Saturday, July 16, 2016

An alternative this election year - The American Solidarity Party


This is a tough year for us politically when it comes to the Presidential campaign. Many of us find the candidates of the major political parties objectionable, and so I hear a lot of people saying they will likely vote for the lesser of two evils, once they determine which is less evil. (I often rejoin, "Voting for the lesser of two evils means you are still voting for evil!)

The truth is, though, for most of us how we vote really doesn't matter.

You see, the election will be decided by the electoral college vote, not the popular vote, and for most states you can pretty much predict right now which party's candidate will carry the state and get the electoral votes. In New York, for example, the Democratic candidate has won the state every election since 1988, and only once in those 7 elections has the Democratic margin of victory fallen below a million votes. This year is likely to be no different. Unless the Democratic candidate does eventually get indicted!

There are a few (5-7) swing states that really decide the election - that's why the pundits and pollsters obsess about such states as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

So for voters in New York, and in most states, it's safe to vote third party.

This year, there is an alternative that might be of interest to Chestertonians. The American Solidarity Party's platform is very much based on Catholic Social teachings, with elements of Distributism.

The party has for the first time nominated its own candidates for president and vice president,  Mike Maturen and Juan Munoz. (Chesterton might appreciate that Maturen is also a magician!)

Go to the website to find out more about them and the party's platform.

The party has Facebook and Twitter accounts as well.

Just imagine, voting, and actually feeling good about for whom you're voting!

If you live on one of the states where your vote might not count, or even if you live in one of the states where your vote might count, but you simply can't vote for one of the main party's candidates, consider the Maturen and Munoz ticket.

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

A Tolkien Clerihew




There was a side of J.R.R. Tolkien
that was seldom seen.
When he was by himself
he'd sometimes dress as an elf.

A Clerihew (Pope Pius)


Pope Pius
is a victim of bias.
Only a closed-minded dope
still thinks of him as "Hitler's pope."