Random thoughts while watching CNN

"You voted Libertarian?!?", "Man, you just wasted your vote!"...

Why is that? What does it mean? And what does it say about the good ol' USA? We've all heard someone at one time or another utter these or similar words to the poor idealist, who, thinking that by voting in new blood and new ideas into state or federal government, he could help to improve the quality of ... (fill in your own meaningful blank), or to give the little guy a break, or simply help to put right the many complex wrongs that exist in our country. Naïve and adolescent as that thinking may be, there are still many of us who hold close the thought that someday, maybe, "we the people" will open our eyes and remember what all the patriotism and flag waving is supposed to be about.

Is a Libertarian vote wasted because Libertarians are all fanatical, misaligned, NRA badge wearing, right-to-lifers, who support same sex marriages, Habitat for Humanity, and other such nonsense? Are they all corporate mega-moguls who want to run this country just like they run their businesses? Or perhaps it's because, as we all know thanks to accredited purveyors of unbiased news and information such as Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Springer (and now, the latest rage in shock TV… CNN), that anyone crazy or foolish enough to run in an election against both Democrats and Republicans is obviously a whacko, and completely fucked in the head, and should, for no reason, be taken seriously. It's amazing how seriously we take the fuckin idiots who, in the form of "late breaking news flashes", and " in-depth exclusive reports", tell us on a daily basis who we should and shouldn't take seriously. At every level of government and the private sector, the media plays a key role in the whole process of determining who's who, in the zoo. Consider the following generally accepted stereotypes, and how they're reinforced by our good buddies and champions of justice in the media:

ü Democrats are liberals who weaken the country by diverting badly needed military funding to foreign and domestic aid policies.

ü Republicans are stuffed shirts who divert badly needed funding for education and the arts to pump up an already inflated military, and like to play God with small fringe countries overseas.

Ok, leave the political sector for a minute...

ü All Militia members are gun loving, Zionistic nutcases that like to live in fortified bunkers, play soldier, fight lost cause battles with the FBI and DEA, and collectively wait for the fall of civilization so they can smile and say, "See, we told you so."

ü Anyone who doesn't subscribe to an "acceptable" and "organized" religion is an insane, comet worshipping, sneaker wearing, brain washed cultist.

Shave your head and you're a nazi… blonde hair and you're a ditz… long hair and tattoos and you're a low life… short hair and a new suit and you're respectable. Anyone who drives faster than you is a fuckin maniac, while anyone who drives slower is a fuckin moron. I see a pattern forming here, but I'm confused. Who's right, and who's wrong. I guess it comes down to where you live, and who signs your paychecks.

This then must be the plight of the poor Libertarians... No set stereotype that covers the whole group. Good press or bad, there's power in the instant association that stereotypes provide, and Libertarians don't currently have a good, all-encompassing stereotype. These guys are all over the damn place, with no clear way to use pre-conceived notions to group them all together. We'd actually have to take time to listen to them, and (this is the really tough part) make our own decisions about how fucked up or how on-target they may be. The Libertarian vote is indeed a wasted vote because we'd have to think too much, and be too "involved" with current affairs to be able to make an intelligent and informed vote for that particular candidate. Want proof? Think about the last election. Do you know the name of Democratic candidate? How about the name of the Republican candidate? Now, try to name the Libertarian candidate. Surveys show that only about 4 percent of US voters could do that. I don't blame us though. The media has us spending every free moment trying to be contributing members of the stereotype that we put ourselves in, hoping that others see us that way, thinking how stupid everyone else is, and wondering why on earth they can't see how completely fucked-in-the-head they all are.

And now, anyone who is reading this (and amazing enough, still reading at this point) must be saying to himself or herself... "Ok Woody, we're all dumb fucks who can't think for ourselves, take the local nightly news as scripture, and have trouble remembering who we vote for... but Jesus Harold Christ in a rubber raft!! What the hell is the point of this fuckin paper??? To which I’d have to answer, “Look at the title, pinhead!”. However, I’ve managed to come up with a point while I’ve been typing, and my point is this... in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, while we're all buying flags to fly from our porches, and pin to our lapels, as we download American Flag screen savers and desktop themes to decorate our PCs, and as we share our personal opinion with all of our friends pertaining to how Bin Laden should die a slow painful death (starting with the removal of his reproductive organs with a dull knife), Let’s try to remember what our country and our patriotism are really about. 225 years ago this country was fought for, died for, and founded by Libertarians who didn’t need any news coverage or 60-Minute specials to tell us how cool they were. They were individuals who grouped together to fight back against injustice and tyranny, and because they were resolved, they were successful. We the people need to remember that, and maybe even try it for ourselves every now and then.

I spoke to someone close to me about these thoughts before writing them down. The response that I got (a response that I’m all too familiar with, believe me!) was “…Oh yeah!? (Always an intelligent and formidable comeback) You think you could come up with a better way to run this country??”. My answer to this devastating attack was simply this, “I don’t have to come up with a better way, because it’s already been done..” If you’d like to see some outstanding ways to run a government, go to the Library of Congress web site, and look up the Declaration of Independence and the unedited, un-amended version of the Constitution of the United States of America. Read them, and then think about how many of those same ideals exist, intact, today. God bless America? … More like “Jesus Christ! What have we done to America?”.

-Woody