You Can Thank a Veteran for That
Straight Talk with Sam
Election Day should be a time for Americans to celebrate, to reflect on what the right to vote really means for all of us. Regardless of the outcome of any single election, the fact that each of us has a choice, a say on the path our government takes in the future, is something no one in this country should take for granted.
But as consequential as Election Day was, America observed an even more important day last week. Friday was Veterans Day, a time to step back and think about why we are fortunate enough to live in a country that guarantees all of those freedoms.
That process we completed on Tuesday - the democratic election that allowed all of us the opportunity to select the people who represent us in government - you can thank a veteran for that.
You can thank a veteran for the right to freely express yourself in America - the right to protest, the right to free press, and the right to practice whatever religion you want. None of those persists without the men and women who have risked everything to serve and protect the country we love.
We officially honored them for that last Friday, on Veterans Day. But the sacrifices they made for this country affect all of us every day, and we can never forget that.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves