About me: Contact: Chris Dorsey - (804)564-1491
christopher.dorsey(at)verizon(dot)net
If you would like to receive notices from us about peace and justice related issues and events in our area, please email us at rva4peace(at)gmail(dot)com
Anti-War Rally in Richmond
On Saturday, July 26th, over 50 Richmond-area residents gathered outside the offices of the Richmond Times-Dispatch to demonstrate their opposition to an attack on Iran and to voice their outrage at the Media General newspaper’s incendiary stories and headlines which project a near-certain war with Iran.
The protest was initiated by RVA4Peace and endorsed by the Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality and the Richmond Peace Education Center.
Rally for Tredegar 12
There was a rally for the Tredegar 12 on Tuesday, July 28th. The Tredegar 12 sprung a surprise protest blocking the entrance of the Dominion Building in Downtown Richmond on June 30 in response to the State of Virginia approving the air pollution permits for Dominion to build a coal burning power plant in South West Virginia.
These activists did not hurt anyone or hurt themselves, what they did do was cause a traffic jam. Because of this, they were looking at up to a year and a half in jail, each. These individuals came to Richmond from South West Virginia to make their point known, but the were treated like hard criminals.
Keep Up the Pressure for an Impeachment Hearing!
The "impeachment" hearing on Friday July 25th gave us a foot in the door. Now we need to keep up the pressure for formal impeachment proceedings. Please take a few minutes and do what you can from the list below. We need to let Congress know that we still want to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for the crimes they have committed (especially lying to us before illegally invading Iraq).
1) Even if you've called before, please call or fax your representative in Congress. Let them know that you support impeachment proceedings. Even Republicans like Rep. Eric Cantor need to hear from us. [if you don't know who your representative is - use the look-up feature in the top left corner of this web page http://www.house.gov/]
2) Call or Fax the two members of the House Judiciary Committee from our area. They are Congressmen Scott and Forbes. Contact info is below.
3) Sign the petition at http://kucinich.us/ and while you're there watch the video from Rep. Kucinich.
4) Contact all members of the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to proceed with impeachment hearings. See below for a way to do this for free.
House Judiciary Committee Members from Richmond area:
Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott
(202) 225-8351 Phone
(202) 225-8354 Fax
Congressman J. Randy Forbes
(202) 225-6365 Phone
(202) 226-1170 Fax
Other Reps from this area:
Congressman Eric Cantor
(202) 225-2815 Phone
(202) 225-0011 Fax
From Democrats.com:
And if you can do more, please make free calls to every Judiciary Democrat who opposes impeachment through CauseCaller:
http://www.causecaller.com/causes.php?c=House_Judiciary_Democrats_Impeachment
Simply enter your phone number and click the "Start Calling" button. (Click "Call me back if I accidentally hang up" in case you hang up by mistake.) In a few seconds, your phone will "magically" ring and CauseCaller will say the name of the first Representative on the list. Listen carefully for the name of each Member so you can repeat the name to the receptionist - or just say "The Representative." Don't hang up between calls - let the receptionists hang up and CauseCaller will dial the next Representative.
Mock Trial of Karl Rove in Virginia Beach, July 18th
On July 18, 2008, Karl Rove was the guest of (dis)honor at a Republican Party fundraiser for Congresswoman Thelma Drake at the Ruth's Chris Steak House in Virginia Beach. RVA4Peace participated in a protest organized by ImpeachBushVA that culminated in a Mock Trial of Karl Rove. Rove was found guilty but remains a fugitive from justice.
Photos of Protest:
Videos of Protesters:
Ralph Nader spoke in Richmond, July 12th
Below is a clip of him discussing how impeachment and the Nuremberg Principle could be used by military to refuse orders to make an unprovoked and illegal attack on Iran.
Kucinich Introduced Impeachment Article:
Congressman Dennis Kucinich brought a privlileged resolution to the House with a single Article of Impeachment of President Bush for taking our nation and our troops to war based on lies. (http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34634)
Please sign Kucinich's impeachment petition: http://impeachment.kucinich.us/petition/. Also, call your representative in the House and ask them to support the resolution. Please also let Congressman Bobby Scott know you support the resolution [(202) 225-8351]. He is on the House Judiciary Committee.
