[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5021-H5023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1615
                          VERMONTERS SPEAK OUT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I rise to report on an effort in 
Vermont that honors the tradition of Vermonters speaking out on issues 
of conscience. Vermonters take public service, political integrity and 
citizen involvement extremely seriously. This is a tradition that dates 
back to our earliest days when Vermont became the very first State to 
ban slavery.
  But with rising alarm, Vermont has watched abuse of power and a 
disregard for checks and balances in Washington that has occurred over 
the past 6 years.

                              {time}  1615

  Vermonters have such extraordinary concern, particularly with the 
prosecution of this war in Iraq, that many are now actually calling for 
the President and the Vice President to be impeached.
  Impeachment is a dramatic position, but it reflects the collective 
judgment of many in Vermont that we are in extreme circumstances. Madam 
Speaker, I do not believe that impeachment is the answer, but I endorse 
the indictment of the policies of the current administration.
  What this Nation has experienced over the past 6 years has been 
staggering: a war in its fifth year that was justified based on false 
intelligence; the politicization of our Nation's top

[[Page H5022]]

law enforcement agency; the cavalier disregard for civil liberties and 
constitutional protections; no-bid war contracts to well-connected 
friends; the use of signing statements to disregard the law; and the 
denial of habeas corpus, a basic right, for those in U.S. custody.
  The list could go on. These and other transgressions have caused some 
Vermonters to rise up and promote the use of impeachment to restore 
accountability and curb the abuse of power. This impeachment movement 
in Vermont started last year in the small town of Newfane, population 
1,700, by Dan DeWalt, a selectman on the town board.
  After voting for the town clerk, the tax collector and voting whether 
to fund a village sidewalk project and the local school, the town then 
voted on a resolution to send a message to Congress to initiate 
impeachment proceedings. This initiative then spread from one small 
southern Vermont town to 40 towns across the State.
  My own hometown of Hartland joined this call, and I've spoken with 
many of my neighbors, farmer, teachers, doctors and store owners, about 
their vote, and what they share is an outrage about the conduct of this 
administration and the prosecution of this terrible war.
  Even last month, the Vermont General Assembly took up the issue. On 
April 20, the Vermont State Senate voted 16-9 in favor of Congress 
launching impeachment investigations, and while the Vermont House of 
Representatives defeated the resolution, it still received 60 
supportive votes from Vermont legislators. And nearly 400 Vermonters 
representing 102 of Vermont's 251 towns came to the State House that 
day to voice their views. And this past Saturday, I held a town meeting 
in the town of Hartford, Vermont, and heard from 250 Vermonters 
advocating for this extraordinary measure.
  I applaud these citizen activists who have acted in the Vermont 
tradition of speaking out and taking a principled stand to protect our 
democracy. They raise valid concerns about the actions of this 
administration and, if those actions are allowed to go unchecked, the 
threat to democracy that we face. Their concerns are well-founded.
  But let me be clear, opinion is divided in Vermont about whether 
impeachment is the right remedy and whether it's the right tactic, but 
what motivated this effort is a commonly shared view that this 
administration has grossly abused its power and pursued terribly 
misguided policies.
  Madam Speaker, while I disagree with the tactic of impeachment, I 
completely share the goal of restoring accountability and a new 
direction to our government.
  Our oversight investigations in Congress have exposed egregiously 
substandard care at Walter Reed where we have heard about soldiers 
still recovering from brain surgery forced to wander the grounds to 
find the outpatient care they were promised.
  Congressional oversight has documented unacceptable accounts of 
political interference by the administration over sound global warming 
science, with political appointees editing scientific reports.
  And our probes have uncovered waste and fraud and abuse associated 
with the war in Iraq to an unimaginable scale, $12 billion of $100 
bills flown from the United States to Iraq and then distributed from 
the back of pickup trucks.
  And through our oversight and subpoenas, we are vigorously seeking to 
expose and investigate the peddling of faulty intelligence that the 
administration presented to justify their case for war.
  And through our oversight and subpoenas, we are vigorously seeking to 
expose and investigate the peddling of faulty intelligence the 
Administration presented in their case for war.
  We must demand to know whether the Administration's active 
dissemination of bad intelligence was premeditated with the intention 
of deceiving the American people, or was it reckless and cavalier, done 
to justify a decision to go to war that had already been made?
  At every corner, step by step, Congress is methodically peeling back 
the layers of deception and deceit, holding this Administration 
accountable. We must get the facts and follow the facts. And that is 
exactly what is being done.
  Madam Speaker, this pursuit of impeachment has consequences to real 
lives and real people. I measure every decision I make here in Congress 
based on whether it will hasten or delay an end to this war. Nothing 
illustrates this urgency more than a phone call I received before a 
recent trip to Iraq. The call was from a mother in the town of 
Brattleboro who lost her son in this terrible war. She so desired 
closure over her son's death, that she asked to accompany me to Iraq so 
she could see where her son had died. It was a stark reminder that 
there is no greater challenge we face than ending this war.
  I also submit for the record a letter that was read at the Hartland 
town meeting from Lisa Johnson of Essex Jct. about the death in Iraq of 
her son Captain Pierre Piche.
  I am proud of the Vermonters pushing for facts, prodding for 
accountability, and demanding oversight.
  As I travel around the State, meeting with Vermonters, I also hear a 
sense of optimism: it is the optimism that comes from Congress 
restoring the checks and balances that had for too long been lost and 
an optimism from seeing a Congress finally getting down to making 
progress with new priorities and a new direction for this country.

