Mike Gravel - Libertarian

Yes, this is no April Fool's joke. This past week, in another example of how even long time party politicians are walking away from what their parties, Mike Gravel officially became a member of the Libertarian Party. And his reasons for joining are much like those I hear from people still reluctantly holding on both sides of the aisle.

People still want to stay with their long time parties out of loyalty and the passion they had when they first joined. But is the party still loyal to you? Is it better to work in the face of such incompetent leadership or make a stand by moving away from the party that has left you behind years ago and find a new group of people who you can worth with, not against, in moving your ideals forward? Mike tells us why he decided upon the latter.

"I'm joining the Libertarian Party because it is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can't be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America," says Gravel. "My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against war, the military industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average American; elites that reject the empowerment of American citizens I offered to the Democratic Party at the beginning of this presidential campaign with the National Initiative for Democracy."

Bob Barr, who left the ranks of the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party in 2006, welcomed Mike Gravel into the fold.

"It is a distinct honor to have another former member of Congress within the Libertarian Party," says Barr. "Just as Senator Gravel believes Democrats have lost touch with the American public, I too concluded Republicans had lost their core principles, and could no longer associate myself with the GOP. While coming from opposite sides of the aisle, Senator Gravel and I definitely agree on the fundamental need for systemic change in our political system, and that the only way we have of effecting that change is by supporting and working in the Libertarian Party, which is the only political party in America that consistently works in word and deed to maximize individual liberty and minimize government power."

Many people have said that they want to see the divide between the parties end. From what I've seen, neither major party is interested in doing anything of the kind. Only in examples like this one are those who are fed up with the status quo really working to achieve change after it is clear that the party leadership of the Democrats and Republicans are not willing to allow that to happen any time soon.

This is good news for Independents and 3rd Party supporters off all kinds. Even though we can disagree in many ways and on many issues, we should all be able to see that the way things have been going for the past several decades can't continue any more if we want a stable, healthy country to leave to our children.