Author: Paul Townsend

Paul is a freelance writer who grew up in the UK and became an American citizen.

Ron Paul can still win!

This article explains perfectly why Ron Paul still has a chance of becoming the republican nominee, and why Mitt Romney will ultimately fail.

Why the GOP Is Scared of Ron Paul and 4 Reasons He Might Still Get the 2012 Republican Nomination

Huffington Post  Wait, isn’t Dr. Ron Paul out of the presidential race? Isn’t it all tied up nicely in a bow with the Romney/Ryan ticket?

No.

Why would the GOP be scared of Ron Paul but end up nominating him?

I’ll explain.

Romney and the GOP have demonstrated both poor judgment and poor sportsmanship that might cost them by damaging Romney’s electability among the Ron Paul supporters thus leading to a splitting of votes, which in turn, could cost the GOP the entire election.

Dr. Ron Paul is still in the race for president and is a strong contender for the 2012 GOP nomination.

To be on the GOP ballot Aug. 27, 2012 in Tampa and get a 15-minute speaking slot, a candidate must have won the plurality (majority) of delegates in at least 5 states.

Well, Ron Paul did win the plurality of delegates in 5 states, enough to be eligible for the nomination and a 15-minute speaking slot at the GOP convention. The states he won are Louisiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Maine and Nevada. Then Ron Paul went on to win the plurality in Massachusetts, Romney’s home state and half the delegates in Oregon. Dr. Ron Paul also has around 500 delegateswho support him. The exact number of delegates that Romney and Paul have is still a mystery but should be clarified at the convention.

So… Ron Paul won his 5-plus states, he’s on the ballot and writing his speech, right? Not exactly.

What happened next is what may cost the Republicans and Romney the entire election. Instead of accepting that Ron Paul, the GOP underdog, had won enough delegates in enough states to be allowed his rightful place on the ballot and his 15-minute speaking slot, the GOP and Romney’s people decided to try and take these legitimate wins away from Ron Paul and his supporters. Ron Paul supporters fought hard, played fair and won. Romney supporters didn’t play fair and still lost those 5-plus states. These Ron Paul pluralities were won in spite of shenanigans and tricks tried by Romney supporters and the GOP to prevent or undermine Ron Paul wins. The Ron Paul supporters were well prepared and won the needed amount of states anyway.

So, how did Romney and his supporters handle their losses of five measly states to Ron Paul? Honorably? Graciously? With dignity? Maturely?

No. Quite the opposite.

Romney’s people ran to Big Daddy GOP to rescue them from their defeats by trying to disqualify the valid Ron Paul delegates and to take away Ron Paul’s right to speak and be on the ballot by reducing his states won to fewer than the five needed.

So far, Romney and the GOP have contested the Ron Paul wins in Louisiana, Maine, Massachusettsand Oregon. They threw out the Massachusetts Ron Paul delegates after the GOP tried to force the delegates to sign a long legal document that required them to vote for Romney. This was not something that had ever been done before. The GOP allowed Romney, big lawyers and big bullying to invalidate Ron Paul’s solid win in Massachusetts.

As in the other states, the Ron Paul delegates in Maine played by the rules and won. Even Governor LePage of Maine, a Republican, is appalled with GOP efforts to throw out the duly-elected Ron Paul delegates.

The entire plot to reduce Ron Paul wins to under five states to take his name off the ballot and take away his 15-minute speaking slot is well under way. If Romney/Ryan are so great, why can’t they handle a little competition without whining and crying like sore losers?

Are they afraid of losing the 2012 nomination to Ron Paul if he speaks and is on the ballot?

Why not play fair and let the best man win?

Who cheats? The lazy, bratty, insecure and less-qualified people who can’t win honestly and fairly. Is that really presidential material?

I wonder if Romney and the GOP are worried that if Ron Paul speaks and gets the nomination, that Ron Paul will fire all of them. Is the GOP that terrified of change, even if it is for the betterment of the country?

Here is why I think that Ron Paul might still walk away with the nomination.

4. Lots of regular “little people”, like me, want Ron Paul to be the 2012 GOP presidential candidate. We, the little people, do not like being trod upon and when we join together, we are stronger than big money. Remember, “We the People”? Ron Paul’s donors areregular working people, not banks, and military men and women.

3. Ron Paul is the David to Romney’s Goliath Machine but the spirit, character and faith of we “little people” count more in America than just money. Romney has raised$152 million to Paul’s $39 million. Ron Paul has more passionate support from his supporters due to Ron Paul’s character and dedication to serving America and Americans based on our founding principles embodied in our Constitution. Money, media manipulation and bullying can’t buy this type of support. But, Romney and his lawyers couldn’t let Ron Paul keep 5-plus wins?

2. Ron Paul wants to serve his country, and has served in the military, and would end the wars. Ron Paul’s supporters and Americans want someone they can trust and believe in. Dr. Paul is that man.

1. Mitt Romney is much less qualified to be president than Ron Paul, who understands the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Watch this link where Romney is asked a basic Constitutional question and replies, “I’ll have to ask my lawyers”. Ron Paul tells Mitt Romney, “Read the Constitution.” Ron Paul is the only Republican Presidential candidate who is qualified, experienced and credible.

We, little people, similar to Ron Paul and his supporters, work hard, play fair and expect the same from others.

If Romney and his supporters had been gracious losers about Ron Paul’s 5-plus state wins and Ron Paul’s 15-minute speech, Romney had a chance to garner both the GOP 2012 nomination plus the support and votes of Ron Paul and his supporters. (I say “a chance” because many Ron Paul supporters do not see Romney as a fiscal conservative.)

