To Those Allowed to Vote:

I'm a Canadian citizen living in the USA as a legal, permanent resident. Although I am allowed to work and live in America with my greencard, I can't be drafted for war, I can't take advantage of some government programs and I can't vote.
My friend Lance recently said, "For someone who can't vote, you're awfully opinionated!"
Can't argue with him there.
I honestly don't have a Presidential Candidate preference. As much as I like to challenge the thinking of traditional republicans :), there are things I enjoy and greatly admire about John McCain.
What he went through as a P.O.W is not something to scoff at, and he seems to have a clear head and a good heart with respectable views.
In the same breath, I think Barack Obama would make a fine President as well. Being Canadian, I greatly enjoy his ideas for socialized medicine and tax cuts for the middle class. He is a fantastic and charismatic speaker who reflects an air of change I know the country is longing for. In the words of my kid, I think he's a 'cool dude.'
My 'political' posts of the past have not been in favour of one candidate or another, but more about the issues...this particular post is the plea of someone who can't vote, urging those who can to spend the next day and half researching, praying and making an educated choice, whatever that choice may be for you.

Please do not vote based on attack ads. These are done to scare and intimidate and should have no place in the process. Contrary to some popular beliefs, I don't think Obama is the anti-Christ and I don't believe John McCain is George Bush the 3rd...attack ads and propaganda will lead you to believe some crazy things.

Please do not be a one-issue voter. In the case of abortion, (and trust me, I am without exception anti-abortion) if a candidate claims to be 'pro-life', find out if they believe in the death penalty for criminals. Can someone really be pro-life if they are willing to take the life of an adult who made a poor choice? Murder is murder. My prayer is that someday abortion will be illegal because I believe wholeheartedly that it is currently legalized murder, but if a candidate uses this issue to sway Christian votes without having a plan to change things once in office, the point (although very important in the grand scheme of things) is moot in the political process. Trust me, I too was mortified when I heard Barack Obama say that he wouldn't want to "punish his daughters with a baby" if they accidentally got pregnant before they wanted to, but make sure if voting against him that you believe John McCain is not just all talk, but action as well. I will be overwhelmingly happy if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned but I still urge voters to view ALL the issues, and make sure pro-life means exactly that...pro-life for EVERYONE.

Please do not base your vote on the media. Barack Obama has become what I like to call, "the trendy choice". There are a sea of young Americans who have jumped on the bandwagon to vote for him because it is the 'in' thing to do. Don't get me wrong, Barack Obama has done a great job of marketing himself, but this isn't about advertising, it's about knowing the issues and voting based on them. Like my friend Kristy wrote in a post a few days ago, don't vote based on what you've seen on Saturday Night Live, facebook, TMZ or Entertainment Tonight. I understand that coffee shops, macbooks, funky clothes, recycling and indie music is 'cool' but refrain from voting for Obama simply because he seems like the trendier choice.

I urge you to not be blindly sold out for the "left" or the "right". Don't hold so tight to your personal agenda that you reject to see the truth for what it is.

Above all else, pray like crazy for direction in the voting process.

If anyone would like to donate their 'i voted' sticker to me on Tuesday, I hear you can get a free donut by showing it at Krispy Kreme :)