VOTE

November 6^th is looming and I, for one, Can’t Wait for November 7^th.  I am entirely too tired of hearing from the various orientations from the political spectrum because no matter how you vote come November 7^th, nothing is going to change.  Oh sure affairs of state will lumber in one direction or another but, at its core, nothing is going to change.  America is built that way.  Fortunately.  After Election Day one party does not execute the other party [insert your one-liner here].  There are places in the world where this happens and words like, “Democracy” & “Freedom” are simply words used by despots to placate the masses.  Not here, of course [insert your one-liner here].  Here in the United States of America we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, start all over again and we move forward.   

This election cycle has been complicated through our ability to use the tools that this age of Social Media has brought us. This particular election season has been a bit ugly and not necessarily between the two men running for the seat of the President of the United States.  No, I’m talking about us – the We The People, we, the Poor Huddled Masses Yearning to be Free, those of us on Facebook, Twitter, and any other form of social media.  We have been vicious.  We have screamed for blood.  We have gone to great lengths to display our pride & our fears.  We have alienated legions of people we rub shoulders with when we are not sitting at our computers via Social Media by showing not just who we are voting for but, more to the point, what lengths we will go to prove that ‘I’m right and You’re wrong”.  By doing so we forget the importance of November 7^th.  The day when we become more than the screaming extremes of a two party dominated system – the day that we begin to remember that we are Americans.        
         
I am not going to tell you who to vote for but I am going to say, VOTE.  Not because it’s your “civic duty” but for the simple reason I believe you don’t have a right to complain about the political process if you refuse to participate in it.  So VOTE.  Don’t just sit back and do nothing ~ VOTE. 

I am not endorsing anyone here.  Unfortunately, we only get the chance to hear from two voices instead of the “big six” who are running.  There is Barack Obama (our incumbent President – Democratic Party), Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Virgil Good (Constitution Party), Rocky Anderson (Justice Party), and Mitt Romney (Republican).  We hear an awful lot from those with the biggest PACs (Political Action Committees) who have the authorization to spend millions upon millions of dollars to sway elections from sea to shining sea but we don’t really hear from the other people running.  Do a Google search on the other Parties and their candidates just for fun before you VOTE.  Who knows, you may find someone who fits you better with your ideas than the big boys with the deep pockets.  That’s for you to decide. 

So come November 6^th, VOTE.  Do your part and hope that the Electoral College swings the same way you do.  But on November 7^th, remember that we are Americans first and political parties a far distant second.

Hold Fast, it’s almost over.

Quite a Historic Day

Barack Obama became our 44th President when he took the oath of office today. I don’t know if you saw the news or not. {SPECIAL NOTE: if you are not aware of this little factoid please check your pulse}. Here’s a decent article on the festivities: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_rdp. No matter how you voted or what your “politics” are, President Obama is the leader of our country and, after watching a LOT of news today with the Three Chicks, it’s hard to not feel a sense of optimism for whatever the future may hold. “Hope Over Fear” was the theme of President Obama’s inaugural speech. Judging by the, what appeared to be millions of, people there on the National Mall it looks like America is ready for some hope. I have said it before but please allow me to say it again; I don’t like either of the main parties and I didn’t vote for Obama or McCain for that matter (I’m a Libertarian). However, I recognize certain moments that make us who we are as a people as a nation – today was just such a moment. You see, I remember my mother calling me into the room to watch our 13 inch TV and to see Gerald Ford take the oath of office. She and I watched Nixon get onto that helicopter and leave Washington D.C. for parts unknown.

“This is history.” She said. “You should try to remember this.”

I suppose she too had a fondness for such moments. So it was in this spirit that today I sat down with my three daughters and watched the Inauguration and the throngs of people (1 million plus attendees), and listened to the “Hope over Fear” speech. This little blog is not specifically about who is right or wrong, politics or even civics for that matter, no; it’s more about marking a moment in our collective history. Today, Gentle Reader was one for the history books. Today history unfolded right before our very eyes. An African American man took the oath of office for the Presidency of the United States of America swearing on the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln swore on during his inauguration. That is pretty remarkable considering how young our country really is, how slaves were used to build the Capitol Building where President Obama took the Oath of Office, and how not all that long ago people, based on the pigment of their skin, couldn’t use the same bathrooms as those of us who are pigment challenged. The fact of the matter is we are not talking all that long ago that this segregation was openly taking place and being enforced as law.

Lady Liberty, you’ve come a long way baby.

I know a handful of hearty souls who were there today on the mall when the President was sworn in. I was sorely tempted to drive down to Washington with the rest of my family just to be able to say that we were on the Mall when the President was sworn in too. I’ve been in large crowds in Washington D.C. before (Promise Keepers – Stand in the Gap) and it can be a bit overwhelming. Lump that in with there being only one bathroom at the Lincoln Memorial, Mother Hen’s recent sickness, and the fact that the Inauguration probably had more safety and security protocols than the city has ever seen and my living room began looking like a much more preferable and viable option. So, at the appointed time I made sure that my girls were there to watch the event happen live; the peaceful transfer of power that is one of the cornerstones of our republic for which it stands.

“This is history.” I said glancing at their faces as they watched the moments unfold. “You should try to remember this.”