Take nothing for granted

Our View

Published on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:50 AM CST

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The newly formed democratic government of Iraq held its parliamentary elections this week. This in itself is remarkable, considering the country has been at war for the past seven years, and the residents are still reeling from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. What is even more remarkable is the number of people who went to the polls and actually voted. Authorities said that more than 63 percent of the registered voters in Iraq made it to the polls. These people braved suicide bombers, rocket attacks, snipers and armed raids on polling stations to exercise their basic right to vote.

In this country, the home of democracy, it is sometimes hard to even get 50 percent of the electorate to show up on election day. What does that say about us? Would we risk our lives to show up at a voting site if we knew there was a chance we might get blown up or shot? Don’t take anything for granted. Make your voice heard and participate in government. The American soldiers fighting in Iraq are sacrificing a lot and not just to bring democracy to Iraq. They also fight and die to keep our right to vote alive. Don’t let them down. If voters in Iraq are willing to sacrifice their lives to vote, shouldn’t we be just as committed?

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