Other Political News

[Soldier4Christ]

 Puerto Rican schools, government offices close

The government of Puerto Rico ran out of money Monday, forcing the U.S. commonwealth to close public schools and shut down government offices, putting almost 100,000 people out of work.

The legislature and governor failed to reach a last-minute accord that would have averted the first-ever partial shutdown of the government in island history.

All 1,600 public schools on the island were closed two weeks before the end of the academic year, and 43 government agencies were shut down after negotiations between lawmakers and Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila failed.

Acevedo blamed "legislative inaction" for the shutdown.

"As of 8 a.m. this morning, I don't have in hand a single legislative proposal that resolves this crisis," he told reporters.

The closure gave an unplanned holiday to 500,000 students and threw almost 100,000 government employees -- including 40,000 teachers -- temporarily out of work. The governor has said essential services, such as police and hospitals, would continue during the shutdown.

Unions planned protests outside the capitol in San Juan and elsewhere to protest the shutdown. Municipal governments, which provide services such as garbage collection, kept functioning.

Outside an elementary school in the Rio Piedras area of the capital, a sign advised parents to monitor news reports to learn when classes would resume. Juan Marrero, a shop owner near the school, said the shutdown would curtail his business.

"They have to solve this quickly," Marrero said.

Puerto Rico has a $740 million budget shortfall because the legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a spending plan since 2004.

Overnight, the Senate leader offered a compromise that would create a 5.9 percent sales tax, which he said would raise enough money to pay off an emergency $532 million line of credit the government needs to finish the fiscal year.

But that proposal failed to gain traction in the House of Representatives, where leaders said they opposed any sales tax above 5.5 percent -- with 1.5 percent earmarked for municipalities.

Both proposals fell short of the 7 percent that Acevedo said was necessary to pay for an additional $640 million loan and avoid a partial government shutdown. Anything less that 7 percent would only postpone the crisis until July 1, when the next fiscal year begins, the governor said.

The island currently has no sales tax.

Members of the New Progressive Party, which controls the legislature, have blamed the governor for the crisis. The two sides never agreed on the 2005 or 2006 budgets, and the government is using the 2004 budget to operate as debts pile up.

The government is Puerto Rico's largest employer, with some 200,000 workers. Salaries make up about 80 percent of the government's operational costs.

In recent days, Puerto Ricans held protest marches aimed at spurring the politicians to reach an agreement.

"I think it's sad that it came to this, but I think they'll come to their senses after a few days of playing this game," said Hector Aguilo, 24, who lives in Guaynabo, just outside San Juan.

"There are too many angry people who would be without their paychecks."

[airIam2worship]

Puerto Rican schools, government offices close

The government of Puerto Rico ran out of money Monday, forcing the U.S. commonwealth to close public schools and shut down government offices, putting almost 100,000 people out of work.

The legislature and governor failed to reach a last-minute accord that would have averted the first-ever partial shutdown of the government in island history.

All 1,600 public schools on the island were closed two weeks before the end of the academic year, and 43 government agencies were shut down after negotiations between lawmakers and Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila failed.

Acevedo blamed "legislative inaction" for the shutdown.

"As of 8 a.m. this morning, I don't have in hand a single legislative proposal that resolves this crisis," he told reporters.

The closure gave an unplanned holiday to 500,000 students and threw almost 100,000 government employees -- including 40,000 teachers -- temporarily out of work. The governor has said essential services, such as police and hospitals, would continue during the shutdown.

Unions planned protests outside the capitol in San Juan and elsewhere to protest the shutdown. Municipal governments, which provide services such as garbage collection, kept functioning.

Outside an elementary school in the Rio Piedras area of the capital, a sign advised parents to monitor news reports to learn when classes would resume. Juan Marrero, a shop owner near the school, said the shutdown would curtail his business.

"They have to solve this quickly," Marrero said.

Puerto Rico has a $740 million budget shortfall because the legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a spending plan since 2004.

Overnight, the Senate leader offered a compromise that would create a 5.9 percent sales tax, which he said would raise enough money to pay off an emergency $532 million line of credit the government needs to finish the fiscal year.

