In an election likely to be decided as much by voter turnout as by convincing the remaining undecided, how do we maintain the hope that’s necessary to keep making the phone calls, knocking on the doors, funding the key ads, and doing all the other critical tasks to get Bush out of office?

Even those of us working hard for change hit walls of doubt and uncertainty about whether our actions really matter. Our spirits rise and fall as if on a roller coaster with each shift in the polls. In a time when lies too often seem to prevail, we wonder whether it’s worthwhile to keep making the effort.

We need to remind ourselves that we never can predict all the results of our actions. A few years ago, I met a Wesleyan University student who, with a few friends, registered nearly three hundred fellow students concerned about environmental threats and cuts in government financial aid programs. The Congressman they supported won by twenty-one votes. Before they began, the student and her friends feared that their modest efforts would be irrelevant.

Perhaps President Bush won the election legitimately.  Perhaps not.  The simple truth is -- we will never know nor will we be able to know.  Millions voted in an election that left no audit trail whatsoever.  And whether a citizen supported the President or Sen. Kerry, either way, the lack of verifiability is bad for our democracy, our nation, and our people.

People in this nation and across the world have died for the right to vote.  Not far from the ruins of the World Trade Center stood the Statue of Liberty, as she has for over a century, welcoming millions who gave every last thing they had to reach our shores for a simple promise -- that all citizens have the right to participate.

A verifiable vote is necessary for any person to claim to understand the true will of the people.  We the people know that good decision making for the general welfare begins when our voices are heard accurately.

How is it Mr. Colin Powell cannot accept the results of the Ukrainian elections because the exit polls didn't match the election results, but he can accept the results of the elections here in the United States when the exit polls showed Kerry winning in a landslide?

Fill in the blanks: (Powell):"We cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse," he said. "It is still not too late for ______ authorities to find a solution that respects the will of the __________ people."

I am baffled that the mainstream media has been reporting on the Ukrainian election problems with such furvor while leaving the same legitimate questions unasked in our own country.

Thank you for your time and considering my letter for your publication.

Sincerely,
Francis Shields
Glenside, PA

How do we learn to keep on in this difficult political time, and keep on with courage and vision? A few years ago, I heard Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak at a Los Angeles benefit for a South African project. He'd been fighting prostate cancer, was tired that evening, and had taken a nap before his talk. But when Tutu addressed the audience he became animated, expressing amazement that his long-oppressed country had provided the world with an unforgettable lesson in reconciliation and hope. Afterward, a few other people spoke, and then a band from East L.A. took the stage and launched into an irresistibly rhythmic tune. People started dancing. Suddenly I noticed Tutu, boogying away in the middle of the crowd. I'd never seen a Nobel Peace Prize winner, still less one with a potentially fatal illness, move with such joy and abandonment. Tutu, I realized, knows how to have a good time. Indeed, it dawned on me that his ability to recognize and embrace life's pleasures helps him face its cruelties and disappointments, be they personal or political.

Few of us will match Tutu's achievements, but in a political time that's

Everybody loves a bargain, especially during the holiday shopping season.

In fact, that seems to be part of the fun of Christmas: finding that perfect gift for Uncle Fred on sale, or picking something up for little Timmy at half off. Many of us have a lot of folks to buy for, after all, and a limited budget, so paying full price is out of the question.

But for every buck or two we save while trolling the aisles of our local shopping mall or giant retail store, somebody somewhere else is probably picking up the tab. Shopping in the United States, long considered a national pastime, comes with its own hidden costs, especially when we start talking about the mega-retailers like Wal-Mart, Target or Sears.

And just because many of these costs are hidden from the average consumer doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Take wages, for example. One of the key ways to sell a product cheap is to keep costs down, and for most big retailers, that means paying their employees the very least they can.