For you to threaten

punishment, be it physical, mental, or subliminal, to

those who fail to vote is in direct violation of the code

that hangs suspended over this country by pillars of

blood of martyred men and women who died for America. It

is a given right in this country to have free choice of

whether one votes or not, and to be free from any

punishment for failing to vote. The man who does not vote

is exercising his American rights as much as the one who

does vote. Will you next decide to keep a list of names

of all who did not vote for you next to the list of those

who did not vote at all. Will you then decide to strip

they who did not cast their ballot in your favor of all

their rights. 'Tis but a small step from what you already

proposed to do.

Your pitiful statement that

"No honor accrues to the man who only does what the

law requires" deserves no verbose wording to insult

or contradict it. Insultation [sic] and contradiction can

both be accomplished by one simple, often neglected word:

Dumb.

In today's violent society,

obedience of lawful standards is a difficult, albeit

sometimes impossible quality few possess fully. The man

who obeys the law is admired, if not adored by those

around him. Lawful obedience is often times synonymous

with bravery in the face of danger, morality in view of

immoral actions of others, and Jackson-like resistance to

temptation. I, for one, highly regard the man who obeys

the law, for that is one's patriotic duty. I believe that

Gen. Robert E. Lee was unshakably correct when he said,

"Duty is the most sublime word in our language; you

should do duty in all things; you cannot do more; you

should never wish to do less."

As for your opinion that

only controversial thoughts are allowed recognition

today, you apparently have been in office too long to

remember what it is like to campaign. Those who are

elected did not reach office by filling their campaign

speeches with controversial statements, but rather with

silver-lined promises, though the promises may in turn

discover themselves to be empty and void of fulfillment.

Possibly you have forgotten

who has the power in America? Must I, a simple teenager,

remind you that holding political office does not carry

with it the gift of power; for it is the commoners, the

peasants, that hold power in our country. If you ever

fail to remember this, perhaps political power has

affected you too much, and you should turn in your badge,

and retire to the relative safety of your house.

As a closing note, I must

mention that it is your duty, along with all your other

political comrades, to insure that government of the

people, by the people, for the people, (not government of

the voting people, by the voting people, for the voting

people) shall not perish from the earth.

Matthew Bryan Roberts

Peachtree City