Don’t blame Donald Trump for the recent actions of the Republican-dominated U.S. Senate who in their “ignoble wisdom,” have shown that what matters most to them is partisanship and victory at any cost, rather than living up to the oath each senator took after being elected to Congress — upholding the tenets of the U.S. Constitution, ensuring such essential elements of our democracy like “truth, justice and the American way.”
In the unbridled choice of the majority to serve and obey their Republican colleague — the president — instead of holding fast to the rubrics of an objective legal trial, our nation and the world have seen the dichotomy which exists between justice for the privileged class versus justice under which the clear majority of Americans, as well as those seeking U.S. citizenship, have no choice but to accept.
While we predicted the outcome from the start — an outcome which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised even before the Senate received the two articles of impeachment — we still held onto the slight hope that Americans would have the chance to know the truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But for that to occur, as in any court case, one would need to hear from witnesses and have evidence presented to the jury — in this case the members of the U.S. Senate itself. As we know, this case has been decided without the luxury, the necessity, of both those who could shed light on what happened behind the scenes and the documents that spoke to those events.
It is tragic, indeed a travesty, to see the lengths that elected officials are willing to go to maintain power, to sustain the status quo as established by our nation’s white majority of silver-spoon bearing, grey-haired men and women of similar ilk. The only other rationale, as we see it, is that members of the Senate fear the wrath of the president more than they respect the constituents whom they serve.
Once upon a time, if you believe the rhetoric, justice in America was blind — guaranteed and distributed equally for all U.S. citizens, regardless of race, religion, economic status, education or any other differences. It seems that such a notion, crucial to the workings of our nation’s highly-touted experiment, is nothing more than a lofty ideal.
In ancient history, it was the Roman Empire that fell to ruin because of its failure to provide for the fair and just welfare of all its citizens. But in modern history, in our refusal to learn from the pages of the past, America has taken a giant step backward, following in a path similar to that taken by the emperors, soothsayers and prognosticators of that once-mighty Roman Empire — a minority of men who held fiercely on to the reins of power and privilege at any cost.
Thus, the adage, “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” continues to illustrate a truth that now defines America — and the American way.