Vermont Activists Plan Attempt to Arrest Bush/Cheney

Some bits of news are just so fun! O.K., this attempt by Constitution-loving activists in Brattleboro, VT has ZERO chance of working. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't be tried all over the nation. Sometimes actions which do not work in the short-term result in longstanding changes for the better. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (a civil rights coalition) failed utterly in their attempt to seat a mixed race alternative slate of delegates at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. But the drama of racist injustice was aired on national TV, including the compelling testimony of former sharecropper-turned-activist Fannie Lou Hamer before the rules committee. The immediate result was a resounding defeat (and the exposure of the way even "liberal" politicians like LBJ and Hubert Humphrey cared more about political fallout to their careers than they did for justice--old story). But this changed forever the way that primaries and delegates were selected to either national political party--and was a major factor in getting the 1965 Voting Rights Act passed.

So, likewise, I do not think that the Brattleboro attempt to instruct their Town Council and police to arrest Bush & Cheney when next they visit and then to deport them to one of the European countries preparing to indict them on violations of international law before the International Criminal Court has any chance of actually resulting in said arrest and extradition. Not even if Brattleboro's hopes are realized that other liberal towns and cities, etc. across the nation try the same thing. I am even skeptical that such moves will finally force this Congress to hold impeachment hearings for these two villains--despite overwhelming evidence of their committing multiple "high crimes and misdemeanors." The Democratic leadership (Pelosi and Reid) is more afraid of political backlash than of shredding the Constitution, so they plan on just running out the clock on the Bush/Cheney admin., no matter how damage continues to be done to the rule of law, to human and civil rights, etc.

But maybe, just maybe, such actions multiplied across the nation could convince the mainstream media and Congress that the people really do care about the Constitution. Maybe Congress will reverse the abominable Military Commissions Act of 2006 (which suspended Habeas Corpus) this year. Maybe they will again filibuster in Feb. immunity for telecommunications firms that help the government illegally wiretap us. Maybe, just maybe, the next president and Congress will keep their word about restoring the Constitution, instead of wimping out like Pelosi and Reid have done. Who knows? Maybe the next president will even say to the next Attorney General, "Hey, just because Bush and Cheney have left office doesn't mean they are beyond the reach of the law. Investigate all those items that have been pending, appoint a special prosecutor, convene a grand jury, and let's see if we can't get some jail time for these Worse-Than-Watergate perps!"

Mind you, I am not holding my breath. But as I look to a new year, hope springs eternal--especially in the light of stubborn Vermonters who put the Constitution above "pragmatic realism." Way to go, Brattleboro. Whose for introducing a similar measure to the Louisville Metro Council?