But that proposal failed to gain traction in the House of Representatives, where leaders said they opposed any sales tax above 5.5 percent -- with 1.5 percent earmarked for municipalities.

Both proposals fell short of the 7 percent that Acevedo said was necessary to pay for an additional $640 million loan and avoid a partial government shutdown. Anything less that 7 percent would only postpone the crisis until July 1, when the next fiscal year begins, the governor said.

The island currently has no sales tax.

Members of the New Progressive Party, which controls the legislature, have blamed the governor for the crisis. The two sides never agreed on the 2005 or 2006 budgets, and the government is using the 2004 budget to operate as debts pile up.

The government is Puerto Rico's largest employer, with some 200,000 workers. Salaries make up about 80 percent of the government's operational costs.

In recent days, Puerto Ricans held protest marches aimed at spurring the politicians to reach an agreement.

"I think it's sad that it came to this, but I think they'll come to their senses after a few days of playing this game," said Hector Aguilo, 24, who lives in Guaynabo, just outside San Juan.

"There are too many angry people who would be without their paychecks."

PR, this is very sad. One of those who lost his job is my youngest brother, he is an English teacher. He is also the one who will be having heart surgery sometime this week. I won't know for sure until I can talk to him.

[Soldier4Christ]

I thought it had some effect on your brother. My prayers are with him in this and in his health.

[Shammu]

My prayers are also, with your brother sister Maria.

[airIam2worship]

Yes Brothers I know you are praying for me and for my brother too. By the way, my  brother's wife is a monitor on a school bus for mantally challenged children, that school too was closed, therefore my sister in law lost her job as well. 

[Soldier4Christ]

Sister I am sure that it won't last long. This is a political game that is being played in an attempt for some politicians to get their way. Neither side can get away for long with this without causing a major riot.

[Shammu]

I would be more afraid of a riot, though I'm sure God is watching his own. But both of them are in my prayers.

[Soldier4Christ]

Langevin remains 'hopeful' on stem cell bill

WASHINGTON --U.S. Rep. James Langevin says he's still "hopeful" Congress will approve a bill he championed to strengthen the government's role in embryonic stem cell research.

The Rhode Island Democrat, a quadriplegic since he was hurt in a gunshot accident at age 16, was a key backer of a bill passed by the House nearly a year ago to allow research on additional stem cell lines. A similar measure is stalled in the Senate.

Langevin and other advocates are pressing for a vote before Congress leaves for its summer recess.

They say embryonic stem cell research could help speed cures and treatments for spinal cord injuries and diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Langevin believes it could help him walk again someday. But opponents contend research using stem cells extracted from embryos destroys human life.

As the one-year anniversary of House passage of the bill nears this month, Langevin is still waiting for Senate action.

"I'm hopeful it will be sooner rather than later," Langevin said in a recent interview. "I believe the bill will pass the Senate with strong bipartisan support."

President Bush, however, has vowed to veto the legislation. It is unclear if Congress would have the votes to override a veto.

"The President has said he will veto the bill, but we need to press ahead notwithstanding," Langevin said.

Langevin wants expanded federal support for research on stem cell lines derived after Aug. 9, 2001. Under his proposed legislation, only excess embryonic stem cells derived from in vitro fertilization and slated for destruction could be used for research. He also backs government oversight to ensure ethical research procedures.

Bush in 2001 set stricter limits on government-funded embryonic stem cell research.

Last May, the House defied Bush's veto threat by easing limits on the research. The 238-194 vote was far shy of the two-thirds majority necessary to overcome a Bush veto.

Still, support for the measure seemed to be growing last summer after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., announced he would support expanded stem cell research.

But a tight Senate legislative calendar and a host of other contentious issues have helped to put off a stem cell showdown. Frist spokeswoman Amy Call said Monday no date has been set for a vote.

Langevin and fellow stem cell advocates hope to step up pressure for Senate action in the coming weeks as the May 24 anniversary of the House bill's passage approaches.

The congressman said compromise will likely be necessary to push a final bill through Congress.

[Soldier4Christ]

Senate panel recommends scholarship bill


MONTPELIER, Vt. --Senators proposed a downpayment Monday toward the governor's cherished college scholarship program, but it was dismissed by the administration as "fig leaves" designed to ease political pressure.