Not anymore. It is hard to vote for someone who has acted so dishonorably, even for the sake of party loyalty.

The misguided Machiavellian advice Romney got and took to “win at all costs,” may cost him dearly in November due to the bad will generated with Ron Paul supporters. Too many people have lost too much respect for Romney to vote for him. To the contrary, even though Ron Paul’s campaign was repeatedly slighted and undermined by Romney and his supporters, Ron Paul stayed gracious and denounced mistreatment of Romney. He has told his delegates to “Make yourself heard but be respectful.”

By playing dirty and being greedy, Romney supporters may have lost Romney both the nomination and the election.

Romney and the national GOP are showing their ugly colors by attempting to take away Ron Paul state delegate wins that were earned fair and square.

In speaking with some Ron Paul supporters, here is their current plan. If Ron Paul doesn’t win the 2012 GOP nomination, many Ron Paul supporters will elect to vote for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate. Why wouldn’t Ron Paul supporters write in Ron Paul on ballots around the country? For those write-in votes to count, a write-in candidate must be listed in every state and some Ron Paul supporters do not know if their Ron Paul votes would count.

And, due to the shabby treatment Ron Paul and his supporters have received from the GOP and Romney’s people, many Ron Paul supporters may refuse to vote for Romney in 2012, even if it means Obama being re-elected for four more years. One supporter told me, “I want the GOP to see how many votes they lost by playing dirty. They will only be able to count all the lost votes if I vote for Gary Johnson.”

If you want to learn more about Gary Johnson click here. He stands for small government, government staying out of your business, liberty and fiscal responsibility. He is like Ron Paul without the Roe v Wade concern. Gary Johnson has had virtually no media coverage so you may not have heard of him.

As I heard in grammar school and it remains true: “Cheat, Cheat Never Beat”.

Ron Paul is the only qualified person for the 2012 Republican Nomination who can unify conservative Republicans and stabilize the economy. If the GOP is smart and humble enough to do a mea culpa and nominate Ron Paul, Republicans stand a better chance of winning in November. If Ron Paul doesn’t get the nomination, many Ron Paul supporters will likely be voting for Gary Johnson. All Romney and the GOP had to do was play fair and win honorably, but I guess that was too much to ask.

But here is the GOP’s conflict: If the GOP nominates Ron Paul and he wins, many of the GOP cronies will be shown the door. There will be a big house cleaning of corrupt politicians, like turning on the lights and the cockroaches scatter. On the other hand, if they don’t nominate Ron Paul, they risk losing all the Ron Paul supporters, which would likely split the vote and lose the 2012 election entirely.

It is hard to make those type of decisions when choosing what is best for the country doesn’t figure in at all, but choosing what is best for their own selfish principles of self-preservation, greed and thirst for power rule the day.

Romney and the GOP need to leave Ron Paul’s five-plus states alone, place him on the ballot and allow Ron Paul to speak.

There is much corruption throughout both parties. If we want to make a change in this country, we must clean house on both sides of the isle. Ron Paul is the only leader on the national stage who is advocating to make serious changes and turn this country around.

Good luck to everyone attending the GOP convention in Tampa next week!

Brandon Raub update

I’ve been getting a lot of hits over the last couple of days for Brandon Raub, so I made a quick post and put some links on here for you to find out more information. Let’s keep him on the radar and expose what’s going on!

Here is the link for the Facebook Group ‘Free Brandon Raub’:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/188319494633640/

The Brandon Raub Legal Defense Fund:

https://www.donation-net.net/donation/donation1.cfm?dn=1034&source=8&CFID=15298476&CFTOKEN=62079510

Video of Brandon Raub being arrested:

Kidnapped Marine Vet Brandon Raub Speaks out from psych ward:

It’s good to hear that he is OK!

Here is a group against the NDAA act and indefinite detention:

http://www.facebook.com/Billion.against.Indefinite.detention?ref=stream

I hope the links I provided help. It is important that we stand by those who speak out for our freedoms.

If we do not hold the government’s feet to the fire, our freedoms will continue to be diminished. We must wake up and expose the facts.

Stand up when you see injustice. Politicians and those in power do not like it when fingers are pointed at them.

So keep up the fight for everyone’s individual liberty and the right to express it!

 

UPDATE:

Here are a couple extra links I found:

This one talks about how most people are completely unaware of what happened last week, and how the media has not said a word about it:

http://thedailycrux.com/Article/41113/Government_Outrage

And this one has a petition to free the marine vet, and has a lot of extra details about the hero:

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2012/08/21/petition-president-free-marine-vet-brandon-raub-172811/

Hope this helps! Spread the links around and tell your friends!

The Tea Party lives!

The Tuesday 21st August Tea Party event in West Chester went really well.

I hadn’t attended a meeting in a few months due to being busy with side projects, and being split on ideas of government. I was finding out more and more just how corrupt the conservative leaders are, and was even questioning whether elements of the Tea Party had sold out.

However, the evening’s meeting went well, and the subject matter for the event was about blog posts and alternative media. I was given the chance to make a short speech about my blog and why I do it.

During the event we heard from from Peter Bronson, former editorial editor from the Cincinnati Enquirer about how the media has changed and how it effects politics.

After all the speakers were done talking, I got to meet several people and we had a nice chat about libertarianism, and why its important to stand up for the issues, no matter what party you support.

I got to talk to Bob Coogan, who is a libertarian running for Ohio State House in the 52nd district. He and I talked for a while, and agreed on almost everything.

