The Art of Voting

This is a nonpartisan post, and I approve this message.

If you live in the United States, today is Election Day. There's a lot of anxiety about the results.  But let's take a deep breath for a minute.  It's time for some art.

The city of Seneca Falls, New York, was one of the birthplaces of the women's suffrage movement.

Back in September, I had the opportunity to visit the Women's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, New York.  In the National Women's Hall of Fame there was an exhibit of rug hooking dedicated to women's right, including the right to vote. 

Let's enjoy some of this beautiful art, brought to us by the Rug Hookers of the Finger Lakes.

This is not an art form I have explored, and I admired each of the displayed works.  Some of these are pro-vote art that has been duplicated in the form of rugs.

This may have been my favorite one.

Such an important message. 

I still believe in the process.

I take the right to vote seriously, for many reasons, including the fact that when my father was born, women still did not have the right to vote in New York State.  My mother wasn't yet born when the first woman to be able to vote in my county voted.

It's humbling to think of the many women (and men) who worked to give my ancestors the right to vote.  I will not disappoint them. 

Whatever your identity, my message for today is "if you haven't yet, please get out and vote!"

Electing Some Music #MusicMovesMe

 It's Monday, and it is election day eve in the United States.  It's also time for Music Moves Me.

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please!)   Our head hostess is Cathy from Curious as a Cathy,  and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.

Why not join our music loving folks?  It's so easy. All you have to do is join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!

Each month, except December, we have a guest host.  This month, we welcome Sandee at Comedy Plus as our guest host.

Today is a "free to choose" week, and I am choosing songs (since tomorrow is Election Day in the United States) songs related to voting, elections, revolution, or freedom.

But before I do, I need to pay tribute to pop singer, actor, and, more recently, rapper, Aaron Carter, dead at the age of 34.  

At the time I wrote this post, the cause of death had not been released.  Aaron Carter was a troubled individual  who went through many struggles in his young life.  For today's tribute, I am choosing a cover of the Bow Wow Wow hit, I Want Candy.

Listening to him now, I hear the talent, and grieve that he has been taken from us too young.

And now to today's theme.

Alice Cooper - Elected, from 1972.  Fun fact, Cooper decided to publicize the song by announcing he was running for President.  If he had won, how would it all have turned out?

The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

Bob Dylan - The Times They are A Changin', from 1964.

Chicago - Vote for Me.  This song is from 1977 but it may as well have been written today.

People Get Ready, a song written by Curtis Mayfield and first sung by The Impressions in 1965.

Re-Flex and The Politics of Dancing, from 1983.

And now, a bonus.  When I think of voting, besides politics, I also think of something else.  I grew up in the 50's and 60's in New York City, where a New York City-brewed beer called Rheingold held a contest for "Miss Rheingold" from 1940 to 1964.  I remember the ads posted in subway cars showing the contests and the contest even had its own theme song.

Here's some hisstory of Rheingold Beer.   You didn't have to be from New York City to know about Rheingold beer; it had cameos (so to speak) in a number of movies and TV shows.

The Rheingold Beer jingle.  (I am not sure this will play outside the United States; I did not test the links of either this or the video below.)

No need to watch the whole four plus minutes - just a minute or two will give you the voting flavor of this contest.  I couldn't find a video with just the contest jingle.

And that's an election wrap.

Join me again next week, same time, same place, for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Voting in 2022

Voting should not be much of an issue for us in the United States.  But times have change in the past few years.

Let me tell you about my 2022 voting experience.

Spouse and I, who live in New York State, decided to take advantage of the first day of early voting.  It started for us on Saturday.  One of the early voting poll sites (there are four in our county) is right next to the farmer's market.  We would have been in the area, anyway.  We got there 15 minutes after the site opened.

There didn't seem to be a line outside. So far, so good.

Inside, it was a different story.  We found the end of the line, and settled in.  We were standing in front of an older gentleman (well, we are "older", also) who told us the polling site had not received its ballots, and we were waiting.  We decided to stay.

Everyone on the line seemed to be in a good mood.  No grumbling.  No anger.  We waited patiently.

The ballots were delivered.

The line started to move.

We got to the room where the voting was taking place.  All the poll workers were older people.  In New York, you have an equal number.  Half are Republicans.  Half are Democrats.

The poll workers were smiling and chatting with voters as they checked them in.  

We voted. The process was smooth. We left, and went to the farmer's market.

It was ordinary.

Except it wasn't.  In our modern times, it was the exception.  In our world, a large percentage of Americans feel that our nation is going in the wrong direction.  A major polling company (Gallup) reported record levels of dissatisfaction. Whether or not you believe in these polls, I think this one is accurate.

Poll workers have been quitting in record numbers.  One reason is threats of violence.

Finally, there are the constant death threats our elected officials receive.  Some have escalated to actual attempted, or completed, violence.

No one knows what is going to happen next Tuesday, our national election day.  There is a lot of anxiety.

