Democracy for New Mexico

Listen to KUNM's Coverage of Friday's NM Impeachment Hearing at Senate Rules

I wanted to share the top-notch reporting of our local NPR radio station, KUNM 89.9 FM, on last Friday's hearing on Senate Joint Resolution 5, the NM legislative resolution that urges the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Jim Williams and the gang at KUNM do their usual professional job of handling the story. Click to listen (mp3):

Also, be sure to check out KUNM's website regularly for local news stories, program schedules, live streaming and more. (To access all of DFNM's posts on the New Mexico impeachment effort, visit our impeachment archives.)

Local News Video of NM Impeachment Hearing at Senate Rules

The local mainstream TV media and newspaper coverage of Friday's hearing on SJR 5, calling for the impeachment of Dick Cheney and George, has been rather sparse and/or dismissive. Very expected. But one Albuquerque news outfit did air a story, which you can see above.

(Note: This should be considered a fair use of the video since it shows just a portion of that evening's newscast.)

Anne Kass: My Take on Friday's NM Impeachment Hearing in Senate Rules

This is a post by our sometimes guest blogger, Anne Kass:
The room was packed by 8:30 AM even though the Resolution was not scheduled to be heard until 9:00.  Not only was the hearing room packed, SRO, but the hall outside was as well.  A second sign-up sheet for those who wanted to make public comments was circulated in the hall.  Shortly after 9:30 Senator McSorley noted that Senator Altamirano would need to leave at 10 to chair the Senate as a whole, which would make the committee lose its quorum so the comments were stopped to allow the Committee Members make remarks and vote. 

Senator Altamirano spoke first, and he spoke the longest--more than 10 minutes even though the citizens had been asked to keep their comments to 2 minutes or less.  Most of what he had to say was about how he had been wrongly accused, "by a man who is active in many beneficial civic matters" of giving the Resolution three committee assignments with the intent to defeat it, when he had not done so.  He mentioned phone calls to his office, and he also noted that he had been informed of a plan to picket his house.  He suggested that some people needed to take Lobbying 101 (perhaps to learn how to behave in a more sycophantic manner?) and how all this untoward behavior directed at him had nearly persuaded him to vote against the Resolution, BUT because he has consistently opposed what President Bush has done, he voted in favor of the Resolution. 

The rest of the Committee Members spoke eloquently about the Resolution itself.  Senator McSorley noted that when John Adams was President, early 1800s, there were people in Congress, I think, who wanted to go to war with France.  That was stopped by actions that started in the States.  Senator McSorley noted that this century it was up to us to stop a war.  Senators Lopez and Feldman were equally compelling and eloquent in their support of the Resolution and their appreciation to Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic for having the courage to initiate this action. 

After the vote in favor of the Resolution of 5-0, Senator Altamirano left, but the rest of the Committee stayed to take additional public comments until 10:30, when they were summoned to the Senate as a whole. There were still people present who had come to go on the record to impeach Bush and Cheney. In all, 2 to 3 dozen citizens spoke, each with a variation on the theme.   

There were, of course, many more present who did not speak. Some brought children so they could see that grown-ups cared. A couple of teenagers spoke saying this public participation gave them hope.  One man spoke whose son is shipping out to Iraq tomorrow. Veterans from WWII, Korea, Viet Nam and Gulf I spoke. A naturalized citizen who had been born and lived in Nazi occupied Denmark spoke about how she had been warned to be careful about speaking out at this hearing, which took her back to another time and place. A man spoke noting that he was from Republican Carlsbad, I think it was. 

People spoke with passion. One thing was made clear. This was not a "publicity stunt" by Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic. There were lots of press present. No one signed up to speak in opposition, and no one requested to speak from the audience in opposition, perhaps because the opposition all boycotted the hearing, rather like sticking their fingers in their ears, covering their eyes and mumbling la, la, la, la, as most of us must have done before we grew up.

All in all, it was an exhilarating experience to see so many citizens who said that they considered it to be their responsibility to speak out, unlike--as one speaker noted--the "good Germans" who, after the war, wrung their hands and whined "what were we to do?"

So, now it's on to hearings in Senate Public Affairs and Senate Judiciary...when exactly remains TBA. --Guest Blogger Anne Kass

Editor's Notes: You can read the statement Anne gave at the hearing towards the end of our earlier post.

Here's an Impeachment Channel audio interview with Desi Brown, legislative aide to Sen. Ortiz y Pino, on what happened at Friday's Senate Rules Committee hearing on SJR 5, and what comes next.

You can also listen to a podcast of Eric Griego of the radio show Insight New Mexico interviewing Sen. Ortiz y Pino on a recent broadcast.

