Impeachment in NYC

This fall, Culture Project will launch an ambitious and unique new series gathering today's most brilliant and visionary minds to explore and debate the case for the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. "A Question of Impeachment" will engage audiences in investigating crucial issues affecting all Americans, including expansion of executive powers, war, surveillance, torture and extraordinary rendition, and government response to disaster. The 5-week series will launch on November 18, 2007, with a special opening celebration featuring, among others, singer Phoebe Snow and actress Annabella Sciorra, and continue Sundays and Mondays through Sunday, December 16, 2007.

Sundays will be focused on addressing the issues through film, theater and other art forms. Film screenings will take place at 12:00 p.m. and will include a special cut of Jonathan Demme's forthcoming film about rebuilding after Katrina, "Right to Return" on December 2. Khaliah Ali, Bobby Cannavale, Staceyann Chin, Willie Garson, Julie Goldman, Adam Rapp, Denis O'Hare, Scott Cohen and many others will be on hand to read sections of the Constitution, Articles of Impeachment and other documents throughout the series. In addition, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik (authors of Broadway's Spring Awakening) will perform new songs and Jorie Graham and Gerald Stern will contribute new poems to be read during the series. Singer and songwriter Jackson Browne will participate in the series' final event on December 16.

Mondays will tackle five articles of impeachment directly, through depositions modeled on actual impeachment hearings. Renowned lawyers from all regions of the political spectrum will interview expert witnesses culled from the arenas of the military, public policy, international negotiation and media. Among those already confirmed to participate are Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Bruce Fein, Associate Deputy Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan and member of the American Bar Association's Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements, retired Colonel Ann Wright, one of three U.S. State Department officials who resigned in protest prior to the invasion and occupation of Iraq in March, 2003, best-selling political journalist and www.Salon.com contributor Joe Conason, bestselling author of The End of America Naomi Wolf, attorney Martin Garbus, attorney and former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, David Swanson, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.com, retired CIA officer Ray McGovern, former NBC correspondent Richard Valeriani, journalist Scott Horton and many others to be announced.

Sunday, November 18
OPENING DAY
2:30 p.m. World Premiere of LectureSlam, a new take on the poetry slam in which university professors compete and audiences choose a winner
5:00 p.m. Opening performance of Howard Zinn's play Rebel Voices, featuring Allison Moorer, Staceyann Chin with special guest Howard Zinn
8:00 p.m. The day's activities culminate with an evening concert and comedy celebration featuring, among others, Phoebe Snow, Annabella Sciorra, Staceyann Chin, Allison Moorer, Julie Goldman and Willie Garson

Monday, November 19
7:00 p.m. Article I: Initiation and Continuation of Illegal War
Participants include Ann Wright, Ray McGovern, and David Swanson

George W. Bush's and Richard Cheney's initiation and continuation of the Iraq war constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor. In undertaking that aggressive war, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have subverted the Constitution, its guarantee of a republican form of government and the constitutional separation of powers by undermining the rightful authority of Congress to declare war, oversee foreign affairs and make appropriations. They did so by justifying the war with false and misleading statements and deceived the people of the United States as well as Congress. They committed fraud against the United States by lying to and intentionally misleading Congress about the reasons for the Iraq war. George W. Bush and Richard Cheney acted contrary to their trust as president and vice president and subverted the constitutional government to the prejudice of law and justice and manifest inquiry of the people of the United States. Wherefore George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment, trial and removal from office.

Sunday, November 25
12:00 p.m. Film screening
5:00 p.m. Rebel Voices performance

Monday, November 26
7:00 p.m. Article II: Torture and Extraordinary Rendition
Participants include Michael Ratner of the Center of Constitutional Rights, Jonathan Hafetz and journalist Tara McKelvey

George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, in their conduct of the Offices of the President and Vice President of the United States, have failed to faithfully execute the laws of the United States by allowing their administration to condone torture, failing to prosecute those responsible for torture, refusing to accept the binding nature of a statutory ban on cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and violating international treaties by implementing "extraordinary renditions" of prisoners to countries that endorse torture. George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have attempted to expand their power at the expense of the other two branches of government. Wherefore George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment, trial and removal from office.

Sunday, December 2
12:00 p.m. A screening of special cuts of Jonathan Demme's new documentary Right to Return
5:00 p.m. Rebel Voices performance

Monday, December 3
7:00 p.m. Article III: Criminal Negligence and Hurricane Katrina

George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, in their conduct of the Offices of the President and Vice President of the United States, have demonstrated criminal negligence in their slow and insufficient response to the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when clear evidence warranted immediate and massive action on the following counts: 1) New Orleans was under-funded prior to the storms, when it was clearly at risk; 2) one-third of Louisiana's "National Guard" are in Iraq and unable to respond to domestic crisis; the National Guard and military who were in the United State were not sent in immediately; 3) two years after the storms, 50,000 people remain displaced and the majority of promised government aid has not found its way to the people who need it most. Wherefore George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment, trial and removal from office.

Sunday, December 9
12:00 p.m. Film screening
5:00 p.m. Rebel Voices performance

Monday, December 10
7:00 p.m. Article IV: Warrantless Surveillance
Participants include Commander Glenn Sulmasey of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, attorney Josh Dratel, attorney Shayana Kadidal of the Center for Constitutional Rights and journalist Richard Valeriani

George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, in their conduct of the Offices of the President and Vice President of the United States, have abused their power by violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice, contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and failing to take care that the laws were faithfully executed by directing or authorizing the National Security Administration and various other agencies within the intelligence community to conduct electronic surveillance outside of the statutes Congress has prescribed in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and to use such information for purposes unknown but unrelated to any lawful function of his office; he has also gone to great lengths to conceal the existence of this unlawful program of warrantless surveillance from Congress, the press and the public. Wherefore George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment, trial and removal from office.

Sunday, December 16
CLOSING DAY
2:00 p.m. Article V: Executive Power (Signing Statements and Suspension of Habeas Corpus)
Participants include Harper's contributor and human rights attorney Scott Horton, The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office author David Lindorff and attorney Marjorie Cohn

George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to ensure that the laws be faithfully executed, has arrogated excessive power to the executive branch of government in violation of basic constitutional principles of the separation of powers. George W. Bush has formally declared his intent to violate the laws enacted by Congress by appending a "signing statement" to legislation that asserts his right to carve out exceptions to legislation as he sees fit, thereby arrogating to himself legislative powers reserved solely for Congress. George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as president and vice president and subversive of constitutional government by violating the constitutional and international rights of citizens and non-citizens by arbitrarily detaining them indefinitely inside and outside of the United States, and trying to suspend the constitutional Writ of Habeas Corpus by denying prisoners due process, detaining them without charges and with limited – if any – access to counsel or courts.

5:00 p.m. Rebel Voices performance
7:30 p.m. Closing panel discussion and celebration featuring Jackson Browne, Naomi Wolf and others

Tickets range from $7 to $50 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or visiting http://www.cultureproject.org

Culture Project's mission is to bear witness to injustice, to maximize artistic resources, to stimulate challenging conversation about the most profound and urgent matters of our time and to convert interest, energy and engagement into a motivational demand for progressive change. Culture Project has premiered celebrated shows including The Exonerated, Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, Guantanamo, AMAJUBA: Like Doves We Rise and, most recently, Lawrence Wright's My Trip To Al-Qaeda and is currently presenting Dan Hoyle's acclaimed solo show, Tings Dey Happen.

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