#10 Favorite Memory From Fall 2008

#10 Election Day

Although I HATE political ads for many reasons ( in case you're interested - a. they are annoying, b. there are so many better ways to spend millions of dollars c. most of the time they don't really educate you on the measures or candidates d. they are often hateful and just bashing the opponent)

I love election day, especially on the years we get to vote for president. It is exciting to take part in choosing our leaders and turning in that ballot. Can I just say I love the mail in ballot?! I enjoyed studying each of the many measures - I did one or two each morning while I ate breakfast. There were quite a few that I started out with one view and after reading the arguments for/against I changed my mind. I love getting to have my "say". I think it is amazing to think about the fact that women have only had the right to vote for less than a century. I'm glad I live in a time when I can take part in choosing our leaders and defining our laws.

Sarah has been very interested in all the political talk and Natalie, who I thought was totally oblivious to the whole thing, came home the day after the elections talking about Barack Obama being our new president. It's great having the opportunity to talk about the way our country works and how lucky we are to live where we have a voice. This is an exciting time.

The one thing that has made me sad this week is seeing the harassment of our church since the Prop 8 measure passed, and even before the elections. It has been so frustrating to hear blatant lies about Mormons, reading about the harassment of members trying to go to the temple in Los Angelas and to hear stories of vandalism and threats to those who dared to put up signs supporting the proposition. So many have been genuinely scared to say what they think. It is maddening to think about people trying to bully others into voting a certain way. That is not how our country works. The topic of homosexuality is very sensitive and I can understand the genuine disappointment of those who saw the proposition as intolerant and unfair, but there are some who have taken their frustration to a very scary level.

On Sunday, I found out there was a death threat to the Mormon kids in the high school that many of my young women attend. They all kind of brushed it off, but the school is taking it seriously and requested police presence the day that the threat said it would supposedly be carried out. I'm sure this is only one story of the intimidation people are trying to use. The saddest part is that our church leaders and doctrine only teach compassion and Christ like love. We are not hateful of anyone, no matter who they are or what their sexuality may be. I am grateful for so many other Christian faiths that have stood up for our church as it has been so unfairly targeted and slandered. I hope that the vicious and ugly turn these protests have taken will cool off before anything tragic happens. It is awful to worry about your own safety and the safety of those you care about because of an election. I am sad that a few people have turned to bullying and lies to threaten our basic rights of voting and free speech. It sounds like stories you hear about in other countries, not America.

Ah, but I hate to end on a negative note. I believe that the vast majority of the people on both sides of the issue are good people and I am grateful for that. I still have faith in our political system and our country. We really are the luckiest people in the world to live in the United States. I feel like I should end by breaking out in song . . . but I'll spare you. (o: