Atticus
Atticus's JournalStaying positive is certainly an uphill fight these days. Our House Democrats have presented a
clear "slam dunk" case for the impeachment of Donald Trump and yet, his acquittal by the complicit Republican majority in the Senate is a foregone conclusion.
Mitch McConnell had openly admitted that he'll be handling the impeachment trial the way he and Trump agree it should be handled. So much for that oath he'll take to be "impartial" and consider the evidence.
William Barr has dropped all pretense of being Attorney General of the United States and has settled into his role as "Trump's Roy Cohn". Actually, he is worse than Cohn as I don't recall Cohn ever cloaking his hypocrisy and immorality in religiosity.
And, over the past several days, we have all been treated to the snarls and squeals and snottiness of the likes of Collins and Gohmert and Jordan and Gaetz and---the list is too long and I'm sure you know most of them.
In view of all the above, the temptation to throw up your hands in disgust and walk away from the fray is ever-present. I have given in to this temptation several times myself, but my surrender has never lasted more than 24 hours. I just can't shake my abiding belief that there are more good people than bad and that love, tolerance and honesty will prevail over hate, bigotry and mendacity.
And, of course,there is that ringing quote of Dr. King: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
We must "endeavor to persevere."
I guess I'm about to post something "not nice". I have never been a fan of the phony
"collegiality" that we hear referenced again and again during these hearings---"my respected colleagues across the aisle"; "the gentleman from Georgia"
That "gentleman" and those "colleagues" have just spent hours lying through their teeth in order to protect the racist incompetent pathological liar who has spent every day of the past three years attacking our democracy with a wrecking ball. He exists and persists only with their support and their participation in his crimes. It matters not whether they are truly evil or "merely" ignorant. They are all complicit.
I do not respect them. I do not like them. I do not see that changing---ever.
I do not expect out Reps to refer to Mr. Collins as "Bubba" or Mr. Gohmert as "the twit from Texas", but the " my colleague" references really clang, given the gleeful depravity in which the Republicans are engaging for the purpose of shielding Trump from the fate he richly deserves.
Has anyone heard ONE WORD that even attempted to rebut the Democrats' evidence or factually
contradict their assertions of Trump's wrongdoing?
I would love to see some talking head display a chart divided by a vertical line down the middle. The left side would be labelled "Evidence of Trump's Impeachable Conduct" and would be filled with numbered bullet points ending with a lengthy quote from the July 25th "transcript" and the "Russia, if you're listening---" quote from the campaign.
The right side would be labelled "Evidence Rebutting or Contradicting the Entries on the Left Side of This Chart". That side would be totally barren of any entries.
"The clock and the calendar!" "The clock and the calendar!" Did the Republicans' consultants
tell them that their base could not absorb more than two words?
Would someone ask them exactly what in hell that even means? Why not pipe wrenches and rutabagas?
To the Trumpies who want Rudy to bring his "report" before Congress:
"Please proceed!"
Most of us have a conscience--- an internal psychological mechanism that pretty reliably tells
us what is right and what is wrong; what's "OK" and what is not. And, most of us find it difficult, if not impossible, to violate our consciences without "acting guilty". We are not good liars and the thought of actually doing something overtly criminal, like robbing a bank or burglarizing a residence, is enough to make us feel queasy. Having a conscience definitely sets limits on a person's conduct, which is why the lack of a conscience is a requirement for those employed by the Trump regime.
When I was in college, one of the larger women's dorms installed a new "largest screen available" (25" ) color TV in their lounge. It is hard to imagine now, but this was actually a topic of discussion on campus, as in "WOW! Have you seen the HUGE color TV in Blank Hall?". It lasted about a week.
On a Friday afternoon, in broad daylight, a white van pulled up to the main entrance to the dorm. Two guys in coveralls got out and, pushing a two-wheel handcart, walked inside and took the elevator down to the lounge. The handful of students watching at that hour were told that the set had to go "to the shop" for "color adjustment". The set was soon wheeled onto the elevator, out the door and into the van. They drove away and the set was never recovered.
These guys just brazenly and calmly committed felony theft in front of multiple witnesses and they got away with it because they acted as if they were entitled to do the acts which constituted the crime.
Trump---and Barr and Pompeo and Mulvaney and Perry---and others---have committed more crimes than I want to take the time to list and they have done so in front of the nation, often in front of the press and, in several instances, have admitted committing the crimes. Their crime spree continues to this day. And, because we mistakenly credit them with possessing consciences like the rest of us, too many of us just can't believe that the Trump thugs are capable of such open and brazen criminality.
And, that's how Blank Hall lost it's new Magnavox back in '69.
An open letter to those who watched just an hour or so of today's hearing and came away disgusted,
saying "THAT is what's wrong with politics!"---
WHO WAS IT---which party---that time and time again interrupted with complaints and objections and, in some cases, slander for no apparent reason other than to delay the hearing, sow confusion and disgust the audience?
WHO WAS IT that seemed to think that screaming their questions makes them relevant?
WHO WAS IT that repeatedly interrupted witnesses to prevent an answer they did not want us to hear?
WHO WAS IT that denied or ignored all the points presented as facts but failed entirely to disprove or rebut even one of them?
WHO WAS IT who wasted our time retelling their view of past events not even remotely connected to the questions now being considered?
If you have read this far, you must realize that the answer to all the above questions is "the Republicans". And, that leads to just one more question:
WHY? WHAT ARE THEY SO DESPERATE TO KEEP HIDDEN?
Currently, "what's wrong with politics"is simple: Trump and his cult of unquestioning followers.
If one were to cross an auctioneer with Sarah Palin, the hybrid would spew word salad
at such a rate as to reduce it to mere noise, rather than an attempt to communicate. It would be named Doug Collins.
I kept waiting for minority counsel, Ms Callen, to to lapse into "Fer shur, dude---totally!" when
she was "questioning" Mr. Castor.
Among the many emotions that are triggered by the Republicans' hypocrisy and childish
obstruction tactics, the dominant one for me is embarrassment.
These are supposed adults who not only have no problem with lying through their teeth, they do so on national TV. Further, and worst of all, they lie while knowing that everyone with an IQ above room temperature KNOWS THAT THEY ARE LYING! Shame is apparently a foreign concept for them, but I feel it for them. I am embarrassed that supposed "leaders" of our nation are publicizing their ignorance, hypocrisy and mendacity.
Maybe no one outside the US is watching, ya think?
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