June 1972 I took the oath of enlistment when I volunteered for service in the United States Naval Reserve. The words if you’re unfamiliar are, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;…” My enlistment ended in 1978 when I received an honorable discharge. Later as a public school teacher I had to do the same and recently as a trustee of our two county public library system I had to affirm that I would uphold the Constitution.
Today I witnessed lawmakers and our president seeking to overturn the will of the American people who overwhelmingly elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to presidency and vice-presidency. Today insurrectionists stormed the US Capitol and threaten the well being of the capitol police and members of congress. One of the people involved was mortally wounded. I wonder if those lawmakers and the insurrectionists have ever read the U. S. Constitution. The lawmakers took approximately the same oath as I did. Did they mean it?
Ironically the current president and many of his followers have made a big deal about law and order. Not much evidence of respect for law and order today. These same folks got upset when athletes knelt at the time of the National Anthem. Today one of the insurrectionists tore down the United States flag from the U.S. Capitol and raised a campaign banner of the president. Apparently their patriotism was fraudulent. We have heard a lot about fraud in this election and we witnessed that fraud today. It was on display for all the world to see. American exceptionalism died today. Our republic is under siege by forces of evil who are hell bent on destroying us.
I hope that order will be restored and that our republic will survive this insurrection and that we will grow as a country. E pluribus unum.