One of the other guy’s I got to talk to said that during the 2008 elections, he felt like he was at a train station and he saw a big red train with ‘republican’ written on it, and a big blue train that had ‘Democrat’ written on it. He said that both trains were running parallel on the track and the only difference was that the D train was running at 100 miles per hour, and the R train was running at 50 miles per hour. His analogy made perfect sense to me, and we talked more on how we need to get the R train to be moving back toward liberty if we are to change things around for the better.

I enjoyed listening to the other speakers, and Peter Bronson certainly has a lot of wisdom accumulated from his days in journalism. Another guy I got to listen to was Chris Littleton. He said that the republicans laid waste to this country during the 2000’s, and that the Obama administration came along and finished the job. I agree with what he said 100%. Our problems lie on both sides of the track, and we really need to clean house in order to set things right again.

Here are the blog sites of the people who gave speeches during the event:

http://massdiscussion.blogspot.com/

http://www.bizzyblog.com/

http://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/

http://cincymagazine.com/

http://chrislittleton.com/

https://abundanttruth.wordpress.com/

http://www.fairfieldtownshipflare.com/

http://butlercountytruth.org/

http://watchdog.org/category/ohio/

It really made me feel good to hear so many people voicing their opinions and standing up for their rights. We really are the new main stream media, so get out there and write!

Don’t be afraid to get involved; libertarians will help steer the ship in grassroots organizations such as the Tea Party’s, since their beliefs in limited and constitutional government are similar to many conservative thought patterns. Libertarians tend to use sound logic and critical thinking and can help the more gun ho conservatives in getting better fiscal and constitutional minded leaders elected.

All in all, I had a great evening, and I saw for myself that the Tea Party is alive and well!

The justification for war and a lesson in critical thinking

It is always important to keep an open mind and explore new ideas. In a world full of nuclear weapons, perhaps it is time to tryout a nonintervention approach when dealing with foreign policy.

Here is a great speech by Howard Zinn, which questions the wisdom of going to war:

Critical thinking is essential for a society to move forward, and it is desperately needed in a time when a country is collapsing in upon itself.

“when it comes to war the means are horrible and the ends are uncertain” – Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) was an American academic historian, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People’s History of the United States.[2] He wrote extensively about the civil rights and anti-war movements, as well as of the labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s life and work.

Eager to fight fascism, Zinn joined the Army Air Force during World War II and was assigned as a bombardier in the 490th Bombardment Group,[6] bombing targets in Berlin, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.[7] A U.S. bombardier in April 1945, Zinn dropped napalm bombs on Royan, a seaside resort in southwestern France.[8] The anti-war stance Zinn developed later was informed, in part, by his experiences.

I don’t agree with Howard on everything, indeed some of his ideas are socialist in nature, but I do like his critical thinking.

Critical thinking is important, especially when the subject of war comes up. Wars are almost always based on lies, and the outcomes are not always as desired.

Critical thinking means looking for more information to fill in the gaps, instead of just seeing everything as black and white.

This picture presents a false dichotomy, because the ‘only other option’ currently being presented is Mitt Romney, who I have explained before is the same as Obama on almost every level.

Certainly it would be a move forward if he is replaced with a constitutional minded president, but not if he is replaced with someone like mitt Romney who is essentially the same in his beliefs.

Sites such as www.arewesafer.com represent a real problem in this country. This site presents another false dichotomy. Why do we want to feel ‘safer’ when safer really means less free. Should we bomb another country to make ourselves feel better about ourselves? Are they actually a threat to begin with?Or are they just being attacked so that a select few can make more money through the sale of oil, weapons and bloodshed?

I have seen many friends and family get caught up in the fascist mantra of blind nationalism in their fight against Obama and socialism. While I despise socialism, I know that neither collectivist concept will do us any good, and so I find myself in battles on both sides to get them to see reason.

We live in a world that is waking up to new ideas, and is slowly discovering that capitalism does work, but that it is still held back by corruption.

Always keep an open mind to something new, and check your premise. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find out.

Critical thinking paves the way for the future because it is unbiased, and deals with the facts, and not just propaganda. Always do you own research and use your mind.

 

With critical thinking at the helm of governments instead of looters, perhaps we can avoid mindless wars altogether.

Silencing Dissent and Tyranny in America

This morning I read two disturbing articles about clamping down on freedom of speech. These articles speak for themselves.

The first one is by Conservative Daily News, and talks about Brandon Ruab, who is a military veteran, and who has just been ‘detained’ indefinitely, for questioning the government on his Facebook page:

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2012/08/brandon-raub-victim-of-tyranny-in-america/

The second one is by Activist Post, and is about silencing dissent. The article explores what is going on right now regarding protesters, and the government’s clamping down on freedom of speech and expression:

http://www.activistpost.com/2012/08/silencing-dissent-in-america.html

It is of vital importance that you become aware of what is going on. Even this conservative news site explains that the media has dropped the ball:

A double standard does exist and the lame stream media, including FOX News Network and much of conservative talk radio, is complicit. Not only do the lame streams ignore the violations of the Constitution going on every day, they actually cheer lead for those committing the violations.  Our liberty, our Republic of the United States of America, is teetering on the edge of extinction and very few in any media seem to have the courage to really speak boldly about what is happening.  Mark Levin and Michael Savage have been rather vocal but most of the”biggies” sidestep this issue of such bold tyranny in all branches of government.

Carrying the water on the most serious issues of liberty is left to those of us who have no national voice and lack the wealth many media darlings protect with their silence.

And the Activist Post explains just how far the government will go clamp down on us.

Freedom in America is endangered. Bipartisan complicity plans destroying it altogether.

