Motion to Impeach Bush and Cheney Requested at Concord Township Meeting (Pennsylvania)

By Jim Bronke

Tuesday June 6 was the monthly Concord Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. Since citizens cannot submit a motion in this township and can only request that one be created Jim Bronke, a local resident, implored the board to take account of the following:

The annual hurricane risk to the area (10%), the rising associated insurance costs and the compromise of our National Guard due to the War on Iraq. All items that pose a risk to property in Concord Township.
The track record of the Bush administration in dealing with Katrina, the war on Iraq, the illegal wiretapping without Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review approval, his illegal imprisoning of American citizens, the current debt,
That the Rules of the House of Representatives explicitly allow state and city legislatures to introduce resolutions. Our First Amendment guarantees any citizen, city, or state "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

He had a sample "Resolution to Impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney" from which he read.

When he finished he did not request that there be an immediate response noting that it was something to consider. One of the supervisors did respond with what he felt was a legal opinion based on a solicitor for the Township that the only approach for impeachment was through US Senators and representatives. Bronke disagreed saying, "there are multiple paths toward impeachment, this is another'.

It was clear at the end of this discussion that the BOS was not going to take it any further. This is not what is happening in other states such as California, Illinois and Vermont where cities and the states are doing just that, authoring their own motions to impeach and in some cases delivering them to our House of Representatives.

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Resolution to Impeach President George W. Bush
and Vice President Richard Cheney
Jim Bronke
Presented to
Concord Township
689 Smithbridge Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Tuesday June 6, 2006
Board of Supervisors:
• Dominic A. Pileggi, Chairman
• Dominic J. Cappelli, Vice Chairman
• Colleen P. Morrone, Member
• Kevin P. O'Donoghue, Member
• John J. Gillespie, Member

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney violated their oath of office by conspiring with others to take the United States of America to war against Iraq, a sovereign nation, against our Constitution and using authority he did not have. In doing this he violated our Constitution in two ways: 1} He ignored the authority of the United Nations, the charter of which is the law of the land and 2) Only the Congress can declare war and that authority cannot be abrogated. The Resolution of Iraq of 2002 is Unconstitutional.
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of the "Federal Torture Act" Title 18 United States Code, Section 113C, the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law; and
WHEREAS, In all of this George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of Concord Township and of the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, Petitions from the country at large may be presented by the Speaker of the House according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII;
Be it resolved that George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;
Be it resolved further by Concord Township, That our senators and representatives in the United States Congress be, and they are hereby, requested to cause to be instituted in the Congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of the President George W. Bush, to the end that he may be impeached and removed from such office.
Be it resolved further, That the Clerk of Concord Township be, and is hereby, instructed to certify to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, under the seal of the Concord Township a copy of this resolution and its adoption by Concord Township as a petition, and request that this petition be delivered to the Office of the Clerk and entered in the United States Congressional Journal. The copies shall be marked with the word "Petition" at the top of the document and contain the original authorizing signature of the Township.

________________

Concord Township Request for a Motion
Jim Bronke
7400 Johnson Farm Lane #211
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Presented to
Concord Township
689 Smithbridge Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Tuesday June 6, 2006
Board of Supervisors:
• Dominic A. Pileggi, Chairman
• Dominic J. Cappelli, Vice Chairman
• Colleen P. Morrone, Member
• Kevin P. O'Donoghue, Member
• John J. Gillespie, Member

Township supervisors and friends, I come here today not as a Republican or as a Democrat but as an American citizen concerned for our way of life. I hope that you can view this package not as a political statement but as a plan for the future. Please here me out on this and take this under advisement. I do not expect an immediate response.

Risk Factors Affecting Our Concord Township and Action Plan

Recent years have seen the risk to our quality of our life increasing. This culminated last year with hurricane Katrina and the devastation in New Orleans and Florida. The US government response to this was woefully inadequate and reflects a downward state of readiness that our country is in since invading Iraq in 2003. The yearly hurricane probability is 10% for this area and insurance models for hurricane risk have risen. This means higher insurance rates. Nobody wants to see a Katrina here in Pennsylvania. There can’t be permanent flooding here like in New Orleans but there can be significant damage that will result in continued and increasing risks to our property. We do not have a state of readiness here that we had prior to the Iraq War. That war is the reason. This war has seen unprecedented use of our National Guard troops and their vehicles that get placed in harms way. This compromises ourselves here at home to protect us from a nonexistent threat overseas. Iraq was never connected with 9-11.

