Although 57 of 100 senators voted "guilty," many of the others took the position you can't try a president after he left office – so we'll never know how many believe he's actually guilty.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: As expected, Red and Black looked at the impeachment trial outcome very differently.
Black was fascinated by the legal maneuvering of the impeachment trial, and admits she's a frustrated attorney at heart. However, she realizes that her opinion of what happened and why is just that – an opinion. But the facts remain that Trump's the only president to be impeached twice, and this was the most bipartisan vote in any presidential impeachment trial (seven Republicans voted he was guilty). He's the only president to seriously threaten the peaceful transfer of power. And he's the first impeached president to have left office before being tried. And, there may be more firsts based on the looming amount of legal trouble on the horizon.
Red, on the other hand, doesn't care about all the firsts. Well, she does, but it's not first and foremost (pun intended) in her mind. But as someone who loves history, she can't help but wonder how this chapter in American history will be written. Will it be the trial where some senators, whose lives were at great risk when the Capitol was overrun by rioters, were able to "ignore" Trump's behavior because he was no longer president? Will it be the changes we saw in what people deemed "acceptable behavior" during the last four years? Will it be the power of social media to spread both information and misinformation? Will it be the physical and emotional attack on the Capitol and democracy? Will it be how it has caused a divide within the Republican Party? Or, all of the above?
But we both agree,
Only time will tell how Trump and his presidency will go down in history, and whether he'll actually face consequences of his actions. Meanwhile, we all have been affected by this – in many different ways. But, hopefully, we can now move on …
Last year on MLK Day, Red learned the power and inspiration of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, in these divisive times, we can all learn from him … as not only did he fight for equality for all, but his approach is proof that peaceful protests can achieve social justice.
For most of us, writing and delivering one powerful and/or inspiring thing would be a very difficult task. To be remembered for hundreds is truly amazing.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: There's so much one can say about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968, and whose leadership was fundamental to the ending of legal segregation in many parts of the United States. But regardless of your position on segregation, it's almost impossible not to acknowledge, yet alone appreciate, how incredibly powerful and inspiring his words were and the impact they continue to have on the civil rights movement. But don't believe us. This
goodreads post provides more than just a good read, it's a seemingly endless list of inspirational quotes while a great "refresher" course on Dr. King is available at History.com.
National holidays aren’t the time to count calories.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We both agree that happiness has a hole in it, although one of us may only eat one bagel a year while the other tries to keep it to only one bagel when she does indulge.
Red admits that although she knows bagels aren’t a healthy choice, she’ll occasionally treat herself, not only because they remind her of growing in New York when almost every town on Long Island had at least one bagel shop, but because she loves whipped cream cheese almost as much as the fresh, squishy bagel on which she smears it. And while she was a fan of both cinnamon raisin and onion bagels as a kid, the introduction of the “Everything” bagel was a turning point. However, her all-time favorite is technically not a bagel, as it’s a bialy.
On the other hand, it only takes one look at Black’s “selfishly svelte figure” to know that she has the willpower to resist bagels (including her favorite, sesame) as well as all the other carbs that she loves, but when it comes to National Bagel Day and the “health” issues of bagels, she has an interesting perspective,
Bagels are one of life’s true culinary pleasures, often tied to wonderful memories, so you cannot always measure their value in terms of nutrition. But, when it comes to healthy eating, it might be interesting to remember that bagel-cutting injuries are common and result in thousands of people having to go to emergency rooms or urgent care centers … so, celebrate carefully.
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A day to clean up your desk?! It will take way more than a day …
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: No one is immune from piles of paper, not even Black, the master of organization, but there’s a huge difference between a desk with a few small piles and some scattered papers (although her laptop’s keyboard needs serious cleaning) and Red’s “workroom” that usually looks like a tornado hit it.
Which is why Red rolled her eyes when Black mentioned today’s National Clean Your Desk Day, as it’d take her significantly more than a day to “clean up this mess,” but then she remembered Black’s advice on how to keep her piles (and piles) of paper under control and felt inspired. Red admits often feeling like she’s drowning in paper, but that’s because she lets the piles get out of control before reminding herself of Black’s very easy, straightforward approach to turning her mountains of paper into small manageable hills. And, significantly reducing stress along the way, because as Black points out,
Sometimes, it is more important to know what you are ignoring than it is to deal with everything in the piles.