Times that try the souls of Americans

Do you primarily see the Fire Hose of Falsehoods from Trump and his enablers in Congress and Fox News?

Or are you able to pierce through the fog and recognize that America has been here before... and survived?

Has there EVER been a time since 1776 without major domestic turmoil? History suggests there has not.

All the gated communities in the world (and all of the deficient k-12 social studies classes) can only keep us from realizing the reality for so long. Consider the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

Convinced by the summer of 1866 that congressional Republicans were out to get him [Andrew] Johnson toured the North and West and in a set of speeches remarkable for their vituperation, he shouted out to the crowd that he hadn't been responsible for recent riots, such as had occurred in Memphis or New Orleans. Blame Charles Sumner; blame Thad Stevens; blame Congress or anyone dubious about the Southern governments he had put into place, crackpot fanatics who wanted to give all people the vote, even in some cases women, regardless of color. Don't blame him.

The years right after the [Civil] war were years of blood and iron: bloody streets, iron men, oaths of allegiance, as they were called, in which former rebels swore their loyalty to the Union. But to what kind of Union government were they promising to be loyal? For these were years in which the executive and the legislature struggled to define, or redefine, the responsibilities of a representative government--and the question of who would be fairly represented. These were years of sound and fury, of fanaticism and terror, of political idealism and mixed motives, of double-dealing and high principle--and of racism, confusion, and fear. It was a time of opportunism, paranoia, pluck, and tragedy: tragedy for the nation, to be sure, and for individuals, often nameless, who lost their lives in the very, very troubled attempts to remake the country and to make it whole.

The nation was at a crossroads, and at the very center of that crossroads was impeachment. -- The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation, by Brenda Wineapple, 2019 (Random House), pg xxviii (the end of the Prologue)

On social media over the last three years, I've read lamentations from numerous friends reflecting various stages of concern over the destruction of American institutions brought on by Trump.

Look with me beyond the fatalism because America has on numerous occasions seen times that try men's (and women's) souls. Thanks in no small part to the wisdom and vision of the Founders, and determination of citizens [start here] at every juncture, our country has survived every time. Thomas Paine, who wrote The American Crisis may or may not have foreseen that the moment in which he penned the beginning of that pamphlet would only be the first of many crises.

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

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When Congress formally adopts Articles of Impeachment indicting Donald J Trump, I expect news enterprises will publish those Articles side by side with the 1998 Clinton Articles. If they don't, I will.

Beside the optimistic lessons of history, a couple of more recent incidents give hope that we will reach that light at the end of the tunnel before long.

In 2014, six years ago next month, Steve Yarbrough introduced SB1062, a bill to expand the definition of "person" in Arizona's Civil Rights statute (ARS § 41-1493.01) on the Free Exercise of Religion. Had SB1062 been enacted, here's who would be a person,

"Person" includes a religious assembly or institution ANY INDIVIDUAL, ASSOCIATION, PARTNERSHIP, CORPORATION, CHURCH, RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY OR INSTITUTION, ESTATE, TRUST, FOUNDATION OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY.

Not just PEOPLE, but businesses. This was a sneaky way to incorporate Dominionist (think "Sharia" with a "Christian" label on it) language into Arizona law. Primarily, the change was intended to limit the civil rights of LGBTQ people in Arizona.

Arizona citizens spoke out loudly. The NFL heard them. Jan Brewer heard the citizens AND the NFL. She vetoed SB1062.

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What does that have to do with impeaching Trump?

Despite what you will hear from Trump and his acolytes, there is deep and wide-spread disgust among Americans toward his administration. Here's the latest aggregate of polls showing his disapproval to be 53.6 percent, approval at 41.7 percent (does not add up to 100 percent, some people don't have an opinion).

What happened when Trump attended a World Series game in October this year?



You don't think the home team announcers prompted the fans to do that, do you?

Hypothetically, what do you think is going to happen when Trump's Articles of Impeachment are published side by side with the 1998 Clinton Articles?

Will political non-profits like Common Cause and others ORGANIZE campaigns to call, write and visit the offices of EVERY U.S. Senator?

Don't write off the Senate as refusing to convict Trump. There's ample evidence.

Non-violent protest DOES work.