Category: Calamity Politics

No comments

Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

  By , , , , ,

Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

Editor: “Volunteering is an optional and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, for community service.” Wikipedia

D.S. Mitchell

Down Home
I smiled as I pulled a copy of the Daily Courier, our hometown newspaper, from its delivery tube at the curbside. On the front page was a great picture of four volunteers and a terrific article titled, “Volunteers clear 7 mile Taylor Creek Trail West of Grants Pass.” According to the report more than 30 volunteers mobilized by SOTA (Southern Oregon Trail Alliance), Motorcycle Riders Association, the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association and the Siskiyou Mountain Club, worked from January to May” of  2026, to clear the entirety of the 7 mile trail. The trail is a key link to more than 40 miles of single track trails that make up the Briggs Valley Trail network.
Chainsaw  in Hand
After the Klondike and Taylor Creek wildfires in 2018 devastated the much beloved Briggs Valley Trail system many area folks wrote off  the area, but volunteers said, a loud ‘Hell, NO!’ For the Trail restoration project funding was obtained largely from Travel Oregon, a group that promotes tourism and outdoor recreation in the state. A total of 560 volunteer hours were enlisted for the project. The volunteers converged over four work days with crews ranging from 14 to 25 people each day chain-sawing through downed trees, cutting back vegetation with hedge trimmers and loppers, reshaping trails with shovels, and raking rocks and debris off the path. The volunteers restored this beautiful area to a “better than before” condition, despite difficult weather and dense regrowth. This is the power of volunteerism in dramatic action.
The Foundation
Volunteerism is the foundation of civic involvement a driving force in social action. You can become part of something bigger than yourself by volunteering your time, energy, and  knowledge to help your friends, neighbors and community.  I know many people are working two jobs to keep gas in the rig, but so are a lot of other people. “Give and ye shall receive,” was a mantra at my childhood home. My dad helped neighbors with handy man assistance when he wasn’t working, his real job. My mom owned a popular diner on N.W. St. Helens Rd, in Portland, OR. So, as you can imagine, she was busy. She played fry cook 4 days a week and manager/bookkeeper/entrepreneur the other three days of the week. But, mom; just like my dad freely gave their time, energy, and skills to improve the condition of their neighbors, community, and the city at large. Understanding the scope and impact of giving back involves examining several key aspects of volunteerism.
,
Types of Volunteerism:
  • The Informal Volunteer: Unorganized random acts of kindness that help friends and neighbors to improve the local environment. Can be as simple as cleaning up a neighbors driveway, mowing a lawn, or cutting back some brush. Better yet, organize a neighborhood cleanup and get everybody to join in the effort. For the disabled Vietnam vet living down the street, get a crew together and go down (with permission, of course) and fix what needs fixing, or find someone that can fix it. Informal volunteering has a lot of networking that goes with it. You find out fast who to call for most any task. 
  • The Formal Volunteer: Individual people performing tasks through established nonprofits, schools, or government agencies such as mentoring students or hospital reception. I volunteered one school year as school nurse for my local elementary school when I was pregnant with my son.
  • The Corporate Volunteer: Staff are supported by the employer, usually by providing VTO (paid time off) or organizing public service group days.
  • The Skill-Based Volunteer: A professional, such as an attorney; providing legal support for non-profits, pro bono for those in financial distress, and related services.

Experts Describe Three Tangible Reasons People Volunteer:
  • Local Impact: Volunteers enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor close up-solving community needs, ending food insecurity, housing the homeless, making strides in environmental conservation. Instant gratification or at least the possibility of it.
  • Personal Growth: Volunteers learn new skills, develop networking strategies, great experience for any resume.
  • Health Benefits: According to research “volunteering can reduce stress, foster social connections, and promote overall mental and physical well-being.”

