Right
and Responsibility
“Voting
is a civic sacrament.”
Theodore
Hesburgh
At last, the midterm
elections are here—today is the day to go vote if you haven't
already. I would love to tell everyone in the United States of
America exactly HOW they should vote, but then we would not live in a
democracy, would we? Today, if you want change, go vote. Or, if you
love things just the way they are, go vote. Whatever your politics or
your persuasion, go and exercise your right and your responsibility
as a citizen of a democracy.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right
to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they
could do this is by not voting.” As a nation, we have fought
for this right, this privilege; our ancestors as well as our brothers
and sisters in uniform have fought and died to preserve our
democratic way of life. Even if you don't like the choices you have
on the ballot, go and vote anyway—for their sake and in honor of
them.
I have fond memories of
my dad on election day—he fought in the Pacific during World War II
and knew first-hand the precariousness of liberty—he never missed
an opportunity to vote. In fact, he drove my mother, who may have
been a little less obsessed with politics, to the polls to make sure
she cast a ballot, too. It was a sacred obligation as far as he was
concerned. Truth be told, I hardly ever agreed with his choices, or
his reasons for voting for this or that candidate, but I appreciate
the example he set. I feel his nudge on my shoulder every time the
polls open.
“Voting is the
expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country,
and this world,” according to Sharon Salzbert (and me!). I have
heard some folks say they weren't going to vote as a protest against
“the way things are going in this country.” But, I agree with
Keith Ellison that “Not voting is not a protest, It is a
surrender.” Today, may all Americans celebrate our civic
sacrament by voting.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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