Thankful for... suffragettes

Courtesy of the US National Archives

I am not a very outspoken person when it comes to politics.  As I learn and grow as a person, my views on political issues become complicated, less concerned with party lines and more concerned with what I believe is fair and just.  I avoid political discussion, and the ugliness that has surrounded all the candidates in this year's presidential race makes me sad.  Even if I totally disagree with a person's views, to call any one person or party stupid or other names seems, to me, pointless and short sighted.

Every politician is going to do something you dislike.  Some of the issues may be matters of annoyance or minor inconvenience, while some may threaten your freedoms.  It is up to you to decide.  But, people, WE CAN decide.

As a woman, it amazes me that in centuries past, I would NOT have been able to decide, to have any say whatsoever, in the electoral process or the way our government runs.  For many years, suffragettes fought for a woman's right to vote.  They were beaten, imprisoned, starved, some women even died for the cause.  All because they believed it so important that women have a chance to vote and take part in governments.

So, while I may not be sharing my political views here, with you all, you can bet your buttons (political or otherwise) that I WILL be sharing them at the place that matters most- my voting ballot.

I am so thankful that people in the past fought for the rights of people in the future to have rights.  And I intend to do the same.  I hope you all will as well.

Get Out The Vote!

Since it is not a presidential election year, a lot of people who are registered to vote will not worry about election day, which here in PA is May 17th.  This is terribly unfortunate, because there are a lot of important issues that are decided at the local and state levels of government, in which we all can have a say, if only we show up!

In my neck of the woods, some of the most important things being voted on are the School Board, a referendum question on the ballot regarding schools, and the County Commissioner's race.  While Hubby and I do not have children, the issues of the school district are still very important to us, as tax payers.  In addition, it is concerning to us that our district is looking to spend money renovating schools that either do not need it, or have low attendance, yet over 30 teaching jobs will be eliminated after this year.

However, the cause that is near and dear to our hearts is the Commissioner's race, namely because one of our neighbors is a County Commissioner up for re-election.  Not only is Jim Scahill a heck of a good guy, he also fights hard for Armstrong County.  He wants to increase job opportunities and clean up the system of property taxes as school funding.  When we had a concern about the proposed changes on our street, he came to the meetings, not only as a Commissioner, but as a resident, to help make sure the concerns were heard and alternatives were explored.

Regardless of your opinion of him, your political party, or your state of residence, where ever you are, I encourage you to get out and vote for local and state primaries and elections.  You have no right to complain about things if you do not.

Tiffany's Soapbox: Osama bin Laden

As my loyal readers are aware, I rarely talk politics on my blog.  But I am compelled to write about the historic event that took place last night when we as a nation learned that Osama bin Laden was dead.

I have to say, I am saddened and disheartened by the responses.

To the conspiracy theorists who are saying, basically, "pics or it did not happen", do we really need to see pictures?  Will that really satisfy you?  Or will you claim they are fake, photoshopped, or digitally created?  I saw the video of Saddam Hussein's hanging.  I do not want any other images like that in my mind.  After all, the nation watched in horror as JFK was shot, we have footage and photos, and some people STILL think he is alive.  And as a person of faith, I believe all kinds of things without seeing them.

To those one track political pundits who want to use this event to further their cause, please, just, stop.  Sure, this can relate to "green living" or civil liberties, but, please, for a few days, just think of the people who lost family members in the struggle to get here, and put your personal agendas on hold.

To those who want to score points for any one particular party, please, for the love of God, can't we let this unite us and call it a victory for our country, not one particular side of the aisle?  Again, feel free to pick apart your political opponents' strategies, but, just, wait, like a week, and allow us to come together as Americans.

Why is it that when 9/11 happened, we were able to come together as a country, with the goal of taking out the source of the evil, and now that we have, we are back to being so fractured?  Sure, there is fear of retaliation from sleeper cells.  Sure, there are still evil terrorist leaders out there.  Sure, there is still a lot wrong with this country, but can't we, for a few days at least, call this a win for Team USA?

Word Filled Wednesday: Principalities and Powers

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work
Titus 3:1

As a rule, I do not write much about politics on my blog, not because I am not interested, but because I do not want to force my views on anyone.  And that is not going to change.  But I would be remiss if I did not discuss the recent mid term elections that occurred, and the big chances that it will mean for many areas of our nation.  Some are rejoicing the change, some are mourning it.  But for me, no matter what side of the political fence you are one, the most important thing at a time like this is to remain faithful to God.  Pray to Him unceasingly for the wisdom of our elected leaders, pray for the necessary changes that have and will occur under our President and Congress, pray for healing and unity among our people.

It breaks my heart when I hear people make blanket statements about any political affiliation.  Not all progressives/liberals/Democrats are pinko commies, and not all Conservatives/Republicans are racist homophobes.  I pray that God may direct us all to the middle.

No matter what letter comes after your candidates' names, be it an R or a D, remember the promise of God that He grants power to specific people for specific purposes.  We may not understand it, and we certainly may not like it, but imagine how much peace we will feel if we simply trust in that promise.

Word Filled Wednesdays: Stirring up dissention

Proverbs 6:12-15
A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up dissension. Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

It is rare that I get angry.  I might get annoyed, or peeved even, but really truly, blood boiling anger rarely comes to me.  So last night, when something made me angry, and people who knew me saw me so angry, it was a bit of a surprise.