Be a Bernie or an AOC 

Now that I ‘ve pointed out the huge impact volunteerism can have on a neighborhood, on a country, and the individual volunteers themselves; I’m issuing a call for volunteers. This democracy needs the energetic, the smart, and those committed to small d democracy and the progressivism of Bernie Sanders, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and Zohran Mamdani if we are going to save ourselves from the oligarchs. There was a time when the government taxed these high income earners. There was a time when immigrants were welcome It wasn’t that long ago when labor unions delivered good wages and health and dental insurance coverage to their members. But, those were different times.

Robert’s Supreme Court and Donald Trump

Today we have a Supreme Court that is purely partisan. No doubt about it. The Roberts court is no longer a court, but an unelected legislative body, making up laws on some imagined redrawing of American justice. We need to bring a halt to this untethered Supreme court that has given Donald Trump unparalleled power. power that he is abusing every single day. The Trump administration and this supreme court are trying to end our democracy and set up a dictatorship and We need ethics reform, term limits, expansion of the court and prosecution of those justices found to be taking bribes and favors.

  • The Political Volunteer (activist): Figure out what you stand for and volunteer for the candidate that best reflects your needs. Knock on doors,  help the local Democratic party with donated money, manual labor, the gamut-‘a where you are most needed situation’. Volunteer to help at the local election office. Hell, if you think you can bring change; run for office.

Be A Political Activist

It is important for a tsunami of progressive reps and senators to be elected in the 2026 midterms. We need to flip the House and the Senate if we are going to bring this court to heel and Trump removed or squashed until removed. We need Democrats to defend and expand  social security, Medicaid, Medicare, voting rights, vote by mail, income equality, fair housing, child care, maternity leave, and a host of issues that make life livable.

 

 

 

 

I Am My Politics; And So Are You

  By , , , , , , , , , ,

I Am My Politics; And So Are You

Harris and Walz are igniting the Democrats

I Am My Politics; And So Are You

D. S. Mitchell

Editor: Writing for Calamity News and Politics gives me a platform to discuss headline events and political policy. It also provides me a place to vent and fume. If somebody doesn’t like the drum I’m beating, they are fully able, and encouraged to move on; to a site that better satisfies their social view of the world.

 

My Son

“Don’t get so wound up, it’s just politics”, my son told me one time.  Well, whether I’m saying it to my son, or to a potential reader, or to a neighbor, the guy sitting next to me at the bar-that is the wrong attitude. In the end, politics is government policy, and government policy; in case you hadn’t noticed, effects everything in our lives. So the choices you make politically are a vision of who you are and what you want in the world around you.  The schools, the hospitals, the parks, the highways, the airports, the waterways, international trade, economics, military defense, environmental action and social justice.  Nearly every part of our daily life is effected in someway by the policies that our elected officials enact in Washington, D.C., or our state capitols. Got it? We are the politics we support.

Continue reading

Celebrating Juneteenth

  By , , , , , ,

Celebrating Juneteenth…

Despite MAGA “Culture”…

Celebrating Juneteenth…

Despite MAGA “Culture”

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

Continue to Proclaim Freedom…

As we celebrate Juneteenth, now a legal holiday thanks to years of activists’ campaigning and then our former President Biden in 2021 for making the day a federal holiday. It troubles me that we live in a racist ICE-filled nation because of our current administration, but that won’t stop us from celebrating. The holiday fell on a Friday this year, giving us a whole weekend to celebrate. Here are are 19 ideas to honor June 19th:

