Why Would Anyone Protest John Conyers?

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been the driving force against impeachment
in Congress. If there is no agreement to begin impeachment proceedings
by Monday, Sheehan will announce her candidacy challenging Pelosi for
election in California’s 8th Congressional District.

WHO: Cindy Sheehan, mother of Casey Sheehan, KIA in Iraq
2004, founder of Gold Star Families for Peace and of the Camp Casey
Peace Institute; Ray McGovern, 27-year veteran of the CIA and cofounder
of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity; Rev. Lennox Yearwood,
President of the Hip Hop Caucus; Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army Colonel
and diplomat who resigned in protest the day the U.S. invaded Iraq;
Debra Sweet, national coordinator of the World Can’t Wait; Dave
Lindorff, author of “The Case for Impeachment,” David Swanson,
cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin,
both cofounders of Code Pink; Kevin Zeese, director of Democracy
Rising; Tina Richards, military mother and creator of
GrassRootsAmerica4Us; and many many others.

WHEN AND WHERE:

10:00 a.m. gathering outside the Arlington National Cemetery metro stop. Cindy Sheehan will make remarks.

10:30 a.m. beginning march to Capitol Hill, to 2426 Rayburn House Office Building, office of Chairman John Conyers.

12:00 p.m. noon – approximate arrival time.

“We have the deepest respect for Chairman John Conyers,” Sheehan
said, “and I’m glad he’s the one who will lead the impeachment
hearings. But time is wasting and people are dying every day that he
holds off. The majority of Americans want Dick Cheney impeached. We are
bringing that message to the chairman of the judiciary committee of our
house of representatives. It is our house, the house of American
citizens, and any representatives currently serving there who disagree
should be challenged in the next election.”

___________

Join Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Ann
Wright, Debra Sweet, Dave Lindorff, David Swanson, Jodie Evans, Medea
Benjamin, Kevin Zeese, Tina Richards, Barbara Cummings, …

Meet at 10 a.m. on July 23rd outside the Arlington National Cemetery Metro Stop.
(we’re marching, and those unable to can take the Metro from Arlington to Capitol South and meet us)

Wear Orange.

Bring a copy of the US Constitution.

About getting arrested:

This action is strictly nonviolent. We hope to speak with
Congressman Conyers and reach an aggreement to begin the impeachment
process. We hope that no one will be arrested.

Those not wishing to risk arrest can expect to be able to leave following a warning.

Those willing to risk arrest if needed must be disciplined and
nonviolent. Bring an ID (with a street address, not a PO Box) and money
(cash, check). Give everything else to a support person. Be prepared
for the possibility of being held for as long as 24 hours.

If you have a car, you can park it at the Union Station or National
Airport parking garage and leave it there as long as you need to.

If money is needed to release people more quickly than 24 hours, the
Camp Casey Peace Institute will attempt to cover it for everyone. Those
wishing to contribute funds to this effort can do so here: http://www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org

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Why Conyers?

Because he controls impeachment. We wouldn’t want anyone else. He
has the knowledge and skill to lead the way, and we hope his better
half wins out. And we hope he doesn’t arrest us for asking him to
fulfill his oath of office.

Clearly at least half of Congressman Conyers wants to move on
impeachment and wants public pressure to allow / compel him to do so.
He wrote the best report
on Bush and Cheney’s crimes a year and a half ago. He has encouraged
the movement for impeachment. But half of him, for whatever reason, is
intent on blocking it.

A Tale of Two Conyers
By Congressman John Conyers

WHY did all manly gifts in Webster fail?
He wrote on Nature’s grandest brow, For Sale.
–Emerson

PART I

In brief, we have found that there is substantial
evidence the President, the Vice President and other high ranking
members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American
people regarding the decision to go to war with Iraq; misstated and
manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for
such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment and other legal violations in Iraq; and permitted
inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration.

There is a prima facie case that these actions by the President,
Vice-President and other members of the Bush Administration violated a
number of federal laws, including (1) Committing a Fraud against the
United States; (2) Making False Statements to Congress; (3) The War
Powers Resolution; (4) Misuse of Government Funds; (5) federal laws and
international treaties prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, and
degrading treatment; (6) federal laws concerning retaliating against
witnesses and other individuals; and (7) federal laws and regulations
concerning leaking and other misuse of intelligence.

While these charges clearly rise to the level of impeachable
misconduct, because the Bush Administration and the
Republican-controlled Congress have blocked the ability of Members to
obtain information directly from the Administration concerning these
matters, more investigatory authority is needed before recommendations
can be made regarding specific Articles of Impeachment. As a result, we
recommend that Congress establish a select committee with subpoena
authority to investigate the misconduct of the Bush Administration with
regard to the Iraq war detailed in this Report and report to the
Committee on the Judiciary on possible impeachable offenses.

— Congressman John Conyers, “The Constitution in Crisis”, December 2005

PART II

As many of you also know, I have agreed with
Speaker-to-be Pelosi that impeachment is off the table. Instead, we
agree that oversight, accountability and checks and balances – which
have been sorely lacking for the last six years – must occur. I have
nothing but respect for those who might disagree, but that is where I
come out.

Having devoted a considerable amount of time and attention to
detailing the many abuses of the Bush Administration, I firmly believe
that we have brought these matters to the attention of the American
people and the mainstream media, and that their verdict was reflected
in the elections on November 7. I consider the now famous “basement
hearings” and the issuance of my “Constitution in Crisis” Report to be
among the watershed achievements of my more than forty years in
Congress.

— Congressman John Conyers, November 2006

We need the first John Conyers. There is no Republican majority
blocking inquiries. There hasn’t been for over half a year. Instead,
Conyers is issuing subpoenas, and the White House is refusing to comply
with them. The third article of impeachment passed by the Judiciary
Committee against Richard Nixon was for refusal to comply with
subpoenas. Conyers served on that committee. He knows that publishing a
report on Nixon would not have done the job.

Conyers knows that when he and his colleagues held Nixon
accountable, the Democrats won the biggest victories in a generation at
the next elections. Conyers knows that when they let Reagan go in order
to focus on elections they proceeded to lose and create the Bush
dynasty. Conyers knows where Congress’ approval rating has gone these
past six months. He knows what another year and a half of building the
already overwhelming case for impeachment but not acting on it would do
to the Democrats. He knows that pursuing impeachment and having it
blocked in the Senate by Republicans would guarantee Democratic
landslides. And he knows that it is morally disgusting to put partisan
elections concerns ahead of saving our Constitution and reinstating the
rule of law for the executive branch.

Why divide the Democrats? 80% of Democrats want Cheney impeached.
What kind of divide is that? It would be 90% the day after Conyers
began impeachment. Conyers knows there is no downside to impeachment.
We need to provide the public pressure to allow him to act.