An Open Letter to ‘Old Media’.
Sometimes I wish I understood, but could not seem to comprehend why you do it, but then minutes later I did not give a damn anymore. And that is why you will fail.
Why are you so set on who you want the presidential candidates to be? Is it that you see that the Status Quo is threatened? Is change such a bad thing? Maybe the reason doesn’t matter. In the end of each day, no matter if you are a democrat, republican, liberal, conservative, neo-con, corporate power representative, or what ever else … We are all still United States Citizens. We all care about America, right … Right? The sad truth is that we do not. Perhaps liberty is not a concern of the powerful, and If you do not care, then I can not care for you. And that is why you will fail.
For years you have force fed what you deem to be important down the throats of Americans citizens. Minimized most of what the public should be concerned about while sensationalizing the mundane and trivial. Did you do it for the all powerful dollar? The same dollar that is now worth half of what it was worth a few years ago? Even as I ask, the reason does not matter. And that is why you will fail.
I must admit that you almost had me. At one time I felt that the United States reigned supreme, the greatest, the infallible, the just. Those were happy times … so I happily ignored reality while I sort-of-listened to your newscasters tell me how it really was. Oh yes, I remember … The ‘Sold’ war. The logic, your logic, to me it made sense. it was simple really, simple enough for the average channel surfer or newspaper reader to get: To defend, we must go on the offensive. To protect ourself, we must attack them. And years later, after the reasons we went there had changed and changed again … And when there was no army left for us to fight … new reasons were given to us as to why we are still there and why we had to stay and can not leave. But, like so many others, I could flip through the channels, not feeling anything as the casualty toll rose and rose. And that is why you will fail.
If not for you, maybe I would not have ever given a damn. I do not remember exactly when, or how it happened, I can only remember the ‘why‘: Giuliani Vs. Clinton, or maybe Rommy Vs. Obama or maybe it would be McCain VS. Edwards. Flick, flick, flick, same, same, same, ‘one of these guys WILL be your candidate, we say so’. I change the channel again. I could not care less because I did not care at all. And that is why you will fail.
I must thank you for opening my eyes. You see, somewhere in the haze, something began to stand out. Every once in a while I would be trying to ignore you while waiting for the next rerun of my favorite show and you would continue to tell us who our president would be. Then you went out of your way to tell us that there was someone who has ‘No chance’ and you did not know why they were even trying. At first I dismissed it, after all, you were telling us who was ‘winning’, and you could be trusted, but the more I heard about the guy who absolutely had ‘NO CHANCE!’, this man, ‘Ron Paul would never … could never …’, the closer I began to listen. Somehow if you hear shouting for so long, it simply becomes background noise and the smallest whisper can be heard. In all of your screaming about who was winning, the only thing I picked up was the name that you said could not. And that is why you will fail.
“Google Ron Paul!” a sign said. It was somewhere on a side street in MD. I passed it as I drove home one day. Because of you, I remembered that name. I wanted to see what it was about this person that made you so sure he could not be in the running. So I went home and looked up the name. I do not even have to tell you what happened then. Almost any American that does it for themselves already knows what I’m talking about. I will never forget that it was your bias against this man that made me remember him. And that is why you will fail.
Now as I close out this letter, I imagine that for every person who looked into this so called ‘No Chance’ candidate you think to your collective selves: “So What! You are in the minority, you still have no chance! No Chance! No Chance!” I would just like to point out that our numbers (even though they continue to grow substantially), do not matter. They truly do not. Have you realized why yet? No? It’s because the average person that listens to you is exactly like I was. You tell them who you think our next president will be and they will happily sit back and accept that you know what you are talking about. On their recliners or couches, fine with the status quo, they do not think they count and they will not make an effort to vote. After all, You told them the battle has already been decided. With the exception of the ones who look in to the only person who can not win, the rest will not give a damn at all … ever. Meanwhile this minority, this revolution, it does what it does, these amazing things that have never been done before, these are the people who are out there making a change, and then there is you, continuing to do the best thing for us by ignoring Ron Paul. And that is why you will fail.
mBxiIMclI3E
Everyone else, you’re welcome to partake in the Tea Party of ‘07! Thanks for reading.
I’m no fan of government bureaucracy, but Ron Paul believes in removing all government responsiblity. Again where are the employees of these thousands of organizations going to go? Or is his plan to sell the government off piece by piece to corporate America?