America is on a fast track toward tyranny and ruin. Police state laws threaten everyone.

Increasingly, dissent is marginalized. It’s not tolerated. Resistance is called dangerous to National Security.

Federal authorities target activists. So do militarized local police. No-holds-barred tactics are employed. 

We must learn what is going on, and we must tell others.

Do not give in to fear, stand up, speak out, click on these articles and share them with your friends, your co-workers, anyone who will listen. Even if it scares you to do so, you must make a stand, you must say ‘no’ to tyranny. If you do not stand up, the fear tactics currently being used will take an even stronger hold and the culprits will know that they have won.

This is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but only so long as people stand up and protect that right. Bravery does not mean lack of fear, it means overcoming that fear and doing what is right anyway. Wake up, step up, and make your stand. Make your voice heard, and spread the message through this great torrent of information we call the internet. The mainstream media has let us down, but we the people are the mainstream, so lets get the word out and reclaim the freedom that is rightfully ours.

Julian Assange speaks out

Julian Assange is something of an enigma. To be honest, I don’t know a lot about him. I still don’t pay much attention to the mainstream news, and I don’t like conspiracy theories. So I mildly pay attention and try to figure out the real story from a distance. Today Julian spoke out from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. I found much of what he said to be intriguing and inspiring.

LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange used the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy on Sunday to berate the United States for threatening freedom of expression and called on President Barack Obama to end what he called a witch-hunt against his whistle-blowing website.

Speaking from within the London mission to avoid arrest by British police who want to extradite him to Sweden for questioning over rape allegations, Assange said the United States was fighting a war against outlets like WikiLeaks.

Pitching himself alongside Russian punk band Pussy Riot and the New York Times newspaper, Assange said the United States risked shunting the world into an era of journalistic oppression. He did not address the rape allegations.

“As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all of our societies,” Assange said, dressed in a maroon tie and blue shirt, flanked by the yellow, blue and red Ecuadorean flag.

“I ask President Obama to do the right thing: the United States much renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks,” Assange said in a 10-minute speech which he ended with two thumbs up to the world’s media.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a self-declared enemy of “corrupt” media and U.S. “imperialism”, granted the former computer hacker political asylum last week, deepening a diplomatic standoff with Britain and Sweden.

Asylum in Ecuador marked the latest twist in a tumultuous journey for Assange since he incensed the United States and its allies by using his WikiLeaks website to leak hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic and military cables in 2010, disclosures that often embarrassed Washington.

Assange, 41, took sanctuary in the embassy in June, jumping bail after exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted in Sweden for questioning regarding allegations of rape and sexual assault against two women.

He says he fears Sweden will eventually hand him over to the United States where, in his view, he would face persecution and long-term imprisonment. The United States says it is not involved in the matter.

‘FIGHTING SPIRIT’

To allow Assange to avoid arrest by stepping outside the embassy, a balcony door on an upper floor was removed, leading up to his first public appearance since seeking refuge in the diplomatic mission two months ago.

Speaking behind the condor of the Ecuadorean coat of arms on the white balcony railing of the embassy, Assange thanked Correa and Ecuador’s diplomats, whom he praised for standing up against oppression.

“The sun came up on a different world and a courageous Latin American nation took a stand for justice,” Assange, with cropped hair indicating a recent cut, said from the balcony.

Assange’s attempt to escape extradition has touched off a diplomatic tussle between Britain and Ecuador, which accused London of threatening to raid its embassy and casting the dispute as an arrogant European power treating a Latin American nation like a colony.

Assange, who praised a dozen Latin American countries which he said had rallied against Britain in the dispute, said the United States was at a turning point which could drag the rest of the world into a new oppressive era.

He said U.S. army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, accused of the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history to WikiLeaks, was a hero who should be released by the United States.

Manning faces life in prison if convicted.

“If Bradley Manning did as he is accused, he is a hero and an example to all of us and one of the world’s foremost political prisoners,” said Assange. “Bradley Manning must be released.”

‘FIGHTING SPIRIT’

More than 50 of Assange supporters, many of whom have slept on sheets of cardboard outside the building since Wednesday, decorated barriers with messages of support for Assange and placards reading “asylum – end the witch hunt”.

“They are not treating him fairly,” said Chantal, 28, a French pro-WikiLeaks blogger who had traveled overnight with a friend from near Paris in the hope of seeing Assange speak.

“Great Britain has shown it doesn’t respect human rights – political asylum is a right which should be respected by all countries,” she said. She refused to give her surname.

There was also a large crowd of curious passersby and bemused shoppers with bags from the nearby ritzy Harrods store watching the proceedings from across the street.

“Julian Assange is in fighting spirit,” Baltasar Garzon, a Spanish jurist and prominent human rights investigator who heads Assange’s legal team, told reporters outside the embassy.

“He is thankful to the people of Ecuador and to President Correa for granting him asylum,” said Garzon.

Britain says the dispute is about its legal obligations and that Assange should be extradited to Sweden. But Assange says he fears he will eventually be sent to the United States although Washington has so far kept its distance from the dispute.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Additional reporting by Alessandra Prentice in London and Morag MacKinnon in Sydney; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood)

The case of Bradly Manning is a difficult one. During a time when the country is under the influence of criminals throughout the political spectrum. At what point do we call him a traitor for exposing his country’s secrets? Or a patriot for doing the very same thing?

I think the most important thing Julian said during this article is “As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all of our societies” and that ‘the United States was at a turning point which could drag the rest of the world into a new oppressive era.’

