Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher

It’s time to vote

The most important participant in democratic government is not the officeholder, but the voter. For the system to work effectively, the electorate has a responsibility to be well-informed and to turn out at the polls on Election Day.

The development of technologically sophisticated communications media makes it easier for citizens to stay well-informed on the issues, but there is also a downside. Crafty politicians can more easily inundate the public with disinformation. Also, as recent primaries have shown, the media can muddy the waters with questionable predictions on the outcome of elections.

Voters are understandably frustrated with the devious games that seem to be an inseparable element of politics. However, an unacceptable strategy in response to the political machinations is to stay away from the polls. The obvious consequence of that is for voters to become the victims of a corrupt system.

The primary solution is for voters to become well-informed and politically active in support of those candidates who support the right issues.

However, that approach will not be enough in the process of selecting a nominee for the presidency. In the Democratic race, the parties are fairly close on the issues. The bigger question is which candidate has the charisma to enliven the public and create the necessary pressure for political change.

The Banner has endorsed Barack Obama because he is the only Democratic presidential candidate with the charisma, the intellect, the experience and the integrity to bring about fundamental change in America.

On the Republican side, the choice has narrowed to Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Of these, Romney fails the authenticity test. He waffles and changes so much that it is impossible to know for certain where he stands on any issue. Voters have a responsibility to remain alert and not be deceived. Many voters were tricked by President George W. Bush, who famously described himself as “the compassionate conservative.”

Failure to vote empowers the political villains. Go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 5, if only to record your participation in the process.

Salt in the wounds

For African Americans, the noose is a hostile symbol of racial oppression. In the 80 years from 1880 to 1960, more than 4,700 people were lynched in this country, and the noose was the preferred means of execution.

In recent years, there had not been much concern about the noose, until the Jena, La., incident last September, when marchers protested the judicial treatment of six black students punished for fighting with white high school students over their display of a noose on the school grounds. Since the Jena Six became a national story, about 60 noose incidents have been reported around the country.

“Folks gotta step up.”