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How may of the prospective candidates are fit to be President? How many love the Rule of Law and Equality before the Law? How many have a solid track record of opposing Unlawful War? Is there a candidate who believes we should go back to using actual gold and silver for money? Which candidates would reduce the size of government in any meaningful way? Who would bring one soldier home to stay?

In all of our Googling and encouraging others to Google we should avoid endless disputations with polemicists and political panderers. "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Just try to get them Googling intelligently.

When asked who you are voting for use the opportunity to teach. Think of it as a "teachable moment" as we do in the homeschooling movement. AQWAQ [Answer a Question With a Question] as often as you can. Then direct your prospect to the search engines for definitive information. Help them if they don’t know how to use them. Later you can ask more questions as their tiny little minds begin to expand. Repeat as necessary.

Remember we don't need a majority to prevail. It almost never works that way. In politics a tiny margin can make all the difference. Don't worry that everyone is not convinced that America needs to return to her roots. That didn't even happen in 1776 or 1789. We will always have Tories and Hamiltonian Whigs, not to mention NEOCONs, with which to contend. It is human nature to strive for ill-gotten gains from political advantage. There are always those who think they are born to lord it over others. The fight goes on until Kingdom come.

Begin to think through winning the next election. Plan to be a citizen educator for the rest of your life – and beyond. Leave a legacy of students behind who will be able to carry on.

Encourage your prospects to Google all of the most crucial issues along with the names of each candidate. Many of you may have already performed this exercise in one form or another. Have them place their search terms together in the search window with quotes around the terms and Boolean connectors. Examples: [Hillary AND lawful money] or [Obama AND Socialism]. Compare [Hillary AND Constitution] with ["You Know Who" AND Constitution]. You may also want to look at the Google Advanced Search Tips.

If the Aborticide issue is of special interest to you, Google ’em all and make notes. You can use the same technique to distinguish between two candidates who may seem to have only subtle differences. Once having Googled you will be better informed in most cases. You may also notice there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between most of them.

Of course there has occasionally been a difference between what politicians say – and what they do once elected. You may want to know what they might do to you, or to your liberties once they have won your confidence. Google ’em and find out.

Bastiat had something interesting to say about that [my comments are in blocks]:

"The strange phenomenon of our times – one which will probably astound our descendants – is the doctrine based on this triple hypothesis: the total inertness of mankind, the omnipotence of the law, and the infallibility of the legislator. These three ideas form the sacred symbol of those who proclaim themselves totally democratic.

The advocates of this doctrine also profess to be social. So far as they are democratic, they place unlimited faith in mankind. But so far as they are social, they regard mankind as little better than mud. Let us examine this contrast in greater detail…

What is the attitude of the democrat [not a party affiliation but those who advocate ‘democracy’] when political rights are under discussion [during campaign season]? How does he regard the people when a legislator is to be chosen? Ah, then it is claimed that the people have an instinctive wisdom; they are gifted with the finest perception; their will is always right; the general will cannot err; voting cannot be too universal [they kiss the same babies they will use for future cannon fodder].

When it is time to vote, apparently the voter is not to be asked for any guarantee of his wisdom. His will and capacity to choose wisely are taken for granted. Can the people be mistaken? Are we not living in an age of enlightenment? What! are the people always to be kept on leashes? Have they not won their rights by great effort and sacrifice? Have they not given ample proof of their intelligence and wisdom? Are they not adults? Are they not capable of judging for themselves? Do they not know what is best for themselves? Is there a class or a man who would be so bold as to set himself above the people, and judge and act for them? No, no, the people are and should be free. They desire to manage their own affairs, and they shall do so [motor voter and dead people should be encouraged to vote early and often – even illegal aliens].

But when the legislator is finally elected – ah! then indeed does the tone of his speech undergo a radical change. The people are returned to passiveness, inertness, and unconsciousness; the legislator enters into omnipotence [the velvet gloves come off]. Now it is for him to initiate, to direct, to propel, and to organize. Mankind has only to submit; the hour of despotism has struck. We now observe this fatal idea: The people who, during the election, were so wise, so moral, and so perfect, now have no tendencies whatever; or if they have any, they are tendencies that lead downward into degradation." ~ from The Law by Frédéric Bastiat

Of course you can Google ’em all to see which one has a habit of keeping promises, or which ones need to run from their records.

The Internet, often thought to be a Democracy for information, starts to function more like a Republic with concrete standards and laws as more and more people become literate and learn to employ critical thinking skills, which is to say, with more information and scrutiny, some political decisions will become too embarrassing to publish or perhaps even too risky to perpetrate.

"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." ~ James Madison (Letter to W. T. Barry, 1822)

Logic itself is not Democratic. That is, something cannot become a fact just because it is an opinion held by a simple majority. There are politicians who would love you to believe that. But they will not prevail as your literacy and thinking skills improve.

With Google and other search engines, and with our growing awareness of the power of instant access to information, it becomes harder and harder for politicians to lie. This is already happening.

It remains to be seen whether they will be able to lie better and faster than we can catch them with the help of the Internet. Surely they will do their best. I would like to see real-time Googling of all political speeches. A small window at the bottom of your display could show a real-time voice stress analysis and stream the proof of their disingenuousness alongside.

As we Google more it could become well nigh impossible for a politician to get away with a lie. That is why they must eventually try to control the Net. It is potentially their downfall. The Chinese government has recognized the "problem" of an unfettered Net. I am sure many of our most honorable incumbents have considered this too – at least for "national security" purposes. Those who love the State must hate the Net – for a Big State can only thrive on Big Lies.

Finally, I cannot think of anything more important than to know which candidate will Not send American forces into war for anything but lawful and Constitutional reasons. There is one candidate who is stronger on this point than anyone else. And he is the only one who deserves my vote. He has kept his hands and votes from shedding innocent blood.

Could it be he is the only one whose conscience is clear enough to enjoy Googling himself?

Which candidate could I possibly be talking about? Obviously this is a non-partisan article so your conclusion is between you and your personal search engine.

Can you imagine what Franklin, Jefferson and Madison would be doing on the Web right now? In a profound sense they are still with us. Let’s honor them with renewed diligence.

Ladies and Gentlemen – Start Your Search Engines!

December 19, 2007

Bill Huff [send him mail] is a Classical Libertarian and proprietor of LEXREX.com; a former public school music teacher turned home schooling advocate; a US Navy veteran, and host of WarIsARacket.com.

Copyright © 2007 William H. Huff

Original Material ©Copyright at Common Law by William H. Huff, 2007. Feel free to email this article to your friends, provided that the copyright notice and website address is included. If you would like to publish it on your website or in print, please email a request to lexrex@lexrex.com