RSDavis
11-23-2007, 12:06 PM
http://laceylibertarian.us/wp-images/rPaulRev.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (11-23-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=331257253&Mytoken=E0415FCA-3D86-4FBE-978FFB3DC4D7382926020456)
Hello Freedomphiles! I hope your turkey day was excellent! I tried to go real traditional with mine, so I moved into my neighbor's house and told them to get the fuck out! Seriously, though, I am so hung over today. No time for my pity party - lot's of news to share!
Let's start with the bad, shall we? Some sleazebags are stealing people's credit cards and running off $5 charges to the campaign. Fortunately, it was caught by campaign staffers and rectified quickly:
Campaign staffers spotted several hundred $5 charges from similar Internet addresses this month. Security officials for San Antonio-based Frost Bank noticed a similar pattern on check cards from an out-of-country location around the same time.
Fewer than 100 cards had unauthorized charges on them, and fewer than 500 cards were affected. Frost Bank refunded the money and canceled the affected cards.
"It's unfortunate whenever it happens, but our campaign and Frost Bank took rapid action," said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for the Texas Republican candidate's campaign.
The fraudulent donations, first reported by CBSnews.com, amounted to about $3,000 and were returned.
The quote there is from Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312462,00.html), and KCENTV (http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=2&nid=2937) also reported on it. Good work by the campaign to ferret these out and get them taken care of. They saved Ron Paul some bad PR by their quick action. I wonder if this was an attempt to sabotage the campaign or if it was actually a supporter. If it was you and you are reading this, cut the shit already. You're not helping.
Let's move on. Kevin at The Liberty Papers is done with Ron Paul (http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/11/21/ron-paul-makes-thanksgiving-eve-appearance-with-alex-jones/):.
The Ron Paul campaign has unfortunately become a gathering place for 9/11 "Truther" morons, racists, neo-Nazis, Southern secessionists, fascists, conspiracy theorists, wannabe authoritarians, Birchers, and nativists that I do not want to be associated with. Worst of all, the candidate himself knows about these err….outside of the mainstream supporters and he refuses to publically repudiate them and refund the donations from the most high profile ones. (No Lew, I'm not calling for Ron Paul to do background checks on all of his supporters, just refuse the donations from the high profile scumbags). If a candidate thinks its alright to make common cause with these people, especially one who is running a "principled" campaign on restoring liberty, than I have to question his conscience for aligning with these people at best and question his ability to lead at worst. I've come to the conclusion that a Ron Paul candidacy unless he repudiates these people who do not share the belief in liberty, will harm the overall freedom movement by giving the impression to the American people that "freedom" and "liberty" are just code words for fascism, racism, and conspiracy mongering like the "New World Order" and the "North American Union".
First of all, I post things in this very blog from Alex Jones' prisonplanet.com. It's a pretty good source for information that you might not find in other outlets. Just because a person holds a view with which you don't agree, it doesn't mean they have nothing of value to offer.
Now, you guys are well aware of my feelings about the 9-11 Truth movement. I don't in any way think that the attacks on the World Trade Center or Pentagon were inside jobs. And you know that I have urged the Truthers to tone it down for the sake of the campaign. But I have to say, my friends, that this guy is a first class prick to lump you guys in with the white supremacists - you are harmless, they are not.
These same kinds of accusations were made against the late, great free market economist Ludwig von Mises. People offensively claimed that this Austrian, who predicted the downfall of socialism and the horrors of NAZI-ism and Communism, who ran for his life from Hitler's goons, and who was the staunchest advocate of individual liberty, was a NAZI himself.
People railed against Milton Friedman, as well, for talking with and helping the Pinochet regime in Chile. While Pinochet was a ruthless bastard, Friedman refused to shut him out, arguing that anyone interested in hearing the message of liberty and free markets deserved to hear it. Any postive change these discussions could lead to would be worth it (http://www.reason.com/news/show/117278.html):
Friedman, in defending himself against accusations of complicity with or approval of Pinochet, noted in a 1975 letter to the University of Chicago school newspaper that he "has never heard complaints" about giving aid and comfort to the communist governments to which he had spoken, and that "I approve of none of these authoritarian regimes—neither the Communist regimes of Russia and Yugoslavia nor the military juntas of Chile and Brazil. But I believe I can learn from observing them and that, insofar as my personal analysis of their economic situation enables them to improve their economic performance, that is likely to promote not retard a movement toward greater liberalism and freedom."
It's not as important to reach the Truthers than the white supremacists. The truthers are no different than the people who swear they saw Elvis on the grassy knoll - misguided, but no threat to anyone. But if the racists are paying attention, maybe they'll learn something from Ron Paul's message of love and tolerance. Shutting them out and shutting them down will only increase their martyr complex and make it harder to reach them.
