Your Litmus Test

On this day, as we celebrate, I’m humbled to have served and honor those service members who have died in military service to our nation.

For them, the “Litmus test” was courage.

I’m honored to have visited and walked the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial for those who died in the Normandy landings and the Battle of Normandy.

A powerful phrase, “All gave some, some gave all,” honors the sacrifices of military service members as it recognizes that everyone contributes, but some make the ultimate sacrifice.

This past week, I had an epiphany of what many people would call a “Litmus Test” after having an opportunity to vote in local state elections.

I realized many years ago that freedom isn’t free, especially for those considered to have given their lives in defense of it.

The emphasis behind the words of “Litmus Test” was confirmed in my mind early Saturday morning, May 23, 2026, when I witnessed a woman about 30 years old on a two-wheeled pink scooter balancing a gas can while waiting for the traffic signal to turn green in the turning lane opposite me.

I felt sorry for her when her actions and circumstances didn’t go in the positive direction she expected.

As the light changed to green, she not only dropped the gas can, spilling gas on the road, but she also created an accident waiting to happen.

The two cars behind had to navigate around her while dealing with her environmentally hazardous spill.

In my mind, she failed the litmus test of driving a scooter while balancing a small gas can with the spout attached.

What was she thinking that she could balance and drive with both hands at the same time? She had to let the can drop or get run over.

Surely, she hadn’t thought it through.

If I were a local Sheriff or Police officer, she would have been fined immediately.

As for the local state elections, I thought to myself: Why is voter turnout so low, and what does it take to get people to vote?

I thought about what the litmus test was for our Alabama lawmakers to redraw congressional districts.

Having some data from previous elections, I’m fully aware that the black vote is critical in Alabama, yet despite getting people to the polls, it continues to be a major challenge.

Each of us has our own litmus test for what success might look like in any area of our lives.

Yet year after year, voting remains an issue among people of color as boundary lines are redrawn across the state.

Supreme Court clears path for Alabama to redraw congressional map – CBS News

“The new lines in House Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7 will only matter if the Supreme Court allows Alabama to redistrict.”

Having personally supported Representative Terri Sewell (District 7) in the past through her annual Job Fair, which she conducts each year, I’m sure there is a litmus test for what success looks like, as it’s her largest constituent event of the year.

“The state plans to revert to Legislature-drawn maps for both congressional districts (2023) and state senate districts (2021). If Alabama adopts the 2023 map, it would go from two majority-Black congressional districts back to one, a shift that directly imperils the seats held by Sewell and Figures.”

Supreme Court Lets Alabama Redraw Maps, Threatens Dem Seats

Not that I even want to be in politics or talk politics; it’s interesting to me, since moving to Alabama, how redrawing lines can affect voters and the outcome of future elections.

In my opinion, there is a push to go backward instead of forward.

Not that I’m a betting man, I’m sure there was a litmus test being conducted on how all parties did both good and bad.

I’m also aware that, leading up to the recent state elections, last week, watching or listening to commercials, that family values were important to younger voters.

Most U.S. parents pass on their religion and politics to their kids | Pew Research Center

Whether teachers want to admit it or not, the curricula taught in schools are either a hindrance or a support to understanding that the Government is probably slanted towards one particular party.

How Families and Algorithms Influence Youth Politics

I believe that by November 2026, we will see the results of my litmus test, and it probably won’t be a surprise.

Take a moment to think about the various litmus tests you have undergone over the years.

LITMUS TEST Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

It can be said that “What We Value in Ourselves We Use as A Litmus Test to Judge Others.”

A Litmus Test to Determine Character | by CW Ethridge, Just Figuring It Out | Medium

What is that litmus test you are running in the background of your mind that you tell yourself today, I can do a specific task.

It was easy for me as I loved being a Soldier and sacrificing 30 years of my life in that occupation, putting my life on the line for the freedom of others.

Maybe telling yourself today that you’ll go to church this week, exercise, or even get up early. We all have names for the litmus test we are running in the background of our minds.

Here are two quotes about the litmus test for you to ponder today.

“Most often, qualifications are defined by the credentials of the person who last held the job. If that is to continue to be the litmus test, white males will continue to be the top choice on any list if the interviewer is also a white male.”  Madeleine M. Kunin

“For me, the litmus test to know whether or not I’m doing the right thing is to examine whether my decisions are love-based or fear-based.”  Robert Gant

Today, take a moment and reflect on the words “What We Value in Ourselves We Use as A Litmus Test to Judge Others.”  What was the last litmus test you took part in that was a key decision you had to make?

Blog source: https://mckinleysthoughts.com/your-litmus-test/