Ron Paul: Real Answers to Hard Questions

I particularly note Paul's comment about allowing people to make poor religious and philosophical choices and we don't regulate those.

Yet.

Tonight, The Constitution Died

And sadly, nobody noticed.

"..an ordinary American--an all too typical American-- --held up a Bible and said (I write from memory, but this was his meaning): "I'm going to ask you a question whose answer will tell us all we need to know about every one of you: do you believe that every single word of this book is true?"

And Giuliani answered like a sensible Catholic. And Romney answered like a Mormon scared to admit to the Book of Mormon.

And Huckabee answered like a good Baptist minister, a good pastoral answer balancing faith and reasoned understanding. . . .

And I looked up and realized that the Constitution had vanished. Because no one--not one candidate, not Anderson Cooper the moderator, not a single person in that packed and often raucous audience--spoke the only possible Constitutionally permissible answer:

Article.VI. . . . no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

read more | digg story

How to use the Internet to get elected.

Ron Paul knows it, John Edwards is learning - nobody else seems to have a clue.

According to a remarkably inarticulate press release from an online polling firm, there are indications that Edwards has ditched a number of his consultants in favor of an internet-centered push on real issues.

“They want me to shut up,” Mr. Edwards said to listeners in Creston, Iowa — comments that were recorded by an Edwards’s campaign employee and posted both on YouTube and the admired open-minded Web site MyDD.com. “Let’s distract from people who don’t have health care coverage. Let’s distract from people who can’t feed their children. Let’s talk about this frivolous, nothing stuff.”

“They will never silence me,” he sustained.

“The Internet is the principal way we are communicating with voters right now,” Mrs. Edwards said in an interview.

Indeed it is. It's a nationwide - nay, world-wide forum. And it's free. So there's no MSM - based limitation on what points you can address or how many words you can use. This contest will be about substance - if for no other reason than this campaign will be so long and so grueling that we are going to tune out those who say the same things all the time.

But there's still more to the "Ron Paul Phenomenon," as these YouTube videos clearly demonstrate.



Views: 600,861
Comments: 10,057 Favorited: 4,327 times Honors: 3 Links: 5



Views: 77,525
Comments: 1,495 Favorited: 1,350 times Honors: 1 Links: 5

People - just ordinary people - are now reaching out and touching people in the wholesale amounts usually reserved for newspapers and televison.

How much do you think videos like that are worth to a campaign? Not how much they paid - they probably didn't pay a cent. There would be a disclosure if they had. But in terms of dollar value - I'm sure this has as much impact as a thirty second radio spot. Conservatively. If it's compared to a thity

It's not enough to just have some ideas. You have to somehow inspire people. Nerd Arts puts a finger squarely on this point.

Nerd Arts » Blog Archive » Ron Paul, The Internet, and getting people to do stuff:

Part of my daily routine is that I go to the YouTube news section, and watch the videos I find interesting. Then I skip on over to Digg and see if anything catches my eye. One thing that anyone who frequents either of these sites knows is that Ron Paul dominates the political posts by about 20 to 1. The mainstream media has called them RonPaulaholics, people who live in this mysterious land of the internet, and email networks to have him on their shows, record and then upload not only every Ron Paul appearance on television, but record and then upload anytime anyone mentions Ron Paul’s name. Now, why is this at all important, and why am I currently writing another post about Ron Paul? The answer is that Ron Paul for some reason gets people to do stuff. The idea is so strong that it has changed peoples daily schedules, peoples views on wars, and even got them to use their time uploading, blogging and spreading a political message.

Why is this so important? Currently only about 50 percent of eligible voters get off their asses and vote. One thing we’ve seen already with Ron Paul continuously showing extremely well at straw polls is that Ron Paul supporters will leave their house to attend a straw poll. They will spend 15 cents to send a text message after a debate. They will blog about him. They will take out their credit cards and donate money. They will make their own videos about him and post them on youtube. In short, Ron Paul supporters make the leap from thought into action. It takes very little effort to say who you support during a phone poll (which is how most of these presidential polls are done, not to mention the fact that they also call people who will are “most likely vote” in the upcoming election).

One thing that the mainstream media has forgot time and time again. It is that people who make elections are highly organized groups, these are the people who will actually get out there and vote. The republicans have the Christian Fundies, the democrats have the Unions and minorities. Both sides have a “get out the vote” campaign. Now, with Ron Paul, we see the first internet candidate. We are also seeing an anarchic synergy which has propelled an otherwise unknown candidate into the mainstream. Make no mistake, Ron Paul didn’t find the internet, the internet found Ron Paul.

