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RSDavis
04-02-2008, 01:26 PM
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Ron Paul Roundup (04-02-08)
by RS Davis
The Freedom Files (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=373342808&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)



Hello Freedomphiles! Bobby Eberle writes (http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=682) on The Loft that Ron Paul might endorse Bob Barr for president because he won’t endorse McCain:

If Bob Barr is the new Ron Paul, then this election could get very interesting. What remains to be seen is how much affect it would have on the race and how much McCain would be hurt. Many of Ron Paul’s supporters had never even voted before. They certainly wouldn’t be considered die-hard Republicans. One thing is certain, if "Republican" Ron Paul endorses a Libertarian for president, then Paul should be kicked out of the Republican Party -- no questions asked.

The first flaw in this line of thinking is the fact that why would someone running for president endorse anyone but themselves for president?

Gambling911, on the other hand, suggests (http://www.gambling911.com/Ron-Paul-Jesse-Ventura-040208.html) that perhaps it will be a Ron Paul/Jesse Ventura ticket:

News flash! Republican Congressman Ron Paul is still on the Republican ballot running for President of the United States. Jesse Ventura would like to run but said "it’s too late and he doesn’t have the money". Like peanut butter cups, peanut and chocolate perfect together, Ventura spoke highly of Paul on Tuesday night’s episode of Larry King Live. There was an implied suggestion that Ventura might like to be Ron Paul’s running mate.

Op-edNews talks (http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mike_fol_080402_ron_paul_3b_getting_sm.htm) about the recent economic downturn:

The U.S. is passing into the most difficult economic times that I can recall, including the lead up the Great Depression. We often talk about 1929 and the Great Depression, but dismiss the possibility of such and event occuring again. How many times have you heard someone say, "We have checks and balances now to prevent a reoccurrence of 1929."

And we do; it’s being played out for all it worth right before your eyes. In 1929, we would have been well into a depression at this point. But not now, the Fed is rescuing investment banks that took near criminal liberties with their investors’ money. They had loaned out some 30-1 of their deposits on shaky collateralized debt instruments. In other words for every dollar that they actually held, they loaned thirty.

While they were doing so, the CEO’s were literally making millions in bonuses as were the employee’s. And now, King George and the Congressional Jesters are suggesting that the Fed have more oversight and power, the same Fed that brought us this entire mess.

Wake up Middle America, more government is not the answer and Ron Paul is getting smarter every day.

What I find most striking about the piece is that the last line is the first mention of Ron Paul in the whole thing, meaning there was no back story needed. It is assumed that readers will know that Ron Paul has been warning for 30 years about the very things the article reports. That’s progress.

Top-diamond libertarian creator writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3337.html)on The Nolan Chart about the Federal Reserve, Ron Paul, and you:

Now that Ron Paul has brought the IRS and the Federal Reserve into the national consciousness -- perhaps his name even induced you to read this article? -- what will YOU personally do? Consider at the very least becoming informed about the matter...

...No, Ron Paul can’t single-handedly abolish the IRS - it will take a final awakening and widespread uprising of Americans who come to realize how vastly abused and defrauded they have been. Are you ready to become one of them?

marc writes (http://www.libertymaven.com/2008/04/02/ron-paul-rejects-the-woe-is-me-nation/1003/) on Liberty Maven that Ron Paul is fighting the "woe is me" nation:

Deconstructing the Ron Paul phenomenon reveals the essence of individual liberty and with that liberty comes responsibility. Your freedoms are equal. You have the freedom to succeed or fail. You have the freedom to harm or help yourself. You have the freedom to worship or denounce. The common theme is that everything is up to you because you are the sole arbiter of your own reactions to events. Unfortunately, today the push is towards the opposing philosophy of eternal victim-hood. We are becoming a "woe is me" nation.

We live in a time where blame is always found in other entities rather than within one’s self, where complacency is more prevalent than curiosity, and where apathy expands and action contracts. There are examples in the news every single day: Suing McDonalds because you are fat or you burned yourself spilling coffee on your lap; Holding your nose and voting for one of the media anointed candidates for public office instead of the candidate who shares your views; Not taking the time to know which candidate shares your views; Getting caught up in the routine instead of seeking the extraordinary.

This is becoming what we are as a country. The Ron Paul movement is fighting this mindset. The idea is fundamental human liberty. You are responsible for your actions and your reactions. You make mistakes and you learn from them. Relying on the government to coddle you fulfills the once delusional promise that you are special for special’s sake. Fight that feeling. Don’t let the government tuck you in at night.

Libertarian Hickory Hendrickson writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3348.html) on The Nolan Chart the untold story behind the Ron Paul Blimp:

The cause of freedom has had many champions. Most of these champions have been and are now "larger than life". A recent champion , The Ron Paul Blimp, is perhaps the most appropriate candidate ever nominated for "larger than life" status.

Like all great things, the blimp project was born from an idea. Trevor Lyman, President Liberty Advertising, is reported to have said, "wouldn’t it be great if we had a blimp". Lyman will not go on the record at this time, so his exact words are unknown, but all parties involved agree, the Ron Paul Blimp was Lyman’s idea.

Lyman, already overextended because of his dedication to the Ron Paul campaign, put his thoughts about the blimp into writing on one of the many forums he was a member of. Lyman never followed-up on the blimp idea but Elijah Lynn, Vice-President Liberty Advertising, did!

Left-libertarian Heather Saarela writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3329.html) on The Nolan Chart about their efforts in Alaska to win over delegates:

So, what could we do? We decided to send our own media, in the form of a DVD, to every single registered delegate and alternate in Alaska before the state convention, on the grounds that at least they could have a chance to learn who Dr. Paul was. This would help counter that "fringe" candidate label the media was applying to Dr. Paul.

