I’m not going to write about the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump which occurred on December 18, 2019, by a vote of 230 to 197 at 8:34 p.m. Abuse of Power. The vote on Obstruction of Congress came eighteen minutes later, also passing. The President has been impeached with two separate counts.
I’m only mentioning this as a historical note for my blog, so that it has been recognized here. By the time this blog hits the airwaves all of you will have read about this a dozen times over. We all knew it was coming. The day is here. I wanted to record it for posterity.
I will, however, write about a kid named Dougy, and his Mom, Louisa, who live in a modest four room apartment on the east side. Dougy’s Dad left the apartment a few years ago. He said he was going out for vaping refills, and he never came back.
Anyway, Dougy was quite the handful. One day, his Mother asked him if he had done his homework. Dougy said, “Nope. And I won’t. All the stuff in those history books is fake. It is a hoax. So, no, I won’t.” She said, “Doug, just because you don’t feel like following the rules, doing your work, and learning about history, doesn’t make something a hoax.” She took him by the ear, and put him at the kitchen table, books open in front of him.
That afternoon, they went to the park. As a treat, they each got an ice cream from Benny’s Good Ice Cream Truck. Dougy unwrapped his Bombcycle and threw the paper on the ground. Louisa said, “Pick that up young man. That’s littering.” He retorted, “That’s not littering. Littering is a hoax. That paper will just go away.” Louisa shook her head. “Just because it might mean a few extra steps for you, to have a cleaner park, doesn’t make littering a hoax, or a fake thing.” She took him by the ear, made him pick up the paper, and had him put it in the trash bin.
A few minutes later, they bumped into one of Dougy’s classmates. Louisa overheard them talking. Dougy said, “Oh sure, we are very rich. We can make you rich too, all you have to do is trust me. If you follow me around and do what I tell you, one day, you’ll have as much money as me. I am great, you see. The greatest, richest, smartest kid, ever to walk on this earth.” Louisa took Dougy by the ear, put his ice cream in the trash can, and walked him home. “Dougy,” she said, “None of that was true. I don’t understand how you can tell lie after lie.”
That night, while getting ready for bed, he tossed all his clothes on the floor. Louisa, dismayed, said, “Doug. Put your dirty laundry in the basket. It is all a part of your chores.” He snapped, “No I won’t. Chores are a big hoax. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and chores are just fake news.” Louisa was at wits end. For the past three years he had acted this way in every single thing he did.
So. She took him by the ear, straight next door, to the large house on the block, where a bunch of Representatives lived. There, Dougy was reprimanded on all counts of being an arrogant, lying, manipulative human being. The following year, the entire neighborhood took a big vote, and they gave her a brand new kid. She was better for it. Dougy was just a temporary kid, anyway.
And, they went back to living the good old American Way, of liberty and justice for all. Dougy grew up and got some reality TV show where he fired people so he could feel like he was in power. People watched.
Don’t sit around and watch.
Then end.
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We’re in very bad trouble if we don’t understand the planet we’re trying to save.
— Carl Sagan
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A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
— Mahatma Gandhi
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There are plenty of recommendations on how to get out of trouble cheaply and fast. Most of them come down to this: Deny your responsibility.
— Lyndon B. Johnson
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