Petition for Redress of Grievances

IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT of the people to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

We are exercising that right of petition because we are angered and frightened by the lawlessness of the President and the Executive branch of our Government. We submit that they have defied the Congressional repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; defied the Military Authorization Procurement Act which insists that the war be ended as quickly as possible; defied accepted international law against aggressive war, blockade and mining, population removal, and indiscriminate bombing, and created a Constitutional crisis in the United States.

They have spent the taxes, emotions, and resources of the people on mass murder and destruction as American society and its public services decay. They have brought unrest to our cities and institutions, defiled the flag with American and Indochinese blood, and brought shame upon our country.

We petition the Congress to reaffirm that we are citizens and not hostages to usurpers of power and authority.

We petition the Congress to exercise its Constitutional authority of control over the armed forces by voting an immediate cessation of all air, ground, and naval operations in Indochina, and by ending all military and economic appropriations for a war the Congress did not vote for and the American people do not want.

(Signed)

Erna Acernigow; Richard Adams; Mia Adjali; Robert Z. Alpern; David Amram; Benny Andrews; Al Appleby; Richard Avedon; Joe Bangert; Noreen Bandk; Rudolf Baranik; Lucy Bard; Richard Barnet; Felicia Monteleagre Bernstein; Barbara Bick; Peggy Billings; Dr. Norman Birnbaum; Ann Birstein; Karl Bissinger; Fred Branfman; Louis M. Bradford; Peter Brooks; Robert Brustein; Joseph B. Casagrande; Charles L Cassell; Noam Chomsky; Cookie Cirillo; Bronson P. Clark; David A. Clarke; Stephen Cohn; Judy Collins; John Cooper; Peter Coye; Jay Craven; Dr. Robert Dahl; Howard Da Silva; Tom Davidson; Adma d’Heurle; François d’Heurle; James Dixon; Martin Duberman; Erven De Vure; Leslie Dunbar; Mark Elliot;

Gerhard Elston; Inea Engler; Dr. Robert Engler; Barbara Epstein; Dr. Samuel Epstein; Dr. Leslie Falk; Dr. Richard Falk; W.H. Ferry; Dr. Lewis Fraad; John Froines; Dr. M. Jack Frumin; Bruce P. Garren; Dr. H. Jack Geiger; Ruth Gilbert; Leon Golub; Don Gorman; Cleve Gray; Francine Gray; Billie M. Green; Dick Gregory; Susan Gregory; Arlo Guthrie; Joyce Hamlin; Elizabeth Hardwick; Thomas Hardy; Barbara Harris; Bern Harrison; Karl Hess; Therese Hess; Tom Hirsch; Julius Hobson; Tina Hobson; Jac Holzman; Doug Hostetter; Glorence howe; Jean Humez; Barbara Hunter; David Hunter; Kenneth Iverson; Pauline Jennings; Frank L. Keegan; Vivian Sorensen Keegan; Flo Kennedy; Dr. Robert Klein;

Fay Knopp; Kenneth Koch; Hans Koing; Max Kozloff; Jonathan Kozol; James Kunen; Mark Lane; Arthur Laurents; Paul Lauter; David Lebenthal; Ken Leiberman; Harold Leventhal; Theodore Lidz; David M. Liebenthal; Theodore M. Lieverman; Betty Jean Lifton; Robert Jay Lifton; Lucy R. Lippard; Rev.Edgar Lockwood; Michael Maccoby; Cynthia MacDonald; Herbert Magidson; David Marr; Dr. Rollo May; Dr. Arno J. Mayer; Bernard Mazel; Daniel mcCracken; Birginia McCracken; Michale McGovern; Ed McGowin; Richard McSorley, S.J.; Diana Molinari; Grederic Morton; Carolyn Mugar; Dr. Herbert Needleman; Paul O’Dwyer; Wayne O’Neill; Grace Paley; Joseph Papp; Rev. Grancis Pirazzini; Sheldon Ramsdell; Barbara Raskin; Marc Raskin; Earl C. Ravenal;

Dr. Rosemary Reuther; Peter J. Riga, S.J.; Larry Rivers; Steve Rivers; Led Rodberg; Carl Rogers; Barbara Rose; David Rubin; Eva Rubinstein; Diane Schulder; Donna Shor; Dr. Victor W. Sidel; Robert Silvers; Pat Simon; Margaret Sloane; Terry Southern; Dr. Benjamin Spock; Morton Stavis; Keith Stavely; Stanley J. Stein; Crystal Steinbeck; John Steinbeck IV; Groria Steinem; Chris Stevens; Paul M. Sweezy; Harold Taylor; Marlo Thomas; Lionel Tiger; Polly Toynbee; Gerry Trainer; Linda Tuday; Judith Viorst; Milton Viorst; Sr. Helen Volkomener; Dr. George Wald; A. Dudley Ward; Cora Weiss; Peter Weiss; Carolyn Wilhelm; Rev. Herman Will; Garry Wills; Anne Wheeler; Dr. Peter Wolff; Jack Youngerman; Howard Zinn

This petition was presented by the signers to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on May 24. After the petition was received by the Speaker, ninety-four of the signers were arrested for “unlawful assembly” and taken to jail. This petition can be cut out and sent to congressmen. Readers who want to continue the work of directly petitioning Congress should contact REDRESS, 1322 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, or telephone (202) 785-3111.