Be a Good Citizen First

We are one of the few countries in the world that allows citizens to criticize the government. In many countries, remarks critical to those in power are considered treason. How free are the people of China to speak out against their national leaders? In Iran, it is a crime against the state to worship in other than the prescribed manner. Additionally, it is illegal to offer proposals contrary to the establishment’s version of the truth. In America, however, we are free to criticize, or even condemn, the actions of our government. Our nation was founded on dissent. We are guaranteed the right to protest. We need to be careful, however, that we frame our protests such that we remain on the side of good citizenship. Webster defines “Good Citizenship” as those who make a positive contribution to their nation. I fear many of us have crossed the line.

Immediately after the 2016 election, there was a groundswell of protest including the mantra, “Not My President”. I don’t see how anyone can be a good citizen who denies the very basis of our free society. The Constitution specifies the process in which our leaders are selected. To defy that process is not good citizenship. It is not just a protest against the President, it is a condemnation of the Constitution itself. We cannot be good citizens if we refuse to accept the outcome of our process. That is not to say we should not advocate for a change in our basic law. That, too, is part of the process. While we are trying to get the process changed, however, we must accept the outcome.

I remember watching the President’s first State of the Union message. The house minority leader sat with her followers as a solid block of disapproval. They all had scowls on their faces and their arms crossed in defiance. They may just as well have been holding “Not My President” signs. It made no difference what the President said, they were predisposed to be against it. To be a good legislator you must first be a good citizen.

To be a good Governor you must also be a good citizen. Last week, shortly after Iran attacked the air bases in Iraq where many Americans were stationed, a group claimed to be unduly detained at the border crossing north of Seattle. As I watched the report on television and read the account on CNN, I saw little to justify their claims. The spokesperson claimed her children were US citizens with valid passports and should not have been delayed. She didn’t say SHE was a citizen. The pictures on CNN showed the checkpoint, but didn’t show a group being detained. Immigration officials emphatically denied any instruction to treat Iranian nationals any different than anyone else. Who is to be believed? Our Governor accepted the accusation against the administration before any facts were verified.

The escalating tensions with Iran would seem to be a time to set politics aside and present a united front. I see just the opposite. Rather than stand united, the House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution condemning the President’s actions. That serves no purpose except to encourage opposition both internally and externally. The Canadian Prime Minister stopped just short of blaming the US for creating the hostile environment in which 63 Canadians were killed. Soleimani was the mastermind behind the attack on the US embassy in Iraq and was planning other terrorist acts. His elimination saved American lives. If the President had conferred with Democratic leaders in the House, they would have condemned him in the media, and the opportunity would have been lost. Would I have done things differently? Maybe, but then again, I don’t have access to the information our national leaders had. It’s easy to condemn, but it’s time to quit being politicians and become patriots.

(Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and a long time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free lance columnist for over 18 years.)