Thursday, January 31, 2008

Paul Anniversary Money Bomb is Here!

The Happy 51st Anniversary Money Bomb has arrived! See these videos for inspiration:

February 1st Ron Paul Wedding Bomb~*

51st Anniversary - Ron & Carol Paul

Ron Paul 51st Anniversary Money Bomb

McCain in The Dead Zone

Or does this movie scene more accurately portray John McCain?

I can sure see McCain saying, "The missiles are flying, halleluja!" He's a scary guy, that's for sure.

John McCain is Dr. Strangelove

Here's a nicely done video showing how deranged John McCain is:

John McCain is Dr. Strangelove

And also see this website for more on "Crooked Talk" McCain:

TheRealMcCain.com

Ron Paul is Coming to Minnesota!

Woohoo! Ron Paul, the only Republican campaigning in Minnesota, is coming to the University of Minnesota on Monday! Here's the email I just received:

Ron Paul is coming to Minnesota to participate in a rally at the University of Minnesota Monday, Feb. 4 @ 7pm. Please arrive 30 minutes early for seating. The rally will start promptly at 7pm.

What: Ron Paul speaking at a rally for veterans, students, and supporters
Where: The Coffman Union - Great Hall, University of Minnesota (300 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455)
When: Monday, Feb. 4 @ 7:00 PM (please arrive 30 minutes early for seating.) If you can not attend, there will be a live broadcast on www.justin.tv/ronpaul

The rally is free to the public, but we ask you to please RSVP here.

The campaign sees great potential in Minnesota. TV and radio ads are airing all week, and Ron Paul is coming to our state the day before the caucus. But with great expectations comes great responsibility.

All of our efforts are insignificant if we do not turn out the vote. Therefore, we have set up a system to allow you, the grassroots, to participate in the process. This is the greatest contribution you can make right now to help Ron Paul win in Minnesota.

Please dedicate yourself to making 25, 50, or 100 phone calls to our supporters every night (5:30 - 9:00 PM) between now and Tuesday. These calls will be the difference for us in Minnesota.

To get started follow the instructions here:
https://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/minnesota/gotv-site-setup-and-user-instructions/

The campaign has invested serious time and money into our state. Let's do what we can to deliver a win for Dr. Paul.

If you have any questions please call us at 612-886-1990 or go to http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/minnesota/


Marianne Stebbins
Minnesota Campaign Coordinator
Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee
Office: 612-886-1990
2208 Washington Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

Ron Paul Book Bomb

Ron Paul has a new original book coming out in April called The Revolution: A Manifesto, and a website has been set up to promote it and try to make it a bestseller! As of this writing, it is ranked #174 #54 #14 #11 #10 #8 #5 #3 at Amazon, and moving up quickly!

[UPDATE] It's cheaper at Barnes and Noble

Also see Ron Paul's recently released book Pillars of Prosperity, a economic manifesto of Ron Paul's greatest speeches and debates over the last 30 years. You can even read this great work online for free!

Happy Anniversary Ron and Carol!

The next money bomb is tomorrow, which is Ron and Carol Paul's 51st wedding anniversary! This is a great opportunity for the media to cover Paul's great family values.

Debate Synopsis (Justin Raimondo)

If you missed the debate, Justin Raimondo offers this intelligent synopsis:

The opening shot on CNN saw Ron Paul getting friendly with Mitt Romney and John McCain, who gave his principal ideological opponent a patronizing pat on the back.

Are Americans better off now than they were 8 years ago?

Mitt Romney says he’s not running on President Bush’s record. “Washington is broken.” Broken—by whom?

Mad John McCain rambles on and on—starting off by saying, “yes, we are better off”—and then going into a litany of our economic woes. Alzheimer’s up close and ugly.

Huckabee: Attacks Congress: let’s not blame the President. Housing is on everyone’s mind: people’s homes are worth less. The Huckster will do something about it. What, exactly, is that? “Serious leadership”—to do what? It’s not clear.

Ron Paul: No we aren’t better off. We’re victims of fiscal policy, monetary policy, and a foreign policy that is bankrupting America, and impoverishing us all. Paul delivers a comprehensive and clear explanation of why we’re in trouble, and how to get out. Home run—and a study in contrast, especially with the stumbling bumbling McCain.

Read the rest of the debate synopsis

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Spin Room Interview

This pretty good post-debate interview appeared on the CNN website, but not on TV. Figures.

Ron Paul Interiew Post CA Debate 1/30/08 - CNN.com Live

[UPDATE] Better quality video from CNN:

Paul on foreign policy, economy

National Taxpayers Union: Only Ron Paul Would Cut Spending

Press release by Ron Paul campaign on National Taxpayers Union report:

NTU Report: Other Republicans would increase spending by billions

According to a report released Tuesday by the National Taxpayers Union, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the only remaining presidential candidate who proposes net spending cuts.

According to the report, Congressman Paul’s proposals would cut government spending by over $150 billion, a conservative estimate of the spending reductions Dr. Paul has proposed. The report concludes that the other remaining Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have proposed spending increases of $19.5 billion, $6.9 billion and $54 billion respectively.

“It should come as no surprise that when you crunch the numbers Ron Paul is the only Republican who would actually shrink the size and cost of the federal government,” said Ron Paul campaign economic advisor Don Luskin. “Romney, McCain and Huckabee don’t hold a candle to Ron Paul – the only true fiscal conservative running for President.”

In ten terms in Congress, Ron Paul has never voted for a tax increase or for an unbalanced budget.

For more information, visit our Daily Dose Campaign HQ Blog.

Ron Paul Responses

Here are all the good parts of the CNN debate:

ALL of RON PAUL's replies @ CNN debate Jan. 30, '08

I guess I was wrong about Dr. Paul possibly getting more time because there were less candidates, but he still got the message of peace and freedom out there yet again, and he did it quite strongly!

Ron Paul Slams Republican Warmongers

While the other candidates debate silly details, Ron Paul talks about revamping the entire insane, immoral foreign policy:

Ron Paul Slams Republican Warmongers

Ron Paul also explained that the president shouldn't attempt to manage the economy:

Ron Paul: Get the Govt Out of the Economy

Ron Paul Goes to the Zoo

A great video from the grassroots!

Ron Paul Goes to the Zoo

Rep. Ron Paul on the "Stimulus" Bill

Statement of Ron Paul on H.R. 5140, the economic "stimulus" bill:

Madame Speaker, I find it odd that HR 5140, a bill allegedly designed to provide a stimulus for the anemic American economy, contains provisions that could damage the economy and hurt American taxpayers. Specifically, the provisions increasing the loan limitations of the Federal Housing Administration and the Government Sponsored Enterprises (e.g. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), will exacerbate the long-term problems in the housing market, and may even lead to a future taxpayer bailout of the housing industry. The recent bursting of the housing bubble should have taught my colleagues the dangers of government polices that distort the market by diverting resources to housing, when those resources would be more efficiently used in other sectors of the economy.

Ironically, many of the same members who insisted that upper income taxpayers be denied the tax rebates are enthusiastic champions of the provisions in HR 5140 increasing the FHA loan limit to $633,500 and the GSE loan limit to $729,750. This increase in the loan limits represents a generous taxpayer subsidy to high-income homeowners.

A one-time “rebate” check, while it may provide a temporary boost to many working American families struggling with the current downturn, is not going to provide the type of sustained income growth necessary to restore consumer confidence. In fact, history shows that when the government forgoes serious tax cuts in favor of one-time “rebates” most people either save the money for a “rainy day” or use it to pay down some of their debt.

Read the rest of Rep. Ron Paul's statement

Ron Paul on the 4th Ammendment

Ron Paul's congressional statement opposing the extension of the tyrannical Protect America Act:

Madame Speaker, I rise in opposition to the extension of the Protect America Act of 2007 because the underlying legislation violates the US Constitution.

The mis-named Protect America Act allows the US government to monitor telephone calls and other electronic communications of American citizens without a warrant. This clearly violates the Fourth Amendment, which states:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The Protect America Act sidelines the FISA Court system and places authority over foreign surveillance in the director of national intelligence and the attorney general with little if any oversight. While proponents of this legislation have argued that the monitoring of American citizens would still require a court-issued warrant, the bill only requires that subjects be "reasonably believed to be outside the United States ." Further, it does not provide for the Fourth Amendment protection of American citizens if they happen to be on the other end of the electronic communication where the subject of surveillance is a non-citizen overseas.

We must remember that the original Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was passed in 1978 as a result of the U.S. Senate investigations into the federal government’s illegal spying on American citizens. Its purpose was to prevent the abuse of power from occurring in the future by establishing guidelines and prescribing oversight to the process. It was designed to protect citizens, not the government. The effect seems to have been opposite of what was intended. These recent attempts to “upgrade” FISA do not appear to be designed to enhance protection of our civil liberties, but to make it easier for the government to spy on us!

The only legitimate “upgrade” to the original FISA legislation would be to allow surveillance of conversations that begin and end outside the United States between non-US citizens where the telephone call is routed through the United States . Technology and the global communications market have led to more foreign to foreign calls being routed through the United States . This adjustment would solve the problems outlined by the administration without violating the rights of US citizens.