                          Senate Resolution 16

       Whereas, President George W. Bush and Vice President 
     Richard Cheney have exercised the duties of their respective 
     offices with respect to both domestic and foreign affairs in 
     ways that raise serious questions of constitutionality, 
     statutory legality, and abuse of the public trust, and
       Whereas, the President's conduct in his role as Commander 
     in Chief in leading our nation into the military conflict in 
     Iraq, and the Vice President's continual advocacy for 
     American troops remaining in Iraq, have cost the United 
     States much of the good will that was extended to our country 
     in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on 
     the United States, and
       Whereas, the President's and the Vice President's domestic 
     leadership on issues relating to individual privacy and 
     personal liberty under law has raised constitutional issues 
     of the greatest concern to the nation's citizenry, now 
     therefore be it
       Resolved by the Senate:
       That the Senate of the State of Vermont urges Vermont's 
     Representative in the United States House of Representatives 
     to introduce, and Vermont's United States Senators to 
     support, a resolution requiring the United States House 
     Judiciary Committee to initiate impeachment proceedings 
     against the President and the Vice President of the United 
     States, and be it further
       Resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to 
     send a copy of this resolution to United States 
     Representative Peter Welch, United States Senator Patrick J. 
     Leahy and United States Senator Bernard Sanders.
                                  ____

                                                     May 11, 2007.
       Dear Mr. Welch: my son, Captain Pierre Piche', should be 
     teaching young people history or political science right now. 
     Like many of the young people who represent the best that our 
     country has to offer, he is a casualty of the war in Iraq. He 
     was killed in a Blackhawk helicopter on November 13, 2003. He 
     was sent to fly over a high-risk area in Bagdad because he 
     was being required to attend a mandatory R and R. He did not 
     want to go. He knew it was very dangerous and he also knew 
     that was completely illogical. It turned out that these 
     soldiers were being sent in to be part of a photo op for the 
     president. I have to live with this knowledge every day.
       My son served proudly in the military for ten years before 
     being sent to Iraq. He earned the rank of captain with blood, 
     sweat and tears, and he loved every minute of it. Before my 
     son was killed he told me that he did not like what he was 
     seeing in Iraq and he did not want to be a part of it.
       My son Pierre gave the ultimate sacrifice, knowing that he 
     had been deceived. It is difficult for all of us who oppose 
     this war to observe the ongoing carnage and wearing down of 
     the fabric of the American spirit as this war kills our young 
     people, eats away at the economy and, worse yet, the hearts 
     of the American people. For me, the betrayal is pointed and 
     more personal.
       There must be accountability for the real reasons for this 
     war. Keep up the investigations. Keep up the pressure, and 
     add to the pressure by investigating the two people most 
     responsible, Bush and Cheney.
       Your courage is needed because this war has to end.
           Thank you.
                                                     Lisa Johnson,
     Essex Jct. Vermont.
                                  ____


