Goodness! Because everyone likes to put labels on things, I have labeled myself as a conservative libertarian, which most fundamentally means minimal government, but just enough to assure our founding fathers' vision. I was thrown off guard the other day in the current culture wars when I confronted a very typical libertarian. After the conversation, I felt like I'd just had a session with a militant Quaker, which is most certainly an oxymoron.

I've been spending most of my time steeling myself against the loony left and their mindless rants about our "moronic" president, when someone of the libertarian persuasion tweaked my political barometer.

The conversation revolved around a colleague's son with an out-of-control anger management issue, which may ultimately result in bodily harm to him or someone else. I proceeded to throw out several issue of youth these days relating back to the immorality foisted upon us by the likes of the ACLU and our current court system. I soon found that the extreme live-and-let-live position of the typical libertarian was contrary to my Christian values. I think libertarianism is fine in an environment where your nearest neighbor is one mile away, however, in an urban setting, the philosophy falls apart. This libertarian's concern was the suppression of our civil rights associated with the Patriot Act. My immediate response was to ask him how he'd been personally affected. No answer. Further, on the surface, he considered the ACLU the forefront organization fighting for civil rights, the cornerstone of libertarian ideals.

I could not convince him of the sinister political agenda the ACLU has been supporting. Citing examples, his response was walk away from it. Turn off the TV. Ignore it...it is your choice. My suppressed retort was because of his attitude, we are being submerged in sewage nearly up to our mouths. He seemed oblivious to this in true libertarian idealism. He does not realize that our children, our environment, etc. is being polluted in an oppressive fog of situational ethics with no moral compass. In short, he epitomizes the atheistic conservative, if I can go that far.

The bottom line of this rant is that without God in one's life, we become islands of ignorant "bliss" slowly sinking in a morass of rising sewage.