Political Opinion - Become a Hippie

In fiscal matters, I'm rather conservative, probably aligning more with the republican party. In social issues, I'm probably leaning more toward liberal, and I guess that means in that issue, I align more with the democratic party.

If you ask me what my party affiliation is, I'd tell you 'the human race'.

The truth is, I probably most closely resemble a Libertarian. I'll tell you right now, if there were a viable Libertarian candidate out there, I'd probably vote for him... or her, just to get away from this two-party system that is antiquated. People aren't voting party lines like they used to do, because it's becoming increasingly more difficult to determine what party lines and policies actually are.

I was doing some reading about the Electoral College and how it works, stuff going back to when I was a kid in school. Man, back then, I thought we had the greatest system in the world.

Now? Not so much.

I have said many times that voting in America doesn't mean chicken poop, with a capital S. It doesn't. If you really look at the way the Electoral College is picked, appointed, elected, whatever you want to call it, and if you realize that at least three times, perhaps four, in our history, the 'popular vote'--which is what you and I are if we go to the polls--didn't matter for squat, you'd realize that, for the most part, the American 'people' (you know, 'we the people?") only very indirectly elect a president, if at all.

Whatever.

Did I vote? Nope. Will I vote? Nope.

Give me a good bond election, something pertaining to my local city, a school board issue, something like that, where my vote still makes a difference whether something gets passed into law or not, and then you might see me pulling a lever, or coloring in a box, or something.

I've heard it said, "If you don't vote, then you don't have a right to complain."

Do I have a right to complain about the President or Congress or the House if I don't vote? You're damned right I do. Why? Because, folks, this is America, and that's part of our freedom. I can call the president--whomever he, she, or it might be at the time--a complete ass, and as long as I don't threaten to blow his, her or its ass up, I'm entitled by the Constitutional right to free speech to call him an ass all day long.

As long as I don't get a bullhorn and do it on the front lawn of the White House with an Uzi strapped to my chest.

I hear the men in black frown on that just a little bit.

So no, I didn't or don't vote.

Shoot me. Lambaste me. I don't care. There's not enough rational thought in the world to convince apathetic me that my vote makes any difference whatsoever and my valuable time is better spent doing something I enjoy better than trying to decide for whom I should vote.

Like farting or something, maybe picking my nose.

The man I call my little brother calls me a hippie. I'm reasonably sure he doesn't call me that because my hips are wide either.

Maybe I am a hippie. I think we're seeing a hippie-like movement of the 60s and 70s flower children, only we're more 'refined' about it now. We're 'going green' and 'organic' and we support the troops but not the war and we're trying to...

... well, most of us at least bathe and wash our hair now. Most.

So this man I call my brother said he would never move to Austin like me, because there's too many hippies there. I guess I'll fit right in.

He commented on a man who made garbage bag trash on fences or something in Austin. That kinda sounds fascinating to me. He commented on the people with the weird hair, piercings and strange clothes. I'm thinking: entertainment!

I'm a people watcher, so I like when people give me something worthy to watch. Freedom of expression like that is an extension of our basic human freedoms, and sometimes we forget that there are places in this world to this day where people could not pierce their noses or belly buttons or pierce their genitalia. There are places where women's genitals are mutilated against their will.

Here in the land of the free, home of the brave, we get to mutilate our genitals at will! Go America!

And it's not that I don't care about the world around me. I do. I would love to effectively affect change in the world for the better, but I can't seem to find a single person in the entire universe who 100% agrees with me about what 'better' is. Even my beloved Ryan and I have some issues upon which we disagree , but man, do I love debating them with him! That man has the most brilliant mind of anyone I've ever known.

So, if I'm a hippie, pass the legalized reefer, fire up the black light, turn on some Pink Floyd, and let's all get mellow together.

Or else, you can tell me who you are going to vote for, if you vote at all and we can all bash each other, call each other stupid for our opposing beliefs, claim we care about the human condition while threatening to kick arse and take names of anyone who disagrees with us, and then go watch the latest episode of Survivor: The Presidential Version--Who will be voted off the island tonight?

Dude.