If our numbers remain strong, we will be a force that will wake up the mainstream media. The idea I would like to spread is that Ron Paul motivates people into action, and that this should become part of the campaign. We are the people on Digg, and YouTube that make stories stick and others languish. We have the power to directly alter and help form a political candidate, let’s not lose this opportunity. Digg this story up, and watch how your participation on the internet can change a presidential campaign. My message is simple. If you agree with it, then start spreading it. Ron Paul makes people do stuff, and people who do stuff, will also get off their asses and vote.

And a lot of people are starting to see profit in motivating and "viralizing" messages - such as this one.


The problem the internet presents for the "old campaigners" of Left and Right is that it's a medium that provokes questions, rather than providing answers. Television does that remarkably well, and the mastery of the "sound bite," the provision of simple answers to complex questions is the explanation - in my humble opinion - for the rise of Neoconservatism - which is all about simple answers for complex questions and of course, emotional, rather than intellectual appeals.

Ron Paul's answers to complex questions are blunt and short - but that's because understanding them requires an understanding where they come from; a solid foundation in the Constitution. If you respect the Constitution, you respect his answers, even if you don't always like them.

For instance - his position on abortion manages to displease everyone about equally. He's anti-abortion - personally, as a physician and from an ethical and libertarian standpoint. But he does not feel that it's the business of the Federal Government; He's come to the conclusion that it's either a state or an individual choice. And it's a conclusion he states with some visible reluctance.

In other words, he's the only candidate out there operating from a solid, verifiable foundation of principle, and who has stuck by those principles in a context where abandoning them would have been both normal and profitable.

That's a clear challenge for the other campaigns. Well, for the Democratic contenders, really, since the only option for candidates is to do what Ron Paul is doing - tell the truth. Given the things he's telling the truth about, he's the only one who won't have to eat a great deal of crow pie to get to that point.

Dr. No is vulnerable on only one front - he doesn't seem to have a "yes" bone in his body. I don't have a problem with that, given the office he's running for, but it's an obvious point Democrats should address - and they had better start addressing it before long.

The other factor in this is that it's becoming increasingly obvious to anyone paying attention that this process is about as random and honest as a game of Three-Card Monte. The MSM have already picked Clinton or Obama as the "front-runners;" and I'm suspicious that's due to them being the most vulnerable to a credible Republican, considering the nature of the people that own and control the major media outlets.

I note that the two "front-runners" are both equivocating on the war in Iraq and the various unconstitutional "necessities" of the War on Terror. That tells me that both are "acceptable" to the Powers That Be. That is a damn good reason to vote against them right there.

Image developed from the Ron Paul Flickr Feed; Photomanipulation by Bob King. Yard signs available - speaking of getting people to "do stuff."

tag: YouTube, Ron Paul, Republican, Phenomonon, Dr. No, Activism, Netroots, Internet, Fundraising, Digg, MSM, election 2008,

Thank You Very Much, South Carolina.

"Is our children learning?" - George W. Bush



Isn't it cute? She sounds just like him!

Ron Paul candidicy alleged to be a Democratic Plot.

Ron Paul's determined and surprisingly well-received candidacy is confusing the hell out of the pundits of politics as usual, both left and right. He's showing tremendous appeal with youth audiences, and I'm looking forward to seeing him (again) on The Daily Show.

The funniest remark on the YouTube page featuring Ron Paul on Bill Maher's show was this:

enginedave (12 hours ago) marked as spam

Nope, no identity change here. No, I'm not here to hurl epithets. I just can't understand this Ron Paul thing. I can't buy all these young folks for Paul. Kids are USUALLY liberal. Except for a scant few that have minds of their own. So I can't come to any other conclusion than this being a democrat strategy. Except, of course, for the scant few tried and trues... Just my opine.

Maybe young people prefer bullshit-free leadership that respects it's proper constitutional limitations and role. Perhaps they consider that far more important than any particular political philosophy. Perhaps promises of what a leader WILL NOT do are more important than probably empty and disingenuous promises of what they will do. And, just perhaps, he's credible.

tag: Ron Paul, liberty, libertarian, Bill Maher

CBS fires former general for speaking truth

MoveOn.org is supporting a petition drive to pressure CBS into re-hiring General John Batiste.

While I think CBS should offer him his job back, I'm not at all certain that returning to work there is appropriate to a man of his stature and dignity. When CBS clearly was more reluctant to dispose of Don Imus for racist remarks than the General for speaking truth to power, CBS declared itself to be on the Bushite side of reality, and no longer worthy of the mantle or privileges of the Fifth Estate.

There are far more worthy outlets for the General's words and I imagine that even now, many are making their wishes clear. He is of course, welcome here - but alas, I cannot pay him what he's worth. These days, military officers who understand their constitutional oaths are depressingly scarce - and like most of such officers, Batiste is not welcome in the military.

