All Hail Sarah the Great!

A lot of people who know how deeply I care about politics have been asking me what I think of Sarah Palin. I've been trying to refine my thoughts enough to give a coherent answer. So here goes:

Everything I know about her is awesome. From what I can tell, I'd vote for her for President in a heartbeat.

But she's not running for President. And if McCain wins, there's nothing that says he's going to pay a damn bit of attention to what she stands for. In fact, everything about his record says the opposite. He's going to do what he wants to do;

More government
More spending
More foreign interventions
More freedom taken away in the name of protecting our freedom (gotta love that one).

Don't just listen to me; listen to what he himself says he's going to do!

So yeah, she's great. And irrelevant. She's a distraction, smoke and mirrors. But very, very effective. In one fell swoop, McCain's won the conservative base, non-feminazi women, and independents. He's won the election, without changing a single thing about himself or what he's going to do.

So the next question is this - do I admit I was wrong about the election? Of course. And not at all.

The particulars I was completely wrong about. I've called this one completely wrong at every step, for the first time since I started following politics (mid-90s).

But the general truth is this: we are not in a free country. We do not have free elections. We have a circus show, and a competition between pre-approved candidates. But only the approved candidates can make it. If a candidate doesn't follow the correct platform (which is the same between both "parties"), he/she will NOT be allowed to succeed. When Ron Paul actually upset the status quo, he was barred from buying advertising. He was barred from several debates, and given a fairly thorough media blackout.

Most people do not desire liberty, in my experience. They desire safety and prosperity. I do not think this was always the case, but it certainly is in my lifetime. I have theories on this as well, but that's for another time.

I recently heard somebody say one of the greatest beliefs that has afflicted modern America is that we have come to believe our desires and needs are our rights. Even ignoring the needs side of this, this is still a painful truth; that just because we need something, we do not have a right to it. In fact, I bet that many reading this would argue this very statement with me. What if you need food? What if you need medical care? What if you need shelter? What if you need ________?

But your need, and my need - does NOT equal my right to it. And until we face this, our country is screwed.

This is not the only problem we face, perhaps not even the biggest. But it is a lesson that must be learned before we can even begin to try to save the tattered remains of our Republic.

Of course, as long as we have "safety" and "prosperity" (and yes, those quotations are on purpose), most people will ridicule the very notion that our Republic has died, and we are now in an Empire.

So while the country anoints our next dictator based on his attractive sidekick, I can only laugh at the whole farce, and enjoy the show. I still hope people will wake up and realize what is happening. But I don't expect it.