ARCATA CITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF BUSH, CHENEY, RUMSFELD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 7, 2004
Arcata, California

ARCATA CITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF BUSH, CHENEY, RUMSFELD

The Arcata City Council last night adopted a resolution calling for the
impeachment of George W. Bush, Richard B. Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld
for violations of international and Constitutional law. The resolution
cites the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as “crimes against peace”,
the supreme crime under the Nuremberg Principles, and a violation of
the Geneva Accords and the United Nations Charter. As ratified
treaties, these accords have the status of the “supreme law of the
land” under the United States Constitution (Article VI), so violation
of these treaties constitutes a violation of the Constitution, which is
cause for impeachment.

The Resolution was brought before the council by Veterans for Peace,
Chapter 56 and was written by Veteran for Peace, Brian Willson and
Arcata City Councilmember, Dave Meserve. The vote was 3-0 on the
council, with one member recusing himself because of concerns about
interfering with electoral politics, and the fifth council seat empty
due to a recent resignation.

Specifically, the resolution requests that Representative Mike Thompson
(D-CA) join with others in Congress to introduce Articles of
Impeachment against George W. Bush, Richard B. Cheney and Donald
Rumsfeld. The resolution is the most recent action of the council,
which has previously: (1) requested an apology from George W. Bush for
lying to the American people about Iraq, (2) written a letter to the
House Judiciary Committee requesting an investigation into possibly
impeachable actions by Bush regarding Iraq, and (3) called for the
censure of Bush for lying about Iraq.

RESOLUTION NO. 045-18

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCATA
CALLING FOR THE IMPEACHMENT OF U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH,
U.S. VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY,
AND SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD

Whereas, George W. Bush, his Vice-President Dick Cheney, and Secretary
of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have planned, prepared, initiated and waged,
and continue to wage, wars of aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq,
calling them "preventive" wars when in fact they are crimes against
peace, considered the supreme international crime by Nuremberg;

Whereas the invasions of the nations of Afghanistan and Iraq, are in
violation of numerous international laws designed to contain
aggression, including the United Nations Charter, the Nuremberg
Principles and the Geneva Accords, and most significantly, our own U.S.
Constitution which incorporates our legal obligations to uphold
ratified treaties, and which states that only Congress may declare war;

Whereas, the costs of these lawless, barbaric aggressions waged in the
name of every citizen of this nation, include those residing in Arcata,
are now over 160,000 human lives murdered, killed, and maimed,
including nearly 10,000 of our own U.S. soldiers, and a fiscal drain
approaching $200 billion and still rising, in effect robbing over
$12,000,000 from the taxpaying citizens of Arcata;

Whereas, this behavior of the highest officials of the land reveals
total contempt for international and constitutional law in flagrantly
ignoring ratified treaties and their oath to uphold the U.S.
Constitution, making a mockery of our own oath to uphold the U.S.
Constitution, taken as Arcata City officials;

Whereas, our concerns about the illegal invasions and occupations of
sovereign nations are not motivated by partisanship, but would be
equally applied to any elected or appointed officials, of any party
affiliation, who willfully violated international and constitutional
law;

Whereas, large numbers of Arcata’s citizens have expressed grave
concerns regarding their national government’s refusal to hold itself
accountable, and as a consequence have demanded that their own city
council directly address this serious breakdown of democracy by (1)
gathering over 1,100 signatures of citizens of Arcata alone (10% of its
voters) asking the Arcata City Council to adopt a resolution supporting
impeachment, (2) testifying at a town hall meeting where the
overwhelming majority supported a city impeachment resolution, and (3)
presenting two similar impeachment resolutions from local Humboldt Bay
Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 asking the city council to adopt an
impeachment resolution;

Whereas, the Arcata City Council previously sent a letter to the chair
of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee asking that
the lawless actions of our president and vice president be investigated
to determine their impeachability, from which a response has yet to be
received;

Whereas, the citizens of Arcata have been consistent in their call for
impeachment and their attempts to invoke a responsive action by Arcata
City Council on this matter critical to our democracy;

Whereas, the commission of war crimes, including murdering and maiming
civilians through bombings, missile attacks, ground actions, and
torture, continues to be conducted with total impunity, causing our
nation to be feared and hated around the world;

Whereas, there is a national effort supporting impeachment
(http://www.votetoimpeach.org), more recently accentuated by U.S. Rep. Charles
Rangel (D-NY), who introduced eight articles of impeachment against
Donald Rumsfeld for commission of a series of high crimes and
misdemeanors;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Arcata City Council demands the
impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush, U.S. Vice President Dick
Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. By so doing, the
Arcata City Council is responding to the sentiments of a large segment
of its constituency, while perhaps setting an example for other local
bodies seeking to restore a nation guided by laws rather than the
imperial goals of power-crazed leaders.

Be It Further Resolved, that we request that our Representative, Mike
Thompson join with others in Congress to introduce Articles of
Impeachment against George W. Bush, Richard B. Cheney and Donald
Rumsfeld, and that copies of Resolution No. 045-18 be sent to U.S.
Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and House Judiciary
Committee Chair, F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.


DATED: October 6, 2004

APPROVED:
ATTESTED:

_________________________
_________________________
Mayor, City of Arcata
City Clerk, City of Arcata