The Presidential Saga, Impeachment Hearings, Transcripts, etc.

Well it's hard to get it all in one title but that seems to be where we're at. Of course there's additional news like another school shooting at a High School in California. Sadly within 24 hours, that event disappeared from many news sites and social media. A sign of the times? Perhaps. It may be that we are so bombarded with incoming Breaking News, both real and imagined, that even important events slip away into some abyss or black hole news cycle. I fear it may be worse. It may be that we are no longer shocked by students being shot and killed at their school. It may be that it has become so common place that we are all accepting terrible news like this as normal. It could also be that many have just given up on the issue because no one can seem to convince the supposed leadership of our country to do anything about the epidemic of gun violence. Blame can go everywhere, the NRA, Mitch McConnell, GOP Senators, Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senators, Donald Trump and on and on. In the meantime more will die with no end in sight. It is a sad message we are sending to our young people and to the world. But ahh yes, I must move on because there's more Breaking News!

Yes an Impeachment Inquiry has begun and its damning and messy for everyone. Yes, it's out in the open no matter what some diehard Republicans say about bunkers, basements and cultist behavior. Out in the open it is, for all to see and its not pretty. There are transcripts of more private depositions along with documentation of phone calls between Presidents and advisors. There are Presidential Tweets and grandstanding by questioners. Bottomline - there's a lot. But there are also heroes. The kind of heroes who always tend to appear when a country, a democracy or a government are in trouble. So far, it's been Foreign Service Officers, Ambassadors and those who some would call bureaucrats. We've watched these folks follow the rule of law, defy their bosses and respect legal subpoenas. They've shown courage and strength - moxie I guess. Something I've grown to appreciate in a world that seems to expect and accept bullies.

Speaking of bullies, I do feel badly about Donald Trump. He really is a very sad man. I don't particularly like to make fun of him. He's got plenty of that going on, coming in from all sides. He has brought so much of the hate on himself. His policies, his language, his Tweets, his lies, his poor attempts at jokes and his terrible use of english in trying to express himself. He has an awful lot going against him and he just won't change. Not even an attempt or an olive branch. But that fits the pattern of a bully. In addition, it has become more clear lately that there are some real cowards working for Donald Trump. Imagine a Secretary of State who asks someone to come out of retirement to be an Ambassador and then stands by while the person is attacked as a 'Never-Trumper'? Thats a coward, no two was about it. Or how about standing by as one of your people is threatened and vilified? Yes Mike Pompeo is the worst kind of yes man and a coward. Oh and there are certainly others.

I don't know what the ultimate result of the Impeachment process will be, but in the end, I'm hoping everyone learns something from it. I'd like to think that we can come to some resolution to the partisanship that is tearing us apart. It may be hopeful thinking but what do we have if we don't have hope? Perhaps we could get back to working on things like gun violence, injustice, poverty, violence and hateful behavior. In the meantime we should celebrate the heroes that will continue to pop up before us.