Jeff's Journal
Journal Entry: May 30, 2012
Subject: Democracy's great privilege
Warning: Language strong
Yesterday, I called Richard Eads, our County Court Clerk.
I asked him what percentage of Bourbon Countians
turned out for the election.
He said, "We were ahead of the state at 15%."
Across Kentucky 13%+ turned out for an election
which only involved a few races and voting
was along party lines.
Listen carefully THIRTEEN PERCENT – a little over
one in ten of potential voters voted.
When you divide out party affiliation, it being
a primary, some candidates only needed
the votes of 5% of the people — FIVE PERCENT —
of the voters to move on to the general election.
Here is my strong language:
— If you were able to vote and did not, you
acted in an unpatriotic manner.
— By not voting, you give hope to the incapable
and corrupt in running for a future office.
(They would rightfully think, "No one is paying
attention.")
— You dishonor the memory of the seven soldiers
from Kentucky whose names we read in church
Sunday, who died since last Memorial Day. They
died for your right to vote.
Now that I have offended 85% of you, let me say why
this is also spiritually important.
You should allow your faith to inform your political
views. No, I don't mean we should look for Disciples
to vote for. Baptists don't need to seek out Baptists.
But there are complicated issues to which our faith speaks.
When you vote, your "demographic" the whole of who you
are is registered in Paris, Frankfort and Washington.
Will we continue to speak for discipline, good stewardship,
military restraint (peace), diplomacy worldwide, freedom
of other countries to choose their leaders and more?
Jesus lived in a time when people were not allowed to vote.
It was rule by mob and military force.
Do you see what happened to him?
If you do not vote, you contribute to the dissolution of democracy.
(It is not so much which candidate you vote for, but that you vote.)
It will not happen tomorrow or next year, but the real
possibility exists, that by not showing up at the polls
and being counted as one paying attention, this grand and
glorious experiment in democracy will begin to unravel.
Moving to the deeper places,
Jeff