1.2 Million Reasons to Vote

Well, I've been away from my keyboard for a while, watching rejections from literary agents pile up, and taking some time off to play tourist in the Baltimore and D.C. areas with a quick side trip to Las Vegas.

On the 4th of November, every U.S. Citizen will yet again have the opportunity to stand up and be counted in a way that most people in the world are not afforded. The U.S. system of democracy (actually a representative Republic) is not perfect, or even ideal. However, the freedoms we are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights become meaningless if they are not exercised.

Blogging is a means of free speech. Voting is the means to ensure that we choose those who will speak for us in the national, state, and local government assembly houses, senates, and executive offices.

On Election Day, don't think, "My vote won't make a difference." or "It doesn't really matter." A freedom not exercised is a freedom lost. Learn about the issues, and the candidates. Go to your polling place on the way to work, or on the way home and vote for the candidate of your choice.

While the aftermath of war in Iraq has not been managed well, and Afghanistan is experiencing a resurgence of Taliban activity; until recently, Iraqi and Afghan citizens did not have the ability to decide who will serve them in government. Now they exercise that freedom, and their elected representatives will ultimately decide the future path of these fledgling democracies. The people of China, North Korea, and many of the African nations still do not have that ability. The dictators running these countries, some who attempt to cloak themselves in a veneer of the democratic process, continue to believe that the people are supposed to serve the government, not that the government should serve the people.

Since the American Revolution, more than 43 million Americans have defended the freedoms we enjoy as citizens. More importantly, nearly 1.2 million of our brothers and sisters died during their service to ensure our freedoms. Don't dishonor their sacrifice on election day. Vote.