And of course it needs to be mentioned that Ron Paul does not believe 9-11 was an inside job, otherwise there'd have been no flap in the debate about the blowback from 50 years of meddling in Middle Eastern politics contributing to the 9-11 attacks.
Speaking of prisonplanet.com, they have a nice piece (http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/november2007/231107_smear_attempts.htm)on all the smear attacks that Dr Paul has been fighting lately:
Speaking about recent smear attempts on behalf of people like Glenn Beck, David Horowitz and Bill O'Reilly to link Ron Paul supporters with violence and Islamic terrorists, the Congressman himself said that the attacks were symptomatic of a frightened and insecure establishment who are dumbfounded that people are turning away from authoritarianism and embracing freedom.
"They're getting awfully frightened," said Paul, "I think we are a threat to the establishment, and they represent the establishment."
"I think they represent a philosophical position which is diametrically opposed to us and our interpretation of the Constitution - I think it's serious business when people strike out like that and start using names like Islamic fascism - they're working on fear," the Congressman told the Alex Jones Show this week.
"I see these people as very insecure - they don't understand what freedom is about and they have to resort to this threatening, but turning around and calling us the violent people - I think they're very insecure with their ideas and probably deep down in their heart they think they're being good Americans," said Paul.
"But I don't think their understanding is clear enough where they feel secure and confident enough so they strike out at us and start calling us names," he added.
The Congressman said that the likes of Beck and Horowitz, who recently accused Ron Paul supporters, anti-war types and libertarians as being "in bed with Islamofascists," were dumbfounded that the people are flocking in droves to support the message of freedom and turning away from fearmongering and authoritarianism.
The next thing to which I'd like to draw your attention is a little bit (http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/the-unknown-ron-paul/)by Paul Krugman on The New York Times opinion page:
Doing research for tomorrow's column, I ran across a chapter most Ron Paul supporters probably don't know about.
The quiet campaign against provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may have had something to do with the proposal by Representative Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas, on Thursday to eliminate Section 404 entirely. In a statement, the congressman said the provision "has raised the costs of doing business, thus causing foreign companies to withdraw from American markets and retarding economic growth."
What's that about?
Section 404 requires companies and their auditors to assess the companies' internal controls, which are the practices or systems for keeping records and preventing abuse or fraud.
Ron Paul, enemy of the Iraq war — and friend of corporate fraud?
Karen Decoster on LewRockwell.com responds (http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/017106.html):
This definition isn not only wrong, but it is simplistic to the point of being ridiculous. Krugman linked to this nonsense about institutional investors bearing the real costs of SOX and why the whole regulatory scheme is so necessary. If Klueless Krugman needs help understanding the real Sarbanes-Oxley and its assorted warts, I'd more than happy to offer my assistance in explaining to him what horrifying effects this whole program has on large as well as small companies -- from my front-row seat in corporate-SOX America.
How can somebody who is supposedly so intellectually capable (*choke*) be so ignorant and so flippantly clueless?
On PC-Live, Mark Radulich offers some good advice (http://pc-live.tv/2007/11/22/125/more-125)to his fellow Ron Paul supporters about the proper way to conduct themselves in their advocacy of Ron Paul:
You don't have the luxury that Clinton supporters do. She's so far in the lead that some of her supporters can afford to be complete assholes like this fellow, "I piss on your face, you shit-for-brains. WHo the fuck cares what you have to say? You're a fucking nobody!!! VOTE FOR HILLARY OR LOSE YOUR FREEDOMS, AMERICA!!!" When Ron Paul is leading in national polls then you can act like the above child, but not before.
My dear friends, you can have tea parties and one day fund raisers until the cows come home and all you'll accomplish is making Ron Paul a little wealthier than he was before but you won't succeed necessarily in making him the GOP nominee. Money helps win an election but it is not the last word, see Howard Dean circa 2004.
I realize you are all not neo-Nazi[s], 9/11 Truthers and secessionist as Medved once wrote but you are dangerously close to doing more damage than good when you are as shrill and caustic as you have been. Learn from the Naderites instead of stampeding down the path of becoming them and thus permanently sinking Ron Paul's candidacy for good.
It's good advice. It can be frustrating when the neocon war machine aims its propoganda cannon at someone we admire so much, but we must remain civil and just continue to educate them, like a five-year-old who won't stop pissing his pants. If we are consistent and encouraging and civil, eventually, those pants will be dry.
CBSNews is reporting (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/21/politics/uwire/main3531094.shtml) about the Ron Paul rally at the University of Reno:
More than 600 people came out Tuesday afternoon for a rally held by presidential hopeful Ron Paul.
Paul, the Texas representative who's gaining attention for his online and grassroots support, spoke to the crowd about ending the war in Iraq, limiting government regulation and gaining economic stability.
