Today is the state-wide primary election in California and yes, I voted.
I declared myself as an Independent, meaning I have no political party affiliation. That means I’m not a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Peace and Freedom, Communist, Socialist, or Green, or any other political party out there. And that’s fine with me. I want to be a good citizen, and you can do that without being associated with any political party.
I will say this though: I refused to vote Democrat and when a Democratic political canvasser came to my door on Saturday, reminding me to vote and preferably Democrat, I shut him off. “Never Democrats.” End of discussion.
While parts of California may be liberal and the state overall belongs to the Democratic party, other counties are actually politically conservative.
But this is not why I’m posting. I could explain why I’m a conservative but not a member of the Republican party. I could explain why I believe the Democratic Party is morally and spiritually bankrupt and just overall deluded, but that’s not why.
I could respond to the cynics who believe their vote doesn’t count especially in a county that goes predominantly the other way, but that’s not why.
I could tell you what I think about the role of government and John Calvin’s three spheres of influence and power, but that’s not why.
Rather, the focus is to remind people of whatever party that America is still a nation for the people and by the people. Look at the totalitarian states like China, North Korea, and Cuba. You only get a vote if you are the member of one particular party of which you join only by invitation. And then when you are in, you pretty much vote the same way as everyone else. All the while, you’re playing games and saying the same thing so you don’t get kicked out. No conscience, no critical thinking. Not in America. You are free to vote. And you are free to vote your vote.
I’ll be glad come June 6 because that’s when I stop receiving all the political ads in the mail and robo-calls. I’ll be glad for silence. But until then, I am glad that I receive them because it reminds me that politicians at least give lip service that they are civil servants. This reminds me of a funny conversation in the movie Gladiator where two patrician Roman senators are debating where they truly understand the masses. One said that he hardly can be called a man of the people (a plebian). The other retorts that “while I am not a man of the people, I am a man for the people.”
America is not perfect. We don’t always do it right or do the right thing. We are not the first or oldest democracy in the world. We are divided on many key issues. On the one hand, we have a rugged individualist outlook with cowboys, the Marlboro Man, and John Wayne. On the others, academia today bogged down with a zeitgeist of conformity to progressive outlooks and the politically correct agenda. We have issues of cultural identity, immigration, and what that means. But at the very least, we remember today is a day for all citizens to be that: citizens of a great republic.
What Americans forgot is that America is pretty much the only nation in the world which may be bound by geography but not ethnicity. Two hundred and forty years ago when the United States came into existence and even now, we were the first nation to be born based on ideals, not ethnicity or even religion. No more former Dutch people in New Amsterdam/ New York; no more Roman Catholics in Maryland, no more Scotch-Irish in North Carolina – just America. Whenever I go to Asia and tell people I’m American, I get strange looks because I don’t look like the stereotypical American. One Chinese person even tried to correct me; I gave him a dirty look. You can be “white”, “black”, “Asian-Pacific Islander”, “Other”; you can be native born or naturalized; but when you swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, you are an American.
Oh, if you are not American, as you read this, consider participating in your own country’s political processes regardless of which political party. One, you never know if you might affect change. Two, if you truly care about your country, this is one way to do so. Three, remember that governments can only do so much. God does the rest.
amicusveritae 