In a race where the anti-establishment vote has never been higher, it is shocking that the current
Libertarian Party nominee has such a milquetoast approach to promoting his party's core principles. The
nominee, Gary Johnson, had energetically dodged
questions pertaining to the relationship between the non-aggression principle and the U.S. Constitution.
For those unfamiliar, the Non-Aggression Principle is a widely held libertarian belief that, simply stated,
finds the initiation of the use of force and violence to be morally illegitimate. This concerns government
action because often the state is an entity that initiates force against it's citizens whether it comes from
the enforcement of drug laws, limitations on speech, and even the collection of taxes.
The N.A.P. has been used to assert the moral necessity of a smaller (or even a non-existent) government. Gary
Johnson, who is unwilling to assert this particular line of reasoning, has opted to speak to voters in terms
he finds more palatable. Curiously, the most attention-drawing mainstream candidates are an avowed socialist
and Mexican-deporting, Muslim-banning, wall-building capitalist. The two candidates are famous and relevant
for courting controversy and Gary Johnson has thrown away the opportunity to sell his party's foundational
beliefs to a dissident-loving public. If Johnson were a salesman, it would be like pitching a customer a car
whilst broadcasting fear that the engine might not even turn over.
However, despite my immense disappointment at a candidate lacking conviction of his own principles, I will
almost certainly be voting Libertarian this election. Even though Donald Trump has injected powerful anti-
establishment sentiment into the system, the two party system has demonstrated itself to be primarily
concerned with pursuing it's own interests at the expense of the politically disconnected. While I expect
almost no short term return on my time investment, I liken it to planting a seed of dissent that I hope will
grow into an ever widening forest of like-minded voters. The alternative is stand by, allowing evil is pass
unopposed, and do nothing. I choose to act.