"We don't need to sacrifice," Paul said, drawing applause from the audience. "What we need is freedom to make our own decisions."
Many students said they support Paul because they agreed with his views on the United States Constitution.
"He stands for the Constitution and personal liberties," said Melissa Lau, a psychology major at the University of Nevada at Reno. "As college students, we are aware of civil liberties and he supports that."
One thing not mentioned in the story is the fact that it's not just college students in Reno that are supporting Ron Paul, but also brothel owners (http://www.rgj.com/blogs/inside-nevada-politics/2007/11/ron-paul-earns-support-of-nevada.html):
Campaigning through Northern Nevada today, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul picked up the enthusiastic support of Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof.
After sitting through a 20-minute press conference with Paul, Hof vowed to put up a collection box outside the door of his Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel to take up contributions for the candidate who he says, "Makes a lot of sense, doesn't he?"
"I'll do it today," he said. "I'll get all the Bunnies together and we can raise him some money. I'll put up a collection box outside the door. They can drop in $1 dollar, $5 dollar contributions. What a great way for the working girls to support Ron Paul. It's just the right thing to do."
Paul's campaign was surprised to see Hof, flanked by two prostitutes, emerge from a limousine outside of Lawlor Events Center this morning. They arrived with MSNBC journalist Tucker Carlson, who has been traveling with Paul for a piece he's writing for the New Republic. (Carlson stopped to pose with Brooke Taylor above. Photo by James Ball, RGJ)
"Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy out," Carlson said.
Hof said Paul's anti-establishment, libertarian platform of "live and let live" resonates in a state that permits legalized prostitution.
While Paul professes a limited-government philosophy, he's also hews to a deep Christian faith, is pro-life and reportedly is so traditional that he doesn't travel alone with women.
Campaign spokesman Jeff Greenspan said he doesn't think Paul will have any problem accepting the brothel's money.
Thanks to Shophetim for the tip on that one. This is just another example of how a pro-freedom candidate attracts a diverse crowd. Ron Paul would get the government off their backs and allow them to engage in mutually-beneficial consesual commerce, and he doesn't have to approve of it to allow it. That's the live and let live ethos of libertarianism right there, and I applaud it.
In The Daily Reckoning, Bill Bonner writes (http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/ron-paul-wont-win/2007/11/23/) why a vote for Ron Paul is not wasted:
"We're going to send Ron some money," we announced to daughter Sophia last night.
"Why would you want to do that, Dad? You're just wasting your money. Ron Paul is fine. I like him. Or, at least most of what I've heard about him. But he can't win. What's the point?"
"Winning is over-rated," we replied. "You know what Gen. Washington said during the Revolution. 'We can't guarantee victory, but we can deserve it.' Well, you can never guarantee anything. As it says in the Bible, 'the race goeth not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.' I guess people meant by that that there is a fair amount of luck involved in everything. But there's something else. If you can't know how things will turn out, what can you do? All you can do is to do the right thing...
"...He's the only candidate to come along – practically in my entire lifetime – who is worth voting for. He doesn't believe in robbing people with taxes so some people can pursue their own crackpot world improvement project. And he doesn't believe in going to war unless the country is attacked…and there is a declaration of war by Congress…which is what the constitution requires.
"All I'm saying is that you can vote for Ron Paul…and send him money…with a clear conscience. You haven't been able to do that for a long time. Better take advantage of it."
Right on, dude! The Detroit News is reporting (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/POLITICS/711230324/1022/POLITICS) that the GOP frontrunners are getting scared:
Last month, the 10-term Texas Republican stunned the GOP field by raising a little more than $5 million in the third quarter.
For months now, Paul has been the most popular GOP candidate on the Web, with more supporters on MySpace, Facebook and Meetup than Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney.
"Everyone -- the staffers in the other campaigns, the bigwig political observers in the state -- is scratching their heads. They don't know what to make of this Ron Paul phenomenon," Smith said.
"The other campaigns aren't worried that he'd win the primary. They just don't know who his supporters are and whose support he's taking away."
The Baltimore Sun is reporting (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/ron_paul_cate_blanchett_more_m.html) on Ron Paul's status as one of GQ's men of the year, not without an undercurrent of annoying sarcasm:
So GQ must know what it's getting into when it includes Ron Paul and Cate Blanchett on the same list.
They are "men of the year,'' according to that institution formerly known as Gentlemen's Quarterly.
Paul, the Republican congressman from Texas and physician who is running for president with an Internet following of simply-obsessed Perilous Paulines who helped the "dark horse of the year''— in GQ's words – raise more than $4 million in one day of online fundraising for a campaign with virtually no chance of success, stands near the end of a long lineup of actors, musicians, politicians and more whom GQ has singled out for its de rigeur year-end list.
