As you might imagine, if you're a denizen of this blog you know I'm a Republican (which I just say with shame and anguish this year), Mum was perplexed by my political views, although we agreed on the fundamentals.
When I step in to the voting booth tomorrow, I will cast my ballot in her honor. I'm going to wear a necklace she gave me just to make sure something she touched is in that voting booth with me. And yes, this Republican is proudly voting for Hillary Clinton.
I'm sure some of you have similar stories? Would you like to share them?
Send me a photo of the item you're wearing, carrying or taking into the voting booth, and who it memorializes.
I'll be glad to post them here.
Of course this is available for both ladies and gents. It's not just ladies who have fierce feminist mums.
From Claire:
Hi Janet!
You've inspired me. I'll be carrying these items into the voting booth with me tomorrow: my maternal grandmother's cameo; a ring with a glass "ruby" from my paternal grandmother; a locket my parents gave me when I was a child; a blue glass button from our daughter, now a pendant (inscribed on the back "Juliette loves Mom"); and a dog & bone necklace made for me by our son in his high school shop class.
I'll be proudly casting my vote for Hillary tomorrow!
From Karen:
Tomorrow I will be voting for Hillary and wearing the same ring my grandmother wore when she first voted in 1932 (for FDR, I presume--he won in a landslide). I've taken a very enlarged picture of it, and if you squint and hold your mouth the right way, you might be able to see her engraved wedding date: 7-28-29 (July, 1929).
I love that you shared this. May the best woman win tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI'm Canadian & Trump scares the hell out of us. I thought back when he mocked John McCain getting captured, that he would be disqualified as a candidate. To see him get this far is truly frightening. Please Americans.....make the right choice tomorrow....
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I live in one of the Southern states. Arkansas. You'd be shocked the level of idiocy I see and hear about Trump. Being a person of color doesn't help either. God help us all if he wins. But honestly? Even if he does, I figure one year before he screws up so badly that Congress impeaches him.
ReplyDeleteThough, Mike Pence isn't much better.
What a lovely story, Janet. And what a great necklace.
ReplyDeleteToday, both of my classes learned about American politics. In the first, it was about the rise of democracy in the early 1800s and how and why that was a limited democracy. In the second, it was about how American women secured the right to vote, and they learned about Alice Paul, hunger strikes, and force feeding. At the end of both classes, I told them I hope they go out and vote tomorrow.
I kind of wish I had a pantsuit to wear tomorrow, especially a white one. But I'll make do with my red western boots because to me they signify toughness and independence. I'll be thinking of Alice Paul when I'm in the voting booth. I'll be grateful for the time she spent in jail and for her willingness to sacrifice her health so that women can exercise their citizenship rights.
Janet, your boldness is just rad. No matter whether people agree with you or not, I'm always impressed with how well you articulate your views, and how you stick to your guns.
ReplyDeleteNo great story from me. I went to the library and looked in on the early voting. It was empty so I voted. I had already tried to dig through all of the spin and ended with the same choice as my Queen.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you came to a decision. I know that you have agonized over it for quite a while. I am also proud that you were willing to share it with us. I know that a few other Reiders don't share your view.
By the way: the commercials sucked even worse since I voted a week and a half ago.
My grandmother would have been right there with your mother. Thank you for sharing such a touching story.
ReplyDeleteI am neither fish nor fowl in the political system. I have felt for a long time that I have no voice at all anymore. I suspect lots of Americans feel this way. Anyhow, I have no party affiliation although I was a Libertarian for a long time. Now I am just an independent.
Everything on both sides is all power and control. And I am sick of the division- not all Republicans and Consevatives are evil nor are all Liberals and Progressives. But each demonizes the other.
Stephen King, one of my favorite writer's, often characterizes all Republicans as idiots and villains. I hate that so much. It's mean and hurts some of his fans that might identify as Republican. I have a friend who refuses to read him anymore because of some of his tweets about how vile Republicans are. That is so uncalled for. This friend actually cried because she thought Stephen King, who she absolutely idolized, personally hated her just because of her voter registration. Ridiculous, maybe? But sad that it's even an issue.
