Editor's note: Dan Barkhof is president and founder of Veterans for Responsible Leadership. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001, served seven years as a Navy SEAL, and currently works as an emergency physician. Naveed Shah is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and currently works for the progressive veterans organization Common Defense.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence, which America celebrates this week, all knew they were risking their lives. Benjamin Franklin is said to have tweeted, “We must all stick together, or we will all be hanged separately.”
At the time, treason against the British king carried punishments of hanging, quartering and execution, often before large audiences. As North Carolinians gather to celebrate Independence Day, we urge you to consider the risks our Founding Fathers took to establish the rule of law.
The United States may have its problems, but our constitutional republic is a representative democracy unprecedented in history. This ideal is so strong that from the beginning, Americans have given their lives to defend it. As veterans of the 9/11 wars, we often reflect on the many sacrifices made over the past 248 years.
This year, in what is shaping up to be the most important election season of our lifetimes, the pillar that holds it all together – the peaceful transfer of power – is under attack. Since 1788, with one exception, the losing party has always “voluntarily and peacefully” ceded power to the opposing party.
The exception was 2020, when Donald Trump incited his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the official certification of the election results. U.S. courts and society at large continue to grapple with the attempted coup that took place on January 6th.
The American Revolutionary War was violent, but it also contained the seeds of this representative democracy: a belief in the rule of law. The leaders of the 13 colonies overcame their fears of being hanged by the British Crown and agreed to embrace the rule of law as the foundation of their new society, an experiment that continues to this day.
For these reasons, we have formed a coalition of veterans from across political parties and diverse backgrounds. Our mission is to ask Democrats, Republicans and independents to make a simple pledge to renounce violence during this election cycle and to honor the results of the 2024 election.
In North Carolina, our organizations have a combined membership of over 5,000. Our veterans represent approximately 8% of our state's population and are an electoral force. We and our military families need a Commander in Chief who is guided by our humane values and who will stay firmly at the helm.
During last week's presidential debate, Trump dodged three questions about accepting the election results and, when asked about January 6, lied by blaming then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His fear-mongering has gone too far, as has his disregard for the rule of law and his contempt for veterans and the concept of service.
A further threat to our democracy emerged on Monday when the US Supreme Court ruled that President Trump and other former presidents have partial immunity from criminal prosecution. As one dissenting justice wrote in a provocative hypothetical, it opens the door for a commander in chief to order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political opponent without facing criminal prosecution. Is this the rule of law?
When you gather with friends and family on the Fourth of July, recite the line from the Declaration of Independence, “We are all created equal,” and explain that more than 11,300 men and women from North Carolina lost their lives overseas defending that ideal.
Then ask the Trump supporter nearby what they think Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, or North Carolina signees Joseph Hughes, John Penn, and William Hooper would say about January 6th.
Don't be afraid to get the facts straight.
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