Senators, it’s time for removal
This is yet another request that as their constituent in Arizona, I implore Sens. Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema to vote for the removal of Donald J. Trump. He is unfit for office and is a criminal who sought foreign interference to aid himself in the upcoming election in 2020.
Donald Trump is a grifter and a criminal. He has made America a laughingstock. The only way to make America great again is to remove this Russian asset and protect our democracy. The way McSally and Sinema vote will most certainly influence the way I vote when they are up for election next.
Kelley Ireland
North side
Trump acts like he has a lot to hide
Trump has been impeached and it all could have been easily avoidable. Trump has professed his innocence and yet has thrown up barriers which would help him. Why would an innocent man not want to release the tapes of the “perfect” phone call? Why would an innocent man not want to release the documents of that call instead of locking them up? Why would an innocent man block staff members from testifying at the hearings?
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One would think you would rush them to testify, extolling your innocence. As none of these actions took place, the questions answer themselves. The president did violate the Constitution and is being held accountable. The saddest part of this presidency is that instead of uniting us, Trump has driven a wedge between us. For those Republicans who think their president is a true Republican, think twice. In 1987 he was a Republican, 1999 Independent Party of New York, 2001 a Democrat, 2009 Republican, 2011 independent and 2012 a Republican again. A confused man.
Fred DiNoto
Northwest side
Pelosi is smarter than the GOP
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is absolutely correct to not send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is functionally the head judge in the Senate trial, is assuring the plaintiff, Trump, that he will be exonerated with a quick vote. Once again, the judge is assuring the plaintiff of the outcome of his trial! What kind of trail is that?
The Republican-led Senate will not even hear from the witnesses who were told not to answer House subpoenas. Pelosi is correct not to allow the Republican-led Senate to bury Trump’s crimes and give Trump the appearance of innocence through a fake trial. Let the impeachment stand alone as the indictment of the constitutional crimes of this corrupt president.
The really sad part of all of the issues regarding Trump and the GOP is that it takes maturity and integrity to admit you backed the wrong guy for President. It is immaturity and a lack of integrity to continually try to convince the American people that Trump even remotely resembles an American president. The Republican Senate needs to face the facts and put their “big person pants” on and end this national embarrassment.
Richard Bechtold
West side
No innocence left to prove
Now that the president is impeached, Nancy Pelosi is right to hold on to the articles and not send them to Moscow Mitch until he assures America of a transparent fair trial in the Senate. If Republicans are upset about this I would remind them of the McConnell holdup of a Supreme Court appointment for a year or more.
McConnell has now begun to reap what he has sown in the body politic. I applaud the speaker for her tactic to assure a fair and full trial for this president so he can finally present any defense he has yet to unload.
So far, the president has yet to mount a defense on the facts established on record and under oath. If he is innocent of these charges let him provide a factual presentation and defense in public view in the U.S. Senate. My bet is he will not
Donald Shelton
Northwest side
A presidential embarrassment
Re: the Dec. 20 letter “Why were Bush, Obama not impeached?”
Every president has made mistakes, and all have hidden various things from the American people for equally various reasons, many of which only history can ultimately judge. I doubt this will ever change.
The difference between past presidents and Trump (aside from their being decent human beings) is that they operated on the basis of what they felt was right for the country. Trump, on the other hand, is a self-absorbed, sociopathic liar who operates solely on the basis of what serves himself. He has zero concept of public service, is foolishly impulsive and acts without thought to long-term considerations. He falsely equates his self-interest with America’s, and his vulgar persona debases the presidency.
Oh, and if you want to talk about “hate-filled people,” just check out the savagery of the typical Trump rally audience. The more disgusting Trump’s vile rhetoric becomes, the louder they cheer. “Lord of the Flies,” anyone?
Victor Gastelum
East side
Mountain View hood fighting for its character
The Mountain View Neighborhood has been fighting the approval of the Mountain Enclave Subdivision for 19 months. We believe that City Planning and Zoning is not following city code as spelled out in the Flexible Lot Development and the Unified Development Code. On Dec. 17, the mayor and council voted 6-1 to delay final plat approval to discuss with Planning and Zoning the discrepancy between the very clear code requirements and Planning and Zoning approval of the tentative plat and the final plat which they forwarded to mayor and council for routine approval.
Kudos to Councilman Steve Kozachik, Vice Mayor Paul Cunningham and Mayor Regina Romero for asking pertinent questions to city staff and urging a delay to discuss this issue further. This is a very encouraging sign that the new mayor and council are interested in transparency and the rule of law as pertains to city code. Thank you.
Skip Buffum
North side
Looking toward
a tenuous tomorrow
Trump is a man of weak morals, an unmitigated catastrophe in America and the world. This is no longer whispered at NATO meetings or within allied U.S. global headquarters. The Trump devastation is celebrated in China, rocketed in North Korea, and welcomed at the Kremlin. In Turkey and Saudi Arabia, leaders applaud America’s failings.
Trump loves autocrats. He wishes he was one with total power, no term limits, forced popularity, and the ability to shut down critics. Trump surrounds himself with the worst elements of society, a group with questionable morals, where primitive instincts prevail through limited intellectual skills. He builds subservient support from the docile and gullible, with scarce convictions of their own. He appeals to essential human weakness because it’s easier for people to agree on negatives, to hate, to envy, to be destructive, while being afraid. The man intimidates with fear and cynicism. Above all, Trump’s masses are universally committed to the leader regardless of what he says or does.
Today, tomorrow is in doubt!
Jerry Wilkerson
SaddleBrooke
Finally, a voice
of evangelical dissent
After three years of profanity, lies, slandering, name-calling and covering up infidelity, someone among the evangelicals has finally called out President Trump. Mark Galli, editor of Christianity Today, recently wrote an editorial calling for Trump’s removal. This is not about Ukraine, tariffs, climate control or immigration. This is not “liberals” accused of hating Trump. This is about the core values of Christianity, the Ten Commandments and morality.
Review the Ten Commandments and do a checklist for the president. Probably murder is the only one he has not violated, even though he said he could get away with it. As Galli commented, while being pro-life is critically important, it cannot outweigh the other Christian values Trumps has discarded.
And neither can white evangelicals and any of us who call ourselves Christians. It is time evangelicals listened to one of their own and not the president.
John Kautz
Midtown
