The Ron Paul Page-A-Day #3

Here's the 3rd installment of the Ron Paul Page-A-Day, in which I supply a section of Ron Paul's "The Revolution: A Manifesto" for your enlightenment and commentary. I hope to continue this until I've posted the entire book, or until Congressman Paul's publishers say "cease and desist". In the previous installment, The Good Doctor lamented the Republican anti-intellectualism and Democratic naivete and inconsistency. In this installment, he indulges in a wee bit of back-patting before explaining why his short-lived campaign exceeded initial expectations:


"In late 2006, a number of friends and colleagues urged me to consider running for president. I was a reluctant candidate, not at all convinced that a sizable enough national constituency existed for a campaign based on liberty and the Constitution rather than on special-interest pandering and the distribution of loot.

Was I ever wrong.

On November 5, 2007, we set a record when we raised over $4 million online in a single day. That December 16, on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, we broke that record by raising over $6 million. In the fourth quarter of 2007, we raised more than twice as much money as any other Republican candidate. Not only is the freedom message popular, but if fund-raising ability any indication, it is more intensely popular than any other political message.

By the end of 2007, more than twice as many Meetup groups had been formed in support of our campaign than for all the rest of the candidates in both major parties combined. I have never seen such a diverse coalition rallying to a single banner. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Greens, constitutionalists, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, antiwar activists, homeschoolers, religious conservatives, freethinkers - all were not only involved, but enthusiastically so. And despite their philosophical differences in some areas, these folks typically found, to their surprise, that they rather liked each other.

The mainstream media had no idea what to make of it, since we were breaking all the rules and yet still attracting such a varied and passionate following. I began making this a central point of my public speeches: the reason all these different groups are rallying to the same banner, I said, is that freedom has a unique power to unite us.

In case that sounds like a cliche, it isn't. It's common sense. When we agree not to treat each other merely as means to our own selfish ends, but to respect one another as individuals with rights and goals of our own, cooperation and goodwill suddenly become possible for the first time.

My message is one of freedom and individual rights. I believe individuals have a right to life and liberty and that physical aggression should be used only defensively. We should respect each other as rational beings by trying to achieve our goals through reason and persuasion rather than threats and coercion. That, and not a desire for "economic efficiency" is the primary moral reason for opposing government intrusion into our lives: government is force, not reason.

"I Want Some TARP", by Bill Zucker

The "Troubled Asset Relief Program" has finally been immortalized in song.
Here's Bill Zucker's "I Want Some TARP".

HT to here.

Just Say "No" to Timothy Geithner

Our government is allowed to use force to accomplish its objectives.
Therefore, all government officials appointed or elected to use force in the course of their duties should be chosen very carefully.

I pay my taxes. Many of you pay your taxes. But the current nominee for Secretary of The Treasury, the person who might soon be in charge of the IRS? He tried to avoid paying all of his taxes.

I heard on the radio that Geithner had apologized for not paying his taxes "on time". Well, Al Capone didn't pay his taxes "on time" either. That's why he went to jail.

Don't get me started about using Summer Camp as a Daycare credit.

Geithner is a driving force in the bailout - the greatest wealth transfer from the poor to the rich in the history of our universe. He is a hardcore advocate of all the Loot The Children ® programs.

Timothy Geither is a tax dodger. He is seriously being considered for the post of chief tax collector. He will soon be authorized to take your money.

Let's say that again, for the sake of those who received The Gift Of The Holy Spirit on The Day Of Pentecost, also known as The Inauguration.... Timothy Geither is a tax dodger. He is seriously being considered for the post of chief tax collector. He will soon be authorized to take your money.

Is irony dead? Are we so bedazzled by the recent annointing of the Obamessiah that we're going to tolerate this?

In short, are you willing to give this __________ your money?????

Here are the names of representatives who have voted "No" in the recent Senate Panel hearings. God bless 'em. The confirmation vote from the full senate is Monday.

Here's a link where you can email your senator, and ask them to vote NO on this confirmation.

Relying on government to solve the problem....

What problem are these inauguration crowds in Washington going to be relying on government to fix first?


(Hint: you will get a clue at the 1:05 mark....)

With undying gratitude to Iowahawk.

"Fitna", by Geert Wilders - A film about "The Religion Of Peace"

Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs brings us the disturbing news that Dutch politician and filmmaker Geert Wilders will be prosecuted "for inciting racial hatred with anti-Islamic statements that include calling the Quran a "fascist book," a Dutch court ruled Wednesday.

