Purple Fingers. The Story of the Year.

This is the time of the year when journalists ... newspaper, radio, TV, magazine, whatever ... look back on the year just past and say this or that were the most important stories of the year. I think it fair to say this has been a busy year from a news standpoint, and as a result there are a bundle of candidates for the story of the year. Certainly Katrina the hurricane, and the New Orleans disaster would stand up there with any of them. A lot of stories could be nominated from state and national politics. The Bush appointment of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would certainly be mentioned. I won't try to enumerate the others, for there are several, and I think it fair to say they were not only big stories at the time, but they will also have an effect on our lives for years to come.

But let me tell you the ONE story of 2005 that has had the greatest effect on me, and that I think will stand for decades as a symbol of freedom world wide, and that is the purple fingers from Iraq. It was a simple thing, the way to tell if a person had already voted, and to keep that person from voting twice. The only symbolic thing it was intended for, was to say: "I have voted, so I can't vote again." It was meant as a local thing in Iraq, not national and certainly not world-wide. When the Iraqis went to the polls for the first time, there were threats against their lives if they voted. No one knew whether or not they would have the courage to build a democracy. But they went to vote, they stood in line, and when they came out they proudly stuck that purple finger in the air to say to one and all "I stand for freedom. I stand for democracy." Not only did they vote once, they did it three times. So impressive was it that on the third election many of us here in America, and around the world, painted our finger purple and held it in the air in support of the brave people of Iraq. And that simple action, waving a purple finger in the air, became a symbol for all peoples, everywhere, who desire democracy and freedom. For me, at least, no other story in 2005 even comes close to the purple fingers of the people of Iraq.

This is Gordon Sawyer, and may the wind always be at your back.