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- Wulfgang, on 11/30/2007, -10/+179“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. - SmokeyBBQ, on 11/30/2007, -4/+51Wow!!! Good stuff - One of the most thought out, passionate, and truthful reasoning for supporting Dr. Paul.
Thank you for that. I'm gonna sleep well tonight knowing that there is still great hope for this country of ours.
I hope this story makes it to the front page just so more people can read your post.
RP '08 - RandoTheKing, on 11/30/2007, -4/+33Absolutely beautiful. Took the words out of everyone's mouth.
- PeppermintPig, on 11/30/2007, -6/+33Congrats all of you supporters! Ron Paul has surpassed 10 Mil!
- cloudyprison, on 11/30/2007, -2/+28Comment needs its own article.
- SchuylerTowne, on 11/30/2007, -7/+33Hey guys, everyone who's digging this? Click on the "recommend" link above the article, you don't have to be a USA Today member or anything to do it and it'll help boost it's visibility.
- restorefreedom, on 11/30/2007, -5/+29Despite the main stream media's concerted and deliberate attempt to suppress the grassroots movement, the truth that Ron Paul has a HUGE following is continually spreading. Please help to spread the message of TRUTH, PEACE & FREEDOM while we still have a chance to save our country! GOD BLESS RON PAUL AND HIS SUPPORTERS!
- Xinareiaz, on 11/30/2007, -2/+24Wow, that was great, you should be a public speaker for Ron Paul!
- inactive, on 11/30/2007, -2/+19not funny again...
- KampfGherkin, on 11/30/2007, -1/+18This is by far one of the best comments I've ever read on Digg. Bravo! Bravo!
- Xinareiaz, on 11/30/2007, -4/+20$10,000,000! Did you see how fast it was going up this morning? It was around $1000 a minute! Anyone who hasn't already donated go and do it! Even if you can only justify giving 5 or 10 dollars, everything helps!
- katie212, on 11/30/2007, -3/+17VIVA LA REVOLUTION! My heroes are our Military men and women, Ron Paul and his army of supporters!
- milomilomilo, on 11/30/2007, -0/+14@wulfgang
I think this is the first time I have ever read a digg comment that was moving!
I'd digg you 100 times if I could.
p.s: reply system broken. - SiNN4R, on 11/30/2007, -0/+14War only creates more war. We need to come home and inspire peace.
- buildbyflying, on 11/30/2007, -3/+16@abran: first, whether the surge works or not is contrary to Paul's message. The "surge" is an effort to implement long-term military presence. When does this "surge" end? To "surge" for years? That's contrary to the very definition of the word.
- n8o8, on 11/30/2007, -4/+17We broke 10 Million, beat Thompson for the third quarter and we havent even seen the DEC 16th Tea Party Money Bomb yet!!!
- cusoman, on 11/30/2007, -0/+12Agreed. And that's a first.
- toasty168, on 11/30/2007, -0/+12rudy is a slimeball. how anyone can even remotely like him as a candidate is beyond my wildest imaginations.
- WRXFiles, on 11/30/2007, -2/+12D'uh - because people vote for it.
- inactive, on 11/30/2007, -2/+12I think most people who are against Ron Paul's message for America, the restoration of the Rule of Law, are weasels who would say anything to keep their fragile grip on what they think they have. The US dollar's value against other currency has dropped 33% in five years. How's your retirement fund looking these days?
- roho76, on 11/30/2007, -1/+11That was a figure of speech when he said that.
Don't be a douche. - Truzseeker, on 11/30/2007, -4/+14Sends a serious message including those that are neocons, charlatans, or shills.
- scrimaxinc, on 11/30/2007, -2/+10Sooo....I checked out your profile and I'm a little confused. You're a Ron Paul troll from Spain? Are you bored or something?
- cloudcity, on 11/30/2007, -0/+7"how do you expect him to handle a multi-BILLION dollar federal budget."
Here's a thought: Don't "handle" it at all!
Beyond our national defense, highway maintenance, and a reasonable amount of other services, there is NO reason for a federal budget. Let the people KEEP their money to improve the communities in which they live, instead of running that tax "revenue" through the leeching filter that is D.C. - CannedMango, on 11/30/2007, -2/+9You should publish that so more people can read it.