It is not too late to take this crucial step in returning our country to the rule of law.
RVA4Peace and Others Protest Bush in Charlottesville:
Over 100 people protested George W. Bush on July 4th in Charlottesville. He spoke at Monticello. The protest took place along Route 20.
Photos of Protest:
Video of Protesters as Bush Leaves Monticello
Letter Sent to All the Democratic Delegates to the Virginia State Convention:
First, I would like to congratulate you on your selection as a delegate in this historically critical election year. Second, I want to let you know about an important resolution that was submitted to the State Convention Resolutions Committee. The resolution calls for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney on the grounds that they:
• Misled Congress and the American people into an illegal war in Iraq (violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1001 and Title 18 United States Code, Section 371)
• Conducted warrantless wire-tapping of American civilians (violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805)
• Conspired to commit torture of prisoners (violation of UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land")
• Ordered indefinite detention of citizens, without access to legal counsel, without charge and without opportunity to appear before a court (The United States Constitution)
As committed members of the opposition party, it is our responsibility to hold Bush and Cheney accountable. If we allow these crimes to pass without investigation, we set a dangerous precedent for future abuses of power. And history will not look kindly on those who remain silent.
This resolution was passed by the Richmond City Democratic Committee nearly unanimously. By pushing for impeachment, we will make John McCain and the Republican Party defend the crimes of the Bush administration. We will also take a crucial step to restoring our Constitution and the rule of law.
It would be unconscionable for the Virginia Democratic Party to not take a stand against the crimes of the Bush administration.
By supporting this resolution you can be assured and proud that your voice was heard on an issue that will affect many generations to come. It is not too late to do the right thing.
I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you for your support and enjoy the convention,
Chris Dorsey
Resolution Calling for the Impeachment of Bush and Cheney
Submitted to the 2008 Virginia State Democratic Convention
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have intentionally misled the
Congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war against
Iraq, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1001 and intentionally
conspired with others to defraud the United States in connection with the war against Iraq
in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have admitted to ordering the
National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians
without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review,
duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section
1805; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have conspired to commit the torture
of prisoners in violation of the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention,
which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land";
and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have acted to strip Americans of
their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to
legal counsel, without charge and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial
officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the
President of a U.S. citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law; and
WHEREAS, In all of this George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have acted in a manner
contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional
government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest
injury of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Jefferson’s Manual section LIII, 603, states that impeachment may be set in
motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State; now therefore be it.
Resolved that George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant
impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy
any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Democratic Party of Virginia requests that the
Virginia State Legislature submit these charges to the U.S. House of Representatives
under Jefferson’s Manual section LIII, 603 as grounds for impeachment.
June 9th - Kucinich Introduced Articles of Impeachment!:
Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush last night. Please help support this effort by emailing and calling your Congress members to ask them to fully support Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment.
To email: http://www.democrats.com/35-articles-of-impeachment
To call: (202) 224-3121
More information see: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/bush
Pictures from Cheney's Richmond Visit:
Recent Demonstration: The war criminal Dick Cheney was in Richmond!
Anti-war demonstrators and impeachment advocates greeted Vice President Dick Cheney Friday evening with banners, signs and loud shouts demanding his resignation. Cheney spoke at a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Virginia at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia.
The protesters gathered outside the convention center listed the violations of domestic and International law Cheney has committed.
Protester Christopher Dorsey said “Our elected officials have failed to enforce the Constitution through impeachment so we as citizens are left with no other choice but to demand the resignation of the Vice President for his extensive violations of domestic and international law.” He continued “we see Cheney as a fugitive from justice.”
Richmond Citizens Join Nationwide May Day Protests to End the Iraq War
Richmond, Virginia - May 1, 2008 - As part of a day of nationwide labor strikes, a dozen Richmond citizens left work on May 1st to gather in front of Senator Jim Webb’s Richmond office to demand he stop funding the occupation of Iraq. While the Democratic Senator has said he opposes the war, he continues to vote to fund it.