And it worked! Not as well as we might have liked, but very well indeed. We found a lot more support at the convention as most the delegates who watched it never before had the opportunity to learn about Dr. Paul before, and many found they were far more in agreement with Dr. Paul, than with John McCain.

I believe we could improve on what we did here in Alaska. We have five months. With the proper support, we could manage a campaign that sends a DVD each month for four months to the national delegates and alternates going to St. Paul. It is far less expensive to have a directed campaign toward 6,900 delegates and alternates, than it is to reach 150 million voters.

In the new print edition of reason, Matt Welch writes (http://reason.com/news/show/124944.html)about the Ron Paul phenomenon, and what it unearthed - even the bad:

What’s more intriguing to me is the broader historical context of the self-styled "paleolibertarian" movement of the early 1990s, launched by Rockwell and libertarian movement titan (and former reason columnist) Murray N. Rothbard, who together hoped to rile up the "rednecks" in support of rolling back the welfare state and giving police more power.

"Cops must be unleashed, and allowed to administer instant punishment," Rothbard wrote in a manifesto titled "Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement," which appeared in the January 1992 Rockwell-Rothbard Report. The historical model for this new program? Sen. Joe McCarthy, whom Rothbard praised as "fascinating," "exciting," and having "a sense of dynamism, of fearlessness." The modern-day exemplar? "Right-wing radical" David Duke. Rothbard and Rockwell rejected the "upper-middle class yuppie suburbanites" of Beltway-based kowtowing libertarian think tanks, and instead wanted to "lead the charge against the cultural and social decay which agitates the American public." They were closely aligned with Ron Paul (whose newsletters from this era are nearly indistinguishable from the Report), sounded regular alarms against the coming "race war," focused constantly on cases of minority violence, and rallied around Pitchfork Pat Buchanan for president in 1992.

I should hasten to add that this whole intramovement squabble was utterly unknown to me until this year. Back when people were assembling new ideologies and political factions in the wake of the Cold War, I was more interested in poking through the rubble of communism abroad. But I’ve always wondered why and how the issue of race relations has hovered uncomfortably around the edges of libertarian politics, in a way that goes far beyond philosophical debates over welfare, affirmative action, and federalism. By now, the "free minds and free markets" strain in American politics and culture should be secure enough in its own place to withstand and even welcome uncomfortable discussions about its less-than-stellar moments.

Yeah, I wasn’t aware of the "paleolibertarians" either, which I suppose is why I didn’t know I was a "cosmotarian." Mori Dinaeur comments (http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=04&year=2008&base_name=the_legacy_of_ron_paul):

This is fascinating stuff and it’s admirable that Welch is using the flagship publication of the libertarian movement to bring this unsettling issue to the fore. Ultimately however, I’m left wondering if Welch’s optimism about the future of libertarian politics misses the big picture. Ron Paul’s campaign, in number of sheer donors and dollars, obviously created a pool of people enthusiastic about libertarian politics. But how much of that pool was aligned with libertarian philosophy writ large, and how much was simply attracted to his anti-war message? Worse, it’s undeniable that some of those supporters came from the same corners of racial xenophobia that Paul’s name was associated with in the 1990s. It doesn’t matter what Paul himself thought on the matter: some percentage of his supporters did so because they felt Paul was one of them.

There are some good points in there. It has yet to be determined, I think, how much of Paul’s support comes from libertarians, and how much comes from people who are simply anti-war. I’ll tell you the majority of people I’ve talked to either started libertarian, or they started just anti-war and were won over by the whole message after hearing it.

As far as the racists, I’d say they make up less than 1% of Paul’s support. And it’s good to remember that fringe wierdos are always attracted to small-government campaigns. It happened to Goldwater, too, and now he’s a Republican hero.

Finally, top-diamond libertarian Chris Johns writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3344.html)on The Nolan Chart about Ron Paul’s busy April schedule:

A look at Ron Paul’s website reveals an active month in store for the Texas Congressman. With rallies scheduled at several Pennsylvania colleges and universities, a speaking engagement at his alma mater Gettysburg College, a trip to Maryland, an appointment with the Nevada Republican State Convention, and yesterday’s appearance with Glenn Beck, April could prove to be one of the busiest months Dr. Paul has faced.

This is, no doubt, wonderful news to those who have been closely following Ron Paul’s campaign. Congressman Paul knows how to pack a house, and no matter the size of the facility, one can be sure that those anxious to hear Paul speak will test the local Fire Marshall’s tolerance a bit. If tickets were sold for admission, the value would be such that the ticket itself may become valuable enough to use as a private volunteer barter currency. That is, unless the Justice Department hears about it.

The internet crowd, which mainly consists of well, everybody, will also find delight in Paul’s busy April schedule. Every time Ron Paul addresses a crowd, indeed every time he utters a word on television or radio, his words are almost instantly uploaded to YouTube where his loyal supporters "bump" the video, express their devotion the good doctor, and voice their disappointment with everything from the Federal Reserve to the war in Iraq.

See ya next time, Freedomphiles!

Top blogs since the last Roundup:
I Did it For You, Damian! All For You!! (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=373308032&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
Religious Freedom Doesn’t Just Mean Freedom FROM Religion, Douche... (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=373295234&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
What’s Next? Cavity Searches for Multivitamins? (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=373282079&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
God Invented Atari (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=372962549&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
See No Beer, Hear No Beer, Speak No Beer (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=372936621&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
Sad News, Freedomphiles, and a Thank You (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=372628969&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
Do Bad Teeth Make You Randy, Baby? (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=372563891&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)
Wouldn’t ya like to be a Pepper Too-owww-eee-iii-yowsa! (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=372552369&Mytoken=6AF38988-4F53-4AB6-8068406840BB212841773021)

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