Yesterday was the first day of impeachment hearings.\u00a0\u00a0Now, I will no longer be in a small, select group of \u201cgeeks\u201d who read transcripts and download opening statements.\u00a0\u00a0This was the day when the rest of the nation will see what I see.\u00a0\u00a0They will know that the President of the United States uses the powers of his office and our tax money to further his own personal goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know that there will still be many: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand\u201d (Matthew 13:13).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n They will not believe what is clearly in front of them. Like Senator Lindsey Graham:\u00a0\u00a0\u201c\u2026their eyes they have closed\u201d (Matthew 13:14).<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0They are blinded by their commitment to Donald Trump and will not know the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But maybe a lot of undecided Americans will finally see it.\u00a0\u00a0And maybe, even those folks who ignored all the previous Trumpian nonsense will be drawn to listen. Now it\u2019s in their face, on every channel: \u00a0ABC, CNN, CBS, C-SPAN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, and PBS.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>It\u2019s live on radio, and streaming on the web.\u00a0\u00a0Like Lindsey Graham, they would have to choose to be ignorant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vladimir Putin is leading Russia to a \u201creturn to empire.\u201d Putin\u2019s goal is to bring Russia back to the \u201cheydays\u201d of the Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain. His first step is to regain the \u201clost\u201d Soviet states: Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova; and by far the largest and most important, Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine contained the Soviet Union\u2019s access to the Black Sea.\u00a0\u00a0Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula, is a main naval base, home of the Soviet-now-Russian, Black Sea Fleet.\u00a0\u00a0When the Soviet Union broke apart, Russia maintained a \u201clease\u201d on the base.\u00a0\u00a0In 2014, Putin sent Russian troops to seize the entire region from Ukraine.\u00a0\u00a0He still maintains Russian troops there today, and continues to attack the Ukrainian Eastern border.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States supports democracy in the former Soviet states, and has countered the Russian forces on their borders. Today, US forces are stationed in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. But Ukraine is the \u201cpoint of the spear\u201d against Russian aggression, and critical geography for Russian expansion. 14,000 Ukrainians have died defending their nation in the past five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US support is critical to Ukraine\u2019s survival as a nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The testimony yesterday, and more importantly, the White House issued summary of President Trump\u2019s conversation with President Zelenskiy on July 25th<\/sup>\u00a0is clear.\u00a0\u00a0President Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, and the \u201cCrowdStrike\u201d 2016 election conspiracy.\u00a0\u00a0If the conversation didn\u2019t deliver the message, it was later made clear by US diplomats. The Ukrainian government knew that both a White House meeting and Ukrainian military aid were dependent on those investigations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reluctantly, President Zelenskiy scheduled an interview with CNN, and prepared to announce investigations of CrowdStrike and the Biden\u2019s. Then the \u201cWhistleblower\u201d report became public, and, surprise, the Ukrainian military aid was delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Republicans made a huge point of saying that President Zelenskiy said there was no \u201cpressure\u201d to investigate.\u00a0\u00a0The Republicans’ claim that is proof there was no \u201coffer the Ukrainians couldn\u2019t refuse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Zelenskiy continues to depend on future US aid; assistance that is still under Trump\u2019s control. It should come as no surprise that Zelenskiy isn\u2019t \u201ccrossing\u201d Trump now; it is in the best interest of Ukraine to maintain the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a long day of listening.\u00a0\u00a0Ambassador Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent told us what happened in Ukraine, and stuck by their guns against misdirection.\u00a0\u00a0They were exactly as advertised:\u00a0\u00a0non-partisan officials who have spent most of their lives supporting the policies of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both Taylor and Kent made it clear that President Trump was asking for a deal, the dreaded \u201cquid pro quo,\u201d for Ukraine to receive military aid.\u00a0\u00a0The Republican defense of Trump seems to be:\u00a0\u00a0it never happened.\u00a0\u00a0The aid was delivered: no investigations were promised.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re right. That\u2019s because the Trump Administration is the \u201cgang that can\u2019t shoot straight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Zelenskiy scheduled a press conference with CNN in New York. Before that conference could take place, the whistleblower report was revealed.\u00a0\u00a0Soon after, the aid was forwarded to Ukraine.\u00a0\u00a0The \u201cquid\u201d was delivered; there was no need for a \u201cquo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Trump was caught offering a bribe to Ukraine for investigations.\u00a0\u00a0After that, he gave them the \u201cbribe\u201d anyway.\u00a0\u00a0Now he\u2019s saying they got what they wanted, so what\u2019s the offense?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we are faced with these odd facts once again.\u00a0\u00a0As long as the President and his \u201cgang\u201d screws up and gets caught, then supposedly they didn\u2019t do anything wrong.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s the same defense used in the Mueller Report.\u00a0\u00a0They didn\u2019t know talking to the Russians was wrong, they weren\u2019t organized enough to work with anyone. They couldn\u2019t even work with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Special Counsel Mueller even accepted the \u201cwe didn\u2019t know\u201d defense. The long-standing phrase, \u201cignorance of the law is no excuse\u201d actually wasn\u2019t true. Donald Trump Jr. claimed he didn\u2019t know he shouldn\u2019t take information from the Russians, that it violated campaign laws. Mueller noted that, and failed to bring charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUkraine is Important<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Protection <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Honorable Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Attempted Crime is Crime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n