Jan 07 2009
Levi’s Licks Vol. 1: Today, Vote or Vanish
October 2006
Welcome to Levi’s Licks: Vote or Vanish. Last February, I was enraged when the news broke that the President authorized an illegal wiretapping program on Americans and lied about it to the public. For the first time in my song writing career, I picked up my guitar and wrote a protest song called “How Many Lies.” Since then, the passion for bringing my spirituality and values into the political arena has continued to burn intensely.
We live in a time filled with great fear and darkness. Many people have lost hope, and support the belief that things really can’t change. They feel that the system is too corrupt, corporations are too powerful, and their own individual voice doesn’t matter.
Yes, there are powerful forces at play that work in our society against actualizing great spiritual values such as compassion, cooperation, respect for differences, and loving-kindness. There is a powerful vested interest hell bent on keeping things the way they are regardless of the cost in human life and the health of the planet.
Even as our rights have eroded over the last 5 years through the Patriot Act, the illegal wiretapping program, and the recent Military Commissions Act, there is one right that is still ours if we are willing to use it. That is the right to vote.
Over the past decades, passivity has grown through much of the electorate, in particular among those who support liberal or progressive values. It has gotten to the point where more Americans voted for American Idol last May than voted for ANY president of the United States! Passivity erodes our ability to stand up for what we believe in. Over time, instead of fighting for what we know is right, we prefer to sit back and be entertained by things like American Idol.
These times are crying out for us to awaken from our deep sleep. It is time to take our cherished spirituality hand in hand with our precious right to vote and take action. Fortunately, we do live in a society where the vote still matters. If enough of us get out and use it, any attempts to manipulate the vote through tampering with electronic voting machines or other means, will be insignificant.
This election can show the world that we have had enough, that it is time to stand up and shout from the roof tops that we do demand change. This insanity is enough. All it takes is for each of us to take a stand and vote our hearts. I fear that if we don’t, the precious right to vote will eventually be taken away from us, and the experiment of democracy that has brought the world many gifts will die in this country.
In New Mexico, we have 2 options to make voting easier. They are absentee ballots and early voting. Both end Saturday, November 4th.
This is Levi, with Levi’s Licks.