The reason Ron Paul is ignored is because he should be ignored. If he is true to hi word then his ideas are far too radical and dangerous. More likely he is lying and using these ‘new’ ideas to trick you all.
I am 57 years old and I am tired of those that are lazy, don’t care, don’t contibuted, the what difference does it make, he can’t win, he’s so “off the wall” TAKING ME TO THEIR HELL IN THEIR HANDBASKET.
I AM TIRED OF THIS. IF THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED AND KNOW ANY BETTER, THEY DESERVE TO BE IN HELL.
I DON’T DESERVE, AND ESPECIALLY MY TWO YOUNG SONS AND ALL THE YEARS OF WORK I HAVE GIVEN TO BE TAKEN TO APATHY HELL WITH THE PEOPLE THAT DESERVE TO GO.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT RON PAUL. IT IS ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE AND GREAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR UNDERSTANDING IT IS ABOUT THE LAW, IT IS ABOUT TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES AND DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY.
THANK GOD FOR ALL OF YOU.
ASK SOMEONE IF THEY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT RON PAUL TODAY. THIS IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME. THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY.
DRSANGLE
I don’t want to demagogue this point – would actually be interested in a thoughtful pro-Paul response, because I’m curious to know what it would be. So, Paulians, what is your response to this story:
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e2f15397-a3c7-4720-ac15-4532a7da84ca
“And long before he was the darling of antiwar activists on the left and right, Paul was in the newsletter business… …What they reveal are decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays. In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing–but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics.”
Let me take a guess as to what someone (though hopefully not everyone) will say: MSM colluded with party establishment to cook this up and take down Ron Paul because he has reached Gandhi’s “then they fight you” stage. What are the explanations for this story that aren’t dependent on a vast nefarious conspiracy?
Vaughn,
Check his website. There he gives an explanation. http://www.ronpaul2008.com
Here ya go Vaughn:
January 8, 2008 5:28 am EST
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – In response to an article published by The New Republic, Ron Paul issued the following statement:
“The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts.
“In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person’s character, not the color of their skin. As I stated on the floor of the U.S. House on April 20, 1999: ‘I rise in great respect for the courage and high ideals of Rosa Parks who stood steadfastly for the rights of individuals against unjust laws and oppressive governmental policies.’
“This story is old news and has been rehashed for over a decade. It’s once again being resurrected for obvious political reasons on the day of the New Hampshire primary.
“When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.â€
this is so on track.
Ron Paul is amazing.
<3
Vaughn,
Thanks for keeping this blog exciting. I am learning so much.
You seem quite intelligent and steadfast in your beliefs.
Just wondering, for whom are you voting and why?
I read most of the blog….Vaughn just want to say that it is “philosophers” like you that fuck things up. If it wasn’t for the dammm potato in my grandmothers garden, communists would starve us to death. We made it “SOLIDARITY” United we killed the dammmmm Reds the biggest empire…
Every time we accomplished something “UNDERGROUND”there was some asshole smart ass like you trying to knock us down.
Well, I have been living in America since 1979,I love this country. I have never been involved with politics as I am now.. the reason? I have been victimized by Ameriquest Mortgage due to FRAUD yes not stupitidy but, FRAUD. This goverment is FRAUD.It needs to be stopped.
Ron Paul will win……….. and “live” and we will once more have freedom in this pathetic world.
“SOLIDARITY” won underground just like this, so the hell with MEDIA. Just like us dumb Polak’s you call us “potato salad” eaters we will win in America.
