Freyne Land

Yes, it really happened. Today, the Vermont Senate passed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The story made the "A" wire. In fact, sources say, Democrat Senate president pro tem Peter Shumlin, a co-sponsor, got calls from far and wide including a call from the International Herald Tribune!

With this morning's action, an 180-degree turnaround by Shummy, the Vermont Senate became the first legislative body in the United States of America to have the guts to call for the impeachment of the most corrupt, greedy and dishonest administration in U.S. history. Big Oil and Big Pharma could not have purchased better White House representation!

Unfortunately, Bush and Cheney represent us, too.

So guess what Channel 3, "Vermont's Own," led their Six O'Clock News with tonight?

Would you believe the weather? The nice weather?

I'm not kidding.

Alex Martin, WCAX-TV heir apparent, was "live" on the Burlington waterfront to tell us what we already knew: it was a sunny day with spring-like temps.

Stop the presses!

Also a bit of a surprise to see "Vermont This Week" on Vermont Public Television lead off tonight with the Nor'easter wind/ rain storm that downed trees and knocked out power in Rutland on Monday as their top story of the week. Brent Curtis of the Rutland Herald was on via phone to say anyone not already reconnected to the power grid, will be by the end of the day on Friday.

Stop the presses!

And Democrat House Speaker Gaye Symington had her noontime "Brown-Bagger" Friday. Full press turnout. She still won't touch an impeachment resolution with a 10-foot pole. More important things to do.

Obviously she does not realize what Peter Shumlin came to realize this week - the fact that outside the building, support for impeaching the Bush-Cheney Crime Family is strong, wide and deep among the common folk.

And the pro-impeachment grassroots passed the state senate resolution with 16 members in favor and nine opposed. Impeachment supporters are planning a Saturday rally in Burlington's City Hall Park at high noon.

See you there?

7:00 A.M.

Good morning.

A second bright dawn in a row in Beautiful Burlap.

And word from pro-impeachment sources that a new Bush Impeachment Resolution, not J.R.H. 15, the one that's stalled in both chambers, but a new one, will surface in the Vermont State Senate this morning.

With Republican Lite-Gov Brian Dubie out-of-state, Democrat Peter Shumlin will be the presiding officer.

That means the new impeachment resolution will be voted on by the full body (Democrats hold 23 of 30 seats) and not shipped off to the Judiciary Committee.

Interesting, eh?

"Vermont Senate Calls for Bush Impeachment" goes on the "A" wire.

Then the spotlight falls on the Vermont House....where today is anti-impeachment resolution Speaker Gaye Symington's birthday. Happy birthday, Madame Speaker!

Nice present, eh?

*************************************
***9 A.M. UPDATE***

At 8:41 A.M. the Vermont State Senate, in its first order of business, passed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. (Thank you, VPR, for the live, online coverage.)

Senate Resolution 16, sponsored by Windham County Democratic Senators Peter Shumlin (who was presiding officer with Lt. Gov. Dubie away), and Jeanette White, was adopted on a 16-9 roll call vote.

Liza Earle, the Richmond, Vermont nanny/activist who was one of the organizers of the grassroots Vermont impeachment effort, was ecstatic.

"It's really an incredible day for democracy!" she told "Freyne Land" minutes ago.

Tuesday's turnout of 130-plus impeachment supporters at the Statehouse obviously had an impact, eh?

"I think Tuesday was a reallypowerful day in the House of Democracy," said Ms. Earle. "We got a lot of smiles from legislators," she said, even though the leadership of Sen. Shumlin and House Speaker Gaye Symington told them impeachment was "dead."

""It's amazing," said Earle, "how the leaders will follow when the people lead."

Amen!

Here's the text of S.R. 16:

Vermont’s state senators do 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.

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;

WHEREAS, the president’s conduct in his role as commander-in-chief  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 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States;

WHEREAS, the president 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 representatives 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 Represenative Peter Welch, United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy, and United States Senator Bernard Sanders.

