Monday Open Thread: What Makes You So Special?

My “political awakening” process started with a friendly debate with a young man named John Kunkle while I was 23 years old serving in the U.S Navy circa 1987. We were in the Persian Gulf for Operation Earnest Will. John was a 19 year old “John Bircher” and we would argue his political/culture views for hours on end.

All too often, he had facts and I was only armed with a public-education and a media propagated understanding of history and current events. My independent checks of his “so-called” facts kept proving out his position. At some point, he recommended a book for me to read, Anatoliy Golitsyn’s “New Lies for Old” (ISBN 0-396-08194-0).

This book was written by the highest ranking KGB officer ever to defect ( mid 60’s) and its focus was the historical roots and strategy of disinformation within the communist plan to conquer Western Civilization. As a history buff… it was a great read , yet in his chapter, The Final Phase, he made wild outlandish predictions and gave severe warnings to the West of what was in store should it be fooled. I dismissed him and the book immediately.

In 1989, I saw the entire C-SPAN coverage of the Stockton School yard massacre hearing in Congress. Later that night, I turned on CBS news with Dan Rather and sat stunned as I saw CBS edit the hearing tape to make the NRA representative appear to be an uncaring monster. I was so flippin angry at the outright lie and propaganda, I went out and purchased my first gun that night and joined the NRA. I never trusted the media again.

As the events of 1990/91 unfolded, I saw that the book’s, (New Lies for Old), predictions were uncanny in its accuracy and sequence of events. I became then convinced that we did have would-be tyrants in very powerful positions, that John was right and I was WAY wrong and needed a better education.

Later I learned about other things: PDD-13, Twenty-Nine Palms survey of military members, Waco tape showing the shooting of fleeing folks from the fire via FLIR technology. Gen. Partin’s testimony to Congress on the OKC bombing, The Federal Reserve history, etc.

The candidacy of Ron Paul has given me hope that perhaps we, as Americans, will turn off the inane sitcoms and get serious about our future.

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“To be born free man is an accident, to live as one a responsibility and to die as one an obligation”

I was a sophmore in a very prestegious, all boy, Catholic high school in Queens, NYC.Two things happened that year that forever changed my outlook in the world we live in.

The first was the "explosion" of 793(?... I could be wrong on the flight number). The plane was flying out of Laguardia airport and, according to reports, literally "exploded" into a ball of fire seconds after it took off. I recall some of my highschool classmates living near the airport said the ball of fire lit up their living room. The "explosion" was of course blamed on mechanical failures..but.. there were many independant reports... coming from eye witnesses, airport workers, fisherman ect... who claimed they saw a "missile" or a "rocket" of some sort come from the ground and hit the plane just as it "exploded". I was very intrested in getting to the bottum of this story, even as a teenager. I followed the nightly news intently hoping they would provide some sort of explaination. Was it an act of terrorism? By who? Why? As the reports that a rocket hitting the plane became more and more credible and likely to have been the cause, and the phony "mechanical failure" story seemed more and more like a cover up... the less and less the media covered the story of a plane exploding in the sky. And as a young American man, I began to here the whispers, from everyday Americans, that the governmnet knew something... but wasnt telling. And this infuriated me.

The second thing that happened that changed my outlook also occured in 1993. Even though I was not aware of it at the time, this was the year that it came out, via the daughters of a Red Cross regional manager who had given his daughters a deathbed confession, to be a provable fact of our history that president Roosevelt was well aware of the Japanese plan to attack Pearl Harbor prior to the actual attack. While President Roosevelt had Prior Knowledge to the Pearle Harbor attack and did not warn the hundreds of American Sailors, and Soldiers stationed there... he was kind hearted enough to warn this Red Cross regional Director to send extra personel and medical supplies to the area to help the survivors. This information came out in court and, in my high school Global Studies class it was discussed...partially. Mr. Turner was my teachers name and what he said stuck with me forever. He said "Countries cannot just go to war. They need a reason, and excuse to go to war. Pearle Harbor was Roosevelt' s excuse, his reason to go to war. He may have known that the Japanese were going to attack, so he didnt warn anyone... so that he could he could use the attack as an excuse to enter America into WW2." Surprisingly, at the time I did not question Roosevelt's decision not to warn the Soldiers and Sailors of the attack which cost them their lives. I just took note and what my teacher taught me that day went directly into my long term memory. Mr. Turner went on to say that after WW2, the Japaese do not have their own military and America has had a permanant station in Japan to protect them from the Communist Chinese, costing us 10 Million dollars a yr (this number is presently at around 350 million a yr). I raised my hand and said why do we need to protect the Japanese... why cant they protect themselves? Ironically, he rolled his eyes and said because the communist cannot be trusted.

