When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Hunter S. Thompson

18 June 2005

A little RINOplasty

Just one quick post on my way out the door...

I've been blogging for about a year now, and so far have resisted any urge to join a "blog alliance." Historically, I've been something of an independent, and I've always loved the old Groucho Marx line about not wanting to join any club that would have someone like me as a member.

I am throwing my lot in, however, with the Raging RINOs. (Here's a link to an article by the Commissar of the Politburo Diktat--and let me hasten to assure you that this nomenclature is used with the deepest irony imaginable--explaining the intent of the group.)

"RINO," which traditionally means Republican In Name Only, is an epithet used by the True Believers to describe anyone who deviates from the Party Line by even one millimeter. (Jonah Goldberg uses this term at least once a week over at The Corner, the National Review's quasi-blog.)

Now, I have been a Republican since birth. In fact, I am actually named after this guy. I apologize for my GOP conservative bona fides to no one.

On economic and defense issues, I am so far to the right that I actually lean at a 45 degree angle when I walk.

While I would prefer to see victimless crimes decriminalized, on criminal justice issues I am generally slightly to the right of Torquemada.

On social issues, however, I have a strong and deep libertarian streak. (I like the entire Bill of Rights, and I like the penumbras and emanations too.)

A despairing social-conservative friend and colleague once summed up my position as
Abortions and pornography for everyone! Talk dirty to me! Hey, ask your gay husband if I can have a hit off that joint he's smoking...
Which overstates the case, but only a little.

On religio-political issues, while I am a person of deep and abiding faith myself, I have never seen the remotest conflict between religion and science... and when people want to put warning stickers on biology textbooks, or when (for example) James Dobson declares a fatwa against Spongebob Squarepants, I want to bang my head on my desk.

Needless to say, this puts me at odds with the current leadership of the Republican party. On social issues, they are far too reactionary for my tastes, and on economic issues they are entirely too free-spending and irresponsible... pretty much the mirror-image of the kind of principled conservatism that I espouse.

The Raging RINOs are reclaiming the "RINO" acronym. In our world, it stands for Republicans (and) Independents Not Overdosed (...on the Party's Kool-Aid.)

Glad to be on the team, ladies and gentlemen. I will be following the group's evolution (ahem) with considerable interest.


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