Impeachment proceedings

This past week of impeachment hearings was certainly a trying time for me, as I listened to official testimonies, partisan bickering and analyses by media commentators.  That facts are seen through different filters we choose to wear over our eyes is a well-known cliché, and that the proceeding will not change the partisan divide in our country is an unfortunate but viable conclusion for now. 

Yet the week did not end in despair for me. It actually renewed my faith in America: that sooner or later, corrupt power can be challenged, constitutional checks and balances mean something, and most of all, that we can count on brilliant, dedicated and courageous civil servants in our government to carry out their duties in times of political turmoil. Personified in the dignity of Dr Hill and other officials, they are truly the under-recognized heroes of our democracy and represent the impeccable image that projects American power and values in the world.

(Published in the Gazette Times, Corvallis, OR, Nov 25, 2019)