I had a political blog once before, more than a year ago. I made it on Wordpress, as I recall, but I don't remember what email I used for it, so it's lost in the vast world that is the internet.

So this is Max's political blog 2.0.

I'll do some kind of mild introduction as to my political leaning, since it is not black and white, and tends to irritate some people because they can't quite figure out where I stand on any number of issues based on what I call myself.

First, we have to distinguish "libertarian" from "Libertarian," or, as folks in those circles distinguish it, "Little-L" and "Big-L" libertarianism. A "libertarian" is someone who believes in individual liberty, voluntary association, and the non-aggression principle (i.e., any unsolicited action or actions that affects an individual's property or person, no matter whether those actions are damaging, beneficial, or neutral, are considered violent when they're against the free will of the individual and interfere with his right of self-ownership); a "Libertarian" is one who believes all those things, but knows the realities of the Party System in which we lives, and so is willing to make compromises to work within that system.

Second, I have to determine what I mean by "Libertarian Light." I understand the Party System is the one we've got, and that if I want any sort of progress (progress: repeal of laws that the government has passed to give us our freedoms back, and the pursuit of laws that set in stone rights that future administrations won't be able to change), then I have to work within that system. I may have to compromise within that system to get what I want, but I'd rather have half a sandwich than no sandwich at all.

Compromise is anathema to the modern Libertarian Party. It's pretty obnoxious. So what did I do to get away from that?

I became a Republican.

This is not an unheard of development, of course. Think of a hardcore libertarian...

Chances are, you didn't think of Nick Gillespie.

More likely, you thought of Ron Paul, the Republican representative from Texas.

I'm no Ron Paul. I don't want to be Ron Paul. He thinks states should be able to ban interracial marriage. That's crazy. I am not in favor of people democratically taking others' rights away.

But still, a Republican.

As you can probably gather, you can't decide what my position on a given issue is going to be based solely on my political identification.

The specifics are too numerous to mention. You might just have to pay attention. Or ask, specifically, in the comments. I am more than willing to engage on any issue for any length of time, unless the debate devolves into fallacies and ad hominem.

Anyway, welcome to the blog. I will endeavor to post on many subjects as they come up in local or national debate, and I welcome any discourse from anyone else in that regard.