PDA 2006 Election Video
» 56K modem
» broadband
Stop Funding War Video
» All formats
Overflow crowds packed public forums today at more than 300 events organized by Progressive Democrats of America and other members of the AfterDowningStreet coalition to mark the three-year anniversary of the Downing Street Memo.
Michigan Congr. John Conyers (center) captivates the SRO crowd of more than 700 progressives in Detroit on DSM Day. Photo by Mike Short
Hundreds of people were turned away at some of the larger events as capacity crowds sought to discuss the Downing Street Memo and related evidence that the Bush Administration fixed intelligence to systematically mislead the nation to go to war in Iraq. Distinguished members of Congress such as John Conyers (D-MI), Maurice Hinchley (D- NY), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Maxine Waters (D-CA) hosted standing-room-only town hall meetings in their home districts of Detroit, New York City, Oakland, Seattle, and Los Angeles. PDA co-sponsored the events, and PDA chapters played a key role in organizing people for these and hundreds of smaller forums around the nation.
For the second time in the two months since PDA helped to launch the www.AfterDowningStreet.org campaign, we have been overwhelmed by what we've tapped into. From the first time we put up a website about the Downing Street minutes, demanding an investigation into grounds for impeachment, PDA has been gratified to see such a strong a coalition grow so quickly. The website consistently receives a high volume of traffic.
PDA has collected the interesting details from various events around the country to share with you, but first, acknowledgements are in order for a few folks who really pulled out the stops. This is by no means the entire list of folks who deserve credit. There are literally hundreds who made today's forums a success. The larger town halls, however, required some extraordinary organizational efforts: Marcy Winograd, Lora O'Connor, and Michael Jay in Los Angeles; our new friends in Birmingham, Sharron Williams and Ben Mazzara; in Seattle, Judith Shattuck and Jim Mullins; in Detroit, many thanks to Paul Stevenson, Mike Short, and Tony Trupiano (PDA advisory board member); in Vermont, Bruce Taub and Nicoli Bailey; and in Northampton, Massachusetts, Les and Susie Patlove and Kathleen Bridgewater. We'd also like to acknowledge the speakers from PDA and thank them for the eloquent speeches they made: Tony Trupiano in Detroit, Steve Cobble in Oakland, John Bonifaz and PDA national director Tim Carpenter in Northampton, David Swanson in Maryland, and William Rivers Pitt in Vermont.
Now to the report:
Throughout the nation today, we saw crowds of people in red and blue states chant "Impeach Bush!" at events with political leaders not yet ready to use the "I-word." It would seem that the much-maligned American Public is way out ahead of many political insiders.
Crowds at the event in Montgomery County, Maryland asked, "Why is it so hard to get a Democrat from a solidly Democratic district to introduce articles of impeachment? What are they waiting for?"
In fact, since the Downing Street Memo was leaked to the British press in early May, PDA has stood side-by-side with Congressman John Conyers and other key members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to put the wheels of impeachment in motion. PDA was the first progressive organization in the nation to support the letter Conyers authored and co-signed by 133 members of Congress demanding that the President address the troubling issues revealed in the Downing Street Memo. PDA generated the first 100,000 citizen signatures on the petition supporting the Conyers letter and enjoined its allies and partners across the progressive political spectrum to create a coalition of support. Just this week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee submitted a "Resolution of Inquiry” on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives calling on the Bush administration to produce information to answer questions raised by a series of classified British memos that suggest that pre-war intelligence was fixed in order to justify the invasion of Iraq. Given the administration's defiant silence in the face of these Congressional actions, these are the first critical steps on the road to impeachment.
The massive public demonstrations organized today provide further political will to move that process forward. At the Detroit event with Congressman Conyers, when constitutional law professor Bob Sedler asked the crowd if Bush had committed impeachable offenses, the whole room shouted, "YES!"
