DisillusionedPatriot
11-29-2011, 01:10 AM
Last weekend I got an invite to watch the Tuesday debate at Liberty HQ in New York City. It just so happens that my mom, sister and I were going to be in New York the very next day. To miss it by that short a time frame was totally unacceptable, and I paid $25 for a bus ride from Washington, DC. The trip took seven hours, and I was directly behind two of the naughtiest children I have ever seen. I thought I might go mad. We finally arrived right around 8 and I literally ran through the streets in the pouring rain. At first, I was mostly just relieved to be off the bus and that I wouldn't miss the whole debate. In retrospect, I wouldn't have missed the experience for anything.
From the moment I entered, I felt home. I was instantly greeted by multiple people, people who seemed genuinely interested in who I was, and where I had come from. I put on a name tag and went to the bar. I ordered a Heineken, which somebody else instantly paid for; I didn't even catch who it was. (If you read this, thank you!! Please identify yourself!) After a while I was asked to help run the bar, and I even won the raffle! Ron was appropriately applauded, and the whole atmosphere was perfectly celebratory. On Saturday I went back, hoping to learn how to phone bank. Since the system was down we went and distributed literature instead.
It was great being in the city and feeling like I was able to contribute in a very small way to the cause of liberty. The best part though, was meeting so many interesting, nice, and intelligent people united for such a good cause. Everyone there had a level of enthusiasm that was both contagious and extremely inspiring. I was reminded that victory is within our reach if we but have the courage to fight for it. I will support Ron Paul to the point of self-sacrifice because it is right, because it is moral, and because I could not bear to know that I was the kind of person who had sat on the sidelines and allowed history to be formed without having done my utmost to shape it.
Today was my first day back, and having finally resolved my registration troubles on Phone from Home, I knew I had no excuses not to start calling. For some reason this is a big deal for me. I think I am friendly in person, but I have a bizarre phobia of phone calls. I am just going to get over it. I made four calls, completed two surveys. I am sure I sounded shy and hesitant, but I got them done. Now I know what it is like, and tomorrow my calls will be easier. The next day I'm sure they will be easier still. Soon I plan to be blasting my way confidently through the surveys.
The system is easy to understand and operate. I believe this program is invaluable in the struggle to raise awareness of Ron's message. I cannot tell you, though I'm sure you know, how hard these people are working, and how excellent a job they have done. Again, I am just so inspired by and grateful for all the time and work devoted to this. This was the first time I had witnessed first hand the camaraderie, innovation, and dedication of this crowd. I will never again view my efforts the same way, and am much happier for it.
I am reminded of one of my favorite quotations, "Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." (John Adams) We are so fortunate that our forefathers risked everything they had to procure for posterity the benefits of freedom and self governance, and that because of their sacrifices, ours need only be an intellectual revolution. I truly believe that God governs in the affairs of men, and that in our conquest of liberty, we have allied ourselves to His cause. All that is required of us is perseverance and faith.
I really want to thank everyone in New York for reminding me that freedom is not a goal to be sought after, but a way of life. It is this understanding that makes life bearable and worthwhile. We are far too valuable to let our destinies be governed for us. I now genuinely feel with Patrick Henry: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me liberty or give me death!"
The fate of history lies in our hands. I'm all in. Who's with me? Ron Paul or Bust!
From the moment I entered, I felt home. I was instantly greeted by multiple people, people who seemed genuinely interested in who I was, and where I had come from. I put on a name tag and went to the bar. I ordered a Heineken, which somebody else instantly paid for; I didn't even catch who it was. (If you read this, thank you!! Please identify yourself!) After a while I was asked to help run the bar, and I even won the raffle! Ron was appropriately applauded, and the whole atmosphere was perfectly celebratory. On Saturday I went back, hoping to learn how to phone bank. Since the system was down we went and distributed literature instead.
It was great being in the city and feeling like I was able to contribute in a very small way to the cause of liberty. The best part though, was meeting so many interesting, nice, and intelligent people united for such a good cause. Everyone there had a level of enthusiasm that was both contagious and extremely inspiring. I was reminded that victory is within our reach if we but have the courage to fight for it. I will support Ron Paul to the point of self-sacrifice because it is right, because it is moral, and because I could not bear to know that I was the kind of person who had sat on the sidelines and allowed history to be formed without having done my utmost to shape it.
Today was my first day back, and having finally resolved my registration troubles on Phone from Home, I knew I had no excuses not to start calling. For some reason this is a big deal for me. I think I am friendly in person, but I have a bizarre phobia of phone calls. I am just going to get over it. I made four calls, completed two surveys. I am sure I sounded shy and hesitant, but I got them done. Now I know what it is like, and tomorrow my calls will be easier. The next day I'm sure they will be easier still. Soon I plan to be blasting my way confidently through the surveys.
The system is easy to understand and operate. I believe this program is invaluable in the struggle to raise awareness of Ron's message. I cannot tell you, though I'm sure you know, how hard these people are working, and how excellent a job they have done. Again, I am just so inspired by and grateful for all the time and work devoted to this. This was the first time I had witnessed first hand the camaraderie, innovation, and dedication of this crowd. I will never again view my efforts the same way, and am much happier for it.
I am reminded of one of my favorite quotations, "Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." (John Adams) We are so fortunate that our forefathers risked everything they had to procure for posterity the benefits of freedom and self governance, and that because of their sacrifices, ours need only be an intellectual revolution. I truly believe that God governs in the affairs of men, and that in our conquest of liberty, we have allied ourselves to His cause. All that is required of us is perseverance and faith.
I really want to thank everyone in New York for reminding me that freedom is not a goal to be sought after, but a way of life. It is this understanding that makes life bearable and worthwhile. We are far too valuable to let our destinies be governed for us. I now genuinely feel with Patrick Henry: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me liberty or give me death!"
The fate of history lies in our hands. I'm all in. Who's with me? Ron Paul or Bust!