Beliefs

I consider myself spiritual, rather than religious. I was raised in a Protestant household, but I can’t even remember when I last attended church. Suffice it to say that I’m a strong believer in the separation of church and state.

When I first became politically conscious, I thought of myself as a liberal, largely because of my intense connections with the environment.

As I became more and more disgusted with corrupt Democrats and the insipid, amazingly stupid liberals that seemingly characterize Seattle, I began checking out the competition. However, I decided the Republicans are even worse.

I gave up on the Green, Libertarian and Socialist parties, all of which have apparently been infiltrated and manipulated by corporations. For a while, I began calling myself an Independent.

In fact, it’s hard thinking of a political handle I feel comfortable with. I’ve come to despise the word liberal, because America’s liberals are typically apathetic, spineless, self-righteous and hypocritical. However, I kind of like the term leftist or left-winger, especially when used in an international context. For example, I feel a strong affinity with the leftists who are reshaping Latin America.

One could call me a socialist in the broadest sense. In fact, I favor a mixed economy, combining capitalism and socialism. But many people interpret any government meddling in economic affairs as socialism. I strongly favor the element of social justice that socialism represents to so many people.

Nevertheless, I was raised in a very conservative community, am extremely independent and do not want to get pegged as just another liberal. Unlike most liberals, I’m not strongly opposed to the death penalty. In fact, I advocate the death penalty for George W. Bush, Obama and just about every member of Congress. And that’s just for starters.

In summary, I guess you can just call me a West Dakotan.