GET YOUR VOTE ON!

Early voting starts this week in many states.

Yes, the midterm elections for Congress are still three weeks (or so) away. And you may be sick and tired of seeing the political ads on television already. But we all have a part to play in our democracy, a part that is increasingly important the more it is threatened by those who would replace it with autocracy, a single-party system, gerrymandering and restrictions on voting. We need to VOTE, and the best time to do that is NOW, during the early voting period, when crowds are thinner at the polls and you are free to choose your timing.

 

Early voting started yesterday, October 20, in North Carolina, and as soon as I posted this little message, I headed to my county's early voting site and cast my vote for local officials, Senate, House and State legislature. The national races are vital, but don't forget, that as the venerable Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts, once said, "All politics is local." Your local officials have a direct effect on your daily lives--what industries are allowed to conduct business in your town; how loud your neighbors are allowed to be; how problems like homelessness and littering are addressed. Elected school board members determine whether your school system holds the line against those who would ban books
or cave to narrow minority interests. Local elections are important.

 

So, get out there and do your duty as a citizen of these United States! Don't let a tiny minority of motivated voters make your decisions for you.

 

For democracy,

Donna

WEEKEND UPDATE, 2020 STYLE

As if this year from Hell hasn’t brought enough trouble, our family is dealing with an urgent health emergency this week concerning a beloved elder. So, today’s post will offer no extensive discourse on the state of the world, or science, or fiction, or anything much else. But there is a lot going on this weekend, for which I can provide these brief reminders.

It’s Halloween! Celebrate however you can, but safely! (Because the scariest thing out there right now is the huge uptick in coronavirus cases.) I plan to park myself on the couch with some popcorn and an adult beverage and watch some scary movies. Check out my review of some perennial favorite creature features on my podcast website My Moviehouse My Rules.com.

There’s a full moon! Yes, on Halloween night. This is a so-called “blue moon,” (meaning it’s the second full moon this month) also a “hunter’s moon,” giving night hunters light to stalk by. Conclusion: don’t be out in the woods to make yourself prey for some furry, big-toothed creature.

Good news, we gain an hour on Saturday night! Set your clocks BACK on Saturday night (actually, Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m.) to gain an extra hour for the loss of Daylight Savings Time. Those of you with animals and/or young kids at home have nothing to celebrate in this, of course, because those creatures do not understand time changes AT ALL! They will still demand to be fed at the regular time, which will appear to be an hour earlier by your new clock. *sigh*

Finally, early voters, get it done! This weekend (either today in some cases, or Saturday) is the LAST CHANCE for citizens in many states to vote early and avoid long lines at the polls on Election Day. So, voters in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, if you haven’t done so already, don your mask, get thee to your local early voting place, and do your duty! Don’t bother mailing an absentee ballot at this point, it’s too late! Drop it off at a designated drop box or your local board of elections office to make sure your vote counts!

Cheers, Donna