Dear Editor
I had the honor last Saturday to be the keynote speaker at a wonderful Armed Forces Day Commemoration in Hillsboro. As a veteran, educator and citizen, I took the opportunity to remind the audience there of our responsibility as citizens to inform and educate ourselves to ensure we choose:
The right path forward for our communities and most importantly for this nation of ours which is unarguably the most central to the future of this world.
Representatives and leadership who will honestly and diligently follow that path forward.
We’re dealing with multiple perilous conflicts at this very moment in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Yemen, in the South China Sea, and yes still in Syria and Iraq and with tyrannic, dangerous adversaries in Russia, Hungary, Iran and China, among other autocratic, misanthropic regimes and, to be frank; we are toying seemingly obliviously with choosing leadership here who seem to evidence similar autocratic, misanthropic tendencies.
What does this mean? Our eyes and minds must constantly be open to the immense responsibility we hold as citizens, not just to potentially serve in our Armed Forces, should we be called; but arguably more importantly, more centrally; to protect, preserve, strengthen and yes, direct this beautiful, irreplaceable, great engine of democracy as well informed, well educated, passionately motivated citizens of our communities and of this nation.
We must inform ourselves diligently and continuously, lest we sacrifice our values, our principles, our lives and our sacred treasure needlessly and irrevocably.
And, we must commit to participate fully and passionately in moving that wonderful engine forward, through active participation in our schools and our political, heath care, social service, public service, spiritual and other community focused organizations and institutions to ensure their continued vibrancy and functionality, wherever and however we can make a difference.
Jim Martin
Perryville
