We’ve only been allowed to vote for 92 years – USE it or LOSE it
Votes for women in the USA were first seriously proposed in the United States in July, 1848, at the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. One woman who attended that convention was Charlotte Woodward. She was nineteen at the time. In 1920, when women finally won the vote throughout the nation, Charlotte Woodward was the only participant in the 1848 Convention who was still alive to be able to vote, though she was apparently too ill to actually cast a ballot.
That was 92 years ago. Most of us were not alive back then and just take for granted that we can vote. I know many people who don’t vote at all. Please make 2012 the year that we clean up politics. Vote. Urge everyone you know to vote. Take the time to find out what each candidate stands for so we can elect the right ones this time. DO NOT VOTE STRAIGHT PARTY LINES. Vote for who you honestly think will do the best job regardless of which party they are affiliated with. Voting for “the lesser of two evils” is never going to get us a good leader.
Our two party system is broke, bought and influenced by the ultra rich and corporations. They don’t have any of our best interests in mind anymore. Genetically modified food that no longer provides nutrition, toxic water and air, censorship, the drug war, the industrial prison complex which profits off of finding new things to turn into crimes, the war machine, flooding the world with cheap mass produced toxic goods and foods and passing laws to discourage more conscientious local production – we are all for sale as far as the politicians are concerned.
So, why aren’t we electing the 3rd party candidates who can’t afford to waste money on expensive smear campaigns and commercials, but who are real human beings not beholden to multinational corporations? Why do we see Democrats and Republicans as our only choices? Why not green, or libertarian, or any number of other third party candidates? Not all communities have credible 3rd party choices on the ballot. But if you do, make sure to research all available candidates to ensure you are voting for the best one possible. Check out this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_the_United_States.
Never, ever take your freedom for granted. Never, ever let anyone take it from you, either. Women like Susan B Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul… all fought tooth and nail their entire lives so that women could get the vote. Women all over the world right now are STILL fighting to get the vote. Do you know how lucky you are to live in the USA where women are allowed to vote, own property, choose their own spouse, and other “privileges” not afforded to millions of women around the world? Do you know how close we are getting to caving into pressure to change our core laws and belief systems to more closely match the more oppressive regimes?
Have you heard of SOPA and PIPA, the first ever United States Internet Censorship laws, which, according to Chris Dodd of the MPAA, aim to mimic China’s great firewall? Why does Chris Dodd admire China’s oppression of the Internet so much? What’s next, jailing political bloggers for disagreeing with big corporations and the government? Why do so many senators and house representatives support these dangerous censorship bills? Right now the only thing that matters, is that they have overwhelming support due to millions of dollars of lobbying money by big business. Google Facebook, Twitter, and many others oppose SOPA and PIPA, but even they may not be powerful enough to stop the bills. The vote is on January 24, 2012 and you NEED to contact your elected officials to tell them to oppose these dangerous bills
Freedom is not free. While our armed forces are sent around the world to fight for freedom and democracy, here at home our basic civil liberties are being quickly eroded due to misinformed lawmakers and bills like SOPA and PIPA. If you don’t defend your freedoms, then don’t be surprised when you no longer have them some day.
Get involved in politics, volunteer for a candidate that you really believe will do a good job, and most importantly, VOTE for those who say they will protect our freedoms and uphold our best interests, and then HOLD THEM TO IT. Vote for those who support human rights. Vote for those who oppose tyranny.
