Thursday March 28, 2019 the US House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff was asked by the Nine Republicans on that committee to resign.  He gave a response for the ages not unlike the House Army McCarthy hearings in May 1956 when Senator McCarthy was finally brought down for his overreach with the comment "Have You No Shame."  Schiff's retort "You Might Think It's Okay" may be the new rallying cry to Trump's "Roy Cohn" Attorney General William Barr's latest attempt to whitewash the Trump Russia compromise.  Here is the text of this famous exchange in the United States House of Representatives:

Representative Michael Conaway (R) Texas Intelligence Committee: "We have no faith in your ability to discharge your duties in a manner consistent with your constitutional responsibility and urge your immediate resignation as chairman of the committee.  Mr. Chairman this letter is signed by all nine members of the Republican side of the House on the committee."

Representative Adam Schiff (D) California Intelligence Committee Chair: "My colleagues may think its okay that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president as part of what was described as the Russian government effort to help the Trump campaign.  You might think that's okay.  My colleagues might think its okay, that when that was offered to the son of the president, who had a pivotal role in the campaign, that the president's son did not call the FBI, he did not adamantly refuse that foreign help, no instead that son said that he would love the help of the Russians.  You might think its okay that he took that meeting.  You might think it's okay that Paul Manafort, the campaign chair, someone with great experience to run a campaign, also took that meeting. You might think it's okay that the president's son in law also took that meeting.  You might think it's okay that they concealed it from the public.  You might think it's okay that the only disappointment from that meeting was that the dirt on Hillary Clinton wasn't better.  You might think that's okay.  You might think it's okay, that when it was discovered a year later, they then lied about that meeting, said it was about adoption.  You might think that the president helped dictate that lie.  You might think that's okay, I don't.  You might think it's okay that the campaign chairman of a presidential campaign would offer information about that campaign to a Russian oligarch in exchange for money or debt forgiveness.  You might think it's okay, I don't.  You might think it's okay that that campaign chairman offered polling data, campaign polling data to someone linked to Russian intelligence. I don't think that's okay.  You might think it's okay that the president himself called on Russia to hack his opponent's emails, if they were listening.  You might think it's okay that later that day the Russians attempted to hack a server affiliated with that campaign.  I don't think that's okay.

You might think it's okay that the president's son in law sought to establish a secret back channel of communications to the Russians through a Russian diplomatic facility.  I don't think that's okay.  You might think it's okay that an associate of the president made direct contact with the GRU through Guccifer 2.0 and wiki-leaks that is considered a hostile intelligence agency.  You might think it's okay that a senior campaign official was instructed to reach that associate and find out what that hostile intelligence agency had to say in terms of dirt on his opponent.  You might think its okay that the National Security Advisor designate secretly conferred with the Russian ambassador about undermining US sanctions and you might think it's okay that he lied about it to the FBI.  You might say that's all okay, that's just what you need to do to win.  But I don't think it's okay, I think its immoral, I think it's unethical, unpatriotic, and yes, I think its corrupt, and evidence of collusion.  Now I have always said, that whether this amounts to conspiracy was another matter.  Whether the Special Counsel could prove beyond a reasonable doubt of that crime would be up to the Special Counsel, and I would accept his decision, and I do.  He is a good and honorable man and a good prosecutor.  But I do not think that conduct criminal or not is okay.  And the day we do think that is okay is the day we look back and say America has lost its way. 

And I will tell you one more thing that is apropos of the hearing today.  I don't think it's okay that during a presidential campaign Mr. Trump sought the Kremlin's help to consummate a real estate deal in Moscow that would make him a fortune.  According to Special Counsel hundreds of millions of dollars.  I don't think it's okay to lie and conceal it from the public.  I don't think it's okay to advocate a new and more favorable policy to the Russians even as he was seeking the Kremlin's help to make money.  I don't think it's okay to instruct his attorney to lie to our committee.  There is a different word for that than collusion, and its called compromise.  And   that is the subject of our hearing today."

Relevance to Peace Economics:

The corruption of the empire society plutocracy has become obvious to most in America.  Reagan with his military buildup, making the rich almost tax free, union busting, and killing the equal time provision of the media, has let the oligarchy gain control over America at the expense of the middle class which has been falling steadily further behind since that 1980 election mistake.  The suggested reading below "Rankism and Dignity" offers a different vision of inclusion instead of the Trump politics of exclusion and conning people with 9179 documented lies in Trump presidency (Washington Post).

Rankism and the Dignity Society (second most popular on academia last month):

https://www.academia.edu/11020728/RANKISM_and_DIGNITY_Robert_Fuller_Concept_1_p._2006

Please cite this work as follows:

Reuschlein, Robert. (2019, March 30), "You Might Think It's Okay" Madison, WI:  Real Economy Institute.  Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/You-Might-Think-It's-Okay,2019179302.aspx

Dr. Peace, Professor Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute,

Nominated Vetted 2016 (2 Web Looks), Given Odds 2017 (3 Web Looks), Strongly Considered 2018 (48 Web Looks, one million words) for Nobel Peace Prize, a favorite in 2019 (double that of last year 38 in 6 months) for Nobel Peace Prize to be announced Friday October 4^th, 2019.

Contact: bobreuschlein@gmail.com, Info: www.realeconomy.com