VOTING NOT ENOUGH: Continuing Our Ancestors’ Task
When doing some genealogical work on my family tree, I discovered my family has a long military tradition of serving America. One ancestor participated in the Boston Tea Party and died in the battle of Lexington. Another fought in the War of 1812. I had ancestors on both sides of the Civil War. My grandfather fought in WWI, my father fought in the Pacific in WWII and I was on a submarine during the Viet Nam War. Each ancestor was fighting for a way of life only dreamed of by past civilizations.
Now, we are faced with, perhaps, the greatest threats to our way of life in decades. The threats come from within and without. We are threatened by a lawless and out of control President and Attorney General bent on, as Obama said, fundamentally changing America. We have a Democrat controlled Senate led by, perhaps, the most partisan Majority Leader, ever. Today, we are faced with race riots in Ferguson, MO. because the populous of the town distrusts the police. Russia is reassembling the old USSR. In the Middle East, there is a growing presence of radical Muslims bent on world domination and desirous of martyring themselves to gain their goal. All the while, the President plays another round of golf.
I ask myself, what would my ancestors do if faced with today’s threats? What can I, as a handicapped, sixty five year old man, do, legally? Obviously, my military days are long past. The absolute least it can do is vote, but I don’t think my ancestors would let it go at that. I owe them my best effort to do all I can to correct the mess we’re in.
I’m reminded of the story of the man who sees a sparrow lying on the sidewalk with his feet up in the air. The man asked, “What in the world are you doing?”
The sparrow said, “I heard the sky was falling and I’m going to catch it.”
“What can you do? You’re just a little bird.”
The sparrow replied, “One does what one can.”
We, all, must do what we can. We can get involved in campaigns by making phone calls or block walking. We can put a yard sign in our yard. We can talk to our friends and pass out campaign literature. We can get people to register to vote and participate in Get Out The Vote efforts on Election Day. Elderly people may need a ride to the polls. There are so many ways to get involved besides just voting. I urge, in the strongest terms, to do all you can in the November and 2016 elections. The elections are too important to sit on our duffs and watch the world in flames.
In my many years I have come to a
conclusion that one useless man
is a shame, two is a law firm,
and three or more is a congress.
— John Adams
Image; http://americanrevolution6thperiod.wikispaces.com/People+of+the+Revolution