I still believe down to my core most people are good and decent. It's the politicians that suck -selling their souls all for power. It is sad to see politics bringing out the very worst in otherwise sane people. Dividing and conquering us.
I want nothing to do with that. I am sick of the fear mongering, the name calling, the identity politics, and the arrogance of the politicians. Just because I am a woman and single mother, I am not a damn voting block, I am an individual.
I wish government would be limited so I wouldn't have to care. I am even considering becoming an ex-pat - I have always wanted to live in the U.K., ever since I went to school there. It's always been on my bucket list so now maybe time is coming.
I am a huge Liverpool FC fan. Beyond that, I have no particular political leanings in U.K. either, although I think your football club affiliation is more important than political leaning there. I could live with that.
I think that's a lovely homage to your mother.
ReplyDeleteI'm very conservative. I only wish I were a card-caring Republican so I could cut up my card and mail it to Priebus along with a receipt for a voodoo doll with his name on it.
I wish someone like Condi Rice had been the first woman to run for president and stood a decent chance of being elected. I would have voted for her in a heartbeat.
In 2008 a black woman I worked with at Family Dollar wore a tee shirt to work every day proclaiming "Vote Your Color" I asked her what she liked about his policies. She said she had no idea what they were. She was voting for him because he was black and had to be loyal to her race.
My accessory tomorrow when I go to vote will be a clothespin to pinch my nose closed as I vote.
I come from three grandparents who were immigrants from Wales, Sweden and Ireland (back when the Irish were not very popular). The other Grandma was a Suffragette and she would have been extremely proud to say "I told you so" tomorrow night.
ReplyDeleteWe mail in our votes here in Washington State so there was nothing to take 'with' me when I stuck the envelope in the mail box except my great respect for those who came before and were allowed to vote.
I will never take that for granted!
It's been funny, over the last few decades, watching my parents change their politics. In the eighties they were conservative, as conservative as Canadians got before the Conservative party started sowing hate.
ReplyDeleteThen they started voting Liberal when Liberals were centrist, and now that the Liberal party is more left they've been voting NDP, which is even more left.
Sometimes voting isn't about party, it's about people.
CM I am taking you with me tomorrow when I vote. Please tell your fellow Canadians this yank is doing the right thing for us, you and the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteJanet: you've totally inspired me! I just had a blast putting together a little jewelry "collection" I plan to bring with me into the booth tomorrow. Each piece symbolizes someone to whom I'll be dedicating my Hillary vote, whether they're still here with me on planet earth, or with me only in spirit.
ReplyDeleteI love the beautiful necklace you've chosen to wear in your mother's honor.
Thanks for a wonderful idea, and Happy Voting! I cherish this great American duty and privilege.
I'm taking my 14 year-old children. My daughter asked if we were moving to Canada if Trump got elected. (She literally curled into a fetal position on the family room floor after hearing the Access Hollywood interview.) I want them to see me vote and understand that an essence of our country working is that we are (or should be) Americans first and partisans second.
ReplyDeleteJanet, that's so touching. I hope you feel your mom' presence tomorrow. I already voted here in "purple" swing state NC. By mail, so there was nothing to bring with me. I did get unexpectedly choked up, marking my ballot for a woman for president.
ReplyDeleteI've been feeling so stressed out over this election, as I'm sure most of us have. And then yesterday a couple writer friends were talking on FB about a closed group called Pantsuit Nation and how uplifting it was. I hesitated, I really did. I mean, it's FB, how uplifting could it be? But then I asked a friend to add me, because I was curious. And OMG. It's a constant stream of story after story after story of people who just wanted a "safe" place to talk about how much they love Hillary and why they're voting for her and how excited they are about the prospect of a woman president. Mostly women, but quite a few men. Democrats and Republicans, people who have always voted Republican, who have never voted at all, who are voting with their mothers and grandmothers, taking their kids with them to witness what they hope/believe will be history. Every post is positive. Every single one. The support and encouragement is incredible. It's one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen. I sat here last night, reading posts scrolling by, with tears of happiness streaming down my face. I'm still worried about the election results. Of course I am. But I feel so much better now about this country and the people in it.
kdjames: I'm in Pantsuit Nation, too, and it is incredible!!! Totally uplifting!
