It's Election Day: Vote!

I got up a few minutes early to cast my ballot for my favorite candidates. A few minutes of lost sleep is a small price to pay to exercise my duty as citizen of this wonderful democracy.

I'm proud to have voted, I even affixed that little "I voted" sticker on my expensive leather jacket.

The many essays that I have written criticizing Virginia Sen. George Allen, for my newspaper and for several Web sites, have hopefully opened a lot of eyes to his racist nature.

It's very satisfying to write editorials that influence the electorate, but it was even more satisfying to vote for James Webb, a fundamentally decent man, who will make a terrific senator.

I'm writing this essay to encourage everyone, regardless of party affiliation, to vote. Our democracy is strengthened when citizens involve themselves in the political process, and the first step is to cast an informed vote.

If James Webb wins his battle for the Senate I will be ecstatically happy, but if he loses I will be content in the knowledge that I did everything within my power to get him elected.

If you vote you are a winner, regardless how the election turns out, because you will have demonstrated that you have a stake in our democracy.