Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Can The Ron Paul Freedom March Succeed? In a very real sense, it's up to YOU. Here are some issues to seriously consider. Let's count the cost and then move boldly ahead to make this march the most successful event in American political history!by creator
(Libertarian)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Dr. Ron Paul, who yesterday issued the call for a "Freedom March," has himself said that this will be a risky enterprise. If boldness and decisive action in the face of the unknown is a measure of leadership, Dr. Paul is clearly a leader among men. That's why we who care so much about freedom need to begin planning and preparing NOW to be there in DC "with bells on."
Count The Cost: Yes, it will cost you something to go, to be there "in the flesh," and to be counted. Your expense of course does not count against your "FEC limit." Therefore not only will you be able to spend the money for yourself, you can sponsor others less fortunate than yourself as well. The Ron Paul grassroots has become famous for finding creative ways to "chip in" and help one another achieve our goals in this quest to restore American freedom.
The One to Beat: That would be the "Million Man March," which according to the best and most scientific estimates may have actually achieved a head count of one million people. Would a lesser showing be seen as a "failure" of this freedom march? Not necessarily, but it is always good to have a goal and a target to meet or beat, and as far as I can see, that 1995 march is the one to beat.
The present US population is estimated to be just over 300 million people. To achieve a turnout of one million people represents one third of one percent of the US population, which would a staggering result for any nationwide marketing effort. We need grassroots experts who are skilled in marketing and motivation to help achieve this goal. We can also probably expect a useful number of foreigners to travel to Washington in a show of global solidarity for the cause of freedom.
Motivation: What will bring the largest possible turnout for this historic event? This march is not about Ron Paul the man - it is about the idea of Liberty, on which the very heart and soul of America is founded. We have seen our liberties systematically stripped from us day by day under the thumb of an ever growing, ever more greedy federal government. It is long past time to roll back that tyranny!
There are enough fundamentally righteous causes in this campaign to rally significant numbers of people around. What we need to do is get out the word and inspire people to come. Scott from Oregon has said that we need to "THINK BIG" and Ron Paul's leadership represents a truly "Big Tent" welcoming all Americans. We can probably count on a significant backlash against the GOP's presumptive elevation of liberal globalist John McCain to the putative nomination.
Peace, Freedom, and Prosperity ought to be important enough to all Americans to bring a very large turn-out. This is not about Ron Paul, it is about the ideas of his platform and will have a profound effect on the very future of our children and grandchildren on this continent.
Logistics: What is the capacity of the American transportation infrastructure? Are there enough aircraft and is there enough airport capacity? Consider flying to nearby cities, arriving a day or two in advance and staying with relatives or friends that may live within driving distance of DC.
Media Coverage: We know beforehand that the "mainstream media" has fought the advance of freedom, tooth and nail. There are wealthy and powerful vested interests that make this so. Therefore, we must enlist professional film crews to cover this event, and we must orchestrate such a "buzz" in leading up to the event so that everyone everywhere is constantly hounding their own TV and radio stations to "be there" and to provide good coverage of the rally.
Historic Records: There must be aerial photography arranged for in advance. Perhaps we could hire the Ron Paul Blimp once more and have it flying over the scene and recording in video and high-resolution still photography a permanent and indisputable record of how many Americans gathered for the cause of liberty.
"I'm sort of getting excited about this!" - Ron Paul
Are you excited yet? Will you go? If you can't go, will you send a son or daughter? A grandson or granddaughter? Will you fund another patriot? Will you spread the word far and wide? What is your freedom worth? Let's take back America for Peace, Freedom, and Prosperity!
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2008 creator, all rights reserved.
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Last modified: Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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This needs to take place, it needs to be big, it needs to be seen, and our voices need to be heard.
I agree that this march is not just about Ron Paul, but many other issues. First and foremost are Liberty and the Constitution.
This may be our last chance to wake people up to the direction the country is headed if we don't make REAL Change in this country (and I don't mean Obama rhetoric).
