Protecting everyone's right to vote ensures your own vote is protected

Protect all efforts to ensure EVERYONE'S Right to Vote without limitations designed to discourage or prevent safe and reasonable access to vote. It is the only way to protect our democracy and the rest of our freedoms. The 2020 election demonstrated that access to voting made a huge difference in the number of voters. It sent us all a message about how divided we are and inspired both sides to engage in this democracy.

Driving one side or the other back into the "why bother, my vote doesn't count," cave won't ever make this an honest, real, free democracy. My parents lovingly cancelled each other out at each election. Yet, they both strongly believe in their positions and the importance of their vote. They taught me to understand that perhaps my vote will be cancelled out. Yet my vote still counted in the message about the numbers voting that every candidate, politician, or government official got as he/she considered their agenda or their next campaign.. The numbers matter. I'm out there and I expect my interests, even if in the minority, to be recognized and attended to just as the majority's are.

Maybe I won't get all I wanted. Maybe I won't win.

I'll try again next time.

There are too many important issues out there for me to give up. The environment, free speech, a woman's rights to her own health decisions, ending systemic racism...I could go on. Of course I could. Those who know me know I could. So could you...

Protect the vote for all. Vote. Voice your concerns. Work for change that betters all of America. Selflessly.

Don't Tell Me Donald's Con Hasn't Taken Lessons from Adolf

(Wikimedia Commons, Tom Pennington/Getty Images via JTA)

Early on in our experience with Donald Trump, critics suggested a comparison to Adolf Hitler and many accused them of hysterics and instigating more trouble.

Yet, we know that Hitler had the platform and that the longer and louder he repeated his lies about innocent people, the more others joined him in fear that otherwise something might happen to them. We know that such hateful propaganda attracts those who ignored. When they buy in, suddenly they are in the in group.

Yesterday, we saw four years of lies culminating in the actions of believers following the con man they trusted. That comparison rings sadly true now, especially since Trump's followers are predominantly white and fearful of their fellow citizens of color.

Trump has goaded them for his own selfish reasons; without a care in the world what might happen to these people who believe him and acted on his behalf. He has put them at risk indifferently. And he has shown us how propaganda can divide a country and its people to the harm of us all.

We should all thank our higher power and the U.S. Constitution for giving us the right to decide who leads us and who must leave the office January 20. We haven't learned all of the lessons but we are getting a very serious education if we are paying attention.