Why I Bother

*-Warning! Tall mouthy woman on soapbox ahead-*

So, I was talking about voting, specifically my voting, more specifically, my 2.5 hour wait in line for early voting. I wasn't talking about my politically leanings, just the process of the act of voting. I rarely debate my leanings, and you will likely never see me do so here. People believe what they believe and act accordingly, as do I.

Someone said, in reaction to my hours-long wait, "Why bother?"

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

So here is my response:

I bother because many generations of my family have served in the U.S. military, up through and including the Revolutionary War; their sacrifices are branded into my DNA, and I honor them. I bother because people like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth didn't have the opportunity to vote when they were my age, and I honor them. I bother because in 1917 a woman named Alice Paul went on a hunger strike for weeks to bring attention to women's suffrage, and I honor her. I bother because in 1963, 3 men named Chaney, Schwerner, & Goodman were murdered in their quest to bring equality to voting, and I honor them. I bother because in 1989 I saw, on TV, a Chinese citizen stand in front of a tank in a failing effort to bring democracy to his people, and I honor him. I bother because today, in places like Saudi Arabia and Vatican City, women are not permitted to vote at all, and I am certain that they would relish standing in line for mere hours to do what I take for granted, and by standing in that line and casting my ballot, I honor them.

I'm not here to promote a platform, or a party, or a person. I don't give a damn what most people think; conversely, I don't expect most people to give a damn about what I think. I just want people to bother. Please. Even though the system is flawed. Even if you think it doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Even if a 2.5 hour wait seems like so much time out of your day.

Just bother.

-C.