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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 

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