Something to be Thankful for: America's Elections

I stole this from an old military friend and just had to share. Thanks for the perspective, Pete, I couldn't agree more!

Once again, Americans have selected a leader. Note that, no tanks rolled through streets, no soldiers occupied towns and cities, no "factions", unsatisfied with the results, murdered other "factions". No thugs attacked people merely for voting; in fact, all citizens eligible were constantly encouraged to vote, regardless of whom they voted for. No riots broke out. No prospective aspirant leader called for the death of his opponents. No one ordered others to kill their enemies. Bombs were not detonated in polling places.

The process took place, peacefully.

No matter how you feel about its outcome, isn't that something we can all be proud of?

VOTE!

Jay Lenno once did a segment before an election surveying college students on the street posing the question:

We have started a petition to end women’s suffrage.  Would you be willing to sign it?

Unfortunately 98% of the students said yes.  Granted Women’s Suffrage, though it may sound terrible- is actually a pretty great thing.

Such a trivial detail of our lives- as we live in a time and country where these details are no longer threatened.  We become complacent.  We forget and soon, we take this little right to vote for granted.

We’ve heard the stories in our history books.  Before 1920, you could only vote if you were a land-owning, white male.  Now if you are not a land-owning white male, can you imagine what a powerless feeling that would be? 

"Pssst.  Mr. John Smith.  If you haven’t made up your mind about who is going to be my new President and my leader of this free world- will you pretty-please consider my opinion?”

 

“What? You?  You a black female that rents an apartment is trying to tell me who to vote for?  Off with your head.”

John Smith can be such a jackass some days.

One day some chics had enough of Mr. John Smith telling them to make him some cookies.  They were all like.  “No Sir, Mr. John Smith.  Not today.  I AM a US citizen that pays taxes on my sugar for your cookies- therefore I WILL decide who the next dude I’m going to pay taxes to is going to be.  Umm hmmm.”  [insert Z snap here.]

Then one day not too long ago- surprisingly not too long ago.  As little as 1966 (a mere 46 years ago!!)- it was finally amended that ALL US citizens had the right to vote for their president and whether or not they wanted a casino next to the local daycare. (Blasted gambling toddlers!)

Our country continues to evolve as equal rights continuously expand and are redefined.  This is necessary.  As we become more educated and a less ignorant nation, we realize that ALL people are created equal and ALL tax-paying US citizens have the RIGHT to vote.  We can only hope that the rest of the world will follow suit someday.  We are getting closer- but still have so much to overcome.

So today, I ask that you remember that hundreds of thousands of people have fought hard and have even given their life so that you may be free and so that you may exercise your right to VOTE.

Please don’t dishonor them by thinking it is unnecessary, irrelevant, or meaningless.  We are only one battle away from communism and dictatorship.

And now you've had your history lesson of the day.  But I didn't have to tell you this- you already knew it.  Now, go out and make wise decisions.

Defining Moments

Some conversations you never forget.

The night was slow and dramatically drawn out like a cat yawn.  I sat at my desk, spinning my pen with my right hand.  I hated silence and the night shift caused for silences so loud that one could count the seconds

ticking away at the clock that clung to the pale brick wall across the room. 

At last the Duty Officer returned to his desk adjacent to mine after making his rounds. I nearly jumped at the opportunity for some conversation.  I flooded him with questions about his upcoming plans for the weekend.  It soon evolved into talking about his children.  I enjoyed listening as much as story telling.  Almost.

The time began to pass much quicker.  An hour.  Another.  Pretty soon we took a stab at current world events.  I couldn't help but get excited as I do when my passion about a subject leaks out.  My opinions and viewpoints poured on out like a rambling brook.  In turn, I listened intently to his.  Another hour passed.  I felt refreshed.  Cultural stimulation at its finest.  

Then, he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.  He frowned and cocked his head to the side.

“Petty Officer Maki, you’re a smart girl.”  He paused, and I was about to thank him when I sensed there was more to come.  “Why did you go enlisted?”

Enlisted.  The word was spoken like a pungent metallic taste in his mouth.  Had I heard him correctly?  Don't react.  Don't react.

I answered slowly, carefully choosing my words.  “You… think… I enlisted because I wasn’t smart enough to go to college?”

“I didn’t say you weren’t smart, but isn’t that why most people enlist in the military instead of going in as an officer?”  His demeanor was as casual as a Sunday picnic.  It was why I had previously let my guard down.

My fists began to clench.  “No, Sir.”  I was nearly whispering by now.  “Actually, my father begged me to go to college up until the day I got on the bus headed for boot camp.  He promised to find a way to pay for it.  Whatever it took.”  I shifted in my chair.

He looked even more perplexed as he considered the thought.

“I enlisted because I needed to get out there,” I continued. “I wanted an adventure and the Navy seemed the easiest route to do so at the time.”