But there is one thing you can do, if you are 18 or older.  It's not a waste of time.  It will count.

More than ever, I encourage my American readers, no matter what their political affiliations, to vote. 

I am grateful my experience with voting in 2022 was peaceful, and I was able to vote without incident, without armed people monitoring my vote, without intimidation.  My respect goes to those who are turning out and will turn out despite these kinds of threats.

We used to watch that happen on TV in other parts of the world.  Now it's our turn.

Our democracy depends on us turning out and showing we care by voting. 

Election Day 2021

This is a nonpartisan post, and I approve this message.

There is something certain elements in our world are frightened by - their people expressing their free opinion   Take this sticker, for example.  

I wear this scary sticker proudly.

My message for today is "this may be an off year election for some, but all of us need to pay attention, and VOTE!". 

I don't care what your political preferences are, voting is both a privilege and a duty.

Where I live, a race for family court judge (yes, this is an elected position here in New York where I live) got the bulk of the attention until about two weeks ago.  I never realized, until my spouse picked up a pamphlet at the local library explaining this year's ballot, that there were several amendments to our state constitution on the ballot.  Not only that, but some impacted the right to vote.  On my local ballot, those amendments were on the back.

Then, someone started to run ads pointing out these amendments and asking us to vote a certain way.

I ended up going to the local Board of Elections website to see a copy of the ballot, which is something I should have done to begin with.

This is the scary part: How many people would have stayed home and not voted their opinion of these amendments, except for some last minute partisan ads?  Shame on me, too, for not educating myself until the day before I exercised my right to vote early. I would have voted anyway, but didn't realize how important this off year (for us) election was.

I take the right to vote seriously, for many reasons, including the fact that when my father was born, women still did not have the right to vote in New York State.  My mother wasn't yet born when the first woman to be able to vote in my county voted.

Here is the first time I wrote a voting post on my blog. 

I hope you voted this year.  If voting was difficult for you (childcare, voting hours, illness, caring for elders, difficulty of some other kind) I salute you if you found a way.  If you have stopped caring, though, that's another matter.

Our democracy is at a crossroads.  Every vote counts.  Every voter counts.  If you are registered, I hope you will exercise that right today, if you haven't already.

Voting in the Time of Anxiety

Today is the finish line.  Or is it?

Voting wasn't supposed to be like this.

If, in 2016, we could have seen into the future...a future of long, long voting lines, people wearing masks while they wait and while they vote, stores boarding up in expectation of riots, lawsuits, voting sites full of hand sanitizer and this thing called "social distancing"...A future full of absentee ballots, people trying to vote by mail, anxiety, and a dysfunctional post office....

This is the building I voted in, the building that was the subject of one of my most visited posts, Snow Doors, now turned into an early voting site for the first time.

 (This is what the building looks like now - it's a Taste of New York store, and the snow door is gone) 

If we were able to see into the future in 2016, would we have done things any different?  Would more of us have turned out to vote?  Would more of us have cared then the way we care now?

There is nothing like feeling you are about to lose what you've got to motivate you. That's why people took pictures of themselves on line, or pictures of the scenery as they waited, or their "I voted" stickers. 

Our lives, every one of our lives, has been changed by COVID-19.  But one thing hasn't changed - we have the right, and the duty, to vote.

Need non partisan election help:  Try this site, established after the 2000 Presidential election that was decided by the courts. 

Need to talk to someone about election protection:  these are hotlines open right now

English 866-OUR-VOTE866-687-8683

Spanish/English 888-VE-Y-VOTA888-839-8682

Asian Languages/English 888-API-VOTE888-274-8683

Arabic/English 844-YALLA-US844-925-5287

One of many articles about voter anxiety (noting I am not a mental health professional, and if you feel you need professional help, please seek it immediately!  Otherwise, these may help.

I admit, I've been doing too much doom scrolling lately. (If you follow me on Twitter, by the way, you will know immediately where I stand politically.)

I can't see into the future.  Maybe I wouldn't want to look if I was able to.  But, I have no doubt in my mind that the future of our democracy is at stake today.  We have two opposing sides, looking at our current events and convinced that if the other side of the aisle wins, we will be plunged into a most horrible future.

We are tearing ourselves apart.  Family members aren't talking to each other. Neighbors aren't talking to each other.  We are in our own bubbles. 

Can we unite?  Or will we be torn totally apart in the coming days and weeks?

We must unite. 

Our alternative is another civil war.  Our first one didn't end well, but it did produce a speech that is considered one of the greatest speeches in American history.

The war also produced more misery than any of us can imagine.  We don't want to go down that road.  We don't want a speech written during another civil war becoming something our descendants study in school. 

If you haven't voted yet, please don't sit this one out.  Get to a poll and cast your ballot.  In some states, you can register at your polling place on Election Day, in fact.

Vote, if you haven't.  You will feel better.

American democracy will thank you.

Screeching Past 4000 Posts While Voting

I don't look at my statistics that much, but I decided to today, and found that this will be my 4008th published post.

