Carole Simpson

A Vicious White House Celebration

Feb 7, 2020 | Bad Behavior, Something. To. Say., Trump

A Vicious White House Celebration

Hello Everybody…I have something to say about Trump’s acquittal celebration at the White House.

I told you he wouldn’t be found guilty of abusing his power and obstructing Congress. I told you. Senate Republicans saw to that, and even though some of them said after the trial that Trump had done something bad, it wasn’t bad enough to remove him from office. Oh, really. I believe many Senate Republicans think Trump was guilty but they wouldn’t vote that way. They’re scared to death of Trump.

At the White House, did the president show the slightest remorse for putting the country through the nightmare of his impeachment? Hell, no. He spent an hour giving a rambling, dissembled and hate-filled speech. It wasn’t a speech, it was just words, random paragraphs about all kinds of things.  Like how he was a victim and yet, the best president we ever who did so much for the country. But most of the time was used to viciously attack Nancy Pelosi, the House Democrats who impeached him, oh, and the FBI.

Folks, I have great fear that Donald Trump feels that he can now do whatever he wants, whenever he wants without impunity. We may have created a dictator, a monster.

Until next time.

Impeachment Crazy

Jan 28, 2020 | Bad Behavior, Congress, Republicans, Something. To. Say., Trump

Impeachment Crazy

Hello Everyone:

      I have something to say about Donald Trump’s Impeachment Trial. It’s Crazy Town.       

      I have watched many hours of the coverage. I heard the Democratic House Managers lay out their case against the President. They made compelling arguments that Trump should be removed from office because he abused his power and obstructed Congress. They had evidence. And Congressman Adam Schiff was eloquent.

       And then I watched Trump’s defense lawyers lay out their case for Trump to remain in office because he didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t abuse his power because he is all-powerful. Oh, really. But they had no evidence. They tried to mount scholarly arguments that the impeachment law didn’t apply to Trump, and they also lied. Why not, they represent Trump and he lies all the time.

      It’s all too sad. Because witnesses or not, the fix is in. The Republican Senators, like lemmings, will follow Mitch McConnell into the sea. Trump will remain in office.

            And who’s going to suffer over the next eight or nine months of his term—maybe even four more years? We will. The American people. And our country.

            If that’s not what you want, then you better get out there and vote. Not only in November but in your primaries and caucuses that will be coming up.

            See you next time.

​

How Does an Impeachment Trial Work?

Jan 15, 2020 | Congress, Something. To. Say., Trump

How Does an Impeachment Trial Work?

Hello Everybody. I have something to say about how the Trump impeachment trial will work. I found out some friends were confused about what the House and Senate are doing.

        As a former civics teacher, who knows firsthand about the sorry state of civics education in America, I thought I’d offer a simple explanation to everyone.

        First of all, remember that this is a trial. Think of President Donald Trump as the defendant. He has been charged with committing crimes: obstructing justice and obstructing Congress.  Who made the charges? The House of Representatives, who voted in December to impeach Trump. They found him guilty.           

        The impeachment case then moved to the Senate, for trial. A real trial. Several House members will act as the prosecuting attorneys. They will present their case against the President to all 100 members of the Senate. The Senators are the jury and at the end of the case they will vote on whether to remove Trump from office. The President, like any accused person, will have a team of White House lawyers who will act as his defense attorneys.

         Presiding over the trial is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts. He serves as the Judge. Sustaining or overruling objections and maintaining order.

         How an impeachment trial should be conducted was established more than 213 years ago by the Founders and enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Got it? Got it.

Until next time.

2019 Top Ten List

Jan 2, 2020 | Activism, Bad Behavior, Something. To. Say., Trump, Women

2019 Top Ten List

Happy New Year, Everybody!

I have something to say about 2019. Everybody has a top ten list. Since I am a wise old woman, I compiled mine.

My whole year seemed consumed with all things Donald Trump. But Number One on my list is his impeachment in December. Finally, somebody told him, no more.

Number Two was seeing old women leaders exercise power, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Senator Elizabeth Warren and the best Supreme, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Similarly, young women showed their muscle and that’s my Number Three. The four Congresswomen of color, known as the Squad, shook up the old white men in Congress, who didn’t much like their chutzpah. And Katie Bouman, the young scientist who helped make possible the image we saw of a Black Hole.

Number Five is youth activism. Greta Thunberg and youth across the planet have taken on the fight for climate change and American teenagers continue to protest gun violence.

