THE CHOICE OF INACTION


I first became aware of the voting process and its power during the Kennedy election. My mother, the daughter of an Irish Catholic, voted for Kennedy. My father did not. I still remember the hushed words between them. Most importantly, I remember the feelings behind the words that weren’t spoken at all.

Then it became my turn. But when I was finally of voting age, I didn’t. My family has always been knee deep in politics. I am, if we could warp time backwards, the great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson and his daughter is my grandmother. We even have a family home in Williamsburg. More recently, my grandfather was a judge in Washington DC, served on numerous committees, and was also head of the boxing commission. So, the pressure was on. I felt such a responsibility and that responsibility was so great, that I did nothing.

Voting is a big responsibility and the stakes are high. You have to do some work, some research. I would need to be informed. What if I made a mistake? What would happen if I picked the wrong person? What if I were wrong?

I still remember my grandmother’s Presidential Campaign pin that declared, in rhinestones, “I Like Ike”. During my lifetime I have had the privilege to be a part of, in one way or another, some of the great events of our time. I remember the election of Kennedy and the fear of the Pope in the Whitehouse, the inception of the space program, which my father was a part of, and the proud moment when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I stood in line at the local community center, with my family, for the Salk vaccine – the new cure for polio. My best friend's sister was stricken with the disease only months prior to its release. I have lived through a portion of the cold war, remember vividly “duck and cover” drills that were held in my elementary school, have suffered through every childhood disease that we now have vaccines for, remember the arrival of the Beatles and Elvis, and also knew of people that dug underground bomb shelters to protect them from nuclear annihilation.

The horror and anticipation of the Cuban missile crisis came and went and I can’t convey to you the sorrow of the nation when JFK was assassinated. With President Johnson I saw Vietnam and the civil rights riots. I had friends with brothers that never returned from Vietnam and I know exactly where I was when Martin Luther King was assassinated. The 60’s brought with it not only the turmoil of war, racial injustice and Kent State, but also the threat of rock and roll, reefer madness and the thought, by the establishment, that all hope in the youth was lost. The 70's saw Richard Nixon, or Tricky Dick as my grandmother so fondly referred to him, resign the presidency because of Watergate and his abuse of power. Things were bleak.

In more recent times President George Bush (the first one) presided over Desert Storm. I endured, with much embarrassment, the sex scandals that overshadowed the Clinton Presidency and was brought to tears with fear and anger on September 11, 2001 which subsequently led us into the war in Iraq.

Thinking back through the years, I have come to the realization that our country has never failed us. That no one single person, no one President, no one Congress, no one wrong vote, no one horrific event in history, has ever brought this country to her knees.

I have also come to the conclusion that picking the wrong person isn’t really the point. The point is that by not voting, by not being involved, I had been letting fear and apathy control me. Doing nothing is the same thing as giving permission. It is the same as saying yes, to whatever the situation.

This does not lessen the awesome responsibility of voting or the need to be informed; on the contrary. But, if the fear of “How do I know who to pick" and "what if I pick the wrong person” has you making the choice of inaction, then take solace in the fact that no one elected official can destroy our country. However, the millions who make the choice to do nothing year after year might.

The Blame Game

The Queen said Harry must go - so he did. To war that is. Just like the Kings and Princes before him, it is his duty. Prince Harry has been on combat duty in Afghanistan for approximately ten weeks and no one knew. Because of a deal that was made between the British Military and the British media the news was kept secret. But, not anymore.

Now that the secret is out and the safety of his entire unit has been compromised, Harry, the third in line for the crown, is on his way back home. The recent story "British Prince Harry to Leave Afghanistan" states that even though the information about Harry and his possible where abouts had already been written about in Austrian and German magazines the British are blaming the US Drudge Report for leaking the news. The Brits are extremely upset with us.

Catherine Watts, a London journalist, says she wishes we (the U.S.) "would follow principles and basically, shut up". It seems like someone around the world is always mad at us. Much like the way you hate your parents, until you need money or a ride to the mall. British executive, Neil Wallis, editor of the "News of the World" and co-author of the deal between Britains military and media is also upset. He was quoted as saying, "I wonder if Drudge would have done the same (leaked the news) if it were George Bush's cildren or Hillary Clinton's child who was risking his life in Afghanistan".

Well, Neil and Catherine, that's not the way it works here in the United States. We have something called free speech. And, although you might not be able to question the Queen's judgement on sending Harry to Afghanistan in the first place, I can. The difference between us is that we would not have made the decision to endanger other's just so a couple of kids could have the experience of war. However, I can assure you that if a child of Bush's or Clinton's did go to war - we would all know about it. So, long live the Queen but our Constitution and the freedoms that come with it will out live us all.