The historic vote on New Hampshire State House Resolution HR 24, introduced by 87 year old State Representative Betty Hall, will be coming to a vote tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16th.  If adopted, New Hampshire will not only be the first-in-the-nation presidential primary but the first-in-the-nation on impeachment, employing Jefferson's Manual rules, whereby a single state legislature may direct Congress to initiate hearings.  This avenue has never before been employed for a president or vice president, and so legal ramifications are not clear.  What is clear is that legal scholars would have to get to work to decipher the meaning.  In addition, a resolution like this coming from flinty New Hampshirites rather than hippie Vermonters casts an different pale on impeachment.  

The vote follows a day-long event in Concord, which was reported to have standing-room-only, in support of HR24.  It featured Daniel Ellsberg, Dr. Robert Bowman, John Nichols, and others as speakers, and the "Paul" of Peter Paul and Mary as part of the entertainment.  

If you are in NH PLEASE CALL your state representative, urge "Yes on HR24." If you are not in New Hampshire you can still pick out a rep. or two and and explain that, although you are not a constituent, you are pleading with them as one American to another to vote yes on HR24.  The eyes of a nation weary of Bush-Cheney law-breaking are upon them.  Say "Please, New Hampshire, save America."  As Daniel Ellsberg has said, just waiting this administration out is not good enough.   Ellsberg argues that no future president or congress will roll back the new powers the government has to spy on us, because they are part of the government and could be beneficiaries.  Ellsberg has said "No congressman is going to cover his ears and say, 'no no I don't want to hear these things about my primary opponent, or that journalist.'"  He says if Bush and Cheney are not firmly reprimanded for breaking the FISA law through impeachment, the new NSA powers will stay, and "democracy is dead."  This, he says, is the main argument against just waiting these idiots out to the end of their terms.

If you are from NH, find your legislator.

If you are not, list of targeted legislators and their phone numbers, pick at random.

Full list of NH legislators (pdf.)

LETTER FROM NH STATE REP. JIM SPAINE

The Impeachment Resolution -- NH State Representative Betty Hall Is An American Hero
by: Rep. Jim Splaine
Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 23:11:34 PM EDT

One of my most golden memories of the New Hampshire State Legislature was in 1973, when I stood with just about two dozen other House members -- we stood in those days on "division" votes since roll calls before push button machines took 45 minutes or so to run through -- in favor of a resolution to call for the impeachment of President Richard "I Am Not A Crook" Nixon.

It was clear the President had lied, and had covered up his lie, and had participated in wrongdoing that put America's democracy in harm's way.  I have to admit that as a young pup that term, and being one of the younger members of the House as opposed to now when I'm close to "average" age (scary, huh?), I was shaking a bit while standing to be counted.

I won' be shaking (because I'll be sitting down just pushing a button) nor will I have any doubt about it being the right thing to do when I vote this coming Wednesday in favor of Representative Betty Hall's resolution calling for the United States Congress to begin an investigation regarding the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney.

Why?  Because just like President Nixon, the current occupant of the White House has lied, had tried to cover it up, and has participated in wrongdoing that has put American's democracy in harm's way.  And HIS lies have resulted in the deaths of more than 4,000 American soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of other men, women, and children.  The horror of it all.

Yes, this man and his alter ego will be put out of the White House in January.  But neither deserve to journey into history without the asterisk that there were efforts in various states to encourage Congress to impeach them.  As they leave the White House, the past has shown us that former Presidents usually go onto even richer lives and fame.  This one doesn't deserve it. Nor does his partner.  Their legacy should be shame.

The resolution appears in full below.  It is being recommended to be killed by the State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee by a vote of 10-5.  NH State Representative Betty Hall, to me and many others, is an American hero.  She seeks to impeach two people who are not.
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