If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a DFNM guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

BREAKING: NM Senate Rules Committee Passes Bush-Cheney Impeachment Resolution

Senate Joint Resolution 5, the legislation urging impeachment of Bush and Cheney, was passed this morning in the NM Senate Rules Committee with only Democrats present, all of whom voted for the resolution! The meeting room was packed to the gills, with a huge crowd winding down the hallways outside the hearing. Several hours were spent listening to citizens speak on behalf of the bill, until Committee members were forced to move on to other business.

I find it appalling that every Republican member of the Committee refused to attend and listen to what our citizens have to say about what may well be the most important issues of our era -- the Iraq occupation and the refusal of the President and Vice President to obey the law. I guess they couldn't bear to hear ordinary people speaking truth to power. I guess they believe they only represent the Republicans in their districts, not all the citizens.

Now's the time to THANK THESE DEM SENATORS FOR VOTING FOR THE IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION:

Senator Linda M. Lopez, Chair:Senator John Grubesic, Vice Chair; one of bill's sponsors:Senator Ben D. Altamirano:Senator Dede Feldman:Senator Cisco McSorley:

And don't forget the resolution's other ORIGINAL SPONSOR, Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino:

Job well done also goes out to Leland Lehrman of Mother Media and ALL the citizen lobbyists, callers and emailers! We have much more to do, but this is a very hopeful start. The resolution has to pass through the Senate Public Affairs and Senate Judiciary Committees before it can be debated on the Senate Floor, but I think even getting this far in Bush's America is a real accomplishment and an act of courage by the legislators involved.

The first person to testify at the hearing was progressive activist and retired District Judge Anne Kass of Albuquerque. She had this to say in her eloquent prepared statement, representing what so many of us are feeling these days:

One of the sources of America's moral authority in the world is its professed commitment to an ideal known as the Rule of Law.

    The Rule of Law includes the principle that no man is above the law.

    The Rule of Law also includes the principle that crimes must be prosecuted.

If the Rule of Law is to be anything more than an empty slogan, then all American citizens, but especially legislative bodies such as this, where both laws and the consequences for breaking laws are established, must demand, when there is compelling evidence that criminal acts have been committed, that there be a formal, official investigation and prosecution.

Confidence that crimes will be prosecuted is essential to the existence of civilized society. If the New Mexico Legislature hopes to retain its moral authority to continue to write laws and set consequences when the laws are broken -- if, for example, the New Mexico Legislature wishes to be able to speak with moral authority when it declares that anyone who drives while intoxicated must be held accountable and experience severe consequences, then the New Mexico Legislature must insist that there be a formal and official investigation and prosecution to test the compelling evidence that exists that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney have committed grave crimes ... crimes which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people.

That there is compelling evidence of crimes having been committed is unquestionable. The evidence that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction as an excuse to take our nation to war is overwhelming. What greater crime could there be than initiating an unjustified, unnecessary war?  AND, there is compelling evidence of still other serious crimes.

The United States House of Representatives has to date failed to meet its duty to enforce the principle that crimes must be prosecuted. Its failure is a  source of shame, and if it persists, it will lose its moral authority to call for, or even speak to, law and order, let alone accountability, regarding it's responsibilities as a part of the governing body of this nation. It is our hope that a nudge from the New Mexico Legislature, making the statement that it takes its duties to honor and uphold the Rule of Law seriously, and leading by example, will remind the United States House of Representatives that it is responsible, first and foremost, to the people of the United States of America.

That said, let me add that we-the-people are becoming more and more frantic about Congress's failure to stop George W. Bush from doing still more harm to our country. Mr. Bush appears to have no understanding of the concept of checks and balances, of the meaning of the word democracy, or of the principle that in America the government governs only with the consent of the governed. He has made it clear that he intends to ignore both we-the-people and Congress with respect to escalating the occupation of Iraq. It sounds more and more that he also intends to attack Iran, never mind that a clear majority of the citizens of this country oppose it. Congress must act, but it looks to be almost paralyzed. The New Mexico Legislature must show that it is not paralyzed and in so doing help the United States House of Representatives regain its own understanding of the concept of checks and balances, of the meaning of the word democracy, and of the principle of consent of the governed. --statement of Anne Kass, Albuquerque, NM, testifying at February 16, 2007 NM Senate Rules Committee hearing at the Santa Fe Roundhouse on impeachment resolution
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To read our archive of posts on the NM impeachment effort, click here.

(UPDATED) FRIDAY 2/16/07: Impeachment Day in New Mexico!

