No Whiners Allowed

Happy Election Day! Today's a pretty tense day - the fate of the next four years falls on the decision America makes today. There are political ads all over television (though we don't get to see them over here, thank goodess). Families are receiving persuasive pre-recorded messages at dinnertime. The military is wondering how our next President will handle the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women are thinking about their reproductive rights. People are worried about the economy and how it will affect their savings and investments. Michael and I voted early this year, using absentee ballots. We've talked a lot about our decisions and we both feel confident in who we voted for, but as the end draws near, the election appears to be a close race. It has most definitely been a race to remember, with Hillary Clinton being a possibility as President early on, and now with an African-American in the major running. If Obama is elected, surely history will be made. So to decide not to have a say in this year's election would be a shame. There are a few women on Post that I know of who are not voting this year. They're old enough. They're informed enough. They know how to go to www.fvap.gov and request an absentee ballot from their state. It seems strange to me to belong to the American military and forego a freedom that our men are still dying to protect. Complaining and moaning about how the Army and its leaders constantly disappoint you isn't going to do any good; voting will. The next time you have the desire to support the right that so many women fought to achieve, you'll be too late. You'll have to wait 4 more years. So if you've made a decision on who would get your vote but you don't act on it, I'll expect you to keep your mouth shut at the next political discussion.