  1. Many towns are having public celebrations – I have my pink Juneteenth T-shirt all ready; I will proudly celebrate the North African portion of my heritage.
  2. Check your local library for books and films honoring Juneteenth.
  3. Make it a weekend event with barbecues, water parks, movies, or concerts.
  4. Visit an African museum to view exhibits and artifacts.
  5. Enjoy a marathon of African American TV episodes on your favorite streaming service.
  6. Read the Emancipation Proclamation out loud.
  7. Volunteer for a liberal Democratic organization.
  8. Buy a beautiful piece of African art to display.
  9. Teach children about African culture.
  10. Share stories and ideas around a campfire or picnic.
  11. Learn African dances and dance like everyone is watching.
  12. Learn the significance of quilts and how they assisted with the Underground Railroad.
  13. See the new recently released Michael Jackson film.
  14. Craft an African decoration to display.
  15. Read about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisolm, Rosa Parks, and Kamala Harris.
  16. Read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, Hakeem Jeffries, and Cory Booker.
  17. Read about Big John and Mother Amy, slaves that positively influenced Dolley Madison.
  18. Enjoy some delicious soul food while listening to the premier children’s choir, the Soul Children of Chicago – see soulchildrenchicago.org for their music.
  19. Visit the brand new Obama Presidential Center in person or online, which is open starting today – go to obama.org.

 

Whatever you decide to do to celebrate, enjoy, engage, and be safe – God bless our nation. We celebrate freedom despite our current administration – vote blue and continue to fight for freedom as we celebrate Juneteenth…

Nasty Games

  By , , , , ,

Nasty Games

Nasty Games

Negative Adjectives for Donald J. Trump

D.S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is happy to announce that I, Editor-in-Chief, the only Editor-in-Fact, I am going to devote the entire first political blog post of the day to a really nasty game. I want to ensure you that the ‘game’ will not distract me from my usual in-depth political coverage; that will come later. LOL. My regular readers know that the ‘in-depth’ description is probably a bit misleading.

I’m decently polite and tend to shyness. Rarely do I attack. But this morning as I was driving back home from my acupuncturist appointment I started thinking about Donald J. Trump, 45th and 47th President of the United States, con-man, self-promoter, convicted felon, and started tossing adjectives around in my head as I made the 20 minute drive from Cannon Beach to my home in Surf Pines. Quite simply the guy is a mafioso kingpin. He and his family are pocketing billions of dollars from scams and even government contracts.

The game I’m suggesting is very simple. Your first task is to think of a word. It must be a negative adjective that describes Donald Trump, such as liar, or narcissist, or bully. Choose any word you like, then think of as many synonyms of that word as you can.

My core adjective for Donald Trump is SWINDLER. Here is my list of synonyms for the word:

1.) cheat
2.) fraud
3.) crook
4.) grafter
5.) shyster
6.) hustler
7.) con-man

8.) villain
9.) conniver
10.) rogue
11.) cheat
12.) charlatan
13.) cozener
14.) thief
15.) chiseler

16.) filcher
17.) robber
18.) gouger
19.) rascal
20.) criminal
21.) phony
22.) creep
23.) rat

24.) flim-flammer
25.) bilker
26.) hypocrite
27.) pretender
28.) slicker
29.) gyp
30.) hustler
31.) heel
32.) loser
33.) liar
34.) lowlife
35.) sneak

36.) SOB
37.) dishonest
38.) trickster
39.) imposter
40.) scoundrel
41.) grifter
42.) booster
43.) cheater
44.) pitchman
45.) dodger
46.) villain
47.) thug

48.) hoodlum
49.) manipulator
50.) opportunist

If I had used double word descriptions such as confidence man, bunco artist, slick operator I might have been able to manage 100 Trump negative adjectives. THIS IS NO JOKE FOLKS.  Trump is a criminal. He’s been ripping people off for a long time. He’s used to fuckin’ people over; he doesn’t know how to be anything but what he is, a thug and a grifter. I don’t mind attacking Trump, he attacks anyone and everyone. He’s a bully. I feel no guilt; I can approach him with the same attitude that he approaches all those who disagree with him. Slash and burn, take no prisoners. Call it as I see it, as low and dirty as that may be.

Stand for what’s right. Join the Resistance.

 

Dumb & Ugly Josh Hokit

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dumb & Ugly Josh Hokit

Dumb & Ugly Josh Hokit

By D.S. Mitchell

Michelle Obama target of UFC fighter

Josh Hokit, also known as “no class Hokit,” in a post fight interview with Joe Rogan Sunday night thanked Donald Trump for hosting the UFC event before insulting the mother of one of his rivals, praising the Lord Jesus and ending the rant with an old far right wing conspiracy theory attack on former first lady Michelle Obama with the following disgusting comments, “And lastly — Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” To his credit, Rogan did not follow up on Hokit’s comment.

