By John Duran

On July 16, 2007, West Hollywood became the first city in Southern California to pass a resolution calling for the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The City Council meeting lasted from 6 p.m. to almost 1:00 in the morning. The impeachment resolution took up 15 minutes of our seven-hour agenda, without dissension on the Council consent calendar. Much of what we did that evening was focused on our customary issues like land use, traffic and parking, rent control and economic development. So, why did we insert ourselves into the national debate?

When I was sworn into office in 2001 as a councilmember, I promised to “uphold and defend the Constitution.” Every elected official, appointed official and judge takes the same oath. The “uphold” part means that I don't do anything that would violate the Constitution. The word “defend” means that I won't let others harm our sacred national contract with one another.

The city of West Hollywood was also the first city in Southern California to oppose the war in Iraq before it was popular to do so. While this impeachment resolution was related to the war, it was based on more than just the war in Iraq.

I felt like the frog in a pot of boiling water not knowing when to jump or sit still. The tipping point for me was when the administration refused to respond to the subpoenas involving the death of Pat Tillman [the professional football player who turned down a multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the Army after Sept. 11 and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April 2004]. Why would the United States government lie about Pat's death due to friendly fire, falsely prop him up as a propaganda war hero for their public relations agenda and then refuse to disclose the truth to a grieving family?

The Bush administration suspended habeus corpus hearings, violating the Fifth Amendment guarantee of due process (one of the reasons we dislodged ourselves from the King of England more than 225 years ago). The adminstration has conducted warrantless searches on American citizens without federal court oversight, violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects us from unreasonable search and seizure. The administration has used torture at Abu Ghraib prison, violating the Eighth Amendment pledge that we do not use cruel and unusual punishment. The administration has scoffed at the Geneva Convention treaties as “antiquated,” violating international law on the treatment of prisoners. The vice president has declared that he is a member of neither the executive nor legislative branches of government and therefore does not have to comply with congressional subpoenas.

No, this is about much more than the war in Iraq. Our founders set up a system of checks and balances with three co-equal branches of government. This was to prevent too much executive power in one man's hands, which could result in tyranny. I loathed Ronald Reagan, yet never called for his impeachment. I disagreed with father George H. W. Bush, yet never called for his impeachment either. This is not a matter of disagreeing with conservatives. This administration is destroying the checks and balances of our constitutional system by declaring that they will not sumbit to congressional subpoenas or federal judges’ warrant oversight. They believe in the power of the presidency and see the rest of our government as disruptive inconveniences. This is not the America I know and love!

The Constitution begins with the words "We the People," forever reminding us that this democracy vests its power in the governed, not the governing class. Power flows from the individual, the smallest hamlets and towns up to the White House—not the other way around.

With the small voice of a town of 37,000 people, we do object to the transgressions listed above. Alone, we are insignificant. But we are the 80th city to do so nationwide. When enough individuals, small and large cities dissent and speak out, the balance in our system may be restored and the Constitution defended for use by another generation. To sit passively in the face of tyranny is not an option. It was not an option for our Founding Fathers and Mothers. And it is not an option for this proud American.

John Duran is the mayor of West Hollywood.

Something in the news got you fired up? Write, or suggest, an opinion piece by e-mailing us at letters@inlamag.com.