Hope Springs Eternal
We dwell under the
misconception that the problems of life that we witness daily might be resolved
within our lifetimes. But that just
doesn’t happen. The same problems,
perhaps in a different guise, persist generation after generation.
The framers of our
Constitution thought they had it all fixed with their revolutionary
document. But that didn’t stop the Civil
War from killing 400,000 Americans with American bullets little more than 70
years later. Neither did the League of
Nations after World War One nor today’s United Nations fulfill their
promises. I recall being enthusiastic
over Congressman Aime Forand’s efforts for national health insurance back it
the 1950’s and 60’s. We did get Medicare
for seniors, but we are still struggling with the rest of the problem.
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| Alexander Pope |
Alexander Pope, the English
poet, said that “Hope springs eternal in the
human breast, man never is, but always to be, blessed.” The solutions to our problems always seem to
be right around the corner, but it’s a long, long, block to get to that corner,
particularly when government involvement is part of the answer, and it seems we never seem to get there. It almost feels like a novel by Franz Kafka.
Forget about the
Presidency. We can change it every four
years. Forget about the Congress. We can change Representatives every two years
and Senators, every six years. But we
cannot so easily change our Judicial system, which can overrule the other two
branches of our government. Supreme
Court and Appeals Court judges are appointed for life. Right now, it looks as if the corruption of
our court system with lifetime conservative appointees will prevent the
resolution of many of our problems not only during our lifetimes, but during that
of our children and grandchildren as well.
 |
| FDR in 1933 |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was
unsuccessful in trying to increase the numbers of Supreme Court Justices to
solve this problem. Democratic
murmurings about trying the same thing again once they are back in power
probably will not work either, and even if it does, the lower Courts of
Appeals’ conservative judges would still firmly sit in the way of reform.
Alexander
Pope had it right! Sorry about
that, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Jack Lippman
Meanwhile, Back at the Capitol
Two questions for the
President and the recalcitrant witnesses who show up at the House Judiciary Committee’s 'pre-impeachment' hearings:
(1)
What are you afraid of?
(2)
What are you hiding?
Every Democrat Committeeperson
should ask these two questions repeatedly during their interrogation of
reluctant witnesses, at least before they start and when they finish their
other questions. It may not elicit
answers, but it will impress viewers with the mendacity of these witnesses.
 |
| Lewandowski at House hearing - Seems the size of their American flag pins is directly proportional to the severity of the lies they tell |
This afternoon, former Trump campaign
manager Cory Lewandowski came close to having handcuffs put on him for his disrespectful
demeanor toward the House Judiciary Committee.
In view of what happened when he did manage to answer some questions, he only
succeeded in digging deep holes for himself and the President. I suspect any future witnesses who show up
will do so with duct tape over their mouths.
What are they afraid of? What are
they hiding? We already know. Most of it is in the Mueller Report! You remember that? That thing the President's Attorney General managed to coat with vanilla icing with sprinkles on it. Should the President be impeached, Barr might face a similar fate. That's what he would deserve since he refuses to serve his employer, the United States of America, and prefers to serve the President as his personal lawyer.
As you know, I feel this
carnival should be terminated and real Impeachment proceedings started, as required by the Constitution. Then, the duct tape will come off. And the President and Barr will be able to do little about it.
JL
Netanyahu Probably Out in Israel
Increasingly, it appears that
the close Israeli election will leave Bibi Netanyahu’s Likud Party a whisker
behind former General Benny Gantz’ Blue and White Party in the number of seats
each will have in the Israeli Knesset.
This will leave it to Gantz to try to recruit enough support from other
parties to form a Unity government in Israel.
Netanyahu was unable to do that in April, when Likud had won by a similar whisker. The Blue and White Party might have 32 seats, 29 short of
what is needed to form a Unity government.
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| Gantz |
JL
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