While I would not oppose technical changes in FISA that the intelligence community has indicated are necessary, Congress should not use this opportunity to chip away at even more of our constitutional protections and civil liberties. I urge my colleagues to oppose this and any legislation that violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

And now there are four....

Hooray! Even though the writing was on the wall, former "frontrunner" Rudy Giuliani has now exited the race! At least we can take comfort that possibly the most vile candidate in presidential history is gone (although Huckabee, Romney, and McCain are all close behind for that title). And maybe Ron Paul will get more time to speak in tonight's debate!

In another related unsurprising move, John Edwards did the same. It's interesting that even though Clinton is still considered the favorite, party bigwigs are throwing their weight behind Obama. Neither party's nomination is close to being settled now, nor are they likely to be settled on Feb 5.

You say you want a revolution?

Message from the Ron Paul campaign:

Every movement in history has faced some time of testing, some experience that either forges it into something strong and unified, or forces it to fade away into the history books as another failed experiment.

Dr. Paul has written to you that we are heading straight for Super Tuesday. Our opponents are free to beat up on each other and wear themselves down while we gather our supporters and prepare to storm the convention with delegates.

Last night, over 60,000 people stood up and asked for an end to the runaway violation of our liberties. But contrary to the impression you may be getting from the mainstream media, no national delegates have yet been won in Florida. Those delegates will only be awarded between February 6 and April 30 at delegate selection caucuses, and many of those delegates will be supporters of Dr. Paul.

Ron Paul is the only candidate not to give up on any state in the Republican race, and just as we competed strongly in overlooked states like Nevada and Louisiana, so too will we compete in Maine, Minnesota, and other states that the so-called "top-tier" candidates are content to ignore.

Now, as the focus shifts to Super Tuesday, Rudy's campaign is crushed, Huckabee is losing momentum by the day, and McCain and Romney are fighting over who is the most liberal.

We've been here before. In 1776, despite a courageous effort at holding onto the city, George Washington ceded New York and quickly retreated to New Jersey.

1777 brought the British recapture of Fort Ticonderoga, as well as American defeats at Brandywine and Germantown.

And then, during the winter of 1777-1778, Washington and his army faced perhaps their most humiliating moment, forced to endure a harsh Pennsylvania winter with limited supplies at Valley Forge.

The American revolutionaries dealt with their defeats, focused on their goals, and emerged from Valley Forge as a force that would defeat the most powerful nation on earth.

Our momentum is building. Each one of us, from Dr. Paul himself down to the grassroots supporter who donates the last $5 he or she can give, is focused on the goal.

Early in the struggle for American independence, George Washington wrote: "Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages." Even then, Washington realized that a fierce struggle for self-government can only be won with a spirit of determination equal to the challenge.

Today, in the midst of our new revolution, let's consider Washington's words once again. The task before us is enormous. The foes of liberty are deeply entrenched, and they will not relinquish their power without a struggle.

But fighting in our favor is the unconquerable human spirit, the innate desire to be free. We must embrace this inner strength, dig in our heels, and persevere, just as Washington and his rag-tag colonials, the first American grassroots patriots, did before us. And if we must pass through a Valley Forge or two along the way to victory, let those times of testing temper the steel of our determination.

If Ron Paul is to continue his fight for liberty to the Republican Convention, we need your help in two critical ways:

1. Become a precinct leader today: It's easy, but more importantly, it's vital to Ron Paul's success: https://voters.ronpaul2008.com.

2. Donate: Just as the Continental Congress supplied General Washington's troops in the field, we too must raise as much money as we can to equip our grassroots supporters.

Help us win this revolution and usher in a new era of freedom, peace, and prosperity. Donate today: https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate.


Matthew Hawes, Policy Assistant
Daniel McCarthy, Internet Communications Coordinator
Jonathan Bydlak, Fundraising Director
Ron Paul 2008

Ron Paul Is the Tortoise (Lew Rockwell)

Lew Rockwell says that the goals of the Ron Paul campaign have always been two-pronged: to win the nomination, and to build a lasting movement. His blog post:

We all remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Ron Paul, steady, hardworking, consistent, and principled, keeps going. Last night in Florida he got the most votes he has gotten so far. He is already advertising in Arkansas, and working in many other Super Tuesday states. Then, as he has noted, most of the primaries and caucuses will still lie ahead, and he is working in all of them. As always, he has a two-pronged strategy--to win the nomination, and to build a lasting movement. Of course, he has already won one of these goals. And tonight, he will win the debate again. He has won all of the debates, as even Rudy acknowledged in his defeat speech. And need I mention that the slim, athletic Dr. Paul, though he is one year older than McCain, is FAR younger in mind, body, and heart? Also far smarter and better educated? McCain brags about being a parasite for the state all his life, and disses the private sector. Well, Ron Paul is the candidate of the private sector, of all those productive Americans who are sick and tired of foreign wars, Federal Reserve bubbles, the police state, and the income tax. Only Ron Paul speaks for freedom, peace, and prosperity. I do notice that there are more and more calls for Ron to run as an independent in the fall, or on several third party tickets. Before any thought of that, as he has said, there is the possibly brokered convention in Minneapolis. The path is long and grueling, but didn't we know it would be? Ahead of us is one of the great men of American history, speaking truth to power. We can be slackers, or we can try to emulate greatness. For any real American, there is only one choice: the Revolution. Thus we can only follow, support, cheer, and donate. Indeed, let's step up the pace in every sense. This cause is worth all we can give it.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

There stands Ron Paul like a stone wall

James Ostrowski offers his very upbeat analysis of the Florida primary and says that Ron Paul may well be the last Republican standing:

Wow! What a night.

Chaos and clarity battled tonight. Clarity won and I for one am very happy about it.

Now we get the one-on-one scenario I laid out a few weeks ago but which was delayed by Romney's victory in Michigan (won by his embrace of economic fascism).

Again, let me mimic Michael Corleone:

Romney's dead. Giuliani’s dead. Huckabee's dead.

Rudy will now drop out and endorse McCain. Les belligerents need to stick together. Huckabee will stay in to draw votes from Romney and hope to get VP. (Why anyone would want to be Vice President beats me.)

Romney’s attempt to buy the presidency with his personal wealth has failed. He outspent McCain ten to one in TV ads and got whipped anyway. His speech tonight looked like a funeral.

McCain was civil to all his opponents tonight except one: Ron Paul. That was the tip-off that this is now a two-man race. Ron Paul got 60,000 votes tonight in Florida even though there has been a media blackout of his campaign since three days before Iowa.

We are already being told that McCain is a lock; it's all over. That's the conventional wisdom and anything else is just wishful Paulian thinking. But, as with all my prognostications this year and last--including that Rudy had "zero chance" to win when he was leading the polls by 14%--my analysis is based on facts. Such as: John McCain has only eight percent of the delegates he needs. And: McCain is a deeply flawed candidate who remains unpopular with the Republican base.

In spite of taking a beating in the early primaries, the General ordered his troops to hold their fire and wait for the right time to strike back. The time is now! The time is now to drive the beltway elite all the way back to their homeland in Washington DC.

The troops are fresh. Morale remains high. There’s money in the bank and the orders are to fight on.

Why Are Ron Paul's Supporters So Angry? (Chuck Baldwin)

Pastor Chuck Baldwin says we should ALL be angry at what's going on in this country. An excerpt:

I say again: if anyone has a right to be angry, it is Ron Paul supporters. But perhaps the greater question is, Why are not all of us angry? No, I do not mean in a cruel or unkind way, but where is our outrage for what the ruling elite are doing to our country?

We should all be angry at the way politicians lie to us, deceive us, and manipulate us. We should all be angry at the way both major parties have completely ignored and trampled constitutional government.

Are we so gullible that we cannot see when a politician says one thing to one group of people and a totally opposite thing to another group of people? Are we so naïve that we cannot tell when a politician changes his beliefs simply in order to garner votes?

Come on folks, let's get real: do you really expect John McCain to abandon his efforts to grant amnesty to illegal aliens? Do you really expect Mitt Romney to be a champion for the unborn? Do you really expect Mike Huckabee to suddenly be the champion for limited government spending? Do you really expect Rudy Giuliani to keep his pants zipped?

Have the American people become so numbed to truth and reality that we cannot distinguish the genuine from the phony--even when it stands right in front of us? Perhaps so. However, if the American people had any of the character and resolve of our forebears, we would be steaming mad about what our political and business leaders have done to our country.

Read the entire article

My Take on the Florida Primary

As polls seemed to suggest, Florida was between McCain and Romney, and it looks like McCain will come out on top. McCain would have to be considered the frontrunner right now, but will he have enough funds to keep it going?

Ron Paul came in a distant fifth, with a measly 3% of the vote; I guess having the blimp there for weeks didn't do much good after all. It looks like the airship project is out of funds, and the blimp is headed back to its home base. It certainly was a creative idea, and I think it was worth the shot.