The distinguished senator did not mince his words Thursday afternoon as he looked Attorney General of the United States Alberto Gonzales right in the eye and let him know exactly what he thought of Alberto's handling of the recent unexplained dismissal of eight competent, dedicated U.S. attorneys for political reasons:

“It was handled incompetently. The communication was atrocious. It was inconsistent.

“It’s generous to say that there were ‘misstatements.’ That’s a generous statement. And I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered.

"And I believe the best way to put this behind us is your resignation!”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. You see, those words were not coming from the lips of Sen. Patrick Leahy, but from those of a conservative Republican senator from Oklahoma - Sen. Tom Coburn M.D. - recently featured here in Freyne Land when he got up on the Senate floor and blocked a couple million bucks for the Jim Jeffords Center up at UVM.

No shit!

Read Sen. Coburn's official statement. And he wasn't the only Republican to suggest Gonzales needed better answers, credible answers or he might need to come up with fresh plans for his immediate future.

Despite weeks to prepare for his appearance before St. Patrick’s committee, George "WMD" Bush’s longtime Texas political crony continued to suffer from very wide and very deep gaps in his memory.

“I don’t recall” was the U.S. Attorney General's favorite line, uttered dozens and dozens of times, making him sound like what we used to call a "broken record."

It was unbelievable, literally.

"I must admit that this is a day that does not make me happy at all,” said Leahy as he soberly wrapped things up late this afternoon. “I cannot think of any time I’ve been more concerned,” said the Vermont chairman, “more concerned for the system of criminal justice in this country. With that we stand adjourned.”

Another day on Planet Earth.

Took this shot around the corner in my Burlington, Vermont neighborhood shortly after 7 A.M. - it's been so long since a sunrise beat the cloud cover! And word is there's a lot more to come. Notice the photographer's shadow?

Peter the Groundhog.

The plan is to catch St. Patrick, excuse me, Sen. Patrick Leahy, kickoff his Judiciary Committee probe of the firings of 8 U.S. Attorney's with star witness Alberto "I don't remember" Gonzales front and center. C-SPAN will carry it. I wonder if the "news" networks will?

(***Check NOON UPDATE below***)

What else?

Oh, yes. At his Wednesday presser, Gov. Jim Douglas was asked about Vermont "security," questions that were obviously prompted by the bloody massacre at Virginia Tech on Monday. The TV angle, eh?

Getting ready for the Virginia Tech Copycat Killer? Could it happen here?

Well, it could happen anywhere and it does regularly.

More than 200 innocent people were blown to bits in Iraq yesterday by suicide bombers, which appears the fastest growing occupation in that part of the world.

You remember Iraq?

The country OUR country invaded because President George "WMD" Bush's lies, like those of Adolph Hitler in 1930s Germany, were swallowed by the majority of the citizenry and the majority of the nation's "lawmakers."

Like Ol' Adolph, Ol' George was elected. Democracy at work!

And Adolph, like George, was only protecting his country from dangerous threats. At least, that's what he said he was doing.

The question of whether or not ignoring the gross impeachable offenses of George W. Bush and V.P. Dick Cheney does or does-not qualify one for contemporary "good German" status is a fair question and worthy of discussion and debate.

Back to Montpeculiar: The Guv was asked if there were any rules or laws preventing a person from bringing a loaded handgun into the Vermont Statehouse. (That's his Administration Secretary Mike Smith with a portrait of the legendary Matthew Lyon.)

Gentleman Jim, a regular in the building since his legislative days back in the 1970s, simply did not know. In fact, no one on his distinguished personal staff who was in attendance did either.  That probably shows what a non-issue it is in Vermont where "gun control" laws only apply to hunting season.

I followed up and just got this from the Dave Janawicz, the Capitol Police Chief:

       Rule 26 of Joint Rules of House & Senate:  Regarding "Public Conduct"says no person shall carry a firearm or explosives, openly or concealed,except for official purposes, while in the State House.

