The Runback: Selfless Service
What aspiring leaders can learn from the life of Queen Elizabeth II
Welcome to another week of The Runback. Have you been enjoying The Duckpin? Do you have comments or suggestions? Do you want to write for us? Let me know at theduckpin@gmail.com. And please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Thanks in advance.
News and Politics
ENDORSEMENT: David Lashar for Governor: David Lashar will hold the line against taxes, job-killing programs, and the expansion of state government and will do so in a way that does not infringe upon the rights of Marylanders.
Sports Betting Remains a Mess: Instead of being an industry leader in showing states how to implement competent legal regimes for gambling and marijuana, Maryland has instead served as an example of how not to do it.
Saab Legislation Would Dilute Anne Arundel County Board of Education: Proposal to add two appointed members to Board little more than election year pandering.
Housing Affordability Too Big an Issue to Ignore: Only one candidate for Governor offers real solutions.
Will Maryland Ban Gas-Powered Cars? If Maryland Democrats believe that climate change requires banning gas-powered cars in the State, they should level with voters about their intentions.
Sports
2022 NFL Predictions: Last year I accurately predicted a Super Bowl winner. Am I that good again?
On Aggression: Two Yards and Two Points: We'll see a new look Ravens this year, but will we see the same old Harbaugh? God I hope so...
Riptide win inaugural OLW Championship: High tide swamps regular season champion Dominators
The Monday Thought
I have often joked about how sometimes, with how our politics happens these days, there is a strong case for monarchy in this country.
It will never happen, of course, nor should it. But if anybody embodied why America would be better off with a monarch as head of state, it was Queen Elizabeth II.
When I think about the Queen, there are two things that truly stick out in my head.
First was the then Princess Elizabeth’s service in World War II:
When Princess Elizabeth turned 18 in 1944, she insisted upon joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army. For several years during the war, Britain had conscripted women to join the war effort. Unmarried women under 30 had to join the armed forces or work on the land or in industry. King George made sure that his daughter was not given a special rank in the Army. She started as a second subaltern in the ATS and was later promoted to Junior Commander, the equivalent of Captain.
Princess Elizabeth began her training as a mechanic in March 1945. She undertook a driving and vehicle maintenance course at Aldershot, qualifying on April 14.
Now obviously, the Princess and heir presumptive was not put into any dangerous situation. But she insisted that she serve, and her father the King was insistent that she was not given a special rank or special treatment.
The second is the remarks Elizabeth made in Cape Town in 1947, oft-quoted in these days after her passing.
I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.
The acknowledgment of devotion to your country, of service, and of living up to the vow and the oath that you take is not a royal trait that is only available to be discovered by those of lineage. It is available to all of us, those who are willing to serve our fellow man.
And yet, we keep electing self-serving politicians who are more focused on their agenda, their voters, and keeping their phony-baloney jobs instead of doing what is right for their state or for their country.
The institution of the monarchy is not something that we as Americans want or need. But the spirit, the resolve, the commitment, and the dedication to the country and its citizens shown by Queen Elizabeth is something that all of us should strive to find in our leaders.