“Inappropriate behavior” does not pass the civility test
January 31, 2020
Let us define civility as the decent behavior of a citizen on behalf of good citizenship for the communities in which they live.
In the USA, civility calls for good citizenship on behalf of our democratic (small d) institutions.
For persons elected to these institutions, civility calls for a dedication to the moral and ethical codes of truth, fairness, and basic decency that support our Constitution.
Our Senators took an oath in support of “impartial justice” at the beginning of the President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Those who voted not to hear witnesses betrayed that oath: the witness, John Bolton, had testimony to confirm the quid pro quo that was at heart of the trial. Those who voted not to hear witnesses breached the impartiality that undermines justice.
Their vote also breached the code of civility.
The breach showed a lack of courage—a failure to choose justice over partisanship and power politics, a failure to speak truth to power, never mind whether the decision might have colored the President’s State-of-the-Union address and tainted his electability and therefor Republican power.
Their breach picks up bad company. In deducing his behavior is tolerable, are we to accept his thousands of lies, derogation of women and opponents, veiled racism, buddying up with Putin, ignorance on issues of global warming and so forth?
There is no civility in this breach of impartiality. Let us hope that America’s voters remember the incivility inherent in the breach of impartial justice at the time of our President and Republican Senators’ re-election.
In the USA, civility calls for good citizenship on behalf of our democratic (small d) institutions.
For persons elected to these institutions, civility calls for a dedication to the moral and ethical codes of truth, fairness, and basic decency that support our Constitution.
Our Senators took an oath in support of “impartial justice” at the beginning of the President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Those who voted not to hear witnesses betrayed that oath: the witness, John Bolton, had testimony to confirm the quid pro quo that was at heart of the trial. Those who voted not to hear witnesses breached the impartiality that undermines justice.
Their vote also breached the code of civility.
The breach showed a lack of courage—a failure to choose justice over partisanship and power politics, a failure to speak truth to power, never mind whether the decision might have colored the President’s State-of-the-Union address and tainted his electability and therefor Republican power.
Their breach picks up bad company. In deducing his behavior is tolerable, are we to accept his thousands of lies, derogation of women and opponents, veiled racism, buddying up with Putin, ignorance on issues of global warming and so forth?
There is no civility in this breach of impartiality. Let us hope that America’s voters remember the incivility inherent in the breach of impartial justice at the time of our President and Republican Senators’ re-election.