Kind of screeched past the 4000 posts milestone, because I had other things on my mind.  Like voting.  Like one of my spouse's cousins, who lives in California, and posted a picture (taken by a friend) of a shopping center near his home on fire.  I saw this morning that he is under an evacuation order.

I've voted in every Presidential election since 1972 (Nixon vs. McGovern). I've voted in churches, in schools, in a YMCA, in a library, in a mall.  

(Sorry about the glare).

But, until yesterday, never in an artisan food store called "Taste New York".

Early voting.  Until last year, New York didn't even have it.  It came just in time for the pandemic.

I don't need to tell my voting story.  Many had it a lot worse than I did.  I only had to wait an hour, mask on. The sun was shining.  I also had some nice scenery (above) to look at.

I think of people who waited six, seven, even up to 11 hours to vote.  Some had to watch armed "poll watchers" scrutinizing them.   

They are the true superheroes.  And speaking of superheroes, a little aside here - have you ever wondered how your favorite comic book superhero would have voted?  So did this doctor from India.

We in New York need to remind ourselves that this is not the first time we have voted through adversary.  Let's be grateful that Superstorm Sandy didn't come in time for Election Day, like it did in 2012.  Here's a little reminder.     2012 was a Presidential election year, too, but oh so different.

But, before I quote from my 2012 voting post, please, please, if you haven't voted yet, please be prepared to.  Have a plan. Our country is depending on each one of us.

And now, taken from my 2012 post:

VOTING IN THE POST SANDY WORLD

Today, in the United States, it is election day.  We are electing a President, the House of Representatives, 1/3 of the Senate and also various local officials.

This is your choice today: vote or don't vote.  But for many in the Hurricane Sandy zone, voting is going to be just another burden on top of trying to get to work, trying to find a place with heat, and trying to find gas for your car or generator.

If you vote, you are joining people like my mother in law, who was away from her home for nearly a week due to Hurricane Sandy.  When I spoke to her Saturday, the thing uppermost on her mind was - not when her power would be restored (it was, shortly after I spoke to her) but if she would be able to vote.

I assured her she would, but to call her Board of Elections to find out if her polling place had changed.

People here in states that allow early voting were standing on long lines back in October to exercise their privilege.  People in Hurricane Sandy-affected areas today are going to go to a lot of trouble to vote.  A cousin who had to be out of town today voted by absentee ballot.

Haven't made up your mind yet?  Not an excuse.  My suggestion: don't vote based on one issue.  Examine your future carefully.  You are voting for both a future you can imagine and a future you can't.  A future that now includes the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and if we will learn our lesson.

Vote for the candidates that best express the future you dream of. 

Governors Cuomo and Christie (Democrat - New York and Republican - New Jersey) have joined in a common effort to make voting easier for their citizens.  Quoting from a news report (can no longer find the link):

" Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to issue an executive order that will allow displaced voters to cast ballots by affidavit at any polling site they can reach Tuesday.
The order will permit voters to sign affidavits that they're legally registered to vote in the presidential and state races and cast ballots at any open polling site, even those outside their neighborhoods.
But they won't be able to vote for state legislative candidates unless the polling place is within the proper legislative district.
New Jersey is allowing voters to use provisional ballots at any polling site"

Decisions on the fly, to cope with the conditions we now face.  That is true leadership.  Look for that quality in your candidate.

So now, if you are in the United States, make your country proud. Get out and vote.  And, a special thanks if you were impacted by Sandy. You are participating in history. Be proud.

It does matter."

It matters even more now.

VOTE!

And may everyone I know, either virtually or in real life, stay safe from the fires.

Voting and Autism 2020 Style

I originally posted about politics and one of my in laws on November 8, 2011, which was election day.  

As my regular readers know, my spouse has a younger brother who is autistic.  He is also quite interested in politics.

In 2016, he voted in the New York presidential primary in April.  He made his mind up from watching the TV news shows he watched.

Not only that, he voted for President, and voted the opposite of how his mother (who he relied on so emotionally and physically at the time) intended to vote.  It led to some interesting comments from my mother in law, who wasn't seeming to like the fact that he wasn't just following along with whatever she said.

In 2018, though, I don't think he voted. We don't press him one way or the other, as he has a right to his private thoughts, so we don't know why.  I wonder, though, if the intensity of this election cycle overwhelmed him.  His mother was also terminally ill.  She died the day after Thanksgiving that year.

Yesterday, brother in law's two brothers and two sisters in law (I'm one of them) visited him, and we were told he already had voted, by absentee ballot.  We are proud to say that.  Voting, for someone with a disability, can be a hard thing.   Believe it or not, a person with intellectual disabilities can actually be stripped of their right to vote.

Or, it can otherwise be difficult.  In fact, my brother in law, who is in his 60's, voted for the first time in 2004.

I repeat this post in honor of my brother in law.  And please, if you are in the United States, vote on November 3.  This will be one of the most important elections in our country's history.