The fact that these comments were made on White House grounds shocked me; but why should I be shocked? Trump posted a video clip on his Truth Social account earlier this year that showed the Obamas as apes. After a heated response  from the public Trump tried to defend the offensive post before finally taking it down. Trump has yet to denounce Hokit’s comments. Many in the community have come out against Hokit’s racist and misogynistic dialogue, which I must say reflects poorly even on scandal ridden Donald Trump and his UFC event.

Robert Griffin III, a black former NFL quarterback and a UFC fan slammed Hokit’s postgame interview. “What a disgrace. It takes a really small man to use his biggest moment to attack a woman by calling her a man. Especially with the history behind calling black women men,” Griffin said on X.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-New Mexico) called Hokit’s remarks “disturbing”.

The often controversial Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, said Monday that he thought Hokit’s insult was inappropriate and Trump should have spoken up immediately condemning the remarks. “When on the White House lawn… I don’t care what you think about the Obamas or anything, that has to be an immediate denounce,” Portnoy said.

UFC CEO Dana White in a later interview told Time magazine that he disliked Hokit’s comments, “I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White told the magazine in a text message. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

Michelle Obama is beautiful, dignified, talented,  and a down right sensational person. I thank her and her lovely family for the eight years that they shared themselves with us. Thank you, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha (Natasha) and Barack. We were so lucky to have had you as our first family, and I for one, miss you.

 

Flag Day 2026

  By , , , , , ,

Flag Day 2026

What the Stars and Stripes Mean to Me

Editor: Flag Day, celebrated on June 14th, commemorates the adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress in 1777.  While the day was first observed nationally in 1877 and celebrated by various communities during the Civil War to support the union troops, it wasn’t until 1949 that President Harry Truman signed a congressional resolution officially designating June 14th as Flag Day.

Over the last decade it has seemed as if the MAGA crowd had hi-jacked our flag; but that is only a fact if we allow it. I will not hide my flag, I will fly it proudly. My flag will not adorn the back of a pick up truck flapping and shredded from the wind. No I will honor that red, white, and blue symbol. of our bond as a country under l

 

Ways to Celebrate the American Flag

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

June 14th, Flag Day, is not a day for fake kings, it is a day to honor our flag, which stands for freedom and those who fought for it. Trump is a 35 count convicted felon. He incited the January 6th, insurrection. He is a traitor to everything our flag stands for. Here are ways to celebrate Flag Day, un-MAGA style:

  1. June 14th – celebrate our nation’s flag-not Trump’s birthday.
  2. Include Juneteenth in your celebrations.
  3. June is LGBTQ month – let’s celebrate.
  4. Show your colors. Fly your stars and stripes right next to the Pride flag, the Breast Cancer Awareness flag, My Body My Choice flag, or how about a blue and yellow Ukraine flag. I support them all.
  5. Have your Father’s Day celebration include at least one same-sex couples that are dads, like Pete and Chasten Buttigieg.
  6. Cookouts, picnics, and celebrations that honor diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  7. Have a vegetarian cookout or party.
  8. Support our military.
  9. Plant a tree in honor of a vet.
  10. Pray for our troops in the Middle East
  11. Teach a class about “Liberty for All.”
  12. A day at the water park or pool can be a learning experience with books written by progressive authors or your favorite website on your tablet, perhaps Calamity News and Politics….
  13. Teach the truth about Francis Scott Key and the song that became our National Anthem. I respect the song but the attorney that wrote the words had a serious racist streak that troubles me. I feel much the same about Christopher Columbus.
  14. Advocate for “God Bless America” to become our National Anthem and Leif Ericsson as the first European in the Americas.
  15. Boycott Tesla and Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, better known as one of the oligarchs who bought the 2024 election for “The Donald.”
  16. Support NATO.  Fly NATO’s dark blue flag with it’s centered white compass next to the red, white and blue.
  17. Visit your library for information on democracy and how we are supposed to do it here.  I love my library.
  18. Offer to teach a class at the local community college on significant black women that shaped  America, like  Shirley Chisholm, Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock & Roll · Harriet Tubman · Maya Angelou · Rosa Parks · Misty Copeland, to name just a few
  19. Know before you speak; teach Black history with accuracy and respect to those around you.
  20. Denounce any parade for Trump’s birthday. America has no king and money should not be wasted on this foolishness when there is a threat to necessary federal programs that many of our nations citizens rely on.
  21. Do a video training, teach teens how to read and write cursive so they can read historical documents.
  22. Be woke.
  23. Stand up against tariffs that are a tax on Americans.
  24. Stand against ICE murders and ICE prisons.
  25. Stand firm in your convictions against tyranny and greed.

