Selfishness, greed, criminal behaviour has been part of society but never to this level. Never to this fight to insist it be normalized and this is frightening.
"Nixon's world now feels impossibly distant. Today's anniversary shows us when presidential accountability actually worked, and demonstrates how far we've traveled from a time when even presidents understood that democracy had limits they couldn't cross."
Accountability feels incredibly lost. Lies rule. Even lying about lies. Exhausting. Yet we continue moving forward. We continue to fight for a good life for all.
A very worthy reflection. I was a jejeune bank employee when the hearings were televised. Horrible though Tricky Dick and his motley crew (Spiro Agnew, John Mitchell, and especially Martha Mitchell, while poor Mamie Eisenhower tippled and toddled around the Watergate Hotel), I never doubted his intelligence or the basic competence of his crew. Not so today. Trump is a thug, and is surrounded by grifters, shills, conspiracy theorists, and confidence men at every level and in every branch of government.
I tend to forget your professional background. You don’t really write about it all that often. My own professional background as it was is in scientific/engineering software. I do have an abiding love for mathematics and science but my deepest love has always been for literature and the philosophy of religion and how the sense of the sacred enters the human experience through literature. The big draw for me of what you have been doing is your clear sense of the sacred in nature. I joined the Sierra Club many years ago and went on a hike organized by them. When we found a spot to rest and snack, animated discussions of politics broke out. I was appalled. For me, being in nature is a sacred experience where being fully present in a state of awe at the incredible beauty of nature was how I did hikes. When I went on hikes with others this was implicitly understood. Sure we talked but more often our talks were about deeply personal subjects, never about politics which, for me, is about as far from sacred as you can get. Since you are a former diplomat your view of politics is undoubtedly much more finely nuanced than mine. In fact, it seems to me that diplomacy is the fine art of political nuance. Have you written any articles where you talk about how and why you saw the sense of the sacredness of life manifest in your work in diplomacy? For me, I see the purpose of the law as intrinsically founded on a deep respect and reverence for life as its purpose is to reduce revenge motivated violence. But the ugly truth is that much of law is about fortifying oligarchs who see war as a pleasurable pastime. I am sure the phrase often attributed to Clausewitz that peace is the time between wars when you prepare for the next war. Peace through strength was Clausewitz’s primary belief and there is some truth to that. However, there must be some people in the diplomatic world who believe that a sustainable culture that is in harmony with nature is a real possibility. As an insider I expect you could say something about the tension between those two perspectives and maybe point to people who have influenced your thinking in that direction.
Love this! I only learned about Watergate in school and it sounded like the normal thing to do - accountability and resignation. Enter 45/47 - and all that went out the window.
The contrast between then and now is startling to even the most jaded observers. Throughout history, occupants of the Oval Office have been flawed. Not perfect men, though a few may have come close, but even with their weaknesses, almost always they have held themselves as closely as possible to the high standard of being President of the United States of America. Until now…
“The core difference between 1974 and now is that Nixon acknowledged the evidence, admitted to shame, and resigned under pressure from both parties.”
Today, due to the lack of adherence to Constitution, democracy and their obligation to their oaths and constituents, the Republican Party has abandoned all pretense of leadership and integrity. Their leader’s moral turpitude has presented a Constitutional crisis of historic proportions. A member of the DOJ reflects the administration’s blatant sneering of the law by suggesting “telling judges “fuck you” and ignore court orders”.
The Dutch word ‘niksen’ - how ironic - perfectly describes the current Republican Party. “The House, Senate, and much of the judiciary have mastered the Dutch art of appearing busy while accomplishing absolutely nothing in terms of accountability.”
Selfishness, greed, criminal behaviour has been part of society but never to this level. Never to this fight to insist it be normalized and this is frightening.
"Nixon's world now feels impossibly distant. Today's anniversary shows us when presidential accountability actually worked, and demonstrates how far we've traveled from a time when even presidents understood that democracy had limits they couldn't cross."
Accountability feels incredibly lost. Lies rule. Even lying about lies. Exhausting. Yet we continue moving forward. We continue to fight for a good life for all.
"From Watergate's bipartisan courage to today's cowardice on the Epstein files"
How far we've come and how far we've dropped
A very worthy reflection. I was a jejeune bank employee when the hearings were televised. Horrible though Tricky Dick and his motley crew (Spiro Agnew, John Mitchell, and especially Martha Mitchell, while poor Mamie Eisenhower tippled and toddled around the Watergate Hotel), I never doubted his intelligence or the basic competence of his crew. Not so today. Trump is a thug, and is surrounded by grifters, shills, conspiracy theorists, and confidence men at every level and in every branch of government.
I tend to forget your professional background. You don’t really write about it all that often. My own professional background as it was is in scientific/engineering software. I do have an abiding love for mathematics and science but my deepest love has always been for literature and the philosophy of religion and how the sense of the sacred enters the human experience through literature. The big draw for me of what you have been doing is your clear sense of the sacred in nature. I joined the Sierra Club many years ago and went on a hike organized by them. When we found a spot to rest and snack, animated discussions of politics broke out. I was appalled. For me, being in nature is a sacred experience where being fully present in a state of awe at the incredible beauty of nature was how I did hikes. When I went on hikes with others this was implicitly understood. Sure we talked but more often our talks were about deeply personal subjects, never about politics which, for me, is about as far from sacred as you can get. Since you are a former diplomat your view of politics is undoubtedly much more finely nuanced than mine. In fact, it seems to me that diplomacy is the fine art of political nuance. Have you written any articles where you talk about how and why you saw the sense of the sacredness of life manifest in your work in diplomacy? For me, I see the purpose of the law as intrinsically founded on a deep respect and reverence for life as its purpose is to reduce revenge motivated violence. But the ugly truth is that much of law is about fortifying oligarchs who see war as a pleasurable pastime. I am sure the phrase often attributed to Clausewitz that peace is the time between wars when you prepare for the next war. Peace through strength was Clausewitz’s primary belief and there is some truth to that. However, there must be some people in the diplomatic world who believe that a sustainable culture that is in harmony with nature is a real possibility. As an insider I expect you could say something about the tension between those two perspectives and maybe point to people who have influenced your thinking in that direction.
Love this! I only learned about Watergate in school and it sounded like the normal thing to do - accountability and resignation. Enter 45/47 - and all that went out the window.
A great reflection. Thought provoking. Thank you.
And your niksen association is priceless.
The contrast between then and now is startling to even the most jaded observers. Throughout history, occupants of the Oval Office have been flawed. Not perfect men, though a few may have come close, but even with their weaknesses, almost always they have held themselves as closely as possible to the high standard of being President of the United States of America. Until now…
“The core difference between 1974 and now is that Nixon acknowledged the evidence, admitted to shame, and resigned under pressure from both parties.”
Today, due to the lack of adherence to Constitution, democracy and their obligation to their oaths and constituents, the Republican Party has abandoned all pretense of leadership and integrity. Their leader’s moral turpitude has presented a Constitutional crisis of historic proportions. A member of the DOJ reflects the administration’s blatant sneering of the law by suggesting “telling judges “fuck you” and ignore court orders”.
The Dutch word ‘niksen’ - how ironic - perfectly describes the current Republican Party. “The House, Senate, and much of the judiciary have mastered the Dutch art of appearing busy while accomplishing absolutely nothing in terms of accountability.”
Outstanding essay, thank you.