The MeToo Movement was my Number Six. The resistance gained traction that led to new laws and corporate policies against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

I joined a huge gathering of some of the most successful, brilliant, and celebrated African Americans in the country. My Number Seven was the History Makers, an important reminder of the contributions that black people have made and continue to make to our communities and the nation.

Like any wise old woman, I feel compelled to speak about some personal things that happened in 2019.

My Number Seven is retirement ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. After 62 years of non-stop working, I retired in 2019, not because I wanted to, I was given a push. I realized that I love to work, so I started this blog.

Children and grandchildren are Number Eight. My son and daughter are both happily married and enjoying their careers, and nothing is better than watching my three grandchildren grow and learn. My best times are spent with them.

Number Nine is my health. I’m grateful to still have most of it. I do what the doctors say, wear sensible shoes and grab handrails.

Now Number Ten may seem inconsequential but it’s not. It’s my pets—my toy poodle Coco-Puff and my Siberian cat, Catarina. They are my home companions. They are glad to see me, happy to cuddle and don’t talk back. They made 2019 tolerable. 2020 may be pretty rough. I expect them to ease the pain.

 

The best to you all.

Christmas Time Blues

Dec 12, 2019 | Congress, Politics, Something. To. Say., Trump

Christmas Time Blues

Hello everybody. I have something to say about all the flurry over impeachment this Christmas season. To be honest, I don’t have anything to say about it. Because I don’t know what to say. Except, I’ve got the Christmastime blues. Never felt like this.

       I should be glad that House Democrats got around to writing articles of impeachment. I think Donald Trump has been a bad president. He’s done everything he wants to undermine our democracy. He should be impeached and the House will vote that way just before Christmas. A nice present? Yes, but only momentarily.

       After the New Year, the case goes to the Senate for trial. There will never be enough votes to kick him out of office. The Republicans will see to that. So, he will remain president all next year. And he’ll run again in the November…AND he may be re-elected, God forbid.       

      So, these are the thoughts hanging over my holidays.  You know what, I’ve even messed up the famous Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol.  Trump is Scrooge, because he’s rich and doesn’t care about poor people; and he’s also the Ghost of Christmas past 2016, when he got elected and there were shenanigans; the ghost of Christmas present 2019, when shenanigans are still going on; and the ghost of Christmas future 2020. Oh, Lord have mercy on us all.

Trump’s Gotta Go, Gotta Go

Oct 2, 2019 | Something. To. Say., Trump | 0 comments

Trump’s Gotta Go, Gotta Go

Hello Everybody. I have something to say about our impeachable President.

He’s gotta go, folks; he’s gotta go. For three years Trump has been traipsing around the United States and all over the world doing and saying what he damned well pleased. And he’s wandering around the White House watching TV and trying to govern by Twitter. I don’t need to go through the litany of things he has done wrong, like being crude, corrupt and nasty.

But now he’s been gotten. He’s been stopped in his tracks.  An intelligence official has blown the whistle, reporting to Congress that Trump abused his power as president and that there is proof. The House of Representatives is now moving full speed ahead and Donald Trump is on a fast track toward impeachment.

But I don’t think he should wait for impeachment. (I believe he will be impeached if it gets that far.)  I have another suggestion. Donald Trump should resign. 

If he just removed himself from office, it would save the government the money it will take for the House to investigate and for the Senate to put him on trial. It would save the public from going through the agony of having Washington focused on Trump instead of focused on “we the people.” Mr. Trump is a bad man. It’s time now for him to “Get Out.”

That’s it.

Mueller Time, Not Great

Jul 25, 2019 | Congress, Something. To. Say. | 0 comments

Mueller Time, Not Great

Hello Everybody. I have something to say about Robert Mueller’s performance before two House committees. To be blunt, it was bad. It was sad.

        The Special Counsel reluctantly agreed to testify about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. When Mueller began answering questions, he seemed to start going downhill.

         It pains me to say it, but Mueller looked old, older than his 75 years. His speech was halting, and he kept asking his House interrogators to repeat the question. At times he seemed confused. Unfortunately, I think most people came away from the hearings not remembering Mueller’s assertion that the president could be indicted after he leaves office, but with a strong impression that Mueller is losing it.

        New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said the Democrats didn’t ask Robert DeNiro to testify, they asked Robert Mueller. Well, that’s what they got. And he did little to increase calls for impeachment.

       See you next time.