2020 is over

Resolutions for 2021

The time has come to put 2020 behind us and make our New Year’s resolutions. I resolve to make 2021 a better year. I’m not sure how to do that but I certainly intend to do my part.

Once again, I resolve to lose 20 pounds. I should probably lose 30 pounds, but 20 is easier. A man my size can lose 20 pounds by skipping snacks and cocktails for a week. I should know. I have lost over 1000 pounds over the past 50 years. I further resolve to work less, fish more, and spend quality time with my kids. Spending time with my children is becoming increasingly difficult since they have their own commitments and priorities. Maybe quality time with my grandchildren would be more doable. I can be flexible. These are all my normal resolutions I make every year. I usually stick to most of them until around mid-April. I even have one new resolution just for 2021. I resolve to be an advocate for our democratic process as outlined in our Constitution. This is not as difficult as it sounds. Sometimes all I need to do is say, “No”, then do nothing.

I received a phone call last week from a political action group asking if I wanted to make sure every vote was counted and would I support President Trump’s effort to challenge the election results. My response was an immediate, No!” Trump lost the election. He was not cheated out of it; he lost by acting like a jackass. I will admit he was subjected to the most intense media smear campaign in the history of American politics, but that too was his own fault. He went out of his way to make enemies of the press. Those who carried protest signs in 2016 proclaiming Trump was, “Not my president”, attacked our democratic system. Trump’s continuing to challenge the results is also an ill-advised attack as bad as the protests four years ago. My advice to Republicans is to distance yourself from Trump. Do it now. He is a loser. Let him throw his antrum without your help. Focus down field. Find a new standard bearer and prepare for the next election.

I can also keep my resolution to be an advocate for our democracy by being prepared to take positive action should the opportunity present itself. For example, if there is a movement to impeach our governor, I would support it any way I can. Mr. Inslee is sooooo out of touch with Eastern Washington. No one in their right mind would bring a gift of apples to fruit growing country, especially wormy apples. It is like bringing a melted Hershey bar to the owners of a candy store. Mr. Inslee doesn’t realize many of us value our freedom more than our safety. He dictates his will regardless of what we want. Mr. Inslee admitted last week the absence of any correlation between the virus and various school’s learning models. In other words, the rate of infection was the same for those districts with all on-line learning as they were for normal in-person classes. Has anyone considered that mandates and sanctions may not be working? The rate of infection continues to rise as restrictions get stricter. Nothing makes sense, but the Governor continues to dictate as if he has all the answers.

Our system of democracy is what sets us apart from other nations. Our system of democracy is what defines us as Americans. We cannot set aside the Constitution because we don’t like the election results, nor can we set it aside for a virus pandemic. I resolve to be an advocate for American Democracy.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.