become politically active

Actually, I don’t think I ever will. Politics and that part of the world don’t interest me. I think I’ll grow more interested, however, as my life grows towards family and adulthood – being responsible for more than just myself. As of now, I can’t imagine being responsible for children, let alone for the world. I really do take our wealthy society for given. Freedom.

I have an interest in politics. I’m a Conservative Republican and it is my goal to become better politically informed. I’m a huge fan of talk radio – Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, plus others. I’ve only recently started to really pay attention to politics. I do not believe in the Liberal and Socialist agendas, therefore I do not affiliate with the Democratic party. I have gotten some exposure to grassroots politics and aim to get more involved once I return back to the states in 12 months from my tour to Iraq.

I have been cruising the internet today looking for informed and active websites to join and become more involved with. I have found a couple.

I moved earlier this year. I did not, however, change my place of employment. I work an hours drive from the town in which I live.

In July, I changed my voter registration to my new county. I checked the Indiana Secretary of State (SOS) website to be sure the switch had gone through, and I looked up where my polling place would be.

Tuesday, I double checked it before I left for work. I left town before the polls opened, and would return with about fifteen minutes to get through traffic and go vote.

Just to be safe, that evening I made it home in 30 minutes flat. I wangled through the traffic in town, and arrived at the polling place, glad I had rushed there – traffic was worse than expected.

With utter relief, I walked through the door, down the hall, and into the polls. I signed in, my ID was checked, and I went to sign my name on the roll. That’s when things went South.

My name was nowhere to be found. The woman working the rolls looked at me as though I were stupid. The computer illiterate woman who signed me in, tried to work the computer to figure out where I needed to be. The SOS website had sent me to the wrong polling place. THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

At two minutes to six, by my cell phone, they closed their polling place, told me where I voted, and told me I would never make it. NOT ONCE DID THEY OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. I was offered neither a provisional ballot nor a kindly phone call ahead to my destination.

The polling place I was at was located at 4th and Kossuth streets. The polling place I needed to be at was located on Wabash Avenue (S 2nd). It is not possible to drive two blocks down. Railroad relocation has made Wabash Avenue an isolated dead-end street.

I had two minutes to drive nine city blocks.

I pulled the sharpest u-turn I have ever pulled in my car. I cut someone off, passed on the right, ran a red light and a stop light, and I parked on the fucking curb. I was two minutes too late.

I banged on the locked door. I pushed my sign-in sheet against the window to prove I had been on time. I begged, I pleaded, I cried, all to no avail. The gentleman who came to the door didn’t even open it. He just shook his head, and turned me away.

I was heartbroken. This is the first time I have ever not voted, and this election mattered. It didn’t just matter to me, it mattered to the nation. My voice was not heard on Tuesday. I couldn’t even vote against Todd Rokita.

I have called everyone. Two television stations, two newspapers, the county election board, the secretary of state, the county clerk, and on Monday, I will make my last call – to the Indiana Democratic Party.

The ability to vote is my constitutional right. If you are a US citizen, then it is yours too. Suffrage is more than that though. It’s a right, but it is also a duty. When you don’t vote, you fail to speak – for your family, your ideals, whatever you represent. You support the status quo. Failure to vote is also a betrayal of sorts. You betray everyone who lived and bled to give you that right. If you’re not a male WASP there are a lot more people involved in that betrayal.

Voting is one thing I feel very strongly about – one thing I will defend. Nothing gets between me and the right to cast my ballot, and I’ll be damned if nothing comes of this.

...forget about political parties. They are the way to become politically paralyzed.

Go to a local city government meeting and find out what’s going on in your community. There’s always something that needs improvement and you can really make a difference.

I think the first step for this goal is to find out about any upcoming elections in my area. I will search the web tonight.

I Voted today – Be sure you do!

Cathy is still running! I will post more about her campaign when I start volunteering.

In other news, the county dems meet the fourth Tuesday of every month, and I found out who the president of the dems is for this county – a man I’ve known and respected since I was a child.

I’ll be going this month.

I was excited that I would be able to post about helping a campaign I believe in, but I’m not so sure it’s still a going concern.

The candidate in question just lost her husband. They were talking on the phone and he had a heart attack and died.

I cannot even imagine.

Cathy, my heart goes out to you.

I’ve been contemplating going to a Democratic Woman’s Luncheon in my county sometime soon. Maybe I should find out what the next one is?