The revolution is over. What is left of it has been co-opted by NASCAR. The march is pointless. By the time they get around to doing it RP's support will be half of what it is now. I wasn't aware it was all about reviving the republican party. If there is one thing that could be realistically accomplished this cycle by Ron Paul it would be driving the final death inducing stake into the heart of the bloated elephant. A far more worthy goal than saving it. RP's letter coming as it did before last weekends primaries and caucuses and the subsequent video are reminiscent of Perot's campaign. Remember when he quit (to protect his daughters wedding day) and then re-entered after? Half of all those who were considering a vote for him backed out. The marchers will be genteel and polite and largely ignored.
I'm sure our friends from around the world would love come and support us as well; especially since the dollar is becoming worthless they might as well come here and take a vacation, attend a great rally and spend some money.
Posted By: Christopher (Fipher) D. Osborn
Date: 2008-02-12 17:01:58
Am I excited? Heck yeah I am. Too bad I really probably can't go since I'm leaving for Norway on the 31st of March. I will, however, be spreading the word far and wide. Before I can effectively do that, however, we need a decision on a date.
I like the idea of the 110th anniversery of the constitution, but it must be comething that everyone can agree with and it bust be decided on ASAP so we can get the ball rolling with the planning and the promoting and everything. i shouldn't been too soon so we have time, but it should be during the election when people are more motivated for things like this, and it should be near or on some significant date to help solidify the theme and attract attention.
I think you may be misreading something here; this is not primarily about "reviving the GOP" but rather about liberty. When I say "Big Tent" I don't mean the party tent, rather the cause of Liberty. That should be big enough for any and everyone to get behind. What you do party-wise (after, of course, being "Republican" in states where that is necessary to vote for Ron Paul in the primary) is no one's concern but yours. But please don't let pro or anti-partisan sour grapes prevent you from taking part in a massive liberty movement.
Posted By: Greg S of Whidbey Island WA
Date: 2008-02-12 17:31:09
Don’t call it a march - call it a rally. The Liberty Rally. A march on Washington sounds like antagonism. Marches have to do with war. We don’t to be marginalized anymore by comparing us to the civil rights marches of yesteryear - we need a conservative message, but a progressive approach.
It is also important to make this more than a Ron Paul moment. This should be an event which celebrates LIBERTY as the theme - with Ron Paul as the presenter. If we could get prominent public speakers who can make the case for liberty and financial responsibility (Peter Schiff, Micheal Badnarik, Judge Napalitano? ANYONE who has a strong public image - we need our own Oprah moment. Certainly someone in the conservative wing, a former Reagan staffer, former CIA agents speaking about blowback, military officers and vets talking about the war… get a cross section of the population and get them in front of a microphone for 10 minutes. They could each end by saying “that’s why I support Ron Paul for President”. Get it on CSPAN live all day - or some other cable channel, plus local radio and TV stations.
What about a virtual march to go along with the actual march by feeding satellite video to a big screen at the rally - Live video feeds from major city rallies the same weekend.
Have related events - like a fair - showcasing the Constitution, the Gold standard, The truth about the FED and Income Taxes. Show Freedom to Fascism at a local theater the same three days. Dress people up like missles with John McCain's face and have them tear up maps of Iran. Make some mischief in a playful non-threatening way. EDUCATE THE FEEBLE MASSES! In other words MAXIMIZE and be CREATIVE. There is plenty of time to do it right and make a HUGE impact at the right moment. How about 4th of July?
I will personally volunteer to help in this effort on a local level if anyone is interested. My background is Marketing and Promotions. Think this through and let’s get someone to manage this event so it doesn’t just look like were throwing stuff up to see if it sticks. We need a LIBERTY WAR PLAN!
We need this event to be the biggest thing this country has ever seen, I for one are one hundred percent and then some behind it. Music can sooth even the savage beast, Food , Speakers, Americans standing togeather as one, the first Republican "WoodStock" and no the "US festival" does not count, it was cool though, especially day 2. This going to be huge. SURRENDER IS NOT A RON PAUL WORD!!! Ron Paul 08
What about a "march" all across America? What if for 1 or 2 hours on one day, Freedom lovers across the country "stood" or "marched" along Interstate 90 the whole length of the nation? It would be more feasable for more people to "get there".... There are LOTS more hotels and so forth available... we'd have the attention of MANY cities along the corridor, it would be harder for the media to ignore and we might coud integrate a message TO the whole nation (intead of TO Washington) and coming FROM the whole nation as well. We could have the differnt meetup groups sign up for different stretches of the interstate. Imagine the aerial footage of Millions of RP supporters standing in one huge long line across America....
