Liberty Maven

I enjoyed this phone interview with Ron Paul on the Morning Joe this morning. Rather than sticking to the standard Ron Paul message script the opportunity to reveal some of Paul’s sense of humor came towards the end of the interview.

Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch of Reason magazine sit down for an online chat at the Washington Post. They discuss the rise of Ron Paul and answer questions about Libertarianism and it’s role in today’s political universe.

Williamsburg, Va.: Some journalists and bloggers have complained about the amount of angry responses they get when they print something negative about Ron Paul. I think this may be because up to now, he has gotten so little coverage that his supporters are very protective of whatever coverage he does get. With little coverage, a negative story can be especially hurtful. What is your take on this strong protective reaction to bad press?

Matt Welch: Well, journalists complaining about ANYTHING re: reader response strikes me as rich, but … let’s just say Ron Paul’s biggest fans are passionate and know how to use the InterTubes thing. In all cases, I believe, people *over*-estimate the power of the Evil MSM one way or another, and the more Paul rises (assuming he still does) the more the flame-warriors will maybe begin to relax a bit.

Read the rest of the transcript at the Washington Post. 

This well written article discusses some of the really young Ron Paul supporters who perhaps don’t quite understand what they’re campaigning so rabidly for:

I want to know if these poor young delusional souls have considered the fact that they are voting for a candidate that supports small government. I wonder if they understand that this means they will have to take care of themselves. They will have to be educated and fight a little harder to get things done. I wonder why they support a man who wants to abolish the IRS and Income Tax if they probably don’t even understand how our tax system works. They probably have never even had to deal with the IRS or bills beyond their cell phones, car insurance and college tuition. Are they really prepared to take the reigns as American citizens? Are they really prepared for the inevitable uncomfortability that will come with self-sufficiency? Do they really grasp the fact that they are supporting a man who wants to withdraw Federal Government’s constant pampering? I’m pretty sure the answer is no.

Here: enjoy the full article.

The site responsible for many of the realtime graphs for all things Ron Paul has posted a nice article detailing the technical details of how the data is collected.

Sure it’s probably only interesting to the geeks among us, but so be it. Read behind the scenes at RonPaulGraphs here.

This is an old video clip, but it is worth watching over and over again. When done watching, write your congressman. The end includes the now semi-famous introduction of Ron Paul as “the Thomas Jefferson of our day.”

Over the past several months I’ve become addicted to the Ron Paul campaign. I’m a Ron Paul zealot, I admit it. With some introspection I’ve realized that the zealotry does not come from the man, Ron Paul, but the message of liberty he promotes. Liberty is nothing but a feeling. A feeling close to invincibility. It is more addictive than any drug in the world.

I will not be attending any 12 step program to end my liberty addiction. Instead I will consume the sweet nectar of liberty as often as possible. I will stand on the street corner of America and become a liberty dealer. I will not charge anything other than your time and attention.

Don’t you want to be free? Wouldn’t you rather spend your money how you see fit rather than give it to the government? You know how to spend your money. They don’t. You deal in the free market. They deal in the special interest market. The only way to spend your money wisely is to ensure that you are the one doing the spending, saving, or investing.

This idea is not selfish. It is mutual benefit for all. It transcends class. By participating in the economy you help the economy. When you let the market decide, prices go down, the value of the dollar goes up, charitable giving rises, and the need for higher taxes disappears.

The only moral way to accomplish an American empire is leading by example. Showing the world that the American experiment has succeeded through liberty will infect other countries to mimic us. Liberty is undeniable. Once you taste it, the craving only gets stronger.

Why are you afraid of being free? Think for yourself. You are an individual with unalienable rights. Dig deep within you. Find your inner founding father and release him. He’s in there somewhere.

Wake up every day and ask yourself, “How can I deliver the sweet nectar of liberty today?”

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about how inspired I was by what Michael (Ron Paul Rider) is doing. Read it here. At that time I read that he’d be cycling through Ron Paul’s district the thought occurred to me how neat it would be to have Ron Paul himself ride with him. That sparkle of thought came to fruition as I posted yesterday.

Today Michael posted in his blog, the details of his “surreal” encounter with Dr. Paul and I must say that I teared up a bit with joy reading it and seeing the picture of he and Ron Paul on their bikes together.

I won’t put quotes from his post here, but I sincerely encourage you to go read Michael’s latest blog entry here entitled “God, Family, Country”. You will be happy you did.

A frequent poster to Ron Paul Forums appears on a discussion piece about Ron Paul’s campaign and its Internet effectiveness. The piece is very good and “Taco John” from Ron Paul Forums is obviously nervous but does a good job getting a word in edgewise for someone who has never appeared on television before. See the YouTube clips below.

National Review Online has published a reasonable article discussing the campaign contributions from certain unsavory characters, and the possible political ramifications of choosing to keep, versus returning, the money.

But the controversy raises a broader question. Campaigns must return illegal contributions — stolen money, straw donor money, or corporate money, for example. But what are they ethically or morally obligated to do when they receive legal contributions from one or two individuals known to be controversial?

…

Paul’s line — probably the correct one, if not the wisest politically — is that no matter how evil the donor, the return of a political contribution is a purely symbolic act undertaken for public-relations purposes.

Read the article here.

The latest article from the Ludwig von Mises Institute explores the history of our currency and discusses the recent federal raid on Norfed in which the Ron Paul Dollars were seized.

The issue of whether money should be the sole prerogative of government has been controversial for a very long time. Advocates of limited government have always argued that money should be something of value as a commodity independent of its monetary use, although many of them have allowed a role for government in attesting to the weight and fineness of coins and the soundness of banks. Advocates of big government have always argued, contrariwise, for fiat money.

Read the article here.