Impeachment Starts at Home

The Town of Telluride has been one of the few government entities to officially support the movement to impeach President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. Yet, they are not an anomaly.  There are citizen groups and political organizations across Colorado discussing the impeachment process and debating their support of impeachment resolutions.

The tourist town of Glenwood Springs, which sits in the middle of the Roaring Fork Valley between Aspen and Parachute, does not seem to be a likely place to harbor impeachment insurgents. Yet on Monday, over 40 people overflowed into a local bank’s community room to determine how they could exert pressure on their elected officials to begin the impeachment process.

Is this how a revolution begins?Copies of the Bill of Rights were handed out to the mixed crowd of residents-young mothers, blue-collar workers and teachers, students, former 60’s hippies, retired business people and even a homeless guy. They had come to express their dismay about the country’s leadership and the Democrats failure to challenge the administration over the perceived abuse of power.

One of the meeting organizers was wearing a “Currently Under Surveillance” on her t-shirt. She even asked for the alleged FBI agent to identify him or herself to the group.

There was an uneasy laugh in the room–one resident acknowledged that impeachment talk could be viewed as subversive.

“It’s time for Americans to get off their asses and do something,” Warren Griggs from Carbondale gruffed. He was concerned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised to keep impeachment proceedings off the house floor. “I don’t care if there is only 18 months left of the Bush Administration, they have got to go,” he stressed.

The group received copies of the “The Articles of Impeachment of Bush and Cheney” by former US attorney general Ramsey Clark. It contained these charges:

President Bush and Vice-President Cheney have committed violations and subversions of the Constitution of the United States of America in an attempt to carry out with impunity crimes against peace and humanity and war crimes and deprivations of the civil rights of the people of the United States… and usurping powers of Congress.

“Americans have got to stand up to protect their privacy and clean out the government,” said Josh Capps, a 25-year old construction worker from Basalt. Looking around the room, he gestured with his upraised hand, “We have to let our voices be heard.”

Capps also bemoaned the lack of interest by the media on the impeachment movement. “You would think they would see the big picture,” he said. “This is bringing people out.”

The homeless person, Glen Buckhead, suggested that someone should make a citizen’s arrest on Vice-President Cheney.

“If you can get that close, go for it!” chimed in a voice from across the room.

A soft-spoken grandmotherly woman expressed her concern that the Conservatives have not come to the defense of the Constitution. “What if Hillary Clinton becomes president. Do they want her to have the same powers that President Bush claims he has?” she questioned.

Petitions to Congressman John Salazar and Senator Ken Salazar to support impeachment proceedings were passed around for signatures. Pro-impeachment website addresses were exchanged. The group agreed to participate in the impeachment protest in Glenwood Sept. 15th, which will be held simultaneously with the Washington DC march.

People wanted to meet again next month, but it won’t be at the bank. Apparently, bank officials received some customer complaints about being the location for the presidential impeachment meetings. So, the bank has declined the group organizer’s request for future room reservations.

Comments are closed.