By: John Lenotte – September, 2012
Labor Day has come and gone. Summer has ended and Fall has begun. This month we vote in the primary elections and prepare for the final surge to the November election. There continues to be a lot of misinformation in the news, Internet, social media.
As I have mentioned in the past, there are some Internet sites that sort through all the baloney. I will repeat them: www.votesmart.org and www.factcheck.org. Both are worth looking at for voting records and information on the “facts”.
I recently heard on the news that it was expected that up to 90 million eligible voters would NOT vote in the November elections.
That is truly sad.
Obviously they don’t care about the country. This election is critical at both the state and national levels. There are several contested seats in the Massachusetts legislature, including the vacated Senate seat of Steven Baddour. And all the Congressional seats are up for reelection. With the recent redistricting, all the current members of the US House of Representatives are scrambling to introduce themselves to new constituents. Senator Brown faces a tough battle against Elizabeth Warren. Then we have the Presidential race. This is truly a critical election. How anyone can choose not to vote is beside me. If you are unhappy, you should vote. If you are happy and do not want change, you should vote for your candidate. As I have and will continue to say until the November elections are over, I will make my voice heard in the voting booth. I hope you will join me!
I had the recent opportunity to attend the American Legion National convention in Indianapolis, IN. The early part of the convention presented the Eagle Scout of the Year, Oratorical Contest winner and President of Boys Nation among several youth champions.
In addition to winning several thousands of dollars in scholarship money they represented contestants from all over the country. What outstanding examples they are, and right after them were the Spirit of Service award winners. These are service members from every branch who are recognized for their volunteer work in the community. Following them were the Police and Firefighters of the year. Unfortunately, this is all good news so it received little attention from the press.
Donations were received for a number of American Legion charities. One was the Legacy Scholarship fund. This fund is for the children of service members who have died since 9/11. This year the Legion Riders raised over $668,000 with over $8,000 coming from 2 groups in Massachusetts. Another charity, the Child Welfare Foundation received over $58,000 with over $5,000 coming from Massachusetts.
The new National Legion Commander has selected Operation Comfort Warrior to emphasize this year. OCW funds are used to supplement the high-quality care provided at most military hospitals and transition units in theUnited States and abroad. Funds go toward items such as exercise equipment, rehabilitation gear and entertainment. More information on all the above can be found on the national American Legion web site at www.legion.org or through www.masslegion.org.
On a local note, the American Legion Post 4 family will be hosting a fundraiser to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital on Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 7 – 11pm at the post function hall, 1314 Main Street, Haverhill.
There will be an Italian style dinner and a DJ. Tickets can be purchased for $15 by calling 978.373.6885 or emailing me at JohnLDistrict8@verizon.net.
May God bless our troops and their families and bring them all home safe.
John Lenotte, Adjutant, Post 4, Haverhill MA. You can Email him at JohnLDistrict8@verizon.net