The world’s watching

What will we do? Will we wilt under the hot blast of Trumpian scorn and Republican protests at the impeachment? Will the evidence gathered and the testimony of loyal American diplomats be ignored and sneered at by a partisan Senate “trial”? Will Trump’s time in office mark the beginning of the end of the American democratic experiment?

If Mitch McConnell is allowed to conduct the sham trial which he has laid out for all to see, the world can see that the rule of law has lost the day in our country. If senators can vote for a verdict of innocence for Trump, their violation of their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution has to be regarded as complete and utter moral failure. I believe he must be removed and steps taken to reverse his program of destruction of our laws, our environment, and our democracy.

The United States stands to lose its moral stature, and will no longer be the bulwark of the world movement away from dictatorship and totalitarianism toward a world where citizens can determine the conditions under which they live. Already, there are signs of disrespect by other nations. North Korea, Russia, Iran, China and others already enjoy improved world status due to decreased pressure to recognize human rights and freedoms. We also stand to lose many of the same rights and freedoms in our own country because of Trump’s “principles.”

This is the equivalent, for our time, of the Civil War. The country is as divided now by the current president as it had been by the question of that time, and this is not the time for demagoguery or blinders. If ever an answer to a prayer could be found in the Constitution, the time is now.

DENNIS A. BERRY

Bryant