Castigate me and I will listen, but I doubt that I can ever be persuaded to mark a ballot again after my experience in 1992.
I spent over twenty minutes in the Hope High School Library, staring at that piece of paper that documented my contribution to "democracy", in growing frustration, trying to decide whether to make my mark next to 'Ross Perot', demonstrating my desire to help bring about a viable alternative to the travesty of "Two-Party, One-Power" American political "system", or to let my personal enmity toward Bill Clinton compel me to mark 'George H.W. Bush' to pad his numbers, knowing that the result would be broadcast across the nation due to it's being from Clinton's hometown.
I chose to mark 'Bush'.
And before I could escape the building, I felt sick to my stomach. Before I could drive home, I threw up.
From that day, I vowed to never again vote unless it was for someone whom I could be "FOR" wholeheartedly. I would never again go into a polling place only to vote "against" anyone.
In the ensuing years I decided that I would not give my imprimatur to the existing political process, instead I would write what I thought, watch from the sidelines, and wait however long it took, for the day to come when I could be proud to be a 'voting-American' again.
I'm still waiting.
stephenhsmith
24oct2006