On a brighter note, a third place finish by the broke Giuliani could spell the end of his campaign! And what will Huckabee do with his fourth place finish? He is also apparently broke, and could hang up the towel soon. Ron Paul has the support and the funds to make a run for the long haul, which nobody else but Romney (thanks to his ability to loan himself millions) appears to be able to do right now. The Republican nomination may well end up being settled at a brokered convention, so the candidates who have a chance will have to make it until the very end. Regardless of what you hear in the mainstream press, Dr. Paul still has a decent chance at the nomination!

Ron Paul Coverage in Maine!

Ron Paul in Maine (28 January 2008)

Fox Seattle Interview

Another Fox affiliate gives Ron Paul much better coverage than Fox News! This is from Seattle:

Ron Paul KCPQ Fox Seattle Interview

Mitt converts talk show host to Ron Paul!

Mitt acts like a sneering jerk and converts talk show host Mark Larsen to supporting Ron Paul!

Interview with Romney pushes Mark Larsen to support Ron Paul

By the way, Ron Paul has a whole lot more chance than Mr. Larsen seems to think!

My President is Nobody (William N. Grigg)

William N. Grigg explores the the modern cult of the presidency, which he will have no part of:

The modern American presidency is a moveable feast calculated to sate every appetite whetted to a fine edge by the libido dominandi. Whoever he – or she – is, the US President immediately becomes the most powerful mammal on the planet. This is why anybody seeking the office (unless he emphatically and credibly seeks to reduce it to something like its constitutionally appropriate size) should be considered unworthy of holding any office of public trust. No, that's not enough: Such people should be regarded as enemies of all that is decent and worthy of preservation.

“Ah, but you miss the point,” comes the soothing voice of official sanctimony, threatening to leave the discussion mired in the boggy soil of soggy statist platitudes. “Whatever you think of the [wo]man, you have to respect the office.”

Oh, like hell I do.

Read the entire article

Ron Paul: Four Part Campaign History

A history of the first six months of the Ron Paul Presidential campaign beginning with the first stop on the campaign trail - Manchester, New Hampshire, February, 2007:

Ron Paul: Four Part Campaign History pt. 1

Ron Paul: Four Part Campaign History pt. 2

Ron Paul: Four Part Campaign History pt. 3

Ron Paul: Four Part Campaign History pt. 4

Monday, January 28, 2008

Message from Ron Paul

Here's the latest Ron Paul message from 1/28:

When I started this campaign more than a year ago, I was a somewhat reluctant candidate. I knew our message of freedom, peace, and prosperity was the right one for our country, but frankly, I didn't know how many people today would have ears to hear it.

Well, did I learn a lesson! Millions of Americans understand what ails our country, and what is needed to fix it. So, with you at my side, I am in this effort to win. Not only by building the ideas of liberty, but by getting the nomination. Our opponents would call that nuts -- you know, the advocates of more inflation, more spending, more taxes, more war. But let me explain why they are, as usual, all wet.

For one thing, for the first time since 1952, we are headed towards a brokered convention. Instead of a coronation of one of the establishment candidates, the delegates, influenced by the people, will decide. And I am afraid that this will take place in a time of heightened economic crisis. That means even more Americans will be ready to hear our message. But it also means I am really going to need your help.

One would never know this from the mainstream media, but we've only had a few primaries and caucuses, and even after the extremely important date of February 5th, we will still have more than half to go. And the Republican nominee will not be decided by the popular vote among the "leading candidates" in a few states also handpicked by the media. The nominee will be decided by the delegates. So let me tell you a little about our "under-the-radar" strategy to get those delegates.

On "Super Tuesday," February 5th, there will be 22 primaries and caucuses. I have a hunch that we're going to do very well. But, of course, the media and the rest of the establishment refuse to recognize that. It's the attitude of the small child who covers his eyes to make something scary go away. But we are not going away.

While the media focus on the couple of states they claim are important, we're competing everywhere. And the reason that we're able to do that is because of your grassroots support. You all are an asset that no other campaign has: donors, and activists who want no special deals from the government, just the Constitution.

We're competing very strongly in all the caucus states, and in all other states where delegates are up for grabs. And we're going to keep picking up delegates. Our strategy's already working.

And we're committed to winning states. I have little doubt that if we can double our efforts in this coming week, we're going to grab many delegates from other candidates. Then we'll start getting ready for the biggest moment of all - the convention in September.

The path to the convention is twisty, however. When we were in Iowa, we got 10% of the vote. But no delegates were awarded that night. That's because voters didn't directly choose national convention delegates; they selected the county and state delegates who will make that decision. And if another candidate like Mike Huckabee is no longer in the race at the time of the state convention in June, his delegates are free to support whomever they want. If we work extra hard, we can convert them into delegates for our campaign!

A similar thing happened in Nevada. We won 14% of the straw poll vote that the media reported on, but what they didn't tell you was that we may have gotten up to a third of Nevada's delegates to their county conventions! I always laughed when I heard some people say Nevada didn't matter. Nevada chooses more delegates to the national convention than South Carolina.

So, while the media will focus on the results from Florida, and probably take down the campaign of my friend Rudy in the process, those results are less important to you and me. Let them fight in Florida while we bring our message to Americans in other areas, like the economically hard-hit state of Maine.

We want to win as many delegates to the Republican National Convention as possible, even if other campaigns don't see some areas of the country as "important. But in this work, I need your help. Help me get many, many delegates to this historic convention, by these three methods.

1. Donate. Your generous contributions are essential if we're going to keep going until September. We need, frankly $5 million by February 5 to run more TV and radio ads in the Super Tuesday states. Your help means everything: https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate.

2. Canvass. You can help us identify those who support our message in your precinct. You can help us to convert others, too. After all, your neighbors pay attention to you. I am going to visit as much of the country as I can, but I need you as my partner in your area: https://voters.ronpaul2008.com.

3. ASK others to sign-up on our website. I meet so many people on the campaign trail who don't even receive my letters! I've told my campaign to make communication with you, the engine of all this, much better. But if people don't sign up for my e-mails, that won't happen. If you could just get one extra person to sign-up, that would be great. More would be tremendous.

Help me by forwarding this e-mail to every other Ron Paul supporter you know, and urging them to join our efforts! https://www.ronpaul2008.com/join.

We've come so far, but now the fun is really starting! I have a feeling the mainstream media will move from ignoring us to attacking us. But that will be a sign of our success. Join me as we continue this great movement into year two, and to a hot convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. We can do it!

Sincerely,

Ron

New Ron Paul Ads

"Our Nation Is in Trouble" (tv)

"The Only One" (tv)

"The Economy" (radio)

Government as Window Breaker (Lew Rockwell)

Lew Rockwell gave a talk this past weekend entitled Government as Window Breaker: Hazlitt's Lesson Reapplied. In the talk, Mr. Rockwell shows that the violation of Frédéric Bastiat's lesson of the "broken window fallacy" that Bastiat wrote about in That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen (reprinted in Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson) is still widespread today, especially in government economic policy.

Here's an excerpt from Lew Rockwell's talk:

I ask you to consider the absurd discussion of a stimulus package designed to rescue the economy from recession. The idea is that the government will inject funds into private markets to stimulate them to the point that they will run on their own. Not once in this debate have I heard anyone ask the core question: where is this money going to come from?

It seems that Washington wants us to believe that they have some magic machine that can turn up $150 billion in new assets without anyone having to do anything to make these assets appear. One wonders, then, why we need to wait until a recession to stimulate the economy. Why not magically create hundreds of billions every day, and not just for this country but for the entire world? Why are we holding back?

Read the entire transcript of Lew Rockwell's talk

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Ron Paul Progress

Ron Paul releases a video of how his campaign is doing:

Ron Paul Progress 1/27/08

Freedom is Popular!

The Constitution of No Authority

Speaking of Lysander Spooner, another great essay written by Spooner that blew me away when I first read it, and was instrumental in pushing me toward an interest in libertarianism and Austrian economics, is called "The Constitution of No Authority," which amazingly concludes that the U.S. Constitution does not bind anyone alive today to do what it says!

What the...?! How can that be?? This Spooner must be crazy!

At least that was my reaction, until I read the whole thing, and now I see that he was right. If the Constitution ever bound anybody, it would have been those that signed the document, and as far as I know, nobody who signed it is alive today.

Here is an analogy used by Spooner:

So when a man says he is planting a tree for himself and his posterity, he does not mean to be understood as saying that he has any thought of compelling them, nor is it to be inferred that he is such a simpleton as to imagine that he has any right or power to compel them, to eat the fruit. So far as they are concerned, he only means to say that his hopes and motives, in planting the tree, are that its fruit may be agreeable to them.

So it was with those who originally adopted the Constitution. Whatever may have been their personal intentions, the legal meaning of their language, so far as their "posterity" was concerned, simply was, that their hopes and motives, in entering into the agreement, were that it might prove useful and acceptable to their posterity; that it might promote their union, safety, tranquillity, and welfare; and that it might tend "to secure to them the blessings of liberty." The language does not assert nor at all imply, any right, power, or disposition, on the part of the original parties to the agreement, to compel their "posterity" to live under it. If they had intended to bind their posterity to live under it, they should have said that their objective was, not "to secure to them the blessings of liberty," but to make slaves of them; for if their "posterity" are bound to live under it, they are nothing less than the slaves of their foolish, tyrannical, and dead grandfathers.

