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!