Serving our Nation

You know we hear a lot about the people in the military who serve our country, and I agree they serve hard often at huge cost to their physical and mental and probably spiritual well-being. Today I want to write something about another kind of service, the civil service of a person who is now being vilified by the Republican party.

Jennifer Bruener is the Secretary of State in Ohio. She was interviewed on teh Rachel Maddow show on Friday and something she said just hit me hard. Ohio just won a supreme court decision that allows them to NOT have to check every voter registration against a bunch of other databases that they don't have control over and no way of verifying their accuracy. This is important becasue it will prevent 200,000 estimated voters from ahaving to use "provisional" ballots that then may not get counted....but that isn't what hot me. Ms. Bruener is being vilified by some speakers on behalf of the National and Ohio Republican Committees. Rachel quoted some of teh statements...the usual partisan blah blah...and I wondered why is it when the Republicans lose it has to be partisan political manuevering, they never just lose....sigh...anyway, Ms. Bruener said "If I have to be a lightening rod to take this so that the election Boards can do their jobs in peace, so be it." That statement moved me in a weird way. I was really proud of her - I mean no one wants to be vilified in the press, especially for simply trying to do what they can to keep voters able to vote but here is this woman saying you know what, if it means that people WITH the RIGHT to vote get to vote, bring it on. To me that is the epitome of service to her country.

So Thanks Jennifer Bruener for your service to this country.