The initiative was one of the last major bills that legislative leaders believe is needed to finish the Legislature's work so they can aim toward adjournment by the end of the week.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also recommended spending $400,000 to pay for the coming week's meeting of the Legislature. Funding for the regular session ran out last week.

But it's not clear that lawmakers will be able to wrap up their work this week and the college scholarship debate illustrated how much work remains to be completed. The bill drafted by the Senate does not come close to meeting the objectives set out by the governor.

Instead of the $175 million, 15-year plan proposed by Gov. Jim Douglas in his annual State of the State address, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended putting $5 million toward college assistance.

Senators would leave it to a 12-member committee to determine how to pay for the program over the long term and whether the aid should come in the form of scholarships, loan forgiveness or something else. A report would be due to the Legislature by Jan. 15, 2007. The initial seed money could not be spent until those issues were addressed.

"I think that's enough money to show we're really serious about it and committed to it," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille.

The issue all along has been how Douglas would pay for the scholarships. Lawmakers say the state can't afford the plan proposed by the governor because the boost in payments through the master settlement agreement of the national tobacco lawsuits already is promised to health care and programs to stop smoking.

The administration accused the Legislature of trying to advance a bill merely to respond to the political pressure Douglas has been putting on it.

"This is not time for studies and fig leaves," said Douglas press secretary Jason Gibbs. "It's time for bold action."

The administration has been threatening for several weeks now to veto the 2007 state budget if lawmakers don't adopt the governor's scholarship plan. His vision requires a long-term program that would get money into the hands of students who will be graduating from high school next spring and heading to college. Without those provisions, the budget still could be in jeopardy, even though the Senate's latest bill is separate from the appropriations bill.

"Gov. Douglas wants to put scholarships into the hands and savings accounts of a thousand families for the next year so they can be absolutely certain those resources exist when they decide where they're going to go to college," Gibbs said. "The Senate proposal is nothing but a stall tactic that fails to deliver what working families need."

[Soldier4Christ]

Senate GOP backs off from oil tax increase


WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, under pressure from business leaders, retreated Monday from a plan that would have used a tax increase on oil companies and other businesses to fund a $100 gasoline rebate for millions of motorists.

Frist, the Tennessee Republican, had proposed an accounting change that would have required oil companies to pay more taxes on their inventory of crude as a way to pay the one-time rebate which GOP leaders rolled out last week as they scrambled to find ways to ease public anger over soaring gasoline prices.

In a statement, Frist said he will still push the rebate, but abandoned the accounting change and said the Senate Finance Committee planned a hearing on the issue in the near future.

Frist gave no indication how the rebate, estimated to cost about $10 billion, will be paid for, although he said he still planned to "find a way to bring our proposals to the Senate floor for a vote."

The rebate proposal, meanwhile, seemed to have little appeal among motorists who would benefit.

Aids to several Republican senators, including some who support the proposal, said Monday they have received generally negative feedback from the public in telephone calls and e-mails.

"There are some who say this is a Band-Aid and they want a real solution. .... There are people who say, `Do you think I can be satisfied so easily,'" said Don Steward, an aide to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. He said almost all of the comments received about the rebate - which Cornyn has characterized as "a theatrical response" - have been negative.

Another Senate staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the senator was among those who have been pushing the GOP energy package, said voters know that with gas costing more than $3 a gallon the rebate likely will pay for only a couple of tanks of gas.

"It's probably one fill-up for a Sequoia," added the aide, referring to the Toyota SUV that gets 15 miles to the gallon in city driving.

But Frist said the rebate "will help people who are emptying their wallets at the pump. ... We've got to help those who are feeling pain ... as quickly as possible." Single taxpayers earning up to $145,950 and married couples earning up to $218,950 would get the rebate in August under the Frist proposal.

The Energy Department reported Monday that the average cost of regular grade gasoline nationwide had increased to $2.92 a gallon with many parts of the country showing prices at more than $3 a gallon.

The tax accounting change involving inventories was the most substantial tax hit Congress has been seriously considering in response to the huge oil industry profits at the time of soaring costs at the pump. The change, applying only to five of the largest oil companies, had been approved by the Senate, but faced strong opposition in the House.

