A TRUE STORY EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
Yesterday a dear friend sent me an email entailing this very important information about the importance of women voting. I am proud to say that in April, I celebrated my 30th year as a registered voter. To date I have never missed an election. Not that anyone is handing out perfect attendance certificates or anything, but if they were..well..ahem..that’s right.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. That is only a mere 92 years ago. I know people who have furniture older than that for god sakes!
The women who fought for our RIGHT to vote were innocent and defenseless. They were jailed for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
They were hell raisers with a cause and willing to do whatever it took to ensure that their daughters and grand daughters would have a say at the polls. This included going to prison and being tortured for nothing more than … “obstructing sidewalk traffic.”
Alice Paul
Rocking the Vote
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
Woodrow Wilson and his cronies tried to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. It is inspiring to know that a doctor refused to bend to the persuasion. The doctor stated that Alice Paul was strong and brave. That didn’t make her crazy.
He informed the men that ‘Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.’ Hmm, it appears some things haven’t changed.
Now, doesn’t Alice’s story make your already lame excuses for NOT voting seem …just a tad….PATHETIC?
It’s hard to believe that in 92 short years we went from being put behind bars, beaten, tortured, starved and even dying just to have the right to walk into a voting booth, close the curtain and cast our votes …. to avoiding it like the plague with lamest of lame excuses.
Come on ladies … even your excuses lack creativity. No flavor..dull..boring and frankly, LAZY!
- Carpool? …. You can bring the kids with you, perhaps you could set an example.
- We have to get to work? … No problem, polls are open from 7am -8pm.
- Our vote doesn’t matter? … Bush/Gore … yea, it does.
- It’s raining? … Don’t worry, you won’t melt.
- I’m so busy … Solving world peace, on the brink of curing cancer? No, you’re not.
- I’ve got so much on my plate! … Really?… So did Alice Paul!
Life With The Top Down 
I have a feeling records will be broken this election. High numbers of voters. Sure as h$%l hope so!
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Amen to that!
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Wow, I think you just changed my mind about voting. Thanks, I needed that
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You are very welcome. When I was reading about the sacrifices these women endured I was horrified.
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Great post. You need to bring this out in late October!
Oh, and it is my fault George W Bush became president. I lived overseas and my ballot did not show up. I couldn’t vote. I am so sorry, world. Truly sorry.
I do my penance by working towards electing democrats to office.
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Dear god I’ll be posting this up until election night the way things are going!
Sorry..as you should be! Do you even understand what I was like during that 2nd set of 4 years? Ooo, it wasn’t pretty. Hahaha
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Yes, I knew the second 4. I returned to the US in 2002 and started working for Kerry in 04. Had better luck in 06 when I worked for Jim Webb here in VA, and for Tim Kaine for Gov (wait that was 2005, I think). I’ll be working for Obama, and for Kaine in VA. I’ve donated to Eliz Warren in Massachusetts because she is my hero. There is so much to do.
I put a link on my calendar to reblog this close to the election if that’s ok with you (I’m always reluctant to re-blog as some folks like it, others don’t!
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I wish more youth understood how precious it is to be able to vote.
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I campaigned for a few Presidents (never GWB.either one). Women in other parts of the world would walk a hundred miles for the chance to vote and many of us here in the states are afraid it will interfere with the nail apt.. I VOTE!!!!
Great post!!
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In addition to not being able to vote, it was pretty easy for a man, tired of his wife, to have his wife declared insane. I met such a woman that was finally released after nearly 50 years of being in the institute. She was totally sane only greatly affected mentally from having been so long at the institute. Rights and freedom are not free. Someone always has to pay. Voting seems such a small price to pay that these rights and freedoms may continue.
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Wow! How fortunate for you to meet such an incredible woman..that is just an unfathomable experience.
100% agree with it being a small price! What has happened to people today? I don’t know (1) person my age or younger who would willingly suffer for a cause. Hell, they won’t even speak-up let alone be jailed. My daughter, a college freshman read this yesterday and told me in that her Media professor presented the question “how many of you are registered to vote?” Sadly, 2 hands went up..you know she was one of the 2. I’ll have to repost this around election time!
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Reblogged this on Life With The Top Down and commented:
I think this would be a good day to remind so many about the importance of VOTING. Regardless of your party it’s a RGHT that should never be taken lightly.
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I am presently working (as I did 4 yrs ago) at a campaign office for BO.. Like you said, regardless of who you support, use your rights..
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My husband’s great-grandmother was one of those women…he is a great champion of women’s rights.
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Cheers & Applause! That is so incredible to have those strong genes in your family…you are indeed fortunate. Your husband is now of Rock Star status in my view.
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I keep telling him: the day he found me was my lucky day! 😉
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Thank you so much for doing this. I would re-blog it but being Canadian I don’t know how many of my readers would be affected by this. I put out a call for Americans to protect our votes months ago because I was at the tail end of the “Burn the Bra” Women’s Rights Movement & I so much do NOT want to see the rights women have worked so hard to gain yanked away by some men masking their motives behind religious beliefs.
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Fantastic post! Great reminder!
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Thanks for stopping by, especially to catch that important message.
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Excuse: I don’t have an ID. – Well, if you live in a voter suppression state, try to get your papers in order today to get an ID. True, it’s a hassle and an outrage to be required to show one at the polls, but don’t give in. Ask someone to help you if you are not sure how to get one.
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Brialliant post. Every word so true. There is no excuse for not voting. Today, there are millions of people in countries around the world who are still fighting and dying to win the right to vote. So nobody who has a vote should waste it. If you don’t vote you don’t get the right to critisize the party/person who wins the election.
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Exactly! Thanks for stopping by.
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I was working my son over the other day to make sure he is registered where he lives now because if not, he has a limited window to get that absentee ballot.
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I just did the same for my daughter away at college!
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I’ve been voting since I was 18 and it drives me insane when I hear people tell me that they don’t vote. I just don’t understand how they can’t do this when millions of people all over the world would love to have this right in their countries.
Did you see the HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels? It tells the stories of the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
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No I didn’t see that and I know I would love it.
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[…] women, like Alice Paul, had to fight for the right to vote! And after all of that work, it would be an incredible […]
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