And this is how I came to be the man I am today, completely distrustfull of the government, liberty minded, and a proud Ron Paul patriot. Even if no one reads this.. it was nice to walk through memory lane...

Semper Fortis

Coal, oil and natural gas. are collectively known as "fossil" fuels. they have become fundamental to our modern existance. wars are bieng fought over them and economys devastated. wouldn't you think it would be BIG news if we had good reason to doubt the entire "fossil" fuel theory? or that we have discovered extraterrestrial life?
apparently not, and I can hardly find anyone who is even interested.
Hydrocarbons are known as "organic" chemicals because they suppossedly only come from life. check this out.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIA...

and that is how I came to live in "wonderland"

natural gas is methane. jet fuel is kerosene. gasoline is primarily composed of octane.[it is both a substance as well as a rating] ethanol is grain alcohol, yep, it is "moonshine"

Ron Paul: The Lone Ranger of the 14th.

I recall attending an anti-war march in a major Ohio city.

It was a river of people, clogging the the main artery for blocks.

And (as was typical at the time) there were little peripheral groups of like 20 or so people marching around on the sidewalk. Typically various forms of communists: Trotskites, Maoists, ...

And one of these groups - one of the most obnoxious anti-US commie splinters - had a quarter-circle of minicam operators from the major TV outlets (back when a "mini"cam plus its backpack full of electronics weighed more than the cameraman).

It was a quarter-circle because they all had their backs - and the insensitive side of the directional microphones - toward the river of people protesting the "war". It was obvious that they were trying to create the illusion, in the population of the city and on the national news, that this antiwar protest (which they might have heard of by other channels) was a handfull of commies rather than a mass movement.

The "establishment media" has been with us since there has been an establishment and media. During the Vietnam period a lot of the "counterculture" set out on a deliberate attempt to infiltrate the media to get their own point of view across. (Which they have since done - as they themselves became the new media establishment. Thus the Old Media's incredible left-wing bias, creating the illusion that the middle of the road is about even with Joe Stalin's right hip.) And they now use the same techniques (marginalization by suppression tempered with occasional ridicule when news leaks out dispite their efforts) on THEIR ideological enemies. (Goebbels would be proud.)

Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch has reconstructed the old establishment media - firmly in the Neocon camp. (Promise them "balance" and give all the other half of the "equal time" to just ONE faction of the previously-ignored Right.)

What goes around has been going around and around and around for a loooooong time.

I remember (without being too graphic) that I was in the bath tub when my room mate kept yelling at me to come see this guy on TV. It was Jan. or Feb. of 2007, and I came running out to listen. I was hooked ever since. I still wonder how the "news" let such a man speak such a clear, concise, pointed, and well right on message of the true "state of the union". I then began researching RP, watching ( dare I mention) Zeitgeist, America: Freedom to Fascims, Loose Change, as well as reading infowars, drudgereport, worldnetdaily, and others. I have been forever changed. Having gone to baptist school and college (yuck) and then law school, I was always left "wondering" what I was missing. All of the above provided those missing pieces and now much to my chagrin I see the world in its reality - I rarely watch TV, other than Lou Dobbs. I love the federalist papers, Plato's Republic, and all gov't history and bases - my how far we have strayed. As for religion, give it a rest - I will not take the ID Card (government doesn't need any more info on me).. others will not take it because of the end time philosophy - no matter your reason we both have a united purpose - NO ID CARD. Also, as far as end times - if the "coming" were true when numbering began then why was that prophecy not fulfilled when the Jews were rounded up, numbered, and slaughtered (sorry some things don't exist) and now that that generation is fading fast there is no one to tell the story - makes a great repeat - just use christian instead of jew. The one thing I LOVE them most of RP is that he doesn't cloak himself in religion because he has morals and integrity on his side and does not need Dobson to annoint him so the Dobsheeple follow his lead. This is also the only campaing I have ever donated to. I am appalled at how he got laughed, but those that laughed are now eating their laughter (as they know when the new election takes place they no longer have room at the table for the talking heads - they will need new puppets for another 4 year agenda). The people in power are just like the homeless and mentally ill; the only difference is the people in power have money - take away their money and they too belong in mental institutes. Research Ruby Payne's social philosophy.

My moment of clarity came thanks to Dr. Paul. The more I heard from him, the more I wanted to know. Having been a prior sheep, I turned to my trusted Fox News to see coverage of the most exciting presidential candidate in my 27 year memory. Watching Congressman Paul be purposely excluded from any positive (or even neutral coverage) on a supposedly conservative news outlet led me to watch any "news" more carefully. I now get my news from the DP, LewRockwell.com and occasionally drudgereport.com to see what the rest of the masses are accepting as reality. Dr. Paul and the DP truly were the cause of my awakening. There's no going back now...