And here is the concluding paragraph:

Inasmuch as the Constitution was never signed, nor agreed to, by anybody, as a contract, and therefore never bound anybody, and is now binding upon nobody; and is, moreover, such an one as no people can ever hereafter be expected to consent to, except as they may be forced to do so at the point of the bayonet, it is perhaps of no importance what its true legal meaning, as a contract, is. Nevertheless, the writer thinks it proper to say that, in his opinion, the Constitution is no such instrument as it has generally been assumed to be; but that by false interpretations, and naked usurpations, the government has been made in practice a very widely, and almost wholly, different thing from what the Constitution itself purports to authorize. He has heretofore written much, and could write much more, to prove that such is the truth. But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain – that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.

Pretty radical stuff, but can you argue with the logic?

Read "The Constitution of No Authority" and find out for yourself!

[UPDATE] Why, then, am I supporting a constitutionalist like Ron Paul? Read this article by Joe Sobran to find out.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Vices Are Not Crimes

Reading William Norman Grigg's blog post on the drug war and some of the fallout that occurs because of it got me thinking of why people think that victimless "crime" should be outlawed by the state. Why can't people do what they want, as long as they don't hurt somebody else or their property? Perhaps it's easy for me to see why because I was exposed to an incredible essay written in 1875 by a man named Lysander Spooner. The name of the essay is "Vices Are Not Crimes," and it shows that actions some think are wrong and yet harm no one ("vices") should never be considered crimes. It is still well worth the read over 130 years later! It begins like this:

Vices are those acts by which a man harms himself or his property.

Crimes are those acts by which one man harms the person or property of another.

Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons or property.

In vices, the very essence of crime --- that is, the design to injure the person or property of another --- is wanting.

It is a maxim of the law that there can be no crime without a criminal intent; that is, without the intent to invade the person or property of another. But no one ever practises a vice with any such criminal intent. He practises his vice for his own happiness solely, and not from any malice toward others.

Unless this clear distinction between vices and crimes be made and recognized by the laws, there can be on earth no such thing as individual right, liberty, or property; no such things as the right of one man to the control of his own person and property, and the corresponding and coequal rights of another man to the control of his own person and property.

For a government to declare a vice to be a crime, and to punish it as such, is an attempt to falsify the very nature of things. It is as absurd as it would be to declare truth to be falsehood, or falsehood truth.

Read the rest of Spooner's essay, and also see this great introduction by Murray Rothbard.

Friday, January 25, 2008

McCain vs. Miss Teen USA South Carolina

Here's a funny video comparing McCain's rambling non-answer to Ron Paul's economics question in the Florida debate to another famous rambling non-answer by a young lady in a beauty contest:

John McCain and Miss Teen USA South Carolina

And here's another funny video about the incident, once again at "Crooked Talk Express" McCain's expense:

Ron Paul exposes John McCain: Crooked Talk Express

The Insane Drug War and the Rise of the Snitch

William Norman Gregg makes another great blog post describing how prosecutors are routinely using snitches (uh, I mean "government informants") to railroad and convict innocent people, a practice that has caused a good deal of blowback in some urban communites. An excerpt:

Many victims of the Federal snitching apparatus are dead. Some of the victims perished in paramilitary police raids authorized by warrants obtained on the basis of informant testimony. Other victims are “dead men walking” -- death row inmates. Brown points out that “a 1997 study by the Northwestern University Law School's Center on Wrongful Convictions found that 46 percent of wrongful death penalty convictions can be attributed to false information provided by `incentivized witnesses.'”

Read the rest

The War on Some Drugs must end!

And Yet There is Hope

Reading Justin Raimondo's latest article was depressing, even though it is an accurate assessment of where we are today. And it's true that until the government goes bankrupt and dissolves, we could be in for a rough ride. There may a period where, as Albert Jay Nock wrote, the flame of liberty will have to be kept alive by a Remnant of freedom lovers.

However, that doesn't mean there is no room for optimism. Quite the opposite in fact! As Murray Rothbard taught, the inefficient state will necessarily collapse in time, to be replaced by the only moral system: free-market capitalism. He wrote in 1973:

In short, the advent of industrialism and the Industrial Revolution has irreversibly changed the prognosis for freedom and statism. In the pre-industrial era, statism and despotism could peg along indefinitely, content to keep the peasantry at subsistence levels and to live off their surplus. But industrialism has broken the old tables; for it has become evident that socialism cannot run an industrial system, and it is gradually becoming evident that neomercantilism, interventionism, in the long run cannot run an industrial system either. Free-market capi­talism, the victory of social power and the economic means, is not only the only moral and by far the most productive system; it has become the only viable system for mankind in the industrial era. Its eventual triumph is therefore virtually inevitable.

And Rothbard didn't even know about the internet!

Wally Conger wrote in 2002:

For starters, as Murray Rothbard stressed years ago in his essay “Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty,” we must stop misreading history. No matter our short-term losses, Rothbard said, the historical long-term trend is in our favor. Granted, the Old Order still amasses all the power it can, usually with success. But its job isn’t as easy as it once was. Now, the Power Elite has to wrap its programs in the garb of “progress” and “security” and “freedom” — the language of libertarianism — to get the ear of the people. They shudder when movie audiences spontaneously cheer the explosion of the White House in “Independence Day.” They fret about the destruction wreaked on the credibility of the electoral process and on government itself by Election 2000. They worry about the discrediting of state socialism, and about the proliferation of both secessionist and anti-tax movements here and abroad. So we should take a longer view of history and be encouraged at the incredible progress liberty has made in two millennia, despite the odds.

So take heart and do not lose hope! The Ron Paul Revolution could be the turning point for the cause of liberty! Perhaps there will be a movement among the Remnant who, like Thomas Paine, will be able to set hearts aflame with a desire for freedom! That movement is here today, in fact, led in part by Rothbard's legacy, the Ludwig von Mises Institute, which is spreading the message of peace, prosperity, and liberty worldwide.

We may be in for a ride, but in the end, we know liberty will win!

America – A Bankrupt Empire

Justin Raimondo examines our economic woes and forecasts that the blowback from our insane foreign policy and debasement of the currency will bankrupt this country and bring the empire down. An excerpt from his article:

As the stock market gyrates, and Federal Reserve Board meets by videoconference to inject emergency funds into the system, Chalmers Johnson's warning that the US empire is not sustainable – that "this is the way empires end" – resonates rather ominously.

Johnson, whose most recent book is Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic, the third volume in his "Blowback" trilogy, argues that military expenditures are a drain on the productive capacity of the economy, and that the mistaken idea of what he calls "military Keynesianism" will eventually be our economic undoing. The US economy, he avers, has become increasingly dominated by what President Dwight Eisenhower dubbed the "military-industrial complex." Rampant militarism has diverted vital resources away from productive use and lines of research, and given other countries – Japan and the EU – the technological edge. This trend has also hollowed out our economic base, caused a debilitating decay in the physical infrastructure, and led to a growing debt – that is an economic time-bomb that seems to be exploding … now.

Read the entire article

If you read until the end, Justin has a dreary forecast for what's ahead:
What is likely to stop the rise of the American empire dead in its tracks isn't a sudden upsurge in the antiwar movement, the election of a rational President, and/or a sudden radical reversal by the policymaking elite after more than half a century of folly – it's bankruptcy that will do it, long before any of these possibilities have a chance to take shape.

Not that this is anything to anticipate with glee: it means social and political disruption on a scale we have scarcely experienced before in this country, perhaps even a revolution. It surely means the end of our republican form of government, and the institution of something less free, less secure, less faithful to the teachings and traditions of the Founders. It almost certainly means the end of constitutional government in America, and the beginning of our long, slow decline – or, perhaps, a more dramatic, meteoric descent than anyone now imagines.


We are in a pivotal stage right now; our republican, constitutional government is on the brink of collapse. A Ron Paul presidency may slow the slide, but it will take more than just one man to change the direction of of our country. We must spread the message of peace, prosperity, and liberty as far and wide as possible! If we fail, then Justin's forecasts may come to pass, and we won't like the results.

Mrs. Paul Interview

This is the first interview I've seen with Ron Paul's wife, Carol. What a sweet lady!

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/29045

It sounds like Ron and Carol treat political attacks like what is taught in a Taoist story called The Wolves; it's nice to see they are able to brush off criticism so easily!

In the third part, she talks about a story called "Not Yours to Give" about Davy Crockett. You can read it here.

Ron Paul Highlights from Florida Debate

Here are the good parts of the Florida MSNBC debate from last night:

RON PAUL AT THE MSNBC FLORIDA DEBATE 01-24-08 FULL

Of course, Dr. Paul got less time than anyone else, but still spread the message of peace, prosperity, and liberty. The only part I found odd was that, of all the possible questions to ask another candidate, he picked a question about a group called the President's Working Group on Financial Markets that many viewers would know nothing about. Strange choice.

[UPDATE] Perhaps Dan McCarthy is right that McCain's ignorance of the Working Group makes him look bad, and perhaps that was the point of the question all along!

