And Now For Something Completely Different

Libertarian Politics & How I Ran For President

Avast! Thar Be Politics Ahead!

If that makes you stare of into the distance wistfully, longing for an era where you could express your displeasure using tar and feathers? Dude - believe me, I am with you on that. If you’d Just Rather Not this morning, I understand completely if you nope right on out and go snuggle your kids or play with your dog or do something else that is wholesome and happy.

So, back in 2020, I got involved with the Libertarian Party by doing what any red-blooded American male does when they get into politics: I ran for President.

I didn’t win, obviously. I dare to say the country would be in a heck of a lot better shape if I had. A really wonderful pair did get the nomination from the LP, though: Jo Jorgensen & Spike Cohen. Spoiler: they didn’t win either, which is a crying shame.

I ended up managing their Pennsylvania campaign and went on from there to join the LPPA as Western Vice Chair. In the process I organized some new LP chapters in Western PA and helped get a couple hundred Libertarians elected to local office in PA. You know, as one does.

How does the song go? “Then came the lawyers, then came the rules…”

In a nutshell: some people did some stupid crap and started talking Culture War Bullshit instead of politics. A bunch of bozos (who I obviously don’t agree with) didn’t like that, so got together and worked to “take over the party” from those folks they didn’t agree with. They succeeded, in a large part by being anarchists who were suddenly very, very concerned with The Rules. Yay teamwork, I guess?

Bovine excrement, meet the rotary impeller. Team Bozo started doing stupid Culture War crap, but it was different stupid Culture War crap, and there was a lot more of it, so it was Proclaimed OK When We Do It. Another bunch of folks decided that they didn’t appreciate that and formed Team Yahoo (who, as you may guess, I also don’t agree with) . They doubled down on the stupid Culture War crap they had been doing, hoping to replace the Bozos with the Yahoos.

Meanwhile, in the middle of all this, I was trying to do my job (getting Libertarians elected, remember?) until a few folks made it obvious that my presence was no longer requested, or required. Lovely people, those.

This is the point where I dusted off my fledgling writing career and discovered some truly lovely people. Yay writers! Y’all are philosophically like my Libertarian friends, only without all the misdirected self-loathing.

Which brings us to this weekend, and the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C. Normally, the big news of the day would be our nomination of our Presidential candidates for this year.

Because of the ongoing Bozo-Yahoo conflict, though, things are different this year. Instead of focusing on the nominations, we’re going to be hosting speakers like Donald Trump (who, you may recall, is a member of a different major political party), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (a member of yet another different major political party), and a bunch of other… I’m running out of polite terms.

A lot of people are excited that we’re suddenly relevant. Meanwhile, everyone’s talking about Trump and RFK and out own candidates are getting lost in the shuffle. But yay for “relevance”, I guess?

Which brings us to this weekend. I’ve got two problems.

The first is that there really are are some lovely people in politics, and no, I’m not being facetious. I got to know a lot of truly wonderful people in the past few years. Some fought me tooth and nail at one point, and vice versa. With others I have deep fundamental and philosophical disagreements. There’s a level of mutual respect for person over power that lets you get along regardless.

The second is that Mama Robb didn’t raise no quitter. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the Bozos, the Yahoos, or any combination of the two keep me from participating int he only political party even remotely worth a crap anymore.

So. If you’re wondering where the heck I am this weekend, I’ll be in D.C. Right smack dab in the middle of this Charlie Foxtrot. I’ll be there for friends, and for associates, and the people who still give a crap. Oh, and to do what I can to kick Team Bozo Yahoo right in the proverbial no-no square because frankly, isn’t booting a politician in the nuts part of the quintessential American Dream?

I may even get to appear on TV, though right now, it’s a tossup as to whether it will be on Fox News or a very special episode of Cops. Stay tuned.

The Business of Writing

A mid-week update on my three major commitments: to write, to edit, and to read.

I spent a good part of this past week writing laying out the book for Minstrels in the Galaxy. That involved writing the forward and a good dozen story introductions. That’s, what? Two thousand words? How hard could that be?

OH DEAR SWEET FANNY MOSES.

I’d rather go to the Libertarian National Convention wearing a t-shirt that says, “Taxes Are Good, Actually”. I mean… I mean… I had about a hundred words for each intro. My requirements?

It has to be short. It has to be pithy. It has to mention a work of SF similar to the story it’s introducing. If it fits, I wanted to use language - a short phrase - popular in SF fandom, to drop in as an easter egg. Finally, it needs to give a hint (but not too much of a hint!) about the story itself; either the subject matter or the theme. Wrap it all up neatly, tie it with a bow, and this whole paragraph here is exactly one hundred words, so you can see the problem.

Now do that a dozen times. Steampunk! How do you describe the origin, history, and meaning of steampunk in 100 words? Oh, wait, you still need to do the story bit, so could you do that in maybe 75 words, my good man? Pip-pip, cheerio and off you go!

I am pretty sure I have less hair now than when I started.

By way of comparison, writing the introduction felt like running through a mountain field, spinning and dancing like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Words! WORDS! Hundreds of extra words! Ahhhhhh, breathe deep the scent of - dare I say it?

Other Stuff

You’ve already heard it. Libertarian National Convention. If I survive it, I’ll promise that I’ll give you an extra special heaping helping of memes on Monday, OK?

That’s about it! Until next week, then, remember the words of Pericles: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.”