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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The elemental source for initiating congressional |
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impeachment proceedings is found in The Constitution, Jefferson's |
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Manual, and Rules of the United States House of Representatives; |
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Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice |
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authorizes federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint |
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resolution of a state or territorial legislature as a matter of |
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privilege; and |
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WHEREAS, Precedent for employing this authority is |
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well-established and documented in Hinds' Precedents of the House |
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of Representatives of the United States; one such entry relates to a |
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1903 joint resolution passed by the Florida state legislature |
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requesting that the U.S. Congress impeach U.S. District Judge |
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Charles Swayne that resulted in a senate trial; and |
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WHEREAS, Invoking this authority, the people of the state of |
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Texas charge that President George W. Bush has violated the United |
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States Constitution and other federal law and abused the power of |
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his office to the extreme detriment of the country and the interests |
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of its citizens, actions that constitute high crimes and |
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misdemeanors; and |
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WHEREAS, President Bush conspired with others to defraud the |
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United States of America by intentionally misleading the congress |
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and the nation regarding an Iraqi threat to the American people to |
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justify a war in direct defiance of the United Nations Security |
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Council and in violation of Section 371, Title 18, United States |
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Code; in so doing, President Bush and members of his |
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administration: 1) overstated the offensive capabilities of Iraq, |
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including that country's supposed possession of weapons of mass |
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destruction, and manipulated and distorted intelligence relating |
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to Iraq's weapons program during a plenary session of the United |
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Nations and in direct contradiction to evidence gathered by |
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international weapons inspectors; 2) manipulated public opinion by |
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repeatedly and erroneously linking Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi |
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government with the terrorist organization responsible for the |
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attacks of September 11, 2001, al Qaeda; and 3) manipulated public |
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opinion by stating in the State of the Union Address that Saddam |
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Hussein had sought "significant quantities of uranium from Africa," |
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despite confirmation from the Central Intelligence Agency and |
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officials from foreign governments that the documents supporting |
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these claims were forged; and |
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WHEREAS, The Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq in |
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2003 was an unnecessarily reckless endeavor; while Saddam Hussein |
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was a despotic leader who had used chemical weapons against Iran, as |
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well as the Kurdish and Shia people, and required prudent and |
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efficacious attention by the United States and the international |
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community in order to maintain peace and stability in the Middle |
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East, the invasion of Iraq, in fact, necessitated the removal of |
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United Nations weapons inspectors who were on the ground in Iraq and |
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uninhibited from performing their job of monitoring Iraq's weapons |
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of mass destruction capabilities; in fact, during the 11 years |
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before the invasion, the United States enforced a no-fly zone over |
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60 percent of Iraq's airspace, significantly restricting the |
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country's military movement and activity throughout its territory; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Indeed, Iraq posed no threat to the territory or |
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people of the United States, yet the 2003 invasion of Iraq has |
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resulted in the deaths of more than 3,200 American soldiers and a |
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reported 59,000 Iraqi civilians, over 23,000 wounded American |
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soldiers, and severely diminished American military readiness; the |
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fiscal cost of the war will reach $500 billion by the end of 2007; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In addition, to meet the needed manpower to execute |
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the invasion, President Bush has federalized and deployed members |
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of the Texas National Guard overseas, thereby subverting the power |
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granted to congress under Section 8, Article 1, United States |
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Constitution, to call "forth the militia to execute the laws of the |
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Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions"; regrettably, |
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the illegal deployment of the Texas National Guard deprives the |
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state of its primary mechanism for defense and emergency response, |
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needlessly jeopardizing the safety of Texans; and |
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WHEREAS, Under the guise of the war on terror, the Bush |
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Administration has held American citizens and citizens of other |
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sovereign nations without charge or trial; despite these secretive |
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detentions, the United States has been embarrassed by revelations |
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of torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, and evidence |
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suggests that President Bush has authorized the use of similar acts |
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of torture in the interrogation of detainees in American facilities |
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around the world; and |
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WHEREAS, These detentions are clear violations of |
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international and federal law; as a signatory to the Geneva |
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Conventions, the United States is bound to provisions of Article 13 |
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requiring that "Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely |
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treated . . ." and Article 17 stating that "no physical or mental |
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torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on |
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prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind |
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whatever"; and |
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WHEREAS, Furthermore, the War Crimes Act of 1996 provides |
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that a person who acts in breach of the Geneva Conventions has |
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committed a war crime and is subject to punishment under federal |
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law; similarly, Article VI of the United States Constitution |
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provides that ". . . all treaties made, or which shall be made, |
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under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law |
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of the land . . . ."; and |
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WHEREAS, The Bush Administration's defiance of the Geneva |
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Conventions has potentially threatened the lives and well-being of |
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American soldiers captured as prisoners of war in future conflicts; |
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likewise, the Bush Administration's defiance of international law |
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has tarnished the United States' reputation as a country founded on |
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principles of human rights and diminished America's integrity and |
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influence in the international community; and |
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WHEREAS, In an effort to further manipulate public opinion |
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relating to the justification for the Iraq war, the Bush |
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Administration leaked classified information, knowingly revealing |
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the identities of covert U.S. intelligence agents and exposing them |
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to potential harm and retribution; and |
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WHEREAS, The Bush Administration's breaches of law are not |
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limited to international affairs, having similarly violated the |
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public trust by suppressing scientific information and altering |
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government documents relating to the causes and effects of global |
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warming with the intention of deceiving the American public; and |
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WHEREAS, President Bush's illegal actions have also |
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undermined the balance of power between the branches of government; |
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in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment, President Bush has |
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publicly admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to |
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contravene provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act |
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of 1978, specifically authorizing the agency to spy on American |
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citizens without securing a search warrant; and |
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WHEREAS, President Bush has also subverted congressional |
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authority with regard to domestic policy by filing hundreds of |
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signing statements that declare the administration's official |
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legal interpretation of legislation passed by congress; in more |
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than 750 instances, the president has asserted an authority to |
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ignore numerous sections of the bills he has signed into law, |
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including legislation relating to military rules and regulations, |
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affirmative-action provisions, requirements that congress be told |
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about immigration services problems, "whistle-blower" protections |
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for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political |
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interference in federally funded research; and |
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WHEREAS, Moreover, President Bush has overtly undermined the |
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authority of congress; the Bush Administration has undermined |
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specific provisions of the Clean Air Act by changing Environmental |
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Protection Agency rules to allow older power plants, refineries, |
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and factories to upgrade their facilities without installing newer, |
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more advanced pollution control technologies, thereby increasing |
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the amount of pollution and threatening the health of all |
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Americans; and |
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WHEREAS, In order to secure passage of the Medicare |
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Prescription Drug, Modernization, and Improvement Act of 2003, the |
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Bush Administration knowingly misled congress regarding the cost of |
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the bill by providing a $400 billion cost estimate to lawmakers |
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while government documents revealed the true cost was calculated by |
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administration officials to exceed $500 billion; be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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submit the charges contained herein to the United States House of |
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Representatives under the authority of Section 603 of The |
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Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the United States |
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House of Representatives; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the charges contained herein constitute proof |
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that the president of the United States has wilfully violated his |
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oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of |
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the United States; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That George W. Bush, if found guilty of the charges |
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contained herein, should be removed from office and disqualified to |
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hold any other office in the United States. |