This is a non partisan resource for those who are disabled and those who care for them.  

Please be aware, each state has its own rules and, although 41 states allow early voting (New York's early voting started today), some early voting periods are nearly over.

VOTE!

From November of 2011 - Autism Votes

A Facebook post by a Facebook friend of mine, a woman who has an adult son on the autistic spectrum, inspired this post.

The day I first posted this was election day in the United States, where I live.

Her son voted for the first time that day. Although she is his legal guardian, her son retains his right to vote.  She told her Facebook friends that her son has looked forward to exercising his vote for years.  This was a big day for him.

It's also a big day for our country for another reason.

Her son is on the leading edge of a wave of soon to be adults with autism.  Some say 1 in 100 live births in this country result in an individual with autism.  Not too long ago it was 1 in 166. Then it was 1 in 150.  (Update, in 2016 some 6% fewer voters with disabilities voted than those without.   Let's step back a moment and see what that means.

Those babies are going to grow up.  In fact, the "leading edge" of the autism epidemic I just mentioned are now legal adults in many states, including New York (age of 18).  Just wait until all those adults with autism, who have been given the tools and supports to vote, start to exercise that right. 

Growing up, my brother in law was never encouraged to vote nor were people like him ever expected to vote.  This just didn't happen.  The belief was that they weren't "normal".  So their voices, and opinions, were unheard.

In 2004, a person who worked with him in a support role decided that my brother in law should exercise his right to vote.  He watches a news station that carries a lot of political discussions and has formed very definite political opinions.  Why shouldn't he vote?  She worked with him, he did vote, and he was very proud of voting for the presidential candidate of his choice.

For the first time, his voice was heard.

It is not easy for a person with autism to vote, as described here, but it can be done with proper education and proper support.  This issue isn't restricted to the United States, either.

It will be interesting to hear what these new adults with autism have to say in the voting booth.

 

I Vote for Fall Color

A quiet Sunday that started with pouring down rain, then got sunny, then got cloudy and drizzly, and now it can't make up its mind.

Endicott, NY near library 10-27-19

Golden and red trees celebrate the fact that New York State officially has early voting.

For us this is an off year - we voted for two countywide positions (the district attorney and one other) and one funding initiative for the two libraries located within our county.  Perhaps "ironically" is not the right word here, but two of the three polling places for early voting in my county was located in one of the libraries whose funding we would be voting for.  Ironically.

The only people there when spouse and I arrived were eight election workers - four Republican and four Democrat.

Instead of signing a book by hand, we handed over our drivers licenses, which were scanned in (this is a one-time thing) and then we signed a pad (like one you use when making a purchase with a debit or credit card). Our signature was then compared with one they had on file.

In the alternative, we could have given our names and addresses verbally.

Once they knew where we lived (anyone in the county could use any one of the three polling places), a ballot was printed out for each of us, with the races we would be voting in.  These races vary by town or city.

After we cast our ballots, we were given our "I Voted" sticker.

And that was it.  Took maybe ten minutes.  It worked flawlessly.

If we had waited for the official election day, we would only have been voted in our normal polling place, so there wouldn't have been a printer needed.  Otherwise, one of the election workers assured me, the procedure would have been the same.

So that was it.  No bugles or drums or cheering throngs.

As we left, several other people arrived.

I liked it.  But I could see how easily it may have gone wrong - if the printer had stopped working, for example.

Only time will tell how well early voting works statewide.

So I went home, sat in my backyard, and then went in and baked an apple crisp.

Day 27 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.

Early Voting and Fall Color

New York State sometimes is way behind the times.

So many states have had something called early voting for years. It's a system where you can cast your vote "early", a few days before the official election day.  Of course, once you vote, you can't change your mind, but it allows people to vote at times convenient to their work or living schedules.

New York finally got early voting this year.  In fact, today is the first day of early voting.  How many people will notice that, in-between all the Halloween events, is another story.

Oh, we've had innovations years after everyone else for some time.  Like electronic voting.  
One thing true about our United States is that there is much inonsistency in voting rules, which makes years where we elect high officials (like next year, which is a Presidential election year) interesting.  In some places, polls echo with the sounds of crickets.  In other places, people wait on line for hours.  In several states, people vote by mail.  This is a brief insight into New York's system - until today.  

Early voting is going to cost taxpayers a lot of money, because that is what happens in New York.  One of the reasons why is because the polls will be open an extra 10 days, but another reason is that people are not going to vote in their normal polling locations.  We now have an electronic system for verifying our registration when we enter the poll, rather than the "sign a physical book by pen".

I wonder how much confusion this is going to cause.

In my county, Broome County, there will be three polling sites open.  Two of the three sites are libraries.  The third is in an indoor mall, the Oakdale Mall, which has a place in history for another reason.

I am not sure about the libraries, but I am positive the Oakdale Mall has never been used for voting. The hours are limited, too - most days voting only occurs from 12pm to 5pm.