“God bless America, my home sweet home.”

Stand for right. Join the Resistance.

26 Things to Make You Smile

  By , , , ,

26 Things to Make You Smile

26 Things to Make You Smile

By D.S. Mitchell

I am back at the computer after taking a week off . Before I started this blog, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough to scream about, but I’m finding that I could probably do a dozen posts a day related to the insanity of Donald Trump. Like Megyn Kelly said recently, “send grandpa back to the nursing home.” But I thought, before I start my rant on the collapse of the progressive agenda and possibly our democracy, I wanted to deliver at least two or three posts that are positive and uplifting.

So, here are twenty-six things that make me smile and hopefully you, too:

1.) Touching toes in the sand
2.) Sunsets over shimmering water
3.) Wraparound sunglasses
4.) The Science channel
5.) Kite flying contests
6.) The Muppets
7.) Astronauts

8.) Blowing the wrapper off the straw
9.) Winning at Scrabble
10.) A dog’s cold nose on your hand
11.) Barhopping
12.)  Old jeans that fit just right
13.) A lover’s voice
14.) The clatter of skis being loaded
15.) The rumble of a train as it passes
16.) Walking in the rain
17.) The imagination of a six year old
18.) Margaritas at midnight

19.) Finishing the Sunday crossword without cheating
20.) Volunteering for a special cause
21.) The smell of a new car
22.) Roller skating, with helmet and knee pads, of course
23.) My first grade teacher, Miss Gill
24.) A good book
25.) Daddy’s wisdom

26.) The firing of AG Pam Bondi

I know this small Friday distraction did little to take your mind off the continuing chaos at the Trump White House, the Iran War, the price of gas and groceries, even attacks against the first American born pope; but hopefully it gave you a couple minutes respite; and that’s a good thing. Have a gem of a day.

No Kings. Stand up to the billionaires.

Girls’ School

  By ,

Girls’ School

Girls’ School

 

By John Curran

 

Hi, I’m Joe, the landscape gardener for this wealthy fat cat Washington, DC so-called power player and we are here on his beautiful estate out here in the Hamptons where he is fixing to have an evening get together for some other fat cats so called power players and their wives or servants in tow. And even though I do do house functions as well as tending to the grounds, Mr. C. has decreed that I make myself scarce for this particular gathering.

You see I am not one of those. I am just a regular ‘ol middle aged black guy from originally the deep south, Podunk, Alabama; and I know how to make myself scarce up here in the Hamptons, going invisible in million dollar shrubbery as the sun is going down over the million dollar horizon and the limousines are pulling up. I slip through the cracks, just a black man, they know what that’s all about, I guess. So, just Joe the gardener, making himself scarce. ‘An it just so happens my favorite hideaway is this cool little grotto type arrangement right outside of and underneath the dining room where the big cat gathering was gonna happen.

