Gratitude and Prayers on an Election Day
I pray this is not premature, but those brawny, intense figures in dark suits with wires coming out of their ears deserve our thanks on this election day.
Somehow in an epic election season rife with anger and racism, the Secret Service has managed to keep the candidates out of harm’s way, out of mortal danger. Because the Service is indeed secret, we will never know how they did it, but it certainly required intelligence (both kinds), hard work and courage.
I went to the Hillsdale Community Church over the lunch hour for an “election day vigil.” For much of the time I was the only one in the church, but in my mind and heart, I filled the rows of empty seats with prays for a multitude of voters across the land. I prayed for those waiting patiently to cast their ballots. I prayed their ballots would be counted.
When will the rest of the nation get real and vote by mail as we do here in Oregon?
I also prayed for those who tonight will experience defeat, whoever they might be. I hope they learn from their loss, seek to understand it and emerge better for it.
I prayed that those who are victorious are humbled by victory, good fortune and their huge challenges and grave responsibilities.
I prayed that winners and losers alike would see themselves as one with each other.
Turning back the clock four years:
To those who lost four years ago, consider this: Had John Kerry won, Barack Obama likely would not be on the ballot this year.
To those who won four years ago, consider this: Had George W. Bush lost four years ago, the Republicans would be in a much, much stronger position to win the 2008 election.
Somehow in an epic election season rife with anger and racism, the Secret Service has managed to keep the candidates out of harm’s way, out of mortal danger. Because the Service is indeed secret, we will never know how they did it, but it certainly required intelligence (both kinds), hard work and courage.
I went to the Hillsdale Community Church over the lunch hour for an “election day vigil.” For much of the time I was the only one in the church, but in my mind and heart, I filled the rows of empty seats with prays for a multitude of voters across the land. I prayed for those waiting patiently to cast their ballots. I prayed their ballots would be counted.
When will the rest of the nation get real and vote by mail as we do here in Oregon?
I also prayed for those who tonight will experience defeat, whoever they might be. I hope they learn from their loss, seek to understand it and emerge better for it.
I prayed that those who are victorious are humbled by victory, good fortune and their huge challenges and grave responsibilities.
I prayed that winners and losers alike would see themselves as one with each other.
Turning back the clock four years:
To those who lost four years ago, consider this: Had John Kerry won, Barack Obama likely would not be on the ballot this year.
To those who won four years ago, consider this: Had George W. Bush lost four years ago, the Republicans would be in a much, much stronger position to win the 2008 election.
Labels: Barack Obama, Black Box Voting, Hillsdale Community Church, John Kerry, Oregon, Secret Service, United Church of Christ
posted by Rick Seifert at
3:12 PM
1 Comments:
I know that Oregon's voting system works well, but as long as I've lived here I've missed the experience of going to the polls on election day. Voting by mail feels kind of anti-climactic to me.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how smoothly the election went, particularly in my home state of Ohio. My family there all voted early (a new option in the state). And thanks to Ken Blackwell's replacement Jennifer Brunner, their votes counted!
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