National Report
In Washington, DC politics, the concept of entitlement comes into play often, but instead of being about what is a just do from the government as a social program, which fiscal conservatives look askance at, a different well used political statement is far more apt. You may be entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own set of facts. In science when something has come to a point it is indisputable is labeled as a law, but in US politics a law is something deliberated in normally, two legislative bodies and then signed by the chief executive and becomes law unless disputed by a judicial branch.
Watching the 2nd Donald J Trump (R) impeachment trial was an indisputable presentation of the facts of incitement to riot for seditious purposes by the sitting chief executive on January 6, 2021, and information that lead to the preparation for the event, and a clearly intended outcome. The members of the US Senate did not play the role they swore an oath to on the first day of the proceedings as judges, to impartially view the information presented. Many of the Republican Senators had already prejudged the case even before it was presented and in spite of having been witnesses to the actual crime, feared more the political might of the supporters of Donald J Trump than they did on the day because not one of their own had died. One wonders if it had, would the outcome have been different. This is where loathing and contempt come into play.
In each instance when the members of the Senate were called upon to vote, whether it was on the constitutionality of the proceedings, which passed on a 55-45 vote, the vote to allow witnesses again on a 55-45 vote of the final tally on Trump’s guilt 57-43 only two members seemed to have actually listened to the arguments made and judged accordingly.
Now, there wasn’t much unique information conveyed during the trial, most of us watched it played out on our living-room television screens in real-time, and if not saw it many times later in repeated news programs flashing the same riotous acts every day, 24-hours a day before the trial commenced. The crime was visible and the perpetrator of it obvious and after the verdict was read and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rose to speech and excoriated Trump for his actions when only moments before he had voted “Not Guilty” on a technically of whether the Senate could sit in judgment in an impeachment proceeding on a former officeholder is nothing short of being duplicitous and disingenuous to himself, every other American and the world. Especially, when he had the sole power to call the members of the Senate back in session while Trump was still in office.
To consciously, turn a blind eye to something personally witnessed for political expediency is the new definition of political cowardice. While they show contempt for the system we show contempt for them.
We suggest to those who do not know where the h/t to Hunter S Thompson we suggest Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson, Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie (Gonzo Papers, vol. 4) or Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 to name a few and learn about Gonzo journalism, something deployed here at Checks & Balances.