When I lived in Laramie, Wyoming, I was considered an ultraliberal. I don't eat red meat, I support the right to abortion, I oppose the death penalty, I think we should legalize marijuana, and I oppose prayer in schools.

Now that I live in Santa Cruz, California, I am considered an ultraconservative. I support the right to bear arms, I oppose progressive taxation, I don't really have strong negative feelings about Iraq, and I don't really ken much to gay marriage.

What makes it so interesting to me is that so many people get so charged about their personal issues that they're willing to unthinkingly embrace the entire platform of their left or right affinity. It makes for some good conversations, and some really poor ones…

It's easy to have a conversation with a true conservative about issues because they almost always have a REASON for what they think. Their reasons may be stupid on occasion, but they invariably have them (even if it's just "because the bible says so"). Speaking with a liberal is much harder, even though they're supposed to be the “smarter ones.” For instance, I can’t begin tell you how many times I've heard the term "social justice" bandied about to support everything from low-income housing, IDs for illegal aliens, or even for revamping the electoral college. In almost as many conversations, there are myriad interpretations of what "social justice" means, and it becomes very clear very quickly that the "thinkers" on the left haven't really done much thinking about their positions. They HAVE their positions, and they feel very STRONGLY about them, but they don't really know WHY. At least "because God says so" is refreshingly blunt and resolute, even if not particularly Reasoned.

Where does that leave me? With the Libertarians? No, those folks seem to be just a half-step up from anarchists. What’s left? Suggestions?