Unaffiliated

Last Tuesday there was an election. Not that everyone knew it or really bothered to join in the ol' democratic process.

As I stood in the poolroom waiting for them to confirm that I'm me I was told, "you're listed as non-partisan, do you want to switch?" Well. . .honestly. I didn't know what to say. There I was, still somewhat sleepy and being asked if I wanted to, right then and there, select a political party to hitch myself to. What to say?

I'm one of those people, I suspect, that makes up a great majority of the American public. I'm someone who has elected to keep an open mind. I might lean to the conservative side a bit, but I demure from saying I'm a "republican." I have voted for democrats, but cannot throw my lot in with the democratic party.

Does that make me abnormal? A freak? Someone deserving of scorn? There has come to be a sort of dividing line in recent political culture. It's the "With us or against us" posture. If I don't completely denounce Obama and all he does, I'm an "Obama apologist" and a "lefty liberal." If I believe, as I do, that Bush was not a bad guy I may get sneers and have the pleasure of being thought of as ignorant and "not knowing the facts."

The world is, grandly, NOT black and white. I am not A 'conservative' nor am I A 'liberal.' I have some views which may be conservative in nature and some that may be liberal in nature. By saying that I mean 'conservative' and 'liberal' in the actual meanings of those words, not the venom spewing way the current myopic political wags mean it.

So, I stood there staring down at the junior college girl behind the polling table. Do I want to switch?

I prefer to use my own judgment and reasoning, not a political parties'.

No, I don't want to switch.