I don’t mean to throw a damper on the enthusiasm with which most people have greeted the new year. I should celebrate the anticipation of a happier year full of hope and expectation. But I have to be frank, this year has opened with little to be enthusiastic about. Once again, a government shutdown is looming and might happen as soon as the coming week. Whether it will be full, partial, permanent, or temporary remains to be seen, but if it happens, it will disrupt the nation’s business. The Congress has failed to approve the new federal budget plan, presumably a resolution worked out on a bipartisan basis. There are veiled threats to remove the new House Speaker, Michael Johnson unless he rejects the budget compromise that he has already agreed to. The intransigent tail continues to wag the feckless dog in the Republican-majority House of Representatives, and the legislative dysfunction goes on because a vociferous minority refuses to cooperate in governing responsibly. Obstruction? Yes, they have mastered that tactic, but honest collaboration? Not a chance.

Are there legitimate complaints behind some of their objections? Yes. The immigration crisis at the southern border is the central one. The issue has cried out for reform for decades, and the need for action at the border has become desperate. This problem is neither new, nor its urgent requirements unfamiliar, but you wouldn’t know that from the way the issue has been hyped and exploited across the last two White House administrations. The previous one, with Republican control of both houses of Congress, promised to fix the problem, one-two-three. It didn’t happen. The current one, with its minority party in the House, cannot obtain Congressional agreement even to alleviate the problem–it needs budget approval for the proposed increase in the ranks of the border patrol, immigration officers, and immigration court judges. That wouldn’t eliminate the problem, but it would be a start. Additional policy initiatives are required, and comprehensive reform of immigration policy must be the goal. But the loud voices denouncing the current budget proposal are insistent, they will have their way or else. Fix the border, they say, or there will be no support for Ukraine or Israel. Those foreign policy concerns are shelved unless the Freedom Caucus can get its way one hundred percent. So all other areas of the national interest are held hostage awaiting their kind indulgence.

Freedom Caucus, how ironic! Freedom only for that mischievous little group to get what it wants, and to hell with anybody else who disagrees with them. What is really frightening is how narrow and unreflective the members of that group are. Their extreme right ideological position so completely saturates their minds that their most often-demonstrated characteristic is the lack of any capacity for appreciating complexity, nuance, collaboration, compromise, and most of all, the principles of American democracy. Or perhaps they are not so obtuse, but choose instead to pander to their most extreme constituencies–those who themselves have so often been misled by the bombastic political and ideological voices they have trusted without reservation. They appear to have forgotten or have chosen to ignore the indispensable role America has played and continues to play in international affairs. The post-World War Two world became a saner place largely because of American leadership. The twenty-first century world is fraught with fresh challenges and risks, and it needs more than simplistic solutions and cheap platitudes to keep our country safe, relevant, and competitive. Constructive legislation and statecraft require mature, responsible statesmen who can manage in a complex world, rather than self-serving ideologues and opportunistic demagogues. The former have grown scarce in our politics.

So what do we see before us in this new year? Millions of Americans who believe absurdities, who blindly and unreservedly support political charlatans from the incessantly mendacious Donald Trump to the cynical purveyors of completely debunked lies about fraud in the 2020 election. Those determined underminers of confidence in our democratic institutions along with media con men exploit their fears, refuse to tell them hard truths, and are cavalierly willing to dispense with the very principles that brought this nation and its blessings into existence. The ominous rumblings of authoritarianism remind us of what began in Europe a century ago, and ended in Berlin in 1945, only after so much devastation, death, and sacrifice. But it ended with the triumph of democracy and freedom. America was the exemplar of that triumphant worldview and the model for the liberal democratic world order that has kept us safe for over seventy years. In this election year, attacks on the foundations of American democracy and our national institutions occur daily through disinformation and demagogy. The legacy of the Greatest Generation hangs in the balance, and the endurance of America’s experiment in democracy can no longer be taken for granted. This year think, reflect carefully on American history, read widely and consider all points of view, but bear in mind, not every idea is worthy or valid. Inform yourself and apply reason and careful judgement. Then in November of this year, vote!

Remember Benjamin Franklin’s response following the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 when asked what kind of government the delegates had established: A republic, if you can keep it.