Well, look at the man's movie, Fitna. That's what all of this is really about. Youtube breaks it into two eight minute sections. It's very well done. Wilders gives references from the Koran or a Haddith, then shows newsclips of the consequences of following the teachings of the seventh century pedophile who inspired those references. There's little or no narration, no voiceover explaining the things we're seeing, and no deniability about the accuracy of his film.


Let's break it up a bit with this from Jihadwatch: "And make no mistake: even though the Muslims in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the West present themselves as embattled victims of racism and "Islamophobia," that is exactly what is going on here: this is just one part of the 57-government Organization of the Islamic Conference's efforts to silence speech that they deem critical of Islam -- including "defamation of Islam" that goes under the "pretext" of "freedom of expression, counter terrorism or national security."



I don't consider myself to be Islamaphobic. The word seems to imply a fear of Muslims. I've liked the Muslims that I've worked with ok, simply because they didn't really believe that Jews were evil, or that I was evil, or that Muhammad flew from Mecca to Jerusalem on a winged horse that had the face of a man.
But this thing with Wilders is bad news. Surf the 'net for a while, and you'll see that he's probably going to come to the U.S. to escape persecution prosecution. The Dutch government will make Tut-Tutting noises about minority rights, sensitivity, and respect for the beliefs of others. In the meantime, they've allowed artists like Theo Van Gogh to be beheaded by Muslim extremists, and they'll probably drive Wilders across the Atlantic.

This is bullshit. It's not sensitivity. It's not respect. It's the whimper of whipped dogs, rolling on their backs before one of the most evil belief systems ever devised by man.

Here's Samizdata's Perry De Havilland on the same issue.

How do you define a Rottweiler? Let's leave it to the Muleshoe City Council.

I took a random sampling of my dachshunds to meet some friends at Fort Woof Park this past Sunday. Channel 11 was there doing a story on a proposal that might be brought to the Texas State Legislature this spring. The legislature might once again consider giving Texas towns the authority to ban certain "dangerous" dog breeds.

I apologize for the lack of a Youtube, but here's a link to the Channel 11 video:
http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=37411@ktvt.dayport.com

That's my friend Brenda at the end of the video (not in the picture above), sounding suspiciously like a libertarian, advocating personal responsibility and less government intervention. My friends Elaine and Dr. Liz were encouraging me to get in front of the camera and hold forth, but the only thing I could think of was a racial analogy. (Our prisons have a disproportionate number of Hispanics and African-Americans, but we would never dream of using the same logic to ban racial groups from certain areas based on the actions of a few bad apples, blah blah blah. I didn't feel comfortable trying to properly express that awkward comparison to everyone in Fort Worth/Dallas. And that's probably a good thing!)

Here's more info on the proposal from the Houston Chronicle:

In a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott, Republican state Rep. Tony Goolsby requested an opinion to clarify a state law that cities and counties have interpreted as preventing them from targeting breeds. He wrote that confusion caused by “varying interpretations” of the law has stopped local governments wanting to pursue such measures. Most of the confusion concerns whether the law would apply to a dog that has not been deemed “dangerous.”

Here's what I should have said to Channel 11, but couldn't pull my reasoning together until the ride home:

"The Texas State Legislature is possibly going to give the Abbot, White Settlement, Uvalde, Muleshoe, and Rio Frio City Councils the authority, expertise, and funding to determine exactly what is and isn't a Rottweiler? How do you tell the difference between a Rottweiler/Portuguese Water Dog/Labrador mix that is harmless and a similar one that's dangerous? Would it be legal to own a Pitt Bull/Cocker Spaniel mix? Where would you draw the line? This bill would be a feast for lawyers, which is probably what the advocates of this bill intended."

You know how frustrating it is to think of the perfect thing to say when the opportunity has already passed. Anyway, I checked it out with the Aggie. There's no way to be 100% sure what percentage of breeds make up any particular mutt dog.

Pitt Bull owners should be responsible for their dogs, and keep them safely enclosed. There are plenty of laws to that effect already on the books.
Parents should be responsible for their toddlers, and keep them safely enclosed. There are plenty of laws to that effect already on the books.
Voters should be responsible for their legislators, and keep them safely enclosed. There aren't nearly enough laws to that effect on the books.

We need a ban on bans.

"Good fences make good neighbors" - Robert Frost

Dog pics from here and here.

