I was amazed and proud as I took my place in line to vote early in Texas. Privilege is not a word I think of when I think of the state of Texas, but this year and this time it was, and is, a privilege to reside in a state where one can vote two weeks prior to November 4^th including weekends.

Prior to the 2000 election I believed my vote counted and would be counted. Who knew there were as many ways to marginalize and bastardize the voting process, as there are states? Standardized voting should be the rule and not the exception. A process that protects the right to vote,  and encourages all eligible individuals to vote, must be established. The most important election in the past forty years is already rife with early voting woes. What in the hell have the election boards and officials been doing for the pass four year besides purchasing voting machines? Since early voting has begun there have been reports of voting machine irregularities, voter suppression, people standing in line to vote for up to five hours especially in Ohio, Florida and Virginia. Is it a co-incidence that these same battleground states plagued by voting problems in the 2000 and 2004 elections now exhibit the same problems this 2008 election? There are still no regulations in place or provisions made to insure that handicap or disabled persons and/or veterans be accommodated so they don’t have to stand in long lines. Why not? Shouldn’t voting be voter friendly? The expectation that the voting process run smoothly shouldn’t be something that I as a voter (or any voter for that matter) should be concerned about. Observing the process in action up to this date in fact is cause for concern. On October 26^th the NAACP initiated a lawsuit against the state of Virginia for not adequately preparing for massive voter turnout. Thank goodness they are being proactive instead of reacting to the same old political tricks that would hamper the voting process.

The tricks to change election results have become a business all to itself. Have you heard of the Man in the Middle? Basically it involves diverting election returns data through a separate computer located in a different place. It is supposedly something computer criminals or hackers do regularly within the banking business. The Man in the Middle is reported to be effective (and hard if not impossible) to detect as a way to change election results. In the past week I watched an evening news show that had a man who manufacturers voting machines demonstrate how to hack into one in less then eight minutes. I voted early but will my vote count? The fight to insure no voter is disenfranchised is a fight that must be won this time around. I believe my concern cannot be emphasized enough. Listen to or read the transcript of the October 22, 2008 cable news show Democracy Now. Amy Goodman interviews Mark Crispin Miller author of Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008. The conversation is chilling and reminds us that being a participant in the democratic process is a responsibility, and in these times imperative. Reports of voting machines that are switching votes and shortages of working voting machines in Democratic precincts, and misleading information about voting is only the tip of the iceberg as I question the outcome of this election. I voted early but will my vote count? I am but one of many voters concerned about the process. For the first time in Texas, poll watchers have been trained and are voluntarily policing the voting process. Apparently the lessons of the 2000 and 2004 election irregularities, missing ballots and disenfranchised voters was enough for many of us to realize the process must be policed by us the voter. Technology and time has changed the way we vote but it must not change why we vote. We vote for change so that the country we live in gives an equal playing field for all that seek the American dream. I voted early, and even if I am suspicious that it might be hijacked, it is not enough to squelch my dream of change. Vote early if you can, but by all means vote! Because YOU are the change you seek.

And in closing, with all the intensity of this election I sometimes forget to laugh. I hope this clip makes you laugh as much as I did.

Fourth of July was different for me this year.  Celebrating the independence of our country rang hollow. The liberty, justice and freedom celebrated since 1776 has lost its significant and magnificence. The pride and celebrations of prior Fourth of July celebrations compelled the patriot in me to stand at attention saluting my country. This year the fireworks and revelry fizzled in the darkness.  What I will remember this Fourth of July 2008 is the smear of oil that covers our flag and the blood dripping from it. What I will remember is the hurt and harm did to the thousands of troops and their families who have, and are still paying, the ultimate price.

I currently reside 16 miles from Fort Hood Texas.  The lives of troops and their families affected by this unjust war is collateral damage that is sucking the life out of them and out of this country.  My community is filled with children left parentless. There is no consideration given for them as they watch both parents sent into combat zones. The schools are wrought with emotional and psychological problems from once happy children now tormented by fear, anger and anxiety. Where is the independence in this? On any given day I meet someone who is now a widow or widower, a parent who has lost their son or daughter. Where is the independence in this? I pull into the gas station and see families of the troops who gave their limbs and life struggle to put fuel in their cars. Where is the justice?  I hear the stories of delayed benefits, substandard medical care and the stigma that haunts returning troops who dare to complain. Where is the freedom?  I walk down the aisles of the commissary and the PX and shake my head in shame at the continual increases in groceries and merchandise.  Once a star in the crown of the military these two places helped military families live a better quality of life.  The corporate practices of cutting hours and benefits of employees while rewarding management is now common practice. No regard for the customer or the troops that return with less then they left with. Where is the justice or independence?

This Fourth of July was different for me. Dependence on big oil, recession, cherry picking of my human and civil rights through the patriot act, desertion of the troops and their families who serve this country as they go without the basic necessities and the erosion of respect for America around the world has snuffed out the fireworks.

The memory of a holiday that stood for justice and liberty of all has been sullied by a rough administration and its policies. Will Fourth of July ever be the same?

What do you think and what do you think we can do to fill the skies once again with fireworks that set our hearts afire with freedom and justice for all?