Most Americans born after 1950 will not remember the holiday called Armistice Day. That’s because Armistice Day, which was celebrated to honor the end of the First World War, the conflict that President Woodrow Wilson called “the war to end all wars”, was changed to Veterans Day by act of Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 1 June 1954. Thereafter, not just the service of veterans of the “Great War,” as it was called then, but that of all veterans of the armed forces of the United States would be honored on that date: November 11, the date in 1918 when the armistice was signed between the victorious Western Powers and a defeated Germany. In Europe, the United Kingdom and several other nations continue to celebrate Armistice Day.

Subsequent history has shown how naively aspirational President Wilson’s hope was. The United States, which until its entry into World War I was temperamentally isolationist, has become inextricably involved in global affairs, and has frequently had to project military force, wisely or unwisely, to protect its vital interests, deter aggression, and maintain a liberal world order that seeks to establish the rule of law and promote democracy. That project has not always worked out, as the Vietnam War and the wars in the Middle East have shown. The world is a complex place. There are so many variables to consider: history, society, economy, language, culture, religion, as well as international alliances and rivalries. It is quite difficult to get it right. It is often the case that we get it wrong. The practice of diplomacy and statesmanship requires intelligence, rational reflection–and patience. And faith in our American values doesn’t hurt.

Over the years, since the change from Armistice Day to Veterans Day, there have been critics who strenuously objected to the replacement of Armistice Day by Veterans Day. One critic, a former US Army ranger who left the military as a conscientious objecter, wrote, in an article in The Guardian on Veterans Day in 2014, that the holiday placed its emphasis on military valor and war heroes rather than on the establishment of peace and remembering the pain and suffering of war. The latter, he said, had been the focus of Armistice Day. Writer Kurt Vonnegut, a World War Two veteran, also criticized the change to Veterans Day. In 2018, he said, “Armistice Day has become Veterans Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans’ Day is not. So I will throw Veterans’ Day over my shoulder.”

Each individual can choose for themselves how to interpret the significance of Armistice Day versus Veterans Day. One might lean more toward honoring the making of peace and the grief that accompanies the end of bloody and brutal military conflict; another might prefer to emphasize the courage and sacrifice of the warrior who has often had to assume a fearsome duty. Whichever alternative one values in finding the “meaning” of such commemorations, it cannot be denied that all those who have stood the watch on remote frontiers or borne the burden of perilous conflict deserve our praise and our gratitude. For without their willigness to serve and defend our freedom, we would be a lesser nation, and meekly subject to the will of authoritarian and totalitarian entities whose belligerence and predations have defined international relations since ancient times. Freedom is not free. As Thomas Jefferson said, “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”

On this day, whether you prefer Veterans Day or Armistice Day, let all Americans, united in the dream that has inspired us since the founding fathers declared that we “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states,” express our pride and gratitude for the faithful service of the men and women, past and present, of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. God bless the USA.

Well, it finally happened to us. Adele and I tested positive for Covid-19 a couple of days ago, and we have been quarantining and taking the prescribed treatment, Paxlovid, since. So there it is, even after receiving the two initial vaccinations followed by two boosters, as it turns out, we could not elude this nasty disease. All through the worst of the pandemic we followed all of the CDC advice, wore our masks, kept our distance, and went unscathed. But there is a newly evolved, highly transmissible variant, BA.2.86,  currently making the rounds, and our previous vaccines offer only a little protection from it. But even some protection is better than none especially when it comes to Covid-19. When the new vaccine becomes available, we plan to take it. How did we catch it? The likelihood is that we became infected during our recent travel back to Connecticut about two weeks ago.

So we have now joined the latest crop of Covid-19 victims, and are suffering the familiar respiratory symptoms associated with it. While we feel miserable, we are, nevertheless, both quite grateful and fortunate that, at our ages, we have been spared the devastating effects of the disease that has tormented and taken the lives of so many unfortunate souls. Our neighbors have been quick to look in on us and generously offer their help. And with the prayers of our relatives and friends, we will get through this painful period.

The moral of this story: the pandemic might be over, but Covid-19 still lurks about, evolving new forms, looking for new hosts. The best defense against this nasty culprit: maintain a healthy lifestyle, and when the need arises, follow sound medical advice. Above all, be sensible and inform yourself properly about the virus from trustworthy sources. Avoid nonsense, rumors, and the wrong-headed malarkey purveyed by self-styled “medical experts” on social media. Here’s wishing you continued good health.

