A celebrity has just as much right to speak out as people who hold real jobs. This is America, after all, and you should not be precluded from voicing your opinions just because you sing songs, mouth other peoples’ words on a sitcom or, for that matter, spin a giant multi-colored wheel on a game show.
American journalist, actor, and game show host, Pat Sajak, was born on this day in 1946.
I get Pat’s point. And, I fully understand that he was speaking as a conservative to who got (gets?) a lot of flak for speaking his mind.
But sometimes I wish that actors and singers and other entertainers would do just that.
Mug Shots (click the pic)
At the same time, I’m finding it incredibly difficult to do so myself.
Let’s be clear, I’m pretty solidly on the conservative side, if even the more libertarian flavoring of such conservatism. And I spent multiple years fighting the good fight.
It’s not that my beliefs have changed (some have), but I know, as Sajak was probably alluding to in this statement, that speaking out about conservative views isn’t always respected or appreciated in the arts.
To be honest, it’s usually scoffed at or derided.
It’s a shame. I mean, it would be great to have a world where people are respected for the quality of their work and allowed to speak their opinions freely.
Society just doesn’t work that way.
I’ve made a conscious choice. I can’t write in as prolific and opinionated matter as I used to and peacefully work in the theater community. So, I mostly keep quiet.
And scroll past a helluva lot of posts.
I made my preferences known in 2016. It was neither of the two and I cast my vote for Gary Johnson. I do not regret it.
So, I’ll go ahead and say it now.
Next Tuesday, I’ll be casting my vote for Ed Gillespie, Jill Vogel, and John Adams.
(John Adams? I know him…)
I digress.
It is unlikely that I will change anyone’s mind with this post. Yet another reason I stopped spending so much time writing about it. I could inflame passions and piss people off with the best of them.
But, I don’t think I ever changed any minds.
Let me just say this.
The next Governor of Virginia will be the seventh (and hopefully final if that retirement thing works out) governor that I have worked for. I know who I want that to be.
Will my life change dramatically if it’s not? Not likely.
I learned to stop hoping for election results to fulfill my dreams a long time ago.
True story and honest confession. Back in 2005 my office window faced the back of the Virginia Executive Mansion. I had a little Post-it note on my window that said “Get out of Jerry’s house.”
I think we all know how that worked out.
So, I’ll just make this my annual pitch.
Regardless of how you choose to vote….choose to vote. Or shut up.
Rude? Maybe.
But, if you’re not part of the process, even when that process is flawed and choices are limited, you’re the problem.
While I think there should be universal coverage for chill pills and that everyone, not just the President, should just tone down the rhetoric, I do think it’s important to express your views.
Maybe if I could do that without running the risk of being called a racist, or a sexist, or a Nazi, I’d speak out a little more.
But, as I’ve indicated, some fights just aren’t worth the picking.
So, I’ll speak quietly and carry a big vote. That’s my best shot at making a difference.
Yours, too.
Not to be missed, Hillary Rodham #notthepresident Clinton was born on this day in 1947, five years before Sir Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Sorry, not sorry. We didn’t have an acceptable choice last year. I’ve already told you that.
And now we’ll return you to your regularly scheduled mostly-not-political postings.
AND, FINALLY,
New Zealand-American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Keith Urban, was born on this day in 1967.
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tone down the rhetoric, I do think it’s important to express your views.
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