I have never lived in a world where my right to vote, as a woman, was threatened. Until now. And I am here to ring the alarm bell. For weeks I have been stewing in my outrage over the SAVE ACT which has now passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. Although it is being disguised as a “national security” bill to quell supposed fears of non-existent illegal voting, what it really does is strategically and purposefully disenfranchise millions of voters, most of them women. First of all, it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote, and election audits have proven that attempts at illegal voting by non-citizens are extremely rare despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary. Either way, the law already exists and the penalties for illegal voting are harsh. So this bill does nothing new for that effort. It is all smoke and mirrors to distract us from its more sinister intention. What it does do, is essentially create a poll tax for the 79% of w...
When I was a kid, I entered an essay contest at the urging of my father. The given topic was "Freedom: Our Most Precious Heritage". There were no rules. Just to write about what that title meant to me. I spent a lot of time thinking about my father's military service and my appreciation for being born into a country where freedom was a gift given before I was born, one bestowed on us all as birthright but not earned, and not guaranteed. I came in 2nd. The judges said it was a hard decision but they felt the guy who won did so because he compiled a lot of research. Mine was more feelings, and although compelling and passionate, his was full of facts. And facts take time to research. Feelings just are. (Apparently the judges were unaware how many drafts my feelings actually require 😳) I think that has always sat with me in a negative way. Like I need to be a historian to speak about something. As if my voice isn't valuable on its own. Weeks ago, I committed to writin...