Perhaps the Great States of California, Kansas or the City of New York might be interested in acquiring his services to establish "well regulated militias" to fill in for the missing National Guard troops and equipment.

tag: General John Batiste, CBS, MoveOn.org, anti-bush video, Iraq War, Supporting the Troops, Constitution, first amendment, warnings

Attention, Bill O'Rielly and Melanie Morgan

tag: Media matters, Hot Talk, hate speech, KSFO, Fox News, Melanie Morgan, Bill O'Rielly

Chickenhawk excuses.

"I'm fighting the cultural war. Both need to be fought and both need to be won by Conservatives."

What an astonishingly stupid thing to say. What the hell would a "Conservative Victory" in IRAQ look like? Seems to me it would involve the disenfranchising of women, the suppression of religious and political dissent, a government unwilling to consider evidence that "contradicts scripture"... Or in other words, a "Conservative Victory" seems a hell of a lot like turning over the keys to the Taliban and doing the Baghdad boogie all the way home.

Idiot.

Of course, that's exactly what a "Conservative Victory" in the "Culture War" would look like, so why don't we all just convert to Islam and get it over with?

"I'm fighting the "Cultural War." You gutless no-neck twerp, you who wish you HAD the guts to be a pansy, you phony, with your GI haircut and 'tude - I have these words for you.

Amanda Baggs: in My Language

Watch this all the way through - and then realize this is the sort of thing Lennie Schaefer fears so much he'd like to eliminate it entirely, through genetic screening, abortion and if need be, the torture that behaviorist approaches can be.

As for the social issues that autistics to all degrees suffer - I think what we really need to do is cure this:

IWasFelt (14 hours ago)

blah blah blah whatever, retard

(Reply) (Spam)

tag: anti-cure, curebie, autistics.org, common decency, AM Baggs

Britney Spears, Rehab & Craig Fergusun, from the heart.

Brit goes into rehab after a spectacularly public meltdown and Craig Ferguson refuses to make jokes about it. Kudos to Fergie and good luck and a virtual hug. (if acceptable)

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 02/21/2007 | Britney is in rehab: "Britney Spears entered rehab Tuesday after a bizarre weekend that included shaving her head and getting a new tattoo. Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, told People magazine's Web site that Spears, 25, had voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed treatment facility. 'We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time,' Rudolph was quoted as saying."

I wasn't planning on blogging today, I still feel like used dog food - and told I smell somewhat like it as well. So next stop, bathtub.

But this clip came up on GMA as my wife was preparing her mind for the day. Ordinarily I'd have a punchline for that setup, but they get a free pass just for putting it up.

Her quote "I love him even more now." Craig is her favorite late night host and she watches him whenever her schedule allows. I have to agree - and his stock has gone up considerably in my eyes with this monologue.

Can't say my respect for the studio audience went up, though. They were all so sure that this was all a set-up for a crushing put-down.

But he didn't go there. And on his next show, it was "I hear Britney Spears has gone into rehab. Good for her. That's it, that's all I'm going to say" or words to that effect.

So I tracked it down, in case you had missed it- CBS gets props for putting the clips up themselves, though I wish they'd allow the embed code.

You see, I blog about ethics. And Craig's monologue was about being an ethical comedian, of considering the role of the jester in society and going after people who deserve to be taken down a peg or two. It's easy going for the cheap laughs, it's easy to add to someones misery by putting the mockery they are suffering in the tabloids onto television. It's so easy that those of us who live by the pen sometimes deserve to be whacked with it.

Hell, I've profited by Britt myself - that gawd-awful statue of her, pregnant on a bearskin. I still get traffic from that post! (and was shocked to find just how much I've gotten in the last few days!)

In preparing for this article, I found her being reviled online for her lack of underwear and pubic preparation, for being a "skank," a "whore" and a great deal worse - by genetic republicans who think they got a gawdamn fust 'mendment right to check out her - and I quote - "meat flaps."

Those same folks will be showing up in their Pentecostal churches come Sunday to hear a hellfire sermon about how all this proves that women who do not accept the guidance of a "good man" - like Herr "meat flaps" - are doomed to hellfire and deserve all the harsh treatment as "loving correction" for their sinful ways.

Well, if I'm going to be preached at, I prefer Colin's credentials to those of anyone else. He's in the been there, done that and remembers enough of it to tell you that you need to take a hard turn now, because the bridge is out, girlfriend.

I too have been there and done that; I too have been misused by people - and for a lot less money than you have.. You'd be amazed at how little money needs to be at stake for some people to screw you over; some apparently do it just for fun - and the only way they can get in a position to do it and then get away with it is to betray your trust and shatter your self-image so badly that, frankly, you will seem too crazy to take seriously.

