A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Missouri Republican Party state convention, held in Branson. It was a star-studded event, with fine speeches made by Governor Blunt, Blunt's father Roy, governor hopefuls Hulshof and Sarah Steelman, Kit Bond, and others.

This convention was fairer than most of the District conventions around the state had been, no Iraqi war veterans were booed by the majority (as was captured on video at the Colorado Convention), and most of the 300 or so delegates whose credentials were spuriously challenged (simply for supporting Ron Paul during the primaries) were finally seated, but roughly 2/3 of the delegates present rejected the candidates for national delegates from the Ron Paul camp, along with their message of limited government and representative democracy.

Before the convention convened, I was in a stall in the men's restroom, and overheard an interesting conversation. I heard a loud voice saying that you can go up against the Establishment, but even if you take them by surprise and beat them once, they will re-group and crush you. Then he added, "and I have a billy club, and I'll help beat you down because if you're not interested in getting Republicans elected, I don't have any use for you."

I came out of the stall at about this point, to see that the speaker was a chubby, short man with curly blond hair; not very physically impressive. The gentleman to which he spoke was a youngish man in a blue suit and tie, and he was just smiling and occasionally voicing agreement with what the short man was saying. As he tucked his shirt in, the short man said, "I'm a national delegate for someone I didn't vote for, and that's the way it is."

And that's the way it has been. Almost everyone I have ever met, heard or read who supports presidential candidate John McCain supports him defensively, almost apologetically, the way the man in the bathroom was, and talks of supporting him because they "have no choice." It makes me wonder who in the world legitimately voted for the man in the primaries.

This man's words also made me think of the words of John Adams's friend, Jonathan Sewall, when he took Adams aside and pleaded with him not to attend the Continental Congress, because the power of Britain was "irresistible." Why should such things as seemingly irresistible power matter? There is only one truly irresistible power in the universe, and that is the power of God Himself. Why should the physical, military, or political strength of one side or another be an argument for its rightness?

In the election of 2008, there will be more than two choices for president. The mainstream media and the propagandists for both major parties will, as they do every election, tell us over and over and over that there are only two choices, but it simply is not true. Many conservatives and many Christians will conclude that they must vote for John McCain, because he is the Republican candidate, and he has given some lip-service in his career to conservative ideals. They will also say that because he was shot down, held captive, and tortured in Vietnam, he is qualified to be President. I will be told that I am "throwing away" my vote by not voting for "the lesser of two evils" (which is still a vote for evil).

In reply I ask, why am I the one throwing away my vote? Why aren't all the conservatives that continually allow the mainstream media to choose their candidates for them, and continually buy the lies of their candidates, election after election, the ones who are throwing away their votes? What would happen if we all stood our ground, and voted for what and who we wanted?

I think many Republicans know in their hearts that John McCain is another throw-away candidate, and does not stand a chance in November, anyway. I recently ran across a petition online (http://www.lettertogop.com), in which the signors pledged not to vote for John McCain if he is nominated as the Republican candidate for president. This is just one obscure petition out there. To date, nearly 8,800 people have pledged to not vote for John McCain for president, instead choosing the options of not voting (still a right for Americans, thank goodness), writing in Ron Paul, voting for Bob Barr / Libertarian, voting for Obama (not sure why), or voting for someone else (presumably Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, or Ralph Nader).

I hope to write to this column again soon, outlining the reasons I believe a vote for John McCain is a wasted vote.

Meanwhile, I want to point out that while the outlook for getting a non-corrupt, Constitutional advocate of limited government in the White House next year is bleak, there is a very strong conservative revolution afoot across the nation, with many promising prospects for Congress, including a Democrat who has won the primary for US Senate in South Carolina, and will be trying to oust the treasonous Lindsey Graham, a Neoconservative Republican. This particular Democrat is a true conservative, believing in limited government, controlled immigration, and a non-interventionist foreign policy. He is also truly pro-life and an advocate of the family. His name, if anyone is interested, is Bob Conley. I wish him, and all the other truly conservative candidates in the fight this year, godspeed.

Thanks for reading...

Dan