For a lowlight, see this curious incident where it appears that someone whispered an answer to help the clueless Mitt Romney:

The "He Raised Taxes" Whisper During MSNBC Florida Debate

Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Ron Paul Economic Stimulus

Much better than the Bush plan! Here it is:

As Ron has taught for decades, the answer to our economic troubles is not more something-for-nothing, let alone even easier money in a recession caused by easy money, but taking an ax to the government. Here is his proposal: 1) End taxes on incomes, estates, businesses, interest, tips, and dividends; 2) Stop the wars and bring the boys home; 3) Open up the Federal Reserve to public scrutiny and legalize monetary competition by gold and silver coin producers; 4) Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley and other anti-capitalist regulations. And balance the budget!

[UPDATE] Here's an official press release detailing the great Ron Paul Stimulus Plan:

January 24, 2008
Ron Paul Unveils a REAL Economic Stimulus Plan

Four-pronged approach will strengthen the economy by reforming taxes, cutting spending, improving monetary policy and eliminating burdensome regulations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24, 2008

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA –Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has unveiled a comprehensive economic revitalization package. The four-pronged plan is designed to stem the current economic slide and address the unsound governmental policies that are harming Americans’ pocketbooks.

“Real economic reform must address the underlying reasons for the current economic malaise,” said Ron Paul. “This plan is more than just a band-aid for our economy; it fundamentally reforms four areas where government policies are damaging our national economy. When enacted, my plan will provide both short-term stimulus, and lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity.”

The comprehensive economic revitalization plan is available online at: http://www.RonPaul2008.com/Prosperity.

The four areas that the plan covers are:

1. Tax Reform: Reduce the tax burden and eliminate taxes that punish investment and savings, including job-killing corporate taxes.

2. Spending Reform: Eliminate wasteful spending. Reduce overseas commitments. Freeze all non-defense, non-entitlement spending at current levels.

3. Monetary Policy Reform: Expand openness with the Federal Reserve and require the Fed to televise its meetings. Return value to our money.

4. Regulatory Reform: Repeal Sarbanes/Oxley regulations that push companies to seek capital outside of US markets. Stop restricting community banks from fostering local economic growth.

Congressman Paul has written or co-sponsored numerous bills to enact the policies in his plan. In Congress, he has been a champion of lower taxes and limited government.

Congressman Paul is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee's Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology. In Congress, Dr. Paul has never voted for a tax increase or for an unbalanced budget.

"Pre-emptive" Nuclear War

William N. Grigg blogs on how the insane Bush/Putin/NATO doctrine of a pre-emptive nuclear first strike has brought the world on the brink of nuclear war (note that this idea was only considered parody in 1967). An excerpt:

Accordingly, Russia has the nuclear safeties off and is prepared to throw down in order to defend the “territorial integrity” of its allies – a category that might include Iran.

For its part, NATO has the safeties off and is prepared to go nuclear against “rogue states,” a category that, in practice, refers to countries that don't bend to Washington's will – like Iran. NATO is already involved in "out-of-area" action in Afghanistan, and there have been serious discussions about deploying NATO forces in Lebanon or even the West Bank, venues that would offer plentiful opportunities for "pre-emptive" action of all kinds.

Read the entire blog post

Also, see what Ron Paul had to say about the pre-emptive war in Iraq before it began, and about the pre-emptive war to come in Iran.

The March Toward.....What?

Garet Garrett examined the question back in 1950, and his words are just as relevant today. Whatever totalitarian scheme we are marching toward, it is always driven by an insatiable lust for power. An excerpt from Garrett's article that answers the question:

If you say it is toward socialism you leave out the possibility that it may turn into something else. Much more than that, if you say it is toward socialism you fill the view with smoke and may fail to see clearly what it already has in common with every kind of totalitarian government we know anything about, namely, insatiability. There is no way to sate its appetite for more power. Fascist government was insatiable, Nazi government was insatiable, Marxian government in Soviet Russia and Labor government in Great Britain are insatiable — all with one lust, which is the lust for power; all alike resolved to control the people's way of living according to a plan, and all alike creating a dependent society.

The passion in every case is to act upon people by compulsion, always of course for their own good. Differences of ideology may be less important than we think. It may be the idea of conquest, the idea of equality, the idea of a classless society, the idea of a welfare state or the idea of complete security for every citizen. Let it be the government that imposes it, give that government the power to command acquiescence by fear or bribery, by any system of rewards and punishment, and the result in every case will be the same. The ancient pattern will be restored. The authority of government will rise and the people will become subservient. And where people are still marching, as in this country, that is what they are marching toward.

Read the entire article

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Yet more Ron Paul coverage from Russia!

Russia Today: Paul runs second in Nevada

Ron Paul's Grandson's Speech

Ron Paul's eldest grandson Matt Pyeatt made an inspiring speech at Lamar University last week! Here's a link to all the parts:

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/28661

Listen for Matt's online radio show called "Generation Liberty" on Ron Paul Revolution Radio on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays 7pm - 8pm CST.

Also, if you can get passed the somewhat low quality, here's a link to a speech given by Ron Paul in Kenner, Louisiana (four parts):

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RonPaulKenner

Nice Interviews Today!

Mostly about the Bush "stimulus" and our economic woes:

Interview 1:
Ron Paul on Your World with Neil Cavuto (1-23-08)

Interview 2:
Ron Paul on MSNBC (1-23-08)

Interview 3:
Glenn Beck - Ron's Revolution

Taxation is Robbery

Mark R. Crovelli agrees with Lysander Spooner that taxation and robbery are the same thing, and is disheartened that something so obvious can be so blatantly ignored by those who study political "science." An excerpt from his article:

Is taxation morally justifiable?

What makes this question of paramount political and ethical importance, (and the neglect of this question so inexcusable in political science in particular), is the fact that the entire moral justification for the modern state rests upon the answer. If taxation is nothing more than the forceful expropriation of man’s justly-earned property, (i.e., robbery), then this calls into question the entire moral justification of the state and all of its myriad functions that are so uselessly (yet profitably) studied in political science today. The adoption of this position would force us into what Robert Paul Wolff and A. John Simmons have called "philosophical anarchism."

What is even more striking about the neglect of this question by political "scientists" and political philosophers is the fact that the argument that taxation is synonymous with robbery is about as simple and airtight as arguments ever get in the political realm. In fact, the argument can be stated with simple syllogistic precision:

A. Robbery is defined as seizing another man’s justly-owned property without his consent.
B. In taxation, the representatives of the state seize their subjects’ justly-owned property without their subjects’ consent – always under the threat of severe penalties if they refuse to obey.
C. Therefore, taxation is definitionally and morally synonymous with robbery.

Read the entire article

How to Bureaucratize the Corporate World

Ben O'Neil explores how the doctrine of corporate social responsibility has changed corporate strategies to focus on "stakeholders" rather than the interest of shareholders in this intriguing article:

While already deeply entrenched in government decision-making, consultation and submission to the interests of various "stakeholders" is also becoming more and more common in the business world under the influence of the doctrine of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Weary of the relentless pursuit of profit and the daunting task of satisfying both shareholders and customers, corporate managers are falling all over themselves to emulate the methods of their bureaucratic cousins.

The doctrine of corporate social responsibility is an amorphous one. The name clearly implies some responsibility that the corporation owes to society at large. But what is this responsibility? According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, corporate social responsibility is "the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life." Other influential agencies such as the International Finance Corporation define corporate social responsibility in almost identical terms.

This commitment to improving the quality of life of society at large is not merely confined to providing useful goods and services at a price that is agreeable to all those who choose to buy them, nor to providing employment on terms that are agreeable to all those who accept. After all, businesses already do this, and it benefits society greatly. Rather, the common element in most current expositions of the doctrine of corporate social responsibility is that it requires corporate managers to sacrifice profits to the interests of a wide array of "stakeholders" who are affected by the conduct of the corporation. According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, "CSR means more than promulgating a company's own values and principles. It also depends on understanding the values and principles of those who have a stake in its operations."

Read the entire article

Down with Child Labor Laws!

Jeff Tucker looks at the history of child labor laws and makes the case to end them in this interesting article:

Let's say you want your computer fixed or your software explained. You can shell out big bucks to the Geek Squad, or you can ask -- but you can't hire -- a typical teenager, or even a pre-teen. Their experience with computers and the online world is vastly superior to most people over the age of 30. From the point of view of online technology, it is the young who rule. And yet they are professionally powerless: They are forbidden by law from earning wages from their expertise.

Might these folks have something to offer the workplace? And might the young benefit from a bit of early work experience, too? Perhaps -- but we'll never know, thanks to antiquated federal, state, and local laws that make it a crime to hire a kid.

Read the rest of Jeff Tucker's article

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Murray Sabrin for US Senate!

A friend of Ron Paul, Murray Sabrin, is running for the US Senate in New Jersey! Dr. Sabrin (not a medical doctor, but a professor) has virtually identical views as Dr. Paul, and would make a tremendous Senator who will work for peace and freedom! Check out this endorsement by Ron Paul:

Dr. Ron Paul endorses Dr. Murray Sabrin for U.S. Senate

Check out Dr. Sabrin's campaign website, as well as some of his writings.

