The Blog Post I Wanted to Write

Election Day is next Tuesday.  Today, I ask you to consider this:

Pipe bombs. A hate crime in a Kroger [a large United States supermarket chain] parking lot - a white supremacist (allegedly) killed two black men at random after he couldn't get into a black church.  Another hate crime in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - this time, the toll was 11 innocent people, including a 97 year old woman, a number of people in their 80's, a doctor who ran towards the shooting trying to help, and a mentally disabled member of the congregation.  All they wanted to do was pray, but a man filled with hate took their lives instead. 

As I asked yesterday, must we rinse and repeat?  Friends, we have the power to stop the cycle.

There is only one way we can react to this, because we have this freedom, and this responsibility, in our United States.

WE MUST VOTE NEXT TUESDAY, each and every one of us who possibly can.

Please, take a minute and examine the people running in your local races, including mayors and governors. Don't vote blindly. Do they campaign on glorification of violence?  Do they promote division in your community?  Do they use fear as a weapon to get them to vote for them? If so, I implore you not to vote for them.

It's hard.  I'm shy and I know it's hard for me to speak out.  But fear can not stop us, not this time, or we will live in fear for the rest of our lives.

Of course, we must also live our lives.

So, let's switch topics for a minute

Halloween (for those who take part) is tomorrow. Now come The Holidays, the cluster of Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas and other holidays inbetween.

Let's take a deep breath and enjoy our season for a minute, because we must take a break from the events of the past few days.  Deep breath.

Earlier in October, I took these pictures of decorated pumpkins at Frog Pond Farms near Bainbridge, New York.

Some for fun, some scary.

And mums.  There are always the mums.

At another farm stand, Russell Farms in Vestal, a display also from earlier in the month.

By tomorrow, they will all be a memory, until they reopen in April or May.

Now, consider this.  Do we want to have this same opportunity next year, to enjoy the bounty of the year, but this time without fear?  Do we want to face down the fear that is taking so many of us over?  Will we let those who think it's now open season on hate take us over?  Because they will take over if we let them.  History is littered with countries where they took over.

Don't let our country be added to that list.  Don't let the founders of our country down.  We've had times of crisis before in our country.  We can get through these troubles.

The power is in your voting hand.  Let's use it next Tuesday. 

Day 30 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost