Sounding off: On impeachment, no courage in the Senate

The authority of the U.S. Constitution fades as sections dealing with impeachment are ignored by President Trump and his Republican allies. Trump gets away with abusing power by ordering witnesses with firsthand knowledge of his impeachable acts — Bolton, Pompeo, Mulvaney, McGahn, Giuliani — to ignore subpoenas by smearing those who comply, while inviting senators, who will ultimately decide his guilt, to lunch with him at the White House. He breaks bread with prospective jurors in his impeachment trial. The Founders must be rolling in their graves.

Unlike most trials, we know how this one will end. Trump will be impeached and spineless senators will find him not guilty. Where are the Howard Bakers and Caldwell Butlers, who placed country above party during the Nixon impeachment? We now have sycophants like Pat Toomey and toadies like Guy Reschenthaler. We have the rudeness and ignorance of Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan. Congressional Republicans have disgraced the oath they swore to uphold and sunk to new lows since impeaching President Clinton for lying about sex while defending Trump who lies about national security.

Those courageous career public servants who testified in the impeachment inquiry made me proud. One political appointee, who earned his ambassadorship by contributing $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, is the exception, even though he, too, said “yes” to the quid pro quo question.

While most Americans still enjoy this land of the free, the U.S. Senate fails us as home of the brave. No profiles in courage there.

Glenn R. Plummer, Unity

Attack on Yovanovitch was cruel

Even in this era of “alternative facts,” of reason being stood on its head, Elizabeth Gaston Barsoum’s letter “Yovanovitch’s intimidation claim laughable” is stunning for its cruelty and lack of compassion.

One of the lowest lows in an administration which perpetrates atrocities on an almost daily basis was President Trump’s smear campaign against former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, an honorable individual who served 33 years in the federal government under presidents of both major political parties until the advent of the bull-in-the-china-shop presidency.

Under Trump, the ambassador somehow became “bad news,” an individual whom “trouble” followed. She was yanked from her post in the midst of diplomatic duty she was performing and without explanation ordered to come home on the next flight. Trump said Yovanovitch would be “going through some things,” what I view as an implicit threat to her safety from the most powerful man in the world, one who has endorsed violence.

During her testimony before Congress, Trump viciously attacked her — by tweet, of course, the preferred path of a coward. To Barsoum, I guess this was nothing, Yovanovitch’s fears overblown and a sign of weakness, something that Barsoum, who said she is a former Foreign Service employee, would have us believe she would graciously accept since she is tougher than Yovanovitch. Shame on you.

Oren Spiegler, Peters

Proof of God’s existence

In response to the letter “Atheism & politics,” stating that “we live in the information age, and the more you know, the less religious you become”: Hopefully the quest for information continues with an open mind — as there is more than ample scientific evidence available now that fully supports the existence of God.

For example, the physical, chemical and gravitational properties of our planet and atmosphere to sustain life (virtually impossible to occur by itself, without a grand designer); the numerous medical miracles at Lourdes; the tilma of Juan Diego at Guadalupe; the Eucharistic miracles over the centuries — consecrated Hosts transforming into human heart tissue. All scientifically verified. Just to name a few. Check them out.

A little time in research with an open mind can open the door to some wondrous discoveries. A leap of faith may still be needed, but with all the credible evidence now available, the leap’s been reduced to a mere step — into the embrace of a loving God and Savior.

Conversely, and sadly, studies show the correlation of depression and bad endings with religiously unaffiliated persons. Nobody wants that.

Don Spaeder, Murrysville

We must stop gerrymandering

We, as in you and I, must stop gerrymandering. Five justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have failed us, and so we must rely on the state to eliminate gerrymandering.

Let me be clear about this: Those who gerrymander admit their ideas do not represent the people. They fail the people because they draw lines on state maps, rather than solve state problems. They gerrymander to stay in power, not to serve the people.

Instead of mindlessly drawing lines, let the party with the best ideas represent the people. Any legislator who promotes gerrymandering does not represent the people of his or her district or our state.

Everyone who respects democracy should oppose this practice, or it will subvert the government, pervert the vote and enrich the brainless. There are bills in the House and Senate to stop gerrymandering. Tell your legislators to take action to stop this undemocratic activity and build a more representative government.

J. Michael Atherton, Hempfield

Why are atheists offended?

My question to letter-writer Courtney Hodge “Atheism & politics”: Why do atheists like yourself get so offended by people who recognize and worship God? Do you get offended by other religions?

If you believe there is no God who created and loves you, why do you care about where the Ten Commandments or other religious things are posted or placed? I don’t like to see Satanistic signs or behavior, or anything saying there is no God, but I won’t threaten or be sarcastic about it. Love wins over hate every time.

Try proving the King James Christian Bible wrong, then see what happens. I would ask you to look back in history when our country had love and respect for God and how much more love and peace we enjoyed in America.

Norma Musloe, Brackenridge

Impeachment hearings are a coup attempt

These impeachment hearings are basically the Democrats trying to damage a Republican presidential candidate who they say tried to get information on a Democratic presidential candidate for his vice presidential threat to cut off aid if Ukraine didn’t fire a prosecutor. Also, Joe Biden’s son got a board position for an industry he didn’t know jack about. (Could Biden throw his weight around without the consent of Barack Obama?)

The Democratic leader of these hearings seems to be making up judicial rules as he goes along and continually denies Trump his basic constitutional right to face his accuser. The whistleblower’s lawyers offer to only answer some questions and to do that in writing. Ha — Judge Judy would blow a gasket if a person in her court would only answer in writing.

This kangaroo court is out of hand. Our government is tripartite (executive, legislative, judicial). They are overstepping their power by trying to tell the executive what he may or may not do. They also are acting like the judicial has to stay on the sidelines throughout.

It looks like the judicial will sit on their butts and not act before the coup takes hold. Will they exist after the coup? Don’t they have a job to protect the Constitution? I recommend they act now or their credibility will sink to that of Congress.

George Biskup, Penn Township, Westmoreland County

Editor’s note: The right to face your accuser is guaranteed in a criminal trial by the Sixth Amendment. It does not apply to impeachment.

Government is broken

Let’s face it: The government of the United States is hopelessly broken. There may be no recovering from the damage to its structure.

The impeachment hearings are a Democratic ruse to capture the House and Senate in the next election, along with the presidency. Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t vote for President Trump, didn’t vote for him before, but the Democrats are portraying themselves as complete idiots. Pick a strong candidate, back him, run a good campaign and vote Trump out. This whole campaign just shows the total fear the Democrats have of Trump.

What happened to politicians working together, Democrat or Republican, for the people, and for the country? That’s what all parties are supposed to be doing, but they’re not. How can this country run effectively when the parties disagree on all matters based on which party introduced the agenda?

The politicians seem to have forgotten their reason for being elected. The whole idea is to represent the people and country. I’m for voting them all out and starting over, electing politicians who remember what they’ve been elected to do. Unfortunately, I’m afraid we will never see that again in this country, and that’s the biggest travesty of all.

Vote them all out and start fresh; that might be the only fix. And even then there will never be a guarantee the parties will ever work together again, and that’s the real fear.

Lee Carnahan, Plum