Don't let tyranny take hold

Here's another great Ron Paul video done by a supporter that shows how far our country has gone from relative freedom to tyranny:

Don't let tyranny take hold - Vote Ron Paul 2008

(thanks to RonPaulForum.com for the link)

What the Church Should Be Saying About War

Laurence Vance spoke at the Restoring the Republic: Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties (sponsored by the Future of Freedom Foundation) about how the church should approach the issues of war and foreign policy. Very enlightening, and very powerful! Here's a link to all the videos:

What the Church Should Be Saying About War and Foreign Policy

Fred Thompson Out!

As Lew Rockwell blogged:

Fred Thompson joins Tommy Thompson and Duncan Hunter in Defeatoland. That leaves the Wealthy Mormon, the Crazy Militarist, the Broke Baptist, and the Mooching Mussolini. Oh, and Ron Paul.

Don't Blame Subprime Lenders!

With the recession (or depression) already underway, many are looking for a scapegoat to blame for our woes. One scapegoat that has received some blame is "subprime lenders." If you know anything about Austrian economics, you'll know that monetary booms and busts are caused by none other than the private bank called the Federal Reserve. Perhaps if Ron Paul's idea of legalizing competing currencies was implemented, we wouldn't have this problem!

So don't blame subprime lenders, blame the government and the Federal Reserve. An exerpt from an article that explains:

"The United States may be standing at the brink of a catastrophic change in personal wealth for the entire population."

Scary stuff! Read the entire article

Don Luskin endorses Ron Paul

Ron Paul has picked up another endorsement, this time from Don Luskin, CIO of an investment research firm and occasional contributor to National Review Online! The NRO, with a couple of notable exceptions, is strongly anti-Ron Paul, so it's nice to see pieces like this that have some good things to say about the good doctor!

[UPDATE] The subtitle on Mr. Luskin's article, which noted that "Ron Paul can't win," was inserted by his editor without his knowledge or consent, according to Lew Rockwell.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Money Bomb Results

I'm not going to stay up for the final numbers, but it looks like Ron Paul will end with about $1.9 million of donations on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday! That would be big news for any other candidate, but for Ron Paul, it apparently isn't even worth mentioning in the media. When other candidates are going broke, it's exciting to see that Dr. Paul is still raking in the donations!

[UPDATE] Official total is $1.85 million.

By the way, look at Ron Paul had to say about Martin Luther King Jr.:

January 21, 2008 7:09 am EST

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul today issued the following statement reflecting on the struggle for civil rights and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. :

“It is especially fitting that we take the time to reflect on one man’s struggles to defend our Constitutional freedoms during this primary election season. January 15 was the birthday of the great freedom fighter, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and on Monday, we honor him nationwide for his sacrifice and love of liberty for all people.

“To me, the timing is more than a coincidence. The American people, regardless of color or creed, have the opportunity to choose a candidate who will uplift the ideals for which Dr. King fought—and died.

“The fight for freedom—the preservation of our civil rights—is the fight of our lives. Sadly, after Dr. King’s passing we are faced with a violation of our civil rights in the same vein as Jim Crow: The Patriot Act. I have stood against this and all unconstitutional violations of American’s civil rights, and will continue Dr. King’s charge as President.

“Dr. King would be disappointed in our current administration for more than its continued disregard for civil rights, as he stated ‘a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.’ We need to change our interventionist foreign policy, and take care of our brothers and sisters at home. Our nation is in a crisis: we are spending billions on war overseas while those around us are suffering and losing jobs, homes, and hope. It is inexcusable; we must solve the economic crisis at home and bring hope to America.

“Dr. King’s heroic actions should resonate with us today, as we recognize that our votes strengthen the fight for our civil rights. Liberty is the true antidote to racism, and freedom-- limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights—can uplift us all.”

Dr. Ron Paul is a ten-term Texas congressman seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

"Roe" to endorse Ron Paul!

Pro-life activist Norma Leah McCorvey, the "Roe" in Roe v Wade, will endorse Ron Paul tomorrow, the 35th anniversary of the atrocious Supreme Court decision, at an event in Washington DC. That should help convince people that Dr. Paul is indeed strongly pro-life!

Also, Ron Paul picked up the endorsement of former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson! The former governor is well known for his opposition to the War on Some Drugs, and was considered one of the most libertarian politicians in office (next to Ron Paul, of course).

Bastiat and the Youth

Ron Paul mentioned in his recent message that "Frederic Bastiat predicted many years ago that liberty would be saved by the young." Here's an example of Bastiat's belief in those youth:

"Eagerness to learn, the need to believe in something, minds still immune to age-old prejudices, hearts untouched by hatred, zeal for worthy causes, ardent affections, unselfishness, loyalty, good faith, enthusiasm for all that is good, beautiful, sincere, great, wholesome, and spiritual—such are the priceless gifts of youth. That is why I dedicate this book to the youth of France. The seed that I now propose to sow must be sterile indeed if it fails to quicken into life upon soil as propitious as this."

-- Frederic Bastiat, "To the Youth of France," introduction to his book Economic Harmonies

Summerhill and the Central Thread of Life

Can a school function effectively if it focuses on love and freedom for children, or would there be anarchy and uneducated kids? If it can work, can we all learn from this experience? Glen Allport explores the Summerhill School and its results, and what it can teach the rest of us about love and freedom. Here's an exerpt:

The failure to understand that love includes freedom – that it must include freedom, because the two qualities are a binary in human life – is among the more common and important misunderstandings of love. Freedom itself is thus widely misunderstood as well; in particular, even the freedom movement often seems blind to the truth that freedom in the human realm must include love; again, the two qualities require each other. A free market run by sociopaths is not a stable situation, for example. I use the phrase "love and freedom" so often because those two qualities – that is, the two sides of this basic human duality – are so frequently seen as being in opposition to each other. This mistake is constantly fostered by the media and by others interested in maintaining the corrupt status quo.

Freedom is an integral part of the thread of love, and when you hear otherwise, know that you are hearing a lie. Indeed, coercion and love are mortal enemies.

Read Glen Allport's entire article

And also see more of Glen's writings at http://www.paradise-paradigm.net

How Free Is the "Free Market"?

Jeff Tucker says the "free" market may not be as free as some would like us to believe:

See if you can spot anything wrong with the following claim, a version of which seems to appear in a book, magazine, or newspaper every few weeks for as long as I've been reading public commentary on economic matters:

The dominant idea guiding economic policy in the United States and much of the globe has been that the market is unfailingly wise…. But lately, a striking unease with market forces has entered the conversation. The world confronts problems of staggering complexity and consequence, from a shortage of credit following the mortgage meltdown, to the threat of global warming. Regulation … is suddenly being demanded from unexpected places.


Now, a paragraph like this one printed in the New York Times opinion section on December 30, 2007 — an article called "The Free Market: A False Idol After All?" — makes anyone versed in economic history crazy with frustration. Just about every word is misleading in several ways, and yet some version of this scenario appears as the basis of vast amounts of punditry.

Read the entire article

Message from Ron Paul: Nevada

A message from Ron:

What a shot in the arm the Nevada caucuses were, where we took the silver as #2, beating McCain, Huckabee, Thompson, and -- of course -- Giuliani. We also got four more delegates. In South Carolina, we beat Rudy again. A big thank you to all our wonderful donors, volunteers, and voters. So many people worked so hard to spread our message of liberty, honest money, peace, and free-market prosperity. I owe you all my deepest gratitude. So do our fellow citizens. So do all future Americans. Most of the mainstream media continue to pretend that we do not exist. Yet soon the race will be down to four candidates-Romney, McCain, Huckabee, and me, and there is no stopping us, as Tim Russert grudgingly pointed out the other night. Thanks to you, we are in this all the way through a brokered convention.

Nevada, by the way, is known as the Silver State for a reason-its great mining industry produced the precious metal for the beautiful silver dollars minted at the fabled Carson City mint. These constitutional coins, include .775 ounces of silver, in accord with the Coinage Act of 1792. Today these coins, worth $1 in my father's day, have about $14 in silver. That is, the dollar is worth 1/14th of what it was, thanks to the counterfeiting Federal Reserve.

The Fed has again taken our country into a terrible crisis. Who else is talking about honest money that cannot be printed up at will by DC bureaucrats? My opponents in both parties are all some variety of print-and-spend Keynesians. Only we are telling the truth, about who is to blame for this recession, and how we can build real prosperity with sound money, no IRS, no deficit, and strict obedience to the Constitution. And, of course, no hyper-expensive, hyper-dangerous empire all around the globe.

When I met with some great ladies in Charleston, all of whom wore beautiful hats, I talked about the young people flocking to our banner. "Don't forget the young at heart," said one. Darn right! A youthful outlook, work ethic, and optimism characterizes all of us. Frederic Bastiat predicted many years ago that liberty would be saved by the young. He might have added the young at heart as well, and how right he was!

I continue to be astounded not only by all our revolutionaries, but by our fellow travelers. Democrats and even the workers for my Republican opponents come up to me to talk about our ideas. They are fascinated, and want to learn more. Reaching so many people doesn't necessarily mean a victory in the next primary, but it counts for the real changes we want in our country, now and for our children and grandchildren.

