Don’t Forget to Vote in What is Shaping up to be Maybe the Most Crucial Election Ever For the Future of America

The Island Wanderer typically does not take sides or participate in partisan politics in any way, shape or form. We tend to focus primarily on the good news happening on Bainbridge Island and beyond: arts and culture, events, non-profits, interesting businesses and people, parks and recreation and so on. Occasionally, we try and explain what the City Council and City Government is up to around issues that affect most, if not, all of our residents, such as the Madison Avenue reconstruction project, updates on the Comprehensive plan, affordable housing, groundwater analysis, etc. You get the picture.

As citizens, voting is our constitutional right and – one might say – our obligation to ensure that representative democracy continues. Depending on who you talk to, this year’s upcoming election is shaping up to be one of the most important in recent memory. As we’ve all learned by listening to the news on television or radio, reading our daily news feeds, or chatting it up with friends and family, our nation is divided more than ever by blue and red walls around issues such as abortion, immigration, inflation, voting rights and how elections are managed, the economy, climate change and others.

We are talking, of course, about the national election and the Presidential race for the White House between our current Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald J. Trump (R). These two candidates and their parties and supporters have two distinctly different visions of America’s future. We’ll leave it up to you to do the research and distinguish the salient dissimilarities between the two.

Now, we admit that we have voted for Republicans in the past. These were candidates who we perceived had more experience, deeper backgrounds, and stronger convictions than their Democratic rivals. It made sense and makes sense today if that’s the case. But Donald Trump is a different breed of cat.

We can understand where some die-in-the wool Republicans might vote for Trump. For them, he represents long-standing Republicans values: less government, lower taxes, fewer regulations. But there are too many other issues now in the mix, such as a woman’s right to choose, gun violence, the environment and so on, that make those yesteryear distinctions murkier, and less rationale.

Over the past several days, we’ve gone back and forth on whether it is wise for us to even bother publishing this blog post. Instead, letting the chips fall where they may. But an email from a friend, who had voted Republican for most of his life, convinced us to move forward. Our friend attended one of our nation’s military academies and spent time on both active duty and in the Military Reserve. As such he took oaths to defend the Constitution, both at his academy induction and as a commissioned officer.

“Although my military career is now decades behind me, that oath still resonates,” our friend says. “Until I was 70 years old, my preference for Presidential candidates was solidly Republican.  However, there are two areas in which the possible result of the electoral outcome is so stark, that I can no longer vote that way and am compelled to write.”

What follows are some excerpts from our friend’s email that gets to the heart of the issue:

International Security:

“Donald Trump has said he can solve the Ukrainian conflict in one day.  He also has implied as yet unspecified actions with the NATO alliance.  There are only two ways in which that war can end in one day – force Putin to withdraw or grant him some or all of the territory he desires.  This is a man (Putin) whose stated intention is to re-establish what was (once) the Soviet Union.  He murders his foes and has kidnapped Americans.  He has retaken the Republic of Georgia and has de facto control of Belarus.  Ukraine is next.  He is not going to withdraw voluntarily and if granted control of any or all of Ukraine, particularly in the face of a weakened NATO, he will see it only as a steppingstone.”

“Kamala Harris says she will support Ukraine by all means necessary. Admittedly, that might necessitate some sort of negotiated settlement. Yes, there are programs in this country desperate for more funding and she has opinions among which many voters deeply disagree. However, any delay in stopping Putin now will yield decisions far more difficult and costly.  On the other side of the world, China’s Xi, with his objective of retaining control of Taiwan, is watching closely.”

“When our munitions production is at its limit providing artillery shells for Ukraine,” our friend continues, “our Navy is stretched thin and our Armed Forces cannot meet their recruiting goals, how will we manage a two-continent conflict?  If we try, it will be (our) children or grandchildren who will be fighting.  As an alternative, the cost of acquiescence would be incalculable, not only to the U, S., but to all free democracies.

After Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 announcement of “peace in our time” following a weakly negotiated agreement with another tyrant (Adolf Hitler), history recorded the deaths of 20 million Europeans and nearly 200,000 Americans.  In the modern world, once appeasement is no longer acceptable, escalation could result in no winners, only survivors.”

Judicial Independence:

“Trump seeks to remake the Judiciary as a weapon of revenge and retribution.  Not only is this antithetical to the purpose for which the Department (of Justice) was formed, if accomplished, it will be impossible to reverse. This will destroy our democracy. During his last term, naïve in the workings of government, the pre-existing upper management resisted him.  This time, he will install his enablers in their place.  For those who argue that it is weaponized already, I offer in rebuttal the conviction of the Democratic Senator from New Jersey, the indictment of the Democratic Mayor of New York and the conviction and guilty plea of the son of the Democratic President.  If Donald Trump had truly been the target of a weaponized Judiciary, the Attorney General would have acted much more quickly to have him indicted.”

Conclusion

“Yes, there are many difficult choices, and in the short term, some are very painful.  But in comparison, they do not threaten our existence. Furthermore, distrust those who offer simple solutions to complex problems. Solutions of that sort do not exist, but incremental improvements, attained by good faith negotiation do.”

“There is a reason that 700 former military leaders, national security experts and cabinet members have come out against Trump.  Many have seen and listened to him up close.  Some are in profound disagreement with much of the Harris platform, but they know the difference between political opposition and a threat to the nation’s well-being.  This letter, in a statement far more powerful and eloquent than mine, lays out their rationale:  Endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States — National Security Leaders for America (nsl4a.org)

“There will always be the next election, but only if we ensure it,” our friend concludes.

We are taking no sides in this election, only trying to lay out the facts from credible news sources and an opinion from people we trust. We leave the voting up to you and your conscience. Our only ask, is that you vote!

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