Editor’s note: David Cannon is the third of a new crop of columnists writing for the Courier-Herald on a monthly basis for the next year in order to elevate new and diverse voices in our community. His column series, “The Right Stuff” will be published the third week of every month.
If you’ve been paying attention to the Courier-Herald’s opinion section these last few months, then you may already know me from my various Letters to the Editor. But with only 500 words available, I do not have a chance to go in depth and give any background about me.
I am a longtime Washingtonian, but Enumclaw is the culmination of a long road, and I was saving the best for last.
I love this country. I grew up in Southern California in the ‘70s and all of the turmoil that went on at that time. My family decided it was time to move out of there, and we were surprised when my parents decided to go all the way. All the way to Alaska!
Alaska in the ‘70s very much had a “pioneer”’ feel. I lived in Fairbanks, and this was in the days before cable TV. The ‘Daily Movie’ that was to be shown on broadcast TV came in on Alaskan Airlines. If it did not make it in on time? Oh well, they would show it again. You could depend on your neighbor to help. You felt like you were building something together.
I worked as an apprentice electrician up there, and with a three-month stint working in Prudhoe Bay, I met people from all walks of life. While working above the Arctic Circle in the wintertime, a wise old journeyman electrician took me aside, and explained the three rules of being accepted.
1) I needed to be a Dave, not a David;
2) I needed to grow a beard; and
3) I needed to learn to cuss.
I went ahead and did the first two, but never managed to do the third.
I had a chance to live in many places across the country, including Connecticut and North Carolina. Also, as a “Computer Guy” for 30 years, I worked on jobs in Texas, Florida, Iowa, California, and throughout Washington. I learned that people may talk different, or look different, but they all would like to talk about their families and their dreams. Most people had common beliefs and goals for their kids.
During this time, I was pretty much a non-political person. I did not watch the news much. I could not tell you the difference between a Democrat or a Republican. I was blissfully unaware of the changes being made in America. That being said, I always stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. I saluted the flag when it went by. I was proud to be an American. I knew it was the best place on earth.
I served as a Boy Scout leader several times, and made sure that I taught the young men the importance of respecting the flag and what it stood for. In the Boy Scouts, you could meet Scouts from different countries, and still would know what their core beliefs were. When you were in uniform, you belonged to something that stood for something.
Eventually, I attended a seminar where they talked about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers, and how they came up with a way for citizens to be protected from the government, by a series of checks and balances.
That resonated within me.
That’s the moment I started paying more attention to things going on around me. I started voting in presidential elections, casting my ballot for President Obama. I liked the way he talked, always wanting change. But I also felt a little uncomfortable when he would go overseas and apologize for America and American policies.
Around 2015, one of my sons kept pointing out that crazy Trump guy and his tweets. I started listening to what he was saying. I agreed with his idea that America should become self-sufficient and start developing its own infrastructure and industries, so we didn’t have to send all our money overseas.
Many people laugh now about “Making America Great Again” – but seriously, why would you not want to? Why is it a bad thing?
Like many Americans, when there were big events like the Mars probe landing, or a major disaster, I of course would turn on CNN and NBC to get unbiased facts and “the truth.”
However, I started noticing a pattern; again and again, I would hear things that I knew weren’t true, or were so slanted, that it just didn’t sound right. I discovered that the “mainstream media” (MSM in shorthand) would keep using the same words and phrases, across all the channels. The whole thing sounded scripted.
After much thought and study, I came to identify myself as a Conservative Constitutionalist. I believe in God, I salute the flag, and love Mom’s (and my wife’s) apple pie. I have a strong sense of right and wrong. I love Enumclaw.
Back in March, it was pointed out that a lot of the opinion pieces and columns in the Courier-Herald were leaning to the left, so I decided that the world needs balance and to show the other side of the coin. I hope to bring another view of what is going on that you might want to compare with what is on TV and Twitter/Facebook/etc. I will try and point out the facts, so you can check yourself.
America was based on free speech and different opinions. Make up your own mind.
