Ron Paul - A Teenager's Perspective
by J.J. Collier
My name is J.J. Collier and I am a 17 year old from Vancouver, Washington. I am in the Vancouver Meetup.com group for Ron Paul and had sent the following story to my Meetup leader, Katja. It apparently hit the right spot because she read it on tonight's National Meetup Conference Call and will be bringing it up again next Thursday when she is the guest speaker.
She directed me to this site and encouraged me to email you my story in hopes that you could share it with others:
Today was my first day of my senior year in high school and I am taking a class called American Government. The teacher is an old, stubborn guy in his 70's who started off the year with complaints about "kids these days" and then went on a tangent today about today's media.
He asked people to name 5 celebrities who have been in trouble with the law in the past two weeks.
"Michael Vick! Lindsay Lohan! Paris Hilton!"
Everyone in the class was participating, shouting out names.
He then pulled a $20 bill out of his wallet and said that whoever could name 10 of the 22 people running for president in 2008 would get that money.
A teacher in America SHOULD be afraid to take a risk like that. I mean, shouldn't they? Sadly, they don't have to be.
Everyone was silent, not even bothering to think because all they ever hear about on the news are Hilary and Obama...maybe some Rudy and McCain here and there. They surely couldn't think of anymore candidates. I mean, are there even others? Can't George Bush run again? For all they really know, yeah.
Everyone was silent, waiting for him to move on. Meanwhile, I was deciding which of the Thompson's to put on my list.
I won an easy $20 today that should have been a battle of who can blurt out the names the quickest. Instead, it was a tell-tale sign that America is in danger when only 1 of 37 people that will be of voting age by Election Day 2008 have any clue who they have to choose from to run their world.
This is why I want to be involved.
youthtube for ron paul
all it takes is for a few kids to put up videos of them supporting ron paul, holding signs at high school football games and holding signs on the streets, hell, i think they should join the ron paul meetup groups and see if they need any help. after all its thier future we are voting for as well as ours. the more people on the ground voicing thier support, the better.who cares if they are not old enought to vote. its their country too! i'd love to see the kids get involved in the movement. that message would be a stong one.
Bless you, Thanks for
Bless you,
Thanks for sharing that. I'm an old guy and am thrilled that a new generation of young people are going to be instrumental in taking this country back. I think this has been brewing for a while, all it took was someone like our good doctor to come along and put this movement in motion. Keep up the good work.
Live Free Or Die
This is why I too am involved.
I am 18 years old and just graduated from high school. I was amazed at the apathy and boredom for my high school government and economics classes. My class was blessed with an excellent teacher who happened to be an ex-lawyer (think Judge Nap, not John Edwards). However, there were still some who resorted to cheating and/or copying work instead of actually learning about our system (and therefore becoming cognizant of how perverted it is). I was pretty much the top of the class, if only for my involvement. But after the year was ending, I realized how a little education can change so much. The two classes opened a new world of interest for me and many of my classmates. I watched Michael Badnarik's Constitution Class video. I educated myself with Austrian and Chicago School Economics. I did my senior community project and thesis on the lack of reading and comprehension of many elementary schoolers and how they had very little "cultural literacy" upon entering middle school (which thereby carries into high school and beyond). I organized small assemblies with kids and gave them reading encouragement. Then came Ron Paul and his campaign. It hit me like a slab of concrete that what this man stood for was exactly what I had been learning about. So, now, I suppose I've become part of a bigger assembly. What I tried to do for the benefit of some kids in my community, I can now try to do for the benefit every person in our republic. I realized that becoming educated didn't take genius, but mere involvement. My goal with the children's project was to at least change one kid's life for the better. If I got one single kid to take the time to give reading and learning a shot without being forced into it, my goal would be realized. Such is the case with the Ron Paul campaign.
I am involved because I know that if I and everyone else involved can just get one single person to come to their own conclusion that Ron Paul is the best choice for President, this campaign will be a complete success. All it takes is one. The education and concern will replicate throughout the population, even if it happens one step at a time.
I don't think this campaign requires extraordinary contributions from any single person. All you have to do is get involved.
Love the video idea!
Love the idea of the class of kids not knowing any other candidate besides Ron Paul!!!
Alright you YouTube geniuses, you have your new RP video assignment...or maybe in this case "homework"...lol.
That would make both a funny and yet pointed video. Get to it, guys!
A good article illustrating
A good article illustrating why the department of education needs to be abolished.
Posted to:
Get the latest news, videos & campaign info:
www.ronpaulforpresident2008.com
Get the latest news, videos & campaign info:
www.ronpaulforpresident2008.com
This would make a fantastic YouTube video
.
Very touching - that one bright, informed student - knew what her classmates did not. If nothing else, it shows a level of maturity and concern beyond her years.
A video recreation of this event would be fantastic. Maybe someone who is still in high school, with a video camera, could do it?
The ending could be, "...and my favorite candidate, Ron Paul."
Yeah, that would be a good
Yeah, that would be a good video. Maybe all the kids blurting out Ron Paul first and not knowing anyone else. Making a point of showing how young people use the internet alot and Ron Paul is popular on the internet.