Binghamton area folks are cordially invited to a fun and FREE community sing-along on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 2 PM at the Phelps Mansion Museum, offered by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton as a kick-off to their ’26-’27 season celebrating American music!
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/16/one-liner-wednesday-facts-few-and-far-between/
Vote for Democracy #59
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Today is National Voter Registration Day in the United States. The United States does not have the greatest participation in elections, so it’s good to have a day to focus on this.
Some things you can do today:
Registration: If you are not registered, it’s a great day to do it! The National Voter Registration Day site has a page which links you to the proper procedure to register in your state or to update a registration if you’ve had a name or address change. You can also check out your local election office. When searching, look for web addresses that end in .gov. Do NOT visit VoteSafe! It is a scam that will take and sell your information and will not give you accurate voting information.
Plan to Vote: If you are registered and have checked to make sure that your registration is accurate, make a plan to vote. Depending on your state, you may receive or request a ballot be sent through the mail which can then be filled out and mailed back or dropped off at an election office, dropbox, or polling place. You might have in-person early voting in a centralized location in the days or weeks leading up to election day. You might want to vote in person at your precinct’s polling place on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 3 in 2026. For in-person voting, whether early or on Election Day, double-check on your polling location and hours.
For example, I know that I will be out of the state on Election Day, so I have already put in a request with my county’s election office to have a ballot mailed to me. I plan to fill it out, carefully following all the instructions, and bring it in person to the election office before I leave town. If I’m not well enough to bring it in person, I will put it in the mail but weeks early to avoid possible mail slowdowns.
Community Outreach: Encourage others to register and/or make their own plans to vote. See if you can help at a registration drive. Let people know that voting is important for our democracy. Offer help to anyone who might have a barrier to voting, such as a need for transportation, computer help searching for official election information, caregiving responsibilities, etc.
In many other democracies, registration is automatic and voting is mandatory. The United States makes things much more complicated and our participation rate bears that out. For our democracy to function better, we need to hear from everyone through our free speech rights and from citizens through their votes in local, state, and national races and referenda.
Please share your experiences with registering and voting in the United States or in democracies throughout the world in the comments here and/or at whatever opportunity presents itself. Let’s make our voices heard!
Binghamton NY area folks are invited to an event celebrating the Broome County Arts Council’s America 250 project tomorrow, July 16, at 6:30 PM, in which I will be participating.
This friendly invitation is part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays series. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/07/15/one-liner-wednesday-hey-dilly-dilly/
Vote for Democracy #58
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
When the United States celebrated our Bicentennial in 1976, I was a teenager. There were many local activities in my small, rural New England town, spread out over the year. There were also many events in Washington and other major cities that were on television and covered in print publications. The country was recovering from the Vietnam War and Watergate. There was progress being made on civil rights for women and minorities. Things felt hopeful and celebratory. Granted, this was a small-town girl viewpoint at the time, but it was my experience of the country’s 200th birthday.
Today, on the 250th anniversary, the Semiquincentennial (or half-500 for those of you not into Latin), I find that celebrating is not a thing I can do. The level of public government corruption is staggering. Large corporations and their founders/CEOs are exploiting their workers and the public to amass unimaginable wealth while barely paying any taxes to help civil society function. Immigrants, women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who follow any religion or philosophy other than a particular subset of evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity are losing legal protection, their civil rights, and, sometimes, even life and liberty, due to the egregious failures of the Trump administration and their sycophants in Congress, the courts, and state and local governments.
There are, however, two things that give me some hope.
The first is recognition that the United States has weathered major assaults on our democratic republic before, with the Civil War being the most prominent example. There have also been other times when fascism threatened, such as during the 1930s-40s. I can only imagine what it must have been like for people in the US in those times, living with those dangers and unsure how things would resolve. I wonder if they felt similarly to the way I and millions of others feel now. Knowing the country has made it through other crises gives me some hope that we can do it again.
