Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Attention Ron Paul Supporters During this election cycle, we should not lose site of the one branch of Government that is supposed to be the most accountable to us.by Alexander Jefferson
(libertarian)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Ron Paul presidential campaign has sparked what has been termed the Ron Paul REVOLution. This has awakened in many of us for the first time a sense of civic awareness, a more keen understanding of the Constitution, and the Government our founding fathers had envisioned for this country. As we move into the primaries we can now see how much work is yet to be done, and have learned it will not be easy. It is at this time that I feel it is important to point out that this movement is not about Ron Paul, but his message of liberty, personal freedom and most importantly accountability. Therefore the measure of this movement should not be tied to any one man, even Ron Paul.
As we work to try and elect the first honest man into the presidency in our lifetime, we need to keep the bigger picture in mind. The reason we have had such dishonest, unprincipled, and duplicitous leaders in the last hundred years is because of you and me, and people just like us. We are the ones who have sat by not paying any attention to how the special interests have bought and paid for the politicians before we even cast a vote. We are the ones who have not held these leaders accountable to keep their word. We are the ones who were sleep walking through life while everything our founding fathers fought and died for was being taken from us. And most importantly, we are the only ones who can do anything about it.
My challenge to you is to take ownership of the branch of government that is most under our control should we choose to exercise it, the Congress! In 2006 a winning candidate raised on average 1.3 million dollars(1) less then half from individual donors, and a minuscule portion of that from 'small donors'. Is it any wonder why these politicians are at the beck and call of the special interests? Now the easy thing to do would be to throw up our collective hands and say, there is nothing we can do about it. But it doesn't have to play out like that.
We have in place the organization via meet-up groups, the ability to raise money, and the ability to spread the message via blogs and youtube videos to take on the Goliath of special interest. All that remains to be seen is if we have the will to take this movement past the cult of personality, and make ourselves accountable to self government.
This process will not be accomplished overnight, even if we are successful in electing Ron Paul. The power to enact or in our case rescind laws, is with the legislative branch. We should make for ourselves, three goals independent of who is elected President; 1. Continue to try and awaken our friends and family to their civic responsibility as a citizen, to be informed and active in our government, and that the constitution is the contract between we the people and the Government to protect us from despotic leaders, 2. Use our organizations such as meet up groups to not only review legislation coming up for on a vote in congress, but eventually even help to set policy in Washington much the same way that special interest do now. Stay in touch with our congress members to let them know we are watching them to make sure they are doing that which they were elected to do. 3. Seek out more Ron Paul like politicians, and get them elected into congress. They should be men and women who see the constitution as the guideline for how they should vote, eschew special interest and their strings attached monies. We should use our bloggers and video gurus to get the message out via the internet, to help combat the corporate media which is owned by those same special interest who currently own the politicians, and mobilize our fund raising efforts to allow them to compete with the bought and paid for politicians. Finally, we should start working on all of this today, while the movement has power. We should not allow our voice to be marginalized. The REVOLution has begun, be a part of it.
The views expressed in this
article are those of Alexander Jefferson only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Alexander Jefferson is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
While I agree with your comments, in general, I do not agree with the thrust of the obvious reasoning behing writing this article at this time. Are you writing this because Ron Paul is not doing as well as supporters had hoped? We supporters are tapped out emotionally, financially, and because we are mentally drained from constantly fighting everyone, from the Media to the GOP itself. Where has your "sense of urgency" gone? As it is, the state of emergency in this country is screaming "8" with NAFTA, GATT, and the North American Trade Union puffing down our backs, with unbridled, rampant illegal immigration which will continue in the millions more, and if that's not enough, the major assault on our dollar will be complete, just in time for the filthy rich elitist globalists to take control--hence, enter the "Amero". We do not have the time to gradually enter Congressmen. That should have been done 2 decades ago. Now, we're in a colossal mess, and it's too late. ONLY Ron Paul winning would have made any dent in this whole process. As President, can you imagine all the "Fireside Chats" he would have done? Can you imagine how he would have educated the public? People would have been hanging on to his every word, whether on TV or Radio. I'm sorry I am a pessimist. They say it takes a ship a mile to turn, once the rudder has been turned. WE supporters had hope, but we can see the MONOPOLIZING CONTROL that the Media monopoly has over the masses. Our hope has dwindled, not because of Dr. Paul, but because of a corrupt, fascist system run amuck, without one shred of consideration for our once great country, the United States. And, btw, we are a precinctwoman and a precinctman, but we have to say we feel pretty disheartened at this point.
You are correct, i am writing this now because the presidential bid is not going as well as I or any of his supporters had hoped. I was only an infant during the last movement that tried to change our politics, but history has written that idealist do not have the stamina for real change. If those activist who failed to elect George McGovern, had not only stayed involved, but worked in a grassroots manner to change the system from the bottom up, we would not need a soft spoken and reluctant man like Dr. Paul to "save" us.
I find the idea that we should need anyone to "save" us repugnant. We should save ourselves! One thing we can do is support Ron paul's bid for office, but win or lose, that is only the begiining. I challenge you and everyone else who has supported him to not go back to sleep, to not 'go quietly into the night'. This is still our country, and we are all needed to make sure it remains ours.
"But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government." -- Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837
Transmutant: thanks for the awesome radio show link. Larsen sums up exactly how I feel about this whole filthy process today.
Alex and Laura: I'll be fighting for liberty up until the moment Paul is out of the race; and then I'll strive to become the biggest tumor in the system, the largest plaque in the artery, the most septic infection in the wound, the most virulent virus tainting the blood of this once free nation.
"Still men accept servility in order to acquire wealth; as if they could acquire anything of their own when they cannot even assert that they belong to themselves, or as if anyone could possess under a tyrant a single thing in his own name. Yet they act as if their wealth really belonged to them, and forget that it is they themselves who give the ruler the power to deprive everybody of everything, leaving nothing that anyone can identify as belonging to somebody." -- Etienne de la Boetie
Don't forget the judicial branch, where we actually DO have the last say (more or less). We can use jury nullification to prevent the government from steamrolling over innocents with unconstitutional laws. Judging by primary and caucus results, we make up around 10% of those also availably for jury duty and therefore at least one patriot/freedom lover is likely to be on every sitting jury... if you can't convince the rest for nullification, you can at least be a holdout and hang the jury.
Laura, Alexander, & All, The main point of this post hits the nail right on the head, but Laura's point is a very valid one. People are saddened by what has been happening. Before I go into the answers, I want to remind that George Washington had to run and narrowly escape from New York. With no substantial wins to his name, he than had to abandon Philadelphia, and camp with his troops in Valley Forge, where 1/3 of his men died to cold and starvation. I'm sorry if I sound like a drill sergeant, but you need to refocus! I MUST quote John Paul Jones in this time of our campaign when I say
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