Topic: Ron Paul
Ron Paul Spends Cinco de Mayo with 1500 Hoosiers

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On the eve of Indiana's Primary, Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul makes one last visit on the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne campus.

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by Bob Nightingale
(libertarian)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Driving about a hundred miles from my home just north of South Bend, on the radio I heard political ads, which amounted to bickering between the two Democratic candidates.  They argued who is going to do more for me as the next president. They both kept saying how they're going to give me "free" health care and provide a rosy future based more government largess.

That stopped when I shut off the engine and walked towards the Auer Auditorium on the campus of IPFW ([link edited for length] ). I knew I was in the right place when a sea of cars had "Ron Paul for President" and "Hope for America" in their windshields, on their bumpers and fenders. One carload represented the Redhead ([link edited for length] ) faction of the physician's base.

The meeting started at 7 p.m., but I staked out my seat at 6:15. I was pleasantly surprised to see the front section, which held about 200 people, fill up. The MeetUp group that announced the event got less than 20 RSVPs. However, as the starting time grew near, the auditorium filled to capacity.

The hour-long speech covered most of the usual fare that Ron Paul is famous for. He opposed the Iraq war right from the beginning. He voted against the Patriot act, when other members of Congress voted for it, without even knowing what was in it. He's opposed to most government spending and interference in our lives. The high price of oil is partly the fault of anticipated inflation from the stimulus checks sent out this month. On the subject of personal freedom, he said that it comes with responsibility for your actions. You can make foolish choices, but don't expect others to pay for your bad decisions. He railed against both parties' irresponsible tax-and-spend-and-inflate budget policies. He warned of a great economic crises coming if things don't change.

One light moment came when he talked about personal responsibility. He mentioned that he was working on legislation that would allow people the freedom to drink unpasteurized milk, if they so chose. "Where else but at Ron Paul meeting can you talk about marijuana and unpasteurized milk." This was right after he talked about personal choices you can make regarding your health. He felt it was wrong to deny cancer patients, those on chemotherapy, and others, such as those afflicted with AIDS, the freedom to choose their course of treatment. Instead we treat them as criminals. Even those who are addicted to dangerous drugs are prosecuted, instead of given medical treatment.

He said he was encouraged that young people were getting interested in such things as monetary policy and the Federal Reserve. He recognized that his campaign was not as well run as it could have been, and that most of the enthusiasm and support have come from the grass roots.

Near the end of his speech, he urged the audience to keep up the fight for more individualism and against authoritarianism.

What was truly amazing occurred after Dr. Paul spoke. Most of the audience formed a huge line in the corridor and tried to shake his hand or have him sign something: a book, a t-shirt, a yard sign. His new book The Revolution: A Manifesto appeared on bookshelves a few days ago. My local bookstore was sold out, as well as the Borders and the Barnes & Noble in the next two towns. I got my book in Michigan City, one of two remaining copies in a hundred miles of my home. I waited about 45 minutes before I could get my copy signed. I wasn't the last.

In the parking lot I took pictures of more people and cars, before making the two-hour drive back in the dark.

For a presidential candidate who is supposed to have lost the race, there was no lack of enthusiasm from the true believers of smaller government and more liberty. I didn't hear much talk about the election tomorrow. One older gentleman explained it to me as I was filing out of the building "if you have smaller, less expensive government, the rest of it falls into place." Amen, brother.

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©2008 Bob Nightingale, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Last modified: Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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