The other source of hope is the millions upon millions of people who are rallying, calling out corruption, advocating for change, and helping their neighbors in these fraught times. I’m grateful for the prominent public figures, journalists, and writers who are speaking out, reporting on what is happening to the country, and sirring others to action. Addressing the damage Trump and his minions have caused will be a long, difficult slog in the coming years but smart and principled people are laying the groundwork for needed changes to shore up our democracy. Many things that prior administrations observed as ethical norms will need to be codified into law with means to compel compliance. Legislative procdures will need reform so that one party or faction can’t block or steamroll bills. Voting rights need to be strengthened and districts drawn to give voice to cohesive, local communities. Civil rights need to be universally upheld. The Supreme Court must be reformed and recent, unconstitutional decisions overturned. The tax system must be overhauled so that weathy individuals and corporations pay their fair share. The social safety net must be strengthened so that no one lacks basic necessities, educational access, medical care, and a dignified life. The United States must act responsibly with other countries, abide by our treaties and trade agreements, assist our allies, aid those in need, work to reduce pollution and protect global climate, and use our military to promote peace. Realistic, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform, including a path of citizenship, must be enacted and implemented. There needs to be some mechanism for accountability for those who acted illegally or unethically, whether that becomes a truth and reconciliation commission or can be accomplished through federal or state courts. The federal courts may be constrained by unethical Trump pardons – and, by the way, there need to be limits put on presidential pardons so that they return to their traditional use as being a means to show mercy to people who had been convicted of crimes who expressed remorse and, usually, had completed their sentence or who had been given harsh sentences for non-violent crimes.
All that and more…
A lot of work but still a belief in the promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from the Declaration of Independence and the “more perfect union” that “promote[s] the general welfare” from the Preamble to the Constitution.
In honor of the 250th anniversary, we need to speak out, vote, and act for democracy so that the world’s oldest democracy continues to be one. I can’t guarantee another 250 years, although I can hope for it.
If you are in the US, please join in. If you are in another place, please remember that there are many here who oppose Donald Trump’s destruction and corruption. We will do all we can to re-join you as a nation of values, generosity, and good will soon.
Folks in the Binghamton, New York area can visit a special exhibition at the Broome County Arts Council, beginning today, July 3rd, and continuing throughout the month of July.
The official opening is tonight from 6-9 PM for First Friday. There will be visual and literary arts on display around the theme of our personal American heritage.
I am happy to announce that my poem, “Giovanni”, about my Italian-speaking, immigrant grandfather will be part of the exhibition.
On Thursday, July 16th at 6:30 PM, there will be a reading event in conjunction with the exhibition which will include the authors presenting their poems and personal recollections.
Please, join us, if you are able!
(Graphic credit: WSKG Public Media)
WSKG, our local public broadcaster serving the Southern Tier of New York and Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, sponsored a call for poets in our region as we observe the semiquincentennial of the United States of America.
The call asked for poems addressing one or more of these themes:
Looking Back: history, founding ideals, and untold stories
Right Now: modern America, democracy today, and lived experience
Looking Forward: hopes for future generations.
They received 163 submissions from 25 counties, which I thought was a very impressive showing from our region’s poets!
You can read the ten winning entries here and listen to recordings of their work, nine as of July 2nd, here. (The link to the recordings may not be a permalink, but should work through July, 2026, at least.)
All the submissions were compiled into an anthology. At over 200 pages, it shows the breadth of talent from our region.
For my entry, I combined all three themes around the concept of women’s rights. I intentional wrote two 13-line stanzas, in honor of the 13 colonies that became states. Because I chose to only use the first names of the people I referenced, I also included an explanatory note.
We Work and Wait
by Joanne Corey
Remember the ladies, Abigail
wrote John before the Declaration
but after Sojourner, Elizabeth, Susan
and their sisters of the First Wave
Betty, Gloria, Angela
and their sisters of the Second Wave
Judith, Rebecca, Amy
and their sisters of the Third Wave
Tarana, Wendy, Jessica
and their siblings of the Fourth Wave
and the passage of 250 years
women still work toward
their full independence.
