As I returned from my most recent trip out of state, I met my wife for a previously scheduled hair cut. As I was in the process of having my hair cut, our friend and stylist mentioned that she felt "Trump should not be impeached because every president does stuff they are complaining about now." She went on to say that "Biden is dirty" because "What did his kid know about Ukraine!?" When I asked her if she knew Hunter Biden's credentials, her reply was a simple, "I know he is an alcoholic and drug addict!" Obviously, anyone with drug and alcohol problems does have issues, but that does not make them incompetent or automatically disqualified them from having the ability to conduct business affairs. Think how many folks at high levels of business and government have similar issues. You can bet there are more than a few with a substance problem. Yet, she admitted she had no personal knowledge as to Hunter Biden's qualifications, but then insisted that Joe Biden was "Crooked!" When I explained how easily the Biden-Ukraine matter can be debunked, she seemed flabbergasted.
She even got serous when I explained that no president has (to our knowledge) ever pressured a foreign nation to get involved in a domestic political campaign, as this was explicitly prohibited in the Constitution. She seemed confused when I told her what Trump did was exactly what the Framers to the Constitution warned us about. Only then did she realize the gravity of Trump's transgressions as president. So, to make it clear to the rest of you, what Trump did is NOT lawful and IS impeachable. Why? Because the Founders and Framers told us it was. Where can we find this warning and prohibition. Look no further than the Constitution itself, the Federalist Papers and George Washington himself.
In Article II, Section 3, the president is required to; "he shall take Care that the laws be faithfully executed..." Although this seems innocuous in of by itself, it is known as the "Take Care Provision" - wherein the president is required to abide by all laws and to ensure they are "Faithfully executed" on behalf of the nation, not for just his own personal interests. We know this is a requirement because just under this language in Section 3, it warns that a sitting president can be impeached for failing to meet this requirement under the banner of "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." We know what was intended by this language by reading John Jay's words in relating to the presidency in Federalist #3.
"Nay, it is far more probable that in America, as in Europe, neighboring nations, acting under the impulse of opposite interests and unfriendly passions, would frequently be found taking different sides. Considering our distance from Europe, it would be more natural for these confederacies to apprehend danger from one another than from distant nations, and therefore that each of them should be more desirous to guard against the others by the aid of foreign alliances, than to guard against foreign dangers by alliances between themselves. And here let us not forget how much more easy it is to receive foreign fleets into our ports, and foreign armies into our country, than it is to persuade or compel them to depart. How many conquests did the Romans and others make in the characters of allies, and what innovations did they under the same character introduce into the governments of those whom they pretended to protect."
I was intending to write further about the positions our Founding Fathers and Framers took when it came to an Executive seeking foreign influence in our elections and domestic affairs, but others have already written extensively on this topic. What truly troubles me is how easily Trump supporters dismiss anyone they disagree with and instead rely on what they "hear" from fellow Trump supporters and related media. Case in point. Someone recently posted on my wife's FB that the 1. Media is corrupt, 2. The Whistleblower process was conveniently changed right before the Whistleblower complaint came out, 3. Schiff colluded with the Whistleblower and the CIA to attack Trump, 4. "Several legal experts that have read the entire transcript have said nothing unlawful was involved." Of all the lies told in that simple paragraph, the most outlandish is "some experts say..." Like whom? Hannity? Limbaugh? Barr? Pompeo? Trump himself? When I linked actual evidence to disprove his statements, you guessed it...I am too sensitive to "counter arguments" and I shouldn't take it so personally" Really? Seems it's okay for those on the Right to attack the credibility of others, but once you defend yourself, then you are "too sensitive" and obviously too biased to be correct. And this is the current state of our political affairs in America. Everyone knows our history, political systems and Constitution, so who needs those that write about them, speak about them, teach about them when we should just trust what Trump tells us. The Cult is strong and it will be difficult to cleanse America from it.
"This relationship between experts and citizens rests on a foundation of mutual respect and trust. When that foundation erodes, experts and laypeople become warring factions and democracy itself can become a casualty, decaying into mob rule or elitist technocracy." (See: www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-02-13/how-america-lost-faith-expertise). Try to have a great week!
She even got serous when I explained that no president has (to our knowledge) ever pressured a foreign nation to get involved in a domestic political campaign, as this was explicitly prohibited in the Constitution. She seemed confused when I told her what Trump did was exactly what the Framers to the Constitution warned us about. Only then did she realize the gravity of Trump's transgressions as president. So, to make it clear to the rest of you, what Trump did is NOT lawful and IS impeachable. Why? Because the Founders and Framers told us it was. Where can we find this warning and prohibition. Look no further than the Constitution itself, the Federalist Papers and George Washington himself.
In Article II, Section 3, the president is required to; "he shall take Care that the laws be faithfully executed..." Although this seems innocuous in of by itself, it is known as the "Take Care Provision" - wherein the president is required to abide by all laws and to ensure they are "Faithfully executed" on behalf of the nation, not for just his own personal interests. We know this is a requirement because just under this language in Section 3, it warns that a sitting president can be impeached for failing to meet this requirement under the banner of "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." We know what was intended by this language by reading John Jay's words in relating to the presidency in Federalist #3.
"Nay, it is far more probable that in America, as in Europe, neighboring nations, acting under the impulse of opposite interests and unfriendly passions, would frequently be found taking different sides. Considering our distance from Europe, it would be more natural for these confederacies to apprehend danger from one another than from distant nations, and therefore that each of them should be more desirous to guard against the others by the aid of foreign alliances, than to guard against foreign dangers by alliances between themselves. And here let us not forget how much more easy it is to receive foreign fleets into our ports, and foreign armies into our country, than it is to persuade or compel them to depart. How many conquests did the Romans and others make in the characters of allies, and what innovations did they under the same character introduce into the governments of those whom they pretended to protect."
I was intending to write further about the positions our Founding Fathers and Framers took when it came to an Executive seeking foreign influence in our elections and domestic affairs, but others have already written extensively on this topic. What truly troubles me is how easily Trump supporters dismiss anyone they disagree with and instead rely on what they "hear" from fellow Trump supporters and related media. Case in point. Someone recently posted on my wife's FB that the 1. Media is corrupt, 2. The Whistleblower process was conveniently changed right before the Whistleblower complaint came out, 3. Schiff colluded with the Whistleblower and the CIA to attack Trump, 4. "Several legal experts that have read the entire transcript have said nothing unlawful was involved." Of all the lies told in that simple paragraph, the most outlandish is "some experts say..." Like whom? Hannity? Limbaugh? Barr? Pompeo? Trump himself? When I linked actual evidence to disprove his statements, you guessed it...I am too sensitive to "counter arguments" and I shouldn't take it so personally" Really? Seems it's okay for those on the Right to attack the credibility of others, but once you defend yourself, then you are "too sensitive" and obviously too biased to be correct. And this is the current state of our political affairs in America. Everyone knows our history, political systems and Constitution, so who needs those that write about them, speak about them, teach about them when we should just trust what Trump tells us. The Cult is strong and it will be difficult to cleanse America from it.
"This relationship between experts and citizens rests on a foundation of mutual respect and trust. When that foundation erodes, experts and laypeople become warring factions and democracy itself can become a casualty, decaying into mob rule or elitist technocracy." (See: www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-02-13/how-america-lost-faith-expertise). Try to have a great week!
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