What's insane to me is that reasoned thinking like this is never given the attention it deserves, while demagogous anecdotes like "The troops told me... let us win" get wild applause when there isn't a shred of fact or truth behind it. We are indeed living in the age of media control. - Identity4, on 11/30/2007, -0/+7[Standing Ovation] Well done sir....
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 11/30/2007, -1/+8If I could digg you up more, I would. Welcome to my friend's list.
- libertarian2008, on 11/30/2007, -1/+7What? Just 100 diggs? You should have got 1000 diggs by now.
You said what all Ron Paul supporters would have said and a little more. Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - mikeas, on 11/30/2007, -2/+8"Paulspam" spam, buried.
- johnjen5321, on 11/30/2007, -0/+6OUTSTANDING! Bravo, sir!
- dictum, on 11/30/2007, -0/+5Furious stick waving.
- monkeybacon, on 11/30/2007, -3/+8Please provide a logical and fact based argument against Ron Paul's position on the issues, or add anything of value to the discussion.
- LuaPron, on 11/30/2007, -0/+5Easy, return as much as possible to the people.
There is a big difference between the budget of a political campaign and the budget of the government. Ron Paul actually knows the difference. Most other politicians do not - they use at least some of the federal budget to pander to voters. - toasty168, on 11/30/2007, -2/+7it gets to the front page because there are actually intelligent people out there who like to think for themselves and run their lives the way they want to. something ron paul seems to advocate.
- JohnFive, on 11/30/2007, -4/+9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EywYDhPeY8
- liltekgurl, on 11/30/2007, -3/+8I still crack up @ the term 'long shot' when he was the only one to have a successful money bomb day...LOL!
- jaythree9, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4libertarian to be sure, but leftist? not those attitudes on abortion and church and state. those are squarely conservative views.
- dinsy, on 11/30/2007, -2/+6You must be in prison already.
- momo98, on 11/30/2007, -1/+5I'm not going to vote against somebody for their stance on one issue, however I really wish RP would reconsider his stance on the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy. He was right in the first Republican debate that groups of people shouldn't be given special rights, we should all have the same rights. So let gay/lesbian service members serve openly!
- dictum, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4LoL?
- runderwo, on 11/30/2007, -1/+4I plan to be babbling about freedom and the Constitution until I'm 50, and thereafter as well.
I support Ron Paul because when I'm 50 and babbling about freedom and the Constitution, I want them to still be current events.
I'm sorry that you're so cynical, but I hope you realize that this campaign is not about the candidate -- except inasmuch as he is the most flawless messenger for the message of liberty that we have. - volksgardencom, on 11/30/2007, -5/+8go baby go
- credence, on 11/30/2007, -0/+3Excellent Trolling, sir. I especially liked your comments in the Tazer use out of control section. Carry on.
- Acolyte357, on 11/30/2007, -1/+4Buried for useless comment
- cusoman, on 11/30/2007, -0/+3Well done all! It's #1 of all recommended stories. http://www.usatoday.com/community/most-popular.htm (scroll down)
- amoirae, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2I agree. Heterosexuals have too many special rights and then claim that equality gives special rights to gays.
- RonBurgundy76, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2frostbyt is a joke and so is anyone who votes for him.
Seriously, guys... can we not get at least a LITTLE bit more creative and constructive with our responses? Explain why you think he is a joke or go back into your grass-munching sheepy obscurity, please. - AnarkeIncarnate, on 11/30/2007, -1/+3Ahh, I see the stupid have landed.
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2OH NOES. The man is careful about spending money and keeping the budget tight. We should instead have somebody who mails everybody stickers and buttons and spends money on useless commercials over and over again about how "Fred Thompson once threatened to black flag Tom Cruise's racecar ...."
- freyaXgefn, on 11/30/2007, -3/+5I think that Lyman is an example of where MOST Ron Paul supporters are coming from. We are tired of big government, have grown up in a world that limits competition, and strangles free will. How can one grow up in a world that we are told will be destroyed by war, disease, natural disasters, "global warming" and pollution before we grow old and not become disillusioned with the dogmatic, patriarchal sham that we call a government?
Now is time to make a stand and change the world for the better. We don't have to live under the thumb of oppression. We are born free, die free and will forever celebrate our freedoms in the face of corruption and abuse of power.
They can't stop this movement; the more they try the stronger we become.
from the article: "Lyman, 37, has never voted, much less donated to a politician before this year. He said he was drawn to Paul because of the congressman's anti-war stance. Paul is the only GOP candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq." -
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