ReplyDeleteMy father moved to America from Iran shortly before the Revolution. A few years ago he gave me a gold bracelet from Iran that he doesn't wear anymore. I wear it every day, and I'll be wearing it tomorrow when I exercise the greatest privilege we as Americans have.
ReplyDeleteThis was a post I honestly really needed to see today. I hadn't thought to do this, but now I'll be wearing the ring my great great great grandmother brought with her when she immigrated to the US for a better life. I come from a long line of badass women, and I'm very much looking forward to voting for (I hope! Oh god please) our first woman president.
ReplyDeleteJanet, what an inspiring tribute to your mum. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI voted today. I took my daughter with me. This is the first election that has galvanized both of my adult children to study candidates and vote. It seems unreal to be voting for a woman. It's been such a hard won trail but here we are, less than 100 years after women received the right to vote, we now have a female candidate for president.
I wish I had a pantsuit to wear tomorrow when we take the elders to the town hall here in Bartlett to vote. In bright red or pink. The old ones with their walkers and canes will be there to cast a vote for Hillary and for Maggie Hassan in our tight Senate race. I've gotten at least five calls from Democratic workers checking in that we have a ride and know where to go. Some very dedicated people out there.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I'll go home and hide my head under the pillow until it's all over. I just hope we wake up to Hillary as our new President since the alternative is to awful to contemplate.
I'll just walk in and vote - no special get-up.
ReplyDeleteIf my mother votes, she'll vote for Donald Trump I'm sure. She can't stand Hillary Clinton.
My mom usually voted Republican for President. My dad usually voted Democratic to cancel out her vote (or so he told me).
Elise,
ReplyDeleteI agree and I will never buy another Stephen King book nor recommend him.
What a beautiful necklace!
ReplyDeleteI'll be wearing the wedding ring I inherited by my grandmother, who was born in 1910. She married my grandfather (born in 1897) in July 1929, before the October crash. The ring is engraved with their initials and the date they were married. Their marriage lasted 59 years, until his death at age 90. She passed eight years later. She was always a forward-thinker, and a great female role model for me at a young age.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteAnd I wish I were a Republican so I could tear up the card and send it to Priebus right along with you. I already voted. The sheriff in my neck of the woods and a few other local officials were worth the effort, And actually make a difference in my community.
On federal election, I don't begrudge anyone their vote. The only choices are like arsenic or dynamite. Either way, you're dying either puking your brains out or blown to smithereens. After tomorrow, could we possibly never mention this freak show election again?
Lovely necklace, Janet, and such a touching story about your mom.
ReplyDeleteSpam is simply not a healthy addition to chum. So I think I'll avoid the potential feeding frenzy in that regard.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, no booth for me. I voted early. And I'd like to remind people that some states require employers allow their employees to leave work in order to address their civic duty.
I’m a Canadian, a bystander in this mess. Like much of the world, I’m watching this election with trepidation and perplexion (perplexity?). I don’t understand how someone with so little grasp of the truth and decency (or, perhaps, so little regard for them) is so close to being the next POTUS.
ReplyDeleteHis closing argument for his presidency is that “the world hates us,” and only he can change that. Like much of what he says, it’s wrong.
I first backpacked Europe in the 1980s. This was the same time that revelations of the CIA’s manipulation of Latin American governments was a hot topic. Back then, Americans sewed Canadian flags onto their backpacks because it was easier to try to pass for one of us than to face all the anger that much of the world seemed to have for the ‘arrogant’ USA.
That foreign perception changed slowly and accelerated after 9/11 - there was a lot of good will towards the USA, a lot more than your press usually showed. And that good will survived the heavy-handed foreign policy of the GW Bush administration (GW was actually loved in many African nations - seen as the first US president to care about them).
I was working in Namibia when Obama won his first term. That a black man could be elected president of the US was an uplifting surprise to these people (later, when they realized this wouldn’t directly improve their lives, the glow faded a bit, but a visceral pride remained).
