Now wait a minute, you say, that is a pretty big charge and sweeping allegation you are leveling on them!

You betcha! Let's look at the record:

- They both use coercion to disallow minority parties on the ballot as reflected by their policies that they craft and put into law. States require far more signatures to get minority party candidates on the ballot than for themselves.

- The bi-partisan Committee on Presidential Debates which is comprised of three Republicans and three Democrats uses coercion to exclude minority parties from appearing in the national televised presidential and vice-presidential debates forums. Since the group replaced the League of Women Voters responsibility for hosting the debates, various third-party candidates have qualified to be in the debates, but because of the fear of losing voters and financial support to their minority political candidates, the rules were changed in mid-stream, and ways were found how to legally discriminate against them. (note: In 1988, when Libertarian Presidential candidate qualified, the Republicans and Democrats quickly declined to enter the debates.)

- Coercion is employed by the print and electronic media, whose, unwillingness to cover and include minority political viewpoints exposes their total lose of objectivity and fairness in reporting.

- Coercion is used by many state legislators to deny individuals their right to free association by registering with the political party of their choice.

- Coercion is used by local, state and federal governments when not allowing individuals and groups the right to pamphleteer and protest on publicly owned property.

- Coercion is used by congressional members such as Representative Bob Barr (R) Georgia to censor the results of ballot initiatives in the District of Columbia.

- Coercion is used by schools, universities, colleges, public libraries and other tax-funded institutions who claim to be champions and protectors of free speech yet, routinely exclude information about political minorities in their mock elections, curriculum, and voter guides which is needed for voters to make fully informed choices at the ballot box.

So, after third-party candidates get ruffed up, worked out, ignored, trivialized and marginalized, then and only then, do they allow you to run for public office.

I conclude that it should be of no surprise then that the Republicans and Democrats are reaping what they have sowed. When the pages of history are finally written about them, it will show that which they call the so-called two party system has been the biggest con thrusted upon the American people.

Their single bi-partisan party can simply be compared to a stagnant pool of water with no intake or outlet which has grown fowl, disease-laden and lifeless. They do not allow new ideas or approaches to flow in and out of them.

The co-conspirators tell us that we must either choose between economic or personal freedom. They only desire rights for themselves and their chosen few; regulation and control over the lives of all others.

But, the truth must be proclaimed loudly that Liberty is indivisible!

So, now, Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore...the gig is up!

You and your followers have divided this nation using the false notion that freedom is divisible. It has resulted in the death of this glorious republic by destroying it from within. If you think that you can regain the trust of the American people, I think you are sadly mistaken.

So, we who love Liberty immediately challenge you both to a truce.

If you want this nation to be healed once again and brought together before needless violence and chaos erupts, I strongly urge you to consider the following:

It is time for you to sign a new agreement with all the people of this nation. Republicans: You must respect personal liberty and tolerate the choices of others...no compromises, no exceptions, no strings attached. Democrats: You must respect economic liberty and tolerate the choices of others...no compromises, no exceptions, no strings attached. For all others: You must respect both the personal and economic liberty and tolerate all the choices of others...no compromises, no exceptions, no strings attached.

In exchange, all promise not harm or fraud another human being. If anyone does, you and a jury of their peers have the right to hold individuals responsible for their actions.

If you do not accept this challenge, I am afraid that the dreams of America's founders of living in a free and open society will never be realized for us and our children.

So, the real Y2K story was not when the clocks changed at midnight on December 31, 1999 to the year 2000; it is when the mighty United States of America experienced an election that divided the 224 year old republic.

I invite all those who love Liberty to seize the day. Let's break the ugly cycle of aggression and coercion that the older political parties have forced upon us for too long. You and I can show them a better way by ushering in a new era of liberty, respect, tolerance, personal responsibility, peace, harmony and self-government never witnessed by the world before.

It is our libertarian destiny.

Published in the December 16, 2000 issue of  Ether Zone.

Copyright © 2000 Ether Zone (http://etherzone.com).