Ed Howard

    Our gratitude for those serving in the military is understandably at its highest when America is involved in armed conflict.
     Those who give what Abraham Lincoln called "the last full measure of devotion" are the subjects of posthumous thanks, in the hearts of their countrymen and the speeches of politicians. 
     Most of those individual speeches and much of the collective thanks cite the basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution which the armed forces are sworn to protect. 
     When an armed conflict lasts long enough, there are inevitable and appropriate efforts to create monuments-local, state or national-to commemorate the lives and deaths of those who served. 
     No freedom is more basic than the right to vote. 
     The exercise of one's franchise might be the most direct and appropriate expression of gratitude that can be made in honor of those who serve and have served. 
     These musings led to an idea for a memorial-memorials, actually-that would serve as a continuing measure of thanks and respect. And perhaps prompt the expression of it via more than words and Memorial Day wreaths. 
     Imagine a statue or a sculpture on every courthouse lawn, which would reflect and mention the nation's major conflicts. From the Revolution through the Civil War, World War I and World War II, Korea, Vietnam, along with less-remembered conflicts that claimed American lives, from Cuba to the Philippines and elsewhere. 
     Now: Imagine at the base of each memorial a big-as-it-can-be bronze frame, capable of holding large, appropriately designed signs which could be changed every so often.
     After every general election, what would each sign proclaim? The number of people who voted in the last general election, along with the number of those eligible to vote in that county.
     The message upon each sculpture: "To Honor Them!" The message on each accompanying sign: "In the most recent general election 20 percent of voters in Green Tree County went to the polls."
     That would give the electorate something to think about when walking or driving past the courthouse-and not just on the Fourth of July and Memorial Day.