Well, gee...uh...thanks....I guess...

 

 

  One of the rules when I was growing up was that when Grandma and Grandpa gave you something for Christmas, you  smiled and said an enthusiastic "Thank you!", even if what they gave you was a sweater, or some corduroy bib overalls, or some gloves. My children were raised with the same rule, and judging from some of the clinched teeth whispers at our family Christmas gatherings, I assume my Grandchildren have received the same instructions.

 

  I recall one Christmas several years ago, when our youngest son Jonathan was convinced his present from Grandma that year was a Power Ranger sleeping bag. Apparently he came to that conclusion during some pre-Christmas closet snooping at Grandma's house. His Grandma, however, being a little bit on the mischievous side, decided to switch tags so that Jonathan instead opened his cousins pink Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bag instead.

 

  It's hard to accurately describe the pained smile on his face when he opened that gift and then tried to muster a believable "Gee, thanks, Grandma".

 

  It's a lot like the look many of my Republican friends on their faces when they talk about Mitt Romney. And I know they know they are supposed to support their candidate, and I know a lot of them will go ahead and vote for Mitt, but I don't believe they'll be smiling when they do.

 

  At least not a real smile, anyway. 



 

JUMP!!!!!!!....

  A long, long time ago, like maybe when I was 7, Native Americans, (or Indians, as  they were referred to when I was 7), hunted buffalo by stampeding them over a cliff, and then killing them after they were injured in the fall, if the fall didn't kill them in the first place. It was called a "buffalo jump".

  Apparently, the hunters would wave blankets and animal skins in the air, shouting and carrying on something awful, and the buffalo would be so frightened that they would begin running towards the cliff and plummet to their ultimate deaths. I never really understood why. I suppose the buffalo might have thought the Indians had a bow and arrow, or a spear under the blanket. Even so, I think there were more buffalo than there were Indians, and it always seemed to me that the buffalo could have turned around, stood their ground, and not been any worse off, besides maintaining a little dignity along the way. I guess they thought they were somehow better off taking a header over the cliff.

  I'm running for Congress on the Libertarian ticket this fall. I'll be voting for a lot of other Libertarians on the ballot, too. A lot of Republicans I know are running around, waving their arms, claiming that we all need to vote for Republicans instead of Libertarians out of fear that some Democrats might be elected or re-elected.

  I don't share their concerns. When I examine the GOP's support of the growing federal government, and the growing deficit, along with the Patriot Act, the NDAA, corporate subsidies, foreign interventionism, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, taxes, taxes, taxes...etc., I can't really see the advantage to blindly voting for Republicans anymore than I could see the advantage of the buffalo jumping over a cliff.

  I decided a few years ago to leave the GOP and take a stand for smaller, Constitutionally limited government.

  That's the last jump I'm going to make.