A Lifetime of Service
Governor DeSantis is no stranger to hard work. A former U.S. Representative for Florida’s Sixth District, he
graduated with honors from both Yale University and Harvard Law School. According to his official bio, “While at
Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. During his active-duty service, he supported
operations at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and deployed to Iraq as an adviser to
a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi, and the rest of Al Anbar
province. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and the Iraq Campaign
Medal.”
The governor served as a federal prosecutor after his active duty and was first elected to Congress in 2012. He
won his gubernatorial seat in 2018. DeSantis and his wife Casey have three children.
A Question of Character
Would we prefer a leader who strives for popularity, or one who stands strong with a consistency founded on
fundamental beliefs? How far can the phonies really take us? As they stand at podiums wagging their fingers or
at conference tables pounding their fists. Are they right because they’re louder and more verbose? Wouldn’t we
prefer leaders who are refreshingly honest and hard working?
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It’s not only the character of our leaders that’s
called to task in extreme situations. It’s the
character of our people. Do we call “coronavirus
fatigue” and blame the virus and our leaders when
we don’t do our part? Aren’t we better than that?
Isn’t it in our collective best interests to de-politicize
the toxic debates in favor of positivity and progress?
Then again, there’s virtually no way to fully prepare
for the unprecedented. We can only face and solve
the problems in front of us and be the Americans
we are at our core. Besides that, we would do
well to entrust ourselves to those we elect. If we
are dissatisfied with their statements or solutions,
at least we’re incredibly fortunate to live in a
country where we can challenge them. But partisan
condemnation for condemnation’s sake is rhetoric
gone wrong.
Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against
itself, cannot stand.” These simple, yet powerful
words define the frailties of a year that will go down
in the books. As will Ron DeSantis. A man who
stayed strong and kept us as safe as possible in
the midst of a furious storm. So, let the naysayers
prattle on. Actions speak louder than words anyway.
At the end of the day, there’s no way around, but
through!