Today is Congressman Paul’s 73rd birthday! Several of you have already commented about this on other posts, and we’ve put this one up as a place where you can officially leave your well wishes and congratulations.
The Columbian reports that Michael Delavar came in second yesterday in a top two primary in Washington State, and will face five-term Democratic U.S. Representative Brian Baird in the November elections to decide who will represent Washington’s 3rd District. (Baird took the top spot in the primary.)
Thanks to Terry for sending us the article.
The Campaign for Liberty is happy to announce that Country Music Superstar Sara Evans will perform as a special treat for Rally for the Republic attendees. Sara Evans, a multi-platinum recording artist and 2006 Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year, will bring her remarkable talents to an already stellar cast of performers and speakers. Her performance is sure to cap off a wonderful day on September 2nd.
Update: Digg it!
Seems like things are going pretty well! Here’s part of their email update:
Our presentation, “The Case for Freedom: the Constitution is the Way Forward for America” has been very well received. The meetings after the presentation have been lively discussions about the real issues of the Rule of Law vs. the Rule of Men. Many are truly surprised and interested to learn about the Federal Reserve and the truth of our monetary system.
The work we are doing is groundbreaking. After each Town Hall Meeting, we have been asked “how can we get a copy of this presentation?” to show to churches, veterans organizations, senior centers and high schools. We are meeting people in each town who really want to spread this message, if only they get some help and a little start. We really are Paul Reveres riding the countryside and “setting brushfires in the minds of men”.
And here’s their latest video:
The much anticipated commemorative tickets are ready to hit the printer. Below is a sneak peak of what you will be receiving in the mail soon. If you haven’t purchased your commemorative ticket, grab your piece of history here for $17.76 each + $3 shipping per order.
We understand many of you will be unable to make the trip to Minneapolis and attend the Rally for the Republic, but we didn’t want to leave you out. So we are giving you a chance to still participate and have your own piece of history. The commemorative ticket is a collectors item and, in my humble opinion, a work of art. The ticket will be laminated to preserve its value and quality.
Note: This is not an actual ticket and will not entitle entrance to the Rally for the Republic.
As you are well aware, Ron Paul delegates in Nevada have been fighting to see that the state is properly represented at the Republican National Convention. Legal costs associated with the various situations out there are mounting, and they have asked for our help in raising awareness of their needs.
Visit their Chip-in page for more information.
Please keep in mind that this Chip-In project is purely a grassroots undertaking‚ and‚ as such‚ is not run by CFL. All questions and other items of business should be taken care of by contacting those in charge through the information given on their website. Also‚ because we are not in charge of this project‚ CFL cannot make any guarantees about it. However‚ it is our opinion that this is a worthy cause. By participating in this Chip-In, you take full responsibility for any issues arising from that participation.
As you plan for your activities on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd, we want to inform you that there is a restaurant at the Target Center and there will be concession stands operating during the Rally. So, the option of eating right in the Target Center is open to those interested.
Also, as long as you have your ticket scanned, you will be able to come and go as you please during the Rally events.
Everyday I’m amazed at how many people I come across who say “Oh, Ron Paul. I like what he stands for.” Today’s great discovery is from the Baltimore Sun. According to this February 19, 2008 post, record breaking Olympian, Michael Phelps, is being recruited to join the Ron Paul Revolution. His training partner, Erik Vendt, is already a dedicated follower of liberty, a $200 donor to the Ron Paul campaign (on December 16th no less), and doing his best to convince Phelps that freedom works. Anyone know Michael Phelps and/or Erik Vendt? We’d be happy to invite them and their team as special guests to the Rally for the Republic.
Vendt and Phelps are an interesting yin and yang as training partners. Vendt is a voracious reader, a student of history, an outdoors enthusiast and a political junkie. He and Bowman traded friendly barbs during the build-up to the New Hampshire primary, with Bowman supporting John McCain and Vendt supporting Ron Paul.
“Ron Paul is my guy,” said Vendt, who describes himself as a libertarian ideologically. “It’s really frustrating the way the mainstream media just ignored him and acted like he was a fringe candidate without doing any research at all. I think he’s really what the country needs. … I’m definitely not a fan of the huge tentacle-like arms of the federal government invading everything in our lives.”
Vendt said he’s almost been able to convince Phelps to join the Paul Revolution.
“Michael is a big online poker guy, and that’s one of Paul’s issues, legalizing online gambling,” Vendt said.
Vendt says he could see himself possibly getting involved in politics someday.
“People joke around and talk about running for office, and I say ‘OK, if you do, I’ll run your campaign,” Vendt said. “But it’s definitely something I’m interested in.”
