A letter to my dad...."My Final Plea.."

Hi Dad!! So the time has come upon us. Tomorrow is the big day! So if you wouldn’t mind indulging me for the next few minutes while you read this email I would truly appreciate it. This is my final political testament regarding this critical election and I would like you to read this and really take to heart what I am saying. Tomorrow while standing inside the booth, I would like you to genuinely consider the magnitude of your decision. I remember being in elementary school and learning American History; learning about slaves, the underground railroad, immigration struggles, prohibition, women’s rights, the civil rights movement in the 60’s, etc. Of course in grade school I also remember thinking, “jeez, everything has already been done, this country we live in is perfect. We have freedom and rights for all, and we collectively care about our citizens.” I remember thinking, “I wish I grew up in a period of time when I could have made a difference.” I remember wondering to myself, “if I had grown up during the times of slavery, would that have been ok to me? Would I have just accepted it as life? Or would I have been, God willing, an abolitionist fighting for a true and noble cause? Or, if I had grown up when women were to be seen and not heard, would I have spoken out and demanded my right to vote?” I always hoped so. I always felt that I was a person who carried with her a cause. A cause for the greater good. Now that I am an adult and have struggled with my own actualizations of the world, I KNOW I would have been a fighter in those historic times and fought for the freedoms and rights that every citizen is entitled. I have causes and I believe in them. Which brings me to today, or tomorrow if you will. I know that somewhere inside you, you have these same feelings, it’s why you go vote. You feel that it is your civic duty to drudge out to the polls on election day and cast your ballot. You actually get angry when you hear people say they do not vote, and become very emotional when these same people feel they have the right to an opinion. Furthermore, you were very angry with me when I didn’t vote in 96’! In fact, I remember you actually yelling at me and being genuinely disappointed in me that I did not take the matter seriously enough and exercise my right as a citizen. Thus, I know this is deep rooted for you. As much as you bitch about it, you believe in this system and this country. You do care about what happens on this land. I understand that you are somewhat disenfranchised with our current political forum, the lies, corruption, debt and injustices. You have every right to be as does every citizen. However, the unfortunate truth is that this is what we have right now- these are the people that slithered their way in. The only way to end the racket is to vote them out with the understanding that no one is going to be perfect. No one is perfect. On the other hand, what I know is that there is a man running for president that carries with him those same causes I carry with me. The same fight inside to make this place better, for everyone. He is not scary, he is not a terrorist, he is not a Muslim extremist nor a socialist. He is merely a man who has fought his way through ‘real life- good ol’ “American” hardships’ to the US Senate and is now vying for the presidency. This is a man that I believe can really turn around the direction this country is headed. We have had 8 years of some of the worst political decision making in the history of this country. We truly are the laughing stock of the world. We are no longer a power, we are no longer a force, and if we continue to move forward in the current direction we will no longer have allies. We are in trouble. The reason you were against Kerry in 04’-the threat of losing political and financial power in accordance with the rest of the world…well that political and financial power is gone. I knew it would be. Kerry was no threat to our status in the world like so many thought, I knew that. If you don’t think that the power of the presidency is so important, and that the president doesn’t really DO anything, look at the disasters of the last eight years. Look at how poorly Katrina was handled and the loss of life that could have been avoided-Bush’s fault. Look at the war we’re in that has NOTHING to do with 9/11 and is costing us 10 Billion dollars a MONTH!! Bush’s fault. Look at the financial DEBT we’re in (without even considering the current financial crisis!!)-Bush’s fault. The president has a SUBSTANTIAL amount of power and plays a crucial role in the well being of this nation and with it, it’s citizens. Hence, my point to you is simple. Your civic duty does drudge you out to the polls on election day, but your pride prohibits you from casting a consequential ballot. You know the right to vote is profoundly significant yet, you decisively and intentionally vote for someone you know will not win. You’re merely voting for the right to bitch about it later. Realize that is no more patriotic than not voting at all. There is a lot at stake here tomorrow and not to seem so cliché but this is our future. This is my children’s future. Tomorrow is not a day to “throw away your vote.” Make it count, and make it matter. Tomorrow is that day that you’ve been waiting for all your life, the day you can say…”yes I made a difference.” I beg, plead and implore you to please vote Obama tomorrow. Do it for me, Nicole, Caidyn and our babies. It matters, you matter and this IS a big deal. I love you!