so,Vaughn???? why don’t you do me a favor now and go milk your stinking goat.Never seen so much negativity coming out of one stinking goat.period
To everyone else keep it up. “Long live Ron Paul”
American Revolutin=Solidarity” United we stand4ever…………
The only reason I am voteing for Ron Paul is Because he is a constitutionalist……….its the only reason I know nothing else about him and nor do I care too………I trust him because he himself believes in the American Constitution yes verily the rule book and hand book for our United States……………………… for I know if we have no Constitution we will have NO rights to agree to dis-agree, we have NO rights to fight for the so called rights we enjoy now………….if the country keeps going the way its going and they the powers behind the powers that be continue to ammend the Constitution to the point of extinction…….we,none,zip,zero, of us will have any of the GOD given rights we have………….and I’m a homosexual!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not that I even care to……..and I won’t because, I am happy and content in my little corner of the world…….but I would not be able to fight for the right I have to be queer or different……which is realy my own business but I said it to get some of you all to think about just exactly what is going on here what about the right to a fair trial? what about the rights to dispute the things we think are disputable.(and yes a lot of us are wrong about the disputing of things and the things we thik are disputable…myself included and I did not say ARGUE there is a difference)………the total annilation of the Constitution SO THAT NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE SEX, COLOR, RACE, AGE, PREFERENCE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT WILL HAVE ANY RIGHTS AT ALL WHATSOEVER………WHATEVER YOU THINK, OR FEEL, OR KNOW THOSE RIGHTS TO BE they will be gone……………think about it……so I will sit here in my little corner of the world, vote for Ron Paul so that I can have HOPE for my country and so that I can be assured of my GOD given right to fight for my God given rights,LIFE,LIBERTY,AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AMONG THESE (in the second paragraph of the declaration of independence) once “the system” takes completely over, any kind of rights we have or think we have will be a thing of the past
BETTER THEN GREAT, RON PAUL 2008
@ Jim
What part of “transitional period” do you not understand? He said these things would not happen overnight, he says this all the time. It would go through a transitional period and happen over time but he would initiate the process immediately…
Why do we pay troops to be in Germany, and for all those bases? What is the point of them being there doing um nothing most of the time? Germany can protect themselves nowadays… So your saying once we give someone a job in the military, they have a job for life? The private sector does not get that kind of assurance that our jobs will last forever. No one can give that kind of assurance… You have to learn new skills and move on with your life… What do you think happens to these people when they leave the military now? They get a check for life? uh no… They get a job…
So if we transition them over time… The markets will adapt and new businesses will open, which is what happens already…
To start you can reallocate them on our borders and to help refill the National Guard, I highly doubt this costs as much as we are paying for the 2 wars we are currently in… Then they can go through a transitional period, we can halt/slow down the military recruiting process for a bit to help…
To say that things must stay the same forever because they will have no job is not a reason, it’s an excuse…
Vaughn,
This Just in:
NAACP President: Ron Paul Is Not A Racist
Linder says Paul being smeared because he is a threat to the establishment
Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder, who has known Ron Paul for 20 years, unequivocally dismissed charges that the Congressman was a racist in light of recent smear attempts, and said the reason for him being attacked was that he was a threat to the establishment.
Linder joined Alex Jones for two segments on his KLBJ Sunday show this evening, during which he commented on the controversy created by media hit pieces that attempted to tarnish Paul as a racist by making him culpable for decades old newsletter articles written by other people.
“Knowing Ron Paul’s intent, I think he is trying to improve this country but I think also, when you talk about the Constitution and you constantly criticize the federal government versus state I think a lot of folks are going to misconstrue that….so I think it’s very easy for folks who want to to take his position out of context and that’s what I’m hearing,” said Linder.
“Knowing Ron Paul and having talked to him, I think he’s a very fair guy I just think that a lot of folks do not understand the Libertarian platform,” he added.
Asked directly if Ron Paul was a racist, Linder responded “No I don’t,” adding that he had heard Ron Paul speak out about police repression of black communities and mandatory minimum sentences on many occasions.
Dr. Paul has also publicly praised Martin Luther King as his hero on many occasions spanning back 20 years.
“I’ve read Ron Paul’s whole philosophy, I also understand what he’s saying from a political standpoint and why people are attacking him,” said Linder.
“If you scare the folks that have the money, they’re going to attack you and they’re going to take it out of context,” he added.
“What he’s saying is really really threatening the powers that be and that’s what they fear,” concluded the NAACP President
Wow, Well said good man! I felt the same way, I have been a huge McCain fan since I live in AZ, but when I read about Ron Paul, I could not deny that he was thinking along the feelings that I held. I am now apart of the Ron Paul Revolution, even if he does not win, I will remember what he stood for, FREEDOM, PEACE, STABILITY, and BONIFIED AMERICAN VALUES!
GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD TELL YOU TO VOTE FOR RON PAUL!!!
The Ron Paul Revolution is not about Ron Paul. It is about returning our county to ourselves. As a person that loves our country, and fought for it!!! I Encourage you to vote for him, PLEASE!!!
IRAQ WAR 2003-2007
I have done 5 Tours of duty, mainly at CENTCOM and not in action! Please give our men a chance to defend our country and not interlope on other countries!
Doctor of psychology, specialty in mental subjugation, JAMES STEVENSON.