Paul stands next to last, just before Blanchett, who made the list, it appears, for playing Bob Dylan in the movies. Paul plays simply a candidate.
The Pahrump Valley Times is reporting (http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Nov-21-Wed-2007/news/18052936.html) about Ron Paul's visit there:
Paul said he reluctantly entered the campaign but has become energized by the support, particularly after Nov. 5, when he said his campaign raised $4.3 million in $100 donations and energized 20,000 new supporters.
"The Internet's been around for a while but it's never happened where all these things are coming together. First, the exasperation the American people are feeling about what's happening to our country, not only economically but in foreign policy and in monetary policy as well," Paul said.
Paul said he sees the desire to move from forced tyranny and violence into freedom and less choices. The one-day fundraising gave his campaign credibility, he said.
"The media may realize, wow, this is not just a couple people on the Internet, a couple fringe people," Paul said. "People in this state, they love liberty and limited government and have confidence in it. So a good showing here could be just as attention-getting as any single day of fundraising."
Paul drew one of his three-dozen rounds of applause when he noted his vote against sending nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.
"I see no way the people in Texas have a right to put nuclear waste in your state without your permission," he said.
That's a good point about an issue I haven't given much thought. On Townhall.com, Matt Towery is talking (http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/MattTowery/2007/11/22/the_ron_paul_factor) about the possible implications of the Ron Paul Phenomenon:
As we continue to poll and observe the various states involved in the early caucus/primary battles for the Republican presidential nomination, one thing is becoming increasingly clear to me: While Ron Paul may lag behind most of his GOP competitors in the polls, the intensity of devotion from his supporters makes his candidacy deserving of more attention than it's gotten to date.
His sometimes-quirky mannerisms and oddball demeanor fly in the face of what most Republicans traditionally look for in their presidential nominees. And his comments startle many for their bluntness and contrariness to long-running establishment GOP thinking.
That's exactly why Paul could have an unexpected impact not only on the Republican nomination process, but also on the November general election as well.
Consider that over 600 people turned out for a rally for Paul in Reno, Nevada, recently. The media described the crowd as a mixed group that included many college students.
That's another indicator of the potential impact of the Paul campaign. I recall in 1980 when establishment Republicans and conservatives were backing George H.W. Bush, John Connally or Howard Baker for president.
But on college campuses, the birth of the modern College Republicans movement was feeding off of the support of frustrated college students for the maverick in the race, Ronald Reagan.
Gambling911.com is talking (http://www.gambling911.com/Mitt-Romney-Mike%20Huckabee-Ron-Paul-112207.html) about the fall of Mitt, and the rise of Ron:
Recent independent polls are now showing Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney falling out of favor with the populace while both Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul gain ground.
Huckabee may still be listed around 50/1 odds of becoming the next US President at most online gambling locales but he is starting to show signs of life at the polls.
On The Atlantic, Ross Douthat is talking (http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/11/whos_afraid_of_ron_paul.php) about why the right-leaning media is giving Huckabee more attention than Dr Paul:
But the reason the Huck isn't being vilified by conservatives the way Paul has been isn't because the GOP as a whole is suddenly going populist and statist; if anything, Huckabee's campaign has capitalized on the reverse phenomenon, the cautious small-government orthodoxy that the front-runners have adopted to cover over their heresies on other fronts. No, the reason Paul has been treated differently than Huckabee by the right-wing media is very, very simple, and it has nothing to do with size-of-government issues: Paul opposes the Iraq War (and war with Iran, waterboarding, and all the rest of what's increasingly defined as the right-wing foreign policy package) and Huckabee doesn't. Full stop, end of story.
There is a lot of truth in that. Brant McLaughlin of Associated Content has written (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/455799/ron_paul_supporter_takes_out_wake_up.html) about the full-page ad that a wealthy supporter has bought in USAToday:
On Wednesday, 50-year-old investment manager and Harvard Business School MBA Larry Lepard announced that he has collaborated on the design and copy of a full-page USA Today ad with a spontaneously generated team of Ron Paul supporters on ronpaulforums.com.
Lepard then invested approximately $85,000 of his own money to bring a message to the American people, which he says is this: "Ron Paul is the best hope America has to restore the Constitution and get our country back on track."
The ad is called "An Open Letter to the American People" and reads as if it is a letter written by the Founding Fathers in which they chastise today's "we the people" for not making their government uphold their original vision or even adhere to the Constitution. Issues including entangling foreign alliances, government corruption, excessive taxation, and preserving national sovereignty are brought up and then given the solution that Ron Paul will implement as President.
Lepard, who is married and the father of three, says that he is is deeply troubled by the prevailing pre-emptive war paradigm and as what he views as the decimation of civil liberties and the U.S. Constitution, has followed Ron Paul's political career for over 20 years.
