primary election here yesterday
just me and a few thinkers of all kinds
not too long a wait in line
though i wish there had been one
stretching all around the building
and way down the street
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote
except the American people themselves
and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
—
image credits: getty images, humanesociety.org
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
sharing!
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thanks, susie. important to remember –
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Too right. Apathy will be the ruin of us all.
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yes, fnd, i think it’s so important to be proactive, rather than reactive –
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Absolutely.
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Excellent post. and yes, Sarah is right…apathy will be the ruin of us all! Janet.
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thanks so much, janet –
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Mmmm, those who do not vote are actually voting against demorcacy. Well done Beth.
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in a way, yes. thank you, paul –
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yes! it’s like football fans who show up only for super bowl parties, and only for the commercials. no. see all the games, and watch the games. pay attention. vote in primaries. read about the candidates. exercise your voice. the small choices and large, they’re all important.
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important to step up to the plate, and not stay hidden in the dugout, waiting to see who will win. go for the home run, even if you slide and get tagged out. how’s that for a baseball analogy, eli? )
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it’s fine, but i’m still ticked the tigers roughed up my rockies the way they did.
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hahahaha – sorry. )
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so is the rockies’ pitching staff.
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Fabulous and important post
>
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thanks, roy and you witnessed the power of the primary firsthand yesterday –
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No doubt!
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Very true, and hard to remember. I don’t ever feel like my vote makes a difference.
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it really does andra, it does.
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We have the same problem here in Canada. It isn’t a statement so much about Democracy so much as it is a statement about the type of Democracy that is presently being expressed. We are all looking for change from the status quo. The people who are running for public office know that and they know what to say to get into office. However, there is no way to hold these people accountable to their word. They, therefore, say one thing and do something completely different. We are sick to death of being had. (They lie to us)
Leslie
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thanks for reading and commenting, leslie. i am ever hopeful.
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We must not lose hope, for sure.
Leslie
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Always a good reminder. Curious though, did a majority re-elect an incumbent… another return to a do nothing legislative body?
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thanks to the primary vote, it looks like a new regime is headed our way here, good to shake things up i think, and we’ll see how it all plays out in november )
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You nailed, it Beth. This is something I am going to save for the next election around here and there is always one coming these days. I can’t figure out why so many won’t vote. It’s the only tool we really and truly have to get our voices heard over the money that changes hands at the top.
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thanks, betsy and i agree with all of that
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Yes FDR had that right, Beth. Way to exercise your right, my friend, maybe our most important.
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yes, it sure is )
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Here in Oz it’s compulsory to vote, well at least to turn up, have your name crossed off the list and take your slips into the booth. What you do after that is your own business. I have little faith in the political system, people go into it with high ideals and eventually become part of the lies and corruption. My first experience of the political system and its supporters came at the age of six, in England. There, supporters wore different coloured rosettes, blue for the Tories and red for Labour. I was walking to the park when two older boys, about 10 and wearing red rosettes confronted me. ‘Where’s your rosette, who do you support? Are you a bloody Tory or one of us?’ I didn’t have a bloody clue, so they began hitting me and when I fell to the ground they kicked me in the head and guts until they became bored. Looking back they were obviously following their parents political ideals.
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horrible laurie and you are probably right. when i talk about voting with my kindy class, i usually hear whatever their parents believe, but they are interested in the concept of voting and what it means, and that’s a good beginning.
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It was beth, put me right off politics. Do you have class elections yet?
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no we don’t really do that, but we do practice voting on things that have to do with our classroom, and one of the big lessons is that whichever one wins, just means the the most people voted for it, not that it was always right or the best. majority rules.
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get em while they’re young so they’re used to life’s great disappointments. 🙂
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We had our primary in May, in Ohio! I am not sure why you would have one in August? Is this unusual? Maybe each state has their own month for primaries, Beth, never knew this one! We voted on the Columbus Zoo, schools, and other important stuff.
Oh, our state house had that thing with Open Marriage Bill, today. It encompasses several states and was quite exciting, on the noon news. I am hoping that it passes, for the men who are partners who wish to be recognized as daddies, the women who share children for both to be considered parents, … Fun stuff and I loved this post, so open-minded!
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i know that some states have chosen to have them earlier than others and ohio must be one of those states. always something important to vote on, and you really can’t complain after if you haven’t cast your ballot – thanks, robin )
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You hit the nail on the head, Beth! those who don’t vote, have no room to complain! And I meant that Cincinnati’s the place for the bill to hopefully, pass! Sorry, not in Columbus state house! Smiles, Robin
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thanks, robin )
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” You want to know about voting. I’m here to tell you about voting. Imagine you’re locked in a huge underground nightclub filled with sinners, whores, freaks and unnameable things that rape pit bulls for fun. And you ain’t allowed out until you all vote on what you’re going to do tonight. You like to put your feet up and watch “Republican Party Reservation”. They like to have sex with normal people using knives, guns and brand-new sexual organs that you did not know existed. So you vote for television, and everyone else, as far as the eye can see, votes to fuck you with switchblades. That’s voting. You’re welcome.”
– Spider Jerusalem, Transmetropolitan
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As an aside, I always vote. as futile as it may be, it at least allows me the right to complain about the way this country (UK) is driven further and further into the ground year on year by people who only care about their own short-term self interests
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thanks for your thoughts on this karl –
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That the way the megabanks and megacorps with their lackey politicians control everything I think voting has become a mere illusion of democracy.
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thanks, carl and i hope it’s not true across the board –
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lol, thought I saw Eeyore for a min! 😀
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i think it’s a cousin, bonnie )
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It was valid then and it’s valid now…
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