Photo credit: Beach Impeach Project, John Montgomery

UPDATE: We won the first battle in the Senate Rules Committee. Check out our report on the Committee hearing and vote!

It's official. Senate Joint Resolution 5, New Mexico's resolution urging impeachment of Bush and Cheney, will be discussed at the Senate Rules Committee on Friday, February 16, 2007. The meeting begins at 8:30 AM in the Santa Fe Roundhouse, Room 321. Google Map.

Each and every supporter of the impeachment effort is encouraged to attend the hearing and to sign up to testify before the committee on behalf of the measure if possible. The bigger the crowd, the more likely it is that the Committee will vote in favor of the resolution. All attendees are urged to be polite and orderly. If you speak to legislators or appear before the Committee, please keep your remarks to the point and respectful despite your passion.

Make These Calls: If you haven't called Committee members to urge them to support SJR 5, please do so. If you've already done so, consider making one more effort TODAY:

Members of the Senate Rules Committee:

• Senator Linda M. Lopez (D), Chair
• Senator John T.L. Grubesic (D), Vice Chair
• Senator Rod Adair (R), Ranking Member
• Senator Ben D. Altamirano (D)
• Senator Kent L. Cravens (R)
• Senator Dianna J. Duran (R)
• Senator Dede Feldman (D)
• Senator Steve Komadina (R)
• Senator Cisco McSorley (R)

Any Senator at the Roundhouse can be reached at (505) 986-4300.

It's also critical to keep contacting your Senators and the swing Democratic Senators who might make the difference between victory and defeat when the resolution reaches the Senate Floor. Below are key Dem Senators who have not yet expressed their support for the impeachment resolution:

• Sen. Ben Altamirano, District 28, Catron, Grant & Socorro Counties
• Sen. Michael Sanchez, District 29, Valencia County
• Sen. Mary Kay Papen, District 38, Dona Ana County
• Sen. David Ulibarri, District 30, Cibola, Socorro & Valencia Counties
• Sen. Lidio Rainaldi, District 4, Cibola & McKinley
• Sen. Richard Martinez, District 5, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba & Santa Fe Counties

Any Senator at the Roundhouse can be reached at (505) 986-4300.

If you know people in their districts, call them and get them to call their Legislators. We will need every Democratic Senator to vote with us on this one. To find out who represents you, click here and search by zip code.

If you need more information about this impeachment effort, talking points to use when speaking to legislators, etc., visit our archive of impeachment posts and browse our series of posts on this issue. Another good source is the Land of Impeachment page at AfterDowningStreet.com.

Impeachment Vigil Begins Monday at NM Legislature

This message is being circulated via email from several sources. Pass it on: There will be a vigil in support of Impeachment Resolution before the New Mexico Legislature.

• When: Every day, Monday through Friday, beginning this Monday, Feb. 12 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
• Where: East side of Capitol Building in Santa Fe, Paseo De Peralta and Old Pecos Trail.
• What: We will display banners and signs along the street and intersection supporting Impeachment and SJR 5. We will collect signatures on petitions supporting SJR 5 from lunch time pedestrian traffic coming to and from the Capitol. Blank Petitions, clipboards, and extra signs are available.

A dignified vigil and one on one contacts through the petition efforts will help move this important legislation forward. Please help as much as possible and pass the word to others.

Editor's note: As of now SJR 5 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Rules Committee on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 8:30 AM. Remember that this schedule is subject to change at any time so check back often. To contact members of the Committee, click here.

Grant County Dem Party Passes Resolution Supporting NM Impeachment Effort

From Jim Fridinger, Gila Regional Community List:
On February 7, 2007, the Grant County Democratic Party, by an overwhelming majority, passed the resolution as written below:

After informed debate and discussion, the Grant County Democratic Party wholly endorses the New Mexico Senate Joint Resolution 05 calling for the immediate instigation of impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney for the crimes detailed in the resolution, acknowledging our responsibility under the Constitution of the United States, and that the result of this vote be forwarded by the Grant County Democratic Party secretary of record to Sen. Ortiz y Pino of the New Mexico State Senate.

Calls, polite and considerate, to Senator Ben Altamirano's office to let him know that this is his constituency speaking, and that we hope he will represent us well in the coming weeks regarding this issue. Perhaps calls to other representatives in the NM legislature would also be in order.

Senator Ben Altamirano:
Capital office phone: 505 986 4733
Home phone (Silver City): 505 538 3525

Contact info for other members of the NM legislature can be found here.

UPDATE: The Silver City Sun-News covered the story on February 10, 2007.

--UPDATED -- IMPORTANT: Hearing on NM Impeachment Resolution Postponed!

