By Brandon Blackburn:
Anyone who is abstaining or considering abstaining, please give thought to the fact that somewhere in this world there is a young man or woman, maybe a Private First Class or a case officer, who sits at the gates of this world’s version of hell armed and at the ready. They are there to bring the fight to those who wish to bring the fight to us and threaten the rights that make this country great. Chief among those is the right to speak our voices through the democratic process that unites us all. That is the race the enemies see us as and the only race that matters- a free democracy.
Our warriors on the front lines do not have the option to abstain and we owe it to them not to either. We can debate the candidates and the issues, but one thing that we should never do is sit idle on this day. And when you do go to vote, you might be compelled to grumble about the long line. Instead why don’t you look around you. Focus in particular on what you don’t see. Namely armed soldiers with rifles and weapons. That scene is ubiquitous on election days in areas where our greatest enemies have a stronghold. But not here. Because we have men and women who choose to go there and keep them at bay. Think about our heroes on this day. And make sure you do your duty to them just as they have done for us.
Brandon Blackburn is an OpsLens Contributor and former CIA Counterterrorism Officer with a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and an MBA with a concentration in International Business. During his time with the CIA, Brandon served multiple tours in the Middle East, to include Iraq and Jordan, and in Afghanistan. Brandon consults with businesses and media on national security related issues with his consulting firm B4B Enterprises. He can be followed on Twitter @Bran_Blackburn.