Today at 2:00pm ET I’ll be interviewing Dan McCarthy, whom many of you remember from the Daily Dose, the Ron Paul 2008 blog. In addition to being associate editor of The American Conservative, Dan is one of the most knowledgeable people I know, and I’ve been privileged to know a lot of smart folks. Anything he is involved in is a winner, consistently.
We’ll talk about all kinds of things: McCain, Obama, third parties, the Old Right, recent books of interest to our movement, and much more. Listen here at 2pm.
Email questions to us here. Here’s the archive of previous programs.
In an interesting tidbit, the Independent Green Party has placed Dr. Paul and Michael Bloomberg on the ballot as their presidential ticket in Virginia.
My take:
1) The IGP knew that the name Ron Paul would pull a few votes (probably Bloomberg too)
2) Dr. Paul’s traditional, conservative American message has tremendous crossover appeal with the Left. You don’t see them nominating Mitt Romney, do you?
In all seriousness, Dr. Paul is an environmentalist. He just understands that the best way to protect our natural resources is by enforcing private property rights, not Big Government. The Soviet Union had perhaps the biggest government in human history and produced some of the most diabolical environmental degradation (the Aral Sea or Chernobyl anyone?)
And, a message to the Greens – come join us, environmentalism is very libertarian! The first thing most people stop caring about during tough economic times is protecting the environment. The top-to-bottom prosperity that only true free markets can provide is the best way to preserve our world. A wealthy people have time to smell the roses; and prevent acid rain.
Carol has made a remarkable turnaround. The doctors just removed her breathing tube and she is alert, talking and can NOT wait to get out of bed. Hopefully, she will leave the ICU in a few days and head to more comfortable accomodations to begin her rehabilitation.
Luvie gave us quite a scare, and we all so relieved she is pulling through. All of your kind notes and well-wishes mean the world to her and Dr. Paul.
The time has come to provide what many of you have requested - merchandise! Campaign for Liberty t-shirts, rally signs, hats, bumper stickers, and other items beloved by the masses.
The Rally for the Republic is less than a month away, and for all of you who plan to attend, we want to make sure you are first to buy your C4L gear. Merchandise will go on sale at the Target Center and online, Tuesday Sept. 2nd. If you are like me and have been waiting for the time to change that “Ron Paul - Hope for America” bumper sticker on your car, this may be that moment.
“So, what does the newest Campaign for Liberty t-shirt look like?”, you might ask. Good question.
We wanted only the best, most creative, liberty-loving, original design. We racked our brains for the most immaculate Campaign for Liberty t-shirt, rally sign, hat, and bumper sticker designs we could come up with. And after a few attempts, we came to a conclusion: there are more creative people than us. Let’s have a contest!
So we are launching our second 99designs.com design contest. Who can come up with the best merchandise designs for the Campaign for Liberty and the Rally for the Republic?
We are awarding $200, premium tickets to the Rally for the Republic, a copy of The Revolution: A Manifesto, and maybe some random stuff we find in the office to the winner. If you are savvy with Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, or another design program (Microsoft Paint doesn’t count), than please participate. Please add your best design to the contest. We will provide feedback and pick a winner in about a week.
Looking forward to the new gear!
Dr. Paul’s latest Texas Straight Talk:
We’ve heard how the value of the dollar affects gas prices – and indeed the price of everything. I was pleased that my request for a hearing on such was granted by the Financial Services Committee and we were able to hear some very informative testimony. Certainly domestic policies, regarding off-shore oil drilling bans, ethanol mandates, refining capacity, and CAFE standards are interventionist and harmful enough in the energy market.
But how does foreign policy affect gas prices? One important factor is that oil on the world market has been priced in dollars exclusively since 1973. Only two leaders have gone against this arrangement - Saddam Hussein in 2000 and more recently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the recently opened Iranian Oil Bourse which trades in non-dollar currencies. But since oil is otherwise exclusively traded in dollars, this means that oil producers have vast amounts of assets held in dollars. Especially since the War on Terror and the PATRIOT Act, many oil-producing nations and banks are concerned the US government may freeze assets based on flimsy pretexts. This fear contributes to dollar weakness, and therefore also high oil prices.
Recently I and other members of Congress spoke out against H Con Res 362 and exposed this seemingly innocuous bill for what it really is – a call for a blockade and a build up to war with Iran. Thankfully it has not come to the floor for a vote as I had fully expected it would. But to even propose legislation like this, and get an alarming 261 cosponsors, makes the oil markets jittery and encourages more capital flight from the dollar. We only isolate ourselves on the world stage with actions and attitudes like this. After all, how can it be wise for the rest of the world to bank on America, when we tend to freeze assets and blockade entire countries for no good reason?
