The big question: Can
anyone trust president?
It looks likely the House of Representatives will impeach Donald Trump on a purely party-line vote. It is just as likely the Senate will not convict him. So, big waste of time, right? Regardless of which side you are on, we all should be concerned about one thing. Can we trust our president?
There seems to be no disputing the facts in the Ukrainian controversy. Donald Trump himself admitted on camera on the driveway of the White House that he asked the Ukrainians to investigate the Bidens. He said China should also. Phone transcripts and firsthand witness testimony supports it. The story from the White House is that they held up the military aid to the Ukraine to gain assurance that there was no corruption. However, the only corruption Trump seemed to be concerned with was that of his political rival.
Now the dispute in Congress is not over whether or not he did it, but whether or not it rises to the level of impeachment. After all, it's just politics! And maybe they have a point if looking at this as an isolated lack of judgment. But even though the Mueller investigation could find no evidence of criminal conspiracy in the 2016 campaign, the investigation revealed mounds of evidence that Trump eagerly welcomed all the assistance that Russia and Wikileaks could provide. The lack of an actual conspiracy may have been due to lack of opportunity more than lack of willingness. So, we know Trump was willing to hold the interests of the United States hostage for personal political gain in a small potatoes Ukrainian deal. Now you have to ask yourself, what are the limits on what he is willing to bargain away for his own personal or political gain? What did he bargain away in his first meeting with Putin, when there was no one else in the room? Or in a second meeting where he confiscated the translator's notes and destroyed them?
Turkey and Russia are in the process of carving up Syria with the price tag being the homeland of our friends the Kurds. Russia is expanding its influence in eastern Europe and the Middle East. All with no objections from, if not the outright support of, our president. The issue of Russian interference with the 2016 election was never really resolved. And because there was no price to pay for 2016, Trump is kicking off the 2020 interference campaign with Ukraine.
"He who is dishonest in very small matters is dishonest in great ones also." Luke 16:10.
Who do you trust?
Dan Kees
Holidsay Island
Republicans should stand
for the country, Arkansas
Recently, when the Republican lawmakers marched into the secure room in the House, the only thing missing was Tiki torches and hoods. To me, that showed the whole Republican party has caught the deadly career killer, Trump-ites, which there is no cure for besides to fill their pockets as full as possible before they're voted out or retire.
So, Arkansas, I'm calling out Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Leslie Rutledge, Tim Griffin, Steve Womack, Tom Cotton and John Boozman to stand up for what's right for our country and state and to rebuke their endorsements for Trump. All the Republican senators and representatives should vote to remove Trump from office if they want to keep Arkansas the Natural State instead of another state with ongoing environmental problems.
We have to stop Trump-ites before it turns Arkansas into another sick state, and that means to turn our state blue again.
The Republicans have backed this crooked man and even Asa Hutchinson is trying to kill our American health care because it costs too much money.
Republicans even are going to jail here in Arkansas. Yes, it looks to me like we need to drain our swamps and take the alligators and snakes out, and send those to Trump.
Go Blue.
Billy Long
Fayetteville
Commentary on 11/07/2019