Of course, I am mainly paying attention to the next primary! We are working hard in Florida, in Louisiana for the caucuses, and then for Super Tuesday in more than 20 states. Meanwhile, the whole world is watching how we do tomorrow in fundraising, on a day dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King, the great champion of non-violence at home, peace abroad, and civil disobedience against tyrannical government.

Please make your most generous donation http://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/. We can't let this movement be stopped, nor slowed. I promise you that I will continue to pour all my heart and mind and strength into the battle. I know you will too. Let's work together for all we love, and all we hope for: freedom! Surely, it is worth all our efforts.

Sincerely,

Ron

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Money Bomb Start

According to my computer at 12:00 EST:



Donate today at https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate!

"This may be your last chance America"

Jennifer Reynolds from Gambling911.com on the Free At Last 2008 money bomb:

Can Ron Paul's supporters make the difference in this race? According to news sources, "All of the Republican candidates, with the exception of Romney, are broke." Well, not quite. Ron Paul still has 8 million dollars left, but then, you wouldn't expect most media outlets to include Dr. Paul in their discussion would you? Sorry, mainstream media you bring these digs on yourself by your continued blackout of Ron Paul's achievements.

According to Jesse Benton, a Ron Paul spokesman, Dr. Paul still has between eight and nine million dollars left in the coffers. This was aired during an interview on the Internet. If that is so, then the upcoming Money Bomb to be held on January 21 could mean a lot for Ron Paul. In the past when supporters held these "money bombs" he was able to raise $4.3 million dollars on one day and $6 million dollars on the other.

If Ron Paul's supporters are still able to donate, and haven't maxed out yet, there is room for Ron Paul to be the best funded man going into the Super Tuesday elections with the exception of Mitt Romney, whose bulk of donations have come out of his own pocket. Part of this will depend on how much of his personal fortune Romney is willing to spend.

So far, the field is still wide open for the GOP nomination. Despite the fact that the Boston Globe falsely (er, excuse me, mistakenly?) printed the results of the recent Michigan primary, Ron Paul received fourth in that contest, not fifth. It was media darling Fred Thompson who actually took the fifth place spot with the man who was polling as the frontrunner for most of this season, Giuliani behind him in last place.

By now it is no surprise that Ron Paul's quite respectable fourth place finish was ignored while the media still treat Mr. Giuliani as a front runner. In Iowa, Ron Paul came in fifth, and Giuliani came in sixth. In New Hampshire the two were nearly tied, but Giuliani did beat Paul by one percent coming in fourth to Paul's fifth place finish. In Wyoming, CNN simply reported by amount of delegates received and neither Giuliani nor Paul received any. As noted above, in Michigan Paul took fourth place and Giuliani took sixth, or dead last. So by all accounts, Ron Paul is actually leading Rudy Giuliani, and yet no one has called Mr. Giuliani an also-ran, or a fringe candidate, no these labels are reserved for Ron Paul.

Read the entire Gambling911.com article

Ron Paul on Russia Today

This is the second video that I've seen where Russia Today has given Ron Paul some great coverage:

'I want to continue peaceful process with Russia': Ron Paul

Ron Paul Interview in Los Angeles

It seems local Fox affiliates like Ron Paul a whole lot better than Fox News! There's nice coverage here from the Fox affiliate in Los Angeles:

MyFOX: What is the Ron Paul Revolution?

Free at Last Money Bomb Tomorrow!

Don't forget the Martin Luther King birthday money bomb for Ron Paul is tomorrow! See this video for inspiration:

Free At Last (Ron Paul, Martin Luther King)

Saturday, January 19, 2008

A Day of Mixed Results

While the Nevada results were excellent for Ron Paul, a distant 5th in South Carolina was a disappointment. I'm not surprised by the placement, but by his worst vote percentage yet, a minuscule 4%. Could the lower percentage be due to the electronic voting machines with no paper trail that the entire state is using? A recount is impossible, which brings Lenin's famous quote to mind: "It's not the vote that counts, it's who counts the votes."

On the brighter side, the Giuliani implosion continues with two 6th place finishes today, and his considerable lack of support in SC does not bode well for him in Florida either :-)

And see this telling screenshot from the "Fair and Balanced" Fox News as they reported the Nevada results:

What is a "stimulus"?

Funny blog post by Greg Ransom:

"STIMULUS", AKA ECONOMIC CRANK

slang, noun.

"Stimulus" is slang for a sordid economic nostrum administered on the advice of bankers and academics, many of them carrying the title of "Dr.". But don't mistake these "Doctors" for devotees of the Hippocratic Oath. "Stimulus" or economic crank, like any other economic panacea, is a fake cure that gives its victims a temporary but false sense of well-being, even as it sets about causing long term damage to users and the economic community at large. The opium of the economists know as "stimulus" acts directly on bread winners and investors by misdirecting them into production plans and consumption levels which cannot be successfully coordinated or sustained across time. As a consequence, the "high" of this political drug lasts for only a few months, often followed by a depressing "crash" period, which cannot be avoided without further and ever increasing quantities of "stimulus". The drug received its proper name "crank" because it was most often smuggled into policy debates by monetary cranks, the most famous of whom was John Maynard Keynes.

"Stimulus" is taken by fiscal injection, monetarily (directly snorted by banks and borrowers), and through the consumption of pork. A common misconception among politicians and the public is that some administration methods are safer than others, while in reality all act on the economy the same exact way. Economic "crank" damages the coordinative function of prices across the structure of production and consumption, which cause naturally occurring price signals -- e.g. interest rates, stock prices, etc. -- to be ineffective. Because price signals are responsible for facilitating the coordination of production plans and consumption choices, withdrawal from sustained periods of artificial "stimulation" is extremely painful to economic actors and the economy system, with businesses and households thrown back into economic reality after having functioned for a time in a circus mirror, government-altered state without any naturally produced and undistorted relative prices to guide their plans.

"Stimulus" withdrawal is said to be one of the most painful experiences an economy can endure, and users of economic "crank" should consider other safer ways to buy the support of voters.

#2 in Nevada!

Wow! Ron Paul looks like he'll edge out John McCain for 2nd place in the Nevada caucus! And it's great to see Giuliani do terrible yet again with a 6th place / 4% effort!

Butler Shaffer brings up a good point about "viable" candidates:

Since Thompson, Huckabee, Giuliani, and Hunter each failed to get into double-digit percentages of the vote in Nevada, is it time for these characters to drop out of the presidential race? 10% seemed to be the cut-off point for the MSM and the "debate" conductors to be the minimum support necessary to be a viable candidate - at least for one candidate - it may be time to narrow the field down to Romney, Paul, and McCain. Perhaps CNN - with its "best team in politics" - can begin to explore this possibility!

And James Ostrowski has some more good points about the Nevada results:

Wow, Ron Paul might take second in Nevada and no worse than a strong third.

This is extremely significant for many reasons.

First, though Romney won, he once again had home field advantage, the large Mormon population there.

Second, this is the first Western state to vote (Wyoming’s closed caucus was a joke.)

Third, this proves that the neocon/beltway libertarian smear has failed.

Fourth, it’s his highest vote count and highest rank yet.

Fifth, another nail in the coffin for Rudy and an embarrassment for the man the establishment wants us to think is the inevitable nominee, Double Talk McCain.

Finally, this moral victory for Ron Paul is happening while South Carolina is still voting. So I say to those folks, whom I last spoke to at the now-famous 1995 Mises secession Conference:

The MSM has lied to you. Ron Paul can win the nomination!

Why Ron Paul?

Butler Shaffer answers:

For those who think that Ron Paul will not get the GOP nomination so they might as well vote for someone else; voting for Paul could send a message of dissatisfaction with the entirety of where modern politics has taken us. Bear in mind that all of the other candidates (with the exception of Kucinich) are nothing but fungible parrots for the established order. They will do whatever their masters direct. Whether Romney or Clinton or McCain or Obama is the next president will matter not one whit in terms of the problems of war, expansive police state practices, or a collapsing economy. Unless Ron Paul is able to surprise everyone, the November elections will pit Tweedledum against Tweedledummer, with the defining issue becoming whether either candidate had ever seen a UFO or believes that a convicted child-molester should have been paroled. The primaries may be the only chance to "just say 'no!'" in a way that might even draw the attention of newspaper editors and television babblers.

Bush's "Stimulus" Plan

It looks like Dubya listened to that important public service announcement, We're the Government -- And You're Not, because he agrees that spending more money will be a stimulus for the economy. Insane...

Friday, January 18, 2008

Ron Paul Interview in Las Vegas

Here's a nice interview with Ron Paul that was done by KTNV-TV in Las Vegas:

Ron Paul in Las Vegas PART 1
Ron Paul in Las Vegas PART 2

Saturday is the Nevada caucus, as well as the South Carolina primary. There's some buzz that Dr. Paul could be a huge surprise in Nevada! However, there's some concern regarding problems with the Nevada GOP and its caucus, so we'll see what happens. South Carolina has historically been a very important state for Republican candidates, so it will be interesting to see how well he does there!

