The Politics of a Sinking Ship
Hello Dear Readers !
Irrespective of your political leanings, there has been an ongoing message rampant on both sides of the aisle in every form of media; And at the risk of losing readership due to the inundation of politics we all will be facing until November, I feel it’s my patriotic duty to repeat it :
Get out and vote !
The tongue-in-cheek version of this message I grew up with was “Get out and vote early and often !”, and it’s my hope (despite some commentary to the contrary from both sides) that the process will be with minimal disruption or shenanigans. To this point, there is a lot of concern that has been voiced regarding voter fraud; one could cite The Brenner Center for Justice’s numbers (I believe the overall rate they ranked the risk of ballot fraud at 0.00004% to 0.0009% of the votes in 2017), The Heritage Foundation’s database (~1K convictions of voter fraud cases since 1982 or so to 2020), and before someone says that I’m leaning “too left”, even these findings seem to widely accepted by even the current White House administration. Some academics would point out that there are the “known unknowns” in the process - those fraudulent votes that go unreported as they fall outside the bounds of the system and are not counted in the above numbers. If one was to be really academic, there are probably a million “unknown unknowns” out there - and this is where the monsters of our political uncertainty lie: the doubt we have in the system, the fringe belief in the manipulation, the antithesis of “the good” where “the evil” presents itself as anything less than 100% voter ballots isn’t a “good enough” solution. From here we get the fear and angst so frequently televised, advertised, and cranially deep-fried. I encourage you, as you hear statements from either side, to educate yourselves on this topic before making a decision on what mechanism you use to vote…or react to the results.
It’s this latter which concerns me in light of positioning “E’s” world for her generation, and given that this November marks the 45th year of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald , it has given me pause to think about a correlation of the political world and the horrors of the violence (irrespective of political activism) we have seen over the past several months. The Fitzgerald, was a freighter that had been hauling ore across Whitefish Bay in Michigan for seventeen years and on the evening of November 10, 1975 encountered winds over 50 knots and waves between 25 to 35 feet. Her subsequent sinking is attributed to many factors aside from the weather, but led to at least eight changes in maritime safety requirements - mostly to reporting and ensuring the integrity of vessels meet standardized requirements.
Think of it as establishing an amendment to the Constitution - to ensure that the bounds of law are enforced for the well being of those afloat. To ensure the integrity of those systems which we, as members of this society, keep afloat on. While the shipping had met the minimum standards for years before 1975, there sometimes needs to be an adjustment to the way business is conducted to meet the needs of a society.
In 2014, the sailing yacht Cheeki Rafiki was found capsized in the Atlantic after leaving Antigua for Southampton, England. On May 16th, the skipper reported that there was a Force 7 wind and a considerable sea had built up. The skipper reported to shore that the ship was taking on significant amounts of water for no apparent reason. A later phone call was incomprehensible, such that the director called MRCC Falmouth for help. The Rafiki was found the following day, capsized due to loss of her keel, noting that the ten bolts which held it to the frame of the ship were also missing. It was later concluded that the glued link between the hull and the keel failed, which was seen in similar instances of her sister ships. It was assumed that the Rafiki had been grounded and not sufficiently repaired after these groundings which compromised the stability of the laminated hull.
From a political viewpoint, the Rafiki’s story tells us of the horrors of finding our world turned upside down due to not keeping our own keel in place. We need to be grounded in what is possible. For weeks, I have heard questions about a “National Plan” when it comes to COVID response. The sad thing is, no matter who is voted into the White House, the President there are limits to what they can do. Jama Network published this article regarding the limits of Presidential powers, and (suprise) it hasn’t changed a lot since the Spanish Flu in 1918. Bottomline, besides appealing to the public to forgo their rights in support of ensuring COVID is minimized (i.e. wear a mask), the President has little to do with the process as much as Congress and local leaders. Without underlying structure at the local level, that is where the failure begins.
No matter who you vote for in this upcoming election, remember that the Nation’s government is just like a ship - if you are looking to steer her from the current course, it takes a long time. Shouting “right full rudder” until you are blue in the face will not make the turning circle close any tighter nor any quicker.
Be Educated. Be Decisive. Vote. Stay Afloat.
Five Miles Downrange:
Aside from the political world, lots of things going on here at JES Campbell this month. I’m hoping to come to a conclusion on Conscription (Parts 1 , 2, 3, and 4, can be seen in the links provided) in upcoming weeks, and have also been working on the next Pair of Normal Girls novel (working title : Angry Sun, Proper Moon) as well as a series of short stories (working title : An Unkindness of Ravens). The goal is to get at least one of these books out in 2021 for your entertainment.
Remember the sailors and their families from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and Cheeki Rafiki.
Get out and vote !
Thanks again for all your support !
S
