| wwww.ericluck.net Eric Luck, the website world HQ for self promotion on the www |
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7/20 NOTE: Lately the best prices have been at PublishAmerica.com
Booksamillion.com PublishAmerica.com
7/20 NOTE: Lately the best prices have been at PublishAmerica.com
| Get my mystery/suspense novel, "Most Fortunate Son," by clicking on one of the following links: |
It is election day in the USA. I will vote. Today I am remembering some things I wrote here a few years ago having as much to do with the Iraq war than with voting. But the photo I used in that rant is on my mind today as I wait my turn to vote. So, read it again if you would. You get to have your own opinion about it. I would vote for that too. Remember that first election that the USA held in Iraq after the invasion? They dipped voters' index fingers in permanent purple ink to prove that they had voted and to prevent duplicate votes from the same people. The purple finger became a badge of honor in Iraq. I am wondering how this lady is today. Wish I knew and I still wish her well. reprise from January, 2006: As we slide on into the New Year, Iraq is on my mind. I have a niece who has been to Iraq many times. She is a soldier. I have lost sleep over her numerous trips as have her parents. She and the planes she has been on have been shot at. She has not been hit. I am not for the war. But I am for freedom and democracy. I am for my niece and her colleagues in the armed forces. These are easy things to say. It would be difficult to find people to argue with me so far. How much should we Americans pay for the Iraqis’ freedom? So far we have paid a lot. We have paid with the lives of nearly 2,500 of the very best the USA has to offer. Should we have gone there at all? The people we elected said “yes”. Not just the President. He has become quite a lightning rod for all bad feelings about everything. We all saw the same thing happen to President Clinton when he was impeached. When just under half the voters voted against you, there are strong feelings. That is the way democracy works. Congress had a landslide vote in support of the Iraq invasion. Do not fall for that rhetorical crap some Congressmen are dishing out now. The ones screaming the loudest voted in favor of the war at the time. Here is what I am for: I am in favor of this lady. What do you see in this photograph? Despite the traditional dress designed to disguise her, to hide her, I see defiance. I do not care what she wears or what religion she practices. I care that she chooses. Defiance is dripping down her finger in purple and she is pleased. No. It isn’t pleasure. It is entitlement. She believes she deserves the right to have a say in what happens in her country. I see determination, enormous determination. I see a lot of pride. She voted for the first time in her life. She is not a young girl. She knows what this means. It means that maybe her own daughter will have a say in how her own life turns out. People in America who are eligible to vote and do not register, or choose not to vote for any reason should be required to study this photograph. Honorable people died so you could have that right. Now, honorable people have died so she could have that right. Those brown eyes are pretty challenging and very, very confident. How confident has she been allowed to be during her life? I suspect confidence is not a familiar feeling to this woman. Consider that when her country was run by a dictator, a lying dictator who murdered his own people by the thousands, that black fabric was not allowed to uncover her face at all under penalty of death. There is anger. There is anger at her own countrymen who are determined that she should remain quiet and keep her thoughts to herself; Anger that the Americans must be in her country to help keep her own people from reigning terror on her and her family. I suspect she has had to witness things that I hope to never see or even know about. Certainly if she hasn’t seen such things, she knows about them. Some of the things we Americans have done in her country have helped this woman. She is showing us. She is proud to show us that some of what we have done has helped. I see hope. She has hope for the future of her family and of her country. If what I see in that photo is correct, our kids have not died without reason. I hope I am right. It seems fairly clear to me when I look in her eyes. This is a very powerful photograph. If I knew who took it I would give them credit they deserve. I saw it on the internet without a credit attached to it. After significant thought, I have concluded that if I took this photo, I would want people to see it and think about it more than I would want credit for taking it. So I beg for benevolence from the photographer. You took an important picture. I am overwhelmed by the emotion of this photograph. This photo tells me that at least some of what we have tried to do for this woman’s country is right. It is the confirmation that all Americans should want to have. I believe there are literally millions of people in Iraq like this woman. They have hope. She has hope. I have hope. We have paid an enormous price for the country of Iraq to become a democracy. It is arguable as to whether or not the price is too high. I admit wavering back and forth. I don’t want my son to go there. I don’t want him to go there for all the reasons I sifted through when my niece was there. It is painful to consider despite the fact that she is safely home now. It is a painful reality to lose so many like my own son for any reason. But believe me when I say this…I would go. I would be pleased to contribute to helping this woman and any like her. How many of the 2,500 we have lost felt that same way? I will bet...some did. I will bet most did. Argue politically about why we did anything in this woman’s country. That is the correct and healthy thing to do. That is what democracy allows and encourages. That is what this woman should be able to do as well. But do not deny this woman. I can see. She should not be denied. She is part of this argument. She should be able to participate in the argument. She has a say. She is entitled. You should vote today. There is no excuse not to. That ought to set the tone for a new year. |
| November 17, 2008 Kids Today We have celebrated both my son's birthday and his fiance's birthday since we shot these photos. They don't look much like kids, but I will keep on referring to them as that. When did I get so old? |
