Letter to Nebraska CODEL following 2016 Presidential Election

(NOTE: Sent shortly after the 2016 presidential election)

James A. Harrold

November 30, 2016

Senator Deb Fischer

454 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Ben Sasse

386A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry

1514 Longworth House Office

Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Adrian Smith

2241 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Brad Ashford

107 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Congressman-elect Don Bacon

11313 Davenport St
Omaha, NE 68154

           

Dear Members of the Nebraska Congressional Delegation,

            This is a letter to all members of the Nebraska Congressional Delegation. Now, it is certainly a fact that as a Nebraskan, I am represented by two Senators and one Member of the House of Representatives (Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, as I reside in the 1st Congressional District). So at least three of you may feel free to toss this letter aside. However, before you do that, I would ask that you consider a couple of points.

            First, I served this nation in the United States Air Force for 26 years, including service in Iraq, and retired as a colonel. I believe I have earned my stake in this nation’s future. Second, my family has lived in Nebraska for generations. My paternal grandmother’s family were homesteaders in Platte County. My paternal grandfather worked for the railroad. My father and all his brothers served during World War II. My maternal grandfather served in the First World War, and during World War II, he uprooted his family to reside in Washington, D.C. to aid the war effort by working in the Government Printing Office. My heritage is marked by hard-working people who built our nation and our state.

            I will tell you frankly that I am troubled that Donald J. Trump won the presidential election. In fact, I believe that Mr. Trump is just the kind of demagogue James Madison and Alexander Hamilton feared. The Constitution was created to place limits on the electability of people who stir up the masses with ridiculous appeals to fear, as Mr. Trump has done. Mr. Trump targets fear of religions other than one’s own, skin color other than one’s own, languages other than one’s own. As if to prove this, Mr. Trump has selected as his chief strategist Mr. Steve Bannon, who has a public and published record of extremist views.

            However, as I stated above, I am a military veteran; more accurately, I am a retired field grade officer who devoted his adult life to active duty military service. I also hold a PhD in Public Administration. By training, disposition, experience, and education, I am a person who considers the consequences of words and policy. I think it is incumbent upon voters to actually think prior to voting. I think it is incumbent upon leaders of political parties in our nation, especially elected leaders, to eschew blind voting for a person because that person was nominated by their party. Having suggested that, I do not think I live in some kind of elitist bubble, as Charles Murray talks about. But it is fair to say that I am concerned about our electorate when a person with almost no interest or experience in public policy somehow convinces voters that “he alone” has the answers for what troubles our nation. I suggest that voters who think that one man alone has the answers for what ails a nation reread, or read for the first time, the classic book by William Shirer published in 1960.

            I will not belabor the point. There are many reasons I could never envision a scenario where I would vote for Mr. Trump. Among these reasons, I am literally fearful of a man of Mr. Trump’s disposition serving as commander in chief. I will outline these reasons here. However, I want to remind you that the election of Mr. Trump by a minority of voters has energized millions of other voters, myself among them. You should not assume Mr. Trump has earned some kind of mandate. His only mandate is to unite the American People, who are angry and confused after a bruising campaign. Since I doubt seriously he will engage in uniting us, it is now up to people like me to serve as the loyal opposition to Mr. Trump. So in this letter, I will talk about national defense. You can anticipate that in future letters, as issues arise, I will talk about other concerns.

            Mr. Trump said during the campaign that our military is broken. He said our generals have been “reduced to rubble.” A couple of points are in order here. First, our military is not broken by almost any measure. We possess the strongest military in the world, and we continue this strength into the future. Defense spending did decline after 2012, as did funding for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). It is understandable that after the withdrawal from Iraq, OCO would decline and that the base budget would also decrease. The base budget is now at about the levels of 2004 and 2005. One wonders how this somehow indicates a disintegration of national defense. Of course, as an officer, I believe in a strong national defense. I simply ask that reasonable people reasonably debate just how strong our defense should be. We should not simply go along with a person who probably couldn’t identify the DOD budget within 200 billion dollars. I think it is worth noting that the drawdown began during the presidency of George H.W. Bush was much more haphazard than any drawdown President Obama undertook.

            Mr. Trump has said we should subject prisoners to “waterboarding and worse.” Why? He really doesn’t know. Is it to get information from prisoners? Unless I miss my guess, Mr. Trump simply believes this statement makes him seem like he is a tough guy. Further, Mr. Trump said that he will order military members to torture prisoners and their families. Their families. And he says of military people, “they will obey me.” Really? Obey illegal orders? Can personal loyalty oaths to Mr. Trump be expected soon? I would remind you that the United States is a signatory nation to the Geneva Conventions. I would suggest that on this issue, you take your lead from Senator John McCain, not from Mr. Trump.

            Mr. Trump has hinted that he will not honor Article 5 of the NATO Treaty because some of our Allies do not pay their fair share, by his estimation. He has indicated he will leave South Korea and Japan without U.S. defense. Here again, I would remind you that consecutive presidents, including President Obama, have expressed concern about cost shares, and have done what presidents should do: continue to negotiate with our Allies. But none have simply proposed we leave the Baltic States, Poland, and other nations to stand on their own against Russia. This is precisely what Mr. Trump has done.

            Mr. Trump has said that nuclear proliferation is not a problem. In fact, he has hinted that South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and other states should simply go ahead and develop these weapons if they can. Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the general impression that presidents since the end of World War II have been opposed to proliferation.

            He has said he would “bomb the shit” (sorry, his words) out of ISIS. So his plan is this: just bomb. It doesn’t matter if we really know where ISIS resides. Just bomb. No strategy. No forethought. Just bomb. Whether or not I agree with President Obama’s policies in that region of the world (for the record, I think there is much to criticize), it seems patently obvious that a strategy of “just bomb” is not much of a strategy. Because while we are at it, we will alienate every one of our allies in the region, so that Russia and Iran will have more openings for influence.

            Mr. Trump’s views of women are abhorrent. What’s this have to do with national defense? Well, I think the fine work done by Senator Fischer and others who have sincerely attempted to address the scourge of sexual assault in the military will be deeply hurt by a man who has been recorded saying that he grabs women by their genitals because he is “a star.” Is this the message we want our young members of the military to receive? If you have power, you can abuse? I hardly think so.

            In short, the military of Donald Trump’s imagining is one where military members violate our treaties and our laws. It is one where the sole criterion for promotion to the higher ranks is personal loyalty to him. It is a military where minorities and women will not be welcomed to serve. It is one where the powerful prey on the weak. It is not the military we have built as Americans. It is not the military that other nations respect. It is a step back.

            Thus ends my diatribe. I am writing all of you because I believe you are patriotic. It is fairly popular right now to dismiss those who protest against Mr. Trump’s election as spoiled babies who simply need to shut up and get on board. I have not participated in a protest march against Mr. Trump, and I do not anticipate doing so. I accept the Constitutional method of electing a president. I took an oath to support and defend our Constitution, and I consider my oath a lifetime commitment.

            However, my oath also means I will not now surrender my First Amendment rights. As a person who served this nation, I will not stand idly by and allow a dangerous man to destroy our Constitution. I will continue to avail myself of my right to peacefully oppose what I think is a wrong direction for our nation. I will continue to write letters and speak out. I will continue to remind elected leaders that their first loyalty is to the Constitution, not to a political party hijacked by a movement of the ill-informed and the cynical. Your duty is to this nation. I hope you will continue to remember that as Mr. Trump’s notions about the defense of this nation come before your respective bodies for debate.

Respectfully,

James A. Harrold, Colonel, USAF (retired)