New Citizen Proudly Casts Her First Vote For Kerry

Went into Eckerds to pick up some supplies with my friend.  As we waited in line to pay, the woman behind the counter said with a thick accent, "I like you". We looked at each other smiled and asked why? She said because today I voted for the first time since I got my citizenship for the same great man and pointed to my John Kerry button.  She was beaming with pride.  She was glowing and you could just sense the excitement in her voice.

She said, "My Mother and I voted for the first time together and we waited in line for 3 hours, but it was worth every minute. The time just flew by."

I asked her how it felt to vote and she said "incredible". "In Cuba, I can not vote to get rid of Castro and replace him with a better man, but here I can and I did. All of my relatives are doing the same thing today."

We were so inpired by that moment.  That is what this is all about.  It's about our ability to correct a mistake. It is about our right to speak our mind with a vote.  It is about citizenship, responsibility, and celebrating freedom and it was all encapsulated in the bright smile of a recent immigrant that fled oppression adn celebrates freedom.  

I am so thankful her first vote will have such an impact and I am so thankful that for the first time in a long time, such a large number of our citizens are motivated by their desire to change their country and she saw the best of what we are capable of doing.

What a great day this is to be an American.