The Right to Vote by Aynne McAvoy

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The Right to Vote, by Aynne McAvoy

The media makes a big deal out of women senators, congressmen, judges, and governors. I suppose it's a big deal because less than 100 years ago, women were not allowed to vote. Think about that sentence for a second.  I'll say it again.   Less than 100 years ago, women were not allowed to vote.My temperament is such should you tell me I am not allowed to do this or that, you might as well wave a red flag in front of my face. I suppose should you really want me to get angry about something, tell me that I am not allowed to do it. Tell me I'm not intelligent enough; infer that I am less than human, that I am a poor, frail, imbecile not capable of making a decision on such a thing as voting!Imagine just for one minute what that would feel like!  Imagine being told you had no options in your life and very few choices, all because you were unfortunate enough to be born a woman!  Imagine that you had to consult a man first on just about everything.  Pretend that you had to ask permission before even leaving the house for the day; and of course, you should really have someone accompany you.  You can't be trusted to go anywhere on your own.  In fact imagine being treated like someone's brainless pet, or worse.  Imagine knowing that your sole function in life was to breed and raise the offspring, to wait on males and live a sub servant life.I am so very grateful for having been born now, in these days of total freedom for women.  I know that I wouldn't have fared well should I have been born in any other time but this one.

What is unknown here is what could possibly be more important than using this 'right' that our sisters fought so very hard to win for all women from that point in time on! What could be more important than learning about politics, learning about the candidates, running for office, or just showing up at the polling booth in November?  This is our right! You may as well say that one have the right to breathe, or the right to sneeze, or the right to laugh! The right to vote is my right!Women please remember what those women 100 years ago went through. Remember how they were jailed and beaten. Remember how they were scorned.  Remember the degradation that they suffered!  Remember that these women not only went through this for that time in our nation's history, but for their daughters and their granddaughters; for all unborn women yet to come. We are those women. We are those descendants.Can you imagine one of those women saying they didn't have time to picket that day, sorry!  They had to get their nails done, or pick up their son at soccer and drop him off at his sleepover or meet the girls for Bonco night.  Can you imagine that?

Yet, there are women of today that say they just can't find the time to mail in that voter registration form, or they just are too stressed to know which politician to vote for, so they aren't going to vote at all. There are women today that feel that just about anything in their life is more important on that first Tuesday in November than making that short trip to the voting booth.Should you be one of those women who have yet to register to vote, call the board of elections and have them send you a registration form. You can now even register on line, no stamps needed! Then look up the number for the League of Women voters in your county and give them a call to see if you can volunteer.

Women of America, there have never been a more urgent time in our country's history to make our vote count and be heard as in 2012.  Politicians have finally recognized how very important our vote is.  Please recognize this pivotal time in our history for what it is.  Register to vote if you have not done so; then vote in November 2012.

God Bless our Fire Fighters.