And I'll leave you today with a new Ron Paul video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDx96SXR-6U
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (11-23-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=331257253&Mytoken=E0415FCA-3D86-4FBE-978FFB3DC4D7382926020456)
Hello Freedomphiles! I hope your turkey day was excellent! I tried to go real traditional with mine, so I moved into my neighbor's house and told them to get the fuck out! Seriously, though, I am so hung over today. No time for my pity party - lot's of news to share!
Let's start with the bad, shall we? Some sleazebags are stealing people's credit cards and running off $5 charges to the campaign. Fortunately, it was caught by campaign staffers and rectified quickly:
Campaign staffers spotted several hundred $5 charges from similar Internet addresses this month. Security officials for San Antonio-based Frost Bank noticed a similar pattern on check cards from an out-of-country location around the same time.
Fewer than 100 cards had unauthorized charges on them, and fewer than 500 cards were affected. Frost Bank refunded the money and canceled the affected cards.
"It's unfortunate whenever it happens, but our campaign and Frost Bank took rapid action," said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for the Texas Republican candidate's campaign.
The fraudulent donations, first reported by CBSnews.com, amounted to about $3,000 and were returned.
The quote there is from Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312462,00.html), and KCENTV (http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=2&nid=2937) also reported on it. Good work by the campaign to ferret these out and get them taken care of. They saved Ron Paul some bad PR by their quick action. I wonder if this was an attempt to sabotage the campaign or if it was actually a supporter. If it was you and you are reading this, cut the shit already. You're not helping.
Let's move on. Kevin at The Liberty Papers is done with Ron Paul (http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/11/21/ron-paul-makes-thanksgiving-eve-appearance-with-alex-jones/):.
The Ron Paul campaign has unfortunately become a gathering place for 9/11 "Truther" morons, racists, neo-Nazis, Southern secessionists, fascists, conspiracy theorists, wannabe authoritarians, Birchers, and nativists that I do not want to be associated with. Worst of all, the candidate himself knows about these err….outside of the mainstream supporters and he refuses to publically repudiate them and refund the donations from the most high profile ones. (No Lew, I'm not calling for Ron Paul to do background checks on all of his supporters, just refuse the donations from the high profile scumbags). If a candidate thinks its alright to make common cause with these people, especially one who is running a "principled" campaign on restoring liberty, than I have to question his conscience for aligning with these people at best and question his ability to lead at worst. I've come to the conclusion that a Ron Paul candidacy unless he repudiates these people who do not share the belief in liberty, will harm the overall freedom movement by giving the impression to the American people that "freedom" and "liberty" are just code words for fascism, racism, and conspiracy mongering like the "New World Order" and the "North American Union".
First of all, I post things in this very blog from Alex Jones' prisonplanet.com. It's a pretty good source for information that you might not find in other outlets. Just because a person holds a view with which you don't agree, it doesn't mean they have nothing of value to offer.
Now, you guys are well aware of my feelings about the 9-11 Truth movement. I don't in any way think that the attacks on the World Trade Center or Pentagon were inside jobs. And you know that I have urged the Truthers to tone it down for the sake of the campaign. But I have to say, my friends, that this guy is a first class prick to lump you guys in with the white supremacists - you are harmless, they are not.
These same kinds of accusations were made against the late, great free market economist Ludwig von Mises. People offensively claimed that this Austrian, who predicted the downfall of socialism and the horrors of NAZI-ism and Communism, who ran for his life from Hitler's goons, and who was the staunchest advocate of individual liberty, was a NAZI himself.
People railed against Milton Friedman, as well, for talking with and helping the Pinochet regime in Chile. While Pinochet was a ruthless bastard, Friedman refused to shut him out, arguing that anyone interested in hearing the message of liberty and free markets deserved to hear it. Any postive change these discussions could lead to would be worth it (http://www.reason.com/news/show/117278.html):
Friedman, in defending himself against accusations of complicity with or approval of Pinochet, noted in a 1975 letter to the University of Chicago school newspaper that he "has never heard complaints" about giving aid and comfort to the communist governments to which he had spoken, and that "I approve of none of these authoritarian regimes—neither the Communist regimes of Russia and Yugoslavia nor the military juntas of Chile and Brazil. But I believe I can learn from observing them and that, insofar as my personal analysis of their economic situation enables them to improve their economic performance, that is likely to promote not retard a movement toward greater liberalism and freedom."
It's not as important to reach the Truthers than the white supremacists. The truthers are no different than the people who swear they saw Elvis on the grassy knoll - misguided, but no threat to anyone. But if the racists are paying attention, maybe they'll learn something from Ron Paul's message of love and tolerance. Shutting them out and shutting them down will only increase their martyr complex and make it harder to reach them.