******************************************

***NOON UPDATE***

C-SPAN1 & 2 went back to live floor coverage at 10:A.M., as they normally do. If C-SPAN3 is carrying  the Gonzales Hearing before St. Patrick's committee, I do not know. I don't get it.

And CBS and ABC and NBC have "normal" programming while CNN and MSNBC and FOX - the cable-news giants - are milking the massacre at Virginia Tech for every drop its worth to them.

Fortunately, the Senate Judiciary Committee has Attorney General Gonzales available for live viewing on its website.

Thanks.

If I didn't know Alberto's "day job," I'd swear I was watching some Mafia Crime Family Godfather's top lawyer getting grilled in an organized crime investigation.

Big balls.

No memory.

Wonder how history will treat him?

And his boss?

In the wake of the now patched-up controversy involving charges of legislative vote-buying by Douglas Administration Transportation Secretary Neale Lunderville, Democratic House Speaker Gaye Symington has called for the establishment in law of a state ethics code for the executive and legislative branches, as well as creation of an "ethics council" or "ethics commission" to enforce it.

At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Republican Gov Jim Douglas was asked if he agreed with Symington?

DOUGLAS: “I don’t think we need a new bureaucracy to monitor the performance of our public officials. I think Vermont is a state where we can be proud of  the people that serve in all branches of government, people who for the most part are above reproach, people of integrity and people who follow the constitutional  edict of serving the public and acting in the public interest.

"I believe that codes of ethics are appropriate. The judiciary has the canons of ethics for attorneys and judges.

"Four governors in a row have adopted executive codes of ethics.

"Frankly, the only branch of government that doesn’t have a code of ethics is the Legislature and I think it would be very appropriate for them to adopt one."

Lunderville first served Gov. Scissorhands as his young and successful twenty-something campaign manager in the 2002 race and followed up in that role in 2004. In between campaign seasons, the Boy Wonder has been a key member of the governor’s 5th floor inner circle. Neale was appointed to the transportation secretary position last year despite having absolutely no experience or training in the field. Gov. Douglas was asked if the Boy Wonder's political past and lack of "transportation" experience reinforced the impression he wasn’t the right choice for the position?

DOUGLAS: "On the contrary, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. As soon as he was appointed, Sen. Mazza ( Dick Mazza, a Chittenden/Grande Isle Democrat and chairman of the Transportation Committee), spoke very positively about the choice. I think everybody who sees the work that he’s done knows that he’s just the right person for the job!....I think he’s doing a great job!"

On other matters of "ethics" in politics, Gov. Douglas was asked if he "has confidence in U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales," who is scheduled to testify under oath and in public Thursday before U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Judiciary Committee.

Douglas refused to give a "yes" or "no" answer, instead telling reporters we "should let the process go forward,"  and we should "wait and see what Gonzales has to say before the committee."

And speaking of ethics in government and media...

Here's a picture I shot around 11:20 A.M. on State Street in Montpelier across from the Pavilion Building.

Won't see this on the Six O'Clock News, eh?

I dare say it's solid evidence WCAX-TV News doesn't get any special breaks from les gendarmes of the parking space in Vermont's state capital.

When it comes to parking, everybody pays.

Faces, too!

I was here all day at the ranch in Burlington, writing "Inside Track" for Wednesday's print [and online] edition of Seven Days. That meant I could not make it to Montpeculiar and catch the Statehouse goings on, one of which attracted so many people not even WGOP, er, sorry, WCAX-TV News could ignore it.

Our pals at Channel 3 reported at 6:12 P.M. that about 100 Bush-Cheney impeachment supporters had descended on the Statehouse today to lobby Democratic leaders Peter Shumlin, senate president pro tem, and Gaye "Policy Before Politics" Symington, the Speaker of the House. 

A real threatening and dangerous looking bunch, too, eh? Folks like Peggy Sapphire of Craftsbury and Eliza Earle of Richmond (below right).

