NEW GENERATION MUST UPHOLD NATION'S INTEGRITY

I am writing this in the wake of an ensuing battle, a battle for the presidency. Night after night I anxiously sit in front of the television wondering who will emerge the victor. Night after night my heart hardens toward the stability of electing our leaders in government, leaders intended to continue the promise of freedom.

Aside from the political beliefs and party affiliations, I think it is important for us to look at what this election is doing to our country. Here I am, at 21 years of age, already cynical about politics. Three counties in a single state are supposed to tell me whose administration I am to live under for the next four years.

I think it is hard to overlook the abuse of power that Vice President Al Gore is exerting over Florida, the Florida Supreme Court and the country as a whole. It is clear that after five or six recounts in one county producing George W. Bush as a winner means he must be the winner.

What about the military ballots? Those Americans who preserve the very freedom this election took place under aren't allowed to choose the man they will call commander-in-chief. I think the idea is absurd and a disgrace to the men and women in uniform.

Is power so great to Gore that he is willing to go to such extreme measures? What happened to the gentlemanly conduct of a man claiming to be 100 percent Southern? My entire family lives in the South. I am from the South. And, Mr. Gore, you are no Southern gentleman.

I have a request for my generation, Generation X as we have been called. Step back from the political glamor and excitement this election has produced for the media. Take a long, hard look at what lies beneath the surface: corruption, including the twisting and turning of the laws established by the Florida Legislature and the total elimination of separation of powers among branches of government.

If it can happen in one state, it can happen anywhere.

This election is more than just Florida. This election is about the very corruption of standards we live under in everyday life.

I urge the generation about to be handed the torch of leadership and responsibility from the Baby Boomers to understand that for things to change we have to pay attention, we have to be involved, we have to put a stop to it all.

We are entering the work force, and the politics our parents live under will spill over into our lives as well. If this election has done one thing, it has revived the notion that your vote truly does count.

You don't have to go out and volunteer. You don't even have to give speeches. All I am asking you to do is pay attention, be aware and don't take things for granted.

Our Founding Fathers sacrificed a lot to give us the freedom we have today. It is up to us to ensure that those freedoms remain alive and well in the American system of government. Please, think about our country and its future, and understand the importance of the tasks that lie ahead of us.

God bless America.

Samantha L. Brown resides in Cape Girardeau.