I like Ron Paul. I like everything about him. He is intelligent, affable; has a fine sense of humor. I don't think 911 was a nefarious government plot. Ron Paul doesn't think so, either. I don't think George Bush is a shape-shifting reptilian alien. I would just about bet that Ron Paul doesn't think so, either.

I am not particularly worried that a neo-nazi contributed $500.00 to Paul's campaign. I don't think that money will buy any influence with Ron Paul. I am pleased, though, that Dr. Paul didn't return the money and get into a tizzy about it. Everybody, even neo-nazis, can say what they please and give money to what candidate they please. I am perfectly happy to let neo-nazis spend their money on Doc Martins, rant on their websites, hell, march in Skokie, Illinois, even spit on the sidewalk-- as long as they harm no one.

I'm worried even less about what gay activist Jamie Kirchick managed to dig up in the old newsletters with Ron Paul's name on them. Kirchick's articles were nothing but a poor attempt at a smear campaign and a pathetic attempt by a beginning journalist to gain notoriety. I'm just a demented Paultard, but I do know what an out-of-context quote is. I have a vague recollection of what a false dilemma is. Sorry, Jamie, but Ron Paul doesn't strike me as a racist. In fact, he strikes me as the only candidate who is actually color-blind in this election. I don't think he cares at all about Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Chinese, women, gays, nazis or any other group you may name. I think he is concerned for everyone's individual rights. He has his priorities straight. No one is any more equal than anyone else.

There are things that do worry me. I worry about people who say that I am wasting my vote when I vote for Ron Paul. The only way to waste your vote is to vote for someone because you think they may win. If you want to make a bet, go see a bookie. If you want to vote for a candidate, look at the issues, then decide.

I worry, too, about people who think Paul is not a conservative because he thinks we have no business in Iraq. When did being a conservative ever involve supporting undeclared wars based on fictitious reasons, or, to be kind, faulty intelligence? I am willing to believe that Bush actually thought there were WMD in Iraq. Most people did. Saddam even led them to believe he had them. What I don't understand is why we're still over there. There ain't no WMD, folks. We looked. They're not there. Time to bring the troops home.

People who shrilly denounce Dr. Paul because he personally opposes abortion worry me, too. Apparently leaving abortion law to the states, where it belongs, is just a tad too inconvenient for them. In the few states that would ban abortion, the mere thought of driving across a state line, or taking a plane to have an abortion gives them a case of the galloping fantods. Do we need an abortion clinic on every corner in case a condom breaks? Sure. Make it a drive-through.

The real reason that I want to see Ron Paul as President is because I am tired. I am tired of taking my shoes off at airports while government employees scan my belongings to make sure I'm not a "terrist." I am tired of the possibility of government thugs kicking down my door because they think I might have drugs in my home. I am tired of candidates at debates laughing like gibbering apes when a man of ideas speaks. I am tired of the IRS getting their grubby little hands on my paycheck before I do. I am tired of my money being worth less and less every year. I am tired of sending our young men and women to kill or be killed in a useless, illegal war.


That's why I'm a Paultard.

I am just plain tired.