In addition, global warming is leading to warmer ocean temperatures that are linked to stronger hurricanes. Ocean levels will be seen to rise in the years to come adding increased risks to coastal areas and even pushing our rivers to higher levels inland. Aggressive action to halt global warming is not being taken.

Our current administration in Washington has not only violated international law by attacking another sovereign nation without UN support but has run our country at a $400+ billion deficit each year for years now. This survival on borrowed money is a financial Katrina waiting to happen.

Our soldiers by the thousands have mental and physical problems when they come home. Sure, only 2500 have died over there but many thousands more have come home and died from health problems or committed suicide. It is time to see the truth. Supporting our troops means dealing with those who made this war happen. This was a war of choice and it was a very poor one.

As someone who has worked on military programs including nuclear weapons I feel that I must speak with others as a conscience for America. We are not about liberating other countries from their leaders we are about law and order. That means our Constitution and our Constitution says that any treaty that we sign on to is the law of the land. Our Constitution was violated with the war in Iraq and those responsible should be held accountable. This list includes Republicans and Democrats.

Action is being taken in 16 states around our country where infrequently used rules are being used to bring their concerns to our federal government in a manner that cannot be disregarded.

Rules of the House of Representatives explicitly allow state and city legislatures to introduce resolutions. Our First Amendment guarantees any citizen, city, or state
“to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This is what I ask you to do with this motion.

Right here in Pennsylvania, State Senator Jim Ferlo, D-Pittsburgh, has launched a public campaign urging his constituents to sign petitions calling for Congress to launch an impeachment inquiry. Ferlo, a former Pittsburgh City Council president, says its entirely appropriate for state officials -- and citizens -- to add their voices to the impeachment debate. He is right.
"Impeachment proceedings are now the most important issue facing our nation," the state senator explains. "The debate and opinions expressed should not be limited to the views of journalists, legal scholars, intelligence officials and just a few politicians. Every American must confront this issue and speak out loudly and clearly. This is one opportunity to do so."

It is in this light that I ask you to consider the following:

References:

According to Clause 3, Rule XII, of the Rules of the House of Representatives:
“Petitions, memorials, and other papers addressed to the House may be
presented by the Speaker as well as by a Member (IV, 3312). Petitions from
the country at large are presented by the Speaker in the manner prescribed by
the rule (III, 2030; IV, 3318; VII, 1025). A Member may present a petition
from the people of a State other than his own (IV, 3315, 3316).”
This clause is routinely used to accept petitions and memorials from cities and states
across America. The same clause can also be used to accept petitions from individuals
or other groups.

4.2. Why States can Initiate Impeachment
The Jefferson Manual is considered part of the House Rules. In Section 603 of the
Jefferson Manual it says “In the House there are various methods of setting an
impeachment in motion: ...[including] by charges transmitted from the legislature of a
State (III, 2469) or territory (III, 2487)...” The (III, 2469) refers to a legal precedent
described in a document called Hinds’ Precedents that lists many important prior
decisions and actions by the House. It tells of how in 1903 the Florida legislature
passed a bill to impeach a corrupt US District Judge named Charles Swayne. This bill
was sent to the House and Representative William Lamar rose and introduced the bill
on behalf of Florida, resulting in Swayne’s eventual impeachment. This established a
precedent whereby a state can “initiate impeachment.” A state could always send a
petition to the House under Clause 3, Rule XII. But this adds weight to the argument
that the petition should be considered a valid means of initiating an actual
impeachment because it has been allowed in the past.
Hinds’ Precedent III, 2487, concerns another case of a legislature submitting an
impeachment to the House. In this case, it was the legislature of the territory of
Mississippi before it became a state requesting the impeachment of Judge Peter Bruin.
As with the Swayne case, the House ordered a committee to report back on whether
Judge Bruin should be impeached. There is some indication that the Judge died or
resigned before further action was taken.

Hurricane probability
http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane/welcome.html

Insurance models rise with risk.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2006/2006-04-13-05.asp