UPDATE 3:34 PM: The intrepid Terry Riley just called in from the Roundhouse in Santa Fe where he spoke with Leland Lehrman of Mother Media, who has been a main force behind the NM impeachment effort. Leland reports that the Senate Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment resolution originally scheduled for February 9th has been postponed until next Friday, February 16th, at 8:30 AM in Room 321 of the Roundhouse.

The disturbing news, however, is that Republican members of the Senate Rules Committee are reportedly threatening to boycott the commitee meeting if the impeachment resolution is considered. If they do that, it would be impossible to reach quorum, and the hearing couldn't be held, holding up other committee business as well as consideration of impeachment. Talk about cowardly, undemocratic tactics on the part of the committee's Republicans! Of course their threatened behavior is matched by similar reluctance to discuss realities in the U.S. Senate, where Republican maneuvers continue to stop consideration of a resolution against Bush's plan for troop escalations in Iraq.

Leland and other supporters of the impeachment effort are reportedly planning to go ahead with a rally on the East side of the Roundhouse on Friday, February 9, at 9:00 AM, when the resolution was originally scheduled to be heard by Senate Rules. With so many people set to converge on Santa Fe in support of SJR 5 on that day, many probably won't get word of the postponment and be there anyway. All supporters are encouraged to attend!

More official notification from the office of Sen. Ortiz y Pino and Leland Lehrman should be coming soon. Stay tuned to what's an increasingly fluid situation with this bill.
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ORIGINAL POST 11:23 AM: We're getting word that the NM Senate Rules Committee hearing on SJR 5, New Mexico's impeachment resolution, has been cancelled for this Friday, February 9th. The rumor is that it may be rescheduled for Monday, February 11th, but nothing is official yet. Please help get the word out on this as a large turnout is expected. We'll keep you posted.

First Hearing Friday 2/9/07 on NM Impeachment Bill: What You Can Do

UPDATE: The February 9th Senate Rules Committee hearing on this bill has been POSTPONED! The hearing has been reset for Friday, February 16th. Click here for more information.

From Desi Brown and State Sen. Ortiz y Pino’s office:
As many of you know, the first hearing on New Mexico’s attempt to call for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney will be this Friday, February 9th at 9 AM in the Senate Rules Committee, Room 321. I volunteer for Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino and have been asked to write a summary of what we would like for local activists and interested parties to do in the coming days both before and after this hearing.

-- This is our chance to legitimately affect national policy, and it could hinge on as little as a couple of votes in a couple of committees. Every individual, group, organization, etc who is in support of this bill needs to work their tail off doing the below listed things for the next few weeks. NOW is the time, this is YOUR chance!

-- Help us make this bill a reality! Think of it this way – we could be the heroes of several BILLION people from around the world if we are successful!

First – It is important to understand that a large number of well respected elected officials are really laying their careers on the line in supporting this resolution, therefore it is the least that we can do as activists to support them in a way that will reflect favorably on them and for passage of this bill. This means that our actions in public will be viewed as an extension of people such as Senators Ortiz y Pino or Grubesic. Please be respectful, don’t use rhetoric, and present yourselves as respectable citizens when discussing this issue with other legislators, the media, and the public.

Prior to the first hearing: There are a small handful of Senators who need to be targeted. These include:

• Senator Ben Altamirano (Rules Committee)
• Senators Mary K. Papen & David Ulibarri (Public Affairs Committee)
• Senators Richard Martinez, Lidio Rainaldi, & Michael Sanchez (Judiciary Committee)

E-mail them, stop by their offices, call them, talk to them and their staff. They are all uncommitted to supporting this bill as of now.  All other Democrats in these committees have signaled their intention to support the resolution. PLEASE BE POLITE AND TO THE POINT.

At the first hearing (and others): We will try to have information and possibly a meeting room available prior to the start of this meeting in order to make sure everyone is on the same page and sending a unified message to the committee. It is very important for us to have a significant physical presence for this bill – the more the merrier – and we want you to stand and speak if given the opportunity. If you do speak, keep it short, succinct, articulate and on topic. Pick a couple of points at most from those listed below. Remember, the less you talk, the more additional people have a chance to voice their opinion as well.

CAUTIONARY NOTE: It is also important that we all honor the legislative process and stay focused on the wording of the bill (SJR 05 – Available on the NM Legislature website ) and the reasons why these senators are discussing this bill. If members of the crowd are unruly, stray from the message of the resolution, or are in some other way distracting from the message of the bill – it may NOT pass!

