In this weeks congressional hearings, the Republicans, in an attempt to obstruct the process, are acting like out of control 2 year olds throwing themselves on the floor in the cereal isle.

They are pitching tantrums, objecting to everything, demanding suspension of the hearings, yelling out their disdain for the process and name calling committee chairs. Reminiscent of a Trump rally, they are comfortable with the childish name calling because they see Trump getting away with it.

Trump has mentally weakened our country, particularly the Republican Party. Others try to emulate Trump’s demeaning name calling by floating these tired terms, even some writers in this newspaper. It’s not funny anymore. Actually, it never was.

When you look at the overall picture of Donald Trump, it is a sad tale of an unchecked bully who was never corrected as a child, never punished as a teenager and allowed a pass by an accommodating society as an adult. And now our country is subjected to this one man crime wave who gets away with one thing and then moves on to another. Sadly he has enlisted the help of people who should know better.

Attorney General Barr has parroted three years of conspiracy theories by Trump and his followers who maintain the unfounded assertion that the Trump campaign was “spied on” by the former administration.

An investigation by his own Justice Department resulted in a report released Tuesday by the inspector general that completely debunks the idea. The AG then disputed the report, blasting career intelligence officials because they did not agree with something that he already knew was false. If we can’t rely on the attorney general to tell the truth and stand by the investigations of his own intelligence department, how far have we fallen? Barr is basically saying that the only ones telling the truth in the whole country is me and a couple of my cronies.

Trump then calls the FBI professionals “scum” because they don’t rubber stamp his lies and his crazed supporters cheer him on. Trump’s name calling, verbal abuse and manic tweeting only serve to magnify the bravery of the public servants who have come forward to tell the truth despite the barrage of criticism. People who tell the truth are not welcome in this administration.

Articles of impeachment have been drafted and voted on this very week and instead of offering some defense for his actions, an explanation or excuse, the president goes on a twitter rant of over a hundred tweets in 24 hours and on a tirade about flushing toilets.

And his enablers, rather than offering some thoughtful, scholarly discussion of the Constitution or democracy, instead try to emulate the presidents outrageous behavior by screaming and pounding the table. They disparage the process but not the crime. They say there is no crime, but it’s in the Constitution. They say we don’t know what the framers of the Constitution meant, but we know because they wrote it down. Somehow common sense no longer matters. Republicans refuse to get serious about the charges laid before them. If they believe that Trump is innocent, tell us why, but this time without the name calling and theatrics.

It is sad to watch. And the whole country, make that the whole world, has to witness these horrifying episodes and be upset and embarrassed for them.

The evidence is clear and indisputable. All antics aside.

President Trump abused his power by withholding aid to Ukraine.

President Trump bribed a foreign leader to solicit interference in our elections.

President Trump obstructed Congress by demanding that everyone not cooperate in the investigation of his crimes. And for those reasons he must and will be impeached.

They can continue to obstruct the process, throw congressional tantrums, tweet, threaten and disparage but the evidence remains clear.

If we are ever to trust our elections again, ever to think they are fair, then we must stop this now.

And the remedy written in the King’s English in the Constitution is impeachment.

To say that impeachment is a “sham” is to say that our Constitution, indeed our very democracy is a sham. How can our lawmakers who took an oath to uphold that Constitution call it all a sham?