Oil companies waged an intense lobbying effort to block the change.

Rex Tillerson, chairman of Exxon Mobil Corp., at an energy conference Monday, called it "nothing more than a backdoor windfall profits tax" and a "very dangerous and very poorly thought out step to take." The change was estimated to increase taxes for the five major oil companies by $4.3 billion over five years.

Frist would have expanded the tax to other industries, which prompted a chorus of protests, prompting his retreat from the proposal. The National Association of Manufacturers and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., among others, made known their strong opposition to the inventory taxing change.

Senate Republicans said the rebate is an attempt to counter the Democrats' push for a suspension of the 18.4 cent a gallon gasoline tax for 60 days.

A gasoline tax "holiday" has been proposed by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and embraced by the Democratic leadership as a short-term response to counter the sudden run-up of gas prices.

While one GOP senator, John Thune of South Dakota, introduced his own tax holiday bill, most Republicans oppose the idea.

They argue there's no assurance the tax break - which is collected from refiners - will be passed on to consumers at the pump. If the lost revenue from a tax suspension - estimated at $6 billion - is made up by imposing additional taxes on oil companies, as Democrats envision, there's incentive for companies not to pass the savings on to retailers, said critics of the plan.

[Soldier4Christ]

Senate panel to weigh regulatory relief Thursday


WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - A Senate panel on Thursday will debate a long-anticipated bill aimed at easing oversight of the financial services industry but which excludes many provisions contained in a similar bill approved by the House.

The Senate Banking Committee on Monday said it would hold its mark-up session, where panel members consider various provisions of proposed legislation, on May 4. Any planned amendments to the bill must be submitted by Tuesday afternoon.

While thinner than legislation advanced by the House of Representatives in March, the Senate bill from Republican Michael Crapo of Idaho includes a host of provisions affecting banks, credit unions and savings associations. Many are supported by both the industry and its federal regulators.

The bill would, for example, increase to $500 million from $250 million the asset threshold that qualifies a small bank to be examined every 18 months rather than every year. That would still be below the threshold some regulatory agencies sought.

The Senate bill also would clarify state regulators' authorities.

It would underscore that state regulators have authority for the institutions chartered in their states. Those regulators, known as home state regulators, have primary responsibility for assuring the safety and soundness of financial institutions in their states, under the bill.

Host state regulators -- those in states where banks have a presence but are not based -- must enter cooperative agreements with the bank's home state in order to examine the institution for compliance with host-state laws, under the bill.

Crapo's bill, however, does not include other provisions hoped for by industry, such as a measure that would reduce the number of cash transaction reports that banks must file under the Bank Secrecy Act.

Instead, the Senate legislation would require the U.S. Comptroller General, head of the Government Accountability Office, to study the volume of those cash transaction reports and make recommendations for changes to the filing system.

Another study on the cost and overall regulation of financial services would also be required under the bill.

Industry lobbyists said they expected few amendments would be proposed on Thursday. If advanced out of committee, the legislation would have to be cleared on the Senate floor and then House and Senate negotiators would work out the differences between their bills.

[Soldier4Christ]

CybeRelease: Senate Hears On Key Policy For Biodiesel Growth

If the United States someday replaced just 5 percent of its on-road diesel fuel with biodiesel, it would equal the amount of diesel fuel made from imported Iraqi oil annually. This was one statistic that Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), shared with Congress today as he emphasized specific policy initiatives foundational to the growth of the biodiesel industry. Jobe testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture at a hearing on the state of the biofuels industry. He highlighted the strong growth of biodiesel during the last two years. Biodiesel sales tripled from 25 million gallons in 2004 to 75 million gallons in 2005. That growth is partly spurred by rising oil costs. “As crude oil prices continue to rise, America’s trade deficit continues to balloon,” Jobe said in his testimony. “Every gallon of domestic, renewable biodiesel that is used to replace diesel fuel refined from imported crude reduces the need for imported crude and finished fuel, extends the diesel supply, and expands domestic refining capacity. Even a small reduction in demand has a positive effect on straining price pressures.”

One company linked to Biodiesel growth is Bio Solutions Manufacturing, Inc.