GOTV
A new front on the war on corruption has begun! I could care less if Ron paul was a racist, he is for the people, by the people and to good of a man to sell out my black a@@. All true Americans should vote Ron Paul 2008. Too bad I can’t get my black a## on Fox News to tell them off, or CNN for that matter! Good luck though paulies, I will try to convert as many in my precinct (South Bay LA)!
Good Job! RP08
Check this out: Ron Paul comes in 2nd in Nevada Caucuses & he still does not exist according to the New York Times
as a candidate…..Do you see his photo in the lineup?
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/index.html
Thats why they call the mass media ‘programming’
American citizens are being raped.
Some more thoughts on the newsletter thing from Julian Sanchez – I think he does a good job of making the point that this argument isn’t about whether or not Paul is a racist (though I think that was probably a reasonable question to ask given the newsletters) – it’s probably actually worse if he knew about the content in the newsletters, wasn’t racist, and instead cynically drummed up support among some pretty base elements of society:
http://juliansanchez.com/notes/archives/2008/01/let_me_teach_you_my_secret_bel.php
“But Paul’s Not a Racist! I know, I know. You’ve even got a genuine black guy who’ll say so. You can stop sending me the link. The thing is, it doesn’t matter. I’ve never thought it very likely that Paul was personally a racist, and I’ve said as much. But that’s not the point, is it? If you decide to get into the publishing business with a bunch of guys who are very loudly proclaiming their intention to drum up political and financial support by reaching out to racists, that’s just pretty bad in itself, isn’t it? Is it really a defense to say that, after all, Paul himself knew the views his colleagues were exploiting to be pernicious and wrong? Are we supposed to think that in addition to never reading the newsletter, Paul was totally in the dark about the well-publicized views, both substantive and strategic, of the Paleo intellectuals he handed his newsletter to? Views that had been the subject of ample controversy among libertarians, and a source of much criticism directed at Paul for being linked with them, well before the newsletters turned rancid? It doesn’t pass the straight face test. I’m glad Paul’s not personally a bigot, but stressing this over and over, as though we’d been centrally concerned with what lies deep in Paul’s heart, just seems like an attempt to change the subject.”
So here’s an open question – because I think there are some level-headed Paul supporters out there and on this blog. What do you guys make of the seeming prevalence of ALL CAPS, over-punctuated, foam-at-the-mouth, cultish, ‘Ron Paul changed my life’ or ‘American citizens are being raped’ commentary up here and elsewhere?
Why is, or does it seem like, such a big part of his Ron Paul’s base is motivated by some mild, paranoid, psychosis?
I mean, for the love of God, American citizens are not being raped because Paul’s 14% second place to Romney’s 51% in uncontested Nevada didn’t inspire the NYTimes to treat him like a national front runner. He has yet to achieve more than “popular fringe candidate” and that he ever will is highly unlikely, regardless of how fervently a tiny, agitated minority believes he should.
I mean, granted, I know I’m a huge pain in the a@@ over here on a Ron Paul forum, and I don’t begrudge you your annoyance with me. But with a few exceptions, people aren’t engaging the debate and making coherent points. They’re not saying “Vaughn, here’s why you’re wrong and you should really consider this.” Most people talk of establishment conspiracy, they say “you are part of the problem”, more than one talks of mass rape (WTF?!). Also, I’ve been called a troll, a goat, and a philosopher (?).
Can someone muster a relatively thoughtful point of view on why this forum and so much of Ron Paul’s base seems to be so emotional and, as someone else put it, unhinged?
“Can someone muster a relatively thoughtful point of view on why this forum and so much of Ron Paul’s base seems to be so emotional and, as someone else put it, unhinged?”
Most of the world contains people who are not as educated as you would like.
It does not mean they won’t follow & promote a leader they are attracted to.
Most revolutions are started by people who are unhinged & emotional.
The fact is citizens should not be force fed ‘preferred’ candidates by the mainstream media.
Giuliani & Thompson are all over the place in the media. Ron Paul can’t even get mentioned as a running candidate in the New York Times.
C’mon that is a bit distasteful, even for a supposedly educated observer like yourself.
Really? Run a “Ron Paul” query on nytimes.com and I see a candidate profile first, an article entitled “Paul Happy With Second in Nevada,” a big candidacy profile piece from the NYTimes magazine, and at least 10 pages of article links behind that. Here, see for yourself:
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=ron+paul&srchst=nyt
If your answer is that Paul supporters are less educated, well first let me say – golly… that’s a self-defeating position for a Paul supporter to take. What, is knowledge an obstacle to truth? Is education a plaything of the elites? Are you excusing some behavior by saying you don’t know any better? That’s either an extension of the over-zealous “us against the world” approach overreaching far enough to contradict itself or the most self-patronizing thing I’ve ever heard.