Today marks the start of the Battle of Gettysburg one hundred sixty years ago, a bloody engagement that went on for three days. Most historians see this battle as the turning point of the American Civil War, a war to save the Union, a war to end slavery. It is imperative today that we do not forget the values and principles that so many died to protect and defend. Yet many of the attitudes and actions current at the time of the Civil War continue to resonate in our contemporary social interactions. The political turmoil we face today would not be very surprising to citizens in 1863. Sadly, we have yet to fully learn the lessons of that bitterly strife-torn era. And as the old adage goes, if we fail to learn the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them.

Recent attempts to dismantle our federal republic, piece by piece, through various special-interest programs and the unabashedly partisan actions of state legislatures and opportunistic state executives, should give all of us pause to consider what was achieved at Gettysburg, at a dreadfully high cost. The “states’ rights” advocates of that era would not countenance any interference with their “peculiar institution,” their slavery-based economy, which they defended on the basis of their long-standing traditions, their perceived economic necessity, and their self-serving interpretation of the Bible. The reemergence of a latent nostalgia for that “lost Confederate cause” coupled with feelings that America’s institutions, from government to healthcare and education, are corrupt and have been insidiously marshalled against “real” Americans, has pushed the polarization of the American polity to the brink. Emotions are running high, and resentments are so acute that a disturbing number of our fellow citizens now regularly vilify those they disagree with and justify changing government and society by any means necessary–including violence. The danger to our democracy has seldom been greater.

All American citizens have the right, guaranteed in the US Constitution, to express their views as vigorously as they wish, and no one must be discouraged from participating in the political process. Likewise, all citizens have the duty to respect the law and defend the institutions of government that have been established by that venerable document. That means there is a definite line that must not be crossed. Upon the ratification of the Constitution, one of our great founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, was asked what kind of government we had. He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

That is our solemn obligation, to keep our republic. Despite those who would disgracefully violate their oaths of office, or manipulate laws to satisfy narrow-minded political objectives, or provoke resentment and mischief against the very foundations of our democratic order, this republic will stand, just as it stood throughout that great conflict one hundred sixty years ago. I am confident we are resilient enough to endure these misguided incursions against America’s founding principles and its hard-won freedoms. Prior to the Civil War, references to America used the plural: “these United States are.” Following the restoration of the Union in 1865 and ever since, reference has been in the singular: “the United States of America is.” We had truly become one nation, not simply a conglomeration of states, each seeking solely to further its own interest. Now we truly had a common interest.

Obligations and responsibilities, not only rights, come with our federal union. And that is how we must go forward, respecting the brilliant legacy that our founding fathers created and willed to us. What we have achieved as a nation has become a beacon for the world. It is why desperate human beings the world over continue to flee from oppression and tyranny and seek refuge here to become part of this democratic society and share in the American dream. Throughout most of our history we have received legions of “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” the “tired and poor” from the teeming shores of several continents. All in their time have integrated productively into our society, enriching it with a plethora of diverse cultures and ethnicities. No one denies that there were times when the newcomers faced serious difficulties blending in, but together we worked to overcome them–compassion, fairness, and good will are American traits, too. And today we are all Americans.

And we have more to do. Our unfinished national task (Abraham Lincoln spelled it out for us at Gettysburg in 1863) is to pledge ourselves to keep striving to “create a more perfect union,” and by staying faithful to that commitment, I am convinced that America the beautiful “will have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Here we are, 79 years later, pausing once again to remember that pivotal episode of the Second World War: the Allied invasion of Adolf Hitler’s so-called Fortress Europe to begin the restoration of a continent brutalized by nazism. The cost has been sufficiently described by many different writers and commentators, but this month The American Legion’s website features an article that recounts an inspiring visit in 1984 by Lieutenant General James Gavin (“Jumpin’ Jim“) to a gathering of veterans of the 82nd Airborne Division on the Normandy battlefield to honor the achievements of the troops who fought there on 6 June 1944. The article, The heart to do what others cannot, by Col. Keith Nightingale, U.S. Army, retired, describes how much General Gavin’s speech meant to the contemporary troopers who attended the gathering. Jumpin’ Jim Gavin led the airborne assault on Normandy on D-Day. The article is an inspiring read, and talks about how today’s battle-hardened airborne soldiers continue to identify with and to be moved by the valor and ingenuity of their predecessors, highlighting the continuity of a tradition shared by brothers-in-arms. I recommend checking it out on the website.