“Oh.  Okay.”  He paused for a moment as he studied my face.  “Did I offend you or something?”

I had enough conversation for one night.  I began spinning my pen on my desk again, not bothering to look up.  “No, Sir.  Actually, you enlightened me."

  

Whipping Shitties and Playing Duck Duck Gray Duck (though not at the same time)

(photo courtesy of sxc.hu)

 
Recently I learned a new expression: "he fell out" It is a southern expression for "he threw a tantrum".  Initially, my mind was going completely somewhere else on this.  [Thank you, NC Narrations- http://nc-narrations.blogspot.com/2012/02/say-what.html]
 

I cannot help but be amazed that within our wonderful country of the USA- we have such vastly different land masses ranging from deserts to cities to mountains to beaches to cornfields etc.  Anyone who has had the privilege of driving from one end of the country to the other can attest to the broad spectrum the little USA has to offer of land masses- but it doesn't stop there!  The culture differences and dialects among the different regions are about as far different as if there were an ocean separating them.  But there is not, or you would not be able to drive from one end to the other.  I divert.
 

I grew up in the northern Midwest region.  Up there, strong work ethics are ingrained at birth.  If something comes too easy- well it's probably a scam because everything worth having takes hard work to achieve.

I also lived in New England for about 4 years.  What an incredible part of the country!  The oldest parts of this region were where some of the first colonies had originated.  In my tiny community of beautiful Phippsburg, Maine, they were also once an established colony back in 1620.  Amazing.  In Maine, I feel compelled to say, they speak funnier dialect than I've ever heard.   The first time my landlord, Martha, (pronounced Ma-thah who was more like a mother) said to me "Just go ahead and pahk the cah in the dooryahd."  I was dumbfounded.  I needed a translator:  Park the car in the driveway.  For some reason pronouncing an "R" is scary to them.  And everything good is proceeded by wicked.  "It was a wicked good time."

Now back in MN, we knOw how to speak.  In fact, I distinctly recall a conversation I had with my friend growing up, "Isn't it funny that everyone else in the country has an accent except for us MinnesOtans?"  I never heard the accent until I went away for a few years and came home.  Everything was followed by "You knOw?  Or 'hey'?  'Hey' is simply used to see if you're paying attention.  "I'm going to the store, hey."  Makes perfect sense.



I also didn't know it was weird to end a sentence with a 'with'. "I'm going to the store, you want to come with?"  I could go on.  Other words in which I knOw we speak correctly but the rest of the country does not:  About, bag, goat, boat, or any other long O word.  We say 'O's the way that God intended them to be spOken.

Another observance for my fellow MinnesOtans:  The rest of the world says "Duck Duck Goose,"  not "Duck Duck Grey Duck".  I'm simply attempting to spare you the embarrassment I suffered when a bunch of preschoolers laughed at my game suggestion one day.  Okay- it wasn't that embarrassing.  They were preschoolers, right?  They can't even drive yet.  So at least I got that on them.  And by the way, when you are driving crazy- apparently it also is weird to say "whip a shitty."  Instead, more politically correct (and more common) would be to say "Whip a doughnut). [this is when you spin around really fast on the snow or mud in your motorized vehicle- usually intentionally for pleasure]

And for my final observance- Southerners- while they can be quite the gossipers and are sure to let you know what's going on with everyone- are the friendliest folks I've ever met.  They'll tell you their entire life story in one sitting- whether they are your waitress, barber, or sales clerk.  They are caring, open, and take their time...which can drive an East Coaster (such as NY or DC) crazy.  Slow down and smell the roses.  They talk slower, eat slower, and tend to enjoy life.  But word of warning- many Southerners don't have the Northern bubble.  Northerners are quite particular about someone getting in their bubble.  It's a comfort zone thing.

One of my good friends was my roommate in the Navy off and on for several years.  I solely blame her for my use of the word y'all.  I never realized the convenience of combining words- or how freely it flows from the tongue.  Northerners take note!  (Though she was also the one who sent me on a mission to get a coke and was upset that I brought her an actual 'Coke' instead of asking her what kind of 'coke' she wanted.  What?!?  Pop = soda = coke.

So I now in my confused state of mind living in the middle of the country may say something like, "Y'all need to checkout this wicked good show, hey!"  I've become a mess.  I stumble upon which word to use when I want a softdrink.  Often it's just better to order by name.  Or just order a beer.  Beer is at least universal, worldly perhaps.  I'm in people's bubbles, asking for soda up north and playing Duck Duck Gray Duck down south.  I constantly have to think before I speak- which I suppose isn't too bad of a habit to get into.

Ask.

