Don't Let Them Stop You From Voting

Some political candidates fear that they cannot win an honest election. Rather than face the truth and accept defeat with grace, they proclaim that any result which doesn't go their way must be "rigged".

What they really mean is that they haven't been able to rig it in their own favor.

So, in desperation, they decide that their only chance is to prevent people from voting.

In some locations, bullies and thugs will be present at polling places, attempting to interfere with the right of citizens to vote. In particular, they will target people of color and people whose first language is not English. They may also target people they think might be poor, gay, Muslim, college students, or members of almost any ethnic minority.

They may do this simply by hanging around the polling place, possibly wearing fake badges to make themselves look official. They may call out insults to the people who are in line to vote. They may try to intimidate voters by taking pictures or videos of people coming and going from the polling place. They may try to conduct "exit polls" of people leaving the polling place.

Some may carry this further by challenging the eligibility of voters. They may try to claim that you are not properly registered, or that you are not who you say you are.

Some may try to use other kinds of scare tactics. For example, they may post flyers near polling places, claiming that people with outstanding parking tickets or unpaid child support can be arrested when they identify themselves to vote. This is not true!

Here's the good news: This kind of voter intimidation is uncommon. Most of us will not run into anything like this. Even though you may have heard a desperate candidate encouraging his supporters to do these things, in most places it will not happen.

What if something like this does occur in your town? Don't be intimidated. Voting is your right. The system cannot work unless everyone has a chance to participate.

Remember:

• If someone is trying to intimidate voters on election day, notify the poll workers. They know the rules and know how to deal with the problem.
• Before you go to the polling place, write down the phone number of your local election board. If you run into a serious problem, you can call them for help.
• You do not have to tell anyone how you plan to vote. If you are approaching a polling place and someone asks you how you are going to vote, ignore them and keep on walking.
• Some news organizations conduct exit polls so they can report the progress of the election. Some intimidators may conduct exit polls as well. You can participate in an exit poll if you want to, but you do not have to. You can simply say no thanks and keep on walking.
• If your eligibility to vote is in question, ask the poll worker for a provisional ballot.
• Do not get into an argument with anyone at or near the polling place. This will not solve the problem, and it could get you in trouble. Bullies and troublemakers should be ignored or reported to authorities.
• Don't let anyone scare you. If you feel a little bit scared, breathe slowly and deeply to calm yourself. Then vote.

 

Vote

Please don't let anyone convince you that it's a done deal and that there is no point in voting. We need every vote, now more than ever.

In addition to the presidential race, there are many people running for Congress and other offices.

In the area where I live, we have 17 propositions on the ballot!

Don't let bad weather or long lines or other people's opinions keep you from voting. This election is extremely important, and in many places it is likely to be a close race. Every vote will matter.

Guns on Campus

Whenever there is a school shooting, many people suggest that lives would be saved if teachers were armed.

I'm a teacher on a college campus. I can imagine exactly what would happen if the school decided I should have a gun in the classroom.

First, I can easily pass a background check. I have no criminal record and no history of mental illness. Buying me a gun shouldn't present any problems. (But this may not be true for all teachers at all schools.)

Next, I'll just assume that the school pays to provide me with proper training, and that I do reasonably well in target practice. The cost of guns and training for all teachers, as well as the likely increase in insurance premiums, may be prohibitive for an already cash-strapped institution. But for this story, let's pretend that the school can afford this without having to cut back on books and supplies or fire some of the maintenance workers.

Now I have a gun at school. Where will I keep it? A locked cabinet would be a safe place, but it wouldn't do me much good if a gunman burst into the room. I can't keep the gun in a desk drawer or in my book bag, since it would be too easy for a mischievous or malevolent person to get it. So I guess I'll have to wear it in a holster on my hip. Will my new security-guard look support the comfortable, nurturing relationship I have with my students? Hard to say.

Next let's imagine that the worst happens and some sick loser decides to shoot up the school. If he bursts into my classroom, guns at the ready, it is unlikely I will have time to draw my weapon. He will get the first shot, and that will be that. In fact, this was the first objection my students raised when I asked them if they would feel safer if I had a gun. They pointed out that a killer who knew that teachers were armed would intentionally target me first. That wasn't a comforting thought for any of us.

In a slightly different scenario, the killer starts shooting in the classroom next to mine, and I'm aware of what is happening. I might try to help the occupants of that room by running over there with my gun. But I probably won't be very effective. I don't know exactly where the shooter is in the room -- and I don't want to accidentally shoot a student -- so I'll need at least a tiny bit of time to find my target and aim. At the same time, I'm coming through the doorway, which makes me a nicely framed target for a guy who already has his guns out and doesn't share my concern about collateral damage.

Maybe my students and I can just crouch behind our desks and wait. I'll aim my gun at the door, ready to take out the shooter as he enters. At this point, the question might be, do I have the heart to pull the trigger? I do. But I had better be a really good shot. I'll probably have just one chance to bring this guy down. I'll only have time for one shot. If I miss, that's it. My handgun against his semi-automatic rifle is no contest.

At this point, some people might suggest that having even more guns in the classroom would solve the problem. What if some, or all, of my students were armed? Couldn't they simply overwhelm the gunman with their collective firepower?

Maybe. And in that tiny classroom, in an atmosphere of terror and chaos, there will be any number of stray bullets, ricochets, and weapons pointed the wrong way. How many of us will be caught in the crossfire? I don't want to find out.

Don't forget, by now the police have been called and a SWAT team is in the building. If we are all waving guns around, how will the officers know the difference between good guys and bad guys? How likely is it that an innocent person who happens to be holding a gun (and is too terrified and excited to realize it's time to drop it) will be perceived as a threat and be shot by our rescuers?

In the meantime, think about those armed students. Most are between 17 and 24 years old. Science tells us that most of them have brains that have not yet fully matured, particularly in the areas which are needed for rational decision making. How helpful will they really be in an emergency? In the course of an ordinary school year, what will happen to all those guns? Some students will lose them, the same way they lose their cell phones and their textbooks. Some will occasionally leave the gun at home, sitting on an end table or perhaps cleverly hidden under the mattress, where their six-year-old siblings will find it. Some will show off their guns to each other at lunch time, and now and then someone will be accidentally shot.

And, while the overwhelming majority of my students are good-natured and peaceful, it is inevitable that there will be the occasional troubled soul among them. Someone who will experience road rage on the way to school. Someone who will be obsessed with jealousy and hatred for his romantic rival. Someone who will become depressed and suicidal. Someone who will go nuts because he failed his classes. Someone who will take advantage of the opportunity to become the next school shooter.
 

Why Punctuation Matters

One day, my third grade teacher wrote this sentence on the board.

The teacher said the principal is a fool.

We laughed.

"What if the principal walked in right now and saw this?" she asked. "How could I explain it?"

We didn't know. We thought she would be in a lot of trouble.

The teacher smiled. "I would just tell him that I hadn't finished punctuating the sentence." She corrected the sentence, and ended up with something quite different.

"The teacher," said the principal, "is a fool."

We were impressed. It is a lesson I have never forgotten. Punctuation and spelling are not simply mental exercises. They are tools that help us communicate more clearly. As bloggers and writers, we need to master the fundamentals of written language in order to be understood, to build credibility, and to gain the respect of our readers.

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