remember not to vote!

yes, i've written on this subject before. i felt like i should be more clear and concise on the argument i make against voting. looking back at those earlier posts, there was something left to be desired.

1. voting sanctions violence. government is a group of people who have declared themselves to be your ruler - with or without your consent. every rule they make, every regulation they implement is backed up by the threat that they will use force in order to gain your compliance. when you vote, you actively help someone get into a position to use that violence against others. you become, in essence, an accessory to crime.

2. voting legitimizes government. the more votes a candidate receives, the greater his "mandate". everything he does can be whitewashed as "the will of the people". a vote helps to obscure the criminal nature of government by giving people the illusion that they are involved in the process, when, of course, they aren't.

3. you never know what you're voting for. politicians are liars. that's a known quantity. all one has to go on when electing a candidate are his words. we know that words can't be trusted. so, when you vote and that candidate does something awful that he said he wouldn't do, like invade a country and murder hundreds of thousands of its citizens, are you going to be willing to accompany him to the hague to answer to war crimes? let's be honest, you helped it all happen.

4. voting will never change the nature of government. regardless of your vote, government will remain, by definition, an institution based on violence against others. if you want to be involved in assisting a machine of evil, then voting is an easy way to do it.

the alternative, of course, is to stay at home, away from such things and enjoy your clear conscience (or, you can do this instead). after all, if you vote, you have no right to complain.