While we’re on the subject, I would like to recommend another article, appearing in the June 2023 edition of The American Legion magazine, intitled, OUT of ORDER: We are at risk of losing all that America and its allies built in the wake of World War II. The author, Alan W. Dowd, a senior fellow with the Sagamore Institute Center for America’s Purpose, describes the foundations of what “some call the ‘rules-based democratic order,’ and others the ‘liberal international order.'” He goes on to say, “These terms may seem esoteric, but they are just descriptions of how America and its allies have tried to make the world work in the decades since World War II.” After describing the goal of the rules-based democratic order the free world was aiming at, he writes, “Contrary to those who dismiss the liberal international order as some gauzy outgrowth of 1990s globalism, key American statesmen considered it an essential part of America’s security throughout the postwar era.” He then reports the efforts of those statesmen and leaders to achieve that goal and what will happen if the enemies of that goal are allowed to have their way. “If the free world proves unable today to follow the example of those men, hostile regimes will replace the liberal order with something less liberal and less orderly.” Dowd then reviews the actions of illiberal regimes like Putin’s and Xi’s, not to mention that of Kim Jong Un, and the threat to world order posed by dictators like them: “…these regimes are working together to destroy the liberal international order.” He goes on to answer the critics of the present world order—most of whom rail against the costs of maintaining our global alliances—and then concludes by citing what those responsible for our defense have said. “There are costs to maintaining a liberal international order. But the costs of a world that’s out of order are higher. As Milley (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley) recently detailed, the collapse of the liberal order would mean doubling U.S. budgets and likely ‘an era of great-power conflict’.” Then he cites Milley’s review of the horrendous cost in lives and destruction that characterized the frequent periods of armed conflict prior to the establishment of the liberal international order, and Milley’s conclusion, “That’s what this international order that’s been in existence for seven and a half decades is designed to prevent.”

Dowd concludes the article with a statement from General James Mattis, “The postwar, rules-based international order is the greatest gift of the Greatest Generation.” Dowd closes with “The free world has the power to preserve this precious gift. What remains to be seen is if it has the will.”

So now, let’s remember what this day truly means. Political activity meant to debate, discuss, and critique different approaches to economic and social issues are welcome. Diversity of opinion envigorates discussion and is essential to solve problems; we eagerly support that. The founding fathers praised and advocated the free martketplace of ideas. But political activity that arrogates to itself alone the right to determine and constrain what others should believe, think, and do, and directs its efforts both rhetorical and actual at dismantling our rules-based democratic system promotes only resentment and chaos and will result inevitably in the destruction of what our Greatest Generation fought so valiantly to defend. Fellow Americans, let’s not let that happen. Let’s not forget.

[In memoriam, Pvt. George A. Marrash, 23 Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, DOW, 17 July 1944]

This article concerning languages caught my attention recently. It is important to understand that language is the vehicle for the transmission and preservation of culture. Without our language, our way of looking at the world, the shared wisdom contained in our community could not exist, nor be passed along. So I wanted to share with you an article from Intersect, the newsletter of Cross-Cultural Communications. Here’s CCC’s description from its website:

Cross-Cultural Communications (CCC) is the only international training agency in the United States for medical and community interpreting, and cultural competence, with over 400 licensed trainers in 43 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam and six other countries (Argentina, Canada, Panama, Thailand, Spain and Qatar). In addition to training, we provide technical assistance, consulting and course development.

From “About Us”, CCC Website

The newsletter brings to the attention of language practitioners (interpreters, translators, signers, educators), other disciplines (law, religion, government) where language plays a significant role, and the interested public the launch of the United Nations project to preserve indigenous languages, which are disappearing at an alarming rate. I have attached here the notice that appears in Intersect. If you want to follow up on topics like these, you can request your own subscription to the newsletter at the CCC website, http://www.cultureandlanguage.net.

