Write with TLC

As someone who has long refused to register with either of the major political parties in the United States as a statement on the issues I have with both parties, I've struggled with how to embrace Uncommitted Oregon . While my values tend to trend liberal, even progressive, I often find the Democratic Party falls short due to the influence of lobbyists, PACs, and corporate influence in general. And the Republican Party's values tend to be completely out of line with mine, or frankly my world view in general. When Uncommitted Oregon started getting off the ground, and I saw the behind-the-scenes work going on, I was both intrigued and conflicted.   In Oregon, I have to be registered with a major political party to vote in that party's primary. I fully support Uncommitted Oregon's message that an immediate and permanent ceasefire throughout Palestine must happen now - well, yesterday or many yesterdays ago, that humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza via land crossi...

  The End of Democracy Will we see  The end of democracy coming The warning signs Blowing through our lives Like a cold winter breeze Drifting the snow of democracy Into drifts that drown us In a sea of snowflakes Dirty with the fighting It takes to hold on to  The freedoms we Believe to be protected As we go about our lives Ignoring as each one erodes Trusting those we put in power To put people over power Forgetting the addictive power Of power Convince ourselves We can change courses At our next reset The reset we believe is always there But what happens when The new beginning promised Erases all signs of our choice Will we fight for our representation Or will we turn on one another Allow tyranny to erase every clue To the past we hold up as sacred To the tradition we swear matters To the myth of what we never were Will we fight to become a Better democracy or give in to become Ruled by the fear that gives power To greed and leaves us all Wishing for a world We imagine...

There's a cliche that keeps ringing through my head. "Actions speak louder than words." Let's be more specific. Votes speak louder than words. And, have a much longer lasting impact. I keep thinking about how many times - I've lost count - someone has told me emphatically " You know I'm not racist. " or something equivalent  in the course of a somewhat political conversation. But do I? How can I? When people vote for a racist who is going to implement racist policies, how can I not conclude they support those racist policies? Particularly if they continue to vote for avowed racists. And, if they support those racists and their racist policies, that sure looks like racism. I vote my values. I assume other people do as well. Otherwise, what's the point of voting? Why would someone vote for someone whose values don't align with theirs? So when someone says "You know I'm not a racist." after voting for someone who is and who...

When we all vote ... When we all vote... When we all vote... What happens when we all vote? When we all vote, we send a message to those who lead us. When we all vote, we lead those who serve us. When we all vote, we proclaim our values. When we all vote, we whisper our concerns. When we all vote, we expand the conversation. At least, that's what I believe on my best days. On my worst days... well, let's not go there. Let's keep this positive. So, today, on Voter Registration Day , let me talk a bit about voting. When I turned 18, my Dad made sure I registered to vote. Yet, I didn't exercise that right. That first year, my birthday was so close to Election Day, I didn't think I had time to get an absentee ballot and I couldn't miss class to make the approximately 2-hour drive to vote and back again. It would've meant missing a test and therefore failing it. Besides I didn't feel knowledgeable enough to vote, or so I told myself. My Dad wa...