Mr. Conyers Goes to San Diego —PDA Style
The distinguished Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and National PDA Advisory Board Member Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) arrived here early in San Diego to attend the Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit, July 20-21, 2007 along with PDA Board Member Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) and quite a few other elected, including other Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) members, Rep.William “Lacy” Clay (D-Missouri), Rep. Bob Filner (D-California), Rep. Mike Honda (D-California), Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), and Rep. Hilda Solis (D-California).

On his arrival, however, after his staff notified PDA Leaders here less than 48 hours prior that he would have a little extra time and like to get together with some of us fellow grassroots progressives, Mr. Conyers got a terrific eyeful and earful of what US House Speaker Pelosi got on her visit here just three short months ago at the California Democratic Convention— Impeachment, is still on our table!

Thanks to the lightning-quick organizing skills of PDA San Diego Metro Chapter Leader Judy Hess , a meeting room at a nearby hotel was packed with SD area activists (and a few like myself from neighboring Orange County), including some of us who had brought our most effective community awareness tools: homemade “Impeach” signs and their Sunday best “Impeach Bush & Cheney” tee shirts.

So much so that Mr. Conyers, in very short order, went right up to the microphone and announced that it was time to “take these two guys out”. He further announced that all he needs for his committee to commence investigations as to alleged crimes of Bush and Cheney is just a few other congress members and it will be done.

With fellow PDA Advisory Board Members Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, and others promising to be a presence in his Capitol Hill office as of Monday, July 23 rd toward this same purpose, Mr. Conyers in his most compelling and amiable manner addressed this constitutional issue head on, and proceeded to then take the same message to the Health Care Summit which followed. Again, he got the most rousing applause of the evening by invoking the need for peaceful regime change here at home, to address all the Bush/Cheney neglected and abused matters of social and economic justice, such as getting out of Iraq, and Universal Single-Payer Health Care.

As a very willful participant and observer, I could not have been prouder of the efforts of PDA San Diego and the political brilliance of Representative John Conyers on this seemingly momentous day in this undoubtedly dire era of our nation’s history.

Respectfully Submitted by Dr. Bill Honigman, PDA Calif State Coordinator, July 22, 2007