Kurt Vonnegut on our campaign
Posted January 22nd, 2008 by jab2ur
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The late, great Kurt Vonnegut jr wrote: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.
This applies to our campaign and how we conduct ourselves as supporters and advocates of Ron Paul. If we act like we are top-tier, then we are top-tier. If we act like front-runners, then we are front-runners. But when we act like the fringe -- conspiracy theories, blaming everyone else but us for our shortcomings, and not addressing the real problems in the campaign -- then we are on the fringe. A great example is how Dr. Paul handled the FoxNews NH snub. He didn't whine or complain, just very practically took care of the problem in a way that projected him as a serious and viable candidate.
I mean this constructively -- this is something we can all do in our own individual way.
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Favorite author! "So it
Favorite author!
"So it goes."
Words of Wisdom!
I may be a vegetarian, but I'll defend to the death my right to eat pork!
Well
Well said.
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Liberty for Dummies
Great words of Wisdom
Thank you... you are SOOOOO right!
Excellent post.
Excellent post.
This is one of the greatest posts I ever read
on this forum.
Gratz to you.
General's...
always used a Pincer attack...you have to split the troops for that manuver
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...
I dont think
you are understanding the scope of the mater. Had Vote fraud not happened we would have significantly more attention. In attacking the vote fraud we spread our message, but more than that we ensure our message is heard.
There is a famous quote
"It's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes," Joseph Stalin
Outside of securing delegates there is nothing more important in this campaign that securing the transparency of the voting process.
As I said earlier, exposing
As I said earlier, exposing voter fraud is a noble cause. There are many good causes that should be promoted in addition to getting RP elected. My point is that if we're talking about getting RP votes, then let's talk about that and only that. When some one wants to know about RP and we launch into a diatribe against the MSM and voter fraud, they will not be interested. So its my opinion that we should be focused on getting votes for RP and, as I said in the first post, we should act like front-runners.
Im sorry
but there is no logic in this. Armies are split into groups for a reason.
Focus on one aspect ensures defeat.
If the roman legions had only used archers, the enemy calvery would have destroyed them. Had they only used legionairs then archers would have destroyed them.
Focus means defeat It is that simple, I understand your desire but you can not win this war with that strategy.
You do nothing but get votes, I care not if you get 90% I cant pay one guy to flip the vote, I don't need an army, only 1 man with greed in his heart and I win.
#1 This is a battle on many fronts and we must fight on all of them. This means spreading the word.
#2 Protecting our rights, this means the vote count and free speach.
#3 Making those who break the law accountable. Congress and the Senate must be replaced. Even if win it will do little as long as corrupt lawmakers steal our rights.
again focus means defeat, no matter how you argue it will not make it a sound way to win.
Power MUST be taken from the corrupt they will not give it away.
Armies fight real enemies.
Armies fight real enemies. Not made up ones. Expose vote fraud then attack it. You have yet to expose it in a way that can not be addressed by a reasonable use of logic.
The more you talk about fringe issues the more you stay fringe.
enemies abound
They are all over, nothing is pretend or assumed, all proven time and again.
It is a lack of logic that assumes that suddenly they will not cheat even though it as only become easier for them than when they were caught cheating.
This is fact, you can argue it till you are blue in the face, but you can not dispute it.
By your logic, there are no longer evil men willing to take advantage of a broken warped system.
Save the backhanded remarks, be forthright and declare your belief. I dont presume to know everything, or that it happens everywhere. But Neither am I so gullible as to believe that corruption just decided to stop suddenly.
A year ago you would be considered a cook to speak about the NAU, or the TTC, just 4 years ago same could be said for the CFR. Now for all of those your not a cook, infact if you dont understand them and know them for the evil that backs them then you are ill informed, ignorant, or just plain to dumbed down by MSM, corrupt public schooling or both.
Everything is coming full circle, its becoming easier for even the sheeple to effectively connect the dots.
This year I expect to see a lot of "I told you so" from the majority of the so called "conspiracy theorists" AKA those in the know, those willing to learn and investigate on their own, those with enough perception of reality to connect the dots while the sheeple were still stuck in there slumber.
Its a sad fact that most people will even dismiss a fact in light of overwhelming evidence if it makes the cardinal sin of encroaching on their rosy perception of reality.
Exactly
Exactly
I appreciate your passion,
I appreciate your passion, but you've made my point. If I were a moderate undecided voter, I would not vote for Ron Paul after reading your post.
good thing
There are few moderates, but a huge number of those who are tired of being abused and trodden on.
and again I say so what, gather a million votes and I will make them count for nothing because you think thats all you need to do.
I rest my case
I do see your point. But
I do see your point. But without the votes then none of this matters
hand in hand
one can not exist without the other, which is my point.
Focus will kill us.
Why divert our efforts to
Why divert our efforts to peripheral causes? When we bog ourselves down by disputing every single slight to the campaign, we lose credibility to potential undecided voters and we distract ourselves from the true goal: accumulating votes for Dr. Paul.
Tackling the problem of voter fraud is absolutely a noble cause. My point is that as Ron Paul advocates, our number one goal is spreading his message and getting him votes and we should focus our efforts in that regard.
ok then..
Lets do an experiment.
I'm going to punch you in the face while no one is looking, when ever turns back. I'm going to be your friend. Each time they turn away I am going to punch you in the face again. Now I'm not going to stop no matter what till you make me.
So how long before you stand and fight for yourself? Or are you going to stand there like a whipping boy and let me take everything thinking some miracle will happen and I will see the er of my ways or better yet that everyone will suddenly start watching me non stop.
Dose of reality, you have no choice anymore you fight for what belongs to you or it is all taken away.
