Like a lot of people, I have lost faith with mainstream American politics. For many years I have held my nose and voted for Democrats, because of the two major parties their views were closer to mine; this is sometimes known as the "lesser of two evils" approach, and many Americans follow it. The idea that there should be only two parties is, of course, ridiculous. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about parties. In fact many of the Founding Fathers were strongly against the formation of political parties, because they knew the kind of bitterness and rancor they foster. And here we are.
I used to enjoy politics, but frankly it bores me lately. I only follow it in the most cursory manner. More and more I find myself drawn to the fringe ideas, the crazies. I used to be a lot more conservative, but experience has made me more hopeful. Twenty years ago ideas like gay marriage and legalized marijuana were so radical as to be laughable; worthy long-term goals, perhaps, but surely nothing that we would ever see in our lifetimes. And here we are.
Lately I have been digging on the Small Nations Movement, as outlined in the Small Nations Manifesto by a group called the Second Vermont Republic. 2VR, as they are oh-so-cutely known, are basically a "theoretical secessionist" group, who strongly criticize the corporate-controlled governments of the United States and other Western nations, and advocate a return to smaller, more-regionally controlled entities and loose confederations. Power to the people and all that. I'm down.