Another major factor is our intervention in international military conflicts. These conflicts are often much more complicated, and have more to do with oil than our own leaders are willing to acknowledge. Too often the side we support points our weapons right back at us down the road. The best policy is always free trade with all and entangling alliances with none, but instead we isolate ourselves by picking sides and making enemies out of our friends or potential friends. In the recent conflict with Russia and Georgia, it appears that once again the administration is going to pick sides and send taxpayer money, when we are in a deep recession here at home. There is no good reason for us to put a dog in every fight around the world.
The contributing factors in the price of oil are complicated and legion. The fact is, it is an immensely valuable resource, and, as our demand for this resource is great, our relationships with world leaders who control it should be handled with reason and intelligence. However, our interventionist mindset when it comes to foreign policy never ceases to get us into sticky situations, for which we pay a premium at the gas pump.
That’s how the Dallas Fed Chairman calculates it. This item and many others are covered at Common Sense Gold, a small-scale site I edit with Roger McCaffrey. It’s updated every seven to ten days or so, and to quote Roger, it’s for “intimidated novices who know something’s wrong with the system.”
The Leadership Institute (based out of Arlington, Va.) is holding a grassroots training school in Westerville, OH on Saturday, August 23rd from 9 am - 5 pm ET. National organizers and consultants will be offering training in developing a persuasive message, campaign strategy and organization, building coalitions, recruiting and motivating volunteers, voter contact – the e-campaign, voter contact – precinct organization, voter contact – door to door, finding and registering voters, and GOTV – Getting Out the Vote.
You can get more information here, and you can contact Patricia Simpson at psimpson@limail.us if you have any questions.
Please keep in mind that this grassroots training is run by the Leadership Institute and is not affiliated with C4L. All questions and other items of business should be taken care of by contacting those in charge through the information given on their website. Also‚ because we are not in charge of this project‚ C4L cannot make any guarantees about quality of service. However‚ it is our opinion that this is a worthy effort. By using this service‚ you take full responsibility for any issues arising from your use of it.
Some liberty lovers will go to any length not to miss the big event on September 2. From our inbox, a suggestion for the others of you young enough to pull an all-nighter. (Though I suspect the energy from so many fellow freedom fighters in one humongous venue will be as good as a case of Red Bull!)
Hello fellow Americans. I have a suggestion based on what my group will be doing… Me and four friends from Denver are flying in to MN in the morning of Tue, Sept 2nd (arrive 9:45am local time), attending the all day Rally, and then hanging out in the town and the airport until our red-eye takes off at 6:00am on Wed, Sept 3rd. We are skipping the overnight lodging! While we just attended the DC Rally, we decided the Rally for the Republic in MN was too important to miss even though it will cost more money to fly again. So we decided to make this trip extra affordable by lessening the amount of time we spend on lodging and how much time we take off of work. We are only going to be out of town for 24 hours, which works out perfect for us. Each person will spend less than $300 with flight, 3 cheap meals for the day, Rally ticket, and T-shirts! I hope you push this suggestion to others who visit the site. I hope more supporters can at least attend the one most important day– Tues Sept 2nd. Please encourage site visitors to consider the “overnight” method if they are concerned about cost, time, or both. We need supporters to commit and I hope more people will be willing to do this if they feel they cannot make all 4 days of events.
And there you have it — a recipe for liberty-on-the-cheap. See you in Minneapolis!
Barry Goldwater, Jr. has brought to our attention that former Congressman Mickey Edwards, whom Dr. Paul served with during his first several terms in Congress, has written a book titled Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost- And How It Can Find Its Way Back.
Mickey Edwards, a congressman for sixteen years, was a member of the House Republican leadership, national chair of the American Conservative Union, and a founding trustee of the Heritage Foundation. He taught 11 years at Harvard, and he teaches at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and is a director of the Constitution Project. He is also a director of the Aspen Institute.
Edwards has not pulled any punches when it comes to taking the conservative movement to task for abandoning its constitutional foundation. (Check out his articles “The Erosion of American Constitutional Principle” and “A True Litmus Test for Reelection” to get a feel for his approach.) Reclaiming Conservatism is sure to generate more discussion on how to reclaim our Party and restore our Republic.
Doug Wead, presidential historian‚ New York Times bestselling author, and one of our Rally for the Republic speakers, will be appearing on Fox News this coming Saturday at 4:30pm ET. Mr. Wead will be joining Cal Thomas, Jim Pinkerton, and Jane Hall for a panel discussion on the upcoming conventions. John Scott will be hosting.
Mr. Wead has written some excellent articles on Dr. Paul and the Revolution, and has informed us that he had a chance to plug the Rally during the segment, which has already been taped. Be sure to check it out!