“In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Congressman Michael Burgess informed us that “our months long national nightmare” is over. Apparently an observation with blinders firmly in place he suggested “America watched as House leadership forced a partisan impeachment investigation at the expense of putting the country first.” Did Burgess not see this very thing happening when the GOP leadership in the Senate forced through a trial process without calling in any fact witnesses. Something polls showed a strong majority of Americans wanted.
The Democratic House managers had laid out a compelling brick by brick case demonstrating Trump’s attempt to blackmail the President of Ukraine by withholding approved security funds to an ally fighting our common enemy, Russia. Yet Senate Republicans chose to capitulate to Trump’s dictum and denied the manager’s request for further witnesses and documents that would either solidly validate the charges brought up in the impeachment articles or, as their leader in the White House claimed, would exonerate him.
For Mr. Burgess to assert that this nightmare is over is typical of people who have their heads so far up Trump’s derriere that nothing passes through them that isn’t a part of the president’s gastrointestinal system.
What dream like state do our GOP representatives in Congress see where they forfeit their constitutional powers as a co-equal branch of the government to an immature, self-serving autocrat? Most of them were disparaging of this serial philanderer and an unconscionable blowhard prior to his nomination. What changed after he blustered his way into the White House that would now have them violate their oath to the Constitution?
Burgess and his GOP cohorts are willing to disparage Speaker Pelosi’s act of tearing up Trump’s fact-challenged SOTU speech while ignoring his vindictive disrespect as he turned away from the Speaker’s hand in a gesture of civility. They applauded and cheered Trump’s choice to receive the coveted Medal of Freedom for a hate-baiting, fear-mongering radio talk show host and drug abuser whose career vilified almost every human being who was a not a white American, conservative christian male.
They gave quiet consent the next day at the National Prayer Breakfast as Trump rebuked the Christian core value of loving your enemies, demonstrating that he’s incapable of moving forward as an adult to put this “national nightmare” behind us. Gandhi once said, “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
No Congressman Burgess, the nightmare has just begun and will continue until the voters reject this venal man. His incompetence has isolated us from our allies and endangered our national security. His affinity for white nationalists emboldens those who would use violence against people of color and non-Christian religions.
His implications of personally effecting an expanding jobs market is baseless while expanding the income inequality between the wealthiest 1% and and lower 50% of income earners with his tax cuts.
Where are the deficit hawks Mr. Burgess you claimed to be part of? Where is your career advocacy to “do no harm” as a physician when your Party blocks or eliminates those needed efforts to provide health care coverage for those least able to afford it? And finally, what happened to the outrage you displayed against a Democratic president you claimed was usurping the powers of Congress with unchecked Executive orders?
Your acquiescence to this president’s shameful behavior towards the press and our governmental institutions is similar to the actions of those who elevated Hitler from Chancellor to dictator by cancelling out many civil liberties and stacking courts with obedient jurists.
Our founders gave us a Republic, “if we could keep it,” Benjamin Franklin informed a woman who inquired about the Constitutional Convention’s outcome in 1787. The Party of Lincoln who helped preserve that Republic a little over 7 decades later is now the Party of Trump. A man-child who reflects the complete opposite character of the adult who passionately embraced a nation of, for and by the people.
No comments:
Post a Comment