But those who have been there and done that aren't so easily fooled, and we say welcome to the club, darlin'. You hit the wall hard and public. That's actually a good thing; you won't have to make any excuses or think you have to pretend to keep up appearances.

Being crazy for a time is a hell of a lot better than being stuck on stupid for life.

Fortunately, you have two of the best reasons in the world to unwind your shit and deal with it. You have money which can buy you time and privacy. You don't actually NEED to work on anything that pays money. You need to be working on you. Trust me when I tell you, putting this off with drugs, with alcohol, with work, with relentless activity is just gonna make you go "pop" again, and again until you take the time.

Now, your professional friends will be suggesting all kinds of radical quick fixes - so the gravy train will keep on rolling. Don't listen to them; listen to the folks who are your real friends. And also sisten to the folks like Craig and me, who give a damn because we honestly know how some part of what you are going through must feel like, because I wouldn't wish your real friends to have learned what we have. It's not easy, or quick to get through stuff like this - but it's possible and it's not just worth doing to survive, it's worth doing because in the end you will be a better person for it.


tag: Britney Spears, rehab, Craig Fergusun, common decency, culture, Britney Spears naked, bald

Supid is as stupid does...

The sort of people who star in this clip can be found here, at "liberalsmustdie.com".

If your entire premise is that "liberals must die," because your faith and beliefs cannot stand against a few pointed questions and a hard rain of facts - you are too damn stupid to breed, much less teach children.

Of course, us Libertarians may argue about Evolution, but we have great faith in Social Darwinism! A little too much, truth be told, and there's history behind us; there's any number of examples of wacky bible cults such as what infest our Body Politic at the moment that went down the toilet after the millennium-before-last.

Of course, if you really want to understand these folks - read their literature, and the folks that advertise in it, and who buy those sucker mailing lists.

Anyway, the hard core 6000 year creationist world view is depedant upon a literal - sort of - reading of the King James Bible - the most beautiful and least accurate translation there is. We have come a long way and found quite a few more original sources than King James's translators had.

Even IF I grant the "inerrency of God's Word" as presented in the King James - just for the sake of argument - I sure as hell do NOT grant the unspoken assumption of "inerrnency of comprehension" that's clearly being claimed. The folks depicted are clearly those who could not be trusted to assemble a bicycle from the instructions.

But let us go one step further. If you believe the Word of God is true, maybe you should actually take it at it's word. When it's silent on a topic, maybe YOU should be too. But these folks rely heavily on the Doctrine of Original sin - which is not explicitly in the bible. That was St. Augustine's bright idea. In fact, the various stories of Genesis have no conclusions to them, no explicit "moral." They are supposed to provoke questions, not supply definitive answers.

Further, if you are looking for condemnation of homosexual behavior, you will find the Bible a week reed. It's prohibited for "a man to lie with a man as a woman," which is in the Levitical code, and is apparently as tortured a phrase in Hebrew as it is in English. The law of Parsimony suggests that if God had wished to say that he disapproved of men having sex with men, he could have said so. Social context suggests that this was a prohibition of engaging in sex with Caananite temple prostitutes and priests - who apparently dressed as women. As for Lesbianism - the bible says not word one. Well, unless you read The Book of Ruth in a certain way, in which case it might be advocating committed same-sex relationships.

The "sin of Sodom" - google that for any number of perspectives - is most persuasively, from both text and culture, the abuse of strangers under the protection of Lot's household. At the time and even today, hospitality is sacred, an issue of importance beyond almost any other cultural imperative. hospitality and shelter were matters of survival.

I have immense respect for the Bible - and the Word in general. But I have far, far less faith in my fellow person's ability to read than I do in God's ability to write. Hell, that's a major theme with the Prophets. Where do these folks get the idea that their wackadoo world view, only vaguely connected to the Bible - is the result of any special understanding of God's Word? Because it's a truly "special" understanding, worthy of the "short bus." Don't take my word for it - ask any serious theologian. Or better yet, study a few dead ones; they aren't likely to be biased against these folks.

I commend to you St. Julian of Norwich. And I ain't even a Catholic. But then, more than a few of the catholic hierarchy of the day would have called her anything but "Catholic."

tag: creationism, ID, hate speech, patriarchy, Republican Values, clash of civilization, culture war

I have to warn you, this IS satire.

YouTube - FBI phone tap LEAKED! Bush arguing with Condi over Hu Jintao




And now you know why I had to warn you.

tag: You Tube, Publish"tag" >video, humor, politics, , george w. bush, ridicule, joke, instapundit, incompetence