Clive Bibby: Hatred is the worst of all human emotions

Hatred is the worst of all human emotions - it drives intelligent human beings to irrational behaviour.

Dislike, even intense dislike, of a fellow human being is a perfectly reasonable response to identifying character failures in others which are deemed to be unacceptable when measured against standards of common decency.

If, as individuals we are capable of keeping these feelings in perspective and maintain a degree of relativity and objectivity, these negative assessments often help in the accommodation of our personal frustrations when things aren't going according to our own view of preferable behaviour.

However, when these feelings of dislike are allowed to morph into passionate hatred, our ability to rationalise and control our own responses degenerates into an irrational, dangerous venting of anger that is characterised and fuelled by mob hysteria.

Anything goes and usually does but it usually ends in tears.

Sadly, we appear to have reached this stage with the attempts to impeach the US President, Donald Trump.

Even using the information emerging from the Congressional "closed doors" partisan enquiry reluctantly released by a complicit media, it is obvious that this charade is driven by nothing more than an intense hatred of the President.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the enquiry had unearthed evidence to support the charges of misconduct by Trump. Instead, as each witness testifies to their "mostly hearsay" account of how the President is supposed to have abused his powers, the Democrats, like the old ladies knitting in front of the guillotine during the French Revolution, continue with their maniacal cries of " off with his head!"

Make no mistake, this President is guilty of many indiscretions during his relatively short tenure in office but none of them are impeachable offences and l predict that fact will become more obvious as this sorry saga passes through the stages to its logical conclusion.

The case for impeachment appears to be based solely on Trump's apparent offending of  the hypocritical sensitivities displayed by almost the entire Democrat entourage.

How else can you explain the failure to be even handed in this enquiry. They haven't and will probably never accept that this presidency is as legitimate as any of its predecessors and are finding it increasingly difficult to acknowledge this administration's numerous successes across almost every statewide and international field of endeavour.

As the president goes about his duties, throwing the rule book out the window but  achieving most of his objectives in the process, his accusers descend into conspiracy after conspiracy trying to deny him the opportunity to simply do what he promised when  standing for and eventually wining the Republican candidacy for the 2016 election.

They couldn't care less that while their pitiful, childish behaviour is in full swing, the economy is in danger of stalling. No matter that it will be their own constituents who will suffer the consequences of their misguided activities if that happens.

I suppose, we must accept that this was their card of last resort and it speaks volumes about the individual and collective lack of moral fibre of those who have chosen to use it. They seem prepared to push the US economy into recession simply to satisfy their personal hatred for the man while ignoring the criminal activity of their own poster boys that is about to be made public as a result of the special counsel and Inspector General's reports due out in the next week or so.

It will be interesting to see how the public react to these disclosures.

My pick is that it will only enhance the prospects of a landslide re-election victory for the President - which will be even more likely if Hillary Clinton decides to get back in the race. These reports will damage her beyond repair but perhaps that is just poetic justice. She always was a crook!

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.