I've heard many people say that they are not going to vote at all, because it's like voting for one horrible way to die over another (let's see now, would I rather be burned at the stake or drawn and quartered?) But refusing to vote doesn't send quite the message those people are hoping for. Actually, it simply tells the powers that be that they really don't care how the government destroys their rights. Is that the message non-voters really wish to send? Assuming the answer is "no", maybe there is a better message to send them.

What if everyone who typically does not get out and vote (about 50% of the population that is eligible to vote, by the way) got together and voted in a 3rd party candidate? I mean, if 50% of the voters voted for a 3rd party candidate, and the other 50% were pretty much evenly divided between Bush and Kerry, the 3rd party candidate would obviously win! Don't scoff - it's been done before (after all, the Republicans replaced the Whigs back in the mid-1800's when the 2 main parties were Whigs and Democrats). I'd say that would be a pretty strong message, wouldn't you agree?

My personal choice for such a grass roots campaign would be Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate. He is all about freedom from governmental control wherever the government has no business sticking its nose. Here is his position on the use of Medical Marijuana, for example:

By executive order on the first day in office President Badnarik
*will instruct the DEA to cease the persecution of medical marijuana users
*will advocate that all states legalize medical marijuana
*will pardon all persons incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses


To find out his positions on Industrial Hemp or the "War on Drugs," check out these links:

http://badnarik.org/plans_industrialhemp.php
http://badnarik.org/plans_warondrugs.php

For more information regarding his position on any other issues, go to http://badnarik.org.