Trump’s leadership is equivalent to environmental destruction. I’ve been posting #ImpeachTrumpNow after every environmental Trump decision. His immediate order to green light the Dakota Access Pipeline through the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, endangering their water supply and that of millions downstream; his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord; his permitting 0il and gas drilling in our National Forests and Parks; and appointing Scott Pruitt, oil and gas lackey as EPA Director, former Oklahoma Attorny General, where earthquake frequency and magnitude is escalating daily from their toxic frack waste injection wells disposal.
Most Columbus residents don’t know that we have 13 active radioactive, toxic frack waste injection wells in our watershed, with three more permitted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). I am deeply concerned. So, I’m working with the Columbus Community Bill of Rights, a grassroots group petitioning to put an Columbus city ordinance on the November ballot to protect Columbus water from frack waste dumping, fracking and frack infrastructure in our city. When passed, the Columbus Community Bill of Rights returns to Columbus voters our right to have a voice in what Harms impact our community.
Tom Steyer’s unabashed stand to Impeach Trump intrigued me, so I went online and signed up.
The Town Hall was held in the YWCA downtown. Folks streamed in, not a massive crowd, but a good show, mostly older couples and groups of concerned citizens from all around central Ohio. The presentation started after 7pm, with a short video of Mr. Steyer that I had seen online. After a brief introduction, Mr. Steyer and his colleague, John Gartner, Ph.D. in psychology, spoke.
Mr. Steyer’s core issue is Trump’s refusal to protect our country, his refusal to respond to a hostile foreign country, and the fact that Trump takes monies from foreign countries. He passionately stated that Trump is breaking his word to the American people to uphold the Constitution. And in response to both parties saying that this isn’t the time to talk about impeachment, he stated emphatically that now is the time to talk about these issues with American people. And that this is not a partisan issue – it’s an issue of patriotism.
Dr. Gartner spoke about Trump’s behavior and referred to the psychologist Eric Fromm’s, description of malignant narcissism, and listed some of the associated behaviors of this mental disorder – paranoia, sociopathy (lying) and sadism. He spoke about his fear of a person with these attributes being the Commander in Chief, having the power of war, of nuclear war.
When asked by an audience member, “After we impeach, how can we restore our county?” I appreciated Mr. Steyer answering that it’s not enough to be just against a person, and he went on to list five points of how we get our Country back to that sense of purpose:
- Every citizen deserves free education from pre-school through college;
- We have a universal right to health care;
- We have a right to clean water and air;
- Working people have a right to organize, and a right to a living wage;
- All Americans have a right to dignity and justice for all.
After the hour-long presentation, we were invited to a reception upstairs. I waited to speak with Mr. Steyer about point 3. We have a right to clean water and air, but I urged him to add safe soil and a sustainable climate, where he adamantly agreed, then asked what group I was with. “The Columbus Community Bill of Rights,” I told him and handed him our button.
Friends, it’s up to us. Safe water for our kids. Columbus - No place for frack waste.
The Columbus Community Bill of Rights needs your help to gather 10,000 more Columbus voter signatures by July 1st.
Support: ColumbusBillofRights.org
Contact: ColumbusBillofRights@gmail.com