Maybe I'm dreaming too big here.. but it would really be something, and I think there are some serious advantages.
Stop trolling these sites and posting crap like that. I've seen you on several now, doing the same old thing over and over again. If you don't want to be a part of it, then fine, but what's your motivation for bringing the downer on everyone else.
DocMoose - maybe JimNYC has changed his name from 'statist' who has been m.i.a. from NolanChart comments lately - he used to write the nasties about every favorable Ron Paul article. As I replied to each of his comments, JimNYC, too, needs to get out of his mom's basement and get some fresh air.
Ron Paul for the Long Haul - and the Long Rally in WDC!!
Thank you for jumping out there and getting the ball rolling, as much discussion needs to happen between now and (?).
A set date would be a good start so people can get off work etc. Who is going to decide that?
Also I think that it is of utmost importance that we push this as a Peace & Liberty March from the get-go. Nothing would make the neocons more happy than this getting out of hand.
We want Peace and we need to peaceful.
One other consideration I have is where is the bathrooms ?....LOL
I'm invisioning ever growing caravans from all over America supporting Ron and taking his word to George Bushs' House !!
I think that the rally would be a good cause to get awareness on a reaffirmation of the Constitution in its current form (unamended). Article V of the Consitution outlines the process for a Constitutional Convention. This could be a good way to nationally reaffirm support for the Constituion by each State. Isn't that what the Ron Paul Revolution is about?
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffr
BUSES... we are going to need lots and lots of buses, and a website to co-ordinate buses from every state for anyone wanting to goto the rally. Our ability to bring people to this event will drive fear into our opposition. Any celebrity types that you can get will be a huge boost, and celebritys willing to perform at the event in particular. The blimp is a must. We will need at least one big stage and at least one huge tent. Also, we have to get porta-toilets setup around the national mall. Plan to come a day or two in advance. Parking is available at the many metro(light rail) stations throughout the DC area, and the national mall is a short metro ride away.
Advise people to bring:
-food & water for 3 days
-camcorder/camera
-poncho/umbrella & towel
-tent/camper
-white shirt or sash
-toilet paper
-pepper spray (DC is a rough town), but NO WEAPONS.
I argue against naming it the Freedom March. Freedom has been overused recently, namely by Bush and the mainstream media with regard to Iraq. The meaning of freedom has been diluted, sadly enough. It has been used more commonly to mean democracy (to which it is totally unrelated) than liberty. Please read my short article suggesting a focus on the US Constitution
It might be irresponsible for all freedoom lovers to march on DC all at once. It could very well block highways, and every road in DC.
Roads and highways could be badly damaged by all the foot traffic of those freedom marchers, are we sure that we want to be responsible for all that.
Just think about the shear scale of food and beverage consumption of all the freedom marchers, it could cause localized famine in DC.
If freedom marchers all went to DC at once, it could terrify the elite, the bankers, the mainstream media, the military industrial complex, the medical industrial complex, the oil moguls, the neo cons, and the globalists.
Are we really sure we want to be responsible for all that ?
If people won't show up at the polls and vote, I doubt they will travel all the way to D.C. I say we should shoot for 100,000 people - and all of us armed. A little bloodshed is good for any Free society. It is the lack of courage and backbone that has led this nation back into the pit of tyranny. Call me when the real revolution starts.
p.s. I did vote for Ron Paul in my state's primary. I will go to Washington peacebly, if that's what the movement wants. But I think it's high time to start talking force. I am certainly not alone. We shame the early Americans who took a lot less from their own tyrant(s).
Posted By: Readyto March
Date: 2008-02-25 10:16:59
To "jo"
Yes. That is exactly what we want. To shake up the media and other pundits that think they can control our election process. Really, localized famine? you need to get a grip on reality. Hey...we could call FEMA.
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2008 creator, all rights reserved.