I have been used to calling the national holiday we celebrated yesterday”most of us as a Monday off, a good time for gardening or cookouts”“Oblivion Day,” when we Americans all forget the men (and now some women too) who have died in our wars, to establish our nation in freedom and to keep that nation free. When I was a child, it seemed that every little town expressed our pride in parades.

Registering to vote is the first step in engaging in civic life and becoming a good steward of your God-given responsibility of self-government. Any Illinois citizen who will be eighteen by Election Day is eligible to register. The process for registering is easy and convenient, but, sadly, millions of Americans choose not to take the time. Estimates count that from 35 percent to 50 percent of Americans are not registered to vote.