[Soldier4Christ]

Senate GOP Backs Off From Oil Tax Increase

 WASHINGTON

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, under pressure from business leaders, retreated Monday from a plan that would have used a tax increase on oil companies and other businesses to fund a $100 gasoline rebate for millions of motorists.

Frist, the Tennessee Republican, had proposed an accounting change that would have required oil companies to pay more taxes on their inventory of crude as a way to pay the one-time rebate which GOP leaders rolled out last week as they scrambled to find ways to ease public anger over soaring gasoline prices.

In a statement, Frist said he will still push the rebate, but abandoned the accounting change and said the Senate Finance Committee planned a hearing on the issue in the near future.

Frist gave no indication how the rebate, estimated to cost about $10 billion, will be paid for, although he said he still planned to "find a way to bring our proposals to the Senate floor for a vote."

The rebate proposal, meanwhile, seemed to have little appeal among motorists who would benefit.

Aids to several Republican senators, including some who support the proposal, said Monday they have received generally negative feedback from the public in telephone calls and e-mails.

"There are some who say this is a Band-Aid and they want a real solution. .... There are people who say, `Do you think I can be satisfied so easily,'" said Don Steward, an aide to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. He said almost all of the comments received about the rebate _ which Cornyn has characterized as "a theatrical response" _ have been negative.

Another Senate staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the senator was among those who have been pushing the GOP energy package, said voters know that with gas costing more than $3 a gallon the rebate likely will pay for only a couple of tanks of gas.

"It's probably one fill-up for a Sequoia," added the aide, referring to the Toyota SUV that gets 15 miles to the gallon in city driving.

But Frist said the rebate "will help people who are emptying their wallets at the pump. ... We've got to help those who are feeling pain ... as quickly as possible." Single taxpayers earning up to $145,950 and married couples earning up to $218,950 would get the rebate in August under the Frist proposal.

The Energy Department reported Monday that the average cost of regular grade gasoline nationwide had increased to $2.92 a gallon with many parts of the country showing prices at more than $3 a gallon.

The tax accounting change involving inventories was the most substantial tax hit Congress has been seriously considering in response to the huge oil industry profits at the time of soaring costs at the pump. The change, applying only to five of the largest oil companies, had been approved by the Senate, but faced strong opposition in the House.

Oil companies waged an intense lobbying effort to block the change.

Rex Tillerson, chairman of Exxon Mobil Corp., at an energy conference Monday, called it "nothing more than a backdoor windfall profits tax" and a "very dangerous and very poorly thought out step to take." The change was estimated to increase taxes for the five major oil companies by $4.3 billion over five years.

Frist would have expanded the tax to other industries, which prompted a chorus of protests, prompting his retreat from the proposal. The National Association of Manufacturers and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., among others, made known their strong opposition to the inventory taxing change.

Senate Republicans said the rebate is an attempt to counter the Democrats' push for a suspension of the 18.4 cent a gallon gasoline tax for 60 days.

A gasoline tax "holiday" has been proposed by Sen. Bob Menendez, D- N.J., and embraced by the Democratic leadership as a short-term response to counter the sudden run-up of gas prices.

While one GOP senator, John Thune of South Dakota, introduced his own tax holiday bill, most Republicans oppose the idea.

They argue there's no assurance the tax break _ which is collected from refiners _ will be passed on to consumers at the pump. If the lost revenue from a tax suspension _ estimated at $6 billion _ is made up by imposing additional taxes on oil companies, as Democrats envision, there's incentive for companies not to pass the savings on to retailers, said critics of the plan.

[Soldier4Christ]

Giuliani still pondering White House run

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, visiting the state that traditionally kicks off the White House race, said on Monday he was still considering a 2008 presidential run but was in no rush to decide.

Giuliani, in Iowa to raise money for Republicans and to make a paid appearance at a motivational seminar, said he was gathering information on a possible presidential bid.

"It's something that I'm thinking about," Giuliani said. "It's something I haven't ruled out and it's something that really depends on where things are approximately a year from now."

Public opinion polls consistently show Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain near the top of a crowded field of possible Republican candidates to succeed President George W. Bush in 2008.

Giuliani gained national acclaim for his leadership in New York after the September 11 attacks, but his support of gay rights and abortion rights could spark opposition from conservatives who hold considerable influence in the Republican caucuses and primaries.