Since Im the bad guy, I hope you just keep playing along being the nice guy playing by MY rules. I always win the game I have spent years molding the rules to after all, best of luck to you! Im sure the best man will win!
Bingo!
Yup....for better or worse, give me integrity of position, action and belief at the expense of "political correctness".
Come to think of it, when said that way ("political correctness"), it becomes patently clear that our movement most certainly DOES NOT want to be part of our current countries' obedience to the current two party sytem.
Nice post. Analogies are a GREAT way to awaken many.
ta'i ji
ta'i ji chuan translated means "grand ultimate boxing"
The foundation of this system of self-defense is that 1) everything is energy, and 2) spirit, body, emotions, and mind are four expressions of one core. Each body can be addressed through any of the other three. Yeah, its big.
When you learn "self-defense" in the physical way properly, as in the "human is a spritual/animal organism" and understanding that we are all magnets, awareness of this "self-defense" on other levels manifests. On the cellular level, we have the immune system that most are familiar with, with macrophages and body chemistry and so on. On the macro-body level we have "ta'ijichuan." On the mental level (computer) we have anti-virus "programs," and we have emotional integrity, and so forth.
Originally, "ta'iji", which is a word that comes from taoist cosmology, was called "dim mak," or "death touch." Yeah, the pretty dancing most people do and call it "ta'iji" is one of those great misunderstandings like the Federal Reserve Act.
Self-defense, when taken to its logical conclusions, fills the spectrum of using the natural energies of the body and planet to heal, which sometimes means to kill.
I do not condone violence in any way, shape, or form. But if others are prepared to use force to achieve their means, this is spiritually no different than invading organisms that give us the flu. You burn em out. You eat em up. You confuse them, know them incapacitated, and dispose of them. God willing the "boxing" is just fun exercise for my life - real fun - and that is the point, right? But if i need the "death strike," i have those as well as much more energy for the fun healing every other day that i'm not randomly attacked. . . at work, or in my driveway, or at the gas station, you know, where that kind of thing might happen. . .
But to respond directly to your post, SameCoin, i don't speak Hypothetical.
And i do mean that. Self-defense KungFu is about efficiency, and only the right amount of energy for the right act. It is "KungFu" or "Skill requiring time to master." Avoiding Hypothetical you will find frees your mind for other things. Stories are good, but hypotheticals tend to promote exaggeration. They should be used wisely,internally and externally. True stories are much better, more grounded. If we don't have good stories, we need to go out. . . and make them!
We can only see what is on the other side of many doors by stepping through them. . . . and its rarely as scary as it seems from the outside.
Kenpo
Both Chinese and American Kenpo are both forms based on self defense.
I myself practice Ed Parker Style american Kenpo, built from Chinese Kenpo taking aspects of various other martial arts, Including Akido, Kungfu ,and Jeet Kun Do. All of these are ment as self defense. Kenpo was developed much like Karate as a means to fight armed combatants. The central pillar of all of these is to use the force of the attacker against them. For none is it recommended that we be targets.
Here is another analogy for you.
We are in a sea of contempt we must choose to either sink or swim. To swim we must use force and attack the water that surounds us. You may choose to simply float on you back but if you are not pressing forward you can only float so long. The Island is a long ways off will you swim to the island or float and hope the Island comes to you?
You're a clever, clever man
I like that analogy. I do get tired of the "just sit there and take it" talk. We DO need to get up and get on the frickin' horse. We are the foot soldiers and we need to do the dirty work sometimes. Shoot, just try punching me in the face...
...
thank you.
Peacemakers and Dreamers have visions and Inspire them, but it is the soldiers who bring them into reality.
I do not deny that we are up
I do not deny that we are up against tough odds. But we have a chance to reach real people with Dr. Paul's message and we marginalize our effort when we act like fringe supporters. When we act like the fringe, we have no chance; when we work hard, reach out to voters, and more forward, then at least we have a chance.
love Vonnegut
I got Ron Paul to sign my copy of Galapagos ("Fools! Whatever made you think paper was money?") I even have that Mother Night quote you posted written on my wall. One of my favorites.
I agree that we must think positively and confidently however, I think the point being made by SameCoin, is that if you act like a doormat, you will be that as well. We must be positive AND firm in the face of mistreatment.
Yea Vonnegut rocks. That's a
Yea Vonnegut rocks. That's a good idea about getting him to sign one of his books.
Your point is well taken. I guess my view is that we get all up in a frenzy over things (e.g. ppl crying fraud about the S.C. results with >1% precincts reporting... what the point of that?!) when we should be focusing on getting RP votes. Again I think the way RP handled the FoxNews NH exclusion was classy and practical. The throng of supporters chasing down Hannity was class-less and unbecoming of a serious candidate's supporters. And, frankly, that behavior alienates moderate undecided voters.
Thanks again for your reply, appreciate the insight
Does anyone think those people who chased Hannity
might have been agent provocateurs out to make us bad? Just a thought I had the other day, remember we can't put anything past our enemies...
We cannot win if we blame
We cannot win if we blame and complain after every near miss. We cannot win and we lose credibility. Let's focus on winning and not on blaming.
word
yep
change "conspiracy theory" to "investigation"
There are conspiracies. There are crimes. There is a mafia. Don't marginalize serious investigations by calling them "conspiracy theories." That is a trap set up by the criminals, themselves. We have to teach Americans, once again, that to investigate is to be a true patriot.
I concur
Those who commit group crimes have the most to gain for dismissing things as "conspiracy theories".
bump!
Ron Paul is my HERO!
Agreed.
Agreed.
thanks
thanks
Makes a lot of sense
to me:)
thanks
thanks