Last night I was at a meeting related to a political committee I am on, and the purpose of the meeting was to meet this man who is trying to come in, not even a part of the committee, and cause dissent.  I went with an open mind, and an open heart, wanting to learn about this man.  He did not make it easy.

One of the first things he said was "I am a Christian, and everything I do, I do out of love".  His behavior after that statement was some of the most unloving, unChristian behavior I have ever seen.  He spread falsehoods about the current leadership, gave people misinformation, twisted facts, cut people off when they were talking, brushed people off, and solely focused on creating dissent.  I sat there, with a heavy heart.  Is this really what I wanted to get involved in?

And as I listed to him malign people, and create controversy, I felt a burning desire for justice.  So, I raised my hand to speak.  He acknowledged me, and then basically said, I am not going to let you talk right now.  Well, I was not standing for this.  I tried to tell him how disheartening this meeting was for people trying to get involved, with the extreme lack of respect, not only for current leadership (and for fact) but for each other, as exhibited by not letting people speak and cutting people off.  As I tried to speak, he attempted to cut me off many times, to get back to his own agenda, and I would point out his behavior and explain that it was a perfect example of what I was describing.  He still would not let me talk, and got angry at my confrontation, so finally he told me to make my point so we could move on.

My response was to gather my things, stand up, look him in the eye, and state "My point is exactly this.  You make me feel unwelcome".  And I left.

Trust me, there were a LOT of things my anger was telling me to say, but I felt that by doing this, I was handling things appropriately, not name calling, not yelling, but showing the situation for what it was. 

I try my hardest to not be judgmental, and I know for sure I failed miserably at that last night.  However, it always strikes me as odd when someone has to tell me how good they are, at anything, at their job, at their hobby, and especially at being a Christian.  If you have to tell me how good you are, chances are you aren't, because if you were, I could see it for myself.

As the week rolls on, we will learn if this man is to be involved with our committee, and based on that, I will have to prayerfully determine what my role will be.  I ask all of you to pray for me as well.

I am sure I could have handled this situation better, so, what would you have done if this had happened to you?

Small Town Elements: Special Election Edition

Do you live in PA? If so, did you get out and vote today? I DID!

That's right, for the FIRST TIME since I moved to the Keystone state back in 2004, I was able to vote. For a while, I never changed my registration from OH to PA on anything, so I just never voted at all. Then when I did change things over, I never really bothered to register to vote. But when I got married, and went through all the name change hassle, I added voter registration to the list, and here we are!

Being married to a political science/economics geek, er, I mean guru, there is no way for me to avoid politics being a part of my life. The funny thing is, I like it. I mean, I hate arguing politics with anyone, but civilized discussions, meant to broaden opinions and inform the masses, that I just thrive on. I always thought I was politically stupid, until Hubby helped me realize I actually do know a thing or two. And, truth be told, our views are more alike than they are different.

But I am NOT going to use this entry to preach my personal political platform. I have my views, and they are mine. If you want to share any of the same ones I have, great, if not, that is great too. Just no name calling, and we will get along fine.

What I do want to encourage all of you to do is GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

I missed out on so much by not voting for those 6 years. Every presidential election is historical, and I have up a chance to help make history. I gave up chances to make my voice heard. I know a lot of people say all politicians are liars, and while many do and say things I disagree with, regardless of party affiliation, there are many many good people involved in politics.


For example, tonight, I had the supreme honor of voting for Hubby, as well as my good friend J, for positions on local and state committees respectively. Both of these people are intelligent and honest; they care about people, and not the political games.

If you are not registered, please consider registering to vote for the next election. In a small town like mine, every vote counts, especially for local offices. Change starts at home.

Mahatma Gandhi said it best when he said "Be the change you want to see in the world".

The change I want to see is hope, so in order to see hope, I must have hope, and be hope to those who need it. And so I start, by raising my voice.

Small Town Government in Action

I usually try to stay away from politics. I just find it a little too brutal. So much bashing going on, left vs. right, Church vs. state, red vs. blue. I know some of that is to be expected, but anymore, it seems to be so, well, personal, focusing on the evils of a specific person, or an entire party, instead of a flawed theory, action, or ideology.


But politics, unfortunately, are everywhere, and can make life miserable. Politics exist in schools, the workplace, and in small town living.

However, I want to focus on politics in government, specifically, small town government, and even more specifically, my small town.

Back in January, out town started this project on the streets, digging them up and replacing sewage and gas lines in my part of town. My street was completely dug up. As in, we have no real road left in most places, just piles of dirt and gravel. When the snows hit, our street really did not get plowed because of this, until someone (yours truly) called the streets department and complained after Hubby's car got stuck.

So now that the snow has melted, our street is a dirty, gravely, dusty mess every time a car goes down. Even worse, the construction vehicles are being stored on the end of the street, so, our poor street has some major wear and tear.

At this point, I should mention that an elected official lives on our street. In terms of small town government, he is pretty influential. And yet our street looks positively post apocalyptic, and will for another seven weeks I am told.

This week, a huge hole developed in the street. So bad that you really could not drive over it. The crew working on the street put a cone in it. Then they put some dirt in it. And then it rained. So you know what happened, the hole opened up again. So frustrating.

Yesterday, as I sat outside waiting for Hubby to get home from work, I saw aforementioned elected official take two wheel barrow loads of gravel and dirt and fill the hole, then spread it around evenly so cars can safely pass over it.

To me, this was a tremendous metaphor for government in action. He could have pointed fingers, and complained, but instead, he rolled up his sleeves, and did the job himself. I think if more of this would happen, we could all meet closer to the middle.