This morning I woke up with a nasty cold. It was bound to happen, everyone in the house has been sick for days. But duty called, so off to work I went. When I got to the Staten Island Ferry I noticed an unusually large number of school-aged children. At first I thought it was a class trip, but then I realized that they were all wearing a similar uniform. Of course, today was the ticker tape parade for the Giants.
Don’t misunderstand, I support the team. If it were the Yankees I might just have been out there with them. It’s just that I was sick, and I was in no mood to hear a few hundred people screaming “LET’S GO GIANTS” in my ear for 30 minutes. The worst part was that since I was sick I came home early and had to ride the boat with more Giants fans on the way home.
What struck me the most was the number of parents who had kept their children out of school for the occasion. One guy even kept reminding his kid to “always remember this day.” I found that ironic, seeing as how “this day” is also Super Tuesday in what may be one of the most important elections in history.
Here’s a thought. Parents, if you’re going to keep your kids home for an important occasion, why not take them with you to vote? I do. Then they’ll have lots of days to always remember. Heck, you could do it every year. Sometimes you can even do it a few times a year.
The world has enough mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers, folks.
Deadpan 
11 Comments
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Stacey Derbinshire
Very wise words.
All except that part about the Yankees. I may have to rethink our friendship.
Always remember this day? OMG! But that’s so strange, really. It’s not like a UFO landed or anything.
Hey Wanda, I hope you’re feeling better. Good news: Orly is in your neck of the woods…
🙂
“The world has enough mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers, folks. ”
Hahahah. Unfortunately, there are way too many as it is.
People make me sigh
I was in Denver, at a trade show the day they had the parade for the Broncos’ first Super Bowl win. Wandered downtown to see what was going on and ended up right in front of the stage where the festivities would wind up. Hung out and had a great time.
But it was only a football game, after all.
Painting my face and body, wearing a silly hat, foam finger and beads to my polling place just ain’t the same.
As always, Wanda, you are correct.
Giant, who?
🙂
How do you know that the parents didn’t take their kids with them to vote? I went to the parade (not with the kids), picked them up from school and then went to vote with them.
I did see many parents with their school-aged kids though as you mentioned.
I don’t know Reuben, it’s just a feeling I have.
Thanks for stopping by though. Tell your friends!
My kids almost always went with me to vote. They were given those little fake ballots and shown how to vote and then given a sticker just like the one I got. When my son and daughter went to vote for the very fist time they legally could, I was there with them. I’m only fretting that I won’t be there when my youngest gets to go vote for the first time in November. She’ll be away at college.
Both my parents took me with them to vote in every election from 1976, when they held me up so I could punch the ticket for Carter, to right before I could vote myself. A few years after this first vote, our local football team won a national championship, but I didn’t get to stay out of school for it. I suppose they did something right — it depends on how you feel about the way I turned out, I guess!
Hey, I went with my grandmother to vote for Carter too! I remember it like it was yesterday.