Winning isn't everything. I know that, having played the game of life and experienced both success and failure.

I'm attuned to the ebb and surge of events, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and the unexpected joys that fling themselves into the sunlight.

I can go with the flow, seeing both sides of any question, all facets of any issue, and allowing the holders of various viewpoints their time to be heard and seen.

But--underneath my casual and easy-going demeanor beats the heart of a warrior. More than once in my life I have seen an issue that called forth that demand that I lay it all on the line and fight for what is right.

The civil rights movement of the Sixties was such a time. The Women's Lib movement was one such. This current presidential election may be another. I hear the clarion call, that if I don't fight now for what I believe, if I'm not part of the solution, then I'm part of the problem.

I believe we're at a turning point in our history. Who are we and what will we become? Historians probably have a better perspective than I, but I can't sit back and wait for history to decide. The time is now.

I think certain politically powerful people will try to destroy our democratic institutions rather than give up power (several thousand years of human history say this is not uncommon). What can I do to lend practical support to leaders who I believe hold goals consonant with the country's best interests? What is the best way to fight for what is right?

If we don't stand up for what's right, we may lose more than an election.