But I thought, why not check it out?

Well, on my way to early voting, I got a little distracted by fall color. 

When I arrived at the library in Endicott, the voting place wasn't set to open until noon and it was 11:40 am.  Poll workers were arriving.  I figured, maybe another time.

So we decided to look at some more fall color, instead.

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, so maybe I'll try again. 

Whatever the outcome, I hope this is running smoothly by November of 2020, when we vote for our President, Congresspeople and 1/3 of our Senators.

Do you have early voting or postal voting where you live? 

The Center of the Rebellion - #WordlessWednesday

Such an unassuming house, this house on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, New York, a short walk from some canal locks.

But consider who lived in this house from 1847 to 1862 - a woman by the name of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Born in 1815, this woman, like all women born in our country at the time, could not vote.  Despite being the mother of seven, she decided to do something about that.  She called this house "The Center of the Rebellion".

Today, too many of us ignore what our foremothers (and the men who supported their efforts) had to do to win us the right to vote.

Voting is a right, for many in our country (not just women).  I ask that you consider that in November -then get out and VOTE.

Join Esha and Natasha for #WordlessWednesday.

Will They Remember?

Tomorrow is September 11.

In the United States, that means an anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which changed all of our lives.  We live with the fallout (in some cases, literal) every day of our lives.

Several years ago, in 2012 and updated later, I wrote a post "One Day We Will Forget".

In that post, I said this:

"No, don't be angry at me.  I will remember September 11 for the rest of my life. I remember it every year.  First, it was my father in law's birthday (although he was no longer with us on that day.)  Then, it became the day I watched in horror (after my employer hastily located a television) as the second tower fell, later finding out that one of my co workers lost his son on that day. His daughter in law was pregnant.  Other people I know lost loved ones.  11 people who went to my high school died that day.  Two of them left pregnant spouses."

Today and tomorrow, I will think of 9/11, but I ask you to consider this:

Tomorrow, all of the children born on September 11, 2001 will turn 18.  In the state of New York, where I live, and where most of the deaths took place, that means they enter adulthood.

In the next nine months, children will turn 18 who have lived their entire lives, every moment, in a post - 9/11 world.

What will they think of what we have made this world into?

And oh yes, as they turn 18 they gain the right to vote.

Will they use that right?  I wonder.

I ended my post with this:

"Our world isn't theirs.

They will remember, but not the way we do.  Our job is to make sure they know about the day and its meaning, and let them sort it out. Keep in mind that the children born on September 11, 2001, will turn 18 on September 11, 2019, and will be granted the right to vote.

I hope they will use that power of the vote well."

Women and the Vote Part 2 - January 5 1918

The robocalls are silent.  The political ads are stilled.  The polls in New York State open soon (6am).

Today is the day many in the United States have been waiting for.  We await the results while holding our breaths.

I want to address this post today particularly to the women of this country.  

Why must women vote today?

Perhaps because of this ballot box.

Or because of the small crowd that gathered in the village of Lisle, New York on June 1, 1918 (some of them descendants of a certain woman).

Maybe because of what happened in the building to the right on January 5, 1918.  The building is vacant now, but history happened here 100 years ago.

Perhaps this newspaper will make you wonder.

And this may help you guess.

It's hard to believe, but 101 years ago today, women in New York State still did not have the right to vote.  In fact, the first woman to vote in New York State voted on January 5, 1918, in the building you see above.

And her vote was placed into the above unassuming box.  You know, Januaries tend to be harsh around here, with lots of snow and cold.  Someone at the ceremony to dedicate this sign told me it was 20 below zero F the day Florence B. Chauncey voted.

Mrs. Chauncey was the wife of a local minister, and the election was to determine if Lisle would be "dry" or not (i.e. no alcohol sales permitted).

She fought for the right to vote, yet never told her children she was the first women.  But she always asked them, once they were adults "did you vote?"  Because she knew how precious that right was - the right she had to fight for.

Yes.  If you are a woman, thank certain dedicated women (and men) of the early 20th century, who fought for your right to vote.  And not just to ban alcohol sales or not.  For President.  For Congress.  For local and national leaders.

Today, you can exercise this without a care  Or not.  But I hope you will.  Or have already.  Because many women, and men, in this world, risk their very lives in order to vote.

Today, the future of our country depends on you.  And me.  All of us.

To quote the late Brent Taylor:

"As the USA gets ready to vote in our own election .... I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote. And that whether the Republicans or the Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us."

Remember: even one vote can determine the course of history.  Might it be yours?

Autism Votes

I originally posted this on November 8, 2011, which was election day.  I repost it with some edits and updates.

My autistic brother in law, who will turn 60 shortly, has made up his mind he will not vote in November.  Two years ago it was a different story.  He voted in the New York presidential primary in April.  He made his mind up from watching the TV news shows he watched.

