Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak: ‘Bush/Cheney actions justify impeachment’

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~ Mayor Rybak with Jodin Morey of IFP
May Day at Powderhorn Park
D.L. Corvin and Natalie Morrison of ImpeachforPeace.org – Minneapolis

The weather report predicted a 50% chance of rain, but not a drop was falling as we gathered at the parade starting location near Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The events of the day demonstrated that support for impeachment exceeds expectations, and is building rapidly toward climax.

As we were preparing to march, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak stopped by and shared his thoughts on impeachment. At first, he noted, he had considered impeachment a distraction from the important political work that needed to be done, but he had been convinced after hearing a talk by Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked “The Pentagon Papers” in 1971: “If the actions of the Bush Administration don’t justify impeachment, what would?”

Mayor Rybak chatted with us briefly before departing, and soon after, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) stopped by and gave his best wishes to impeachment marchers. Rep. Ellison also indicated that he would be interested in hosting a Town Hall meeting on impeachment. Both Rep. Ellison and Mayor Rybak were given ImpeachforPeace.org buttons, which they promptly pinned to their shirts.

Soon the final marchers arrived (for a total of about ten people) and donned orange Guantanamo Bay detainee outfits to remind people about the torture and the people held unlawfully without trial at this and other U.S. institutions around the world. Shortly, the march began. As we walked, some of the marchers carried chains. Some occasionally fell to their knees or to the ground to signify the abuses that detainees were suffering.

For most of the trip, impeachment demonstrators were behind The Anti-War Committee, which shouted slogans in protest of Bush’s illegal war. Marchers and members of the crowd shouted back with feeling. Applause and cheering greeted the marchers the entire way along the path.

Meanwhile, as more and more people moved past the ImpeachForPeace.org table at the other side of the parade, public passion for impeachment was becoming increasingly obvious. The enthusiasm of the event goers for signing Do-It-Yourself impeachment memorials to impeach Bush and Cheney was, frankly, beyond all of our expectations. It was like being in an old movie about Wall Street, when the sellers on the floor were trying to keep up with the throngs of buyers before the bell rang to end the day. Four booth staffers were kept busy for hours ensuring that the throngs of people had DIY petitions to sign. We had petitions in our teeth, between our fingers, and under our elbows to keep them from flying away in the wind while trying to keep up with the crowd surrounding our table waiting to sign the memorials for impeachment.

At one time, we ran out of our 400 to 500 petitions and sent someone to a printer to make more. When one of the boothers held up the last petition and yelled, “Last petition to impeach Cheney!” people raised their hands and jumped up and down to be able to be sign the petition with their name and demand impeachment. Numerous people commented that we had the most popular booth at the event.

After we ran out of petitions, we had to pass out our web address and let people know that they could download a petition to sign. As soon as the new petitions arrived, however, it was back to finding room on the table and pens to accommodate the crowd at the table to sign them. Even as the event was calming down, people continued to crowd around to sign petitions.

With popular and political support building, the May Day parade event was more invigorating proof that we are the majority!!!

5 Comments

  1. Mr. Lundquist,

    We will never give up in our efforts on defending and restoring the Constitution of the United States and bringing to justice those anti-American NeoCons who have conspired to destroy the Freedoms and Liberties our Constitution once guaranteed us.

    And we all have lives – very rich ones full of the integrity you lack.

  2. Congress needs to know that there are many of us citizens who favor impeachment and; they need to know we are dead serious. I am searching for a website where I can join with a multitude of my fellow Americans to send a message to the U S Congress as ONE VOICE! That’s the only way they’re going to hear us. I want impeachment proceedings against president Bush begun NOW! Who is with me? There should be no reason to list his crimes here. Anyone who watches the news should already be aware that Bush has broken many laws vital to the safety, privacy, and civil liberties of Americans. If anyone needs me to; I could compile quite a list! War crimes, Violation of the Geneva Conventions, Violation of F.I.S.A act, and the outing of a covert CIA agent, just to name a few. STAND WITH ME! This President needs to be impeached for the good of Americans as well as foreigners. Thank You!

  3. To not Impeach these men is going against all that is good and right and fair about our nation and the world… It needs to be done as soon as possible to set things back to a civilized order… It is ot a question and that is becoming more obvious every day and so LET’S GET IT DONE…

  4. That is great news!! BUT: I wish those people had ALSO been encouraged to sign the Pledge: http://PledgeToImpeach.org Because as the pressure builds for Impeachment, BushCo will shift from media blackout of grassroots movement to the serious suppression of Protestors … so we can expect the same kind of brutality as seen on May 1st in Los Angeles.

    Police brutality on May 1st, 2007 in MacArthur Park, Los Angeles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_EcHlWpNg (MSNBC VIDEO)

    This was reminiscent of the protests against the FTAA in Miami in 2003 http://benfrank.net/nuke/ftaa112003/Police_Brutality_in_Miami.html

    …and the WTO protests in Portland and in Seattle in 1999. http://www.propagandamatrix.com/020903ps2.html

    You will be apalled and shocked if you’ve never seen police in the US use overt and brutal violence against unarmed citizens who have committed no crime, but who are trying to peacefully exercise their Constitutional rights.

    Seems the BEST reason in the world to sign the PledgeToImpeach ! it’s the ONLY way to protest safely and nonviolently – ALL you do is send ALL THOSE D.I.Y. LETTERS AND PETITIONS along WITH a serious PLEDGE to Congress that we WILL ‘strike’ IF THEY DO NOT begin the Impeachment process.

    “Strike” only means that everyone will refuse to go to work/school/shopping. Means we all stay SAFELY AT HOME – no movies, no golfing, no driving, no ballgames, no restaurants – we simply stay home, read, play checkers with the kids, barbeque in the backyard with the neighbors, clean the garage, etc. It doesn’t cost anything, and you and your family CANNOT be beaten, pepper sprayed, shot, or jailed for being in your HOME. http;//pledgetoimpeach.org

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