Clear and Present Dangers to Our Democracy
By Mark Innerbichler, Bob Crawford, Joel Heller, Brent Lindstrom, and Don Stanton
We are concerned that our democracy is being threatened by the increasing tribalism, divisiveness, and violence which has spread across the nation. We are especially worried when we read about former Special Forces operators being hired to patrol polling places in Minnesota and armed militias and individuals being encouraged by senior officials to “stand by” to potentially assist in “observing” elections across the country.
We served in the Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force during times ranging from the Vietnam era through the height of the Cold War, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. We swore an oath “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The importance of that oath, and the threat it is facing this election year, were summarized perfectly by Gen Mattis,
“Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C.,
sets up a conflict — a false conflict — between the military and
civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted
bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are
sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part.”
It is especially hard for us to now see officials stirring up paramilitary forces to potentially intimidate or challenge citizens exercising the fundamental right at the very the core of the Constitution.
During a time of national pandemic emergency, the President and his Administration have actively sown doubt and disinformation about the US Postal Service’s ability to process mail-in ballots, yet the military has used vote by mail since the Civil War. We know it works because that’s how we voted when we were deployed . Today, every single service member serving away from their home is now faced with the conflicting messages from their Commander-in-Chief: “No one supports our military more than me!”, followed by, “Mail ballots can’t be trusted.” It’s worth noting that they President himself votes by mail.
The President’s encouragement to his supporters to watch the polls, which could be interpreted as voter intimidation, are also troubling. His reluctance to disavow white supremacist militias, and unmistakably clear call to extremist groups to “stand back and standby” indicate he values their political support over his duty to preserve and protect our constitutional rights.
During past months the Administration, at taxpayer expense and without Congressional approval, sent federal agents, aircraft, and military units to numerous American cities — often without the invitation of or coordination with state and local leaders. These are unconstitutional uses of federal forces against citizens exercising their basic First Amendment rights.
This is a scary time for our country, and America’s Founders would be appalled at a disruptive President stoking division by sending federal forces into cities, encouraging armed militias to intimidate citizens, and undermining our election system. As Cold War veterans, we. are disgusted by his coziness with autocrats from Russia, China, and North Korea. We are outraged at his undermining of national security organizations, international alliances, and his questioning of the integrity of both our intelligence community, and the FBI.
Strong democracy demands leadership committed to working together to unify the diverse elements of our society, and its success hinges on sincere and honest dialogue and compromise between partisan leaders. Recently nearly 800 former National Security leaders who served in the administrations of both parties signed an “Open Letter to America” demonstrating the unity and strength which can still be achieved across party lines.
To unify our country, we need “big tent” leaders who are committed to pursuing bipartisan solutions, listening to citizens from all walks of life, and to mend the current divisions threatening America’s security. We need leaders who can heal and rebuild our nation and who will encourage Americans to contribute their best to work together towards a better country.
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Mark Innerbichler served as a Marine fighter pilot and lives in Brooklyn Park. Bob Crawford served as an Air Force pilot and lives in Apple Valley. Joel Heller is an Army veteran and lives in Duluth. Brent Lindstrom is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and lives in Hallock. Donald Stanton served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and is a retired Navy pilot.
