cross posted at Evolving Peace http://evolvingworld…
The weather is a little gray today, and that is fine by me. We had temperatures soaring into the 80’s and while the temperatures set to cool for the week Montpelier was rocked by a storm. The storm was not due to any weather pattern or a flood of the river, but of a rise in energy and passions for the calling of impeachment of the President.
This past Wednesday, shortly after ten I arrived into the cafeteria of the State House amongst a sea of citizens demanding that their leaders recommend impeachment.
I was there actually for some other matters; however I am in complete support of the efforts. I was amazed at the impressive showing. So many folks present there, all decorated with signs stating their names and where they were from. It was impossible to ignore the issue of the day. Organizers claimed about three hundred were in attendance and word spread around that it was the largest numbers to attend a session in the house. The house was rocking with emotions and folks from all corners of the state where there to make their point.
A call for democracy, return of order to the United States Constitution, ending the war in Iraq, and justice was the mission of the day. While the outcome of the vote fell short of its passage another chink in the Teflon of this presidency has been punctured. Speaker of the House Symington, a Democrat, reportedly had been refusing to allow a vote to be taken, but amongst pressure from the citizens she had no choice but to call a vote. A rumor mentioned to me that her refusal can be attributed to her friendship with Congressman Peter Welch. Congressman Welch has been appointed to powerful committees by Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House and if Welch proceeds with Articles of impeachment that could affect his relationship within party leadership circles. Whatever the case, the vote failed; however it is not the end of the matter, but just the beginning of another chapter.
I hope that this impressive grass roots movement grows. While I am at odds with the pragmatic approach displayed by the Democrats towards impeachment, there is still the reality that the Senate would not vote to convict the President and Vice-President. Those who are aware of the issue realize that our democracy has been willfully hijacked by criminals and that the issue is of grave importance. Yes, I want impeachment, but unfortunately there remains a percentage of the population that just doesn’t care or even gets it. However, failure to allow justice to be served on this administration sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents by justifying circumvention of our system of laws.
So while in the Senate, Senator Leahy continues with oversight hearings on Alberto Gonzales and domestic spying and Peter Welch is in the House is issuing subpoenas on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s role of deceitful manipulation in the case for war, another domino falls on the charade of the presidency. Each day another individual changes their mind and before we know it we will see him impeached. Movements don’t happen overnight and unlike our propagandist history books that tell us that magically overnight Congress decided to pass civil rights it takes work and time to convert a population. Each step forward, although it may look like it was futile is one step closer to goal. Debate just echoed the VT House chambers and soon those same words will be coming to Washington, D.C. I personally would like to thank my two Vermont Representatives Warren Kitzmiller and Jon Anderson for voting in favor of the resolution and the Vermont Senate for passing it last week, that is how democracy works.
Wednesday’s storm rocked the house, and with the rise of Thursday’s sun a sense of calmness was present. After witnessing the scene of just the day before, it seem as if the State House was a quiet oasis from the busy world, but legislators were diligently back to work and onto creating solutions for the problems of the day. While impeachment was just one issue of a day, there are many issues going on without your involvement. To those who rallied up for impeachment, while you see the necessity for accountability on the national front, your state houses are going on without you. Use the energy of impeachment to make change within..
Peace
Robb Kidd
“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Howard Zinn, Author of “A People’s History of the United States”