I’ve also lived in Spain, South Korea and now Malaysia. The world doesn’t hate America. It continually surprises me how strongly so many people in other parts of the world want to BE Americans.
Please don’t destroy that good will by electing an egotist who lacks empathy; an unlawful bigot who projects his flaws onto others; someone who emboldens the worst among us.
Stephen,
ReplyDelete"His closing argument for his presidency is that “the world hates us,” and only he can change that."
It's exactly the same argument Obama made in 2008. He was the only one who could save the world. The oceans would recede if only America would elect him. Peace would reign. Americans would prosper. War would end. Kumbaya
How very interesting. I have said many times this election season that this has gone so emotional that facts don't count anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere are still a few facts out there though.
A fact about hacked e-mail. You never know where it came from or if it really is what it is supposed to be. No one has admitted that those e-mails were real.
The only real fact about pedophilia in this election is about Trump. In July a lawsuit (one of some 3500) was filed against Trump. It was filed by a Katie Johnson. She says that Trump raped her when she was twelve. It was also filed before the statute of limitations ran out so it will go to court someday.
Much of the timeline is right for it to have happened. The young lady was an Epstein (Jeffrey) girl. Was on the"Lolita Express" at that time, Trump was there and his friend, Jeffrey Epstein, is a convicted sexual predator.
One last fact is that I did not vote with my vagina. Even my first wife would not go that far.
Might as well yank this and my 1049 comment too. I'm sure someone will find a way to think of me as a bad guy for it.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't going to say anything about politics here, but Janet, since you brought it up...
ReplyDeleteI'll take a shower and wear clean clothes when I go to vote tomorrow. Whatever clothes are on top or in front in the closet. I'm not much for ceremony.
And I'm holding my nose and voting for Trump. I was going to write in a candidate I like better, but I learned that Minnesota throws away write-in votes unless that candidate is registered as a write-in candidate. So a write-in vote literally is wasted here, and too many people sacrificed too much for me to waste my vote.
Why Trump? Because he's less dangerous than Hillary. That doesn't mean I support any of his stupidity, and his lack of respect for other people is shocking. But Hillary also shows a shocking lack of respect. I wrote a blog post bashing both candidates equally at http://www.infrasupport.com/our-political-leaders-set-a-sorry-security-example/
When it comes right down to it, both are flawed, one is just more polished than the other. So I'll vote for the one less polished, who says he has views closer to mine than the other, hoping that he'll either quickly learn and grow on the job and surprise us all, or he'll quickly do something stupid and be impeached and tried and kicked out of office, Leaving Pence as POTUS.
Whichever candidate wins, I hope and pray the other candidate accepts the result and works to mend fences.
- Greg
JR,- you've honored your mothers memory in such a poignant way. Voting is not to be taken for granted, no matter who is elected.
ReplyDeleteI live in such an isolated area that we do not have a polling place; we all vote by absentee ballot. I voted back in October, standing next to a horse. I had quite a few things to get done that day so I was multi-tasking on the way to the mailbox.
Somehow, I'd like to think my mother would have gotten a kick out that (not literally). She was lifelong Democrat. She passed on in 2005.
I voted for Hillary too.
I believe this is the fourth presidential election I will get to vote in since becoming a US citizen. And it's the one I'm least excited about. No special clothes, or ceremony. The only thing I'll wear is a sense of duty and privilege.
ReplyDeleteHere's a piece I wrote back in 2012 on election day. I hope it's the same tomorrow.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/greg.scott.790/posts/3391745892453
- Greg
Here in Saskatchewan, Canada, we've voted 3 times in the last 13 months. Our federal election was October 19, 2015. Our provincial election was last April. And our municipal election was October 26, 2016. And throughout that time, the American election was the big topic online and in private conversations.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that worries me the most about the American election process is the widening of the gap between the divisions. It seems that every election, there is more hate between the Democrats and the Republicans, and that chasm of hate becomes filled with voices and actions that hurt more and more people. And I have a nasty feeling that, no matter who wins this election, there is going to be some violent backlash. I hope I'm wrong. I really do. But the emotions are so high, it's scary.
