Venting My Crotchety Old Man Persona

I searched 'Mean Old Man' and all I got was Billy Graham...

Way back in the day I used to consider myself a Libertarian. Now the strange thing about this is that I wasn't a chronic drug user or a gun nut. In fact, if there's two things that scare the living piss out of me it's some bat-shit crazy dude cranked out on PCP with a handgun. But there I was anyway, toting around my hardcover copy of Harry Browne's 'Why Government Doesn't Work' espousing its shaky premises as if it all just made perfect sense. Unfortunately, most of the libertarian party are wacky gun-lovers living up in the hills dreaming of blowing up the IRS. Remember, I said most.

I think in retrospect that I was a one-issue Libertarian. The idea of shit-canning all the drug laws is still extraordinarily appealing. Again, I'm not a huge casual user and have seen friends screw up their lives and even die on drugs. But one thing is undeniable, their suffering was in no way alleviated, prevented, hindered or altered by those drugs being 'illegal'. Imagine if you took the crime out of recreational drugs and made them like alcohol or tobacco. When was the last time a bunch of kids shot each other in the street over a whisky deal? I've never been able to understand why it isn't just accepted as total truth that having one policy to cover recreational drugs just makes sense and cures a lot more problems than it creates. All the 'gateway' arguments are complete bullshit and have been proven so. Reefer Madness is a funny movie because the ridiculous attitudes that made it still exist.

I think it just further illustrates how badly we need a viable third party in this country. When I see people like Joe Lieberman it makes me sick to call myself a democrat. Even Hillary's recent kowtow to the right so she can prep for her presidential run makes me want to vomit. It wouldn't be so bad if the right was in any way interested in 'playing ball', but they're not and how many goddamn times is the left going to get 'wedgied' before it stops trying to be friends with the school bully? Create your own stupid party called 'the centrists' and you'll probably do very well. Just don't count me among your members. If you need me I'll be the guy laughing at Lieberman as he gets another swirlie.