I Will Not Consent

“The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.”
-Ayn Rand

To vote is to support, it is to condone, it is to agree. One does not vote “against” anyone. It’s not possible — look at your ballot before casting it, you will not see anything about “against”. No, you are voting for someone.

To vote for something is to endorse it, not publicly, but privately. Not because of any realistic impact — your vote alone will probably never make a difference in an election. If you don’t vote the election will be the same, unless there was a tie — very rarely does this happen. This means your reason for voting is on the basis of principle, not because you think a policy change will result directly or indirectly from your vote. You wish it to be heard, at least on some level, what you believe. You want it to be known that you support so-and-so — you are giving them a vote. You are condoning them as a leader. Unfortunately, people often miss the fact that they could make a much larger statement…

…by not endorsing any of the crooks.

Let it be known that I refuse to vote for a person who I find fundamentally at odds with moral government. I will not condone any leader who wishes to violate life, liberty or property. I will not support a candidate who wishes to imprison homosexuals. I will not support a candidate who wishes to imprison those who sell or partake in pornography between consenting adults. I will not support a candidate who wishes to imprison me because I own an AK-47. I will not support a candidate who wishes to enslave the working class of America — the capitalists. I will not support someone who wishes to see a larger government in the US. I will not consent to evil.

Let it be known that while America was falling into the depths of tyranny that I did not idly support any lesser evil. Let it be known that I will not support evil itself, in any form. To support evil is to become evil. Consent is a choice, one which one does not have to take, and especially not the consent of evil. The greatest act one could do in these times is to be willing to boycott an election if there is no moral candidate — no candidate who basis his creed upon liberty. Perhaps then the downward spiral would stop. Perhaps then America could be saved.

Unfortunately, it is often viewed that those who do not vote do not care. This is often the case. However, if in the future you see that I will not consent to any leader, do not conclude that I do not care for my country. No one cares more than I do for my country. No one is equally as patriotic as I — my life’s purpose is inherently wrapped up in her fate. My life is to be spent securing the blessings of liberty here. No, not voting doesn’t mean I don’t love here. If I decide not to vote, it’s because I loved her far too dearly to aid her destruction.

On my sacred honor, I refuse to consent the death of my country.

(Please note that I have not said that I won’t vote in the coming election. It is, of course, possible that I won’t. There are several Republican candidates that I can honestly say that I would rather commit suicide than vote for. I’m not attempting to be melodramatic here — I care more deeply about this than anything else in the world. Also, please don’t interpret these words to mean that I am lazy. Far from it — if I choose not to vote, it will be one of the hardest choices I’ll have made to date. Emotionally, I want to vote more than anything. Rationally and morally, I possibly might not be able to.)