God
did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and
self-control…2
Timothy 1:7 (From today’s appointed
daily readings)
Save
us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore…Hymn 594
Dear Friends
As soon
as this trial is over*, I hope to completely as possible ignore and forget you know who,
trusting that those who do need to pay attention, will--- courts
that have jurisdiction over other cases still pending, for example. But one
last time, I want to be clear about my decision at this
moment in our history, for love of my country.
“Once to
every man and nation, comes the moment to decide” begins James Russel Lowell’s 1845
poem. The Impeachment Trial before us is the final moment and chance
for the Republican Party to decide if they want to separate themselves from Donald
Trump or not.
Russel’s
poem, as I shared in an earlier blog, was a protest against a war James Polk started with Mexico. A young Republican congressman named Abraham
Lincoln stood up and said, “Allow the president to invade a
neighboring country whenever he shall deem it necessary…and you allow him to
make war at pleasure.”
Trump did
not start a war with another country. He "only" incited an insurrection, a brutal, deadly attack on our
nation’s capital, with his endless lies and reckless rhetoric over
many months, culminating with one, final, pour fuel on the fire speech. Minds had
already been poisoned by then. What did he expect?
Senate Republicans
can righteously condemn violence and argue process and precedence all they want. But if Trump is acquitted again, a
new and dangerous precedent will be set. A president fueling domestic terrorism?
No harm, no foul, no problem. A conviction would set another kind of precedent---we don't condone this behavior in our presidents.
Every
Republican Senator
who doesn’t vote to convict will be joined at the hip of Donald Trump forever, whether they like or intend that or not. That
will be their legacy and democracy’s loss.
I look
forward to new blog topics in the future!
John
*By Ash
Wednesday would be a good day!
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