Voters must wait two weeks for more debates

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” -Abraham Lincoln

Are those who somehow aren't yet aware of the Ron Paul movement or know only what the mainstream media have painted of it having that nagging feeling you get when the checkbook just won't balance? Something a little like that persistent agitation of hearing a familiar song and struggling to remember who the artist is?

Something is clearly amiss, or at the edge of memory, but you just can't quite put your finger on it.

There’s an underdog campaign that has set a GOP fundraising record – and all from small, individual contributors – which is also receiving the most contributions from military men and women of any presidential campaign while inspiring a true ‘rainbow coalition’ to join up with a commitment and passion undreamt in modern political history.

But something is wrong.

TV news keeps assuring us that it's just a fringe movement while they report with glee on a brothel owner's 'endorsement'. They go all out over some neo-nazi screwball paypaling $500 to the campaign website (who even knew who this guy was until the media broke it as a story?) all the while more or less ignoring the college campuses all over America abuzz with creative energy and ideas to further the movement.

In fact, attacking the supporters seems to be all they have – usually it’s a candidates record or checkered past that’s put under the microscope. That it’s the supporters getting the media black eye in many cases should tell you a great deal about Ron Paul’s impeccable record over ten terms in congress. In my research I’ve only been able to confirm one ‘flip-flop’ and this was on capital punishment which he no longer supports for the unfair manner in which it is meted out.

John Stewart quipped on the Daily Show, “You’re known as an honest man of integrity and principle….American voters don’t usually go for that.” And Bill Maher, not known for endorsing republicans, said recently that Ron Paul is “his new hero.”

From USC to Harvard to MIT to U of M and OSU, we see a spectacular display of patriotism and democracy vibrating with a cool intensity and determination. From the planes flying over Wolverine Stadium to the planes flying over St. Petersburg Florida to the rooftops of Manhattan and now to the airship - all 200 feet of her - something very unexpected and very big is going on in America.

And yet, inexplicably, our alphabet soup of media is curiously silent about the phenomenon when not openly mocking it.

Why?

We hear of Mitt's flip-flops, Giuliani's mistress’s cab fare, Huckabee's likeability and Hillary’s plausible deniability but these campaigns are a yawn for the most part when there's not fresh dirt – there is little to nothing new being offered us and we Americans clearly want change! They report with enthusiasm every spat and squabble like they're looking for a rousing chant of "Jerry, Jerry..." but on a real and genuine movement expanding exponentially we hear only that a fringe element of the internet has made some noise. "Don't look over there" they tell us, "it's just some cyberpunks, skinheads and prostitutes." They’ve even made the complaint that too many of us are voting in their polls!

Why?

And then I watch the CNN debate - Tancredo and Hunter are still there and stranger still, they're getting more face time than Ron Paul despite Ron Paul polling 4th in New Hampshire, and nearing double-digits in Nevada and Iowa. It gets worse when CNN spits up their selected question to Ron Paul and from the 5,000 or so video questions submitted it's an odd question about conspiracies. We find out immediately after the debate that the man given a microphone and perhaps more airtime than Ron Paul at the debate is co-chairman of a Hillary Clinton steering committee.

Why?

I suspect that many are beginning to realize - if only at the periphery - that there is some injustice going on and they are not getting the whole story and that, somehow, they’re being manipulated rather than informed.

I believe very strongly that there are those who feel we’ll all be better off if they do the thinking for us.

I have no doubt that anyone reading this will disagree.

And so I issue a call to those who still do their own thinking: Join us and let liberty, peace and prosperity be the adjectives of our age and our legacy to those who will follow us.

We cannot long continue plodding along more or less unchanging – tweaking a few subtleties here and there - as we continue to count the casualties on both sides in the middle-east while making new enemies faster than we kill the old ones, push near 10,000,000,000,000 in national debt while the dollar collapses, legislate away our freedoms for, ostensibly, security, and watch the last American manufacturing job disappear over the horizon.

Who will answer the call?

Some might simply feel too old for revolution and so take comfort in its media dismissal. I say you’re never too old for a worthy and admirable revolution! I call to those who cling to status quo government as the panacea to an uncertain world – you don’t need more government, you need more freedom! I call especially to those who identified themselves with a party at some point and stopped caring really where that party is heading - what that party has become. If you view everyone opposed to your views as either a lefty loon or a neo-con, I’m talking to you. Join us – it’s better over here!

I believe we’re at a precipice in US history and as a nation and a people we need to take a collective intellectual walkabout and ask the questions: What would Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and Paine think of our republic in 2007? What would they say of our stewardship of The America Experiment? What is it we love most about America? What do we as Americans and even the rest of the world admire most about the idea of America?

And why are we not standing up for it?

Consider this: 70% of Americans are opposed to the war in Iraq and presidential and congressional approval ratings are at historic lows and yet media darlings - and so, it follows, front-runners - Giuliani, Romney and Hillary are for expanding our middle-east military blitz and are more or less status quo party insiders. It seems fair to say that the only changes we can expect from them are positions on issues in the run-up to the election. Romney goes as far as refusing to condemn torture carried out in the name of America!

“Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.” -John F. Kennedy

There’s a disconnect here and it's a serious one. On an issue as profound and important as war, many people seem to prefer comforting lip service, partisanship, or worse, escalation, to a peaceful revolution and change.

How can this be?

“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” -James Madison

If you’re for empire America and all the death, misery, isolationism and staggering resources that entails you’ll do fine with the candidates brought to you by CNN and Fox.

But, if you believe as our founding fathers – that playing favorites with nations and entangling alliances are the road to corruption and ruin, that “commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto” and that “that government is best who governs least” – there is only one candidate:

Ron Paul.

Google George Washington’s Farewell Address of 1779 for a far more prosaic expression of this warning against favoring nations at the expense of others than I could ever hope to compose.

Carl Sagan once said that the people of the world want peace and someday governments are going to have to get out of their way and let them have it.

Sounds like something Ron Paul would say.

It's like this "I KNOW THIS IS AMERICA BUT ILLEGAL VOTE'S COUNT TO ."

hey guys,

ever since i became a critical thinker 2 months ago through ron paul and mike gravel, i started to research in earnest about alot of things that really ails our country. we have a serious cancer and it happened very subtly, conjoining through the greed of others, and more so because of our apathy.

in reality, we are competing against an entrenched established systems of power that is embedded incestuously with various facets of society, i.e. media, corporations, government. it becomes disheartening to see it through our polling system, media bias/lack of coverage, and the various laws that members of government officials enacted on our "behalf." who makes them any more qualified than you? they are the ones who are in collusion with power and money. they are the ones who are selling democracy for 30 pieces of silver.

the truth is....one man cannot do it alone. Ron Paul is a beacon for change and that is why i propose a nationwide approach to take measures in our own hands. If Ron Paul becomes President....he has to overcome the members of Congress and Senate. If we have to make changes in our society, we have to overcome them on a district, regional, and state level. People...the real revolution happens when you take charge of your own lives. It doesn't stop with this election because if we let it stop....we become apathetic again and history will repeat itself.

There is corruption and if let it happen...we become apart of it. Its like the Rolling Stones' song, "Sympathy with the Devil." There is a verse that said that every time we let the JFK assassination go without recourse, we become a part of that conspiracy.

So, I'm going to end this letter by saying....be a precinct inspector at the voting polls and make sure the votes count and document everything. And more importantly, run for any office that you can to influence change...whether is a local school district, water municipality, assemblyman, Congressman, or a Senator....we have to take this revolution ourselves. There are June 2008 elections for Congress. That is vitally important to empower yourselves. There are few who are taking up the call...like Mike Benoit who is running for Congress as a Libertarian in San Diego, Theordore Terbolizard (Rep) in Norcal, and Dean Santoro (Rep) in Miami. We are masters of our destiny, to think otherwise is to be a slave.

Take this message to all the other meetups. Maybe this will get to Trevor Lynman and he could promote an awesome website. Can you imagine that? do you know what kind of message that would be?

Please post this everywhere and lets make this a nationwide event.

For life, liberty, and our Constitution,

Marcus

"Insightful wisdom, requires skilfull means." the Tao

Ron Paul is a cup half full - of talk. He talks a great deal, and parrots a lot of great people, who have actually accomplished things - before they were 72.

The reason no one has heard of Ron Paul, he has nothing to point to, as a legislator, as "accomplished" to thrust him to the forefront of the political fight.

What has he done as a legislator? Nothing. Just a lot of talk. A lot of "no's".

I would not hire him as an executive. Executives execute plans and initiatives.

A true "no" it all. As long winded as his breezy psychophants, above.

Ever since I started seeing never-ending garbage from Ron Paul supporters in the comments section, I've decided he can't be such a great candidate.

Please go away.

Dr. Paul is all 'No', huh? I'll have to commend your weeks of skillful research in finding that out. You are right in this respect - Dr. Paul never votes against the interest of his constituents no matter how politically expedient it might be to do so. Know any other Republicans who voted against giving GW carte blanche in Iraq? Know any other Congressman who NEVER voted himself a raise? But that's all beside the point. You claim Dr. Paul does nothing in Congress - that is not so. Here are the last 10 bills he introduced this year:

1. H.CON.RES.43 : Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should implement Recommendation 9 of the Iraq Study Group Report.

2. H.RES.63 : Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ensure that Members have a reasonable amount of time to read legislation that will be voted upon.

3. H.J.RES.23 : Proposing an amendment the Constitution of the United States relative to abolishing personal income, estate, and gift taxes and prohibiting the United States Government from engaging in business in competition with its citizens.

4. H.J.RES.46 : Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to deny United States citizenship to individuals born in the United States to parents who are neither United States citizens nor persons who owe permanent allegiance to the United States.

5. H.R.190 : To amend title II of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide prospectively that wages earned, and self-employment income derived, by individuals who are not citizens or nationals of the United States shall not be credited for coverage under the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program under such title, and to provide the President with authority to enter into agreements with other nations taking into account such limitation on crediting of wages and self-employment income.

6. H.R.191 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the inclusion in gross income of Social Security benefits.

7. H.R.192 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the 1993 increase in taxes on Social Security benefits.

8. H.R.193 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make higher education more affordable by providing a full tax deduction for higher education expenses and interest on student loans.

9. H.R.194 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to the purchase of prescription drugs by individuals who have attained retirement age, and to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs and the sale of such drugs through Internet sites.

10. H.R.219 : To amend title II of the Social Security Act to ensure the integrity of the Social Security trust funds by requiring the Managing Trustee to invest the annual surplus of such trust funds in marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States and certificates of deposit in depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to protect such trust funds from the public debt limit.

Glenn,

Just because Ron Paul is alone in his principles (the Constitution, you know? THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND?) doesn't make him a bad person.

It makes everyone Else in congress - the ones that would sell you out in a heartbeat - the real slime (with the exception of the likes of Marcy Kaptur, of course)

Oh and by the way Shane, why don't you grow a cerebrum and actually read about Ron Paul instead of basing your opinions on the supporters. Guilt by Association is the practice of supreme ignorance.