365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, February 24, 2020
Visual Metaphor
Day 134: Rural residents of Washington have been able to vote by mail for decades, and I believe the option now extends to urban residents as well. I used to think this was a good thing, but several other factors make me very nervous. Some time ago, we went to numbered ballots and a big deal was made out of the fact that you can check on line to see if your ballot number has been counted. In the current presidential primary, you are required to declare a party affiliation by checking the appropriate box on the outside of the return envelope. Your name and your ballot number also appear on the return envelope, and therefore may not be quite as "confidential" as you are led to believe. Once completed, your ballot can be dropped at a collection site or it can be put in the mail...to pass through the hands of any number of postal employees and/or contract carriers who can see your party declaration. While I'd like to believe that everyone who handles my ballot is a fine, upstanding citizen, the current political climate does not allow me that comfort. Even if I had that assurance, I'm still left with the feeling that my vote is...well, surely you've picked up on the visual metaphor in the photo by now.
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