Letters to the editor: Impeachment, women
Impeachment
With the impeachment trial just days away, it will be interesting to know if our Republican senators will remember the oath to office they took “to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help me God.” According to Mitch McConnell’s statements, they are not going to call witnesses, vote “NO” and acquit Mr. Trump very quickly. Makes you wonder why they are all so afraid to have people testify and how very different this would be proceeding if this were a Democrat in office.
My dad used to say you can tell a lot about a man if you just stand back and watch. I guess how true that is by watching and listening to Mr. Trump’s words and actions the past three years. Definitely no honor or truth there. So, senators, it is up to you to show the country exactly what kind of morals and backbone you have with your vote to impeach Mr. Trump. Time to step up to the plate. Are you the man people think you are or are you the mouse?
Linda Barrett-VanNortwick, Nampa
Women
We who have been born owe our lives to our mothers. Female/male, we were born from our mother. Our mothers, whether we had a good relationship with her or not, made sacrifice for nine months, often longer nourishing us, making it possible to have a life.
Men make their contribution, yet it’s the woman who makes true sacrifice. Men can and sometimes do walk away. For children born, the mother did not walk away. They alone carried the child in their belly; they alone gave birth, often at great cost. Men don’t birth children.
What might that fact imply? That girls and women be given deep respect and honor, knowing we owe our lives to the female, our mothers. Girls and women know this truth. Boys and men often don’t truly get this fact. To the extent we don’t, this diminishes our ability to respect and honor girls and women for their life giving gifts and potential.
What is the evidence for this? Do we act as if females are second class citizens, objects to be marginalized and dominated rather than embraced as fully equal human beings?
Without mother’s sacrifice we wouldn’t be. What will we do with her gift?
William Fowkes, Boise
Impeachment
To convict or excuse Trump seems to be the question — and listening to Sens. McConnell and Graham, the conclusion seems predetermined. But the real question should be: Will Republicans honor their oath of office to protect the country and the Constitution? Failing to have an actual trial by not calling witnesses or seeking additional documents says the party is more important than the truth.
The facts certainly suggest that Trump either directly, or through his staff and agent Rudy Giuliani, used the weight of his office and the U.S. to pressure Ukraine to conduct an investigation for Trump’s personal political gain. The fact that the funds were released without any investigation is irrelevant, since Trump was aware of the pending public disclosures regarding these threats.
Senators are expected to be impartial jurors, to review every document and listen to every witness. Juries are entitled to hear from witnesses called by the Plaintiff and Defendant. I hope Senators Crapo and Risch will support calling witnesses and examine additional relevant documents without exclusion. The truth and the Constitution are not unique to any party and should not be disregarded just to even the score for past offenses by Democrats.
Peter Lucier, Boise