And of course it needs to be mentioned that Ron Paul does not believe 9-11 was an inside job, otherwise there'd have been no flap in the debate about the blowback from 50 years of meddling in Middle Eastern politics contributing to the 9-11 attacks.
Speaking of prisonplanet.com, they have a nice piece (http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/november2007/231107_smear_attempts.htm)on all the smear attacks that Dr Paul has been fighting lately:
Speaking about recent smear attempts on behalf of people like Glenn Beck, David Horowitz and Bill O'Reilly to link Ron Paul supporters with violence and Islamic terrorists, the Congressman himself said that the attacks were symptomatic of a frightened and insecure establishment who are dumbfounded that people are turning away from authoritarianism and embracing freedom.
"They're getting awfully frightened," said Paul, "I think we are a threat to the establishment, and they represent the establishment."
"I think they represent a philosophical position which is diametrically opposed to us and our interpretation of the Constitution - I think it's serious business when people strike out like that and start using names like Islamic fascism - they're working on fear," the Congressman told the Alex Jones Show this week.
"I see these people as very insecure - they don't understand what freedom is about and they have to resort to this threatening, but turning around and calling us the violent people - I think they're very insecure with their ideas and probably deep down in their heart they think they're being good Americans," said Paul.
"But I don't think their understanding is clear enough where they feel secure and confident enough so they strike out at us and start calling us names," he added.
The Congressman said that the likes of Beck and Horowitz, who recently accused Ron Paul supporters, anti-war types and libertarians as being "in bed with Islamofascists," were dumbfounded that the people are flocking in droves to support the message of freedom and turning away from fearmongering and authoritarianism.
The next thing to which I'd like to draw your attention is a little bit (http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/the-unknown-ron-paul/)by Paul Krugman on The New York Times opinion page:
Doing research for tomorrow's column, I ran across a chapter most Ron Paul supporters probably don't know about.
The quiet campaign against provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may have had something to do with the proposal by Representative Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas, on Thursday to eliminate Section 404 entirely. In a statement, the congressman said the provision "has raised the costs of doing business, thus causing foreign companies to withdraw from American markets and retarding economic growth."
What's that about?
Section 404 requires companies and their auditors to assess the companies' internal controls, which are the practices or systems for keeping records and preventing abuse or fraud.
Ron Paul, enemy of the Iraq war — and friend of corporate fraud?
Karen Decoster on LewRockwell.com responds (http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/017106.html):
This definition isn not only wrong, but it is simplistic to the point of being ridiculous. Krugman linked to this nonsense about institutional investors bearing the real costs of SOX and why the whole regulatory scheme is so necessary. If Klueless Krugman needs help understanding the real Sarbanes-Oxley and its assorted warts, I'd more than happy to offer my assistance in explaining to him what horrifying effects this whole program has on large as well as small companies -- from my front-row seat in corporate-SOX America.
How can somebody who is supposedly so intellectually capable (*choke*) be so ignorant and so flippantly clueless?
On PC-Live, Mark Radulich offers some good advice (http://pc-live.tv/2007/11/22/125/more-125)to his fellow Ron Paul supporters about the proper way to conduct themselves in their advocacy of Ron Paul:
You don't have the luxury that Clinton supporters do. She's so far in the lead that some of her supporters can afford to be complete assholes like this fellow, "I piss on your face, you shit-for-brains. WHo the fuck cares what you have to say? You're a fucking nobody!!! VOTE FOR HILLARY OR LOSE YOUR FREEDOMS, AMERICA!!!" When Ron Paul is leading in national polls then you can act like the above child, but not before.
My dear friends, you can have tea parties and one day fund raisers until the cows come home and all you'll accomplish is making Ron Paul a little wealthier than he was before but you won't succeed necessarily in making him the GOP nominee. Money helps win an election but it is not the last word, see Howard Dean circa 2004.
I realize you are all not neo-Nazi[s], 9/11 Truthers and secessionist as Medved once wrote but you are dangerously close to doing more damage than good when you are as shrill and caustic as you have been. Learn from the Naderites instead of stampeding down the path of becoming them and thus permanently sinking Ron Paul's candidacy for good.
It's good advice. It can be frustrating when the neocon war machine aims its propoganda cannon at someone we admire so much, but we must remain civil and just continue to educate them, like a five-year-old who won't stop pissing his pants. If we are consistent and encouraging and civil, eventually, those pants will be dry.
CBSNews is reporting (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/21/politics/uwire/main3531094.shtml) about the Ron Paul rally at the University of Reno:
More than 600 people came out Tuesday afternoon for a rally held by presidential hopeful Ron Paul.
Paul, the Texas representative who's gaining attention for his online and grassroots support, spoke to the crowd about ending the war in Iraq, limiting government regulation and gaining economic stability.
"We don't need to sacrifice," Paul said, drawing applause from the audience. "What we need is freedom to make our own decisions."