Not only that, he voted for President, and voted the opposite of how his mother (who he relied on so emotionally and physically at the time) intended to vote.  It led to some interesting comments from my mother in law, who wasn't seeming to like the fact that he wasn't just following along with whatever she said.

In a way, it is amazing that he never voted until 2004.  And now, he won't even tell us what changed his mind.  We don't press him, as he has a right to his private thoughts.  I wonder, though, if the intensity of this election cycle has overwhelmed him, in addition to the fact that his mother is terminally ill.

I repeat this post in honor of my brother in law.  And please, if you are in the United States, vote on November 6.  Please.  This may be one of the most important elections in our country's history.

From November of 2011 - Autism Votes

A Facebook post by a Facebook friend of mine, a woman who has an adult son on the autistic spectrum, inspired this post.

The day I first posted this was election day in the United States, where I live.

Her son voted for the first time that day. Although she is his legal guardian, her son retains his right to vote.  She told her Facebook friends that her son has looked forward to exercising his vote for years.  This was a big day for him.

It's also a big day for our country for another reason.

Her son is on the leading edge of a wave of soon to be adults with autism.  Some say 1 in 100 live births in this country result in an individual with autism.  Not too long ago it was 1 in 166. Then it was 1 in 150.  (Update, in 2018 it appears it may be as high as 1 in 59, according to the Center for Disease Control).  Let's step back a moment and see what that means.

Those babies are going to grow up.  In fact, the "leading edge" of the autism epidemic I just mentioned are now legal adults in many states, including New York (age of 18).  Just wait until all those adults with autism, who have been given the tools and supports to vote, start to exercise that right. 

Growing up, my brother in law was never encouraged to vote nor were people like him ever expected to vote.  This just didn't happen.  The belief was that they weren't "normal".  So their voices, and opinions, were unheard.

In 2004, a person who worked with him in a support role decided that my brother in law should exercise his right to vote.  He watches a news station that carries a lot of political discussions and has formed very definite political opinions.  Why shouldn't he vote?  She worked with him, he did vote, and he was very proud of voting for the presidential candidate of his choice.

For the first time, his voice was heard.

It is not easy for a person with autism to vote, as described here, but it can be done with proper education and proper support.  This issue isn't restricted to the United States, either.

It will be interesting to hear what these new adults with autism have to say in the voting booth.


I hope that many of them, unlike my brother in law, don't decide to sit this one out.

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

Women and the Vote Part 1

Now the Landmark Church, once the Centenary Church, downtown Binghamton New York, built in 1866

Every year, I vote.  I stop at the desk where I identify myself, and sign my name.  I am handed a ballot and I fill out the voting circles with a designated felt tip pen.

I insert it into the voting machine.  I vote. So easy, even a woman can do it.

But once, it wasn't so simple.   Until recently, I never knew how close to history I walk each day.  I address this post to women, but men are more than welcome to read it, too.


It wasn't until this sign went up last month that I even knew of this chapter in the church's history.

When this church was built in 1866, women had been active in the abolitionist movement to free enslaved blacks.  But, as the Civil War ended in 1865, women still found themselves unable to vote.  (Men of color also had a history of having to fight for the right to vote, a post for another day)

Activist women turned their attention to gaining the right to vote.

It was sometimes a bloody battle.  Other women went to jail.  And not all women supported the suffragettes.

In 1913, their convention was held in this same church in downtown Binghamton.

In 1917, 101 years ago, women were finally able to exercise their right to vote in New York.  And that first vote in New York State was held a few miles from Binghamton, in Lisle, New York (a story for another day).  By 1920, women were able to vote everywhere in the United States.

If you are a woman, will you exercise that right this November 6?  The same right that women fought for, sometimes at great peril to themselves? 

Because now, storm clouds gather, imperiling the right to vote for some in our country - women AND men.

Don't be fooled:  Election Day is the same day, regardless of party.

If signs go up in your neighborhood warning of penalties for voter fraud, know that you DO have an absolute right to vote.

Know your rights concerning a tool called the provisional ballot.


Don't let your hard earned right to vote be challenged.

Day 23 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

And Forever in Peace May It Wave

I was ready with a light hearted "Happy Fourth of July" post with some flowers.  If you want light hearted only, here are some flowers for you, and I'll caution you not to read any further.

Three cheers for the red...

...white...

and blue.

For those of you who remain, a Facebook friend told me (yesterday) about something trending on Twitter - a hashtag, #SecondCivilWarLetters.

I rarely blog about politics,  and I didn't mean to today, when we are supposed to be celebrating our Independence Day and remembering what the price of freedom is.  But I was intrigued and decided to read some of these tweet "letters", as I am an occasional student of the American Civil War.

During the 150th anniversary (2011-2015) I had a weekly Civil War Sunday feature - you are welcome to look it up and read my posts, if you are so inclined.  I am not a "buff", nor a historian - just someone who enjoys history.

For those who haven't heard the story of how Second Civil War Letters came to be on Twitter yesterday, a brief summary:  a man (I refuse to name or link to him) declared, on Monday, that the Democrats were going to start a Civil War today, the 4th of July, the day we in the United States celebrate as our Independence Day.