It's even scarier that we, in Canada, don't have a vote, yet the result will affect us heavily. It always does. The US is our biggest trading partner. Whatever happens to you folks, it affects us. That nasty bit with banks and such you had? Yeah, we had a recession, too. Not as bad as yours, but our economy has been affected.
I have some very adamant Democratic friends. Some have claimed that, should Trump win, they will be moving up here with me. Which would be lovely except... crap. I wonder how fast I can get someone to clean this place for me? So I really hope Trump doesn't win, if only for my own peace of mind. Maybe I'll just have to sell the house and buy a new one... I'll need more bedrooms, anyway...
Tuesday I will vote prayerfully.
ReplyDeleteWednesday I will make coffee and get on with my life.
It's the only thing I can do.
Stephen: I had just arrived in France for the start of a month-long writer's retreat when Obama won in 2008. We spent the afternoon in town shopping for food supplies and taking in some sights, and I remember popping into a small bookstore to grab a newspaper. The mood was joyous, the papers all touting victory. When people discovered I was American, they were quick to congratulate and eager to talk about the US--so different from what I expected from all the stories I'd been hearing about how sentiment had changed for the negative towards us. It was such a memorable and patriotic moment for me; I still have that newspaper. I think everyone needs to travel for a better understanding of other cultures, but also for a fresh perspective of our own.
ReplyDeleteBJ: You couldn't have put it any better: the divide between the two parties is deepening and the space between becomes nothing but hate and vitriol. There's no respect for other ideologies--just blind allegiance--and that's terrifying, because how can the work get done that way? It doesn't, and that's why we are where we are now. I, too, fear that it won't end with the election; I'm afraid of what comes after.
Janet, this is lovely, thank you for posting. I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I read policy and vote on the issues according to my own values that reflect a humanistic approach to life and politics. I'm not happy with either candidate because one is status quo when we desperately need change and the other is so abhorrent, so beyond human decency, that I can't imagine any kind of leadership under him and truly fear for our country. I might change to Independent after this--I don't believe the two-party system reflects our society anymore. I am, however, looking forward to the down-ballot vote.
However you vote, it has to be acknowledged that this is a momentous election and critical juncture in our history. A female candidate is on the ballot. There's a good chance that we will have our first female president. This is nothing short of inspiring for all women. I can only imagine the awe women felt when they were able to vote for the first time--that's what I'm taking into the voting booth with me.
I voted for Hillary by absentee ballot, and I never thought a trip to the post office could be so much fun.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteActually Julie, that's a myth.
Obama's last speech was an incredibly generic "vote for me and I'll fix Washington" speech that any non-incumbent over the last 20 years could have delivered.
The transcript is here: http://obamaspeeches.com/E-Barack-Obama-Speech-Manassas-Virgina-Last-Rally-2008-Election.htm
Trump's speech, on the other hand, was a final encapsulation of his "hate the other" philosophy. No matter what's wrong with your life, there's an "other" who is to blame for it: hate them, find them, punish them. You'll feel better.
It's a sad, vicious philosophy from a man who has perhaps never known or been able to feel love, compassion or sympathy.
Writers can learn a little from politics. No matter what a politician says, people with differing views hear it differently. And remember it differently.
ReplyDeleteSame way with your stories. Every reader comes with a different mind. And leaves with a different message.
My hero might be your villain. Oops, back to politics again.
I rarely comment on politics. It's a minefield. I'm a Southerner which means I'm more likely to nod and smile and keep the peace.
ReplyDeleteI despise politics and politicians. I love my country. I've traveled the world enough to know what a great thing we have going here. I once took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. No expiration date.
We have early voting here. I make it a habit to go vote after Mass after a lot of prayer (and not just that day).
I don't pretend to be fond of either candidate. I don't put a lot of stock in "what the rest of the world thinks". I've traveled the rest of the world enough to know some love us, some hate us and I'm not crazy about some of their picks either.
