Happy
I have read, both here and on other internet sites, a number of Good People who are disappointed with the impeachment trial. Some believe the Democrats should have called witnesses. Others can't believe that the republicans were so cowardly. I'd like to take a couple of minutes, if I could, to try to put things in a different context.
For those fortunate enough to not be familiar with me, let me begin by noting that I am on the tip of the left wing of the Democratic Party. During the trial, I was visited by two friends: one a former member of the Weathermen (now a doctor), and a young man who likes to be further to the left than me. I try to make him understand that isn't actually so -- I just prefer to stick to things that can be accomplished.
I make no claims to being accomplished myself. But there are a couple of things that I do know about: boxing and digging ditches for the foundations for houses by hand. In my youth, the two merged, as digging ditches is great training for fighting. By no coincidence, I pulled out and old scrapbook before starting this essay, and found the 1974 article my late friend Rubin Carter wrote for a boxing magazine. In it, Rubin notes that things such as justice and democracy require constant struggle.
It's not a fight that you win and that's it. Rather, it is only after one recognizes that it is constant that one can find true peace of mind. And that is exactly the peace of mind that allows you the strength to keep up The Good Fight. And we won more rounds in this week's impeachment trial than they did. Just like after most fights, you can tell by looking who won the fight, I dare say we left some lumps and bruises on the republicans. There are none on us. And the judges scored it 57 to 43 for us.
Now back to digging ditches to put in foundations for houses. Rubin had worked for a construction company early in his boxing career. I have photos from 1963 with Rubin working with a shovel. He taught me a good workout with a shovel that helps in boxing. Now, I was always digging in the hardpan and rocks of rural upstate New York, so I needed that peace of mind to even get started on a job.
In 2018, we saw a lot of people picking up their shovels and pickaxes and start on an essential job. We won back control of the House. In 2020, we all had our shovels and pickaxes and ballots, and now we have the House, the Senate, and the White House. Now that is a solid foundation to build upon. And this week, we saw the House managers build a beautiful room upon that solid foundation. But we aren't through, because justice and democracy require constant struggle.
Yes, it would have been very nice if the republican Senators all voted to convict the orange man who lacks convictions. But did anyone actually think there was even a tiny chance of that? No rational person could. It isn't in their nature. Don't put the bar too high. Remember that all important victories are the result of long, hard work and dedication.
This week was huge for Democrats, and horrible for republicans. Let's make the weeks and months ahead even better for us, and more terrible for them.
Peace,
H2O Man
= new reply since forum marked as read
my neighbor to the north. Life is good 
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since mid December. Going to have 8 to 12 more inches of snow starting tomorrow night. It gets harder to get outside and move around in this. Nice to have a puppy around though. My cattle dog mixes are four now. All this cold and snow doesn’t bother them at all 
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Deep and meaningful - this week was good for the ongoing struggle 
Then onward on upward.
Thank you, H2O Man. We are in the Good Fight for the distance, 15 rounds.
Abraham Bolden
Invictus
by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Source w/important commentary: https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/invictus-and-a-hurricane-poem-the-first
"Democrats are just weak when it comes to standing up to the GOP."
No. Just no. In fact, hell no. There was absolutely nothing weak about the impeachment managers or the case they put on.
As I said in another thread tonight, they were playing with a deck that was stacked against them, and they knew it. In a courtrom, there is a thing called jury selection, wherein both sides get to screen potential jurors in order to weed out those who are biased, those who already have their minds made up, those who have a vested interest in the outcome. In a Senate impeachment trial, there is no jury selection. The makeup of the jury is already set in stone. That's why everyone who is in the business of predicting such things accurately predicted the outcome of this trial: aquittal.
Weak would be the House not bothering to impeach since no one expected a conviction. But that's not what happened. The House DID impeach, because it was the right thing to do. The impeachment managers put on a strong and powerful case, because that was the right thing to do. The ONLY "weak" people in that Senate chamber were the GOP Senators who voted to acquit.
