Random New Year's Thoughts

My next column in The Everett Herald:

Some random thoughts to begin the year. As of this writing, I’m cavorting with the grandkids, so my usual high-quality, suitable-for-syndication, deep-dive commentary will be lacking.

·      Most people missed the fact that last week’s poem was an acrostic. Perhaps just as well. It does, however, change things.

·      The more we learn about Edward Gallagher, the Navy Seal whose criminality Trump pardoned and extolled, the more we understand what a craven move it was and what an insult to honorable service-people. How long before Trump brings him to his rallies? How loud will be the cheers?

·      The more we learn about what went on behind the scenes with the Ukraine travesty (thanks, failing New York Times, enemy of the people), particularly the shock and machinations among Trump’s people as they realized what he was planning to do, the more we understand what a craven move it was. And the more we realize how smart Speaker Pelosi is to be delaying sending impeachment over to Moscow Mitch. Important players should be required to testify. In fact, if any of them had concern for the rule of law and the survival of the republic, they’d DEMAND to testify. If any do, Trumpists will dismiss them as “deep state” liars.

·      Speaking of which, the election of Trump will be remembered as the end of truth as a universally-valued commodity in American politics; when a formerly-respectable party decided they preferred lies and liars over truth and truth-tellers; and when we learned the Constitution doesn’t hold if legislators ignore it en masse.

·      There sure is a lot of Stage Four pancreatic cancer going around, and it seems to be choosing the best of humanity as hosts.

·      The Republican campaign to purge and inhibit voters and spread disinformation is into full swing. They fear fair elections.

·      That proposed law in Ohio that’d require doctors to re-implant into the uterus an embryo from an ectopic pregnancy “when possible,” or face prison. (It’s never possible.)

·      That proposed law in Pennsylvania requiring death certificates for all fertilized eggs that don’t survive. (It’s impossible.)

·      The preceding two tell us that, at its extremes, the “pro-life” movement is mostly pro-punishment. And as in other things, they’re irrational science-deniers.

·      When did “conservatives” stop caring about budget deficits?

·      Trump’s response to the spate of anti-Semitic attacks: thanking a Jewish “leader” for saying nice things about him. What a self-involved, deplorable, narcissistic child. Defend it, Trumpists. Tell us why it’s okay.

·      It’s not happenstance that the increase in such events follows Trump claiming that neo-Nazi marchers included some “very fine people,” and hiring white supremacists. Looking like a hostage video, he reads words he doesn’t believe (neither do his writers) when such things happen; and not just to Jews. Nor is it unrelated to his unrelenting spewing of division and hatred of “others” at his rallies and in his corrosive tweets. That his self-described “Christian” supporters haven’t had enough tells us everything about which Christians accept Jesus’ teachings and which don’t. Starting with the fake one at the top.

·      One of Trump’s people blamed the rise of anti-Semitism on immigrants. Another (a former mayor) blamed it on Mayor de Blasio. It’s obvious what they’re trying to do.

·      I’m glad there was an armed firearms instructor in that Texas church.

·      If school shootings happen because “God was banned” from schools, what explains church shootings?

·      If you share Trump’s view of climate change, consider Australia. If you care for your children’s future, vote him out. He’s deliberately making it worse. That alone calls for impeachment. It’s dereliction of his oath to protect Americans. Except oil producers.

·      Kim is building nukes, firing off missiles, and laughing at Trump. (Trump’s not worried: “He likes me.”) Putin is building unstoppable missiles and praising Trump, snickering, with his fingers crossed. Assad is gaining more power in Syria. Iraqis are attacking our embassy, Trump is wagging the dog while China, Russia, and Iran plan joint military exercises (remember that treaty Trump abandoned while Iran was honoring it?) South Korea and Japan are on the outs. The only consistency in Trump’s foreign “policy” is being played by leaders who recognize his weaknesses (did I mention the “He likes me” thing?) That, and fulfilling Putin’s dreams by taking down NATO, helping to destroy the EU, and turning the Middle East over to him.

·      But, hey, Happy New Year. November, if we survive to see it, presents an opportunity to make America great again.