Though not endangered in any way, the languages that are featured in my mini-articles are discussed focusing on numerous issues where language and its usage affect how we understand ourselves and others, and the way we go about our lives. If you are curious, click on the tab, Cogitata, in the menu bar at the top of the page.

It is worth the trouble to contemplate what life would be like without language to communicate, record, store, and transmit the days of our lives. And it is likewise worth it to respect and preserve all human languages, each a unique vehicle by which we make sense of the world.

Annually on the sixth day of January, Eastern Orthodox Christians traditionally observe Theophany to celebrate the revelation at the baptism of Jesus Christ. Widely known also as Three Kings Day, Latin American Christians observe it to commemorate the journey of the Magi who followed the legendary star that led them to Bethlehem to worship the Christ child. The Gospel of Matthew (2.1-2), records it thus, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” The Western Church calendar calls this period of time Epiphany, and in many places it is celebrated over several days with gifts, music, and feasting. For all Christians, whatever their denomination, it is the season for sharing the joy of Christmas, a time for greeting one and all with generosity and compassion, a time for spreading hope.

Now two years on since that tragic event, as a direct result of which five police officers and one of the rioters lost their lives and dozens were wounded, the beat goes on. Many of those who supported the objective of the insurrection and continue to deny the validity of the election results of 2020 sit today in the Congress. They are unapologetic, and what is more telling, they have patently failed to uphold their oath of office: “… to bear true faith and allegiance” [to the Constitution]. The extremists of the far right have continued to portray the insurrectionists as persecuted patriots and the attack on the Capitol as a legitimate exercise of “free speech.” Their ill-founded obsession is relentless:

It’s almost like Jan. 6 is baked into the electorate on the far right. When they see Jan. 6, they automatically think peaceful patriots being persecuted as political prisoners,” said Denver Riggleman, a former Republican congressman and senior technical adviser for the House select committee that investigated the attack. “It normalizes violence as an acceptable method for political disagreement. In effect, it endorses domestic terrorism. Not to mention that January 6th is a case study in radicalization and actions based completely on fantasy. [1] 

But January 6 will remain a day of joy and celebration long after the tumult of 2021 has faded away. In spite of all the Sturm und Drang that has followed on that fateful day, a far greater thing endures. When the last vestiges of a madness provoked by political and economic discontent, ill-willl, and self-serving disinformation have passed into history, the hope for a better world will banish despair, unite our fellow citizens, and usher in once more a time of mutual trust and understanding. The real message of January 6 is not hatred and violence, but hope and renewal, not just for Christians, but for everyone. Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke, 2.10-11)

May the victory of light over darkness proclaimed on this day of joy lift up our hearts, and may God, the Father of Lights, confer His blessing and guidance on everyone as we move ahead into the new year. Let us sing with the angels, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke, 2.14)

Updated from January 6, 2023

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[1] “Supporters raise millions to rebrand Jan. 6 rioters as ‘patriots’,” by Annie Gowen, The Washington Post, January 6, 2023.

“Remember Pearl Harbor!”

That’s not just an old song title from the 1940s. I know, most people who read this post will complain that they don’t remember the 1940s. “Why should we?” they will say. Well, there are several reasons. But let’s begin with today, December 7, 2022.

If you are displaying the American flag at your home or place of work, lower the flag to half-staff. It is a commemoration, a solemn commemoration of the surprise attack on the United States naval fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on that Sunday morning in 1941, an attack that cost the lives of thousands of American Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers. They were sleeping in their bunks, or attending church services, or just going about their routines when the attack began just before 8 am[i].

Then they appeared, the Japanese aircraft that launched their massive attack with studied precision on the sleeping American naval installation. When it was over, most of the ships in the harbor had been sunk or badly damaged, and rendered out of operation. The now well-known battleship, Arizona, in particular, went down with much of its crew, over 1100 sailors and marines, still interred in their watery grave[ii]. The bridge of the Arizona remains above water and has been maintained as a national symbol of the sacrifice of our military personnel on that fateful day.

Then-President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, speaking before an emergency joint session of Congress, announced to the nation the tragic outcome of the attack that he described as “…Sunday, December 7, 1941, A Day that will live in Infamy….” And so it was. But it was also that terrible event on that terrible day that propelled the United States of America into World War Two, a war that already had been raging in Europe for over two years.

