Liberty Maven

Why do I care so much I sometimes ask myself? I answer: because it is important! I utilize the my time by researching candidates for local elections and national ones. I have developed a core philosophy on most of the major issues we face in the US today.

I fade in and a I fade out though. I fade out when I can’t find a candidate that matches my beliefs. I fade in when I find a candidate like Ron Paul running. I guess I do more than just fade in though. I dive in, as evidenced by this supposedly general subject personal blog having 97% Ron Paul posts. Given this truism of my personality I’m going to vent a bit with the rest of this post with some observations that sincerely anger me deeply and call for an end to apathy.

The fact that they anger me is probably the reason why I fade out. The helplessness is just too much. For now though, I’m taking aim…

What the general population and the news media find important these days irks me. It makes me want to yell at them to wake the F up!

The Anna Nicole Smith death and the coverage in the news of it. She was an inconsequential attention grabbing whore. Yet we were subjected to endless news stories of her death and the aftermath. Why do we care? What has she done of importance in her life to make us care about her? She got naked in Playboy and married an old guy for his money. That’s really it.

Then there was the video of a drunk David Hasselhoff slurring his words and being a slob. Why do we watch?

Paris Hilton. This one needs no further explanation. She is just a skinny, bitchy, not that pretty girl. Why? Just Why?

Britney Spears.

American Idol.

The insane hype of the iPhone. It’s a cell phone that has a new user interface. Sure it’s cool. But is it really *that* cool? It doesn’t even do voice activated dialing like most other cell phones have been doing for years. I don’t get it.

The list goes on. If you stop and pay attention you see this kind of stuff every single day in our society. And while we are rubber necking the next gadget or the next celebrity with baggage, our young men and women are fighting for us all around the world, especially in Iraq. Don’t you think spending some of your time more wisely is in order?

Ignoring for a moment the argument of whether they should be there in the first place, do you think they’d be happy knowing that they are risking their lives daily so we can safely stand in line to get the new iPhone? So we can follow the pointless disaster that is Paris Hilton? It is certainly nice to be able to perform these inane actions, but wouldn’t it be better to prioritize more important actions higher?

I’m not appointing myself the arbiter of how everyone spends their precious time. I just want to point out that between the minutiae there lies some fairly important issues in the world today that deserve our attention.

I call on you to take some time to pay attention and educate yourself about the candidates running for President. Pay attention to the laws the Congress is contemplating. Pay attention to the recent Supreme Court decisions and the upcoming ones.

The Internet can give you this information with little effort on your part. It’s all there. Research it, form your opinion, and act on it. Post your opinion on message boards and blogs. Discuss the issues and candidates with your friends and family. Get them involved. Write and/or phone your local congressman, board of supervisors, governors, and mayors. And most importantly: vote!

If this is too much to ask of you, then sooner or later you won’t have the option to do it anymore. The government thrives on your apathy. They use it to give themselves more power and money. The temptation for them is too great.

If we don’t stand up and take action, our leaders will amputate our legs, prohibiting us from standing up ever again.

Stop gazing across the highway at the accident that has no effect on your life. Instead, stare your elected officials in the eyes and push them toward your steadfast will. It is the most patriotic and important thing you can do for the good of you and your country.

And while you’re at it, check out Ron Paul.