I tucked in there, I could hear everything, and I must say these white people just never come with a dull moment, its always entertaining. I sat right back down back up against the wall, last beams of sunlight streaming in on me, all warm and comfy, and took it all in ‘an most interesting it was, the proceedings. Early on I’d kinda’ thought this was gonna be like some big important kind of thing where the actual fate of the entire planet was gonna sorta depend on the state of these very important people’s digestion.

But no, seems otherwise, seems it was more like gonna be a party, with this comedian even, this guy, I’d heard his name, Mr. C. talking ’bout this guy, like serious. But no again, now it’s like this guy is actually the comedian, Hegseth his name I think, Pedro, ‘cept he prefers Pete, says no Pedro for Pete. One of his jokes I guess.

Anyway, there I am in position as where I can hear them arriving. And there’s the usual low murmuring thing rising now a bit in volume as more and more of ‘m pile. And then one more louder voice among the rest, damn they ain’t all even got seated in there yet, and this one guy, already starting in with a veritable non stop one liners and zingers demolition. And so I figured this must be the comedian ‘n he can’t even wait to get started and he’s getting into this theme of demolition like the way a good comic can milk a depressing subject for laughs sometimes for laughs and it becomes like a kind of therapy, facing up like to the bogeyman.

And this guy at least was coming on with it good, he actually sounded a little drunk but damn sure wasn’t stopping him until someone yells out, like a heckler would do, saying, “So Pete, tell us about the girls’ school.” And then, right then, the Pete guy, the sorta comedian, well I could hear as his whole voice tone speaking thing had bouncy along so like suddenly became more like the hissing of some reptiles I have encountered as he says back to the heckler, “okay pal, I guess you were there huh, ’cause ya sound pretty girlish to me. Well, I’m sorry I missed ya, ha ha. And man,  it got quiet in that room, and afterwards nobody was laughing much at all. White people, Lawd, I’m saying, I ain’t never gonna figure them out.

Moving On

  By , , , , , , , , , , ,

Moving On

Moving On

 

D. S. Mitchell

 

I went to 27 different grade schools, and it probably won’t surprise you; I’ve been married five times. The only reason I’m confiding these tidbits of ancient information is to cue you to the fact that I’m no stranger to packing up the car and moving on.

So, now you ask, “are you going somewhere?”

“Aahhh, yes, and as always, I have no idea where.”

I came to the charming Southern Oregon town of Grants Pass in 2022, lured by an older double wide mobile home on a beautiful lake front lot. I bought it and have been loving it ever since.

So, now you ask, “why would you leave; if you love it?”

Aahhh, because somewhere deep inside me there is a malfunctioning gene. A gene that will never let me be stay in one place; no matter how well things seems to be going. In fact, the better that things seem to be going all the better reason to move on. Sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? Well, I think you’d be absolutely correct. Unhinged, perhaps? Spoiled? Entitled? Probably all of those things and a few more unflattering descriptors, when the truth is known.

On the other hand, in two capitols thousands of miles apart, two sociopathic heads of state show their willingness to throw their soldiers and citizens into their psychopathic conflict. A war with no purpose, other than to keep Bibi out of jail and the Epstein files out of the headlines. A war that conservatively is costing the United State a fuckin’ billion dollars plus per day. That ought to make your hair stand on end as you wait in the unemployment office for an interview, or you struggle over how to pay for groceries, or fill the gas tank. A fuckin’ billion dollars a day; while rural hospitals are closing across this country. Again while Trump and Bibi burn up a billion dollars a day Health and Science Universities across the United States are experiencing dramatic federal funding cuts. Outrageous, scandalous an unbelievable middle finger to civilized nations.

For the last week I have watched near 24/7 coverage of Donald and Bibi’s War against Iran. It is here I want to say that despite all my malfunctioning genes and general bullshit over the years my craziness has never cost one person their life; certainly not 185 school girls, leveled  a city, destroyed oil fields and stored reserves,  or sank ships and their crews at sea. Why aren’t these two guys in jail or a padded cell? How does it happen that these two men, both criminals, run two of the most powerful countries in the world? Where are the restraints? What went wrong in the election? Right now we have two of the most dangerous men in history threatening the world military and economic stability.

