Ron Paul Roundup (03-22-08)
by RS Davis
The Freedom Files


Hello Freedomphiles! Got a good Roundup for you today. I want to start with an update on the Missouri Caucus Coup from last weekend. The neocons appear to be fighting back, so be alert. The Saint Louis Post Dispatch reports:

  • Debbie Hopper, national field director for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas (and who is continuing his campaign for president), called Thursday to recount a contentious encounter that she had just had with Missouri Republican Party executive director Jared Craighead.

    Hopper said that she had gone to the state party’s headquarters in Jefferson City on Thursday to look at the reports turned in by the various sites’ chairmen from last Saturday’s caucuses.

    Craighead refused to allow Hopper to look at the reports. Hopper noted that next Tuesday is the deadline for challenging the reports’ content, or the proposed delegates approved at the caucuses and then OKed by the state party.

    Hopper said she’s concerned that the state Republican Party is out to disenfranchise the Paul delegates selected at those caucuses, or that some of the caucus chairmen.


And the douchebag’s response?

  • Friday morning, Craighead made the following reply. "Accusations of anything underhanded going on are ludicrous," he said. "We have not received all of the information from the local caucuses. We’re in the process of cataloguing and compiling the information. We’re not in a position to share it with anyone."

    Will the state party have the information available before Tuesday?

    "It is unclear," Craighead said. He cited various roadblocks (including the Easter weekend). But among them: "It depends how fast the caucuses turn in their stuff."


Isn’t that $#@!ing convenient? We have until Tuesday to contest reports that will be available...sometime after Tuesday. Would you like to register your disgust?

  • Missouri Republican Party
    204 E. Dunklin Avenue
    Jefferson City, MO 65101
    Phone: 573-636-3146
    Fax: 573-636-3273


Looks like we have to go all the way to New Zealand to get this little nugget of information:

  • Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has satisfied the ballot requirements for all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of yesterday, March 20, 2008.

    "Dr. Paul’s message of peace, freedom and prosperity has broad appeal," said campaign chairman Kent Snyder. "Well-organized and determined volunteers throughout America made this possible."


USAToday reports that Ron Paul hasn’t quit:

  • The Republican congressman from Texas continues to raise money for his presidential campaign. He is planning to visit states that have yet to hold their primaries and is urging his small but devoted cadre of followers to hold rallies for the libertarian causes he espouses.

    "We must remember elections are short term efforts, revolutions are long-term projects," he said in a March 6 video posted on his campaign website.

    Paul acknowledges he can’t be the Republican presidential nominee because Arizona Sen. John McCain has collected more than the necessary number of delegates to win the nomination. But he refuses to bow out, saying the campaign is about more than just him.


Newsweek actually went to the source and talked to Ron Paul about why he isn’t quitting. Here’s an excerpt:

  • You said earlier that your "troops" are still very enthusiastic, but they’ve got to be at least somewhat discouraged. What seems to be the general mood among your supporters right now?

    It’s a mixed bag. I would say 95 percent are just happy with what we’ve done and continue to do. Of course, others are discouraged and say, "Well, we should have done better, we should have done better," but the rest are so energetic. They say we should keep going and they almost believe some kind of miracle is going to happen [laughs]. I try to keep them grounded in reality. But we are going to the convention, and my job is to tell [my supporters] not to be discouraged. For me, I never expected any of this to happen a year ago. I’d say overall it’s been 100 times more successful than I ever dreamed.


The Reno Gazette Journal reports that the caucus coup worked in Nevada:

  • U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas will speak at the Nevada GOP’s state convention in Reno on April 26, officials announced Thursday.

    Paul, who has failed to win enough delegates to give him a mathematical chance at winning the nomination, is intent on seeing that his philosophy is carried in the Republican Party. His supporters were a strong contingent at the county convention, contesting platform planks and fighting to be elected as state delegates.


Sweetaction! PressMediaWire reports that Ron Paul owns Alaska, having done the same there as here in Missouri:

  • Planks added include:

    "We recognize the right of the people to be secure in their persons,houses, papers, and effects as guaranteed in the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; recognize the right of the people to be secure from any search or seizure that violates the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination; and oppose legislation that violates these two Amendments including, but not limited to, any infringements that may be contained in the Patriot Act, the Real ID Act, NAIS Act, and the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act. Furthermore, we propose that these acts be repealed immediately."

    "In jury trials of criminal cases, the defendant shall enjoy the right to argue both the facts of the case and the merits of the law under which the charge has been made."

    "We support a federal system of taxation that adheres to the original wording in Article 1, Section 9 of the United States Constitution."


    Some of the new resolutions passed:

    "We resolve to support the abolishment of the IRS and the repeal of the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the elimination of the personal income tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, and capital gains tax."

    "Be it resolved that the federal Department of Education be abolished."

    "Be it resolved that the Alaska Republican Party stands firmly against implementing action for the Real ID Act of 2005, demanding its immediate repeal."

