Freedom is Not Free
I must go on a trip that is part of my life's journey. I must go to the voting booth.
As a child, I saw the city alderman tell my grandmother that he would give her a garbage can if she voted for his candidate. She WAS a widow with five children and no help. But I was shocked that he thought he could buy her vote. Did he think that the poor have no integrity or sense of honor?
As a young adult, I saw that power does corrupt. The scandals in the news, the televised speeches that tell you what you want to hear. The carefully coached and made-up appearances that couldn't cover up the greed, arrogance, and contempt for the common voter. So, I ignored politics and just got on with my life. I also didn't have time to learn about the issues and what was going on in the rest of the world. I did know that the men in my family were 'different' when they returned from WWII, but they did go back to their families and jobs without ever speaking about the war.
Later, however, in other travels, I saw the trenches of WW1, the Civil War cemeteries with the graves of 16-year-old soldiers, Punchbowl Cemetery and US Arizona filled with thousands of sacrifices, and the beaches of Normandy with unending rows of crosses and other markers as far as the eye could see. Being in Grants allowed me to sit in at city and county meetings. At first the rooms themselves put me in my place. The silent citizens sat in the back of the room with a 'significant space' keeping the elect on their distant pedestals. I heard how they discussed problems, treated each other and responded to the 3minute citizen comments. Surprisingly, there were several politicians who sincerely wanted to help and improve the community. They took on the responsibility of learning about a myriad of problems, were available to the public, accepting concerns and criticisms.
So, I will ask my ignorant questions, try to offer suggestions, attend long, often tedious meetings, read their documents, research the candidates and pray that I vote for the best choices.
This is my duty. I can now envision the graves of the young men who died for us in that 'significant' space between us and our elected officials. The blood of warriors binds us together.
This trip's lesson: Freedom is not free.