America had, for the most part, been sleeping, holding fast to isolationism, and despite the warnings from knowledgeable world watchers at home and abroad, preferred to stay out of European entanglements. Up to that point, the outside world, for most Americans, could go its own way. At home, we were just fine as we were, away from the crises and wars that troubled European history for centuries. But the world was changing, and not about to leave America out of the mix, and by the end of the war, we had become involved everywhere. The world was becoming a global society, and America had become an integral part of it, indeed, an indispensable part of it. And when some people say, “We don’t need to be involved in NATO, or the UN, or other alliances or global arrangements,” remember that there can be no return to isolationism in this world of supersonic air travel, multinational corporations, Internet, social media, drones in peace and war, and who-knows-what else is coming down the line. The world has grown smaller, and we are smack dab in the middle of it.

So, as we remember Pearl Harbor, and commemorate the men and women who served their country so valiantly in the midst of great peril on that awful day, let us not forget the lessons of that pivotal time in history. America must remain vigilant and prepared. We must nurture our global ties with our friends, but also seek to balance carefully our relationships with friends and adversaries alike.

The complexities of the global arena demand leadership capable of dealing with those complexities, and that needs an informed citizenry that understands and accepts what such challenges entail. As citizens we must continue to respect our founding principles and remain loyal to our Constitution and our democratic values. That is what the “greatest generation” fought a bloody world war to preserve and defend.

In turbulent times, we have come dangerously close to losing those values and, in turn, losing the core of our democratic republic. Self-serving demagogues who push their own agendas, promote the politics of exclusion, and stir up angry mobs with shameless mendacity have appeared in our history from time to time. We have rejected them before and committed them and their chicanery to the dustbin of history. And we will again, if we hold steadfastly to our national values and stand behind responsible leadership that takes seriously its oath of office.

That’s why we must not fail to remember what history has to tell us. Or be doomed to repeat it.

May God in His mercy remember all those who suffered and died for our freedom.

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[i] THE AFTERMATH

• A total of 2,404 United States military and civilians were killed, 1,177 were killed aboard the USS Arizona and 68 civilians were killed. A total of 64 Japanese military were killed with one taken prisoner
• 15 United States Navy personnel received the Medal of Honor and 51 received the Navy Cross. The Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal was later given to all military veterans of the attack.

Sources: Naval History and Heritage Command, National WWII Museum

[ii] The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona ….

Source: Wikipedia

A salute to our Veterans of every era. Today and every day we are indebted to you for your faithful service, your steadfast adherence to duty. This grateful nation honors you and pays you the highest respect. We have remained a free nation because of you.

Let us remember: All Gave Some, Some Gave All.

The official stood before us and said, “Raise your right hand and repeat after me:”

I, Richard L. Marrash, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

I have sworn that oath twice. First, when I enlisted in the U. S. Army, and again, when I entered federal service. My duty to that oath remains; I have never retracted it, and to my knowledge no authority has ever relieved me of its claim upon my loyalty. I am honor bound by what I declared. It is a commitment for life.

Read carefully the obligations I accepted in the oath: “… bear true faith and allegiance …;” “… without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion …;” “… well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office ….” Now consider the words, attitudes, and behaviors of many public officeholders who have taken that same oath of office. Reflect on their obligation to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution, to well and faithfully discharge the duties of their office.  Ask yourself, have they done so? Have they acted faithfully and honestly in the performance of their office? Indeed, do they show courage in the face of daunting challenges brought on by anger, misguidedness, or outright mendacity? Or do they fail to honor their sworn duty to protect the constitutional bedrock of our democratic Republic?

Elections are upon us once again, and candidates, political parties, and interest groups clamor for our attention, and our donations. They surround us with strident claims promising to improve our lives, solve our problems, and make our country better off by ridding us of their wicked political rivals. Their ads flood the Internet, TV broadcasts, email, and social media, while posters on every street corner tell you who endorses whom (i. e., the unions, the police, various PACs, the former president, diverse lobbies, etc.), but they do not tell you the character of the person running for office. That you have to find out for yourself. That task might be one of the most important things you can do as an American citizen in these challenging times–deciding whom you deem worthy of holding public office.

