JordanL
12-26-2007, 03:07 AM
Just here to relay another inspirational story. I live in Oregon, and we have our primary sometime in May or thereabouts, so if it's strictly delegates, I doubt we'll have anything to do with the outcome. The sentiment expressed here however is something that inspired me and lifted my hopes.
I recently watched Freedom to Fascism finally. I'd been avoiding it because... well... as much as I supported Dr. Paul and all of his principals, I still thought about certain things through the lens that I'd been taught, and I saw the movie as something of an alarmist scare tactic. It's sad, i know... we all have to fight the conditioning that this country has become.
As a side note, I used to be a hardline, pro-war conservative that had many a debate where I defended Haliburton, the VEEP, the President, the military complex, the war, and other things that I can't even contemplate supporting now. If you are a conservative who has joined the revolution because of the financials, and you grin and bear the "liberal" domestic and/or military policies of Dr. Paul, please, please watch Freedom to Fascism. It has nothing to do with the war, it has to do with your life. Yes, you. It was one of the most refreshingly open documentaries I've seen. If you've been avoiding it because you fear a Michael Moore-esque experience, let me reassure you that this film is pure gold.
Back to my story however, watching the movie had me a bit down. Ignorance is bliss, and seeing things around me that my eyes had been shut to before was becoming a bit frustrating, because few people around me can see them as well.
So Christmas Eve I go over to my families house like I do every year, and my uncle asks me what's new in politics. He greatly enjoys having discussions with me about political subjects, and him and me usually have long talks about the current affairs every time we meet. I pause for a moment, not quite sure how to begin the conversation, and my parents laugh and go: "Oh barry, you don't know the can of worms you've opened. It's all about Ron Paul now."
I sort of grin and say, "Yeah, right now politics is all about Ron Paul. He's running to get the Republican nomination for President." I give him a quick run over the most important points, a little unsure of how receptive he'll be. My uncle is a deeply religious man, and views his whole life, including his politics, through that lens. When I mention RP's position on the inflation tax however, my uncle quickly nods in agreement, and I become emboldened.
Right about this time my dad, whom I've been talking to for weeks, jumps in and says "Yeah, I've been watching some more videos about him on the internet, and I got to say... I really like some of the things he says." (Thank you SO much video makers out there... GHoeberX, if you're here, your videos have done more to convince the people I talk to here in Portland, Oregon than any other tool I wield.) Before I can say anything though, my dad goes on and says "He wants to take all those troops out of Iraq though, and I just don't see how he's going to do it."
I imediately kick myself mentally. My uncle is VERY much one of the people who coins the phrase "Islamofascism". So I sort of ease into it and point out that, yes, it would probably be one of the first things that Ron Paul did as President, but realistically, and RP has pointed this out as well, there's no way that something like a full withdrawl could be accomplished in less than six months or so... then I ask if mid-2009 is really "cut-and-run". My dad sort of nods, and so does my uncle, and I keep going. I point out that whether or not we have troops overseas will be entirely irrelevent if our entire economy and monetary system is subverted, and that is whats coming our way if we don't drastically cut spending.
I then point out that RP isn't one of those guys that just wants to take our deficit from the hide of our armed forces, but he also is against things liek Medicare and Social Security. My uncle and I then had a lengthier discussion where I pointed out many of Huckabee's flaws, including his son's "playtime" with woodland creatures, and the rapist parole scandal. Before this discussion, the only thing my uncle knew about Huckabee was that he was a former Baptist minister, and that was good enough for him.
Now at this point my uncle went off on how much he didn't want one of the Democrats in office, because he didn't at all like what ANY of them had to say. I pointed out that Huckabee had called for a national ban on smoking, and at that point I could almost see the light in my uncles eyes as he completely and utterly dismissed Huckabee as a possibile candidate. To my uncle, calling for a national ban on smoking said that Huck was just as much a socialist as Hillary.
Then, (and this part is pure gold), my uncle goes on about how he absolutely loathes McCain, and can't stand the man's incinerity. So I put out there that I'd vote for Hillary before I'd vote for McCain, and to my astonishment, my uncle nods. That right there told me that its very possible that the religious right may very well protest the election, even in the face of a Hillary Presidency, if McCain is nominated.
So in the end, my uncle was VERY interested in what Ron Paul had to say, and was even interested on his views about the subjects that he wouldn't necessarily agree with, like the war. My father also had a much more positive opinion of Paul after the conversation.
All that you really need is some time to talk people. These two are die-hard Republicans, and they both knew, before I said a single thing, that no one out there was the right ticket. All you have to do is give them options, and explain why Ron Paul is yours. We've reached critical mass people... at this point, we can't be stopped. Come hell or high water, we are bringing this country back from the ashes, and by God we're going to do it as fast as we possibly can.
