equanimity under stress
A letter from a veteran
The Constitution really is our national social contract. As you know, I take this document quite seriously because it offers us a framework to allow an ever expanding population to live together with some sort of equanimity. We can and do revise the document when a majority deems necessary through the amendment process, an open and transparent system. Changes come slowly as we are, amazingly, a deliberate nation, but that means some will find the change too sudden while others find it far to slow. The Constitution is imperfect but so are we citizens, yet it's been a relatively useful framework for nearly two hundred fifty years. I excerpt the Preamble to that document.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence (sic), promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Late Wednesday afternoon, I came across the letter below on social media from someone who served to "provide for the common defence (sic)". I don’t know Lt Col Shappart but believe his moving thoughts are more common among military personnel than many people realize.
We who never served in the military may never ponder what the country asks of those we empower to defend us. Our history is overwhelmingly one of apolitical armed forces serving us against foreign enemies. Yes, we can cite instances where the command authorities used those armed forces against internal opposition, but that is far less frequent than it might have been (I also understand that Native Americans would respond differently to any consideration of the armed forces than others). But our history has been far better than it might have been—or has been in vast swaths of the world. Those bearing arms had a mission that they saw as consistent with the Constitution to which they swore an oath.
As a reminder, that oath includes
“…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 upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”
The nineteenth-century Posse Comitatus Act (1878) restricts domestic employment of the military as law enforcement. Put another way, we ask those in uniform to fight only foreign concerns unless a statute or Congress specifically authorizes actions at home. We have had a professional, non-partisan force, as a result, respecting the lawful orders from civilian authorities, regardless of political party. This standard is as central to our country as personal freedom since one of our core reasons for separating from Britain was British Army oppression under George III.
Those who sign up to serve almost invariably take seriously their commitment to carry out the nation's defense under lawful orders without mental reservation since that commitment has potentially deadly consequences. Those who serve, in turn, expect our elected officials to govern with integrity in a non-partisan manner when civilian leaders ask the armed forces to engage on the nation’s behalf. This is part of our national social contract.
I welcome your thoughts in response to Lt Col Allan Shappert's letter in the Bloomberg, Pennsylvania Press Enterprise on 11 March 2025. He is a retired Air Force officer who served us honorably. He is registering deep concerns. You may agree or dismiss him, but he identified profound worries publicly and respectfully, understanding that consequences may ensue.
Empathy helps us recognize how others feel about the profound reconsideration underway of our country's future. The simple act of thinking from someone else's perspective appears woefully lacking these days, yet it is vital for each and every one of us. I highly recommend we recognize others’ concerns more often as we navigate the shoals of our current tension. I prefer a social contract to a chaotic country full of 350 million individuals acting solely as on their day-to-day whims.
Take a few moments to ask yourself how you feel about the changes under way and why others embrace or reject them. This column is about Actions creating consequences because that reality pertains for our choices, whatever they are.
We live in a fantastic country despite our frustrations of all types. We are foolish to assume the contract undergirding this system will continue without care and feeding, translated into engagement and study. We make a difference every single day but do we want more than what we are going?
Thank you for your time this morning. I welcome any and all rebuttals, comments, questions, and thoughts on this or any other topic. Thanks to those who invest resources in this column. $50 a year supports my writing, as does $8 a month if you want to invest.
Be well and be safe. FIN
Allan Shappert, “Grieving a Wasted Life”, PressEnterpriseOnline.com, 11 March 2025, retrieved at https://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/daily/031125/page/15/story/grieving-a-wasted-life
“Empathy”, dictionary.com, retrieved at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/empathy
“Preamble to the Constitution”, Constitution of the United States of America (1787). Archives.gov, retrieved at https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
“U.S. Military Oaths of Office”, Oath.us, 14 March 2025, retrieved at https://oaths.us/us-military-oath-of-enlistment-and-oaths-of-office/
“vicarious”, dictionary.com, retrieved at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vicarious
Thank you for a thoughtful, detailed response. Wish you weren’t so far away as i would enjoy sitting down for discussions regularly.
From taps on my phone
I totally agree with "Red Dog's" sentiment about career politicians. I've been a strong proponent of term-limits across both houses of Congress for quite some time. I also agree with his frustration with not being able to develop and pass a budget to run the Country. Having lived through decades of Continuing Resolutions that miraculously get passed w/in seconds of the Government having to shut-down is no way to run the Country. Here what I'm thinking:
Change the constitution so that at the 24th hour of the gov't fiscal year, if no budget has been passed, every sitting member of Congress (both houses) are automatically removed from their seats. They have 48 hours to vacate their offices and can't run for re-election for at least 6 years (or maybe forever). Instead, an automatic, pre-calculated Continuing Resolution kicks in which funds the Gov't at previous year's budget levels for 3 months and is overseen by a board of budget trustees who are un-paid, objective advisors made up of experts in business, finance and accounting. All Presidential veto powers related to budget issues are automatically suspended for one year. Additionally, an emergency election process is enacted to re-populate both houses of Congress. Any non-felon, American citizen who has not held an elected office in the past 2 years is eligible to run and all candidates are elected by a popular vote of the people in a local, regional, national election system similar to the NCAA basketball bracket system. All seats have to be filled w/in 3 months. At that point, the "new" congress takes over and has 30 days to produce a budget. If unsuccessful, we start over w/ the same provisions.
Yeah... I know it would never work but what we've been doing isn't working either. We're living in a big experiment right now. Most experiments like this are conducted with strict protocols in a lab before being released to the public. But in this case, We The People are the lab rats and at the whim of "mad" (both definitions may apply) scientists who are seeing if a Republic can be run like a for-profit business. As the saying goes... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Guess we're going to see if that's true over the next several years.