OPINIONS JAM PHONE LINES; LAWMAKER'S OFFICES FLOODED WITH CALLS ON DECISIVE VOTE.Byline: Phillip W. Browne Daily News Staff Writer As impeachment impeachment, formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct. In a looser sense the term is sometimes applied also to the trial by the legislature that may follow. debate resumed Friday in Congress, the phones in district offices of San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley-area lawmakers were jammed with a record number of callers hoping to voice their opinions. The offices of Reps. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills, and James E. Rogan, R-Pasadena, reported that since Wednesday they've received more calls than ever. And not all were from constituents. ``We're even getting calls from other districts' Democrats who have a Republican representative. They want to talk to a Democrat,'' said Gene Smith, Berman's chief of staff. ``Surprisingly, 95 percent of the calls are about impeachment, and very few about the (Iraq) bombing. People have a lot to say and they want to be heard. . . . We'll all be glad when this is over.'' At Rogan's office in Pasadena, the phones Friday went from a boil to a simmer compared to days earlier this week. Rogan's calls were almost exclusively about impeachment. ``There even seems to be an organized effort out there that are lobbying for censure,'' said Rogan's district director, Jeff Lennan. ``They call up and they're reading from a script, and we know immediately who they are.'' The calls at both representatives' offices have also increased because Rogan and Berman hold seats on the House Judiciary Committee Judiciary Committee may refer to:
``They see Rogan on TV and they want to chime in chime 1 n. 1. An apparatus for striking a bell or set of bells to produce a musical sound. 2. Music A set of tuned bells used as an orchestral instrument. Often used in the plural. 3. with their opinions,'' Lennan said. Smith chalked it all up to the fact that Clinton's possible impeachment is among the biggest hot-button issues of this decade. ``People feel like the impeachment is happening to them, and while what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. in Iraq is critical, they feel it's far away from them,'' Smith said. As far as the representatives' staffs, they're run ragged, but they're well for the wear. ``We've kind of settled into a groove at this point,'' Lennan said. ``I think the worst of it is over for now, but who knows what will happen next week.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Fred Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the , a field representative for U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, mans the phones at the congressman's Mission Hills office. Andy Holzman/Daily News |
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