I find it terrifying that the country which fought off fascism, is now poised to take over Nazi Germany as the most oppressive country in human history. We now start wars based on ‘potential threats’. These wars are started off false information and pandering by the media. The true reasons are kept secret, and there are war profiteers who make substantial gains behind the scenes, while many innocent people die in the bloodshed. We now have the largest prison population in human history, and there are ever growing accounts of police brutality, while our freedoms are surrendered at the stroke of a pen.

I know that exposing military secrets is tantamount to treason, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend acting in this way. I know that wiki-leaks isn’t necessarily a good website because of these reasons. But the pursuance of Assange and the treatment of Manning is very telling in how close they got to the mark; on how our countries are currently functioning behind the scenes. There is much criminality to be spread around, and our governments are not acting within the scope that they were intended to.

I do not believe Assange is guilty of the sexual assault allegations, I believe these are trumped up charges to get him locked up or shut up. What he and Manning did is expose the beast for what it is. Whether what they did is right or not, that is for you to decide. Because the actions that our governments take will affect you.

Where we draw the line in cases like this is the difficult part, because it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

How far would you be willing to go to expose the truth or protect people who speak out? There is a difference between blind nationalism and true patriotism.

Think about it.

“Laws control the lesser man… Right conduct controls the greater one.” – Mark Twain

The Titanic’s of 2012

Ben garrison is one of my favorite artists, his work spans over two decades, and in his spare time he draws out his political beliefs and posts them on GrrrGraphics. You don’t have to be a master of words to show the world how you feel. As of right now, we are facing many Titanic’s which could not only sink the ‘world economy’ but could utterly sink our once free republic. I’ll let some of his images do the talking. You can find more of his work on one of his blogs or on his main website.

Right now people are arguing about Romney this, and Obama that, while not seeing the bigger picture. This country is in a lot of trouble, and it goes far beyond the head of state.

It is important to stand up for what is right, even if you are the only one in the race.

One thing is for sure though. If enough people don’t wake up, we won’t only be peeled. We’ll be diced, mashed and eaten.

It’s time to wake up, and stand against the establishment. Whether you are an artist or a writer. Do whatever you can.

We must expose corruption, and stand up for what is right. Images such as these help us visualize exactly what is going on behind the scenes. My thanks goes out to all the artists and writers out there who are doing all they can to expose the truth.

Talking about my generation

My generation is now experiencing first hand the fall out of bad governance, crony corporatism, special interests, and interventionism.

My generation is growing up into an encroaching police state. Our country is completely divided, while some people cling to the left, and some people cling to the right. But the problems lie much deeper than that.

Our currency is now completely off the gold standard and is now backed by nothing. This fiat currency loses more and more value every day. Never in human history has a country survived on fiat currancy alone. Our 41’st anniversary with fiat currency just went by.

To go along with the fiat currancy, we also have an unprecedented amount of debt. Never in human history has a country accumulated so much debt. And all nations that do not resolve their debt problems go into decline.

Wars are expensive. Not only are they bloody and brutal, but the costs of maintaining them always drags down a nation’s wealth and resources. As of right now, we have over one hundred military bases around the world, and are engaged in a number of conflicts. Including the war in Afghanistan, and using drones and hellfire missiles to kill people in Pakistan and many other middle eastern and African countries.

Our elections are now completely fraudulent. In the 2000 presidential election we caught our first taste of this. And during the primaries this year, there have been many reports and law suits filled over the GOP’s handling of the nomination process. There are accusations of Ron Paul’s votes being counted as Romney’s, and counties that weren’t even allowed to vote. It seems that the GOP can’t even play by its own rules.

With my generation the buck stops here. We are no longer able to tollerate the charade of political deception being played by the establishment and enshrined in the media.

When I came to this country, I learned a lot about freedom and individual liberties. It’s the kind of knowledge that once you know, you don’t forget. In fact, once you know it, you begin to espouse it, and you can’t stop talking about it. Once you know what true liberty and freedom is, it gets stuck in your veins, and you’ll fight to maintain it.

When I first moved here, and after the 2008 elections, I tuned in to fox news and discovered Glenn Beck. Up until the beginning of this year I loved the guy and everything that he stood for. But then things stopped adding up. Something seemed wrong to me. Some of the actions he was taking and things he was saying didn’t make sense, they didn’t add up. I felt like he was going against the very principles he stood for. After discovering these things, I came to the conclusion that he is either completely miscalculating with the information he receives, or that he is an agent of misinformation, here to take our thoughts and upsets at the government, and flip them right back around to continue the establishment, to further their agendas. The problem with people like Glenn Beck is that while they are right in most aspects. They are also wrong in many others, and this leads us into a false dichotomy, and does nothing to help our reasoning skills. Always take what you hear from others with a pinch of salt, don’t take it as prophesy.

One of the biggest problems we have is that our media establishment is completely bias. I’ve heard the Tea Party and Glenn Beck complain for years now that the liberal media is bias. Now where I don’t dispute that, I would point out that FOX News and many of the other ‘conservative’ news channels are bias also. In fact all the liberal and conservative channels are all geared toward the big government and big brother agenda in one way or another. All they have to do is get you to argue about trivial issues, and you end up missing the point entirely.

Corruption is rife in this country. Of course no country is void of it, but you see it even on a local level here. There are very few politicians in power who do not accept lobbying from one group or another. Congress is now no longer concerned with our well being, but completely concerned with furthering their own interests, their own profits and their own convoluted agendas.

