Short Circuit Their Plan

Ds can short circuit the Rs just like the Road Runner did.
More Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner art at Connor Ratliff.

Dear Speaker Pelosi. We must win. We must remove Mr. Trump from office.

Mr. McConnell has already declared what the Republican-controlled Senate will do... exactly what Mr. Trump wants them to do -  because it's all about politics as usual.

So, let's make a superb offensive move by doing what the Republican Senate leadership does not expect. Here's what we will do... short circuit their plan.

Nancy Pelosi: Pull a Mitch McConnell, and President Trump is Toast, Dr. Richard Behan, OpEdNews, 17 Dec 2019.

Speaker Pelosi: When the Impeachment Resolution is passed, do not send it immediately to the Senate. Withhold it instead until the court cases are settled, until Don McGahn and others are forced to respond to their subpoenas, until the President is forced to submit his tax returns, until all the evidence has come to the surface and makes an airtight case to remove him from office.

Take a page from Mitch McConnell's playbook and game the system. Remember what he did to Merrick Garland? The hundreds of passed House bills he refuses to bring to the Senate floor? Use your power the way he does.

Sending the Resolution to the Senate right away hands the initiative to McConnell, and he will game the system, beyond doubt. He's already disclosed how he'll do it, boasting he'll align Senate procedure with the wishes of the White House. If he could, he'd refuse to bring the Resolution to the floor, but by law he can't do that. So he'll orchestrate a short trial with no witnesses and call for a quick up-or-down vote and he'll win as he always does, with foul means or fouler. If you let McConnell proceed the President will not be removed from office in January, when the Senate is scheduled to undertake the trial.

So finesse the Majority Leader. Withhold the Resolution. The court cases should all be resolved by June, say (not incidentally when Bill Weld's primary challenge will be blazing full tilt).

Then hold some more hearings. Answer the Republicans' demand for "fact witnesses" by calling McGahn, Pompeo, Bolton, Pence, Giuliani, and Mulvaney to testify. Make the Trump tax returns public. The lurid truth of his misconduct will dominate the nightly news for weeks.

When all the bombshells have exploded, then hand off the Impeachment Resolution to Mitch McConnell. Now you have set the stage, not the Majority Leader and what could be more politically damaging to Trump than standing trial during the heat of his reelection campaign?

The case against Trump is not at the moment open-and-shut. Committee chairs Schiff and Nadler may claim the evidence is "overwhelming," but Republican Senators hotly deny that, and so do half of the American people. When the damning evidence now blocked by lawsuits is a matter of record, the case will be unassailable: it will be impossible for Republican Senators to deny, and McConnell's capacity to game the system will vanish. The Senate will have no choice but to vote removal.

Speaker Pelosi, wait until you have an airtight case and then spring.

O.K. It's done. Now we can all enjoy Christmastime and look forward to a "perfect" 2020 dust-up!

Here's a start:

Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime - 1979

Whose Karma?

Living and Dying by the polls... Karma? 

CBS News poll on Trump impeachment inquiry

 Do you believe in karma?

In Hinduism and Buddhism it's the idea that the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, decide their fate in future existences.

The Christian concept of destiny or fate is similar and expressed with, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall they also reap". (Galatians 6:7-9)

I’m comfortable with the biblical kind of karma. Especially as I glance at today's corporate media headlines replete with talk of a Trump impeachment.

Still, I can't help but think about the past sins of our nation - our dark side as explained in The New York Times Magazine 1619 Project.

The days ahead will reveal whose karma will play out. Will it be our national karma or Mr. Trump's? Or, perhaps both are inextricably bound. We shall see.

In the meantime, I believe in Redemption. Don't you?

Here's a repost from 10 Nov 2017:

Do You Believe in Redemption?

One Sunday morning, a long time ago, I stood next to Mom and listened to her sing her favorite hymn, I Come to the Garden Alone.

I Come to the Garden Alone - Anne Murray - 1999

Back then, for me, it was just a beautiful song and I knew Mom loved singing it.

Today it somehow reassures me of redemption… my belief that we all can be saved from our own sins, the sins of others and evil.

This morning I read Pres. John F. Kennedy’s famous American University “Peace Speech” from 1963. I glanced out the office window and watched, mesmerized, at the beautiful sunrise before me. Suddenly thoughts of that beautiful song came flooding back in my mind.

It occurred to me that it would be a certain "redemptive" miracle if we all could walk in the garden together for a moment or two and consider together how much we do have in common… even people who believe and trust in Pres. Trump and those who do not.

Then I looked at my computer and read:

“So, let us not be blind to our differences—but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”**

President John F. Kennedy, "Peace Speech" American University - 10 June 1963

I know miracles happen. I’d rejoice if a redemptive, talk and walk together in the garden could be one of them.

