A Matter of Great Importance

I'll let you in on a little secret about me. Long before I was married, even when I was a kid, I could not sing The Star Spangled Banner nor say The Pledge of Allegiance without tearing up. Even then, in my heart, I knew the true value and the weight of those words.

As the wife of an Airman and the mother of two small children, I personally know the true value and the weight of the sacrifices our troops and their families make every single day for all of us, for you. Simply put, they do what they do so that you can do what you do.

So, one way you can honor them is by respecting your freedoms and using those freedoms wisely.

Please, think about that for a minute.

One of the most important freedoms you have is the right to vote. My husband was in Iraq when the citizens voted to ratify their constitution. Over 80% of the eligible voters risked their lives to be heard. They stood in lines for hours in 120 degree heat. Here, in the US, where it is safe and convenient, the highest turnout of elible voters has never even reached 65%!!! That is deplorable.

I urge you to vote. Most importantly, I urge you to become informed on who and what you are voting for before you vote. Do you know--truly know--what your candidate stands for? Research them. Do you know what your state and local proposed ammendments are and how they will affect you? Research them.

Please, please, please, never ever go into that polling booth and check the name of the candidate that sounds good to you at the moment. Should you come across a candidate or an issue you are not informed on, don't vote. Skip that one completely. It is better than your vote be counted for it's informed merit!

Think about it. Many communities have you vote on judges. How many people actually know whether or not that judge is fair and is doing their job as they should? What happens if you vote for a female judge just because it's a female or for "Paul Newman" because he's got the same name as an actor you like? Well, what if "Paul Newman" is a horrible man who isn't fair and who doesn't do his job? If you had voted on a whim like this, you just may have voted for someone who should never be in public service.

I also urge you to check out Carrie's blog today.

Above all, use your freedoms wisely. It is truly a matter of great importance.