As much as we all (myself included!) would like to wear inflammatory t-shirts, shout slogans, and talk about the atrocities that have occurred as a result of these two people’s actions – we must not do that in the Roundhouse. Tentative support that we may gain from the above uncommitted Senators can be lost as a result of just one person’s failure to adhere to these requests!

However, there is still a lot you can do:

• Read the resolution (SJR05). Really learn what it says, repeat this info to everyone you know.
• Memorize and practice the main issues that we have listed out below. 
• Also, there are a number of websites with info regarding impeachment. We encourage you to stay away from the ones with a lot of conspiracy/etc info. It seems that the ones with the most relevant (to us) information are:

1. www.impeachbush.tv – great talking points for our bill! (see links below)
2. www.impeachpac.org
3. www.impeachforpeace.org

• Write letters to the editor (for ALL of the papers, all over the state) all this coming week (and next week, and the week after, and the week after that!).
• Call in to radio shows (KUNM, KKOB, others and show your support). I especially encourage you to call in to KKOB – it is the most listened to station in the state, and despite its conservative leanings – you can still voice your opinion!(Please follow the same advice as that listed above for committee hearings!)
• Encourage the local TV stations to cover the issue on their newscasts.
• Organize your own local town-hall style meetings, invite qualified speakers to talk about the issue of impeachment – Invite the media!
• Contact additional legislators both in the NM State House and Senate (Republicans too!). Engage their hired help and volunteers in good conversations, this is often a great way to influence decisions.
• Spread information outside of your regular group of friends – We need support from all over the state, not just Albuquerque & Santa Fe.

What to talk or write about:

• The issue of impeachment has become a state’s problem due to a lack of action on the part of our federal government in investigating allegations that have been made against our president and vice president.
• California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Vermont all considered similar impeachment resolutions in 2006.  New Mexico is the first of several states to introduce legislation this year.
• The US Constitution and Sect. 603 of the House Rules allow for any state to ask for impeachment proceedings.
• This is about requesting the federal government to look into impeachable offences; this is not about putting them on ‘trial’ here in NM.
• The NM Democratic Party voted to call for the impeachment of George Bush on March 18th, 2006 at their annual convention. Out of 1,200 delegates, an estimated 80% voted for this resolution to be added to the state party platform.
• It only takes one US Congressman or Senator to bring this resolution to the forefront of Congress.  We believe there are potentially dozens of them who may be willing to do this (in 2006, over 30 US Congressmen signed a petition calling for impeachment).  Also, Republican Congressman Ron Paul has called for impeachment as well. As soon as we can confirm a name, we will let you know.
• Additional Talking Points and Rebuttals for arguments against impeachment can be found at:

1. Points city - (Substitute the word ‘state’ for ‘city’)
2. Points poliitical issues - Political Issues
3. Points general - Impeachable Offenses

These are all handy to have when talking to others! Copy them and use them, they are well written!

If any of you have additional ideas or comments regarding trying to get the activist community more involved in this issue, please contact me directly or contact Senator Ortiz y Pino’s office at (505) 986-4380.

Thanks for your interest and support!
Desi Brown, (505)256-0668
desibrown@comcast.net

5th Annual Peace and Justice Day at the NM Legislature: Jan. 31

From the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center: Peace and Jusitice Day at the legislature!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ!
DISMANTLE THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AT KIRTLAND AFB!
STOP THE ESCALATION: NO WAR ON IRAN!
at the 5th Annual Peace & Justice Day, NM State Legislature
Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 9 AM to 2 PM (or so)

11 AM: News Conference in the Rotunda featuring Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino and an overview of 2007 Peace and Justice Legislation, including

• A Memorial calling for immediate withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq,
• A Bill to create a New Mexico Office of Peace (SB499),
• A Joint Resolution calling for Impeachment of the President and Vice President (SJR5),
• A Memorial to Dismantle the 2500 Nuclear Weapons at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque (see earlier post), and
• A Bill requiring the state to provide testing of New Mexico military veterans for depleted uranium, a radioactive heavy metal used as a weapon in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On critical issues such as these it is important for states to take action when the federal government will not.

Other legislative issues on which New Mexico and Senator Ortiz y Pino are taking the lead are Biodiesel Tax Credits (SB607), Election Day Registration, Medical Marijuana, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Military Recruitment in Public Schools.

Peace and Justice groups will have information tables all day in the West Halls of History displaying the human cost of war and work being done locally for Peace and Justice.

To carpool from the P&J Center in the morning, and for more info call 268-955. For more info on the legislation, contact Desi Brown, assistant to Senator Ortiz y Pino, (505) 256-0668 or desibrown@comcast.net.

Editor's Note: You can find and track legislation and get contact information on legislators at the NM Legislature website.