Among many of the lessons I learned while serving in the military, an important one was this:

Dear Americans, we do not always know what is really going on out there in the big world.  We, as the general public, often have no idea what is happening outside of our immediate circle.  We really have no idea the extent of involvement that our government already has.  I'm not speaking of conspiracy theories. The government is constantly extinguishing fires left and right from terrorist threats, suspect behavior, rumors of weapons, etc. (the list goes on)
 

I know this because I was directly involved with some of them, once upon a time.  We were assigned missions that if the general public knew how many times America was targeted, or suspected threats, they would never sleep another peaceful night.  Rest assured though, that is why we have intelligence analysts, the FBI, CIA, and US military.  So Americans can sleep at night.  These guys (generically used) are out on the front lines, fighting the threats and doing all of the worrying for us- so essentially, the general public does not have to.

However, I feel compelled to say it:  WE ARE A SLAVE TO THE MEDIA.  We only hear what they want us to hear.  Many times it is only a portion of the story- or the story is evaded completely.  Depending on the source, the stories are most often swayed. 

So what are the intentions behind reporting the stories that they do?  Shock value?  To sell a paper?   Or report the truth?  I have yet to find a news station or even a newspaper that is not biased- whether it is politically, demographically, or financially swayed.

I have a good friend that works for CNN.  She has told me before that they continuously have a plethora of news stories bombarding them all day long.  However, she is only allowed to report a very select few.  And yet the way CNN airs the same news stories all day long, you'd think they were out of stories.  Not so much. Consider this before making up your mind about a given situation.

Why are we policing the Middle East, but not African or other countries that are under constant genocide?  Why do we not hear about the other countries under a civil war?  Why not the other events that are stirring continuously across the globe?  What is the motivation of the government and what is motivation of the media?  How do we find out the truth? 

We ask.  

Sounds easy enough, right?

Ask someone who has been there.  Respectfully, ask a soldier who has just come home his or her perspective of what they saw- what their opinion is.  Note their opinion.

Do they believe in what we are doing over there?  Was it all horrible or is there any good coming out of it?  Are we making a difference?  Are we helping or hurting?  Why is it taking so long?  I know many of us have been questioning this since it all began.

Ask many.  The more people you ask, the more opinions you will get.  This in turn can help you be informed on what is really going on before believing the first report you hear. So often, they really just are opinions.  Get the facts.  Are pictures swayed?

Ask someone who has lived overseas what their story is.  Note their story and note where they are from.  Everyone has a story.  Everyone has a perspective.  Even the enemy has a perspective- wrong,
right, or otherwise.

I am ashamed to admit that there have been times I have jumped on a bandwagon without asking the questions.  I hated Jane Fonda- yet I was not entirely sure why.  I knew I was patriotic and heard that she wasn't.  I felt more patriotic because I hated Jane Fonda.  After I did some research- I realized many of the stories I had known about her were untrue.  There were true ones and I watched as she owned up to and apologized during an interview again her wrongs.  Suddenly, she appeared human.  

I would like to think I am a forgiving person and I can only hope that I am still not condemned when I am 74 for the mistakes that I made when I was in my 20's- mistakes that I've since learned from and can do nothing at this point but apologize. Why didn't I look into the whole story?  I didn't ask.

I just read an article from an online magazine that sparked something inside of me.  This is from the blog by Michael Yon.  He is a former Green Beret and now reporter in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  He is also the author of Danger Close and Moment of Truth in Iraq.  He has financed his own trips to report from the front lines.  He had questions that he needed answered.  The following is a piece from his online magazine.  It is from the perspective of an Iranian woman:

25 January 2012  A young Iranian woman has written to me off and on for a couple of years.  Yesterday she sent a note.

I responded in part with a few questions: 

What do young Iranians think about our government and about the Iranian government?  Also, do you think there will be war?

She replied immediately.  I corrected some minor grammar: 

“To make the long story short people in Iran, not just youth, hate the government and want to move out of the country as soon as they can...

“I am a patriot and I will remain one no matter where I am, but lets face it. Things are bad and getting worse as every day goes by. I have plans for my future and do not want to stay in a country where my skills and capabilities are most likely going to waste.

"The Iranians do not hate you nor do they hate ur government.  This is all the media.  The people have nothing to do with the media Michael.  No one is against you here except for those on the government's side.  Unfortunately they’re not few, they’re actually many, but they won’t last forever. Someday this is all gonna turn upside down.  Sometimes I ask myself do I wanna be here for the next revolution?  I dunno ..."  

(to read more about Michael Yon check out the following link:  http://www.michaelyon-online.com/)

I couldn't help but be blown away by this.  What a different prospective that we would never hear in the general media.

Of course we all can't exactly drop everything we are doing and fly to the Middle East to get some answers.  But we do have the responsibility to research before we believe everything we hear- regardless of where we stand on the issues.

We need to start by asking the questions.