The corrupt politicians, the crony businessmen, the sold out media, and all the special interests groups are all working hand in hand for their own agendas, while looting the wealth of the nation. This is a cycle that cannot continue and will collapse in on itself, taking many innocent people with it. If we cannot put a stop to it, we will go down as a nation, whether we self destruct as a police state, or fall into total anarchy, our future looks extremely bleak, if we continue on our present path.

So where do we go from here? And what can we do about it? How can we fix these problems?

For all their current faults I still admire The tea party. I like it when groups of people get together and try to hammer out solutions to pressing problems. The local tea party groups in my area have had much success at the state and local level.

I believe that the future of this country is to build from the ground up at local levels. To elect new congressmen and new senators. To go across the isle and vote for both democrat and republican candidates, based on their knowledge of the constitution and their explanations of how they would roll back government.

And finally, the best thing you can do as an individual is to speak out and build a better tomorrow. If more voices come into the fray, then our debates get livelier, and we can weed out the ideas that don’t work and find more common ground.

The problems that face my generation are unprecedented in our country’s history. It is no longer a simple case of voting for one side or the other. It will take a great deal of effort and awakening by the older generations to help steer our country back onto the path of liberty and prosperity.

Learn about the constitution, and have the guts to stand up for what is right, don’t just go along with the crowd or the establishment. The stance that you make and show to the younger generation will make a lasting impression. Remember that the future is always built, by the up and coming generation. So together, lets make sure we make it a good one!

National Debt Projections: Obama Budget vs Ryan Budget (A Simple Graph)

This graph shows how silly the budget proposals by both sides of the establishment are. Let’s pray Ron Paul pulls the rug from under them at the convention!

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are the same

The reason many people like myself are still pushing for Ron Paul right up until the convention is very simple. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have exactly the same viewpoint and voting record on almost every issue.

40 Points That Prove That Barack Obama And Mitt Romney Are Essentially The Same Candidate

 Michael Snyder

The American Dream
Aug 16, 2012

What a depressing choice the American people are being presented with this year.  We are at a point in our history where we desperately need a change of direction in the White House, and we are guaranteed that we are not going to get it. 

The Democrats are running the worst president in American history, and the Republicans are running a guy who is almost a carbon copy of him.  The fact that about half the country is still supporting Barack Obama shows how incredibly stupid and corrupt the American people have become.  No American should have ever cast a single vote for Barack Obama for any political office under any circumstances.  He should never have even been the assistant superintendent in charge of janitorial supplies, much less the president of the United States.  The truth is that Barack Obama has done such a horrible job that he should immediately resign along with his entire cabinet.  But instead of giving us a clear choice, the Republicans nominated the Republican that was running that was most similar to Barack Obama.  In fact, I don’t think we have ever had two candidates for president that are so similar.  Yes, there are a few minor differences between them, but the truth is that we are heading into Obama’s second term no matter which one of them gets elected.  The mainstream media makes it sound like Obama and Romney are bitter ideological rivals but that is a giant lie.  Yeah, they are slinging lots of mud at each other, but they both play for the same team and the losers are going to be the American people.

Republicans are being told that they have “no choice” but to vote for Romney because otherwise they will get another four years of Obama.

This “lesser of two evils” theme comes out every four years.  We are told that we “must” vote for a horrible candidate because the other guy is even worse.

Well, millions of Americans are getting sick of this routine.  Perhaps that is why it is being projected that as many as 90 millionAmericans of voting age will not vote this year.

Yes, Barack Obama has been so horrible as president that it is hard to put it into words.

But Mitt Romney would be just like Barack Obama.

Those that are dreaming of a major change in direction if Romney is elected are going to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed.

The following are 40 ways that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are essentially the same candidate….

1. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported TARP.

2. Mitt Romney supported Barack Obama’s “economic stimulus” packages.

3. Mitt Romney says that Barack Obama’s bailout of the auto industry was actually his idea.

4. Neither candidate supports immediately balancing the federal budget.

5. They both believe in big government and they both have a track record of being big spenders while in office.

6. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both fully support the Federal Reserve.

7. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both on record as saying that the president should not question the “independence” of the Federal Reserve.

8. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both said that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did a good job during the last financial crisis.

9. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both felt that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke deserved to be renominated to a second term.

10. Both candidates oppose a full audit of the Federal Reserve.

11. Both candidates are on record as saying that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has done a good job.

12. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both been big promoters of universal health care.

13. Mitt Romney was the one who developed the plan that Obamacare was later based upon.

14. Wall Street absolutely showers both candidates with campaign contributions.

15. Neither candidate wants to eliminate the income tax or the IRS.

16. Both candidates want to keep personal income tax rates at the exact same levels for the vast majority of Americans.

17. Both candidates are “open” to the idea of imposing a Value Added Tax on the American people.

18. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the TSA is doing a great job.

19. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported the NDAA.

20. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both supported the renewal of the Patriot Act.

21. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the federal government should be able to indefinitely detain American citizens that are considered to be terrorists.

22. Both candidates believe that American citizens suspected of being terrorists can be killed by the president without a trial.

23. Barack Obama has not closed Guantanamo Bay like he promised to do, and Mitt Romney actually wants to double the number of prisoners held there.

24. Both candidates support the practice of “extraordinary rendition”.

25. They both support the job-killing “free trade” agenda of the global elite.

26. They both accuse each other of shipping jobs out of the country and both of them are right.

27. Both candidates are extremely soft on illegal immigration.

28. Neither candidate has any military experience.  This is the first time that this has happened in a U.S. election since 1944.

29. Both candidates earned a degree from Harvard University.

30. They both believe in the theory of man-made global warming.

31. Mitt Romney has said that he will support a “cap and trade” carbon tax scheme (like the one Barack Obama wants) as longas the entire globe goes along with it.