*Examples of Bad Karma 

As I see it, Mr. Trump seems to have accomplished all these in just this life:

• Levying baseless allegations on others.
• Laughing at somebody’s situation.
• Taking away somebody’s everything.
• Taking advantage of somebody’s situation.
• Doing injustice to others.
• Spreading lies and hatred.
• Misuse of authority.
• Cheating and hurting others.
• Giving and taking bribe.
• Being mute spectator and watching injustice happening to others.
• Hurting others physically, emotionally, and mentally.
• Being rude to others.
• Being unfair to others.
• Forcing and bribing others to do something. Wonderful display of skills. What signal does it send to your family, country?
• Judging instead of accepting others.
• Intentionally creating hurdles in others progress.
• Progress filled with unaccountably and injustice.
• Hating others

-there are many more, of course-

Signs of Intelligent Life

We’ve finally gotten a beautiful, war, sunny day here in Michigan. So, I’m not looking to wish the best part of the year away. Still, the November elections are only a few months down the road and I’m hoping to see signs of “intelligent life” following soon after, or even before.

While I cherish my independence (Which I defined as: no political party affiliation) I’m hoping to live to witness the U.S. people elect Democrat Party majorities in both the U. S. Senate and the U. S. House of Representatives and to offices throughout all the states.

Then my dream come true would be that the Democrats display hitherto unacustomed intelligence and immediately begin impeachment processes to rid us, not only of the scoundrel currently occupying the Presidency, but also the goofball incompetents he appointed as cabinet secretaries. All these scalawags need to find employment elsewhere.

Why? They must all be removed for their betrayal of their sworn oath of office and dereliction of duty.

Clearly, Mr. Trump appointed each not based upon proven management strengths nor their inherent sense of duty to the nation. No, Mr. Trump appointed them based upon their determination to dismantle the department to which they were named to lead.

That is dereliction of duty. And, these people have done the deed “to a T” (with T defined as Treason). Together, they have managed the worst, most harmful crimes ever perpetrated against the People of the United States.

Please, let us see signs of Intelligent Life come this November.

Article Two of the United States Constitution, Section 4:
"The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Impeached Scorecard

Two Presidents, 14 federal judges; one Supreme Court Associate Justice; one Cabinet Secretary.; and, one U.S. Senator.

Impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Record

William Blount, U.S. Senator from Tennessee
Impeached July 7, 1797, on charges of conspiring to assist in Great Britain’s attempt to seize Spanish-controlled territories in modern-day Florida and Louisiana
Charges dismissed for want of jurisdiction; Blount had been expelled from the U.S. Senate before his trial.

John Pickering, Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire
Impeached March 2, 1803, on charges of intoxication on the bench and unlawful handling of property claims
Found guilty; removed from office

Samuel Chase, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
Impeached March 12, 1804, on charges of arbitrary and oppressive conduct of trials
Acquitted

James H. Peck, Judge, U.S. District Court, Western district of Tennessee
Impeached April 24, 1830, on charges of abuse of the contempt power
Acquitted

West H. Humphreys, Judge, U.S. District Court, Western district of Tennessee
Impeached May 6, 1862, on charges of refusing to hold court and waging war against the U.S. Government
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from future office

Andrew Johnson, President of the United States
Impeached February 24, 1868, on charges of violating the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office
Acquitted

Mark H. Delahay, Judge, U.S. District Court, Kansas
Impeached February 28, 1873, on charges of intoxication on the bench
Resigned prior to trial

William W. Belknap, U.S. Secretary of War
Impeached March 2, 1876, on charges of criminal disregard for his office and accepting payments in exchange for making official appointments
Acquitted

Charles Swayne, Judge, U.S. district court, Northern district of Florida
Impeached December 13, 1904, on charges of abuse of contempt power and other misuses of office
Acquitted

Robert W. Archbald, Associate judge, U.S. Commerce Court
Impeached July 11, 1912, on charges of improper business relationship with litigants
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from future office

George W. English Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern district of Illinois
Impeached April 1, 1926, on charges of abuse of power
proceedings dismissed

Harold Louderback, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern district of California
Impeached February 24, 1933, on charges of favoritism in the appointment of bankruptcy receivers
Acquitted

Halsted L. Ritter, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Florida
Impeached March 2, 1936, on charges of favoritism in the appointment of bankruptcy receivers and practicing law as a sitting judge
Found guilty; removed from office

Harry E. Claiborne, Judge, U.S. District Court of Nevada
Impeached July 22, 1986, on charges of income tax evasion and of remaining on the bench following criminal conviction
Found guilty; removed from office

Alcee L. Hastings, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Florida
Impeached August 3, 1988, on charges of perjury and conspiring to solicit a bribe
Found guilty; removed from office

Walter L. Nixon, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Mississippi
Impeached May 10, 1989, on charges of perjury before a federal grand jury
Found guilty; removed from office

William J. Clinton President of the United States
Impeached December 19, 1998, on charges of lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstruction of justice
Acquitted

Samuel B. Kent, Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern district of Texas
Impeached June 19, 2009, on charges of sexual assault, obstructing and impeding an official proceeding, and making false and misleading statements
Resigned June 30, 2009 before the completion of the trial

G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern district of Louisiana
Impeached March 11, 2010, on charges of accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from holding future office