The protesters expressed their exasperation with Senator Webb and other Democratic members of Congress who continue to fund the occupation. “The Democratic Party has pretended to be against the war,” said Chris Dorsey, co-founder of RVA4Peace, “however, whenever the President requests funding, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate march in lockstep with the administration.” The result, Dorsey stated, has been an escalation of the occupation that the Democrats were elected to end. “In short,” he continued, “the Democratic Party has become a controlled opposition party.”
During the demonstration, volunteers with Project 1, Inc. a Richmond-based not-for-profit organization, collected canned food for the Central Virginia Foodbank. “While 51 cents out of every tax dollar goes to military spending,” said Toni Davy, co-founder of Project 1, “the average American is finding it hard to pay for daily expenses.” The Central Virginia Foodbank is currently experiencing severe shortages due to increased need and reduced donations.
Demonstration: Fund Food Banks not War Crimes!
Friday, April 11th: We gathered outside The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond Virginia to demand Democratic Senators stop funding the occupation of Iraq. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) was hosting a fundraising event inside the hotel. Project 1 collected 224 pounds of food for the Central Virginia Food Bank from the protesters. The Senators and lobbyists did not contribute food.
5 Years Too Many Anti-War March
Rep. Scott still not onboard with impeachment
By Chris Dorsey
Richmond, VA – I discussed impeachment with Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott at the February 19th meeting of the Richmond Crusade for Voters. His excuses for not moving forward with impeachment remain questionable:
• Scott said the House Judiciary Committee is “doing everything now that an impeachment proceeding would require.” They are issuing subpoenas, holding hearings and trying to gather evidence. He said the process is frustratingly slow, but if they called it impeachment, the House would break down into “partisan shenanigans” leaving a limited possibility of getting anything done.
I searched the Constitution of the United States from Preamble to Amendment XXVII and didn’t find any mention of partisan shenanigans as a reason for not enforcing the Constitution. I did find however, Article II, Section 4 which says "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
• Scott said the Judiciary Committee must follow “The Process” and he repeatedly made comparisons to the impeachment of Clinton and the lack of process during those proceedings. He called the impeachment of Clinton the most insulting process we had because not a single deposition was taken on the charges. He stressed the need for “sworn testimony” and not “media reports.”
It’s ludicrous to compare Clinton’s lie about having sex with a 22 year-old intern, to Bush and Cheney’s lies about weapons of mass destruction, torture, wire-tapping and outing of a CIA agent. And as far as media reports go - does Mr. Scott really think the pictures from Abu Ghraib were creations of the media? And what about the testimony gathered by groups such as the Center for Constitutional Rights?
• Scott said the President has instructed US attorneys not to enforce subpoenas. Therefore, they are seeking civil contempt through the House counsel.
So those being investigated can refuse to be investigated? Democracy ceases to exist when the leaders in our government are above the law.
Representative Scott encouraged Richmond citizens to continue protesting saying that he likes that we are in his office every week. This is a good thing for him because we will continue to meet in front of his Richmond office every Friday at noon to petition our representative on the House Judiciary Committee until he supports impeachment. Mr. Scott appears unconvinced that he is not upholding the Constitution. He even went so far as to ask me if I could find someone who is better on the Constitution than him. How about: Kucinich? Wexler? Abercrombie? Baldwin? Capuano? Clarke? Clay? Cohen? DeFazio? Ellison? Farr? Grijalva? Gutierrez? Lee? Moore? Moran? Thompson? Towns? Woolsey? Wynn?
Stand with us, Fridays at noon at 2nd and Clay Streets in front of the congressman’s office at 501 N. 2nd Street, Richmond, VA 23219-1321...
