I am immensely relieved and proud that congressional Democrats are holding President Trump accountable for his abuse of power and glaring contempt of Congress in refusing to let staff testify or pass along the documents the Intelligence Committee requested.

I have been a reporter for 35 years, now self-employed, and a political junkie even longer. I love municipal government best for its ability to solve problems and build lovely communities, in part because in nearly all of Maine’s 500 cities and towns candidates do not run under a party banner. Their only considerations are resolving problems, keeping costs down for taxpayers, and ensuring they hire good people to run the day-to-day business.

I have been an independent voter because of my journalism work, and I have voted for candidates in both parties. I voted for the first time in the 1976 presidential election and have never given up my right to vote. “She never missed a chance to vote” could be etched into my headstone.

Republicans must move forward very carefully. This mess we are in because of Trump is temporary, thank God — even if he is re-elected. But the GOP must remember that not only Republicans are corrupt, greedy and consider themselves above the law.

If Trump is not held to account for his countless (alleged) crimes, then how can Republicans in the future impeach a corrupt Democrat? The result? America becomes a dictatorship, no better than China, Syria, North Korea and Iran.

I will be buried under that headstone by the time we lose our freedom, but I am distraught imagining what my grandchildren’s lives could be like.

Liz Chapman Mockler
Randolph