Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
I've been watching bits and pieces of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, and it is plain to me that partisanship is overwhelming reason and any semblance of jurisprudence.
The trial will be over before this column is published.
If it were a criminal case, not just a decision on whether Trump will be allowed to run for office again, I would be impressed with the Democrats' prosecution and their appeals to the emotions of the jury, who also happen to be the victims of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol at the center of Trump's impeachment.
Their presentation, however, does not meet the standard of “beyond reasonable doubt,” that would apply in a criminal case. The Democrats are hoping (without much hope) that enough Republicans will be convinced of Trump's culpability in inflaming the rioters that they will vote to convict the former president of offenses that would prevent him from holding high public office again.
I am not convinced that Trump intended to inspire the angry mob he addressed on Jan. 6 to commit violence at the Capitol, but his words ignited the violence to which they were predisposed, no matter what he really wanted them to do.
Trump has shown time and again he has about as much capacity for empathy as a pit bull trained to the fighting ring.
As I watch the trial play out, though, I am disappointed that sober, mature, adult judgment is not the key to the outcome. It's just plain politics at a time when politics is not adult pursuit. Each side is more interested in reacting equivalently to aggression from the other than in promoting policy and constructive action.
In contrast, I saw another very adult debate play out and come to a decision that defied conventional wisdom, but still reflected a consensus.
I listened in on a Santa Rosa Consolidated School District board meeting called to reach a decision on whether and how to reopen the district's schools in response to state authorization for partial reentry as COVID-19 numbers improve.
Some parents favored keeping schools closed, because they didn't want their children or elderly family members exposed to COVID-19. Others were concerned that kids learn better when surrounded by their peers and able to interact with a live teacher, even while acknowledging the risks.
Nearly all, however, recognized the validity of opposing opinions, and said they could live with the board's decision.
High school students pleaded for a return to competitive sports but were fully aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences.
The board adopted Superintendent Martin Madrid's recommendation to open the high school on Monday and decide on other opening dates later. One board member dissented but accepted defeat gracefully.
Conventional wisdom says the youngest students are the ones who most need to be in the classroom. Teachers, however, said the severe classroom restrictions - masks, distancing, being stuck at a desk for seven hours - made the little ones miserable.
But everybody listened, and both sides gave ground. Wouldn't we all like to see that kind of adult conflict resolution in Washington?
Steve Hansen writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at: