Here is the text of the letter sent by Vermont legislators to our Congressional delegation supporting impeachment:
Dear Members of the Vermont Delegation:
As you know, many of our fellow Vermonters are speaking out over their
deep concerns regarding many actions of President Bush-actions which
they believe violate our laws, our constitution, and our international
treaty obligations. These concerns of average Vermonters are being
voiced through resolutions adopted at town meetings, resolutions voted
at county and state committee meetings, in public petitions, and in an
ever-increasing number of letters seen in our newspapers.
Based upon the public information already available to them, many
Vermonters whom we serve have indicated that they would respond
affirmatively to each of the following questions:
Has George Bush violated the law and Constitution by ordering American
citizens to be held indefinitely without access to counsel and without
being charged, or afforded any opportunity to challenge such detention
before a civil judge, based solely on his discretionary and unilateral
designation of them as “enemy combatants”?
Has George Bush violated the law and Constitution by ordering and
continuing to order the interception and recording of telephone calls by
the National Security Agency without obtaining statutorily required
court orders?
Has George Bush violated international treaties and the United Nations
Charter by invading Iraq and by obtaining authorization from the United
States Congress for that invasion based upon intentionally false
information and the intentional withholding of accurate information and
by then intentionally concealing those actions?
Has George Bush violated the law and Constitution by ordering the
continued detention of persons being held, even after their release has
been ordered by a court?
These questions raise, both individually and in their totality, issues
of the gravest national importance. Fundamental standards of due
process require that such allegations not simply be accepted as true;
however, they also cannot and should not be ignored.
Indeed, we believe that openly obtaining objective answers to these
questions is increasingly critical to sustaining public faith in our
constitutional system of government and in its requirement for
accountability by every President. Obviously, if any or all of these
alleged acts is substantiated through a fair investigation and hearings,
it then could either require censure or setting in motion the
constitutional process for possible removal from office.
We realize the serious practical difficulties of initiating even an
initial investigation of these issues at present, much less in actually
moving forward should they be substantiated. However, speaking as
individual Members of the Vermont House of Representatives and the State
Senate, we ask that you take all possible steps which you believe can
lead to the initiation of such an investigation and then promptly
conduct all further proceedings which are warranted by its results.
We believe that Vermonters, our nation and our constitutional
principles deserve no less.
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Thanks to Rep. Dick Marek, who wrote the letter and sent me the copy.
