Rights of the People of the State of Washington to Seek Impeachment of the President of the United States
WHEREAS, United States House of Representatives rules allow for setting a federal impeachment in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State or territory; and
WHEREAS, The State of Florida and the former territory of Mississippi have established precedent by referring such charges to Congress, which in each case resulted in Congress ordering a Committee to investigate and report on the charges, and which in one case resulted in the impeachment of Judge Charles Swayne of Florida; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush, President of the United States, has so conducted himself and his office as to cause the people of the State to doubt his integrity and to believe that his official actions as president have constituted High Crimes and Misdemeanors having repeatedly and intentionally violated and ignored the United States Constitution and other laws of the United States; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has ordered the federalization and deployment of this state's National Guard members overseas and thus has exceeded the authority granted in the provision of the United States Constitution that Congress shall have the power to "provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, to suppress insurrections and repel invasions," reserving to the State Assembly, the State Senate, and the Governor of this state the authority to direct the training and arming of members of the state's National Guard for defense of the state; and
WHEREAS, The federalization and deployment of National Guard members has rendered the National Guard force unable to carry out its state activities effectively and thus deprived the state of its Constitutional power to keep the National Guard for defense of the state; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has allowed stop-loss orders that violate the mutual understanding between Californians in the Armed Forces including the National Guard and the state and nation they agreed to serve; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted that he willingly and repeatedly directed unwarranted surveillance of U. S. persons, in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of the United States; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush committed a felony under 18 U.S.C. 1001 by withholding information from Congress about doubts in the intelligence community about Bush's justification for war; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush committed a felony under section 1001 by providing information to Congress he knew or should have known to be false, including the claim that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger and the claim that Iraq gave aid and comfort to the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush committed a felony under section 1001 by providing information to Congress he knew or should have known to be false, including the claim that the cost of the Medicare bill would not exceed the limits Congress intended; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush committed felonies under 18 U.S.C. 641 and 643 by embezzling funds authorized for use in the war in Afghanistan and diverting it to an as-yet unauthorized build-up towards war in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush committed felonies, namely espionage, fraud, or obstruction of justice, through involvement in the cover-up of the leak of Valerie Wilson's identity; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has committed an act of terrorism under 18 U.S.C. 2339A by ordering the kidnapping of President Aristide, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 956; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has approved of torture under the name of stress and duress, has denied the applicability of existing laws and treaties against torture, and has indicated in his signing statement of H.R. 1815 his future intention to continue to disregard such laws and treaties; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has repeatedly acted to expand the power of a unitary executive in violation of the principle of balance of power; and
WHEREAS, the administration of the United States' invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq has resulted in the waste of assets, through incompetence, insufficient oversight, insufficient planning, and no-bid contracts; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush, though the above actions has denied the citizens of this state of their rights and their safety;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the people of the Whatcom County Democrats (WCDCC) hereby direct the House and Senate of this state, and jointly, our Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress be, and hereby instruct them to cause to be instituted in the Congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the governance of the Executive Branch by George W. Bush as President of the United States, and of his acts and doings as such, to the end that he may be impeached and removed from such office; and
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State of the State of Washington be, and is hereby, instructed to certify to each Senator and Representative in the Congress of the United States, under the great seal of this state, a copy of this resolution as soon as it is adopted by the legislature of this state.
(Date Passed 04/08/2006 by Whatcom County Democrats)
