Los Angeles National Impeachment Center

The Los Angeles National Impeachment Center (LANIC) is a nonprofit organization that works with progressive groups across Los Angeles and across the United States with the goal of furthering the impeachment of President of the United States George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The focus LANIC is on identifying and resolving pressing concerns related to the executive branch of government, as well as making measurable changes in communities effected by the current executive branch.
History
Founded in Los Angeles, on July 4, 2007, LANIC was launched by Executive Director, attorney and Democratic Party peace activist, Peter Thottam. LANIC is particularly focused on the passage of H Res 333, the resolution to impeach Vice President Richard Cheney. On its website there is an updating set of resolutions, volunteer videoclips and other information.
On July 16, 2007, LANIC was successful in working with the West Hollywood City Council in the Los Angeles area to obtain the unanimous approval of a symbolic, non-binding resolution calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. This was the first such city council passage of an impeachment resolution in Southern California. "The time has come to call for impeachment," said West Hollywood Councilmember Abbe Land. "Bush and Cheney lied to Congress and the American public on the justifications for the Iraq war, conducted illegal wiretaps of American citizens and violated the Geneva Convention by torturing prisoners of war. The U.S. Constitution provides a mechanism to hold them accountable. West Hollywood is proud to add its voice to the growing movement across the nation in calling for a full investigation to be undertaken by the U.S. Congress."
Also in July, LANIC was able to successfully advance and obtain the passage of a joint Bush/Cheney Impeachment resolution at the 2007 U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. Building on this success and its recent West Hollywood unanimous Impeachment Resolution passage, organizers of the project said the Los Angeles National Impeach Center is now focused on convincing the Santa Monica and Los Angeles city councils, and California legislative and federal representatives to approve resolutions calling for impeachment of both Bush and Cheney for high crimes involving abuse of executive power. The center is also serving as a model for citizens in states such as Vermont, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Minnesota where citizens are now seeking to establish their own Impeachment Centers.
Congressional endorsement
On July 4, 2007, LANIC was endorsed by Congresswoman Maxine Waters and many other local Southern Californian politicians. Congresswoman Waters noted that LANIC's headquarters was the first of its kind in the U.S. and that it was particularly notable for creating a public space facilitating the cooperative sponsorship of impeachment goals by the Green Party, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, Westside Greens, Santa Monica Democratic Club, World Can't Wait, 911TruthLA.net, the Impeach '07 coalition and many other progressive groups throughout the country.
On October 13, 2007, in response to a request that the L.A. National Impeachment Center's Executive Director Peter Thottam made during a Los Angeles Town Hall Q&A session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhS0poIuz54) -- after having presented Congresswoman Watson with over 10,200 handwritten signatures (with verifiable handwritten addresses) gathered by L.A. impeachment activists and volunteers living in and near Congresswoman Diane Watson's district -- Congresswoman Diane Watson (33rd District, CA) agreed to immediately endorse the impeachment of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney and stated that she would immediately sign on as an official co-sponsor for H Res 333. Thereafter, Representative Diane Watson officially added her name to the resolution on October 16, 2007. Both Watson and Congresswoman Maxine Waters belong to the CBC, whose members have contributed eleven (half) of the resolution's 22 co-sponsors to date.
Media coverage
On July 5, 2007 the Los Angeles Times ran a full page story on launch of LANIC. The article noted the center's potential as a national model for centers across the country in the movement to impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The Times story also noted Congress Woman Maxine Waters' observation that '"This is one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen," said Waters, speaking to over 500 citizens gathered for a noon rally at nearby La Cienega Park.' The Center has been covered by an increasing number of media stations and print publications around the country as the Bush administration's popularity with Americans has fallen sharply.

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