Dennis Kucinich: "There has to come a moment of awareness. Something will happen to cause people to become aware of what's happening, of what's happened to the government. This is why impeachment is so important. Impeachment would bring up the whole train of abuses that have caused our government to become less democratic. The lies to take us into wars, the eavesdropping, the wiretapping, the rendition, the torture, I mean it all becomes one piece. If people see the whole thing at once, it then creates a kind of awareness that will create some change. I have no doubt about that at all, none whatsoever. What's happened is that people just see bits and pieces and it is never being tied together. I feel we are losing our democracy to lies that took us into war, lies that caused the destruction of essential civil liberties, lies that are driving us into debt, corruption on Wall Street and a Democratic Party that has lost its will to fight these people." ..
Demonstration: Close Guantánamo
20 people protested torture and unlawful detentions in front of the US Courthouse in downtown Richmond on January 11th - an International Day of Action. WRIC, Channel 8, filmed the protest and included it in their 6:00PM and 11:00PM news broadcasts.
Activists to Bush-Lackey: Shape Up!
A group of 15 concerned citizens led by Christopher Dorsey visited Representative Eric Cantor’s Short Pump office and informed his staff that the American people will not tolerate another illegal war of aggression carried out by the Bush administration. They further informed Rep. Cantor’s staff that members of Congress are complicit in war crimes when they vote with the Bush administration. Rep. Cantor and the administration have violated The Nuremberg Principles by waging a war of aggression in Iraq. This is ironic since Rep. Cantor said statements made by Rep. Moran harkened back to the era of Hitler. However, according to The Nuremberg Tribunal: "To initiate a war of aggression . . . is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole."
Dorsey also expressed the group’s displeasure with the fact that Rep. Cantor received more money than any other politician in the state of Virginia from convicted felon Jack Abramoff. And that he exchanged money with child predator Mark Foley. Cantor was also a member of the Republican leadership which was aware of what Mark Foley was doing.
Cantor’s staff sat expressionless which led Dorsey to remark “I can’t believe you’re sitting here with poker faces while we’re telling you that the person you are working for is guilty of all of these crimes.”
Why haven’t you heard about Cantor’s involvement? Perhaps it’s because his wife sits on the board of Media General which owns the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Join Congressman Wexler's Call for Impeachment Hearings:CLICKHERE
The charges are too serious to ignore. There is credible evidence that the Vice President abused the power of his office, and not only brought us into an unneccesary war but violated the civil liberties and privacy of American citizens. It is the constitutional duty of Congress to hold impeachment hearings.
Sign the petition to support impeachment hearings.
>http://wexlerwantshearings.com/
Great march and demonstration in front of Richmond Times Dispatch November 6th!:
The RTD covered our rally. Click here to see the article
The Richmond Free Press put the demonstration on the front page of their November 8-10, 2007 edition.
Kucinich's impeachment resolution was ultimately referred back to the Judiciary committee. We need to keep up the pressure on our representatives. Email and call them today! Go here for more information: AfterDowningStreet.org. And please sign this petition: Click here for Democrats.com Petition
Who I'd like to meet: Our demonstrations honor the memory of Robert Ragin, Jr.
Robert Ragin, Jr. died in December. Many of you knew him from our rallies outside of Rep. Scott's office.
Robert was the man for the people, working hard to spread the word about impeachment, peace and AIDS prevention. He knew how to further our goals and pushed us to be more effective in communicating our ideas to people.
It was Robert's idea to have a demonstration on the day Congressman Kucinich brought H.Res.333 to the floor. That rally received front-page coverage by the Richmond Free Press and was also covered by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Robert walked everywhere and although he was in constant pain, he kept a positive attitude and looked out for "his crew." He was a great man and he will be sorely missed. Our sincerest condolences go to his family.
Thanks for adding me! I hope you will support me in my campaign against Nancy Pelosi in the 8th district of California.
Please remove 'the real cindy sheehan' from your top friends and replace it with this profile. That page was hacked and I haven't had access to it since before Christmas. My campaign against Nancy Pelosi, who as you know, took impeachment off the table, needs the exposure. please let all of your friends who might have that profile also know!Looks like you had a good and productive 4th! xoxo Cindy
Hi Chris! Thanks for adding us, and thank you for all of your efforts out there on the anti-war, anti-facism front...this is the good fight and I know we will all persevere. Hope you like our tunes, cheers to you and your friends, John Caelan, quebb