Last week, Peter and Gaye quickly blew off three leaders of Vermont's grassroots pro-impeachment movement, saying the legislature they run simply "does not have the time."

Sure.

This week they gave the more than 100 folks from every corner of the state about 40 minutes of their personal attention. Are they finally realizing this impeachment stuff is broad and deep?

Unfortunately,  the sad fact is Shummy the Senator and future something has tried taking almost every possible side of the impeachment issue for months.

He's been passionately for it on several occasions.

He's blamed it's demise on Symington's refusal to take it up in he House.

He's denied blaming it on Symington.

He's blamed it on non-existent rules that require the House to pass it first.

He's blamed impeachment supporters for not bringing it up sooner. 

Heck, he's blamed everyone but the Easter Bunny and Monica Lewinsky!

And in this photo from tonight's Ch. 3 News, it actually looks like Sen. Shumlin's nose is growing, doesn't it? Growing right before our very eyes!

Holy Pinocchio, Batman!

Associated Press Senior Writer Ross Sneyd couldn't ignore today's grassroots turnout either. Mr. Sneyd reported an even larger crowd showed up under the golden dome to press Democrat "leaders" to quit ducking it. AND, he also reported things have changed - Speaker Symington has opened the House Impeachment door she's kept shut tight. Opened it just a tiny, little crack:

Montpelier, Vt. - Democratic legislative leaders faced an angrycrowd Tuesday critical of their refusal to let resolutions calling forPresident Bush's impeachment come to a vote in the House and Senate.

Despitethe sometimes heated and emotional pleas from a crowd estimated at 130,House Speaker Gaye Symington and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlinsaid they had no plans to force a vote on the resolutions.

ButSymington did hint at a way out of what has become a growingdistraction for the state's top two Democrats among the left wing oftheir party. She said any member of the House could propose that theresolution be pulled out of the Judiciary Committee and debated.

"Theremay be a move at some point for the resolution to be taken up on theHouse floor," Symington said in a joint noontime appearance withShumlin before the crowd.

Interesting.

My sixth sense tells me that "Blunderville, " the great Montpeculiar political controversy of last week - the charges flying from House Speaker Gaye Symington about Transportation Secretary Neale Lunderville trying to "bribe" Rep. Jim Fitzgerald of St. Albans for a "No" vote on the budget-adjustment override - will, dare I say, "peter" out this week.

Freyne the Psychic sees Neale and Ol' Fitzy shaking hands in the Statehouse cafeteria and agreeing it was all just a "misunderstanding"...."no hard feelings"... they have better things to do!

Speaker Symington, as you know, had written Sec. Lunderville, asking him to appear before the House Rules Committee to answer a few questions and clear things up.

In response, Republicans raised questions about Democratic vote-buying and vote-trading and Gov. Jim Douglas noted the legislative branch doesn't even have an ethics code!

No way, either Democrats or Republicans, want to end the legislative session in a nasty name-calling brouhaha that leaves everyone looking bad in the eyes of the public. This week, "cooler" heads will prevail.

Speaker Gaye is well aware she has no power to force Lunderville toappear before the Rules Committee. She will, however, push to "codify"the ethics guidelines the Guv has posted on his website for the executive branch and she's opento doing likewise with ethics guidelines for legislators. She says morethan 30 states already have them.

Brave new world, eh?

********************************

P.S. Picture of the Week? Month?

Thank you, Cathy R., for catching this one Monday on a public bulletin board in the Old North End of Burlap. In the city park at Archibald and North Winooski.

Have I finally become worthy of Sign Man's attention, time and effort after all these years?

Must be doing something right, eh?

Not that size matters, Sign Man, but assuming it's your work, I'd note your HOWARD DEAN sign was a whole lot bigger. So's your RALPH NADER one, too.

But isn't it rather "cowardly" of you not to sign your own sign?

Ah, yes, true to form.

Keep up the good work!

