Unless you live under a rock you’ve heard the public impeachment hearings began in America yesterday. They’re being broadcast live on practically every airwave. There’s pre- and post-commentary. It’s a Big Freaking Deal.

I did the majority of my listening on our Echo or the car radio – I find it’s much less likely I’ll throw something when I don’t see every moment of this nutty with my actual eyeballs. It’s important, yes. It’s historic. It demands our attention, but there’s something to be said for protecting my sanity along with our flatscreen.

But this is a blog, after all, so here’s a few thoughts on day one.

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I’m flummoxed by the uproar about this process. Y’all were pissy when the hearings were closed despite the fact they were being held in accordance with impeachment rules Republicans put in place with a GOP majority in 2015. That’s right, you guys did this to yourselves. So now they’ve shifted to public hearings…and you’re STILL pissy?? Sorry, but saying whoops-a-daisy and feigning amnesia just isn’t an option. Next.

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whistle-blower (noun):
a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing.

First of all, no. You don’t need to question the whistleblower. If someone calls 911 to report a fire do you need to find the caller or can you talk to firefighters on the scene? We have oodles and oodles (totally a technical term) of corroboration – let’s keep our eye on the ball.

Second, for the love of all that’s holy, STOP DEMANDING WE OUT THE WHISTLEBLOWER. The Whistleblower Law protects someone against retaliation in the workforce but is strangely amorphous when it comes to an enveloping protection for the whistleblower’s identity.

“John McLaughlin, the former acting director of the CIA, said part of the reason why federal laws do not prohibit the president from outing a whistleblower is that the concept was never considered within the realm of possibility before Trump took office…

“But as with so many of our supposed laws, compliance depends largely on a sense of integrity and voluntary compliance,” McLaughlin said. “You just have to expect people to obey the law and the established practices, which of course in this administration has not always been the case.” “¹

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Pro tip: Treating career apolitical professionals who’ve dedicated their lives to service under presidents from both parties makes you look desperate. Also kinda rude. Just saying.

¹  Allyn, Bobby. “Can Trump Legally Out The Whistleblower? Experts Say It Would Not Violate Any Laws.” NPR: Politics. www.npr.org/2019/11/06/776481504/can-trump-legally-out-the-whistleblower-experts-say-it-would-not-violate-any-law. Date of Access 11/13/19.