“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.” — Margaret Mitchell

Donald J. Trump — “The electoral college is a disaster for democracy.”

It was four years ago that Trump said this. I think he likes it now. The Electoral College (capitalization is correct) has given us two presidents recently: W & Donald. The plurality of American voters chose Hillary, but the presidency goes by another computation. Maybe Don was right all along, about the system being rigged.
But only 50.4% of the eligible voters cast votes, speaking of democracy. That’s not an example of the system being rigged. I don’t know what not voting exemplifies. I’m not one of those people that thinks all Americans should vote. But I do think we should pay attention, and inform ourselves.

In my mind, it follows that we would choose to vote. I suppose that the good readers of Townbroadcast probably exceeded the 50.4% in terms of voting participation. The readership showing an inclination to be curious and to seek information and opinion.

Also, speaking of democracy, and the constitution, I find myself embittered by the fact that a seat on the Supreme Court remains vacant. Justice Antonin Scalia died Feb.13, 2016. Is this another example of the system being rigged? The U.S. Constitution says “shall.” It does not include, in regard to replacing a vacancy on the Supreme Court, language like “might want to” or “whenever most convenient.” It was cynical and Un-American…

Happy Marine Corps birthday to everyone

It was Nov. 10, 1775, that the Marine Corps was founded in Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pa. Every year on this date the Marine Corps Ball is celebrated around the world. It features dress-up apparel, dining and drinking, music, both martial and otherwise, and rousing speeches and toasts. It’s not the sort of thing I enjoy, though the chow was better than at the mess hall, and drinks were a cut above what I remembered from E-Clubs.

I’ll shoot an e-mail to my old buddy J.P., with whom I served. J.P. was from Alabama, though he eventually moved north, to South Carolina. J.P. did his 13 months as a combat rifleman up by the Z, not far from where I was. He later served as an ethics investigator for the S.C. state senate.

He also did a lot of work on riparian issues. Rivers don’t respect state boundaries, and some matters are hard to sort. The huge Catawba River flows out of North Carolina, and through South Carolina, where it is called the Wateree River. South Carolina challenges some of the decisions made about the Catawba in N.C. North Carolina defends against the challenges. Issues of water use and cleanliness are complex, and fraught with disagreement, but most of us tend to take these complexities in stride, and, as Bob Dylan said, “sit and watch the water flow.”

And Happy Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. Wearing the uniform of the United States of America is a tangible way to serve the country. According to VA statistics, 0.4% of the population are military veterans. The number and percentages are on the downslide as veterans of World War II, Korea, and, dare I say, Vietnam, decline.