at Yale doesn't make you stupid, it makes you average. :cool:

BBC report (windows media) on bush family history.. includes some of his school record and his asvab score.. hehe 30 out of 100 i believe..
BBC BUSH FAMILY FORTUNES (http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/bush_family_fortunes.wmv)

Another tale to tell the American people from the Democrats. It seems the Democrats can't find something positive to challange Bush on so they do the negative attacks against him. This, IMO , won't help the Democrats at all. It's all a waste of time and taxpayers monies. Anything to make news , this is pretty low and most everyone will agree. This may do more harm than good in the long run.

Just wondering, cosmictraveler, but have you ever visited anywhere outside the Continental U.S.?

With that said:

<i>Originally posted by cosmictraveler</i>:
Another tale to tell the American people from the Democrats.

Yeah, remember that crazy tale where that Kenneth Starr guy talked about the ins and outs of the Clinton-Lewinsky debacle? Wow, I guess those Democrats will go to any lengths to smear people. Or how much emphasis was put on Clinton and his drug habits, sex habits, etc.? Democrats are so immoral!

God, dude, calling attention to facts is not a high crime and misdemeanor, you know. Let people find out what grades Bush got. Who cares?! Apparently you do. Is that really going to change what people already think about the guy? Is that going to cause some fence-sitters to say, "Gee I wasn't sure, but now that I know he got a D in World Global Relations, I'm gonna vote for the man!"

<b>Both</b> sides do this. I shouldn't have to tell you this. The Republicans and the Democrats smear each other—it's an old pasttime which goes back to the day they were first introduced. It's going to happen. If Bush is re-elected, it will continue to happen and you can conveniently continue to keep your head in the sand. If a Democrat (godforbid!) gets elected, guess what? Yep, out come the skeletons!

It reminds me of prescient Orwell:
"The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."

In closing, you know that little smack on the side of the head you get from time to time? Well, that's everyone's way of saying to you, "Wake up."