The lid on the Cigar Box has remained closed for several days. In this election season, everyone
has been inundated with more words and images than most of us can process or
tolerate. The unprecedented degree of
patronizing, hate-filled speech stifles even the most resilient spirit. It seemed best for the Cigar Box stories to
take a break except to encourage everyone to overcome the overload long enough
to cast a vote.
Please remember that elections are not
sports nor horse races. When the votes are counted, we
should hope and plan for everyone to celebrate the victory of self-government
over being ruled by fiat or by despots.
Significant challenges remain. We
must overcome the effects of those who would co-opt power through gross
mischaracterizations, hyperbole and outright falsehoods. In resisting those forces, the accumulated
wisdom of millions of voters has served us well for more than 200 years – I pray
that it will again.
An uncast vote is an affront to the duty of
citizenship. Voting your mind, your
heart, your prejudice, your faith, your need, your spirit or your self-interest
is an honor as sacred as the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in our system of self-government.
Please vote.
--td