A Message From The Publisher
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
What has changed since 9-4-08 when I first wrote this article? Only the names have changed and not necessarily to protect the innocent. We should also note: “loud voices do not mean votes.”
Let me congratulate those candidates who won their respective races, their opponents and those citizens who thought it important, respectful and necessary to fulfill their obligations to the other citizens in trying to get the best representation for the needs of their communities.
It is a very sad and disappointing day when Black people fail at an opportunity to make a difference in the political make-up of any given arena, especially when afforded the privilege to change it by voting and having your votes counted.
Never mind that we fail at creating a healthier opportunity for us to be successful by doing our preliminary homework. We didn’t “meet before the meeting” to strategize to put the BEST person in the position to win.
Is it pride or is it stupidity or just stupid pride? How soon we forget or did we ever learn that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall?” Proverbs 16:18
Hypothetically speaking, if there was a race that had two dogs and two cats as candidates, and the two dogs together had more votes than the two cats combined. Presume, however, that one of the cats won. Common sense would tell you that if one of the dogs had pulled out, the other dog would have won hands down. It’s a dog gone shame that the dogs did not come together to put the better dog in the race.
Voting is a privilege that has individual benefits, but when those benefits become personal to the extent that they jeopardize the well being of a community, we need to check ourselves and do a reality check to find out where we really stand. Lest we forget the lives that were taken for our right to vote; not just to vote but to vote with the knowledge and confidence of knowing what you were voting for.
With less than 10 percent of the voting population turned out to vote, the question is, do we truly want our voices heard? If you don’t vote, “don’t say nothing ‘bout nothing!” We need to encourage voter education to do away with voter stagnation because of information complication.
A significant part of our judicial system has just undergone a dramatic change and a lot of us have no idea what just happened. The lost of minority judges may increase minority representation in our penal system due to the lack of a cultural understanding. A judgeship and all that surrounds it is supposed to be non-partisan and un-biased; it’s hard to tell from this election.
I remember a commercial that said, “If this is progress, I don’t want to go.” We have a lot of work to do. Just when it appeared that we were moving ahead in the right direction, we have taken an about face, headed toward a new slavery, one that shackles mentally instead of physically.
What happens if we carry a misinformed, mentally enslaved, shackled mind into the Nov. 3rd Presidential Election? We will have blown an opportunity that… who knows ?, may be gone forever.
Yes, it is important to vote but it is also extremely important to know who to vote for, so don’t just vote! Vote with authority, so we all can be helped!
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1