Iowa, which holds the nominating caucuses that kick off the presidential race, is a favorite stopping point for potential White House candidates testing their support and message ahead of a decision on whether to run.

Giuliani said the only way to find out if he could earn conservative support for a White House bid was to run.

"No one ever knows who or what the electorate wants until you offer yourself as a candidate," he said.

"We've had lots of surprises either way. We've had people elected where you never thought they'd get elected. We've had frontrunners who have fallen way behind. But the only way you find out is if you run."

[Soldier4Christ]

 Vermonters deliver impeachment resolutions to Congress

By Shay Totten | Vermont Guardian

WASHINGTON — An effort that began in March culminated Monday when three Vermont communities delivered a message to House Speaker Dennis Hastert: Start the process to impeach Pres. George Bush.

Six Vermont towns passed resolutions on Town Meeting Day calling for Bush’s impeachment. On Monday, Ellen Tenney, a bookstore owner from Rockingham, hand delivered petitions to Hastert, an Illinois Republican.

Neither Hastert nor his chief of staff was there when the office opened, as many members of Congress are not in Washington on Mondays. Tenney described the meeting with Hastert’s staff members who were in the office as “bland and not very friendly.”

She said it should have been no surprise that the petitions would be delivered.

“I had called and told him that we were coming, but I couldn’t get anyone to call me back to set up an actual appointment,” said Tenney, who was joined by representatives from AfterDowningStreet.org and ImpeachPAC.org, two web-based organizations that have been encouraging Bush’s impeachment. She was also joined by Julia DeWalt, daughter of Newfane Selectman Dan DeWalt, and a chief author of that town’s resolution, which sparked interest by other towns in Vermont.

Julia DeWalt handed the first of the petitions, that of Newfane’s, to Hastert’s staff.

“It feels like my child's first steps,” Dan DeWalt told the Guardian, “simultaneously a huge event, and painfully reflective of the enormous distance yet to go.”

After meeting with Hastert’s staff, Tenney delivered copies of the resolutions to Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and Rep. John Conyers, D-MI, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, where an impeachment probe must originate in Congress.

Tenney said she paid those visits to ensure others in Congress knew of the Vermont towns’ intentions, and to keep them apprised of the process from here.

She hopes to enlist volunteers in the coming weeks to deliver copies of the resolutions to every member of Congress.

Messages left by the Guardian with the offices of Hastert, Conyers and Sanders were not immediately returned.

Tenney said no major media outlets covered the event at Hastert’s office, even though one news organization, Reuters, had said it would send a reporter and photographer.

“In some ways it might have been better to have waited until we had them all in hand, but I think it might be better to have them trickle in from all over the place instead of one big bang, and as the numbers get larger as more resolutions get passed, perhaps the press will start turning their heads,” said Tenney.

She added that she did not expect “wild” or “massive” press coverage. “But, this is the little people, this is the grassroots and going to Conyers office symbolized the coming together of the grassroots with the people on the inside,” she added.

Earlier this year during Town Meeting Day votes, Brookfield, Dummerston, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney and Brattleboro approved measures calling for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush. Not all were identical, but all were modeled after Newfane’s resolution.

Dan DeWalt said he has hopes of delivering the other Vermont resolutions later this month. Both he and Tenney are working with activists around the country to keep more resolutions coming.

In a separate statement (see below), Dan DeWalt called the petitions “our declaration of independence and battle of Bunker Hill. If the speaker of the House is on the run, let’s give him something to run from and keep a barrage of resolutions and declarations coming his way.”

On Sunday night, Tenney visited the Jefferson Memorial, ceremoniously laying the petitions at the feet of Thomas Jefferson. Many of those calling for Bush’s impeachment are using the Jefferson Manual of rules for the U.S. House of Representatives, which allows state and local governments to initiate impeachment proceedings by submitting charges to Congress.

Aside from these town-level resolutions, measures have been introduced in three state legislatures — California, Illinois and Vermont —calling on Congress to draft articles of impeachment against Pres. Bush.

In Vermont, Rep. Dave Zuckerman, P-Burlington, the lead sponsor of the measure, was joined by 23 of his colleagues, all Progressives and Democrats except for one independent. The bill was introduced on April 25. The bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.

