A precious privilege
Last week, the United States of America chuckled as we watched the farce that was the Iraq presidential election.
President Saddam Hussein won nearly 100 percent of the vote — an obvious landslide that kept him in the presidency.
You have to wonder about that vote. Was the population so completely brainwashed by Hussein's propaganda that voting for him seemed the only right thing to do? Did Hussein's opponents feel so threatened that they decided to vote to re-elect him or else face massive retribution?
Whatever the case, the whole situation highlighted at least one thing: When it comes to voting, we Americans are lazy.
Here we are in a free country, a place where freedom of speech is prized above all other freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. We have the right to speak our opposing views, even if some people find them crazy.
And we have the right to elect our leaders. We can pick whomever we want, even if that means putting down our best friend's name on the write-in section as a joke.
But what do we do with that freedom? When it comes time to head to the polls, we throw that privilege in the trash.
We all know the facts: In the past couple of elections, turnout has been pathetic. People either don't care about who leads them, or they're just too lazy to go to the polls.
Don't say that your vote doesn't matter. It does — just look at the 2000 presidential election. Every single vote does count.
So weigh the options, Take a good look at the candidates. When Nov. 5 gets here, take the five minutes and go to the voting booth.
Whatever you do — whomever you choose — just vote!
— JENNIFER WILSON
