It is said that fear and intimidation never win and on Tuesday, Nov. 3, this community has the opportunity to make that statement a reality.

It is time for the people of this community to take back their community. Our First Amendment to the Constitution embraces the right of every individual in this country the freedom of speech, which includes business owners. In the 20th century, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that this freedom of speech extends to the state and municipal levels. The stifling of voices has no place in our society today, in any community.

We have forgotten that the ability of an individual to cast a ballot and determine the future of their community is not only a right, but a privilege and many would extend to a duty. In countries today, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, we see, played out on the world stage, the attempted oppression of the peoples through voter harassment.

In our own small way we, as a community can fight this abuse of power by taking a stand for fairness and integrity on Tuesday, Nov. 3

Mary Ballard

Enumclaw