"He forthwith adopts one of the candidates thus selected as the only available one, thus proving that he is himself available for the purposes of the demagogue."

-- Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

Last November I found myself in a conversation with Bob and Donna, two regulars at the bar I worked in. We were expressing great disgust with the ubiquitous media attention of the presidential race. "I can't make it to November," I said. "I know it's only gonna get worse from here." They agreed.

A few months later when it became clear that Barack Obama and John McCain were securing their parties' nominations, we were discussing which candidate we would choose. I had no doubt, based on their neoconservative positions, that Bob and Donna would choose McCain. When I told them, "I probably won't be voting at all" -- because I couldn't choose between either candidate in good conscience -- they became rather indignant. "Oh no, never give up your right to vote, Mike," Donna said. "That's what this country is all about."

Their reaction really struck me. Am I really that bad for not wanting to vote for men I have no confidence in whatsoever? What does that say about me if I support someone just because he's been selected by party hacks who don't represent my interests at all? My concerns are only amplified when considering the Florida vote fraud in the 2000 election, and the evidence of machine hacking in Ohio in 2004.

Don't get me wrong. I fully believe in our republic and it's democratic underpinnings, and in state and local elections real change is possible. But when it comes to presidential politics, the power brokers behind the scenes, and the military-industrial complex, aren't taking any chances. They must ensure that whoever wins the Oval Office is on their side. If not there's always a chance that trillions of dollars may slip through their fingers.

We've all heard the old "You have to vote for the lesser of two evils" line.

Really? Isn't the lesser of two evils still evil?

We shouldn't buy into this false choice any longer, especially after the 2006 midterm elections. People voted for the Democrats, myself included, because we thought they'd end the war and reverse the attack on our civil liberties. But just look at what the Congress has done under the Democrats. They've consistently voted to fund the war; they passed the Obama-endorsed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act bill that virtually eviscerates the Fourth Amendment; and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly vowed to stop any effort to hold the administration accountable for war crimes, taking impeachment off the table. I, for one, will never be taken for that ride again.

You can always cast a protest vote for a third party, but a protest vote is all it will be. No third-party candidate has won a U.S. presidential election. Even the beloved Teddy Roosevelt fell to Woodrow Wilson in 1912 when Roosevelt ran on the Bull Moose ticket. Now imagine the message it would send if no one showed up on Nov. 4. That's my idea of a protest vote.

Some may say it's un-American to not vote. In reality, it's un-American to go along with a fake left-right system that selects two candidates for you, and offers the illusion of choice.