Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Aspiring Author Acclaims Ron Paul to Large Canadian Radio Audience In a recent interview on CBC Radio One, future writer Heather Saarela made it clear to Americans living in Canada and Canadians as well that Dr. Ron Paul is "still the one" for both Democrats and Republicans.by creator
(Libertarian)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
She was born in Chicago and raised in Georgia. Now living in the city of Montreal, aspiring American writer Heather Saarela was handing out Ron Paul fliers in very chilly Union Square on St. Cathrine Street last Saturday. Happy to find such a rarity -- a Republican in Montreal! -- CBC Radio One approached Heather for an interview, which happened to take place on the day George Bush Sr. endorsed John McCain.
The interview was a significant coup for Saarela, a fervent Ron Paul supporter, because the mass media in Canada is generally as unlikely to give Ron Paul equal time as the American media. Popular radio personality Bernard St-Laurent conducted the interview on his afternoon show Homerun. You can listen to that interview here. After a brief lead-in about the Bush endorsement, most of the show time was given to Heather's observations about Dr. Paul.
"I originally started to look into the candidates last year and came across an interview by Tucker Carlson. I had never heard of this man in my life, and so started my fervent research on Ron Paul."
Ms Saarela, who is learning to speak French while working in beautiful Quebec, graduated from the University of Georgia. She is now Vice President of Business Development for Braithwaite Global Inc. Not one to sit around passively hoping for her world to improve, she has been furthering her writing skills while promoting Ron Paul's candidacy by publishing articles on Nolan Chart, a prominent internet site for political news and commentary. Of course, moving to and living in a foreign city is no minor adventure either!
St-Laurent asked her about the big issues surrounding Ron Paul's presidential candidacy and which ones she connected with.
"I agree with his stances on most of the issues that I find a big problem in my country right now -- the war in Iraq and our foreign policy in general."
Heather writes articles covering topics regarding the US political process and current candidates running for the House, Senate and Presidency. She never wanted to be involved in politics until she became familiar with Ron Paul's message and started researching what was happening in the US.
The interview then ranged to Paul's views on health care, Canadian attitudes towards their own government's role in their lives, and the economy:
"Our dollar is crashing. Ron Paul is the only one right now that has a viable plan to bring our troops home, end this war, and change our foreign policy. We really can’t afford to be policing the world right now at all."
When asked how many people she had been able to connect to in Montreal, Heather had this to say:
"I find that most people I speak to have never heard of Ron Paul. He doesn't get much media attention. He has a huge grassroots support system.
Heather reports that about 25% of Montreal passers by seem willing to accept some literature or engage in a conversation. Observing that most Montrealers can’t vote in this election, St-Laurent asked what Saarela hopes to accomplish by talking to them.
"I really hope to open people’s eyes as to what’s actually going on in North America. I don’t know if people have heard of what is called the North American Union. The North American Union is supposed to join Mexico, Canada, and the US -- a lot of people don’t know about that! Just that fact alone might wake up some Quebecers who might not be happy about that sort of thing."
When asked whether she would vote for apparent front runner John McCain, Saarela said this:
"In the US we actually, thank God, have an option to write in a candidate. I’m going to write in Ron Paul if that's my last option."
After some discussion about the failed Bush administration, St-Laurent asked about the possibility of voting for Democrat alternatives Obama or Clinton?
"If you look at the economic stimulus plans that each of them have presented, -- this is more printing money out of thin air."
Heather managed to reference Ron Paul's website and the fact that, whatever the outcome of the Republican nomination might be, there is still value in voting for Dr. Paul. Her success in handling this interview is an inspiration to the rest of the Ron Paul grassroots.
"I would like to encourage other people to consider running as well if they are interested in changing our current system. I would also like to encourage the general public to get involved and knowledgeable about what is actually going on in the US and how they can help get our country back."
Note: Heather is an assistant organizer of the Montreal Meet-up Group for Ron Paul. She has marched and spoken with many Canadians regarding our 2008 election. Her plans are to continue her work with Braitwaithe for now in Montreal, then later back in the US, where she hopes to become more directly involved in politics. Clearly she is a force to be reckoned with! You can read Heather's Nolan Chart articles here: Getting Back Our Country
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2008 creator, all rights reserved.
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Last modified: Thursday, February 21, 2008
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