Zuckerman’s resolution lays out a broad case for impeachment, ranging from wiretapping U.S. citizens to lying about reasons for going to war in Iraq. It is modeled, in part, after recent resolutions approved by county Democratic committees.

Vermont Democrats earlier this month sidestepped the Legislature in response to a grassroots effort among various county committees to get lawmakers to initiate such proceedings. All 13 county committees voted to support some form of impeachment resolution — eight supported calling on the Legislature to act, four counties voted for an impeachment resolution to go directly to Washington, and one voted to support the censure effort of Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI.

In addition, a letter written by state Rep. Richard Marek, D-Newfane, which was signed by 56 members of the House and 13 members of the Senate, none of them Republicans, also asks the House Judiciary Committee to begin impeachment proceedings. That letter was sent to Hastert last month.

The members of Vermont’s congressional delegation, who are not enthusiastic about impeachment, support hearings that could lead to possible censure.

Statement from Dan DeWalt on the delivery of Vermont’s petitions to impeach Pres. George W. Bush

Mrs. Tenney went to Washington, and the speaker of the House ran for cover

By Dan DeWalt

Three years ago, Pres. George W. Bush stuffed some padding in his pants, flew dramatically onto an aircraft carrier anchored a few hundred yards offshore, and declared “mission accomplished.”

Today, in memory of the thousands who have since died in Iraq, and fulfilling their obligations as citizens to protect the U.S. Constitution, Ellen Tenney and Julia DeWalt presented the first three Vermont town resolutions calling for Congress to impeach the president to the U.S. speaker of the House. Except the speaker was afraid to meet them.

He was afraid to face the naked truth that Congress will now have to be dealing with the wrath and determination of forthright U.S. citizens who are calling their government to accountability. Congress now has to answer to a public that does not rely on timid political advisors, repeating the same outdated and losing conventional wisdom, worrying about potential “backlash” to ideas that are true and to demands that are just.

The night before her scheduled meeting with the speaker, Tenney went to the Jefferson Memorial and laid the petitions at his feet. It is, after all, section 603 of Jefferson’s manual that gives towns the right to bring impeachment resolutions to Congress. From the memorial, Jefferson looks directly at the White House, and we can be assured that he doesn’t like what he sees. Section 603 is a natural outcome of his distrust of an all-powerful executive branch of government. America had just freed itself from the tyranny of King George, and Mr. Jefferson was determined to prevent another one from taking his place.

We see that the so-called opposition politicians, as well as their supporters in the popular and news media, are unwilling to take seriously their duty to uphold the Constitution.

Therefore, we must step into the breach and take action before the nation sinks under the weight of corruption, corporate domination and creeping fascism. Some nations have proud histories of “peoples’ revolutions” wresting power from corrupt governments from the Philippines to South America to Eastern Europe. Tens of thousands would take to the streets and stay there. Or most of the nation would go on strike, or as www.therudeguy.com puts it, they all call in “well,” saying I’m not sick, but I’m not working until you and your lousy government are out of here.

For whatever reason, America today is not ready for those sorts of mass actions. When massive protests greeted the Iraq war, they were met with a collective yawn and a few dismissive jokes by the government and the media. Protests just aren’t seen as part of the process.

Impeachment however, is absolutely part of the process. Correctly worded impeachment resolutions must be passed from the speaker to the Judiciary Committee. If only one member of the House brings one of these resolutions to the floor, the House must debate it. Thanks to Jefferson we have the power to force this conversation. The time for a constitutional People’s Revolution is at hand.

The March town meetings followed by The May 1 delivery of the petitions/resolutions are our declaration of independence and battle of Bunker Hill. If the Speaker of the House is on the run, let’s give him something to run from and keep a barrage of resolutions and declarations coming his way.

Now is the time to take your senators and House representatives to task for not upholding their obligations to the country and its Constitution. Now is the time to write letters to the editor demanding that we begin a national conversation about the rule of law. Now is the time that we demand that morality and truth take center stage in our governance.

Thomas Jefferson said that the tree of liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of tyrants. Charlie Parker said, “Now’s the Time.”