gay liberal republican
by Lehr Duquesne
[email protected]

Special to TLE

You bet I am, and I don't mind if everyone knows it. I always have been, as far back as I can remember. I know many of my friends think I'm a little odd sometimes, but it doesn't trouble me in the least. I am grateful to Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary for providing the essence of the following descriptions of my personal and political philosophy.

gay: (adjective) merry, exuberant, bright, lively, in high spirits

liberal: (adjective) generous, openhanded, broadminded; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms; associated with the ideals of individual and economic freedom

republican (noun) one who favors or supports a representative (as opposed to a majoritarian or monocratic) form of government

Folks, I am just about a micron away from deciding whether or not to run for the Hawaii State House of Representatives for the seat currently held by Democrat Cindy Evans. If Governor Lingle's support for Home Rule and her efforts to decentralize the public school system are not to be stymied by our monolithic Democratic Legislature, then the voters must be offered an alternative to the old ways of thinking and their old ways of voting.

I intend to run, if I run, not as a Libertarian, but as a republican. The sad cold fact is that Libertarians don't get elected when they tell the truth, but libertarians do when they call themselves republicans. If such luminaries as Ron Paul and Gary Johnson can hold their noses and win as republicans, why not us?

In the early days of our republic, when James Madison and Thomas Jefferson led their party, the Democrats (originally called the Democratic-Republicans) were libertarians, and they called themselves republicans. Today the Republicans are socialists, the Democrats are fascists, and it hardly matters which wing of the Government Party is in power, as taxes, regulations, and restrictions all flourish under both regimes, while freedom, responsibility, and civility all seem to diminish.

As a republican, I will remain both a Libertarian and a libertarian. I will not deny my quarter century of association with the Libertarian Party, and I will renounce none of my positions on the sovereignty of the individual, the value of free markets, the insanity of the Drug War, or my preference for representative constitutional order over majoritarian tyranny. I'm comfortable with the dictionary's definitions of the three words above, though I'm not especially enchanted by the baggage of the Proper Nouns.

Imua,
Lehr Duquesne
gay liberal republican
www.citizenduquesne.org

Laissez Faire Books

Help Support TLE by patronizing our advertisers and affiliates. We cheerfully accept donations!