Veterans For Peace Call for Congressional Action to Remove George W. Bush from the Office of President of the United States
veteransforpeace.org
Who: Veterans For Peace, a national organization of military veterans including men and women from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, other conflicts and peacetime.
What: A call to congress to impeach George W. Bush and Richard Cheney from the offices of President and Vice-President of the United States, respectively.
Why: In a letter sent to each member of the U.S. House and Senate, Veterans For Peace (VFP) stated that "this administration's war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold. In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached."
David Cline, a decorated Vietnam War combat veteran and VFP President, said, "We do not make this call lightly and as former members of the U.S. armed forces, we take our responsibilities as citizens very seriously. For that reason we believe that when our government conducts a war of aggression on Iraq and commits a growing and appalling series of what must legally be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity in the execution of that war, it violates Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the War Crimes Act of 1996 (18 U.S.C. § 2441), and numerous international treaties which are legally binding on our nation."
Cline added that, "We are not the first group to call for impeachment. We have decided to add our voice to the call. All the reasons given for the invasion have shown themselves to be half-truths or misleading. The conflict continues to drag on taking the lives of our soldiers and innocent Iraqis. It is clear that George Bush does not intend to change course in an effort to right this great wrong. He has had enough time in his second term to begin a shift and he has not. It is time to remove him from office."
Veterans For Peace is seeking individual and organizational supporters to work jointly on the effort to impeach the president.
To read the letter to congress and the Nuremberg Principles, the Geneva Conventions, and the other treaties the administration has violated please follow the link below:
veteransforpeace.org
Veterans For Peace is a national organization founded in 1985. It is structured around a national office in Saint Louis, MO and comprised of members across the country organized in chapters or as at-large members. The organization includes men and women veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, other conflicts and peacetime veterans. Our collective experience tells us wars are easy to start and hard to stop and that those hurt are often the innocent. Thus, other means of problem solving are necessary.
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March 19, 2005
Dear Member of Congress,
On the second anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, this letter is being sent on behalf of Veterans For Peace (VFP), a national organization of military veterans, to appeal for Congressional action to remove George W. Bush and Richard Cheney from the offices of President and Vice-President of the United States, respectively.
We do not make this call lightly and as former members of the U.S. armed forces, we take our responsibilities as citizens very seriously. For that reason we believe that when our government conducts a war of aggression on Iraq and commits a growing and appalling series of what must legally be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity in the execution of that war, it violates Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the War Crimes Act of 1996 (18 U.S.C. § 2441), and numerous international treaties which are legally binding on our nation.
Seeing this happen, and understanding all too well the suffering it is causing and will continue to cause among our soldiers, their families, the people of Iraq, and the fabric of both our societies, we cannot stand by in complicit silence.
If you will read the relevant sections of the Nuremberg Principles, the Geneva Conventions, and the other treaties this administration has violated (see attached), you will be left with only one conclusion: that this administration's war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold.
In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached. We urge you as sincerely and solemnly as possible, to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice-President Cheney in the House of Representatives and follow that with a trial in the Senate. In the name of humanity we beseech and direct you to act.
Most Urgently,
David Cline, President |
