LITTLE ROCK — Ever wonder what those soldiers in the Old Guard who stand watch around the clock at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier do when a devastating storm assaults the nation’s capital, as Hurricane Sandy did last week?
They continued with the somber responsibilities they’ve shouldered since 1937, regardless of knock-you over-strength winds and sheets of rainfall.
Each guard still measured each of their 21 steps along the rubber mat, turning sharply, maneuvering their shouldered rifles with split-second timing. Each methodical turn still was measured in intervals of 21 seconds, symbolizing a 21-gun salute. In short, these soldiers remained a reassuring constant in American life.
Their service in the face of Sandy made me contemplate just how many have died since the Revolutionary War to protect and preserve this nation.
It’s with this thought in mind that I hope every registered voter will make his or her voice heard today in what clearly will prove to be the most crucial election of their lives and determine the future direction of our nation for their children and grandchildren.
12 of 50 decide fate
The results of this election will decide in large measure how the citizens in all 50 states will live in the next four years, which will include the probable appointment of at least two Supreme Court justices.
It also will determine how much deeper each family will sink into debt to China and other lenders, boiling down to the results in just 12 “battleground” states.
While I do understand the concept behind electoral college tabulations, I also find something inherently unfair in the process that allows voters in 12 swing states to make such a monumental decision for citizens of America’s remaining 38 states.
The discrepancy grows even larger in my mind should the election results come down to suburban female voters in Ohio making such a crucial decision for us and generations to come.
Viable protection
With the darker side of human nature seemingly on the rise (read the paper or watch the television news for three days) I’ve lately given females close to me a little object that they hopefully never will have to use.
But should that day come, I’ll know they can defend themselves from the strongest attacker who gets close enough to extend an arm.
I’m talking about a cigar-sized device powered by two small batteries called a Zap Stick. It generates up to800,000 volts at the push of a button, enough to flatten anyone with an assault or worse on their mind. And the little thing even comes in pink.
No, I didn’t try one on myself to test the effects. But the smallish woman named Emily at Mountain Man Supplies and Pawn in Fayetteville (who sold them to me) said she had to rely on hers for the first time when a stranger tried to wrest her car keys from her.
She said she touched him once in the ribs and he dropped like a rock asshe fled.
“It worked,” she said. “And am I glad it did.” She said these weapons are legal to carry for those over age 19. “Sales to coeds go up when college begins in the fall,” she added.
Intended solely for self-protection, Zap Sticks and other products like them are probably available in most locations that sell firearms. They run about $50.
In some ways, I see them as more practical than a handgun that must be retrieved at the worst possible moment. A person can easily carry this little equalizer with a wrist strap in her hand as she walks, or even at her bedside.
As an aside of sorts, Oscar winning Hollywood actor Gene Hackman may wish he’d had one the other day in Santa Fe.
The 82-year-old Hackman made national headlines when he was accosted by a homeless felon he’d previously helped while walking with his wife on a Santa Fe street not far from his home.
The star of films like Hoosiers and The French Connection wound up slapping the man who, he told police, had made threatening gestures toward him and his wife while shouting foul language at the couple.
Hackman wound up briefly tussling on the ground as his wife watched in horror. No charges were filed in the incident and Hackman didn’t need a Zap Stick to take care of business (this time).
But it’s that kind of unexpected encounter, even in midafternoon and with someone as well-known as an aging movie star, that makes me know it’s probably wise for every female and older person (especially) to tote along one of her own.
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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial, Pages 13 on 11/06/2012