Is Maxine Waters Guilty of Desertion?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term “AWOL” originated in 1891, and describes military personnel, and later employees, who leave their duty post or workplace without authorized permission. It is used as an adjective or adverb to describe someone who is missing or unreachable without notice.

AWOL (Absent Without Leave) in the U.S. military is a violation of UCMJ Article 86 and can result in severe punishment depending on its duration and other circumstances. Penalties include non-judicial punishment (NJP), reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, extra duties, dishonorable discharge, and confinement, often escalating significantly if the absence lasts over 30 days and is reclassified as desertion.

Desertion is the act of leaving or staying away from one’s duty with the intent to remain away permanently or to avoid hazardous duty. In the military, desertion is an extremely serious offense and usually results in a court-martial, a dishonorable discharge, and even imprisonment.

And so, I ask you, is Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) guilty of being AWOL or desertion?

We may know the answer to that question in the near future because Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) just filed a motion to have Ms. Waters’ votes stricken from the record for the past five months. Why would he want to do that? On what basis is he filing his motion?

“She hasn’t been in this chamber once in that time,” Rep. Jordan said. “There are rumors swirling that she can’t come because she’s unwell. Is she unfit?”

For the record, Ms. Waters is 87 years old and has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1991. Believe it or not, she has already announced that she is running for a 19th term this November… even though she hasn’t shown up for work since early December.

Can you imagine not coming into work for five straight months – and still keeping your job? Nowhere else in America could you get away with that kind of absenteeism except the halls of Congress.

Despite not showing her face in Washington D.C. since before Christmas, Rep. Waters has continued to cast votes by proxy – or someone has cast them for her – taking advantage of a congressional loophole. However, Rep. Jordan has had enough of such shenanigans.

“We ended proxy voting when we ended the masks,” Jordan said, referencing the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021.

Folks, I agree with Jim Jordan 100% and like I have been saying for years, it is time for both term and age limits for all federal officeholders.

Editor’s Note: Rep. David Scott (D-GA) just passed away yesterday at age 80. The brother-in-law of baseball legend Hank Aaron, Rep. Scott was in his 12th term in Congress and had previously served for 28 years in the Georgia state legislature. That means that the octogenarian Scott had been on the public dole for 52 years.