I was reminded once again this past week that I am very, very human. As such, very, very susceptible to mystery viruses whose sole source of entertainment must undoubtedly be to see me flat on my back for days at a time, accomplishing absolutely nothing.

Translation? What you’re about to see should have gone up a days ago. Ah, such is life.

On the heels of my writing a blog piece on the silliness of Voter ID opposition, I came across the following opinion submission in the Star Tribune. Well, if we’re being honest, it is more aptly titled “The Star Tribune: Minnesota’s Finest Liberal Rag.” Oh well. Every once in a while I come across some redeeming quality within its pages. . . oh fine, who am I kidding. . . I get a kick out of the weather guy’s antics in print, and that’s about it. Anyway, please turn your attention to the letter entitled: “Focus on the motive of the effort being made”

Click here to read the section: VOTERID

Naturally I couldn’t let that one slide. I fired off the following response:

To the reader who sent in the opinion entitled “Focus on the motive of the effort being made” (2/24):

How very callously you toss around the phrase “Voting is a burden that a lot of people would just as soon not bother with.”

I realize that you are free to hold this opinion, and for that I am thankful. I would now like to express mine. With that flippant statement my mind is immediately taken to places where voting is something only heard of but never experienced; to places where to vote is to “reelect” a dictator; to places where expressing a staunch political opinion can be hazardous to one’s health. Here we have a precious gift; a gift that was purchased with the signing away of the lives and sacred honor of our forefathers; a gift that has been preserved by the blood, sweat and tears of our brave men and women in uniform. I should know- I am honored to count some of them as my family. This gift is the freedom to vote; the freedom to play a part in the politics of this great nation. To count it as trite appalls me. To your original point, I close with the following. To ask that one prove one’s identity so that one’s vote may be protected from fraud is not irrational, unattainable, racist, bigoted, insensitive, or the like. It is simply common sense. While I listen to the plethora of complaints that Voter ID supposedly “tramples” on citizens’ rights and “suppresses” votes, (which I incidentally count as hogwash) what about the right of a person to assure that his or her vote remains HIS or HERS? It has less to do with a party or parties who think that Voter ID will garner additional votes, and more to do with the fact that votes “cast” by dead people, felons, double voters, and illegal aliens negate the whole point of an election for EITHER party.

Incidentally, you stated that it takes thousands of votes to steal an election, thus inferring that whatever voter fraud exists cannot possibly affect an outcome. Might I remind you of certain razor thin election results where the winner claimed victory with just a few hundred votes? Every vote does in fact count.

Lastly, if voting is such a burden to you, please, DON’T!

Do you suppose they published that one?

Insert cricket noise here.