Freedom to Vote

Today’s events bring me to a clear topic for my next Freedom Blog- Freedom of Choice. Specifically in this blog, the Freedom to Vote and have those votes accurately tallied so the wishes of the people are made clear and are honored. Iran’s election results are clearly confusing and unrealistic to the Iranian public that has taken their cause to the streets and online to Twitter. It is not shocking for the incumbent government, networks and foreign entities to want to remain pragmatically silent on the issue, but you cannot ignore the concerns of the people. Maybe Ahmadinejad and Bush are not the same people, but if the concerns are ignored the results are just about the same, and maybe a little worse.

Bush lost the popular vote, period. There can be no argument on that count, it has been acknowledged and explained away many a time. However, the clear disregard for that fact and the manner in which the situation was handled led to feelings of resentment, disenfranchisement and the overall rejection of the Republican party by the time his terms were completed. Now, I’m not proclaiming to know what the end result of today’s Iranian elections will be- but let’s take a glance at two possible scenario:

Option 1: Everyone goes home unhappy, complains about the election results for the next X years, and eventually returns to the polls in droves to ensure that the voice of the people is heard.

Option 2: Everyone goes home unhappy, yet returns every day following to express their discontent. After repeated calls for Ahmadinejad to step down from office, a “brave” soul take “justice” into his/her hands and forcibly removes the sitting President.

Now, neither of these options are the most preferred as we would all rather have our votes properly counted and applied. If given a choice, option two is the most direct approach to ensuring the people’s voice is heard. The opportunity is given to both sides, one to express their discontent and the other to correct it in a timely manner. There are times when the wishes of the general public are not what’s best for everyone, but when it comes to electing our leaders and who will speak for us there is no doubt that Democracy must reign. When the people call for change, their voices must be heard and answered. One definition of slavery is “A condition of subjection or submission characterized by lack of freedom of action or of will.” We must encourage our freedoms at every turn, or live our lives as slaves to the will of others.

Remember… that you are free men, fighting for the blessings of Liberty — that slavery will be your portion, and that of your [future generations], if you do not [free] yourselves like men.” -George Washington

People and Politics

I came to realize that politics tend to bring out the worst in people. They start name-calling, engaging in childish critical thinking fallacies and overall they lose the ability to think objectively. It is as if, one concession on an opponent’s point makes you a loser and no matter how accurate it is, you MUST disagree and find a random reason why. [like, he said it so it must be wrong] I believe that is where the Republican Party went wrong and continues to go wrong. I may identify as Democrat, but that does not automatically make me a radical or worthy of investigation [a la Michele Bachman]. We may have different views on the role government should play, but that does not mean I disagree with their values. For me, I do not agree with abortion however I do believe there are circumstances in which one may be best for the growing child and the mother. I would hate to repeat the idiocies of the past and go back to Prohibition times. At the same time, I think it is ridiculous for people to sue government entities in attempts to remove the word “God” and prayer from public and federal property. I do believe in the separation of church and state but when you start prosecuting people because they do
believe in God, you are crossing that line just the same.

Point is- there are areas in which we can all agree. We should never allow ourselves to become nothing more than loud naysayers encouraging fear, miscommunication and discord. You cannot continuously criticize, oppose and undermine a person whilst claiming to love your country. If you truly loved your country, you would negotiate for a spot at the grown-ups table by finding common ground and building rather than simply throwing a tantrum with the other children.