Introduction

Voila! In view, a humble, vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicous and voracious violation of volition!

Those words spoken by the ultimate libertarian, the honorable "V" of "V for Vendetta". A great man, looked on in awe by all, glamorous, shining, new.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Those words revive the legend of Guy Fawkes, thwarted terrorist of the 17th century.

Perhaps if Guy Fawkes were currently the star of a widely-acclaimed graphic novel and movie, he wouldn't have to deal with any negative connotations. Yet, he and V are one in the same, only one difference contrasting them.

Time.

He's a revolutionary, a freedom-fighter, working to show the British monarchy that nobody is in control of the lives of individuals but the individuals themselves. He's as popular a figure today since his story began. Ah, but who am I talking about? Well, V, of course. In America, if I mention Fawkes in a conversation, I hear calls of "What?" and "Who?", not to mention "Wait...you mean that phoenix in Harry Potter?" Most people recognize V. Yet in Britain, Fawkes is looked upon by many as that revolutionary.

In 50 years, who will remember "V for Vendetta"? Most likely long-forgotten, a relic of the past, something we can study as cultural significance, nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps more libertarianesque freedom-fighting terrorists will be penned, crafted. Better than V? Well, I don't know.

But the legend of Guy Fawkes? Well, the 5th of November is still remembered after all this time. Guy Fawkes was V's inspiration, what V modeled off of. Fawkes shan't disappear. Not even after he died, way back in 1670. He created the message that many stand for today.

This is how I equate liberalism and conservatism. Both based on the Constitutional republic created by our forefathers, sharing many of the same notions, those of the Bill of Rights.

Our modern liberalism is edging away from them at awesome speeds. It's new, a fad, a reminder of wishful-thinking utopianism from the 60's. It's the desire for a runaway federal government so large that it borders on socialism. The supression of religious views in politics. The social de-evolution that some of our, ahem, friends across the pond have been subjected to. Advocation of hysteria, disrespect to our country, division and hate-mongering. This is what liberalism offers today.

However, conservatism today is based on the classical liberalism of our country's Founding Fathers, the type of which they chose to break off with Britain for, a liberalism of virtue and individuality, one of personal responsibility. Caring for the poor without the screwing-it-up intervention of the federal government. These views have stood the centuries, for as long as this great nation has lived. Traditional virtue in legislation, small government is not dead yet; not yet, and won't be in 50 years.

The only verdict is vengeance. A vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant, and the virtuous... Surely this vichysoisse of verbiage veers most verbose, so allow me to simply add that it is my great honor to meet you, and you may call me Guy Fawkes.