And secondly, I don’t buy it. I don’t think you can correlate education level and self righteousness – in fact I think if you could you’d see that the opposite of your assumption is more likely to be true – that those with more education tend to believe that much more fervently and emotionally that they’re right and their opponents aren’t just wrong, they’re bad, or at best brainwashed.
Why in your world can’t we just disagree? Where is it said that our candidates were spoon-fed to us by the mainstream media? (as if the MSM has some preference for Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, or to a lesser extent, McCain)
And why, oh why, do you refuse to accept that whatever the legitimacy of his platform and its impact on the conservative movement (which could in some way be significant), Ron Paul is extremely unlikely to win the nomination, let alone spark a tea party-esque “revolution”? Why is it so honorable to believe in something that is plainly untrue? That’s not even faith – which is believing in something that can’t be proven – that’s just believing in something that’s observably false.
I mean, if you call enough people trolls and goats, then will it be true?
No, sir – the problem isn’t that Paul supporters aren’t as educated. Truth is, I’m not especially educated. No, the problem (to the extent that there is one) is that they aren’t L-I-S-T-E-N-I-NG.
By the way, I’m not especially educated. I’m just listening.
Dammit. That last line from my last posting was a typo – which is why it sounds all repetitive and obnoxious. Sorry.
I made no statement that Paul followers are less educated. That is your own inference….which is telling in itself.
The New York Times should on their main poll’s page list him as a candidate in their photo lineup.
They included candidates in that lineup that have less standing in the polls.
It is referred to as lying by omission.
“No, the problem (to the extent that there is one) is that they aren’t L-I-S-T-E-N-I-NG.
By the way, I’m not especially educated. I’m just listening.”
The problem might be….”What are you listening to ?” & then followup that with “Understanding what you heard”.
Clinton made tons of money off of insider trading in the market & moves to New York to prepare for a Presidential run without being a former resident of New York.
Doesnt dump popular cheating husband, so she can become president someday. Unethical.
Obama’s beautiful new house was a freebie from the top real estate developer in the Illinois tri-state area
& former drug user. | Unethical.
Giuliani is a serial extramarital cheater in his personal life. Unethical.
Why when electing a President of The United States should people set the bar so low.
“Where is it said that our candidates were spoon-fed to us by the mainstream media? (as if the MSM has some preference for Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, or to a lesser extent, McCain)”
If you ever had a way to make money in a certain fashion, wouldnt you want to protect it?
A new dummy is as good as the old dummy. They both won’t understand what is going on.
I’m not going to bother splitting semantic hairs with what you implied and I inferred on the education bit. Reviewing what you wrote, I can’t see what a reasonable person could infer differently, but whatever.
I think you’ve hit it. We’re not listening to the same things.
You are subjectively invalidating every candidacy but Paul’s on unproven and conspiratorial grounds.
Obama, whose politics I don’t care for at all, purchased a small plot to enlarge his property at above market rate, and then later openly regretted and apologized for doing business at all with Rezko, at least according to the Chicago Sun Times. Oh, and he tried drugs, which apparently invalidates him (and God knows what other percentage of American citizens) from running for President.
Giuliani, according to, uh… you – is a serial philanderer, which invalidates him (and God knows what other percentage of American citizens) from running for President.
Hillary Clinton, whose politics I don’t care for at all, stays with her cheating husband which you have determined with absolute certainty is a cynical political move and decreed from on high that all of this is unethical. Believe me, I’m no Hillary fan, and I don’t think she’d make a good President, but as to why, there are about 800 better reasons than that. Nevertheless, you believe these actions invalidate her (and God knows what other percentage of American citizens) from running for President.
So, let’s cut to the chase and take your intensive, guilty-until-proven-innocent character test and we get to Ron Paul. Dr. Paul created some newsletters that eventually spouted paranoid, nonsensical, racist diatribes and this invalidates… nothing. No, his word that he knew not of the content in these newsletters that went out for years with his name on it – a flimsy excuse that begs further questions even if you believe it – passes your intensive, guilty-until-proven-innocent ethics test.
Talk about cherry picking. You’re right, we’re not listening to the same things. Nor understanding what we hear.
Believe me, it’s much easier if you just duck out now and call me a troll or tell me I’m complicit in the rape of American citizens or something.