Jeff Tiedrich for the Win

[slumcamper]

17. Some laugh, but I grimace and shake my head in utter disgust and bewilderment.

I. can't. laugh. anymore.

I have not laughed in over 3 years. Seriously.

This is a medical (psychological) condition. Medical professionals suggest pharmacological interventions...to blunt my perceptual reality and alter my conceptualization of it. RESIST.

But here's the point: these "small gubmint," "rugged individualist," or so-called "libertarian" types are anathema to our moment. This moment demands the opposite of individualism and narcissism. We require a communitarian perspective that balances individual responsibility relative to the community--emphasis on community.

Consistent with their self-centered conception of "freedom," Paul and his type have every right to believe what they believe. Fine. This nation is spacious enough that they have their own special place to live free and die--maybe carve out a small corner of the Bundy's domain in Nevada for these selfish assholes--and leave the rest of us alone.

I can't laugh anymore. But I can still smile.