Get up off your butt and vote!
If you haven’t listened to McCain, if you haven’t listened to Obama, if you haven’t voted, listen to four year-old Truett — the kids speaks the truth!
Tip of the old scrub brush to Jack Keady and all the people who keep all of our airplanes flying.
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Citizenship, Elections, Politics | Tagged: Citizenship, Cute Kid, election, Politics, voting | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
This one’s safe for work:
This one, not safe for work (profanity, usually mild – democratic ideas), but much funnier, and much more serious at the same time — I wish I’d known about it two months ago. Not nearly enough people have watched these, according to the YouTube counts:
If I can get five readers of this post, we’re home free, right?
Tip of the old scrub brush to UBZonker.
10 Comments | Campaigns, Citizenship, Civil Rights, Democracy, Democracy in action, Elections, Humor, Politics, U.S. Constitution, Voting Rights Act | Tagged: 5 Friends Vote, Campaigns, Citizenship, Constitution, Democracy, Elections, Humor, Politics, Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
“Paul Revere” at Effects Measure muses on the effect of one vote in the grand scheme of things, and comes up wondering whether it wouldn’t be a good idea to require voters to vote — as indeed is done in Australia (voters pay a fine for failing to vote).
It’s a good discussion of the impact one citizen’s vote really makes, a discussion leavened by the science background of Revere. The article would make a wonderful warm-up exercise for classes in civics, government, economics and U.S. history.
Voting is a privilege, but it’s also a duty of good citizenship. Should we require people to vote, by law, with criminal penalties for those who fail to make a choice at the polls?
What do you think?
3 Comments | Bell Ringers, Citizenship, Civil Rights, Economics, Government, Voting Rights Act, Warm-up exercises | Tagged: Citizenship, Elections, Government, Politics, voting | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Your kids don’t quite get the point of non-violent protest? The “Scarface” t-shirts outnumber “I Have A Dream” t-shirts on August 28? Do you wish you had some current examples of non-violent protest for classroom discussion?
Nonviolent protest helped disrupt a rally of VNN Vanguard Nazi/KKK in Knoxville, Tennessee, last may — courtesy of the usual clowns. You know, the ARA (Anti-Racist Action) clown block. It’s a good example of using peace to combat violence and hate.
Ridicule and laughter proved tougher than hate. Cooler, too. From a story at Asheville Indymedia:
“White Power!” the Nazi’s shouted, “White Flour?” the clowns yelled back running in circles throwing flour in the air and raising separate letters which spelt “White Flour”.
“White Power!” the Nazi’s angrily shouted once more, “White flowers?” the clowns cheers and threw white flowers in the air and danced about merrily.
“White Power!” the Nazi’s tried once again in a doomed and somewhat funny attempt to clarify their message, “ohhhhhh!” the clowns yelled “Tight Shower!” and held a solar shower in the air and all tried to crowd under to get clean as per the Klan’s directions.
At this point several of the Nazi’s and Klan members began clutching their hearts as if they were about to have a heart attack. Their beady eyes bulged, and the veins in their tiny narrow foreheads beat in rage. One last time they screamed “White Power!”
The clown women thought they finally understood what the Klan was trying to say. “Ohhhhh…” the women clowns said. “Now we understand…”, “WIFE POWER!” they lifted the letters up in the air, grabbed the nearest male clowns and lifted them in their arms and ran about merrily chanting “WIFE POWER! WIFE POWER! WIFE POWER!”
Tip of the old scrub brush to Bug Girl’s Blog, and Neat-o-rama.
2 Comments | Current History, Democracy, Education, First Amendment, Free speech, Freedom - Political, History, Humor, Nonviolent protest, Peace, Racism | Tagged: Citizenship, Democracy, First Amendment, Free Speech Racism, History, Knoxville, Non-violent Protest, Peace, Racism, White Power | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 