YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

I grew up in a household where the majority of the dinner table conversation revolved around the politics of the day. In fact, to my family, politics is second only to religion. One of my dad’s favorite sayings is that, “Decisions are made by those who get involved.” Which is true. Those individuals who take the time to vote, get active in a campaign, or in any other way get involved in the political process ultimately determine who represents us not only in our cities and states but also our country. These elected officials in turn make policy decisions that affect every one of us. And if these elected officials want to get reelected they will be more than willing to listen to what his or her constituents want.

While it may seem that those who are currently in these offices do not listen to the concerns of our community or even care about what we want, part of the blame lies with us. We can’t just expect them to know what we want. We have to tell them what we want. We have to tell them that we want our Constitutional freedoms protected. That we want a United States foreign policy that is fair and just and that promotes human rights. While there is no guarantee that a particular candidate will win or that our concerns will ultimately be addressed it is much more likely to happen if we take the time to get involved. As one of my dad’s bumper stickers says, “Get involved…the world is run by those who show up.”

This year is our chance to have our voices heard. Many of the issues that are important to our community are important issues in the election (i.e. the War in Iraq, United States image abroad, and civil liberties). So vote, sign our National Petition, and even more importantly… get involved!

Yalla Vote!!

-Nadia

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.