  Warning for The 2006 Annual Newfane Town Meeting and Annual Newfane 
       School District Meeting, Newfane Union Hall, March 7, 2006

       The legal voters of the Town of Newfane, Vermont and the 
     Town School District of Newfane, Vermont, are hereby notified 
     and warned that, pursuant to Title 17 VSA, Section 2655, they 
     are to meet at the Union Hall, in the Village of Newfane, 
     Vermont on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 at 9 a.m. to act upon the 
     following Articles, to wit:
       Article 1: To elect all Newfane Town Officers and Newfane 
     Town School District Officers as required by law for the 
     ensuing year.

[[Page H5023]]

     (Voting on this article to be by Australian Ballot from 9 
     a.m. until 7 p.m.)
       Town: Constable 1 year term; Delinquent Tax Collector 1 
     year term; Grand Juror 1 year term; Lister 3 year term; 
     Lister 1 year term; Moderator--Town 1 year term; Selectman 3 
     year term; Selectman two 1 year terms; Town Agent 1 year 
     term; Town Clerk 1 year term; Town/School Treasurer 1 year 
     term; Trustees Moore Free Library; and Building Fund five 1 
     year terms
       School: Moderator 1 year term; School Director 3 year term; 
     School Director two 1 year terms.
       Leland & Gray: Newfane Representative 3 year term and 
     Newfane Representative 1 year term.
       Article 2: To see if the voters of the Town and the Town 
     School District will accept the annual report of the Auditor 
     and other Town Officers.
       Article 3: To see what salaries and expenses the Town and 
     the Town School District will vote to pay its Officers for 
     the ensuing year. Town Clerk--$12.49/hour, not to exceed 40 
     hours per week; Town Treasurer--$12.49/hour, not to exceed 40 
     hours per week; Listers--$10.00/hour. Other Elected or 
     Appointed Officers--$7.25/hour; School Treasurer--$12.49/
     hour; Mileage reimbursement at 34 cents per mile.
       Article 4: To see if the voters of the Town and the Town 
     School District will vote to authorize the Selectmen and the 
     School District to borrow money in anticipation of taxes and 
     in anticipation of Federal & State Monies to be allocated to 
     the Town and the Town School District.
       Article 5: To see if the voters of the Town will pay taxes 
     for the ensuing fiscal year on a quarterly basis, due on the 
     15th of August, October, January and April; and that the 
     charge for interest be at the maximum legal rate of 1% per 
     month for the first three months and 1.5% per month for each 
     month thereafter until paid.
       Article 6: To see if the voters of the Town School District 
     will authorize operational fund expenses in the amount of 
     $1,582,195 for the coming year.
       Article 7: To transact any other business that may legally 
     come before the Town School District.
       Article 8: To see if the voters of the Town will authorize 
     the Board of Selectmen to sell or otherwise convey property 
     acquired through tax sale proceedings.
       Article 9: Shall the voters of the Town of Newfane instruct 
     our State Representatives and Senators to oppose: any use of 
     the State Education Fund for purposes that are outside the 
     law's original intent to make payments to school districts 
     and supervisory unions for the support of education; the 
     shifting of existing State General Fund expense obligations 
     to the Education Fund; and the reduction of any existing 
     State General Fund revenue support to the Education Fund?
       Article 10: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise and appropriate the sum of $750 (Seven-hundred fifty 
     dollars) for Connecticut River Transit, Inc.
       Article 11 : To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise and appropriate the sum of $420 (Four-hundred twenty 
     dollars) for West River Watershed Alliance.
       Article 12: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise and appropriate the sum of $1,000 (One-thousand 
     dollars) for Williamsville School Preservation Society.
       Article 13: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise $3,760 by taxation for the Visiting Nurse Alliance of 
     Vermont & New Hampshire (VNA of Southeastern Vermont and the 
     Southern Vermont Home Health Agency). [In the budget]
       Article 14: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise $2,700 by taxation for Early Education Services. [In 
