DO-IT-YOURSELF IMPEACHMENT

Impeach for Peace, a Minnesota-based impeachment group, has researched a method for impeaching the president using a little known and rarely used part of the Rules of the House of Representatives ("Jefferson’s Manual"). This document actually empowers individual citizens to initiate the impeachment process themselves.

"Jefferson's Manual" is an interpretive guide to parliamentary procedure, and is included (along with the Constitution) in the bound volumes of the Rules of the House of Representatives. The section covering impeachment lists the acceptable vehicles for bringing impeachment motions to the floor of the House.

Before the House Judiciary Committee can put together the Articles of Impeachment, someone must initiate the impeachment procedure. Most often, this occurs when members of the House pass a resolution. Another method outlined in the manual, however, is for individual citizens to submit a memorial for impeachment.

After learning this information, Minnesotan and Impeach for Peace member (Jodin Morey) found precedent in an 1826 memorial by Luke Edward Lawless which had been successful in initiating the impeachment of Federal Judge James H. Peck. Impeach for Peace then used this as a template for their "Do-It-Yourself Impeachment." Now any citizen can download the DIY Impeachment Memorial and submit it, making it possible for Americans to do what our representatives have been unwilling to do. The idea is for so many people to submit the Memorial that it cannot be ignored.

Feel free to download it, print out TWO copies, fill in your relevant information in the blanks (name, State, notary is optional), and send in a letter today. There's also extra credit for sending a DIY Impeachment to your own representative.

Hold on to the other copy of the letter until Jan. 15th (after the new congress) when we're having everyone send them in.

That's right — to make a big impact, we're having everyone send it in on the same date (Over 350,000 downloads so far representing over 1.2 million mailings). We hope to flood the congress with sacks of mail and cause a newsworthy event to further pressure them to act on the memorials. Although, it's important to keep in mind that in the 1830 precedent, impeachment resulted as a result of a single memorial. Yours might be the one.

Get the (form) to send in, and DIRECTLY initiate the impeachment of Bush:

•Regular Version [pdf] •(html version)

•Extra Credit (your representative) [pdf] •(html version)

•For folks in District of Columbia [pdf] •(html version)

•District of Columbia Extra Credit!! [pdf] •(html version)

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

(Do you have additional) concerns over the strategy of pushing for impeachment in this way? See the 'Arguments Against Impeachment' at the bottom of the main page.

Audio, provided with permission from the "Mike Malloy Show".

EMAIL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS!!

We would especially like to thank ImpeachBush.tv for their support, and whose charges related to impeachment we used in the creation of this document.

Also, if you're interested:

Information regarding the Impeachment procedure.

Precedent: Judge Peck's Impeachment supplied by the U.S. House of Representatives and PolicyReview.org.

House rules that allow for the submission of the memorial.

Commentary