Vermont Takes the Point...

Just got word that legislation is being introduced today under Montpelier's Golden Dome that will put Vermont on point in leading our nation out of the illegal Bush-Cheney Quagmire in Iraq. The lead sponsor is Democratic Rep. Mike Fisher of Lincoln.

Says Fisher in a statement being released today at a Statehouse presser and also being released nationally by the Liberty Tree Foundation:

"It is clear that the mission that Congress authorized no longer exists. The President has no current or permanent legal authority to keep Guard members in Iraq. The Governor as Commander-in-Chief of the Vermont National Guard should take necessary steps to bring them home."

Statement of purpose: This bill addresses limits to the constitutional and statutory authority of the President to federalize and deploy the Vermont National Guard in Iraq; declares that the authority for that deployment has terminated; requests that actions be taken to terminate federalization and bring troops back to Vermont as members of the Vermont national guard; and reaffirms that Vermont national guard members be limited to service on behalf of the state of Vermont, unless properly and lawfully called into federal service.

Interesting, eh?

[Took the picture last Valentine's Day.]

More here.

Comments

[JPC]

Can't stop himself from beating a dead horse can Mr. Fisher. If I was a resident of Lincoln I'd be irate that my rep wasted his and my time with this nonsense that likely won't even be debated. It's like watching a bunch of pouting children throwing a tantrum. Um, Mr Fisher, a state rep doesn't have the constitutional authority to tell the President what his limits of constitutional authority are in regards to mobilizing our armed forces. He was already granted that authority by Congress.

[sandy ward]

Hell yeah!

[Ben]

Wrong, JPC. The authority to make war is not limitless. The President's office of Commander in Chief is limited to the mission assigned him/her by the Congress. This legislation says that that mission is over, his authorization is done with. With the mission over, the Guard are no longer in national service, they return to state service. It is within the power and duty of the state legislature to recall Vermont's Guard stateside. After all, the Constitution makes clear that states do not enjoy the power to declare war on foreign nations, eh?

[JPC]

Ben reread your own post. The president's authority is afforded him by CONGRESS. NOT by the VT legislature.

Now reread my post, I did not say that the president's authority was limitless, merely that Fisher did not have the authority to tell the president what to do. If you really want to try to minimalize it, it's Douglas' role to call home the guard. NOT Fisher's. No matter how you look at it Fisher is overstepping his bounds. He can't tell the president what to do and to try to tell Douglas what to do erodes the separation of power. SO again, Fisher is wasting time, and disregarding the clear outline of our constitution. I call for the Reps from CHitteden County to call for a vote to expel Mr. Fisher for blatant disregard of the state and US constitution.