Terrorists, Earthquakes and Impeachment

Where were you were on 9-11? Do you remember what you were doing when you saw the planes hitting the towers? Of course you do. Events like that are few in a lifetime for most of us. They have a way of permanently imprinting on our minds.

My friend Greg and I had just returned from traveling through Hong Kong and Thailand. We landed in Narita, caught a train, hustled through Tokyo Station then caught another train to Mishima and finally Izu Hakone line down the peninsula before walking the dark, quiet road back to my apartment in Kannami. I turned on the TV as we unpacked only to see footage of airplanes hitting the Twin Towers. It was late so another crazy bad B movie on Japanese TV I thought. I changed the channel. Same scene. I flipped again. Same scene. Holy shit this is real!
Heart races. Fear.

Fast Forward ten years. March 11, 2011 I'm teaching a class of kids in Ohito, Japan. The room I'm teaching in starts moving up and down, swaying side to side. "Casey sensei jishin!" (earthquake) a mom watching the class shouts.  We herd the kids outside to the parking lot away from the three story building. I watch as the building sways; as the ground heaves up and down. My body raises and lowers along with the car I grab onto to keep my balance. It seemed to last forever. Once it ended we went back inside and huddled around a TV set in a small downstairs office. Complete silence as we watched live footage of the sea consuming thousands of lives in Northern Japan. OMG my kids! I tell the lady I was teaching the class for that I must get home. No cars on 414 as I race northward on the seaside road to check on my family.  Everyone's okay. Prayer of thanks.

The next few days ranged from unsettling to downright frightening to say the least. Shelves quickly emptied of batteries, bread and rice, bottled water (bottled anything!) canned goods and dry foods. Gas stations quickly emptied of gas. Tremors hit daily. One 6.4 only a few miles away shook the house so violently things flew from shelves. Even with as far south as we were from the epicenter the fear was palpable with thoughts of how near we were to both the sea (50 meters from the beach) and Hamaoka Nuclear Power plant as more footage aired of the tsunami laying havoc to everything in its path and news of the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima came out.

I was grateful with the rapid response I received upon contacting the US Embassy after the Tohoku Mega quake hit. Thank God for the US State Department! I was given direction on how to get myself, my two American citizen sons and even my Japanese citizen wife, flown safely out of the country if needed. Indeed we could've been flown out even if I didn't have the money for airfare. I had it but remember that well. Of course I'd have been billed but still, that's a nice benefit of  being an American, I thought. We opted to travel south and stay with a friend in Kyoto until things calmed down a bit instead, but I can't begin to tell you the peace of mind that came with learning the US State Department was there to help American expats like myself. As bad as 9-11 was, since the ground under my feet wasn't shaking--since the disaster was so far away and it was only me (no wife and kids to look out for yet) I wasn't as concerned for my safety. That said, like with the earthquake I contacted the US Embassy then too.  I was grateful to receive information and email updates before flying back to the States a few weeks after the terrorist attack.

There is an estimated 9 million Americans are living abroad worldwide. While Americans living in the US may come into contact with a wide range of US government agencies the number that expats encounter is obviously far lower. Over nearly 18 years of living as a US expat in Japan, save for absentee ballots from country clerk and trips to the DMV when back in California to renew my license, the IRS and the State Department (US Embassy) are the only government agencies I've interacted with. Much like visiting US Military bases in Japan, I'm always impressed with the professionalism of Department of State workers I come into contact with at the US Embassy in Tokyo. I recall well the proud feeling of standing there at the window while holding a boy, then another boy, and then a girl, in my left arm and my right hand raised to say the required oath for each of them after turning in papers for them to become recognized as US citizens.

So my need to contact the US Government isn't all that frequent, but chances are if I do need to then the agency I will call on will be the US the Department of State. Now I'm sure there are assholes working for the State Department. We human types have a fair percentage of assholes in every race and religion, in every trade and type of employment. That's a given. But good people outnumber the assholes ten to one easily I'd say, and I bet it's even closer to 100 to one for US workers overseas since it takes a special kind of person to live and work abroad. (I recognize my bias on the latter there).

