Last night, Thursday April 12, scores of antiwar activists filled village hall to urge the Mayor & Trustees to pass a resolution calling on Congress to investigate the Bush Administration's misuse of intelligence leading up to the invasion of Iraq, its violations of the civil rights of US citizens, and its intrusive domestic surveillance programs.
Although there had been doubts as to whether the Nyack Village Board would pass an impeachment resolution, ultimately the board voted 5 - 0 to support a compromise resolution which calls for an investigation of the Bush administration rather than an immediate impeachment.
Nyack Resolution to Investigate Abuses by Executive Branch
Village of Nyack, New York
WHEREAS the American people require and expect their highest officials
to follow all laws of the land, in particular the oath taken by them
upon assuming the powers of office “to preserve, protect, and defend
the Constitution of the United States”; and
WHEREAS President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney
have misled Congress and the public by citing unsubstantiated threats
from the nation of Iraq to justify war against that nation; manipulated
prewar intelligence; failed to ensure that prisoners of war were
treated humanely according to the terms of the Geneva Convention;
conducted electronic surveillance of Americans without seeking warrants
from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly
constituted by Congress in 1978; and subjected prisoners of war to
indefinite detention without charge and denied them their
constitutional right to counsel and judicial relief; and
WHEREAS many of the people of Nyack are angry and outraged by the
Executive Branch of our federal government abusing its power, deceiving
America’s citizens, endangering our civil rights, and bringing
widespread international discredit on our nation; and
WHEREAS no American citizen or official is above the law; and
WHEREAS this situation cannot be resolved without the investigation of
these acts by the United States Congress, which is duly authorized to
do so; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Nyack,
New York calls upon the United States House of Representatives to
establish from among its members a select committee to investigate
these acts and make recommendation to the Congress with all possible
speed as to whether or not the impeachment of President George W. Bush
and Vice President Richard B. Cheney is warranted; and be it further
RESOLVED to instruct the Village Clerk of Nyack to send certified
copies of this resolution to New York State Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee,
to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
to Congressman Eliot Engel, and to the Chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee, Hon. John Conyers; and be it further
RESOLVED that the Clerk of the Village of Nyack be, and is
hereby, instructed to certify to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Elliot Engel, under
the seal of the Village of Nyack, a copy of this resolution and its
adoption by the Village of Nyack, as a petition, and request that this
petition be delivered to the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of
Representatives and entered in the United States Congressional Record.
The copies shall be marked with the word “Petition” at the top of the
document and contain the original authorizing signature of the Village
Clerk.
By Burt Shachter