When Shirley ran in ‘72
my girl-self thought soon
but as Wave after Wave
crashed against that
highest, hardest glass ceiling
it inexplicably held.
Will it be my daughters
or my granddaughters
who see the First Ms.
President, the Second
Third, Fourth? So many
they don’t think
to keep count.
Note: People referenced in this poem in order of appearance: Abigail Adams, John Adams, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, Judith Butler, Rebecca Walker, Amy Richards, Tarana Burke, Wendy Davis, Jessica Valenti, Shirley Chisholm. Quote from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 concession speech.
I’m grateful to WSKG for this project and the opportunity to respond creatively and share poems with the community. I hope you engage with the arts, whether as a creator or an interactor, at this critical moment in United States history.
The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.
US President Barack Obama, excerpted from a 2015 speech on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights march and now part of the quote on the outside of the main building of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois
*****
This somewhat-longer-than-one-liner is brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday series. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/06/24/one-liner-wednesday-if/
Vote for Democary #58
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Donald Trump has been corrupt for a long time but, in his second administration, they don’t even try to hide it. The crypto schemes. Donors getting big contracts from the government, sometimes without any competitive bidding. The president promoting companies in which he is invested. The tearing down of the East Wing without proper authority and using taxpayer funds to build a ballroom after saying it would be privately funded. Not spending funds that Congress had authorized, such as ending USAID, which has resulted in untold deaths when critical health and nutrition programs overseas were cut. The president and his family profiting from his presidency so that they are over a billion dollars richer. Deporting people without due process. Lying over and over about individuals, groups, and countries. Starting a war without authorization or public support. Investigating people without cause. Ignoring court orders. Filing a bogus lawsuit to try to wrangle a deal to create a $1.776 billion slush fund to dole out to supporters along with an agreement that any past tax malfeasance from Trump, his family, and his businesses could not be investigated. I could go on, but you get the idea.
In contrast, last week saw the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. While most presidents have a library, President Obama chose to create a community center with a park, public spaces for a variety of activities, a museum, and a public library branch stocked with some of the President’s favorite books. There will also be a digital archive of presidential papers, replacing the prior practice of having them all on paper. The opening ceremony on June 18, 2026 was a joyous celebration with music and inspirational speeches, including from Barack and Michelle Obama. The Center opened for visitors the next day, which is a national holiday commemorating Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when Black people who had been enslaved in Galveston Bay, Texas, learned that they had been freed by Lincoln’s Final Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863.
It was heartening to see people from across the country and the world come together to celebrate being in community, upholding the common good, and nurturing present and future generations. It was also a reminder, with our nation’s 250th birthday only days away, that we can make progress as “We the People” toward “a more perfect union,” despite the current administration’s malfeasance.
It’s time for all people of good will to stand up for each other, especially for those most vulnerable, and reject those who would supress or divide us.
Together, we can do it.
Our 2017 Chevy Bolt just passed 70,000 miles (about 113,000 kilometers). We still love driving it and hope to keep it for years to come.
With gas prices as expensive as they are these days, it’s especially nice to be driving an electric vehicle. Bonus: we own solar panels in a community solar farm, so charging at home is very inexpensive.
I’m just hoping that, when we do decide to replace our Bolt, we will have lots of EVs from which to choose. EVs are winning increasing market share in most of the rest of the world, so the United States will be playing catch-up after the damage the Trump administration has done to the EV industry.
Today is celebrated as Mother’s Day in the United States. In other years, I’ve shared about the older, Mothers’ Day begun by Julia Ward Howe in the years following the American Civil War.
This year, I’m sharing historian Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack on Howe’s views and actions.
Today, I’m wishing peace and equal rights to all mothers and all people everywhere.
Joanne Corey 