Many students said they support Paul because they agreed with his views on the United States Constitution.
"He stands for the Constitution and personal liberties," said Melissa Lau, a psychology major at the University of Nevada at Reno. "As college students, we are aware of civil liberties and he supports that."
One thing not mentioned in the story is the fact that it's not just college students in Reno that are supporting Ron Paul, but also brothel owners (http://www.rgj.com/blogs/inside-nevada-politics/2007/11/ron-paul-earns-support-of-nevada.html):
Campaigning through Northern Nevada today, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul picked up the enthusiastic support of Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof.
After sitting through a 20-minute press conference with Paul, Hof vowed to put up a collection box outside the door of his Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel to take up contributions for the candidate who he says, "Makes a lot of sense, doesn't he?"
"I'll do it today," he said. "I'll get all the Bunnies together and we can raise him some money. I'll put up a collection box outside the door. They can drop in $1 dollar, $5 dollar contributions. What a great way for the working girls to support Ron Paul. It's just the right thing to do."
Paul's campaign was surprised to see Hof, flanked by two prostitutes, emerge from a limousine outside of Lawlor Events Center this morning. They arrived with MSNBC journalist Tucker Carlson, who has been traveling with Paul for a piece he's writing for the New Republic. (Carlson stopped to pose with Brooke Taylor above. Photo by James Ball, RGJ)
"Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy out," Carlson said.
Hof said Paul's anti-establishment, libertarian platform of "live and let live" resonates in a state that permits legalized prostitution.
While Paul professes a limited-government philosophy, he's also hews to a deep Christian faith, is pro-life and reportedly is so traditional that he doesn't travel alone with women.
Campaign spokesman Jeff Greenspan said he doesn't think Paul will have any problem accepting the brothel's money.
Thanks to Shophetim for the tip on that one. This is just another example of how a pro-freedom candidate attracts a diverse crowd. Ron Paul would get the government off their backs and allow them to engage in mutually-beneficial consesual commerce, and he doesn't have to approve of it to allow it. That's the live and let live ethos of libertarianism right there, and I applaud it.
In The Daily Reckoning, Bill Bonner writes (http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/ron-paul-wont-win/2007/11/23/) why a vote for Ron Paul is not wasted:
"We're going to send Ron some money," we announced to daughter Sophia last night.
"Why would you want to do that, Dad? You're just wasting your money. Ron Paul is fine. I like him. Or, at least most of what I've heard about him. But he can't win. What's the point?"
"Winning is over-rated," we replied. "You know what Gen. Washington said during the Revolution. 'We can't guarantee victory, but we can deserve it.' Well, you can never guarantee anything. As it says in the Bible, 'the race goeth not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.' I guess people meant by that that there is a fair amount of luck involved in everything. But there's something else. If you can't know how things will turn out, what can you do? All you can do is to do the right thing...
"...He's the only candidate to come along – practically in my entire lifetime – who is worth voting for. He doesn't believe in robbing people with taxes so some people can pursue their own crackpot world improvement project. And he doesn't believe in going to war unless the country is attacked…and there is a declaration of war by Congress…which is what the constitution requires.
"All I'm saying is that you can vote for Ron Paul…and send him money…with a clear conscience. You haven't been able to do that for a long time. Better take advantage of it."
Right on, dude! The Detroit News is reporting (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/POLITICS/711230324/1022/POLITICS) that the GOP frontrunners are getting scared:
Last month, the 10-term Texas Republican stunned the GOP field by raising a little more than $5 million in the third quarter.
For months now, Paul has been the most popular GOP candidate on the Web, with more supporters on MySpace, Facebook and Meetup than Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney.
"Everyone -- the staffers in the other campaigns, the bigwig political observers in the state -- is scratching their heads. They don't know what to make of this Ron Paul phenomenon," Smith said.
"The other campaigns aren't worried that he'd win the primary. They just don't know who his supporters are and whose support he's taking away."
The Baltimore Sun is reporting (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/ron_paul_cate_blanchett_more_m.html) on Ron Paul's status as one of GQ's men of the year, not without an undercurrent of annoying sarcasm:
So GQ must know what it's getting into when it includes Ron Paul and Cate Blanchett on the same list.
They are "men of the year,'' according to that institution formerly known as Gentlemen's Quarterly.
Paul, the Republican congressman from Texas and physician who is running for president with an Internet following of simply-obsessed Perilous Paulines who helped the "dark horse of the year''— in GQ's words – raise more than $4 million in one day of online fundraising for a campaign with virtually no chance of success, stands near the end of a long lineup of actors, musicians, politicians and more whom GQ has singled out for its de rigeur year-end list.
Paul stands next to last, just before Blanchett, who made the list, it appears, for playing Bob Dylan in the movies. Paul plays simply a candidate.
