Sienna Tackles Impeachment
A shame?
No. A sham. Like a joke. A shame is something that’s too bad.
What’s the difference?
It’s hard to say.
Why does uncle Jack think the impeachment trial is funny?
Not that kind of joke, honey. Uncle Jack thinks our president merely called another president to investigate crimes in the other president’s country.
Who committed the crimes?
There were no crimes.
Then why is our president calling?
He wanted the other president to make it seem like there was a crime. That’s how our president tricks people. He accuses people of doing what he’s doing so if they say no that’s what you’re doing, they seem silly. It’s a strange thing about our minds, that this works.
Who was he pretend-accusing of crimes?
The vice president.
His vice president?
An old vice president.
But our president doesn’t care about crimes?
Only the ones he’s committed. And even those.
Why does uncle Jack think he cares?
Because uncle Jack gets his information from actors.
Mommy, I like acting.
I know darling and you’re very good at it.
You said you enjoyed our play.
I loved it. You were the star.
Then what’s wrong with getting information from actors?
This isn’t acting.
You said it was.
It’s more a difference in belief.
The way our family doesn’t believe in Santa but other families do.
Kinda — Sienna, it’s lying. The audience thinks these actors are actually mad.
Aren’t they? I was actually sad when I was acting.
That’s because the possum had died, honey. Think of it this way. There’s a chance in his life our president has never done the dishes. Yet he acts like he wants to help people who do the dishes every night.
But I acted like a swan. I’ve never flown. Mommy, who is Congress?
It’s not a person. It’s a bunch of people.
Uncle Jack says they are fake. By acting?
Congress is not acting. Or — they are. But in a different way.
Why is Uncle Jack acting?
He’s not. Uncle Jack believes the president’s a good person.
But the president is only a good actor.
No he’s — actually I’m not sure what kind of actor the president is.
Will the impeachment him make him a better actor?
I don’t know. But when it’s over many people who acted like they believed the president will act like they did not. Listen. Sienna. It is very important you know that this president is so destructive because he gives about a quarter of our country hope.
You said the last president gave you hope.
Just listen. Someday uncle Jack’s going to quietly realize this president was lying to him and that this entire show was because our media cornered a bankrupt developer in the White House and the only path the bankrupt developer ever had out, by his assessment, was to please the president of Russia.
Russia?
Russia. When you get older and take history you will learn, or I will make sure you learn, this entire saga orbits Russia and our president’s singular desire to make a skyscraper with his name in the Russian capital and now, I guess, seek asylum in Russia though if there’s one person less trustworthy than our president, it’s the Russian president, who long ago realized war’s shifted from the soil of the earth to the soil of the mind.
Mommy — .
Never mind. You know uncle Jack. He has trouble saying he’s sorry. So when uncle Jack feels in his heart that our president really only calls other presidents with schemes to keep himself out of jail, uncle Jack’s going to feel betrayed and the actors on television are going to keep squeezing him but we love uncle Jack — right? — he may give mommy a hard time but we love uncle Jack and he’s going to be confused but we’re going keep loving uncle Jack and open our arms and remind him we love him and tell old stories and watch football and not mention this president. Ever. Again.
But mommy won’t that be more acting?