I couldn't help but think of that--the smile on the foreign service officer's face as he congratulated my chunky little boy on becoming a US citizen years ago--when I read these opening statements of US State Department employees--of people who've devoted their lives to looking out for America's and Americans' best interest abroad. In nearly all of them I read that the person has served both Republican and Democratic administrations alike. By and large they all appear to be good people doing a damned important job for my country. For our country (for those of you who're proud Americans like me). Thus when I read of their take on Trump's dealings with Ukraine, of them being trashed talked and forced out of their jobs, red flags go up everywhere and I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Good experienced people in the State Department are important dang it. Reports of them down and out and fleeing leaves an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

I like to get my news from the source. For whatever reason I'm a bit skeptical and thus prone to fact checking and seeking firsthand information as much as and whenever possible. For that reason, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to save links to State Department employees' (and others) statements about their work and events that have led to the House of Representatives opening an Impeachment Inquiry into the POS. Sorry I mean POTS. Not sorry. (more bias duly noted) Then this morning I got to thinking maybe someone else might like to see them all in one place too, so now that I've tapped out my little intro above here it is--a bit of a who's who who's testified thus far along with links to some of the opening statements.

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Bill Taylor: Top US diplomat in Ukraine, graduated top 1% in his class at West Point, Vietnam War Veteran, served in Iraq and Afghanistan; appointed Afghanistan Coordinator at the US Department of State by Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2003. Like others who testified Taylor served under both Republican and Democratic Presidents.
Click here to read Bill Taylor's opening statement 

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Marie Yovanovitch: American diplomat and member of the senior ranks of the United States Foreign Service. To call her record of service to the US exemplary would be an understatement. It includes multiple ambassadorships and high ranking positions in the State Department--33 years of service over six presidential administrations Republican and Democrat alike. Be sure to read what she says about the Oath of Office that foreign service officers take. Indeed, if you read only one of the opening statements then make it hers.
Click here to read Marie Yovanovitch's Opening Statement

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Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman is Director for European Affairs for the US National Security Council. He's a highly decorated US Army combat veteran who received a Purple Heart for being wounded while fighting for America in Iraq.
Click here to read Lt. Col. Vindman's Opening Statement
Like Yovanovitch and Hill, Vindman is true blue American who was foreign born to hard working immigrant parents. Chances are you, like I, can't even begin to imagine the hard work, let alone the horrors of war, that he experienced while proving himself as an American patriot.  The former US Army Colonel Mike Jason's take on the right wing attacks on Vindman is spot on IMNSHO. More opinion here but really, people who've never fought for our country trying to smear an American patriot of Vindman's caliber is about as chickenshit as you can get.

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Fiona Hill is a foreign affairs specialist and national security official specializing in the former Soviet Union and Russian and European affairs. She served in three presidential administrations. Like others she chose to follow the rule of law and honor the subpoena rather than the White House's orders to not testify.
Click here for more on Fiona Hill testifying

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Tim Morrison, an Arms Control Expert, was the top US presidential advisor on Russia and Europe. He is a Republican. He served as senior director for countering weapons of mass destruction on the National Security Council. He abruptly resigned his post in the Trump administration before testifying on impeachment.
Click here to read Tim Morrison's opening Statement 

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Kurt Volker joined the Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in 1988. He served in many foreign service posts including the US Embassy in Budapest and was acting director for European and Eurasian Affairs for the National Security Council. More recently he is, make that was, a US special representative to Ukraine. Like countless others in the Trump administration he abruptly resigned.
Click here to read Kurt Volker's opening statement 

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Laura Cooper is the top Pentagon official overseeing US policy on Ukraine. She too opted to follow the rule of law by defying orders to not testify.  Apparently Republicans really don't want us to know what she knows.

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Gordon Sondland was a big bucks donor to Trump's campaign. He was founder and chairman of Provenance Hotels before becoming Trump's pick as the US Ambassador to the EU. Sondland was directed to work with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in his efforts to force the new Ukrainian president to investigate "corruption" (i.e. Joe Biden's son). Although a Trump appointee who never worked for any other administrations, Sondland opted to break with Trump and testify.

A word about Rudy Giuliani.  Since when does a US president's personal lawyer get so involved in foreign policy? 1798 maybe? In any event since it did happen recently it should be noted who was helping Giuliani. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. Click here for their mugshots.  Trump says he doesn't know them. Watch news footage here for pictures of them posing with Trump and his family.  In the video you'll see footage of Giuliani saying he'd love to testify to congress about Ukraine. I'm guessing he'll get his chance soon. Also in the footage is Trump saying the inquiry is unfair because Republicans are not allowed to ask questions. Not true. There are Republicans on the committees hearing all of the witnesses above testify and as anyone will see they will be allowed to have lawyers present and ask questions in upcoming open door hearings as well.

And now after a couple weeks or so of keeping track I find a far more extensive account of everyone involved has been put together but professional journalists. High praise for journalists! But since I've got a good few hours into this will leave it here just the same.

Hi-Ho!