The Pahrump Valley Times is reporting (http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Nov-21-Wed-2007/news/18052936.html) about Ron Paul's visit there:
Paul said he reluctantly entered the campaign but has become energized by the support, particularly after Nov. 5, when he said his campaign raised $4.3 million in $100 donations and energized 20,000 new supporters.
"The Internet's been around for a while but it's never happened where all these things are coming together. First, the exasperation the American people are feeling about what's happening to our country, not only economically but in foreign policy and in monetary policy as well," Paul said.
Paul said he sees the desire to move from forced tyranny and violence into freedom and less choices. The one-day fundraising gave his campaign credibility, he said.
"The media may realize, wow, this is not just a couple people on the Internet, a couple fringe people," Paul said. "People in this state, they love liberty and limited government and have confidence in it. So a good showing here could be just as attention-getting as any single day of fundraising."
Paul drew one of his three-dozen rounds of applause when he noted his vote against sending nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.
"I see no way the people in Texas have a right to put nuclear waste in your state without your permission," he said.
That's a good point about an issue I haven't given much thought. On Townhall.com, Matt Towery is talking (http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/MattTowery/2007/11/22/the_ron_paul_factor) about the possible implications of the Ron Paul Phenomenon:
As we continue to poll and observe the various states involved in the early caucus/primary battles for the Republican presidential nomination, one thing is becoming increasingly clear to me: While Ron Paul may lag behind most of his GOP competitors in the polls, the intensity of devotion from his supporters makes his candidacy deserving of more attention than it's gotten to date.
His sometimes-quirky mannerisms and oddball demeanor fly in the face of what most Republicans traditionally look for in their presidential nominees. And his comments startle many for their bluntness and contrariness to long-running establishment GOP thinking.
That's exactly why Paul could have an unexpected impact not only on the Republican nomination process, but also on the November general election as well.
Consider that over 600 people turned out for a rally for Paul in Reno, Nevada, recently. The media described the crowd as a mixed group that included many college students.
That's another indicator of the potential impact of the Paul campaign. I recall in 1980 when establishment Republicans and conservatives were backing George H.W. Bush, John Connally or Howard Baker for president.
But on college campuses, the birth of the modern College Republicans movement was feeding off of the support of frustrated college students for the maverick in the race, Ronald Reagan.
Gambling911.com is talking (http://www.gambling911.com/Mitt-Romney-Mike%20Huckabee-Ron-Paul-112207.html) about the fall of Mitt, and the rise of Ron:
Recent independent polls are now showing Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney falling out of favor with the populace while both Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul gain ground.
Huckabee may still be listed around 50/1 odds of becoming the next US President at most online gambling locales but he is starting to show signs of life at the polls.
On The Atlantic, Ross Douthat is talking (http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/11/whos_afraid_of_ron_paul.php) about why the right-leaning media is giving Huckabee more attention than Dr Paul:
But the reason the Huck isn't being vilified by conservatives the way Paul has been isn't because the GOP as a whole is suddenly going populist and statist; if anything, Huckabee's campaign has capitalized on the reverse phenomenon, the cautious small-government orthodoxy that the front-runners have adopted to cover over their heresies on other fronts. No, the reason Paul has been treated differently than Huckabee by the right-wing media is very, very simple, and it has nothing to do with size-of-government issues: Paul opposes the Iraq War (and war with Iran, waterboarding, and all the rest of what's increasingly defined as the right-wing foreign policy package) and Huckabee doesn't. Full stop, end of story.
There is a lot of truth in that. Brant McLaughlin of Associated Content has written (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/455799/ron_paul_supporter_takes_out_wake_up.html) about the full-page ad that a wealthy supporter has bought in USAToday:
On Wednesday, 50-year-old investment manager and Harvard Business School MBA Larry Lepard announced that he has collaborated on the design and copy of a full-page USA Today ad with a spontaneously generated team of Ron Paul supporters on ronpaulforums.com.
Lepard then invested approximately $85,000 of his own money to bring a message to the American people, which he says is this: "Ron Paul is the best hope America has to restore the Constitution and get our country back on track."
The ad is called "An Open Letter to the American People" and reads as if it is a letter written by the Founding Fathers in which they chastise today's "we the people" for not making their government uphold their original vision or even adhere to the Constitution. Issues including entangling foreign alliances, government corruption, excessive taxation, and preserving national sovereignty are brought up and then given the solution that Ron Paul will implement as President.
Lepard, who is married and the father of three, says that he is is deeply troubled by the prevailing pre-emptive war paradigm and as what he views as the decimation of civil liberties and the U.S. Constitution, has followed Ron Paul's political career for over 20 years.
And I'll leave you today with a new Ron Paul video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDx96SXR-6U
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg