Posted on June 25, 2019 (June 18, 2020) Challenging Corruption Share: The article below is cross-posted with permission from the Equal Justice Society. Eva Paterson, is the President and Co-Founder of the Equal Justice Society and a member of Free Speech For People’s Legal Advisory Committee. When Is Enough Enough??? High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Eva Paterson, Equal Justice Society Immigrant children “living” in unsanitary deplorable conditions. Lawyers for “our” government standing up at the Ninth Circuit casually declaring that immigrants are not entitled to soap, a toothbrush, a blanket, or even sleep. Trump casually decides NOT to take the country to war, and the press and therefore the people are not briefed. The 14th woman comes forward to tell her story of a sexual assault by the Predator-in-Chief who said on air right before the massive WikiLeaks dump that he cheerfully grabs women. Most of the nation yawns and thinks “What else is new?” Corruption is the true stench that emanates from our nation’s capital. It’s Friday night. I am in Santa Monica and was fortunate to give a talk on Juneteenth. I was asked to talk about my upbringing. This caused me to reflect on when I first had a sense that evil existed on this Earth. I was raised a non-denominational Air Force Protestant and went to church, Sunday School, and Vacation Bible School. I thank my parents for giving me a moral compass; however, my consciousness was really awakened in 1960 in France right before my Dad was transferred back to the States. We toured around Europe in the brand new Mercedes my Dad bought—he and Mom had style—and visited a town called Oradour-sur-Glane ( I remembered it as Orlean sur Glenn.). My parents and my three brothers were told that a Jewish resident of the town had spat on a Nazi. The Nazis lined up all the Jews in the town in front of a ditch and shot them dead. I was horrified and never forgot that story. When I researched what actually happened, I found that the details were not as I remembered, but Nazis did murder over 600 Jews. You all know me and know how my life turned out. I am writing this to keep from falling into a pit of despair. I often say that “despair is a tool of oppression” and I am optimistic by nature but what the hell is going on. I just read in The New York Times that immigrant children are taking care of other immigrant children. The children are not being bathed or held or loved. The “stench” is overwhelming!!! When Trump was running, I read a book review by NY Times book critic Michiko Kakutani that implied that Trump was following the path trod by Hitler. Many felt that such analysis was alarmist but it rang true to me. In ‘Hitler,’ an Ascent From ‘Dunderhead’ to Demagogue: A new biography portrays Hitler as a clownish, deceitful narcissist who took control of a powerful nation thanks to slick propaganda and a dysfunctional elite that failed to block his rise. Look at where we are now. Roundups of mainly Latinx people have been threatened and used a political tool and rallying call for the racists among us. Immigrants are being caged in concentration camps that held our Japanese American friends during WWII. I recently read chilling words that indicated that the Nazis first had concentration camps and then had death camps—extermination camps. It is clear to me speaking as an individual and not on behalf of EJS, that we simply must begin impeachment hearings. I love and respect Speaker Nancy Pelosi but I frankly do not understand her reticence on this topic. I am a person with influence but I feel so powerless and so ashamed of what I am seeing. I decided to write about this tonight rather than cry. I feel better. Do what you can to fight this evil. Do something!!!! Call Speaker Pelosi at (202) 225-4965 or (415) 556-4862. “Don’t Mourn. Organize.” ~ Joe Hill