ATTENTION: Next Hearing on NM Impeachment Resolution Set for Sunday

The NM Senate Public Affairs Committee will consider SJR 5, the New Mexico resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Cheney and Bush, in Room 321 at the Santa Fe Roundhouse on Sunday, February 25th at approximately 2:00 PM.

If we want this bill to move forward it's critically important that we have a large turnout of supporters this Sunday, as we did at the bill's first hearing before the Senate Rules Committee. If you possibly can, please come to Santa Fe for the hearing this Sunday. There will also be opportunities for citizen lobbying with legislators and rallying outside with signs before the hearing. Bring your digital camera and I'll be happy to post your photos or videos on the blog.

Whether you can make it on Sunday or not, PLEASE CALL the state senators listed below RIGHT NOW. Be polite, be persuasive and make a personal appeal from your own point of view.

If the resolution passes Public Affairs, it will go next to the Senate Judiaciary Committee. There are several "swing" Democrats on each committee that have not yet shown support for SJR 5. Please contact them and urge them to support the resolution:

• Mary Kay Papen (D-Dona Ana), 505-986-4270 (Public Affairs)
• David Ulibarri (D-Cibola, Socorro, Valencia), 505-986-4265 (Public Affairs)
• Michael S. Sanchez (Valencia), 505-986-4727 (Judiciary)
• Richard C. Martinez (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe), 505-986-4389 (Judiciary)
• Lidio J. Rainaldi (Cibola, McKinley) 505-986-4310 (Judiciary)

One good talking point is to remind Democratic legislators that a very large majority of the 1200 or so delegates to the March 2006 convention of the Democratic Party of New Mexico voted to adopt a platform resolution in favor of impeaching Bush (see front page of Albuquerque Journal above). The resolution is a part of the official platform of our State Party. You can read more about the Party's passage of the impeachment measure in a Daily Kos diary from March 2006.

Another good idea is to call your State Senator and urge them to support the resolution and talk to the Senators listed above to gain their support. To find your Senator, click here. Visit Leland Lehrman's Mother Media website for more detailed information about Sunday's activities in Santa Fe, as well as additional suggestions for gaining more support for this bill.

Double Check
Finally, you probably should call the NM Legislature on Sunday morning at 505-986-4300 to make sure there has been no last-minute rescheduling of the hearing on SJR 5. At this point in the process, agendas have a habit of being changed with short notice.

To read our previous posts on the NM impeachment effort, visit the DFNM Impeachment Archive.