In my classes, I stress the importance of source verification.

This goes way beyond “Did it come from Ebscohost?”
Please.   After the vaccination scandal, who can believe what comes from ‘academic’ sources? … although I have to force myself to be a cheerleader for them.

Even those who peer-review the peer review sources admit the quality is going waayy down.   Anyway, that’s for another time.

I ask the student to dig deep.  Pictures can be manipulated.  Surveys can be biased.   Testimonials can be paid-off.  A statement can be taken out-of-context.

It’s show me the money or nothing at all.   Even then, the money could be counterfeit.  I’m a bit of a bastard when it comes to things like that.    No surprise, but if the evidence can’t be produced and verified….  why?  Why bother?  Why buy?  Why believe?  Why trust?

Obviously, this has some limitations.     I don’t critically research the laundry soap I use or the gum I chew.    I probably should, sort of, but that’s a bit too much effort until it’s not.

It’s exploring and verifying the big things… like buying a car, a house, or the boyfriend your daughter wants to date.   The big things that can impact a life and have a multi-year lasting effect.

I’ll freely admit that my students aren’t fond of that side of me.   It’s too much work and I’m rarely satisfied with their Wiki answers.  One day, I hope they won’t be as asinine as I am, but will research and verify when needed for the big decisions.   It’s a life lesson.

The U.S. government has been tossed into the big things that should receive special research attention.   I always had my suspicions, but it was nothing I gave much thought to.   The elected people do their thing.   We do our thing.   Never shall the twain cross except in times of dire circumstances.

So, I guess I trusted the government (not really) to the extent to work together.   Not wholly and completely work together, as growth need conflict, but to have a common end goal in mind –   keeping the common people out of their business.

It’s like celebrities.   As long as they make decent movies, we tend to overlook who they were with when and wearing what.   Who cares as long as they can make a passing representation of a superhero?

Who cares what happens to the government as long as our accepted way of life is generally maintained and, hopefully, improves a bit by bit over generations.

The world has changed.   The news and social media have a large part to do with that. But, that’s that.   Change happens and it’s good and bad.

But the need to verify and research hasn’t.   If anything, it has become more difficult and more critical.   Increasing the ways to communicate creates a culture where worthless and inconsistent information can be communicated widely and quickly.

The common people, however, haven’t changed enough to keep up with it.    Sure, we’ll re-tweet, share, and gives a thumbs-up, but people can be too trusting.

Maybe trusting isn’t the right word.   I’d hope a good number of people would at least question, even briefly, any information they’re given.    There’s a lot of dentists out there.  Why would four out of five agree with anything when everyone is supposed to be ‘different?’

Hopefully, there’s at least a little critical thinking, but if it doesn’t impact the here and now, it probably doesn’t receive the effort and thought process to make it meaningful.

Rounding back…

We know Qassem Solemani is dead.
Rather, we know as much as we’re able to verify.   There are pictures and the ring he wore as evidence, but we didn’t physically see an actual body.  I guess we have to take that as truth although we thought Hitler was dead too.

We know that Jeff Epstein is dead.
We have a body.   Unlike Solemani, we’re not too sure how he died.   At least, not to the satisfaction of the public.  Theories abound, but we might never know what’s truthful.    And, should it come out after a couple of years, we probably won’t care anymore.    Interest fades if it isn’t mentioned in two consecutive news cycles.

For Trump, we have neither body nor proof of what happened.
America was televised an impeachment hearing.   I’m saying that generously.   It was more like a politician circus for a rating grab.  After the first day or so, no one cared.   Between camera shots, they could have been drinking beer.

I joke.   They wouldn’t drink beer   More like kool-aid.

That was – part – of the impeachment process.

The product of the impeachment, the paperwork, is apparently hidden deep within Pelosi’s purse.

They’re claiming action but refuse to provide proof of the action.

We’re not seeing a body, as with Epstein.   We’re not seeing how it happened, as with Solemani.

There isn’t verification.
The paperwork isn’t verified, proofed, or fully acknowledged.
No one acknowledges impeachment save the House and certain celebrities.   Trump is still carrying out his presidential duties.

So….  say what now?

If Trump is an unfit president, the corpse (impeachment papers) should be handed to the coroner (Senate) for testing and legitimacy.   Without the body, there’s no crime.

I don’t think Pelosi has any intention to produce the papers.   She might when the ‘time is just right,’ but politics isn’t akin to a jump scare in IT.  Then what?   We all knew it was there.  It happened.   The shock is gone.

Like usual, I don’t know where I’m going with this.

It’s just shaming to see justice and accountability falls farther behind.