Best description of the inauguration

Here's the Coyote Blog, on the fawning adoration surrounding the changeover from The Daddy Party to The Mommy Party:

For a libertarian like myself, its like watching people line up at 3am to be the first to be in the store when McDonald’s switches its fountain drinks from Coke to Pepsi.

The Coyote Blog. Save the link. Blogroll him. There's more good sense on that site than there is in all of D.C. tonight.

The hidden cause of the recent airliner crash

After a week of careful surveillance, the CIA has determined what caused the US Air jet to crash into the Hudson river....

The Obamessiah now dwells among us

From The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 13-17:




13 Then the Obamessiah came from Chicago to the Temple to be blessed by The Sheeple.
14 But The Sheeple tried to deter him, saying, "We need to be blessed by thee, for we are the ones who should be serving; for we are not worthy to touch the hem of thy garment, Obamessiah."
15 The Obamessiah replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all that the prophets foretold." Then The Sheeple consented, and brought forth from The Holy of Holies the Ark Of The Covenant, and from it the Chief Priests took The Book Of The Seven Seals.
16 And when The Obamessiah lay his hand upon The Book, he slowly levitated from the Temple steps, and ascended halfway unto the heavens. And we beheld his glory. And at that moment the heavens were opened, and we saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased. And you are The Sheeple of his pastures. And you shall be fleeced, lo, even unto the third and fourth generations, for his yoke will not be easy, and your burden will not be light."

Picture of The Obamessiah from here.

New Blog Widget

Regular readers might notice that there's a new "Obama The Warmonger" widget off to the right.
In the interest of fairness, I'm giving him until midnight on inauguration day to pull the troops out of Iraq. Then the official countdown begins.
I've not yet created the countdown code for "Lowering The Sea Level", "Raising The Dead", or "Firing Hillary".

Salon.com is now shocked ! ! ! ! ! !

The earnest chin-stroking Left-wingers at Salon.com are SHOCKED. Shocked, I say !! ....when they discover that "[the President-elect's] support of the bank bailout is payback to his wealthy Wall Street supporters."

He had wealthy Wall Street supporters? I thought his campaign was paid for with $4.37 (average) contributions from retired seamstresses, gay orphans, and the people who pick up trash on the side of the highway because they have a vision of everything America could be.

What is going on here? I mean, the Salon editorial is very well written, but..but...but....

The First Annual Whitey Awards

Government waste has always been a favorite topic on this site.

It's time for the readers of The Whited Sepulchre blog to vote on who in the last year has done the most to eliminate government waste.
There are several ways to end government waste. The best method, of course, is the one least discussed: don't give the government any of your money.

I'm going to nominate three candidates below. Nominate others as write-ins if you wish. The candidate with the highest total will receive the highly coveted Whitey Award.

And the nominees are:

1) [the President-elect's] nominee for Secretary Of The Treasury, Timothy Geithner, who at the time of his nomination for the post of chief tax collector, owed $42,000.00 in unpaid taxes, and, according to The Washington Post, is also being investigated for including using his child's time at overnight camps to calculate deductions for dependent-care, taking deductions for ineligible donations to charity and failing to pay an early-withdrawal penalty from a retirement plan.

A brilliant man, Mr. Geithner. Had he paid that 42K in taxes, it would've been wasted. Had he not deducted sending his kids to camp as a childcare expense, that money would've been blown on something useless. Timothy Geithner will be hard to beat.

2) James P. O’Hare, and David J. Dalaia. This is the duo that wheeled their deceased friend's rotting corpse into a check-cashing store in a failed attempt to cash their dead friend's $355 Social Security check.

Yes, they failed. Yes, they might have spent the $355 on alcohol. But if that money had stayed in The Treasury, it would've been given to some millionaire as an agricultural subsidy. A noble failure, and worthy of consideration for The Whitey.

3) Hillary Clinton, our next Secretary of State. Ms. Clinton's act of heroism didn't occur in the last 12 months, but since this is the first year The Whitey has ever been awarded, I'm allowing it for consideration. It is, after all, my damn award.

Former Senator Clinton, lover of Big Government, Policy Wonk, and disparager of Free Markets and Nafta, once claimed a two dollar tax deduction for donating some of Bill's used underwear to charity.

Remember, it's not the quantity saved, it's the quality. Who else would go to such extreme lengths to save such a paltry sum from The Gaping Maw Of The Beast? Every penny counts.

Those are my nominees. You may wish to nominate others.