Back to the picket lines.

I like Alex Carnavale's "Reason No. 491 to Become a Libertarian", which brings me back to politics, as usual. Some teeny little part of me believed that if I focused on learning how to clean a house (a work in progress), iron shirts, and plant a garden, I would "get over" my libertarian political leanings. But those Stalinesque 5-year plans we love to concoct often fail us, life being far more amazing than our banal predictions and plans.

So Congressman Ron Paul is running for president as a Republican-- a true constitutional conservative who understands that government is not (and never CAN be) our God. God is more powerful than all our attempts to legislate Him. And if Ron Paul wins the nomination, then I will be voting in a presidential election for the very first time. Why would I vote for Ron Paul? Five very quick reasons (which I would love to expound upon if you just send an email my way):

1. He understands that education begins in the home, and is wise enough to encourage its continuation in the home. Dr. Paul's Family Education Freedom Act would provide homeschoolers with tax credits to ease the financial burdens of schooling at home. Patrick and I are not rich enough to be taxed for a public education we do not plan to use, and we cannot afford to pay for courses whose content we find to be interesting, at best.
2. He respects my privacy.
3. He thinks the best foreign policy is one which engages the rest of the world via markets, travel, and nonprofits, as opposed to military might and bombs.
4. Included in his policy of nonintervention is a position that would end the Drug War abroad and at home. As a young person who has witnessed the racism of the Drug War first-hand, this relieves me. If a nice church-going lady has a preference for Xanax over marijuana, this is her preference (and her problem).
5. He has a profound and deeply reverent respect for human life. Amen to that. How do I know he respects human life? First, he spent many years as a practicing ob-gyn delivering human babies. Second, he wants to reduce the number of armed conflicts in which we risk the lives of our patriotic and loyal young Americans. Third, he opposes capital punishment. Fourth, he is pro-life. Fifth, he believes every individual life is precious and dignified enough to be lived on its own terms. As Lew Rockwell notes in his brief look at the Tavis-Smiley-moderated Republican debate, some Republican candidates seem to enjoy laughing at the idea of God's sovereignty over life and death:   

But for me (Rockwell) the most chilling moment, a peek into the cold and creepy heart of a statist, was Huckabee defending the death penalty. He killed more people than any other governor of Arkansas, he boasted, after reading the entire file, including the trial transcript, of each case (sure you did, Huck). But beware of an executioner who is not an extremely good man with a finely formed conscience, like me, he said in his best minister-voice. Clearly, like Bush, Huckabee revels in the power to kill. If he read his victims' files, it was to salivate over them: the porn of power.

Expect a return to political blogging on my part-- I've been silent for too long. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Ron Paul, take a peek at the following bloggers and websites:

• Pastor John Killian blogs about his support for Ron Paul at Musings from Maytown.
• Backwoods Home Magazine endorses Paul for president.
• Birmingham for Ron Paul connects you to events, articles, movers, shakers, and maybe even a few Quakers at the grassroots in Alabama.
• The Daily Paul is a great pit-stop for the latest campaign news, events, and press releases.
• The Ron Paul blog shares the latest videos and legislative information about Ron Paul.
• Red State Eclectic is just that-- and clever to boot.
• The Ron Paul Library is a fast way to read all of Ron Paul's speeches, articles, essays, etc.
• Homeschoolers for Ron Paul is an inspiration for all homeschool-minded (and homeschool-friendly) folks out there.
• Of course, nothing is ever complete without officialdom. So here is the official website for all your Paulinesque web-wondering needs.