Do your own research, and seek truth. Don’t spend precious time glued to special interest websites and social media. Read broadly and in depth. Be a critical observer of words and deeds. Become familiar with the wide range of issues affecting our society. Understand the challenges involved in trying to create, debate, and implement economic and social policy, and don’t be swayed by the oversimplifications of candidates whose stock responses to problem solving are nothing more than assigning blame rather than working on serious solutions.

Ask yourself, have incumbents been faithful in discharging the duties of their offices, have they counseled their supporters to follow the laws and respect the institutions of our democracy? Or have they pandered to the anger of misinformed and disgruntled partisans for political benefit rather than try to calm the angry passions and exercise the constructive leadership our nation needs to tamp down today’s out-of-control political turbulence. Have they stood up for the founding principles of our democracy? Have they remembered the oath?

I hear my friends and neighbors often remark with frustration, “How can you know what is true today? I don’t trust the media, I don’t trust the government or political parties, I don’t trust the politicians, so whom can you trust?” There is no easy answer. Our nation is deeply divided. Citizens are rightly angry and disillusioned, and struggling under the weight of rising consumer prices caused by the highest inflation in decades. For so many the economic pain is acutely personal, and their political leaders have done nothing to relieve their woes. They have lost the trust of their citizens. They will have to work long and hard to win it back.

The strain on our national fabric is severe. Violence lurks just outside the confines of our deteriorating national accord, and much of our political leadership at all levels of government fails to condemn it and deal with it firmly and forthrightly, as fidelity to their oath of office demands of them. And some of the more openly self-serving and irresponsible have even chosen to exploit it. Shakespeare’s Mark Antony recognized the tactic well when he unleashed the Roman mob: Mischief, thou art afoot, take thou what course thou wilt.

Here’s something you can do: Read. Read about the candidates. Read about the issues. Read domestic sources. Read international sources. Read. Read. Read. And learn. Cable TV and the Internet cannot provide the depth of information and detail that is necessary for healthy reflection and informed judgement. There is far too much superficial blather, wild fabrication, and pernicious lying on social media—the anything-goes platform where self-appointed trolls can spew out unchallenged whatever outlandish nonsense they can concoct. Eager followers will embrace it, they want confirmation of what they already believe, not the debunking of falsehoods, not truth. Accessing their special partisan fix has become the drug of choice for too many seeking validation from likeminded addicts even as they reject any inconvenient reality that contradicts them. Cognitive bias is something we all suffer from to varying degrees, so learn to resist it in yourself. It’s worth the effort. Truth always is.

Do the work. Read: national and international newspapers, respected magazines and journals, academic papers, professional journals and independent reports. You are not limited to a single type of media. There are numerous sources of sound information that can help you sift through the layers of detail to clarify your ideas and gain a nuanced understanding of the people and the issues. Along the way there might be times when it is tempting to jump to facile conclusions, join the chorus echoing the latest slogans, and denounce the current scapegoat. Don’t. That might make you feel good for awhile, but it will never solve the real problems; it will only help further erode trust in our system of government. The purveyors of unbalanced rhetoric do not want you to think; they want you to parrot them blindly. Don’t play into their hands. Instead, pay attention to all sides of an argument with an open mind, and be skeptical when, in lieu of answers, all that a candidate can do is deflect, denigrate, and deny. Demand more from them. Hold them accountable to their oath of office, to their duty to the Constitution of the United States of America.

The authoritarian movements in Europe in the 1930s began by propounding outrageous lies, and succeeded by repeating them incessantly. That brought to the world stage dictators on an epic scale, the most notorious being Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. It took a world war and tens of millions of casualties, to bring that terrible period to an end. We learned then the high cost that had to be paid when highly evolved, sophisticated societies ignored the undermining of the rule of law, allowed the spread of vicious and lethal falsehoods, and tolerated the systematic violation of human rights. Liberty and justice can disappear. Democracy cannot survive when citizens lose faith in it.

Do not let that happen here. A well-informed citizenry is strong protection against the slide into authoritarianism. Be vigilant. Be well informed. Choose your candidates with wisdom. Vote.

Ye shall know them by their fruits.