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As The Clock Ticks

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My next column in The Everett Herald. Things are happening so fast it's nearly impossible to keep up, much less condense it into a weekly column. So, apologies for a jumbled mess:

Remember when Republicans screamed about abuse of power because President Barack Obama’s IRS was making its legally-required determinations of non-profits’ legitimacy? And they mostly turned down liberal ones? Such innocent times. Remembering nostalgia can be painful.  

But now it’s serious. Trump’s childish name calling? Ho hum. Lying all the time? Goes in one ear… Hiring then firing unethical incompetents, not to mention people who won’t kow to his tow? Common as breathing. But the last couple of weeks have been exceptional, even for Trump. Anyone who sees what he’s doing and doesn’t care or, worse, defends it, is complicit in the destruction of constitutional governance. We’re no longer approaching autocratic abuse of power: it’s upon us. In the era of Trump, things that go without saying need saying, over and over; even to people plugging their ears. 

Separation of powers and checks and balances, especially oversight of the executive by Congress, is fundamental to our form of government. It’s not magic, though. It requires willingness of representatives and citizens to buy in. Traffic lights are meaningless if everyone ignores them. (An increasing problem in these parts, but I digress.) 

Those who watched Trump’s campaign manager Lewandowsky’s non-testimony saw an arrogant, condescending, disrespectful creep, who’d not have answered questions whether or not he’d been ordered to stay mum. But there are other witnesses to Trump’s malefactions. Trump and his consigliere Mr. Barr are silencing those people, too; every one of them. Under such conditions, checks bounce. 

The oversight dereliction by national Republicans, and, till now, aimless tut-tutting by Democratic leadership, was not, presumably, what our founders had in mind. They believed they’d built safeguards to prevent exactly the sort of executive overreach we’re seeing from Trump; and they assumed elected officials would commit to protecting the republic. They had put country above personal advantage, so they believed future generations would, too. How wrong they were.  

Which brings us to the roiling whistleblower/Ukraine mess, about which, as details ooze out, we already know enough to recognize behavior grievously inconsistent with original intent.  

If on nothing else, can Republicans agree that an open, democratic society must encourage and protect people willing to call out dangerous and/or illegal governmental actions? That a system allowing fair evaluation of their allegations is vital, and that efforts to prevent it, especially by an accused president, are dangerous? Before taking a position, perhaps Trumpists could pretend we’re talking about Hillary Clinton or President Barack Obama. It’s a useful exercise.  

Because Trump has never denied doing things which later were proved true and because we know he’d immediately quash foreign intervention in our elections, Republicans are confident … oh, wait. A conversation was confirmed. Then we learned someone heard something in that conversation which they found alarming; and we know the Inspector General of intelligence operations deemed it a “credible” and “urgent” threat to national security. 

Trump denied pressuring Zelensky to investigate (a fake scandal involving) Joe Biden by withholding US taxpayer funds designated for military aid, although another Ukrainian official, Anton Geraschenko, has confirmed it, and their foreign minister has said they were “totally surprised” when the money was withheld. 

Now there’s a five-page “memorandum” of the thirty-minute call, full of smarmy flattery of Trump, touted as showing no offer of a quid pro quo. There are several intriguing ellipses in the pages, however, and a bit of “nice little country you’ve got there. Be a shame…” Trump now admits withholding those funds. They were released right after the lid blew off. 

Most recently, the actual complaint was released, with, of course, redactions. And, predictable as rain, Trump has called the people involved traitors, with not-so-veiled threats. So far, Republican leaders haven’t called him on it.  

Some combination of Trump, his osculating Attorney General, and “acting” DNI Maguire ordered Inspector General Atkinson to stonewall. Giuliani said it was “the State Department” that asked him to contact Zelensky; the “transcript” shows it was Trump, with AG Barr in the mix. Barr and Pompeo soliciting foreign influence on Trump’s behalf? The IRS “scandal” pales.  

Trump encouraged a foreign government to seek dirt on his political opponent, directly and using departments of justice and state. One would hope for an Inspector General having integrity to report fully, even risking charges. It’s that important. 

There isn’t a Republican anywhere who wouldn’t be screaming for impeachment if this were President Barack Obama, and they know it. Their silence now says everything.