32. Both candidates have a very long record of supporting strict gun control measures.

33. Both candidates have been pro-abortion most of their careers.  Mitt Romney’s “conversion” to the pro-life cause has been questioned by many.  In fact, Mitt Romney has made millions on Bain Capital’s investment in a company called “Stericycle” that incinerates aborted babies collected from family planning clinics.

34. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both believe that the Boy Scout ban on openly gay troop leaders is wrong.

35. They both believe that a “two state solution” will bring lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel.

36. Both candidates have a history of nominating extremely liberal judges.

37. Like Barack Obama, Mitt Romney also plans to add “signing statements” to bills when he signs them into law.

38. They both have a horrible record when it comes to job creation.

39. Both candidates believe that the president has the power to take the country to war without getting the approval of the U.S. Congress.

40. Both candidates plan to continue running up more government debt even though the U.S. government is already 16 trillion dollars in debt.

We cannot see how electing another person to the white house would change anything; if their beliefs and voting records are almost exactly the same as the person they would be replacing.

Click here for another 100 points!

But the biggest reason of all, is that Ron Paul still to this day, has enough delegates to make a difference at the convention, and should be allowed to make a speech. If enough of the delagetes, including those for Mitt Romney, switch sides (remember all the delagates are unbound) then there is also a good chance to get Ron Paul the ticket and beat Obama.

Ron Paul Will Have 500 Delegates at the RNC: 10 Reasons He Should Speak at the GOP Convention

With the Republican National Committeefinally conceding the fact that Congressman Ron Paul’s name will indeed be on the ballot at the GOP convention in Tampa this August, the RNC is beginning to warm up to the Paul campaign.

There is no word yet on whether they will offer Paul a speaking slot at the convention, but if the last few days are any sign, chances may be high that Paul will be invited to the convention.

According to a recent USA Today story, the RNC and the Paul campaign “have been working closely over the past few months to work out logistics in order to include the Texas congressman and his supporters in the August convention in Tampa. ‘They’ve just treated us like a friend and like a coalition,’ said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for the Paul campaign. ‘They have been honest brokers in working with us and treated us with respect.'”

This fair treatment of the Paul campaign — and by extension, his supporters — is a welcome change from the treatment that the RNC as well as state and local GOP parties have treated them since the 2012 Iowa Caucus (and even back to 2008). It is by now well known that Paul supporters, obeying the GOP’s own rules at the delegate selection process, have been shunned, ignored, and even strongarmed for their refusal to rubber-stamp Mitt Romney.

Are the RNC and the GOP finally waking up to the significant sized dissent that is their own party? Inviting Paul to speak at the convention will likely answer that question. Only time will tell. 

Here are 10 reasons why the Republicans would be foolish not to let Paul speak.

1) Delegates, Delegates, Delegates

From the media’s lack of good reporting to the sometimes confusing rules governing the delegation process, it is nearly impossible to tell exactly how many delegates Ron Paul has that will be headed to Tampa. The campaign admits that they have at least 500, though with alternates and delegates that are technically unbound, Paul could have significantly more than is reported. Even with the most conservative estimates, Paul’s delegates will play a major role at the convention.

Additionally, the Paul delegates could actually select the vice presidential pick if Romney indeed gets selected as the nominee. Much political coverage has been dedicated to the yawning “Veepstakes,” but if the RNC were to actually follow their own rules, Paul could easily be nominated VP.

With this much power, enthusiasm, and grassroots organization, a Paul-less GOP convention might cause some interesting chaos at the convention thanks to the amount of delegates Paul has. The Republicans can’t win without the support and votes of the growing libertarian wing of the party. Without proper respect shown to Paul, they will likely stay home or vote for Libertarian Governor Gary Johnson.

2) Ron Paul Will Not Endorse Mitt Romney

At nearly every debate and mainstream media interview, Paul was asked if he would endorse the eventual Republican nominee. Paul, principled and patiently, always answered in the negative. As of yesterday, he again reiterated that he would not endorse Romney, just like he didn’t endorse or vote for Senator John McCain in 2008. After all, Paul reasons, Romney agrees with little to any that Paul believes in, and an endorsement would be properly seen as a sellout to the GOP that scorns him and to the delegates and organizers that have worked so hard to push Paul this far.

Given that Paul won’t endorse Romney, a speaking nod helps mend that bridge with him and his supporters.

3) A Platform to Ignite the Party

Paul is the intellectual heart of the Tea Party and the libertarian/conservative movement that has ascended in this country in the last few years. Although the Tea Party has unfortunately been co-opted by mainstream Republicans, talking heads, and right-wing radio, Paul’s 2008 presidential run laid the groundwork for a real grassroots movement and puts actual teeth behind the rhetoric many Republicans give only lip service to.

If Paul’s eventual speech at the convention is anything like the hundreds of speeches he gave across the country in the last year, then the GOP won’t know what hit them. In the debates, Paul tended to be interrupted, asked “gotcha” questions, and at one foreign policy debate, was given 89 seconds to speak.

Without rude interruptions and all eyes on him, Paul will finally be able to address a (likely hostile) GOP crowd. And whenever he is given more than 2 minutes to speak, heads start nodding. Fellow PolicyMic columnist Allan Stevo reported that “After Ron Paul spoke in Sparks, Nevada … observers took note of Mitt Romney supporters crumpling up their Romney signs and vowing to vote for Paul. It was the first time many Republican activists had ever heard Paul speak outside of the several minutes of sound bites allotted to him during televised debates.”

