An excerpt from Courage

6 11 2008

“Courage” by Robert William Service

Today I opened wide my eyes,
And stared with wonder and surprise,
To see beneath November skies
An apple blossom peer;
Upon a branch as bleak as night
It gleamed exultant on my sight,
A fairy beacon burning bright
Of hope and cheer.

“Alas!” said I, “poor foolish thing,
Have you mistaken this for Spring?
Behold, the thrush has taken wing,
And Winter’s near.”
Serene it seemed to lift its head:
“The Winter’s wrath I do not dread,
Because I am,” it proudly said,
“A Pioneer.

Today, for the first time in eight years, I have hope.





I’m putting you on notice

4 11 2008

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Decisions are made by those who show up

4 11 2008

If you don’t vote, you don’t care.

Don’t show up tomorrow to vote only because of abortion or guns or the economy, and don’t be convinced that you need to vote just because of race or gender or fancy speeches or what your spouse thinks you should do.  At the end of the day, we’re all in this together, regardless of what our political leanings may be.

We’re in this together, and we need to show up, all of us from both sides of the aisle. Right, left, liberal, conservative – and the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

Vote because it’s your responsibility.  Be convinced to do so because it’s your right as an American – probably the only unalterable one remaining on that carefully-measured, rapidly-disappearing list our founding fathers left to us.

It shouldn’t matter how hard it is.

It doesn’t matter how inconvenient it is.

Tomorrow, it might rain.  Your kids might have a meltdown.  You might have a dozen things to do.  You might have the flu.  You might get tied up at work.  You might have to wait in a long line.  You might be able to think of a million reasons that you can’t get to your polling place.

But tomorrow might be historic,  and we might make a huge difference.

You only need one reason to show up: if you don’t vote, you don’t care.

One reason, one vote.

Show up.