Doing My Civic and Democratic Duty

Today, I voted for the first time. Yes, I voted in the last US Presidential elections. But, today, I voted for the first time as an Israeli citizen. I am very proud and happy right now. Now, I know that the are people out there who have voted many times, so it doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. But, it should. This is how I see it. I am so lucky and priviledged to live in a democratic and open society where I get to take part in deciding who will govern me and my country. And, there's no coercion involved. So many people in the world have to live in a place where they don't have the opportunity to decide their own fate, who have to make a "voting" decision based on some-one holding a gun to their heads, who are forced to exist under tyranny, dictators, and despots who govern peoples' lives through fear, terror, persecution, and violence. It's not just for novelty's sake that more than 70 MILLION people voted in Iraq's first ever free and democratic elections. These people understand what it means to be forced to "vote" in death, and now they know and understand what it means to be able to partake in a process in which they decide their fate. They decide who will lead them. I am sure it is a process they're not taking for granted. Any minute, democracy can be taken away by those wanting to govern others as slaves. I am happy that I was able to do my part in spitting on the faces who wish to drive me out of my home. My vote means I am here to stay. As the right takes the majority of the Knesset today, it is the entire people calling out to the world that they're fed up with hapless "peace accords" and processes by which Israel gives up everything and gets nothing but death and blood shed in return. IT is the peoples' way of screaming out, "NO MORE!" Today, the people have spoken, and their voices are loud, and their voices will be heard.