The New Job

   I had an opportunity to "try out" for a spot as a contributor for a Libertarian leaning news site. My partner found the ad through this group's facebook page. They were looking for twenty to thirty writers for their site. I was excited at first, because I generally lean toward "anti media", as is the name of this facebook page. I got a copy/paste in an email, from my wife's inbox that explained what they were looking for.
   I am tempted to paste it here, but they might be legitamate, and I would hate to cause any speed bumps for what may be the next big thing. The requirements are what made me question if this was real or not. First, they wanted two essays written from a list of ten or so topics. No problem. The next semi red flag came in the form of timing. I got the message at 2:00 pm; they wanted two original pieces by that night or the next morning. Why the rush? Every time I rush a journalistic piece, I miss something, and wind up calling it trash. So 24 hours is cool, 12 isn't; I'm not a journalist.
   My next step was to look at the website that was listed in the message. It really is a Libertarian news outlet that seemed to be fat with writers. It looks new, and has an air of being under construction as well, so my interest is still above two thousand rpm's. I read their creed and their stated direction, and even that sounded fresh and... I was going to say new, but everyone wants to breathe new life into old ideas.
   The articles I read were about all the articles I read on the AP wire that day, there was little departure from the mainstream media; other than the "Lib" message being laced in the words. This was a bit of a turn off. Any writer worth their mettle can propagate a political party, especially one with a new coat of paint over the old boards underneath. I started wondering how many of these writers knew that Libertarians are by nature and through history, both Socialist and Anarchist. I wonder if they know that this party has already been high-jacked by the media that they are actively rejecting. This idea of true liberty is irrelevant today in America. Our liberties are being thinned out like the fur of a mangy dog right before our eyes. Sometimes Congress doesn't even have to be asked.
   Another message I saw while reading their news was that we need to free ourselves and others without first dismantling DC. Freedom and liberty cost money and blood, and the possibility of a third party gaining traction in this country are less than bleak. Ron Paul is a brilliant man, but his brilliance goes mute on the national stage. It's too late. (reference tea party) I also believe that the two sides of American politics are well covered by the Huffington Post, and The Drudge Report. At the end of the day, they all wind up shaking hands in the middle of the proverbial "political road". What does it really mean to throw another one in there?
   Of course I slept on it last night, and when I woke up this morning with a migraine, all I could see was the message my wife sent me from this "anti-media" group. The first problem -from the perspective of a writer- was punctuation. Out of two hundred words, there were two periods. There were two sets of uneccessary parentheses, a random question mark, no paragraph breaks, and the worst part; they used one of these ^. That may not bother many people, but to me it would be like writing a beautifully crafted love letter and giving it to a goat. In other words, if the creators of something new and relevant write like illiterate fourth graders, maybe the leadership leaves something to be desired. Maybe the think tank should be held in an office setting instead of in an actual tank.
   My decision to not submit my work to them is not because I think I am better, or know more. My decision is based on two things: The first, I cannot chain myself to a political party, and I am hesitant to propagandize any hint of patisanship. Parties are what have come to dominate our issues as a society, and are slowly choking out opposition through branding (™). My goal is to gain weight for the side of the spectrum that our country has been swerving toward for over one hundred years. The second has to do with the industry. When a writer begins to see cracks in the wall that exists between himself and the industry, it makes him gun-shy about giving his craftsmanship to a for profit group without anything in return. My submissions could potentially fall right in line with theirs', but at the end of the day, I don't need them. My readers are my readers, and if I drag them into the oblivion of "political partisanship", what would happen to the cracks I see in the wall? Would I not be selling them out to some third party pop-up window? I am certainly not good with plaster, so the cracks will stay.
   For Mr. or Mrs. "anti media", I truly hope that your ideas will stay fresh, and I wish you great success as a media outlet. I hope you are able to find writers willing to fall in line and be normal, professional, politically minded followers of your cause. Thank you for the opportunity.

Love, Johnny