Restoring Constitutional order to America will not take one day, not even one decade. We have decades of long, hard work ahead of us. Ron Paul has said it again and again, and I am just repeating what he said.Israeli Libertarian makes some points I don't disagree with--I never thought Paul would be a magic pill and always understood that tremendous effort, risk and sacrifice would be required from each of us if we expected to actually change anything.
If we want to make sure Ron Paul wins this – if we want to ensure liberty wins – then, no matter how disappointed we feel right now, we must not quit.
So I'll be receptive to anyone who comes up with a plan to help guide us out of the swamp. But what I have to question is, why should anyone, right now and from this day forward, think that such an effort will be best served by continuing in a direction the candidate himself has ceded will lead us to a dead end?
I'm just not ready right now to hear about how we're winning on some greater principle. I'd like to believe it, but it's just not what I'm seeing, especially and particularly from people who are ostensibly "liberty activists."
"But what I have to question is, why should anyone, right now and from this day forward, think that such an effort will be best served by continuing in a direction the candidate himself has ceded will lead us to a dead end?"
ReplyDeleteIt is simple David, because some of us are "willing to go to the wall, sometimes climbing over, sometimes breaking through, and sometimes ending up dashed and broken in front of it."
I am a precinct delegate in MN, which means I have 2 more steps to go through to get to the national convention. I am going to work hard to do so, and I am going to vote for Ron Paul when I get to the national convention. Even if I am the sole vote for him, my conscience will be clear.
As for my "plan to help guide us out of the swamp", that also is simple, but it will be painful. In order to get out of the swamp we have to go all the way through. We will wind up mired in quicksand, and up to our ass in alligators, and eaten by mosquitoes, and a fair number of those who go in won't come out, but I am supremely optimistic that in the end some of us will get through it and enjoy the fruits of our labors on the other side.
Translation: If Ron Paul is not the Republican nominee then in November I will be voting Democrat because, like an alcoholic, the country needs to hit rock bottom before we can start back up.
I anticipate that by 2012 the dollar will have tanked on the world market, the economy will be in a depression, and we will be in an Argentina style hyperinflationary spiral (I hope it doesn't get as bad as the Weimar republic where people burned currency because it provided more heat than the wood that it could buy). Martial law will probably be declared, there will be 'civil unrest' (i.e. riots to make the LA riots of 1992 pale in comparison) and unlike the Depression of the '30s, most people now live in cities and do not have gardens and an animal or two and a year or so's worth of food 'put by', so there will probably be food riots too.
My hope is that out of this will arise a new country much like post-Revolution America with limited government and unlimited liberty. But it's gonna get ugly before it gets pretty.
"My hope is that out of this will arise a new country much like post-Revolution America with limited government and unlimited liberty. But it's gonna get ugly before it gets pretty."
ReplyDeleteI've thought about voting hillary myself to assist w/ hitting rock-bottom, but I just can't do it. We will hit rock bottom soon enough, I'll spend my time preparing.
I'm not saying it's Ron Paul that's going to bring the victory. I'm saying continued long-term activism will.
ReplyDeleteThe organizational networks built - the various mailing lists, Meetup Groups, and whatnot, should be kept together as much as possible so we can yield some more stufffrom it.
So I'll be receptive to anyone who comes up with a plan to help guide us out of the swamp.
ReplyDeleteThe first step has to be convincing Americans that they are indeed in a swamp. The politics of this is ultimately driven by the vast majority of Americans have the government they want. You can work long and hard for constitutional government, and I don't bemoan anyone for trying, but the wall that will be hit, and that will break efforts in this regard, is the fact that there just isn't a large enough percentage of the population out there dissatisfied enough to really change things in this regard. They might not like Congress, and they might not like the President right now, but they aren't ready to slay leviathan.
The big problem is many people don't realize the swamp they are in. Those that get handouts sure don't want them to end and those that have their beer and TV's although they may not be totally happy with the way things are they are afraid and or too lazy to do anything and of course those that are a part of the Govt. don't want to loose their jobs and benefits. The leftists have infiltrated our Govt. both Dems. and many Repubs. our schools our media, workplaces etc. We face a tremendous uphill battle and unfortunately I think we are outnumbered.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good fight David.
Back in the day, no more than about three in ten were Patriots. About the same percentage were Loyalists, and the rest just wanted to be let alone to till their ground. The proportions may have changed (maybe to something like 2 percent, 2 percent, and 96 percent in the middle because we are no longer the educated people we were), but the principle really hasn't.
ReplyDeleteAs has been said, Paul is laying down the foundation for future runs. If we keep showing there are voters who support those ideals with their dollars, their votes and their time, people take notice. When the media notes Paulians are still campaigning against literally impossible odds, someone will take notice and ask 'why is this so important to them?' It isn't for Paul that I campaign now, but for the message he bears.
ReplyDeletePlus, who else are you going to vote for this primary, Huckabee?
(Agreeing with those above, once it's McCain vs. Hillary, I'll probably vote Hillary. At least Hillary is focusing on public schools, and education is a critical part of democracy. I don't know if I could bring myself to vote for Obama. At that point I'll be writing in my candidate.)
Yes, Hillary is focusing on public education...just like John Dewey and Antonio Gramsci did.
ReplyDeleteStatist dogma is not equivalent to education. Just in case you are confused about Hillary's intent.
ReplyDelete