by Mike Blinder | Opinion for Editor & Publisher Magazine
(reprinted with permission)
“Thank you for your service!” I say that phrase so often now, especially at
boarding gates, when I’m in the frequent flyer line and the agent announces
that retired or active-duty military can board before the “road warriors.”
Now, as I watch war break out in Europe and — make no mistake, this is a
war — that phrase means even more to me. Because I believe in my heart that
these dedicated young men and women perhaps know more about who we
are as a country than the average American. This is because those who
choose to serve in harm’s way for all of us pledge their allegiance, not to a
flag or a country, but to a document — The United States Constitution.
Oath of enlistment (10 U.S.C. § 502):
“I, ____________________, do solemnly swear that 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; and that I will obey the orders of the
President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me,
according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me,
God.”
Ask yourself, if you, like I, never served in the military or civil service, what
pledge of allegiance have you given in your lifetime? The answer for me is
that for 14-years (pre-school through my senior year at high school), I was
directed to stand and pledge my allegiance to a flag. However, I was not
taught about our Constitutional Democracy until middle school.
For centuries The United States Constitution, that our brave, selfless warriors
have fought for — with some giving that “last full measure” for — safeguards
the interests of a majority rule while ensuring minority rights of liberty and
equality.
America’s ability to achieve critical consensus is what the Constitution is all
about. James Madison believed that forming a strong national government
and separating powers across competing institutions would help us coexist
peacefully in a pluralist democracy, where opposing groups and factions live
equally in one society. In short, as Americans, we must all get along. We
must coexist and mutually agree to respectfully disagree with each other —
period.
The way I interpret the root cause of this homeland conflict between
us lies within our societal fringes. Those on the very, very far right have
adopted a philosophy that would prefer an authoritarian system of
government, rejecting any political plurality and reducing the separation of
powers. And the very, very far left refuses to accept the dualism inherent in
our democracy by not allowing or tolerating any of their leaders to move to
the center on any liberal issues, thus avoiding any hope of consensuses
between our two parties. And finally, the media plays against this burning
anger we have with each other, “fanning the flames” to gain readers and
ratings.
I guess my point is this, how we expose our American youth to civics and
service may be a key way we can begin to find some peace here at home as
we try to end (or at least abate) these endless culture wars.
Would it not be interesting in the years to come if we were to see in the front
of our classrooms a framed copy of The Constitution (along with the flag) and
perhaps change our pledge slightly to begin:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag and the Constitution of the United States of
America….”
E&P has served as the authoritative voice of the news publishing industry for over 140 years. Mike hosts the magazine’s popular Vodcast series, E&P Reports. He is also the author of “Survival Selling,” a popular media-based, business-to-business sales guide. He can be reached at Mike@EditorandPublisher.com. More
at: http://www.MikeBlinder.com
