Yaaaaaaaaaar!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

"It is your civic duty to vote" -- Pat Ward, Brookline Town Clerk

This morning, I was talking to my mother and encouraging her to go out and vote in today's primary election. In the course of our conversation, I expressed my belief that it was vital for me -- as a Jewish woman -- to go out and vote, since I have rights that I try not to take for granted. And my mother asked me where I got my passion about the importance of voting. It's not that my parents are not voters, but I, she said, seemed to have a deeper passion about it.

I barely had to think a moment. I knew exactly where I got my passion for voting: Mrs. Kaufman, my civics/social studies/ancient history teacher in junior high school and high school. She always talked about the importance of voting, of exercising your franchise and communicating with your state and local government. She instilled in me the belief that voting is our way of telling our representatives what we think of how they're doing their jobs. She was a big fan of Barney Frank even back then (we're talking the mid-1980s), and she felt that it was the responsibility of every citizen to take an active role in their government.

With that in mind, I voted this morning, a little after 7:00 AM. Whether or not the candidates I voted for win their primaries, I know that I took part in an important aspect of my citizenship and let my voice be heard.

And Yet Another Entry for "No, really. We talk like this."

Background: gnomi and mabfan are watching the pilot of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

( Contains spoilers for Studio 60 pilot )