I went and did it. I voted. I didn’t want to wait until the chaos of Election Day, so I went out and voted early. Mostly to relieve stress about the Election, and to make sure I went out and did my duty as an American. But now that it’s done, now what?
I think I’m going to try my best to stay away from big media and just wait until Tuesday night. Although I seriously doubt the election will be over until Thanksgiving at the earliest. Things will likely drag on for weeks. The amount of last minute funny business from both the Democratic and Republican parties would not surprise me in the least. I’m sure they’re up to no good. We just don’t hear anything about it from their friends at Fox and CNN. After all, they’ve gotta cover the asses of those they’re in cahoots with, don’t they? 😉
But I still felt a duty and necessity to vote. Many don’t vote as a sign of protest or dissatisfaction with the current system. I don’t blame those people and entirely understand how they feel, but I strongly disagree with their thinking. If I don’t vote, I feel like I am slapping George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others in the face as a sign of disrespect. They, thousands of soldiers, and millions of common American citizens worked, fought, bled and died for my right to vote. It is the least I can do to honor them by exercising it.
From 1775-1783, our Founding Fathers, leaders of the original Patriots, fought against a tyrannical British King and Parliament, to ensure that we had a right to have a say in how our government operated, and who should be installed by us to run the country. We did not always have a say in how to govern ourselves. But we should never forget where one of our most important rights came from, or when it originated.
Before the Revolutionary War was fought and won, the common person in the colonies of Delaware, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, had no say in how they were governed. They had no representative in Parliament in England nearly 3,000 miles away to speak for them.
Unfair taxes and oversteps by King George III, such as the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, the Quartering Act, Townshend Acts, Intolerable Acts, and the Tea Act, were all passed without the consent of the American People in those days. Our ancestors were largely expected to shoulder the burden of much of the cost for the French and Indian War, no questions asked. When they refused, the King attempted to force them to comply.
Things eventually built up to such a fever pitch with events like the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. After that, the rest as they say, is history. In the following years, thousands suffered and died for our freedom. It is because of them that I voted today. And I am sincerely thankful and grateful to all of them for the right to do so.
Fast forward from then to now, in late October 2020, and even though the country is far larger and much different than it was in those days, whether we know it or not, the people from America’s earliest days left us with two important duties: The duty to vote, and the duty to transform America into a country all people can be proud of. It is our duty to use our voice at the ballot box through our vote, and our duty to strive for a country in which all people have a say, all people are fairly represented, and all are heard and helped by our elected public servants.
I am not going to use this blog post to try to influence you all to vote one way or the other. You’ve likely made up your mind by now for reasons known only to you. That’s completely fine, and I totally respect it. But for those of you who are still on the fence this close to Election Day, I urge you to check out Ballotpedia at this link.
Ballotpedia is one of the best resources for finding out who is on the ballot in your area of the country. If you type in your city, state, and zip code, it will generate a sample ballot that shows which issues and candidates are up for election. I would then encourage you to do a little research and weigh each candidate or issue against what your values are. After that, you’re ready. Ballotpedia is great resource! It helped me make a confident, well-informed decision at the polls today, and reduced my stress during one of the most chaotic and uncertain times in American history.
November 3rd is fast approaching, folks. I encourage you to do your duty as an American. And I will also tell you this: No matter which way the election goes, the sun will still rise in the sky, and you will still be okay. While this country does have problems, things are nowhere near as bad as those in big media will have you believe. After all, they’re paid to spin things a certain way that is favorable to their handlers and buddies. Money and power talks 😉
The main thing we need to focus on in today’s screwed up America and world, is treating each other with kindness, decency and respect.
Something tells me it’s what our Founding Fathers would want. God bless you all, and God Bless the United States of America!
Luke's Thoughts 