******************************************

AND wasn't the Doonesbury "Vermont Impeachment" series something special or what?

Catch the finale on Saturday?

Of course, more than two dozen innocent people being executed by a mad gunman is just another normal, everyday occurrence in Iraq or Afghanistan these days where broken nations full of rival factions and foreign occupiers experience a living hell. 

But on a college campus in Virginia?

The first shots were reportedly fired around 7:15 a.m. this morning.

Caught the first word when CBS broke in at 12:38 with a brief report there had been a tragedy in Blacksburg, Virginia at the campus of Virginia Tech.

It's one hour and 20 minutes later - all the cable news networks are covering it, but the "Big 3," i.e. CBS, ABC, and NBC are sticking with their soap operas.

By now, dear reader, surely you too, have heard.

Still no answer from authorities to the basic questions:

Who?

How?

Why?

Life, the life we live at this moment, is a precious gift.

It can end at any moment.

Let the ones you care about, the ones you truly love, know it, while you're both still here to share it.

Thank God there was the big advancing Nor'easter to cover this weekend, or the mainstream U.S. media would have had nothing to report, eh?

They said we'd get six to 12 inches, maybe more in higher elevations. Global Warming's full of surprises, eh?

The "higher" elevation got more of the sticky white stuff, but in the valleys, like the one Burlington, Vermont sits is, it was light on the white stuff and heavy on a whole lot of rain and slush this morning. And a fine Blue Box Recycle Monday it was in my Five Sisters neighborhood.

Took this shot (left) about 7:10 a.m. Those of us who'd believed the weather reports had held off putting out our Blue Boxes last night.  Bit of a scramble this morning when we heard the recycle truck!

Made it!

What else?

A picture's worth a thousand words and a human face says it all.

Such was the face of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday on CBS' Face the Nation. Dick Cheney - one of the grand architects of the fraudulent policy/scheme that's done more damage to the United States of America and her people than any foreign foe in my lifetime.

In response to Host Bob Schieffer's suggestion that Cheney's 2005 remark that the Iraq insurgency was in its "last throes" might make some dispute his optimistic take on the war going forward, the vice president suggested his comments lacked hindsight, but still insisted that progress in Iraq was evident.

"My statement at the time that you referenced was geared specifically to the fact that we just had an election in Iraq where some 12 million people defied the car bombers and the assassins and for the first time participated in a free election," Cheney said. "We had three elections in 2005 in Iraq: We set up a provisional government, then we got a ratification of a brand new constitution, then elections under that constitution of a new government, the government that is in place now. I still think in the broad sweep of history those will have been major turning points in the war in Iraq."

Pants on fire, Dick?

And what about his old buddy and top aide Scooter Libby - now, not just an accused, but a convicted liar?

Would you believe that Big Tough Dick Cheney, former CEO of Haliburton - for whose stockholders the Iraq War is being fought -  would not discuss the recent conviction of Libby oncharges of perjury and obstruction of justice as part of theinvestigation into the leak of former CIA operative Valerie Plame'sidentity.

Cheney called the verdict a "great tragedy" but said he had nottalked to Libby since he was found guilty on March 6. "I haven't hadoccasion to do that," he said.

Couldn't even call him on the ol' cell phone?

We understand, Dick.

And what about fellow "Liar on the Hot Seat" Attorney General Alberto Gonzales?

Gonzales is scheduled to testify under oath before Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont's Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

"He is a good man," Cheney said of Gonzales. "I have every confidence in him. The president has every confidence in him."

Uh, huh.

Speaking of Alberto - did you catch the op-ed he had in Sunday's Washington Post titled "Nothing Improper?"

Alberto's got a future in comedy. I loved this line:

"Whatbegan as a well-intentioned management effort to identify where, among the93 U.S. attorneys, changes in leadership might benefit the department, andtherefore the American people, has become an unintended public controversy."

Damn!

Those "unintended" public controversies are always the worst, eh?