I live in Florida where people openly brag about voting here and their home state. That concerns me. We had to move a few years ago from what once was a high-end condo complex near Universal Studios because it became overrun with illegal aliens, the crime rate went from negligible to our neighbor the deputy sheriff telling us we needed to move because it had gotten that dangerous, and being just about the only Americans left, we were being targeted. We took the hint. That place is a war zone now and it happened in less than a year.
I cannot vote for someone who lied over the coffins of four dead Americans to their grieving families and said "what difference does it make?" I have a friend who was at Benghazi. They deserved better. A decent person doesn't lie about being under sniper fire (as though a sniper, Bosnian or otherwise couldn't hit a large target on an open airfield).
We all do the best we can, then we pick up the pieces and go on.
Godspeed, y'all and heaven help us.
My great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Pugsley Hayward. She was a Democrat from Utah who served in public office well before women had the vote.
ReplyDeleteWhile she was not the first woman to serve in the Utah House of Representatives or the Utah State Senate, she was the first in many things.
But the one thing I will share today is that she was the senator who introduced the bill to the senate to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.
Living ex-pat at the moment, my voting was by mail over a month ago. What did I wear when I was voting? I was wearing Elizabeth Hayward's genes.
While I tend to lean Libertarian, after I got my ballot I spent a week in serious research to best find the candidates that would uphold the political values I embrace.
Janet - Dedicating your vote to your mum is such a beautiful and elegant solution to the quandary you face as a Republican. I think it is really inspiring and it gives me hope for a less divisive future.
ReplyDeleteI voted early, last week actually. I wore a smile and my American pride.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I will say this morning because we've got a WHOLE day of this, each side has had it's differences for as long as we've had the Constitution. That said, it's thatdocument which was ratified and passed by the founding fathers, the ones who had their own principles and beliefs, some Federalists, some Republican, some elitist types, some intellectuals - yet they came together to give us the one thing that gives us the freedoms and privileges we enjoy.
Depending on who you vote for, you just might see a lot of that changed in ways you never imagined. The political landscape of the U.S. is changing. Soon, there will be no need for voting - because that shift is slowly drowning out the other voices. This is why we have states "leaning this way or that," or toss ups. Whereas they used to be X, they are now shifting to Y. And in some cases, Y is taking over because laws are not being followed.
I'm posting late, and not sure who will see this...but whatever your vote, God Bless America.
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteActually, it isn't a myth.
"But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
I listened to it and shook my head that I was looking at a man who thought he was the answer to all the ills of America and the world. I may be getting old, but I'm not quite senile yet.
Cynthia
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I have a friend in the CIA who is livid about the emails mess. Operatives in the field were warned when she named them in in emails to get out because the emails were unsecured and their cover was blown. Some make it out in time, some didn't. This is stupidity of the highest order and all so she could hide the Clinton pay for play cartel.
They've known what she was doing all along, but when the president himself is supporting it what can you do? Just try to protect your people when you can.
The Benghazi mess is just another cover up. What difference does it make indeed? Nothing to a woman who despises the military. If it hadn't been for the men who disobeyed orders and went in to rescue those people it wouldn't have been four dead it would have been over thirty, but hey at least they covered it up and lied about it long enough to get Obama re-elected and that's all that matters.
Looking back to when I voted I realized I wasn't alone either. I was with HER
ReplyDeleteJanet, have you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/08/susan-b-anthony-died-without-the-right-to-vote-now-people-are-covering-her-tombstone-in-i-voted-stickers/
I have to think she would appreciate such a tribute, and it reminds me of your own.
Inspired by you and our community, I took with me to the polling station a photo of my late paternal aunt, who would I suspect have LOVED to vote in this election. But may be glad to have missed the campaign. I wore gold earrings I bought for myself years ago: I bought these - the first woman in my family to live independently. I also wore my grandmother's locket, which bears her tooth marks from when she was a child and her beloved uncle brought HER this gold and she "tested" it in the old fashioned way. Inside it is a picture of my father.
We all take a lot of people and ghosts with us when we vote.
