The Impeachment Center

Removing Bush and Cheney is a patriotic duty to restore the integrity of the United States.

Those assembled at the nation's first official impeachment center cited various Bush actions or policies, including “lies that led the U.S. into war.” They also said that Bush–Cheney policies precipitated torture, illegal spying on American citizens, and the curtailment of privacy and civil rights in the name of fighting terrorism.

The latest irritant was our commonly shared one; the president’s decision to commute the prison sentence of Scooter Libby.

“Isn’t it ironic that Paris Hilton will spend more days in jail than Libby?” said Green Party activist Byron De Lear.

The day’s star power was provided by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who had vigorously defended then-President Bill Clinton when he faced impeachment in 1998.“This is one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen,”she said, adding that “We can make changes through organizing. If the numbers are in the streets, Congress will listen.”

Any impeachment motion - ultimately voted on by the House of Representatives - would have to pass through the House Judiciary Committee, to which Waters belongs.

The impeachment center was sponsored by Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, Westside Greens, Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Los Angeles Greens.

Activists plan to meet every Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the 3rd Street storefront, where they’ll stuff envelopes, do phone banking, spread the word about http://www.bcimpeach.com and make plans to circulate petitions and lobby elected officials. They report that 79 municipalities and townships nationwide have passed impeachment resolutions.

Former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, who spoke at the event, insisted that principles ought to trump narrow political imperatives. “Leadership requires that people step out,” she said. “It is not hopeless. Stand up. Do something for your rights.”