Beltway "Libertarians" and Ron Paul

Thanks to Steven Carson for this blog post regarding the attempts to smear Ron Paul by so-called-libertarians:

Justin Raimondo has this amazing trick in analyzing an article. He applies "detailed historical knowledge" and "research", backed up by links you can click to fact-check his assertions, and puts thing in context with lengthy quotes from original sources, (as opposed to brief out-of-context quotes replete with ellipses). If James Kirchick is in a humble frame of mind he could learn something about Raimondo's trick even as it is applied to his own article.

I really can’t bear to examine much more of Kirchick’s farrago of falsehoods: it’s like wading through waist-high muck without your pants on. I have to say, however, that this supposedly “devastating” attack on the Paul campaign is devastating, all right – to the author’s reputation as a credible reporter. His writing is crude, his manner slapdash, and his abilities seem to consist primarily of the artful use of ellipses. Intellectually dishonest, inauthentic in its outrage, and unintentionally humorous at times – don’t you realize that it’s a hate-crime to criticize Kirchick’s boss?—TNR’s attempt to portray the avuncular country doctor who preaches liberty, the Norman Thomas of libertarianism, as some sort of neo-Nazi is ludicrous – yet the neocons and their “libertarian” allies persist. Why?


Read Justin Raimondo's entire article

Profits and Losses

Why is the free market better at delivering goods and services than the state? The answer is profits and losses! Profits are rewards that a company receives for offering something that people want at the right price, while losses are the opposite. How can government tell if they're offering goods and services that people want at the right price? Well, they can't, and that's the problem; oftentimes in fact, the worse a government program does, the more money is thrown at it. Here's an article that explain more about why profits and losses are critical indicators:

When a firm's revenue is greater than its costs, that firm earns a profit. When a firm's costs are greater than its revenue, that firm suffers a loss. Fair enough. But what do profits and losses mean? Are they the product of blind chance? What useful information can possibly be contained in profits and losses?

Contrary to public opinion, profits do not embody "exploitation" of laborers or customers. Profits embody information in the form of a lucrative reward for the entrepreneur or capitalist who is able to combine labor, capital goods, and other inputs in such a way as to produce an output that consumers value more highly than they value the inputs in another configuration. In plain English, the Coca-Cola Company earns profits because people are willing to pay a dollar for a two-liter bottle of Coke that may only cost ninety cents to produce. Profits are the rewards enjoyed by Coca-Cola for producing a product that people want to buy at a price they are willing to pay.

Read the rest of the article

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Billionaire for Ron Paul??

I don't know what to think of this; my hunch is that this is a hoax, but maybe it's not! A mysterious, anonymous post appeared yesterday on RonPaulForums.com that claims a very wealthy, libertarian minded individual is producing a three part mini-series that will be broadcast nationally! The post is apparently only available to members of the forum, so it is reprinted here in its entirety:

Open Letter To Fellow Ron Paul Patriots:

This information was being held back for the right moment. We now believe that moment’s time has come. The intention of those controlling the hearts and minds of a large portion of the American People by blatant manipulation of the international media outlets was clear months ago. Recently the obvious nature of this manipulation has become so blatant that the time to act is upon us. What was obvious to a supporter now has reached the point that even non-supporter will be able to notice the intentional manipulation and see through the smoke and mirrors.

The purpose of this information is in no way intended to change anything you are currently doing to support Ron Paul. The grassroots efforts have been tremendous and instrumental in getting Ron Paul to the level of support he currently enjoys. By all means continue to do what you have been doing. Continue donating to the campaign and by all means continue your support on the street by passing the word about Ron Paul, the next President of the United States. Don’t forget the next big donation date just around the corner January 21, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King.

For over 3 months a very wealthy libertarian minded individual has been lurking among you on numerous Ron Paul websites. He has been carefully watching the media, the various state GOP organizations, the National GOP, the grassroots efforts and the various candidate forums. He has come to one conclusion; the people behind the scenes, the ones that really have the most to lose are doing everything possible to derail the Ron Paul movement and campaign. People that were compromised inside of various organizations some time ago have collected and provided a plethora of evidence and documentation to provide a clear connection between numerous candidates’ staff and media personnel to harm Ron Paul. There are memos clearly stating “official editorial opinion” inside these organizations in collusion with interested parties that violate numerous laws and certainly ethics issues. Teams of individuals have been hired by candidates to write disinformation about Ron Paul on forums, including here, to manipulate polls and to post on the social networking sites. Furthermore even one media outlet has also dedicated individuals to deal with the grassroots postings online. The rabbit hole runs deep and when you see some of the people involved you will be amazed. As a matter of fact one person is in a position of trust that will be so embarrassed they will most likely resign from their job.

All things considered some actions have been taken. The individual involved in promoting what I am about to describe is no friend of the government and has no political ties. In fact he despises the IRS to whom he has paid tens of millions of dollars for many years. He has been involved in broadcasting in the past and knows the business quite well. He therefore decided months ago to prepare for the possible contingency that he would need to step forward and provide direct public support of the one person he feels can make a much needed difference in our country and the world, Ron Paul. That time has come.

A little over a two months ago we began production of a mini-series called “Ron Paul – The Peoples President”. Part One covers everything about Ron Paul from his introduction to politics to his voting record over the years. It documents his struggle against the entrenched elite and how these individuals have duped the American people for many decades. It shows the clear bias against Ron Paul and how he has many times stood alone in the interest of the American public only to be ignored in Congress. Part Two discusses 8 major issues of utmost importance to the American People to include Healthcare, taxes, constitutional values, monetary policy, the Federal Reserve System, a sound foreign policy, loss of liberties, the war on terrorism, real social security reform; it is all covered. Part Three which is now in it final days of post production explains how the various policies by which Dr. Paul stands could be implemented and how they would benefit the American People. Each part is one hour in length and is designed to run commercial free. In addition 3 different commercial trailers have been produced to advertise in advance the “mini series” to bring the maximum number of viewers to the program. The 3 one minute production trailers are “The war in Iraq, Oil and Corporate Profiteering”, “The Personal Income Tax & Social Security – Real Answers” and last “The American Healthcare Crisis, a Real Solution.”

This production has been quietly ongoing, in a privately owned production studio for months. The production quality is everything you would expect from a Hollywood production house. To give you an example the host speaks on a set every bit as nice as the production set used by Wolf Blitzer’s Situation room, well actually nicer. I am also pleased to announce that the host is a well known actor.

The exclusion by Fox News in the forum days before the New Hampshire primary was bad enough but the complete “blackout” to follow was the final straw. In the words of the individual behind this “It is time to roll. These people have awakened a sleeping giant and they will not know what hit them.” Of course, he was referring to himself and the resources available to him to deliver the message on primetime television.

Why is this information being posted here and now? Because we know, from our inside contacts, this forum is very well watched. Actually this forum is called the “paulhive” internally to one of the media organizations. After reading this they will realize what I am typing is true and that they do in fact have a leak. Yes, gentlemen, you are soon to be exposed. So the first thing he feels this does is serve a warning to the media; you are on notice that your days of disinformation are numbered. Your corruption and illegal activities soon will be exposed. In addition there has been collaboration among the news organizations to universally drop coverage. Yes, there has been a formal agreement and policy has been passed down. This is also going to be exposed and individuals are going to be called out, by name. Secondly, he has noticed a little too much negativity building among the most important people, the grassroots. I have been asked to say this to you. “Rome was not built in a day. Now is not the time to give up hope. Now is the time to double your efforts. This is far from over. You never know who lurks among you that are with you and your efforts.”

So where do we go from here? That decision is going to be made in the next few days. It has not yet been determined when mini-series time will be purchased. It should be before the Super Tuesday states. A lot depends on the media, the GOP and a few other important television specific factors. This broadcast time is going to be very expensive and needs to be planned carefully.

The bottom line is that this will run and we will do everything possible to get the GOP nomination. If it is clear that the media and GOP will do everything possible to derail a GOP nomination then perhaps the only solution left will be to elect Ron Paul as an independent non-party President. Yes, we know Ron Paul has said that he will not run third party or independently but with the backing of a Billionaire running a 3 hour national broadcast mini-series, once if not twice perhaps even three times, to support the grassroots would be more than enough to make history by electing an Independent President. All it takes is for people to hear his message in clear understandable terms and not soundbites and the rest takes place naturally. We hope all this considered would motivate Dr. Paul to continue to carry the torch of liberty to November for all of us regardless of the GOP nomination. They can have him as a Republican President or an Independent; the choice is now theirs. One thing is absolutely certain, he will have a voice until November when he returns the White House to the people.

Keep your heads up and keep doing what you can. Donate money, donate your time and keep spreading the word about our next President, Dr. Ron Paul. Support is critical at this time. Just remember, you never know who lurks around you.

In closing, this account was created on a public computer for the express purpose of releasing this notice. No private messages will be read or responded to so please do not write any private responses asking for details. When the time is right this individual will step forward and make his identity known. For reasons including government harassment and media interference this individual must remain anonymous as he is well enough known for this to quickly make news. Distractions right now would not be productive.

In addition, please do not contact the Ron Paul Campaign about this as we have not contacted them and they are learning about this at the same time as you. They do not have any information nor will they until we are ready. We will have a press office open at the time we make an official release in the coming future to answer any questions.

Keep up the great work patriots our country is once again soon to be ours!