Let's get political, political . . . come on and get political . . .

Ok, so I do my best to avoid political discourse.

I was much more into this when I was younger and actually knew everything, but now that I am older and realize that I don't really know anything, its much harder for me to make strong arguements for abstract concepts (like, say the usefulness of lawyers or politicians) and I try to stick to concrete ideas - like the cool factor of a certain paintball gun, etc.

However, I've made no attempt to disguise my political leanings and even my discretion can tend to wander the path when I am getting off on a rant or rave about something I am passionate about - which is probably most things.

Though I tend to be a single-issue voter, my personal politics are more on the Libertarian side of things.

Andrew Sullivan recently published his thoughts on Ron Paul and they are definitely worth reading - especially those who would otherwise be turned off by his "Republican" label.

But the deeper reason to support Ron Paul is a simple one. The great forgotten principles of the current Republican party are freedom and toleration. Paul's federalism, his deep suspicion of Washington power, his resistance to government spending, debt and inflation, his ability to grasp that not all human problems are soluble, least of all by government: these are principles that made me a conservative in the first place. No one in the current field articulates them as clearly and understands them as deeply as Paul. He is a man of faith who nonetheless sees a clear line between religion and politics. More than all this, he has somehow ignited a new movement of those who love freedom and want to rescue it from the do-gooding bromides of the left and the Christianist meddling of the right. The Paulites' enthusiasm for liberty, their unapologetic defense of core conservative principles, their awareness that in the new millennium, these principles of small government, self-reliance, cultural pluralism, and a humble foreign policy are more necessary than ever - no lover of liberty can stand by and not join them.

It is really interesting to me that the only candidate on the ballots who supports ending the war in Iraq is a Republican.