     the budget]
       Article 15: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise $2,604 by taxation for the Valley Health Council. [In 
     the budget]
       Article 16: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise $2,500 by taxation for Grace Cottage Foundation, which 
     supports the services of the Otis Health Care Center, 
     including Grace Cottage Hospital and Emergency Room, Grace 
     Cottage Family Health Services, and Heins Home Community Care 
     Home. [In the budget]
       Article 17: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise and appropriate the sum of $15,000 to help defray the 
     cost of the Village of Newfane Sidewalk project on West 
     Street (TH#1).
       Article 18: To see if the voters will vote to exempt from 
     taxation all real property of the Incorporated Village of 
     Newfane Union Hall building and land property (3 acre ?) for 
     a period of five years pursuant to 32 VSA ' 3840.
       Article 19: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     exempt from taxation all real property of the South Newfane 
     Community Association building and land (2 acre ?) for a 
     period of five years pursuant to 32 VSA ' 3840.
       Article 20: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     exempt from taxation all real property for the NewBrook 
     Volunteer Fire Association building and land (1.6 acres ?) 
     for a period of five years pursuant to 32 VSA' 3840.
       Article 21: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     exempt from taxation all real property for the South Newfane/
     Williamsville Fire Station and land (3 acre ?) for a period 
     of five years pursuant to 32 VSA ' 3840.
       Article 22: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     exempt from taxation all real property of the Valley Lions 
     Club property (12.9 acres ?) for a period of five years 
     pursuant to 32 VSA ' 3832(7).
       Article 23: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     exempt from taxation all real property of the Williamsville 
     School Preservation Society (2 acre ?) for a period of five 
     years pursuant to 32 VSA ' 3832(6).
       Article 24: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     approve the expenditure from the Town Reappraisal Fund for 
     town wide update of values for the real property in Newfane 
     to be completed by May 1, 2007 for an amount not to exceed 
     $50,000.
       Article 25: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     raise by taxes the amount of $75,000 to be added to the 
     Capital Reserve Fund to be used for future Capital needs.
       Article 26: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     authorize capital fund expenditures in the amount of $357,142 
     as proposed in the Capital needs plan for Fiscal Year 2007, 
     with $146,642 to be used from the capital reserve funds.
       Article 27: To see if the voters of the Town will vote to 
     authorize the Selectmen to borrow up to $148,500 for Capital 
     needs.
       Article 28: To see if the voters of the Town will authorize 
     Town and Highway operational expenditures in the amount of 
     $980,658 for the coming year.
       Article 29: We the voters of Newfane would like Town 
     Meeting, March 2006, to consider the following resolution:
       Whereas George W. Bush has:
       1. Misled the nation about Iraq's weapons of mass 
     destruction;
       2. Misled the nation about ties between Iraq and Al Quaeda;
       3. Used these falsehoods to lead our nation into war 
     unsupported by international law;
       4. Not told the truth about American policy with respect to 
     the use of torture; and
       5. Has directed the government to engage in domestic 
     spying, in direct contravention of U.S. law.
       Therefore, the voters of the town of Newfane ask that our 
     representative to the U.S. House of Representatives file 
     articles of impeachment to remove him from office.
       Article 30: To transact any other business that may legally 
     come before the Town.
       Board of Selectmen School Directors: Hendrik W. van Loon, 
     Chairman; Johanna Gardner, Co-Chairperson; Priscilla M. 
     Cotton Robert Gunther-Mohr, Co-Chairperson; Daniel DeWalt 
     Mikell Lasch; Patricia Halloran Lyssa Singleton; and Gary M. 
     Katz James Urbaska
       Town of Newfane, Vermont Town of Newfane, Vermont, February 
     1, 2006, February 3, 2006.

                          ____________________