The Twitterverse quickly took revenge - people tweeting out "letters" in the style of letters written by soldiers of the first (and hopefully, only) American Civil War.  Some were literate.  Some, in fact, were pretty well done.  Some poked fun of liberals, all poked fun at the "other side" and some were just plain mean.

OK, I get it.  The Battle of Bowling Green (aka the "Bowling Green massacre"), the liberal's love of avocados and Starbucks, the dreaded covfefe.

I learned what "kek" meant.  I had just heard about the Space Force and learned more about various memes than I ever wanted to. 

But after a few too many "letters" especially one describing the (satirical) last words of a dying "alt right" soldier, I sobered up and stopped laughing, because, in fact, a second Civil War is no laughing matter.

My ancestors did not come to the United States until well after the Civil War ended.  It is in my DNA, though, as a third generation American.  I was born and raised in New York City, but I have lived parts of my life in the South - the former Confederacy - in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas, to be exact.  And Kansas - once known as Bloody Kansas.  The Civil War lives on in these places.

A monument to Confederate soldiers, Charleston, South Carolina

When I lived in Arkansas, my daily commute to work involved driving through one Civil War battlefield (Prairie Grove, now an Arkansas state park) and near another one (the Battle of Cane Hill).

Some facts:
The death toll from the Civil War is hard to know, but estimates vary from 620,000 to 850,000 for military- possibly two percent of the then-population of the United States.  The 620,000 figure comes from a study done around 1889  The higher figure is more recent.

The number of "casualties" at Gettysburg - a three day battle that concluded on July 3, 1863 - dead and injured - 51,000.  That's more than the population of Binghamton, New York, where I work.

Let's not forget those taken prisoner in the war (I know someone descended from one of them).  Andersonville (South Carolina). Elmira (New York) and many other prisoner of war camps, on both sides stand as monuments of horror today, as Americans descended to depths we would hope we would never descend to again.

One hundred fifty seven years later, we still can't even agree about the causes of that war.

I fear we are heading towards a second American Civil War, as we turn against our neighbor, against our relatives, against our co-workers.  We can not seem to have any civil (no pun intended) conversation anymore.  Fake news rules.  People receive death threats on social media for expressing their opinions.

Neo-Nazis and their sympathizers can openly deny the Holocaust and be taken seriously.  They were allowed to gather near a synagogue in Charlotteville, Virginia on the Jewish Sabbath one August Saturday (the Charlottesville police having turned away the synagogue's requests for protection) hours before one of their kind allegedly rammed a car into a crowd of counterprotestors.

On this, the 242nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, I implore you to think twice about a second American Civil War.  Let us remember the toll of the first.  Let us remember how the trauma still lives with us today.

It's good to laugh for a few minutes.

But then, there is work to be done to make sure the Second Civil War never happens.  One of those opportunities may come soon to a community near you, and will certainly come in November.

Write your Congressperson or Senator. Subscribe to you local newspaper and read it.  Become informed.  Be respectful, always.

And then, VOTE.

Day four of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #BlogBoost

Fall Fancies - Voting

Yesterday, I stepped into a voting booth.  I stopped at the desk where I identified myself, and signed my name.  I was handed a ballot and filled out the voting circles with a designated felt tip pen.

I inserted it into the voting machine.

And I voted.

Easy peasy, right?

Well, I owe a lot to those who paved the way for me.  Until 1917, I could not have done this simple thing.

Susan B. Anthony, for example.  This is the house where she lived in Rochester, New York.

But there were male suffragists, too. 

One was Frederick Douglass, who also lived in Rochester.

Last year, our governor emailed:

"New York is not only the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, but it has a proud history of courageous women who triumphed over discrimination and advanced equality and opportunity for women everywhere. From suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested in 1872 at her home in Rochester for daring to vote...."

Yes, can you imagine a woman being arrested for what I did so easily yesterday.

I have a lot to be grateful for.  If you are a woman living in the United States, I hope you exercised the well-fought for right to vote, too.

Civil War Sunday -Let's Have Tea

After a nearly two year hiatus, I am starting up, at least for the remainder of February, and all of March, my United States Civil War Sunday feature.   Although I am not a historian, I have always been interested in history.  After all, history is the story of all of us, past and present - not just events, but people.

And who doesn't like a good story about a great person?

I firmly believe that if we don't remember the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes that past generations did.

A man by the name of Frederick Douglass died on February 20, 1895.  Our country could use him today.

On February 1, someone in high office said something that seemed to imply that Douglass was still alive.  His descendants decided to turn that into a teachable moment. 

It is my pleasure to introduce you, my reader (knowing that some of you are not from the United States) to this most remarkable man who had many ties with my native New York State.

Frederick Douglass never knew his exact birth date.  He was born into slavery in Maryland sometime during February of 1818. His original name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey.  He barely knew his mother, whom he was separated from at an early age (not uncommon with slaves in that area) and was raised by his grandmother. His birth mother died when Douglass was 10.

