Rock-tober 31, 2016

An event of some import takes place in a week when US citizens will exercise their right to vote. Hard won and secured by citizen soldiers past and present at the cost of their own lives or futures, voting is indeed a right and a privilege, but should it be mandatory? I don't think so. Mike Rowe expounds eloquently on this subject, laying out an excellent argument for why not everyone should vote.

I can’t encourage millions of people whom I’ve never met to just run out and cast a ballot, simply because they have the right to vote. That would be like encouraging everyone to buy an AR-15, simply because they have the right to bear arms. I would need to know a few things about them before offering that kind of encouragement. For instance, do they know how to care for a weapon? Can they afford the cost of the weapon? Do they have a history of violence? Are they mentally stable? In short, are they responsible citizens?

Civic ineptitude is not a new problem. While I find it pitiable when millennials can rattle off the name of every Kardashian but not the name of our sitting Vice President, they don't have a monopoly on this issue. A high school teacher of mine told our class a lot of her girlfriends voted for JFK back in the day strictly because he was cute.

Bottom line: if you vote, inform yourself. And remember this, the election is the easy part. It comprises a few hours of a single day of a single month from the entire year. We then have to live with the results. This is when real life starts.

Political rancor isn't new either and it's another area where no group holds a monopoly. It's human nature. If you didn't get what you wanted, you're going to be upset. So how does the country build bridges when half the population feels disenfranchised?

As a midshipman I was assigned to the USS Seahorse (SSN 669). A valuable lesson learned on that short tour came from the guys on the torpedo team. It seemed like they never conversed; rather, they yelled, screamed, and cursed at each other. Every time I passed through their space it looked like a scene from Fight Club was about to go down, and I thought this was the most dysfunctional team I'd ever seen. Until I saw them on shore leave. Our paths crossed several times one night and that dysfunctional team I saw earlier closed ranks. They all boarded the same bus, walked down the street almost in formation, and made sure no man was left behind at the last bar. If you messed with one of them, you'd find yourself tangling with the entire complement of the 'Horse's torpedo crew.

This is the lesson America needs to relearn. While bickering is natural, have the moral courage to close ranks and present a united front when the country requires it. I say moral courage because it seems people have forgotten where loyalties should lie.

I looked up the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States, the Uniformed Services Oath of Office for all branches of the military, and the Oaths of Office for Congress, the Supreme Court and the President of the United States. Every single one requires the bearer to uphold and defend or discharge duties according to the Constitution - the supreme law of the land. That's it.

There's not a single mention of bearing true faith to a state or damned political party. Neither is there a call to defend an ideology, or a religion, or even a flag. Let that sink in for a while.

In the meantime, because I am patriotic and southern, I have no problem with a little background music and flag waving in the form of a good closing tune from Skynrd.

I am cautiously optimistic and believe the Republic is more resilient than what most people give her credit for. God bless Her.

Rock-tober out.