Blue ribbon speakers at the Congressman Conyers Town Hall meeting in Detroit included Al Fishman (left) of Peace Action, Lila Lipscomb (center) who was a military mom featured in Fahrenheit 9/11 demanding answers as to why her son Michael had to die in a war based on fixed intelligence, and celebrated progressive talk radio host Tony Trupiano (right) who emceed the event. Photo by Mike Short
The scene in New York was similar. Quoting our PDA-NYC blogger:
"I hope many of you are watching this amazing event online. This is both a rowdy and a mature crowd! Liz Holtzman was awarded--and she deserved--a standing ovation for her tales of the Nixon Impeachment and her sane cautions about the difficulty of getting Congress to act.
"It will only happen, she reminded us, via the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
"And now Rep. Hinchey is on fire--clear and direct and comprehensive in his exposition of the various crimes that the Bush Administration has, provably, committed.
"It is incredible to be in this hot hall and to feel the energy of the overflow crowd. The will of the people is remarkably clear here..."
Other reports that came in from around the country described events as small as this one in Ohio:
"Twelve peacemakers from NE Ohio gathered at the Community Center of Newton Falls (zipcode 44444) to hear a dramatic reading of the Downing Street memo and engage in a lively discussion of local peace events and social justice issues. The entrance to the Community Center is prominently marked by a memorial to four young men from this small town who lost their lives in the War in Vietnam. We felt their spirit among us crying out to a new generation: the politicians lied and we died! Honor the dead -- reveal the truth and stop the war!"
Or this one in Louisville, Kentucky submitted by PDA field blogger Judy Munro-Leighton:
"On this blistering hot day, the Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC) held its DSM Day event at a busy intersection in a working class neighborhood in Louisville's south end.
"We had about 40 people with signs & petitions and we had great visibility--thousands of cars saw us and many, many pedestrians talked to us. In our group we had an 82-year-old nun & several babies.
"We also had a visit from 'George Bush' on a megaphone telling people NOT to read the Memo, because he didn't want them to know the truth. He sounded as stupid as ever.
"We had an overwhelmingly positive response and were glad to find a good new intersection for future actions. After two hours in the blazing heat, we hit a local watering hole for a round of congratulations and good laughs. The truth will prevail."
Many events were house parties, like this one reported by our North Carolina field blogger Kelly Turner:
"A motivated and committed group has gathered at a house party in Raleigh, NC to watch the DVD of the Conyers' hearing and to continue the lively discussion we've already started. We have twice the expected turnout, with participants from all over the Triangle area. We're excited about building on this momentum and adding even more voices to this movement."
Will the media cover these events and the facts that motivated them?
Some newspapers, including major ones, will definitely be doing stories for tomorrow. But the focus appears likely to be on the activism, more than the substance of the discussions. And there was substance! PDA would like to encourage everyone to write letters to the editors offering the substance of what was shared and learned in these events. By keeping pressure on the mainstream media, the grassroots are keeping this important story alive in the press. The quality and caliber of speakers at the Downing Street Memo Day events emphasized the legitimacy and importance of this story. Former CIA analysts testified on the state of intelligence under Bush-Cheney. Families of soldiers who have died in Iraq and veterans of the occupation told their stories. Legal analysts and other experts provided historical perspective and understanding of the strength of the evidence.
Every event discussed the evidence of the Downing Street documents. At most events, plans were made to generate co-sponsors for H.Res. 375, a Resolution of Inquiry introduced by Congresswoman Lee on Thursday that would require the White House and the State Department to turn over all documentation of communications with officials of the UK between January and October 2002.
In New York, Congressman Hinchey engaged in an analysis of strategies related to expanding the special prosecutor's reach or creating a new one. In Oakland, Daniel Ellsberg, known for having released the Pentagon Papers, said that the intelligence committees in Congress have the right to hold minority hearings with subpoena power and argued for pressuring the Democrats to do that rather than pressuring the Republicans to act like they care about their country.
Progressives across the nation were loud and proud in defense of our most enduring principles. PDA extends its deepest gratitude for the participation and support of its members, allies, and partners. Thank you all.
COMING SOON!! Watch for details of PDA's birthday celebration during the week of September 12-18. Chapters and members are encouraged to join us in D.C. for the September 24-26 anti-war events and lobbying efforts. Those members who can't make it to DC will have the opportunity to plan events in their home towns and cities that weekend.