They say it never pays to stand up, because most people would prefer you sit down and shut up. And the Japanese have a saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, because they really like conformity. But that is easily countered by the idea that silence is complicity. And I’ve always admired guys like Woody Gutherie who wrote on his guitar, “This guitar fights fascists.” It was a fairly plain message about how he felt and it’s how I feel.

So, here I am again. And I really don’t know why, because I’m pretty sure I’m not changing anyone’s mind, and it would be a lot easier to just sit down and shut up, because unlike Woody I don’t have anything to offer other than these words. So, I guess I just want to get down on paper how I feel and maybe it’s just for my kids. And what I feel is this. This is an election where we get to vote for Democracy and Decency, and I think the lady who is running offers us the only chance for that outcome.

And I say this knowing full well, in the long history of countries, governance can change, democracy is not a given and decency certainly comes and goes, ask the Cambodians or the Germans. Look at the kings who have lost their heads, look at the dictators come and gone, and Rome started out as a Republic. So, I don’t think our struggle is even close to being over because it’s history and people addicted to power will do almost anything to get it and keep it.