For years now we have been hearing and airing complaints
about the travesty that defines the political atmosphere in Washington DC. Many
have complained that the differences between the GOP and the DNC are so slight,
on many subjects as to be nearly indiscernible.
I have agreed with that assessment.
It does often seem as though the people we send to DC to
represent us either leave their home turf having already been compromised by
funding generated from within that DC cesspool or become so, once they are
exposed to the pathogens walking the streets of our nation's capital.
People on the right have become so disenchanted that they
have chosen to stay home during election cycles, rather than vote; believing
their votes either won't count, or will be abused by yet one more
disappointment using their tax dollars to feather another career politician's
retirement plan
Here, I have partially agreed.
In the last two Presidential elections roughly 50% of those
registered or at least claiming to be Republicans or Constitutional
Conservatives have chosen to stay at home, feet propped up on a chair eating
popcorn and throwing metaphorical tomatoes at the TV screen, rather than acting
like responsible, Patriotic Americans, and casting their vote - even for the
least of two evils.
I have NOT agreed with this stance!
I gave much of my life, preparing to defend the Constitution
of this nation, serving in one war with many like-minded friends who have spent
much of their lives doing the same thing. I have watched as the young of this
generation have served several deployments to Islamic hell-holes with multiple
thousands suffering the indignity of life altering wounds and over four
thousand dying at the hands of a recalcitrant enemy and a complicit United States
Government which has apathetically allowed them to be forced to serve within
the strictures of COIN strategy rather than to listen to the sound counsel of
those of us who are all too familiar with brutal failure those endeavors have
been over these seventy four years since it was officially adopted as an
optional battle stratagem.
Those who have sat home during these past two Presidential
elections and interim/midterm elections will not like hearing this, but, you
share the blame. You share the blame because you were upset that a candidate
fitting your narrow definition of "the right" candidate hadn't
miraculously materialized for your voting pleasure.
The problem is, none of you have stepped forward to run,
either!
Now we face yet one more election cycle and though the choices
available may not be all that each of us would like to see, the truth is, there
are differences - and those differences will make the difference between the
life, and the death of America's oath-bound War Fighters.
Frankly I no longer care whether the nation succeeds, or
fails. I will cast my vote but also recognize that I live in a nation of some
338,000,000 people and I do not necessarily represent the majority opinion on,
well, anything. BUT, if there is any hope of this country once again looking
like what I would like it to be, and any hope of our War Fighters once again
being heralded as heroes and more important than the enemy they fight, or the
ideologically defiled civilians they must operate amongst, it will only happen
if those of us "who claim" to be Patriotic, Constitutionally
Conservative Americans leave the couch and act like responsible, dutiful adults
rather than like spoiled children - and vote.
I tire of hearing people complain between voting cycles, but
then defend their lack of involvement in the one institution that might make
our lot in life a little less miserable.
This is not a kindly reminder; this is a kick in the
backside; get off the bloody couch and get down to the polling booth tomorrow
and whatever other days voting is taking place, here in Maine and around the
country!
It is your civic duty. It is then, your moral duty. It is
the duty of the collective otherwise known as "the King"!
For too many election cycles now, the King has been absent
his appointed place of duty; he has seemingly abdicated and left the throne to
miscreants and criminals.
It is time for the king - the people, to get back to work
and it starts by voting and selecting the best option; even if that best option
is simply the least of two evils.
If you can't do it for any other reason, do it for our War Fighters!
Semper Fidelis;
John Bernard
