We tend to talk about our Republic in terms of our individual rights and all too often ignore or downplay the responsibilities that are the citizen’s rightful burden. A Republic is a participatory form of government. For our system of democracy to work the citizen must cherish his or her obligations to the Constitution as much if not more than their individual freedom. Adlai Stevenson once said: “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” For my purposes today I’m going to substitute the word “citizenship” for patriotism. Citizenship is not something that is practiced intermittently but rather it is an enduring responsibility. Citizenship demands that we are prepared to act individually and collectively in accordance with the Constitution. Citizenship is not a passive activity or spectator sport.
How many here have served on a jury? The Founders didn’t advocate juries because it was somehow perceived to be more “fair” to the defendant than trial by a judge. Rather they wanted we the people to participate and take ownership of our judicial system by putting the outcome of serious cases largely in the hands of citizens. Voting is another example. As citizens we are expected not only to show up at the polls occasionally but also to actively seek knowledge of the issues and candidates on the ballot. The Founders believed that in order for the people to be well informed there was a need for several critical enablers. Some are addressed directly in the Constitution, specifically in the 1st Amendment. The right to assemble, the right of free association and freedom of speech are particularly vital to a citizen’s full and unfettered participation in our political process.
To guarantee access to information the Founders also established or supported a number of institutions. Arguably the most important was a public funded school system. In an age where illiteracy was more common than not it was a revolutionary idea. A basic education allowed each individual to read and better reason for him or herself independently. They also moved quickly to establish the US Postal Service to carry the mail. Which was much more vital then since ALL long distance communication in those days was by what we now call snail mail. Also creating Local Libraries to provide free services to even the smallest communities. This was radical thinking in a time when books were expensive, rare and otherwise out of reach for the common man. Finally, as also enshrined in the 1st Amendment, a free press outside the control of politicians was considered absolutely essential to facilitate a well informed electorate.
I pointed out in an earlier piece that the Founders were more comfortable with a small standing or professional Army except in times of actual conflict. The Founders were not pacifists by any means but in their day Kings often raised large armies for suppression of their own populations. But that wasn’t the Founders only rationale. Their expectation was that National Defense as we now call it would be largely borne by the people in the form of mobilized Militias. That would also include the so called Unorganized Militia – basically every able bodied citizen. That by the way is the Constitutional basis for Draft Registration. That is not to say that every citizen is front line fighter material, but every one of us could and should be prepared to be called up to provide some service in time of emergency. WW II being the best and really only example of “full mobilization” of the majority of citizens in our Nation’s history.
Even in situations less dire than war, the Founders envisioned the people being routinely called to volunteer locally and even regionally if required. Not just to deal with external threats but also with natural disasters and internal dangers like criminal gangs. The concept of a sheriff forming a posse is a staple of Western movies. But it is also a real life example of we the people stepping up to assist and reinforce elected or appointed officials in resolving a crisis. And when the local sheriff needed help citizens dropped what they were doing, took up their guns and showed up. Ready to serve, ready to uphold the law and ready to fight if necessary. Not as an angry armed mob, not as vengeance seeking vigilantes but rather as staunch defenders of the rule of law. So when our Nation was formed, citizens expected to shoulder their share of the burden especially when faced with a tough or unpleasant task related to governance.
Since then our Nation has inexorably evolved from an agrarian culture, through industrialization and now into an information-centric society. We are richer, more powerful and have access to more information today than our Founders ever dared imagine possible. So it is not surprising that the relationship of the citizen to the most dangerous traditional duties has also changed over time. Not as the result of some insidious conspiracy or softening of our individual commitment to citizenship. Rather, one of the biggest factors driving this change has been “professionalization”. We have demanded increasingly more professional behavior from our soldiers and policemen specifically. That mandate and countless technological advances resulted in more complex and time consuming training requirements for even entry level candidates to those jobs. Even our Organized Militia elements like the National Guard must spend much more time training and actually performing their missions than ever before.
It hasn’t been possible in a very long time for untrained amateurs to simply “fall in” to these ranks in time of crisis and perform to an acceptable standard. Moreover, in a time of modern communications and transportation assets a sheriff can now get fully trained support from other LE faster than he can assemble an untrained citizen posse. That is not to say that the armed citizen no longer has any role in “providing for the common defense”. But rather accepts the fact that a civilian’s in extremis participation is not as central to our Local, State or National security systems as it once was. I for one believe that professionalization in our security services has been both necessary and positive. And I do not think it represents a threat of any kind to the future of our Republic. However, in my opinion, there is an area where this trend towards “professionalization” has become a serious problem. And that is in politics.
Far too many of us are consciously avoiding involvement in public sector activities. We have become comfortable with “hiring it done” by someone else. Oh, we bitch about it all the time. We hate “career politicians” and “the establishment”. We shout at the TV and complain to our spouses (at least I do). But we don’t do much else. We’re mad…but not really motivated. That is why 95% of incumbents get re-elected each and every cycle. That is why many candidates run unopposed – even at the National level. But we the people can choose to do better than that. So ignore the cynics. Don’t skip jury duty. Learn the facts of the issues and the records of the candidates. Support a campaign. Fight against a campaign. If you can’t stand anybody, run for office yourself. Do your duty. Be a real citizen and shoulder 100% of the burden and then some. Take action. Of course Vote. But don’t just cast a ballot, participate in the process! The fact is that we aren’t true Citizens and this isn’t a Republic if we don’t.