I recently watched Freedom to Fascism finally. I'd been avoiding it because... well... as much as I supported Dr. Paul and all of his principals, I still thought about certain things through the lens that I'd been taught, and I saw the movie as something of an alarmist scare tactic. It's sad, i know... we all have to fight the conditioning that this country has become.
As a side note, I used to be a hardline, pro-war conservative that had many a debate where I defended Haliburton, the VEEP, the President, the military complex, the war, and other things that I can't even contemplate supporting now. If you are a conservative who has joined the revolution because of the financials, and you grin and bear the "liberal" domestic and/or military policies of Dr. Paul, please, please watch Freedom to Fascism. It has nothing to do with the war, it has to do with your life. Yes, you. It was one of the most refreshingly open documentaries I've seen. If you've been avoiding it because you fear a Michael Moore-esque experience, let me reassure you that this film is pure gold.
Back to my story however, watching the movie had me a bit down. Ignorance is bliss, and seeing things around me that my eyes had been shut to before was becoming a bit frustrating, because few people around me can see them as well.
So Christmas Eve I go over to my families house like I do every year, and my uncle asks me what's new in politics. He greatly enjoys having discussions with me about political subjects, and him and me usually have long talks about the current affairs every time we meet. I pause for a moment, not quite sure how to begin the conversation, and my parents laugh and go: "Oh barry, you don't know the can of worms you've opened. It's all about Ron Paul now."
I sort of grin and say, "Yeah, right now politics is all about Ron Paul. He's running to get the Republican nomination for President." I give him a quick run over the most important points, a little unsure of how receptive he'll be. My uncle is a deeply religious man, and views his whole life, including his politics, through that lens. When I mention RP's position on the inflation tax however, my uncle quickly nods in agreement, and I become emboldened.
Right about this time my dad, whom I've been talking to for weeks, jumps in and says "Yeah, I've been watching some more videos about him on the internet, and I got to say... I really like some of the things he says." (Thank you SO much video makers out there... GHoeberX, if you're here, your videos have done more to convince the people I talk to here in Portland, Oregon than any other tool I wield.) Before I can say anything though, my dad goes on and says "He wants to take all those troops out of Iraq though, and I just don't see how he's going to do it."
I imediately kick myself mentally. My uncle is VERY much one of the people who coins the phrase "Islamofascism". So I sort of ease into it and point out that, yes, it would probably be one of the first things that Ron Paul did as President, but realistically, and RP has pointed this out as well, there's no way that something like a full withdrawl could be accomplished in less than six months or so... then I ask if mid-2009 is really "cut-and-run". My dad sort of nods, and so does my uncle, and I keep going. I point out that whether or not we have troops overseas will be entirely irrelevent if our entire economy and monetary system is subverted, and that is whats coming our way if we don't drastically cut spending.
I then point out that RP isn't one of those guys that just wants to take our deficit from the hide of our armed forces, but he also is against things liek Medicare and Social Security. My uncle and I then had a lengthier discussion where I pointed out many of Huckabee's flaws, including his son's "playtime" with woodland creatures, and the rapist parole scandal. Before this discussion, the only thing my uncle knew about Huckabee was that he was a former Baptist minister, and that was good enough for him.
Now at this point my uncle went off on how much he didn't want one of the Democrats in office, because he didn't at all like what ANY of them had to say. I pointed out that Huckabee had called for a national ban on smoking, and at that point I could almost see the light in my uncles eyes as he completely and utterly dismissed Huckabee as a possibile candidate. To my uncle, calling for a national ban on smoking said that Huck was just as much a socialist as Hillary.
Then, (and this part is pure gold), my uncle goes on about how he absolutely loathes McCain, and can't stand the man's incinerity. So I put out there that I'd vote for Hillary before I'd vote for McCain, and to my astonishment, my uncle nods. That right there told me that its very possible that the religious right may very well protest the election, even in the face of a Hillary Presidency, if McCain is nominated.
So in the end, my uncle was VERY interested in what Ron Paul had to say, and was even interested on his views about the subjects that he wouldn't necessarily agree with, like the war. My father also had a much more positive opinion of Paul after the conversation.
All that you really need is some time to talk people. These two are die-hard Republicans, and they both knew, before I said a single thing, that no one out there was the right ticket. All you have to do is give them options, and explain why Ron Paul is yours. We've reached critical mass people... at this point, we can't be stopped. Come hell or high water, we are bringing this country back from the ashes, and by God we're going to do it as fast as we possibly can.