Published:  March 15, 2017

This writer voted for Donald Trump in the hope that he'd completely reverse the legal status of the right to kill emerging humans in the womb ("abortion"). Upon reflection, however, in the context of the continuing stream of gaffes produced by Mr. Trump of various kinds, some of which are extremely serious, I've come to the view that he is simply too stupid or ignorant, or perhaps even a touch mentally ill, to remain President of the United States. I fear that his behavior patterns are not going to stop anytime soon, as we'd hoped; in fact they seem to comprise or reflect a fixed pole or aspect of his personality.

Some of his most disturbing gaffes and errant patterns of behavior thus far include:

1.) The assertion that a renewed nuclear arms race would be fine by him.

2.) Though the evidence for climate change seems more insurmountable with every passing day, as the newest bulletin about the near-destruction of the Australian Great Barrier Reef clearly illustrates, Mr. Trump stacks his cabinet with climate change deniers, starting with him, all of this occurring against the backdrop of his intention to sharply cut the EPA budget.

3.) His continuing stream of various distortions, exaggerations, wild claims, and outright lies, occurring in the context of his public assertion made prior to the start of his political career, that it is sometimes necessary to deceive to achieve a desired end.

4.) His insisting, for example, that President Obama tapped his phones during the Presidential campaign, a claim that has now been thoroughly debunked by everyone but him.

5.) The fact of his abject inadequacy as a role model for children.

6.) His apparent record of outright criminal behavior, such as his "Trump University" scam.

7.) His acting in such a manner that will reduce the scope of American influence and power across the globe (a condition I'd argue has already begun given his buffoonish personal behavior).

8.) His high-profile, unprecedented, outrageous, and frankly strange restriction of the Fourth Estate, i.e. the press, especially as it attempts to cover his administration, thereby scuttling a societal mechanism considered key to good governance and the robust and optimal operation of democracy.

9.) His continuing and widely-reported alleged conflict of interest regarding his business activity.

10.) His offensive remarks to, and about, trusted longtime allies including Australia and others.

11.) ...While continuing to display a baffling and indeed increasingly disturbing reverence of sorts for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

12.) And, additionally, in the context of Mr. Trump hiding something:  his continuing refusal to release his tax returns.

On March 17, 2016 Donald Trump met in Washington with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Upon a German reporter asking him about his continuing assertion that while a candidate, former President Barack Obama wiretapped his telephone, an assertion categorically disproven, Mr. Trump actually remarked to Mrs. Merkel, apparently referring to the WikiLeaks revelation that the United States had covertly monitored Ms. Merkel's mobile telephone, "At least we have something in common..."

This statement was an incredible gaffe, firstly because the commonality to which he presumably referred does not exist, for the surveilling of Ms. Merkel's phone was likely not a singular act of the Obama Administration, but part of an ongoing United States global surveillence effort spanning many years--which was probably continuing under Trump's own administration, as well.

Given all this, and more, I feel it important to go on the public record immediately with the epiphany I experienced just today:  this man must be impeached and removed from office immediately, before he can do real damage to this country and the world.

Regarding #11, above, it just smells to me--and many others, just Google "impeach trump"--that Putin has something on Trump. If true, and this implied threat is causing Mr. Trump to distort his behavior and the character of his governance, it means that the individual actually running the United States is not Donald Trump, but Vladimir Putin. Even the possibility of such a reality is categorically unacceptable.

I honestly now fear that Mr. Trump will unwittingly destroy or despoil this planet, either through such errors as his hands-off policy on climate change or an unintended nuclear war, or something else.

Formal mechanisms of impeachment will have to translate, codify, position, or reconcile one or more of these reasons in satisfaction of one or more of the formal constitutional criteria for impeachment.

Removal of Mr. Trump from office will likely not obstruct the conservative agenda, as Mike Pence, another social conservative, will simply assume the Presidency. In fact, demotion of Mr. Trump will buttress promulgation and implementation of conservative objectives, as their messenger will no longer be someone with the problematic, counterproductive, and alienating personal characteristics of Donald Trump.

Other persons, organizations, or institutions advocating impeachment as of the date of publication of this online essay include former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, and Time magazine.

As Mr. Trump, himself, would convey it, were this a job failure showcased on his signature television program The Apprentice:

"Donald J. Trump...You're Fired."

Update, January 07, 2020

Predictably, and generally comprehensibly, Donald Trump has been impeached, although it's unlikely that he'll be convicted in the U.S. Senate. Here, however, are the additional reasons that I think he should be:

1. Continuing odd association with Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting either blackmail on the part of Putin, or unhealthy and disloyal attraction toward autocrats on the part of Donald Trump.

2. Illegal assassination of ranking Iranian officer Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, alienating a key ally, Iraq, and causing a suspension of our critical regional anti-ISIS alliance, while a heightened possibility of war with Iran.

3. Trump explicitly withheld desperately needed military aid for Ukraine for a corrupt reason, that of benefitting his 2020 re-election bid.

   The one ally that the United States does NOT play games with, especially regarding military aid, is Ukraine, as this small former Soviet-bloc nation is presently at war with Russia, a long-time U.S. adversary whose misdeeds in recent years have, in fact, increased, not decreased, and in both number and severity, through Russian proxy forces, and recently suffered an incursion and annexation of territory...by Russia.

   Accordingly, the one ally that the United States does not toy with is Ukraine--yet this is precisely what President Trump did, for he is fully ignorant of anything and everything political. Witness his remark early into his presidency about "this politics stuff," the kind of remark only an utter neophyte would likely utter (an obtuse neophyte, at that).

4. If the House of Representatives erred in not bringing forth witnesses and securing documents, both objectives that it appears that it did endeavor to do, the United States Senate, rather than throw up its collective hands in a wholesale abdication of responsibility, should step in competently in a spirit of justice and comity and compensate for the House failure by permitting the testimony of witnesses and acquisition of documents. The Senate in this case did not do so.

   Said action to follow later by legislative modification for future impeachments admonishing, and obligating, the House toward a tighter impeachment case while still in its province.

This writer will not vote for Donald J. Trump in the 2020 presidential election; nor will he vote for any pro-abortion Democratic candidate.