In a civilized society, between the partisanship of warring sides ought to stand principles and rules of engagement. These principles form the moral backbone that allows a society to function effectively even in the midst of heated debate. Without these principles we just become marauding animals who squabble and fight using any means necessary to win, devolving into a failed state.
The impeachment hearings aren’t about my tribe vs. your tribe, as much as the media wants to make it sound that way. It’s about whether we all must live and adhere to principles in our dealing with others.
Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times offered this analogy to what’s going on in Washington: Imagine, he says, that you are a police officer whose child was expelled from school. You go to talk to the principal, and he says: “I’ll allow your child to return but you have to do something for me first. I’m divorcing my wife and I want you to investigate her and see if she’s having an affair.” We all would recognize this solicitation as an abuse of power, and certainly our Founding Fathers did. They wrote that such bribery is forbidden and an impeachable offense.
This is what the impeachment inquiry is about. It’s not a hoax. It’s about the misuse of power for personal gain – a moral offense as well as being unlawful. As we listen and weigh the evidence, let us, as a moral people, side with upholding ethical principles and not just our partisan political party.
WAYNE FULLER
Concord