Trump while raving illogical “short term pain and long term gain,” he and his brother in pain are  running wild with Tomahawk missiles and endless bombing raids against Iran. If congress can’t stop them, the American people and the Israeli public CAN halt this despicable activity, but that requires action. Action on the street. Protests. Screaming our damn heads off. Time to put the American people first, that means affordable housing, access to child care, universal health care, basic income, and superlative public education.

It’s time for the few remaining sleeping Americans to come out of the MAGA coma and see Trump for what he is. Show your disapproval for this president and his fuckin’ foreign wars. Register for the No Kings Protest, and turn out with whistle, drum and sign, March 28, 2026. A goal of 10 million Americans on the street will move even psychopaths to change course. Come on America, PROTEST!

 

Why Your Vote Is So Important

  By , , , , , , , , ,

Why Your Vote Is So Important

Why Your Vote Is So Important

By D.S. Mitchell

 

The 2024 Election

I talk to people; lots of people everyday, and I am sad to tell you folks that a surprisingly large group of my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even my favorite barista did not vote.  I’m genuinely surprised. I thought it was just someone else, somewhere else that did not vote. How could it in fact be people I know, lots of people I know. Usually, a federal election brings the voters out, but not in 2024. I’ve heard the low voter turnout related directly to Trump winning.

Staying Away From the Polls

When I asked each of them why they hadn’t voted the answers varied. Several people said they were busy and totally spaced it out. What? How is that possible? I don’t believe them. But, why are they lying? A handful of others said they didn’t vote because politicians are all a bunch of crooks just with a different party affiliation. So why bother? A few commented that the whole election system was rigged. One woman even told me she was “protesting” by not voting. How can not voting be a protest against anything; you are doing nothing. Several said they didn’t like any of the candidates. And finally the last half a dozen people I quizzed said their one vote didn’t make a difference. How could it; its just one of millions.

What Can I Say?

To those who said they had been “too busy” I can only say, shame on you for not taking the few minutes required to vote. We have few covenants with our democracy;  the principle one is that we vote. Regarding the “all politicians are crooks” belief is understandable. Lobbying is a bad practice and weakens our system. However, it is up to us to demand our officials are accountable for any misdeeds in office. Some ways that is accomplished is with term limits and strict ethics rules, but most importantly a vigilant electorate. The rigged election ‘reason’ is based on a politically motivated attack on our independent state voting system by powerful people with loud voices and a significant bully pulpit. Even a lie, told repeatedly will find believers. As far as not liking either candidate; do a little research and I bet you discover there is a huge difference between the candidates and you might find you really do like one better than the other. The last and most often stated reason people didn’t vote was because they believed that their one vote doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. This last reason I am going to spend some time on. Just like the late Reverend Jesse Jackson I know enough of history to know that one vote has changed the course of history more than a few times.

When One Vote Changed History

  • One vote made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and gave him control of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1553 until his death in 1558.
  • One vote caused Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland to lose his head.
  • One vote kept Aaron Burr (later charged with treason) from becoming President of the United States.
  • One vote made Texas part of the United States and led to the Mexican American War and the acquisition of a lot of real estate, including, California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
  • One vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
  • One vote per precinct would have elected Richard Nixon rather than John Kennedy as president in 1960.
  • One vote in the German Reichstag in 1933 gave Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers and launched catastrophic global upheaval and led eventually to WWII.
  • One vote maintained the Selective Service System only 12 weeks before Pearl Harbor.
  • In 1920, Tennessee became the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The state legislature was deadlocked on the issue, and a single vote—cast by Harry T. Burn—secured its passage.
  • The acquisition of Alaska from Russia, commonly known as ‘Seward’s Folly’ was approved by a single vote in the Senate in 1867.
Verified by MonsterInsights