If you want to disagree with any of the tactics used by the Democrats, feel free. I think that's fair game. But calling Jamie Raskin and the others (https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/02/politics/house-impeachment-managers/) "weak" is where I have to draw the line. There is absolutely NOTHING "weak" about any of those people. They are the poster kids for "strong."
Look up "strong" in the dictionary, This picture should be next to it.
I'm not a fan of Mitch McConnaloid, but I had to partially agree with him when he said this: "
Trump) hasn't gotten away with anything -- yet." On one hand, that is bullshit, because he got away with numerous things, starting with his 2016 behaviors, with the Ukraine, and on and on. But he is going to be facing some consequences now, as a private criminal, er, um, citizen. There are both criminal and civil cases awaiting the old boy.
Now, per "Democrats" ..... we have to remember there is a large range of Democratic Party politicians in Washington, DC. Each individual, in fact, has within them some progressive traits, mixed in with liberal, centrist, and conservative traits and values. I will speculate that people's responses to various stimuli tends to follow general patterns -- depending on what mixture of progressive, liberal, centrist, and/or conservative traits they have.
Let's take an example. For some reason, the attack on the Capitol comes to mind. I think we can agree that had to be on a range from uncomfortable to frightening for every person there for a good reason -- the politicians, their aides, the workers, and the police. What we might focus on is the immediate responses up to 48 hours later, compared to three weeks later. The Democrats were solid in recognizing both Trump's central role, and the need to hold him accountable. Right?
But by the time of the trial, there were differences of opinion within the party about issues, including the calling of witnesses. Quite a bit of the party's leadership, including in the White House, were opposed to calling witnesses. By mid-week, they knew which republicans were entrenched and unwill to vote to convict. So when Raskin announced he wanted to call a witness, he was giving voice to the progressive wing. That resulted in the "time out" and Senators going into a huddle.
It was up to leadership to determine the next step. Now, the simple truth is that calling witnesses offered potential benefits and negatives. In my opinion -- and I understand exactly why others may disagree, but I am basing my opinion on my rather shallow understanding of politics -- having Trump's legal team allow the information to be introduced, though not testified to, was the est of the potential outcomes. I think it was, in fact, what Rep. Raskin had in mind from the giddy-up. He played them. Just my opinion.
Now, what does that do, in the larger, national sense? It helps document the Truth, without the clutter of lies and bullshit the Trump team would have introduced. It avoided meaningful distraction, and put important information on the record. The public gets to see it on television, and read about it in the news. They know it is important, because it ruffled republican feathers, and put the legal chihuahuas' tails between their legs.
It is a further blow to the wedge that is dividing the republican party at the seams -- the cult vs the "regular" republicans. Those regulars did vote for Trump in 2020, but events since then insure that they want him removed from their party. Plenty of republicans have already left their party since November. We do not want them to become Democrats. That would damage our party severely. But we do want to splinter their party. And in such situations, one does best to strike while the iron is hot.
And that, my Wonderful Little Sister, is exactlywhy I'm saying we all need to don our blacksmith's gear.
I didn't know the White House was opposed to calling witnesses.
I trust Biden and if this is what he wanted I can live with it.
You've always been my favorite brother!!
I too am on the left of the left.
I was (and still am) angry about today's events. About this years events re Trump.
But...because I have been subject to the whims and arrows of The Right and The Center for over 50 years, I am used to getting over that anger very quickly.
Wait, not over - I use the energy from the anger to fuel my continuous efforts to help build a safer, saner, less hurtful World for all of Us.
I needed my moment of anger - indeed welcomed it. Now I can use the energy to peacefully get into some more Good Trouble.
Thanks again H2O Man.
Peace
Once. Long ago. I had a boss that helped me with a mantra for challenging times and small frustrations.
She said. “Mel, no one died “. It has always helped me when no one did actually die. But. 7 persons died and I am struggling with the “ditch digging”.
H2O man. Gave me my new ability to cope.
Wonderful isn’t it! ?
and here's Jimi and your essay. Always uplifting, always inspiring.
Thank you so much for posting. I do feel better. Tomorrow I'll do some shoveling, but it'll be snow. All the best to you..
Righteous!