Paul is the heart and soul of the grassroots and frustrated GOP, addressing the issue the party refuses to discuss, like ….

4) Actual Cuts in Spending

While the mantra of conservatives and the Republican Party has been “cutting spending” and balancing the budget, their actions haven’t exactly matched their words. Every other GOP candidates’ spendial proposals besides Paul promises to significantly increase spending, deficits, and the national debt. Romney, while uncomfortably posing as some type of fiscal conservative, promises to increase federal spending by trillions.

Paul has been warning about excessive government spending for decades, warning about billion dollar deficits in the 1980s. Now that the deficits are in the trillions, Paul’s message — and budget proposal that would cut $1 trillion and eliminate five cabinet departments — is something that needs to rub off on the Republican Party soon.

5) War and Peace

This is a crucial issue not just for the Republicans to pounce on, but for a broader appeal to the rest of the country as well. A majority of Americans want the U.S. out of Afghanistan and a reduction in foreign military intervention in general. With the Persian Gulf heating up, war in Syria a serious possibility, and President Obama waging war on an unprecedented scale, Paul’s message of peace and non-intervention helps make the GOP an actual alternative to Obama. Unfortunately, Romney doesn’t think Obama is being aggressive enough overseas, and with the possibility Obama and Romney arguing over who is the bigger warmonger, the Republicans miss a key opportunity to appeal to the growing anti-war sentiment in the country as well as cut spending and save American lives.

6) Civil Liberties

Romney has talked so little about civil liberties, I doubt he could even define what they are if asked, let alone why they are important. A Paul speech at the convention would no doubt include a firm defense of the Bill of Rights, opposition to NDAA, Bradley Manning, the PATRIOT Act, opposition to the drug war, and articulate why Republicans should value civil liberties just as much as economic liberties. This would also again be an effective strategy for the GOP to circumvent President Obama’s draconian record on civil liberties.

7) The Fed

With Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill moving forward, now would be the most opportune time to make this a huge part of the convention. Paul’s speeches and rallies are infamous for their “End the Fed!” chants, and an understanding of the follies of central banking go hand in hand with a grasp of real, free market economics. With Paul’s help, the GOP could adopt a strong position on auditing the Federal Reserve and reversing course on decades of terrible monetary policy.

8) The Party Platform

Many libertarians and Paul supporters will scoff with cynicism at the influence that the party platform will have. Perhaps there is an element of truth to that, but in a time where it is becoming easier and easier to hound and hassle elected officials, maybe this method isn’t as hopeless as some might believe. Paul has said he wants to see the GOP adopt as part of the platform moves to audit the Federal Reserve, abolishing the Sixteenth Amendment, protection of civil liberties, etc. If the GOP does let Paul speak and addresses his very valid concerns, this forces the GOP to maybe be a little bit better on these issues than they have been in the past. Or maybe it doesn’t, and more and more people get fed up with party politics as a means for change. Either way, it’s a win-win.

9) Re-thinking Romney

While President Obama and Governor Romney bicker back and forth over tax returns and desperately trying to differentiate themselves from each other, Paul represents a synthesis of what many people already understand: that Romney and Obama are identical on any and every key issue facing America (literally 100 of them). In a similar way to what Allan Stevo reported in the article above, a chance to hear Paul speak may change the minds of people and make them actually vote for him at the convention. Seeing an authentic conservative — interested in conserving classical liberalism — and Paul’s bipartisan appeal could offer Republican voters the real thing and the GOP a political realignment for years to come.

10) Paul Deserves It

And lastly, Ron Paul deserves it. Since 1976, he has been an advocate of limited government, peace, free markets, a sound currency, and civil liberties in every step of his career as congressman, author, and even in his private practice as a doctor. He has given countless speeches on the House floor warning about the economic bubbles caused the Federal Reserve’s inflationary monetary policy and predicting the chaos and bloodshed that would result from whatever country is the fashionable target of the Administration at the time. The least the GOP — who have ignored him for decades — could do is give him 15-20 minutes to help light the last brushfires of the liberty revolution he has been instrumental in starting with a speech that would tear the roof off of the convention.

Here’s hoping the GOP lets him speak! For the sake of the party, and more importantly, the future of the country, Paul needs to be heard loud and clear.

Mitt Romney does not carry enough support with the republicans, and none from the increasing number of libertarians. If Ron Paul is not the republican nominee, Barack Obama will win a second term.

Obama Will Win

Michael S. Rozeff
lewrockwell.com
August 16, 2012

Intrade has Obama at 56.7%, down from about 59%. Romney’s more pointed attacks and choice of Ryan have coincided with this decline. Nevertheless, I feel (based on no research except general reading and knowledge) Obama will win. Meanwhile, an excellent case of insider trading can be brought against Paul Ryan.  He had what is called “material nonpublic information” and acted upon it. Will the SEC do that?  Ha-ha-ha.

Ron Paul was the strongest candidate for the nomination, but the Republicans chose to die instead, wedded to their habits of thought and their ingrained channels of power, influence and money. Paul could have hit Obama very hard by melding the negatives of deficits (and looming breaking of social promises) with useless foreign wars and spending into a positive program of reducing government spending while cutting taxes and taking steps to restructure the social programs and eliminate whole departments. He could have attacked Obama on the TSA and on the FED.

So we will continue the fight for Ron Paul and to restore the constitution, all the way up until the convention, to give the republicans and all the freedom loving people of this country, a chance to beat Obama and restore the republic.  God speed to all those Ron Paul supporters heading to the convention, the eyes of the world will be watching you!