At around the age of 12, the young Douglass was hired out to a man living in Baltimore, Hugh Auld, brother of Douglass's owner Thomas Auld. Hugh Auld and his wife were not experienced slave keepers, which may explain what happened next.

Hugh Auld's wife started to teach Douglass the alphabet.  I can not emphasize here the importance of this act - slaves were not permitted literacy, and in many places, teaching a slave to read or write was a crime.  Any slave, in turn, who was literate had to hide that fact or risk heavy punishment or even death.

Imagine that your love of reading must be kept secret, as you have no right to be literate.

Soon enough, Hugh Auld convinced his wife that teaching Douglass was a mistake.  But it was too late.  In secret, Douglass taught himself to read and write, using various resources, including a school primer owned by Hugh Auld's son, and the Bible.  Later, as a teenager, he was hired out to another man and started an underground slave school for the other neighborhood slaves.  He was caught and brutally punished by being hired out to a known "slave breaker".  Almost psychologically broken, he still managed to survive the experience.

Eventually, in 1838, Douglass was able to escape to the free state of Pennsylvania and then onward to free New York City.  He married (he and his first wife were together for 44 years) and they settled in Massachusetts, another free state.

Douglass eventually took the last name of "Douglass" from a poem, The Lady of the Lake, by Walter Scott.  While still living in Massachusetts, he joined the abolitionist movement - a movement to abolish slavery.  By the early 1840's, Douglass was traveling frequently and giving the most eloquent speeches many had ever heard.

Some people didn't even believe he had ever been a slave, so Douglass decided to write the first of several autobiographies to educate the public about his origins and early life story.  This book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (published in 1845), is in the public domain here and in most countries.  If you look online, and it is legal, you will find PDFs of it on many websites.  It is about 108 pages.

Keep in mind that Douglass, at this point, is still an escaped slave.  It was quite possible his owner, Thomas Auld, could hire people to capture him and bring him back to slavery.  After all, he was Auld's property.  So, also in 1845, just as the Irish Potato Famine was starting, Douglass traveled to Ireland and Britain, and spent the next two years there.  There are several historical plaques in Britain and Ireland commemorating that visit.  More importantly, British supporters raised enough money  and Douglass was able to purchase his freedom from Thomas Auld.

Returning to the United States in 1845, he began his association with upstate New York, particularly the upstate New York cities of Seneca Falls and Rochester. If you are interested in learning more about Douglass, many of his other writings are online, free to read.  Or, you can watch a 44 minute "living history" depiction of Douglass produced by a Virginia TV station.

During the Civil War (1861-1865), three of Douglass's sons served in the military.  One became a First Sargent and anther a Sargent-Major.  The third was a recruiter. 

Douglass fought for many causes, including improving the lot of the nation's former slaves (they were all freed after the Civil War), education, and women's right to vote.  He used words, not violence, to advance the causes he believed in.  I must also point out that his beliefs were sometimes complicated, and contradictory.

Douglass believed in the young art of photography, and was the most photographed man, it is said, of the 19th century.

Politically, Douglass was the first African American to be nominated for Vice-President (he did not support this, and did not campaign) and the first African American man to receive a vote for President.

In addition to his work in the abolitionist movement, Douglass also did much work in the women's suffrage movement.  If you are a woman in the United States, you owe much to Frederick Douglass.

Here is another part of this amazing life story: In 1877, knowing his former owner Thomas Auld was dying, Frederick Douglass traveled to Auld's side and they reconciled.  I don't know if I could ever have done that if I had been a former slave.  Could you have?

Which brings me to these statues.

Douglass lived for about 25 years in Rochester, New York, also the home of suffragist Susan B. Anthony.  Near Anthony's home is a small park, and there, you will find this statue, called "Let's Have Tea".  Here, Anthony and Douglass's statues...well, they have tea.  A black former slave and a white school teacher having tea as equals?  That, in itself, would have been a revolutionary act.

Douglass died on February 20, 1895, in Washington, DC, shortly after visiting a meeting of the National Council of Women, and receiving the last standing ovation of his life.

Douglass is buried in Rochester, New York.  Here is his grave in Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Mural of the Douglass-Anthony Bridge, Trader Joes, Pittsford, New York

Also in Rochester is the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge.

Although our nation's leader may have incorrectly implied that Douglass was still alive, he was right in one respect.  The vision of Frederick Douglass is alive.  His courage in learning to read and escaping slavery still inspires us.  His supporting the rights of minorities and the rights of women continue to be carried forward by those who still believe in his vision. He taught that protest must always be peaceful, and that we must never give up when protesting for a just cause.

Next year will mark the 200th anniversary of Douglass's unknown birthday - and we can even hope that our President will wholeheartedly join in.

Come to think of it - yes, in a way, maybe Frederick Douglass is still alive - in all of us.