You Joined Yet?

Have you ever been to a cipher? A group of emcees flowing together, each individual dropping a few bars of improvised gems, then passing the mic (real or imagined) to the head next to them. If there is a person in the cipher who has the mic but doesn't spit, doesn't say anything, doesn't get involved, that disrupts the flow of the entire cipher. Our democracy is one big cipher, and we all need to speak our piece when given the opportunity. Our democracy, like any cipher, only works when people participate. If you feel like you're not getting the mic, you have to seize your opportunity to make your voice heard.

So, how do you get involved? How do you grab the mic and make your voice heard? Voting is the most obvious method. Every election cycle we're told that voting is important (usually by the people that want you to vote for them or their preferred candidate). But voting is really only a small part of being involved in the cipher. It's like waiting and waiting to get the mic and then spitting one or two bars before passing it. You have to speak your piece on a regular basis. Check out the articles in your local newspaper and write a letter to the editor to let them know what you think. Call in to a radio or TV discussion program such as Washington Journal on C-SPAN. And you really gotta pay attention to what your elected representatives are doing in YOUR name and with YOUR tax money.

Okay, maybe this is starting to seem a bit of work - and it is. But think about this - would you rather be one of the emcees flowing beautifully with the mic in your hand, or would you rather be one of those people who doesn't even get in the cipher and just complains about this or that emcee. You know who you want to be. Join the cipher.