We live in a glorious country, and I am humbled and proud every time I get the I VOTED sticker. This year's: I will keep, probably on the wall in my closet. I'll see it every day (along with one from a certain previous election, and another little sticker that doesn't bear explaining). Every day, I know, and am so grateful: I am an American.
I also took a little beaded and woven piece of jewelry my niece made and gave to me many years ago. It's been broken for a long time, but it's still pretty and something precious because my niece is made of everything good and generous and awe-inspiring. Today will be her first time voting.
ReplyDeleteGreg's links:
ReplyDeleteGreg's first link
Greg's second link
Diane's link:
Susan B Anthony
I wore green and purple (I really don't own anything white), to honor the suffragettes and brought my youngest boy with me to vote.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ireland, so I voted by absentee ballot, but I assembled:
ReplyDelete- My German grandmother's brooch and her parents' wedding photograph.
- My Irish great-grandmother's garnet necklace. Both sets of Irish great-grandparents' families fled The Famine.
- My English great-great aunt's gold watch, which she carried across the plains in a covered wagon. (I traced that genealogical line back to 14th-century Kent.)
- My Shaljean (Armenian) grandfather's violin. His father escaped the Turks in Constantinople during the Massacre, in a move that makes Tim Robbins' breakout in The Shawshank Redemption look like a Sunday stroll.
All of these people were immigrants, and came to America as a land of promise and new beginnings. And they prospered there. As a young adult, I moved to England, then later Ireland, and was welcomed in both those countries. We cannot, cannot, cannot let that spirit be destroyed. #ImWithHer
Stephen,
ReplyDeletePlease don't put words in my mouth. It irritates me to no end.
"His closing argument for his presidency is that “the world hates us,” and only he can change that."--was your quote.
I quoted back Obama's speech where he said because of him the waters would recede where you responded that was a myth. It wasn't and I showed where it wasn't.
If you want to move on to all the other crap Trump has said, feel free, but keep to one argument at at time when you are attributing things to me. I am not a Trump supporter, so please don't toss all his bs at me. Just because I recognize bs from one camp doesn't mean I don't recognize it from another pile.
Hmmm.
ReplyDelete"All of these people were immigrants, and came to America as a land of promise and new beginnings. And they prospered there. As a young adult, I moved to England, then later Ireland, and was welcomed in both those countries. We cannot, cannot, cannot let that spirit be destroyed."
Bonnie I bet you, and your ancestors followed the law of those countries.
What a great way to honor your mother. I was able to mail in my ballot as I do not live in my state of residency, but I did have a really beautiful moment with my daughter before she left for school this morning. Although she's 6, my husband and I have shielded her from much of this election for, what I hope, are obvious reasons.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I reminded her that it was election day and that, although I would miss President Obama, I was hopeful that Hillary Clinton would be voted in as the next president. She gave me a look of surprise and said, "Girls can be presidents?" "Baby, girls can be anything."
She then wanted to know why the guy we went to go see speak (Bernie Sanders) wasn't going to be voted for. Having to explain primaries at 7:30 in the morning was not easy.
Hey Julie, you’re right.
ReplyDeleteYou pointed out something, and I jumped on it with a different interpretation. Sorry for putting words into your mouth.
And another link with thoughts about today's election:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/greg.scott.790/posts/10205794479261213?pnref=story
- Greg
In an interesting tidbit from history, Wyoming territory gave women the right to vote in 1869, followed by the territory of Utah in 1870.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they did. Alas, that right was removed from them when Wyoming and Utah became states. Still, women remained politically active in those states.
ReplyDeleteMany people might not realise it, but the Rocky Mountains were a hotbed for a lot of late 19th Century feminism.
We have vote by mail in Washington State. I think I was wearing my jammies when I voted.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your stories, Janet.
It is now Tuesday night and it appear the Apricot Hellbeast has won. I really don"t know how we move on from this. I have grown to appreciate the thoughtfulness of this community, that advice, the encouragement, and the respectful difference of opinions.
I hope, I have to believe that we can come back from this, but I gotta tell ya, it feels like we are going down a very bad road.
The odds are not in our favor.