    Also, a resolution was passed in support of allowing Dr. Paul to speak at the Republican National Convention. The motion was proposed by the chairman and co-chairman of the rules committee, who were so impressed by the conduct and ability of the Ron Paul delegates that they felt it was the right thing to do.


The New American has a piece on Ron Paul and why the people in his local constituency voted for him for Congress, but not president:

  • What this means, of course, is that the majority of those constituents who voted to keep Ron Paul in Congress voted against him for president. Why? It wasn’t a rejection of his positions in the presidential campaign. Those positions mirror his positions in Congress. Moreover, Ron Paul’s congressional opponent, Chris Peden, criticized Paul for his opposition to the Iraq War as well as other positions at odds with current Republican orthodoxy, but to no avail.

    A more credible explanation as to why Ron Paul did not do better in the presidential race — whether in Texas or elsewhere — may be found in the fact that the mainstream media marginalized him as a fringe candidate who did not have a chance of winning. That perception undoubtedly caused many who liked Ron Paul — including many of his own constituents — to vote for their second choice for president.


The Billings Gazette writes the perfect segue into the last segment of the Roundup, talking about Ron Paul Republican challengers to Congressional seats:

  • The opponents who filed in the targeted races identified themselves as supporters of the presidential candidate Ron Paul, whose libertarian message of lower taxes and extremely limited federal government hit pay dirt with a strong minority of Montana Republicans. Paul finished second behind Mitt Romney in the Feb. 5 Montana Republican caucus and led all candidates in donations from individuals. Koopman played an active role in Paul’s Montana campaign.

    "I’m a Ron Paul guy through and through, 100 percent," said Jacob Busby, who will challenge Glaser in House District 44. "In my opinion, I see a country going in a severe wrong direction. A lot of people are giving up basic constitutional liberties hoping the government will protect them from unseen boogiemen."

    Busby, 22, is a bartender at the Caribbean Nights casino in Billings and a political-science major at Montana State University Billings. He said he doesn’t know Koopman.


Awesome. And now for the segue. A lot of people had followup questions for candidate Daniel Brackins after the interview in last Friday’s Roundup. Mr Brackins graciously and pre-emptively offered to answer those questions. So, let’s do it:

OVER UNITY: Maybe you can explain to me how introducing a competing honest currency can overcome Gresham’s Law? People will simply hoard the good stuff and the rotten FRNs will remain the currency in circulation because everyone wants to spend them. This may even send the false message that people PREFER them! And if, when you remove the legal tender status, people simply refuse to accept them, then you have the problem of artificially halting economic activity and destroying any real capital that those FRNs may have represented.

BRACKINS: Gresham’s Law only applies when a government creates a "legal tender." If the government forces you to use debased currency then Gresham’s Law would apply. That is bad money drives out good money. Yet the Constitution does not grant government the power to declare legal tender. It does declare that gold and silver are the only acceptable forms of currency. With the absence of legal tender laws Gresham’s Law can no longer be applied. This is because people are now free to reject the debased currency since there is no law that requires people to use it. I would disagree with the assumption that if the legal tender status is removed from real money that people would no longer accept them. Prior to the 1864 Coinage Act gold and silver was used as standard currency throughout America, and there was no US Mint. The coins where minted in private mints. The same holds true throughout history. For example in the 16th and 17th century the Spanish gold doubloon was accepted worldwide for the purchase of a variety of goods.

FF: A couple of readers noted that we didn’t talk about the war at all. So, what is your view on the Iraq War? The War on Terror? What is the role for the United States in world affairs, diplomatically and militarily?

BRACKINS: Just as Thomas Jefferson said, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations--entangling alliances with none, I deem one of the essential principles of our government, and consequently one of those which ought to shape its administration."

The Iraq war is an undeclared war and is therefore not authorized by the Constitution, and I believe it will never be won as long as we are involved. The War on Terror is another war that can never be won. Whenever the government declares war on an idea or concept I am skeptical. This is because when there is no clear defined enemy it is an excuse for government to group anyone they wish into the category of an enemy at the expense of civil liberties and billions of dollars. In a nutshell the United States needs to mind its own business. We have no right to get involved with the affairs of other nations. I often wonder why we don’t recognize the rights of other nations that we ourselves so dearly uphold within the United States.

FF: Who is your favorite president, and why?

BRACKINS: While not perfect, my favorite president is Thomas Jefferson. For the most part he espoused the ideas of libertarianism. He had a great understanding of individual liberty and rights. It was he who made sure that our rights were enshrined in the Constitution. He also warned us about the dangers of a central bank and intervening in the affairs of other nations. Only Jefferson would greet White House guests in a robe and slippers, and relaxed all the formalities associated with his presidency.

FF: Thanks again, sir.

So, there you have it. I agree about Jefferson, even though I think he caved to the Federalists too often. But the fact that he repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts are enough to make him an awesome president in my book. See ya next week, Freedomphiles!

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