Dorothy:Now which way do we go?
Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way.
Dorothy: Who said that?
[Toto barks at scarecrow]

Dorothy: Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk.
Scarecrow: [points other way]  It’s pleasant down that way, too.
Dorothy: That’s funny. Wasn’t he pointing the other way?
Scarecrow: [points both ways] Of course, some people do go both ways.

— The Wizard of Oz

Well, primary season is over here in Kentucky, and my candidate lost.  The Republican incumbent, who has been in office since I was in junior high, will be facing off against a Democrat female scion of a Kentucky political tradition.  A pox upon both of them.

That’s not me.  I’ve come to the decision that it’s preferable to vote principle rather than party.  My principles are smaller government, civil rights, and a strong belief that government service should not be a career.  Mitch McConnell doesn’t fit with some of those principles, and Alison Lundergan Grimes doesn’t fit with others, so I don’t see myself voting for either of them.

So, I’m doing the electoral equivalent of taking my ball and going home.  I’m looking at third parties and independents.  If I can’t find someone I prefer to the two major party candidates, I’m going to either omit that race on my ballot or write in Barry Goldwater.  If you’re in Kentucky, I suggest you do the same.

Voting for party over principle is for Socialists, Communists, and Nazis.  If you share my principles, regardless of your party affiliation, please vote for your principles.  We need those more than we need the parties.  Just ask yourself, which is worse: a politician who is openly hostile to your principles, or one that smiles to your face while he sells those principles out?

*Imagine my surprise upon receiving a flyer in the mail from the NRA last week announcing the endorsement.  I was under the impression that the NRA stays out of primary politics.  I guess I was misinformed, and I know I was disappointed.