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”
-Marine Major General Smedley Butler

Most people probably don't know all the actors involved or exacty why that poor little guy wound up in the crosshairs of that snake, Janet Reno.

It was the doings of Archer Daniels Midland ... makers of the poison, high fructose corn syrup (hfcs), who were playing footsie with Fidel Castro (trying, I suppose, to gain control the Cuban sugar crop so it wouldn't endanger ADM's profits from hfcs).

Anyway, because the Cuban Americans were making a celebrity out of Elian, Castro wanted him back. and used ADM to pressure Clinton/Reno.

The MSM didn't do a great jub of explaining this story either. The corporatocracy is alive and well!

I had always ignored politics until the left/right culture war seemed to come to the fore. At least during the post Clinton era is when it came to my attention. It was interesting to me that liberals would overlook anything (e.g., useless missile strikes in Afghanastan and Sudan) to defend their pro-abortion party. And the most intelligent comment they could muster against the hated GWB was that he was a d**khead. I'm talking about university professors here. I didn't particularly care for GWB at the time; he certainly didn't inspire, but it was fun to probe them about why they were so hateful toward him, when it was his admission that he didn't really think America was ready for any substantial change with respect to abortion, i.e., confiscated funds from those opposed to it were still going to go to propping up the industry through planned parenthood etc.. They didn't have anything much to say, of course.

GWB also spoke of a humble foreign policy and not participating in nation building ala Kosovo, and I could identify with that. Then came the senior viagra benefit, which I thought was a *really* bad idea.

And then came 9-11. And I'll admit to listening to the likes of Neal Boortz and Laura Ingrahm during this period, and their pseudo libertarian talk (which I now recognize as fundamentally corporate fascist talk) was basically appealing. They spoke often of the freedoms and rights associated with the Declaration and the Constitution. I was familiar with those and valued them but knew that practically they were gone---the late war for Southern independence having basically put the last nails in the coffin of the founders' republic. I didn't see anything practical arising concerning a restoration of the republic. I also recognized the move into Afghanastan as the first event in a kind of domino effect. Iraq was the second event, and I thought things were going in a *really really* bad direction.

I think it is noteworthy that all voices unanimously gave essentially the same support to this direction (John Kerry and Bill Clinton in particular), so though it was clear that there should be a more reasoned approach to the problem of terrorism that we (especially Clinton with his senseless missile strikes---and I've since learned to recognize many other things) had created, there was no voice offering anything except stupidity---much less keeping quiet and acting directly against the agents of terror rather than nations which were (at most) only peripherially involved and compounding our problems by swelling the ranks of al qaida.

But there was a voice of reason out there at the time; I just hadn't heard it. I found that voice after somehow stumbling across a bumper sticker or youtube video or website---cannot remember---with the slogan: RESTORE THE REPUBLIC. (A phrase which was already in my brain, and had a practical meaning.) He was there saying reasonable things about our rediculous foreign policy (and domestic policy), but he was totally ignored.

Then the moment came. After listening to many Ron Paul videos and seeing that he was really serious about bringing about a practical restoration and was ignored; after seeing a couple of the debates, I heard Ingrahm go through a list of things in which ALL the Republican candidates were "terrible" on. Freedom of speech, agreeing that government could not produce virtue,...all the right words, and the list was long. Ron Paul was terrific on every single thing on her list. I pulled over to the side of the road, stopped the car, and screamed RON PAUL at the top of my lungs at the radio.

I've turned off the radio and hope those crazies go into oblivion. (This direction was consistent with my view toward Hollywood for years.) No TV, no movies, no radio. Let 'em all rot.

I started to think that something was terribly wrong with mainstream media when they put BS issues such as the following in our faces everyday:

What Britney Spears did today and yesterday.

How Anna Nicole Smith died (for more than a month).

CELEBRITY BS - and this was just the beginning.

Even though I thought something was wrong, I never ever thought they'd be as manipulative and conniving as i do today. I trusted them.

I came across Ron Paul by ACCIDENT on the internet (and thank God i did)... via a few youtube videos.

I'm not as complacent as i used to be before learning about all this. I don't believe any of their shit... NOTHING. I don't believe what they say about the dollar, world events, NOTHING. I take all information from them with a grain of salt.

Now I do my own research...

I really appreciate the story you shared.

Until a year ago, I got almost all of my news from NPR. I never trusted anything on television because it's always been obvious to me that its fundamentally flawed as a tool with hypnotic power. But NPR? Totally objective, and totally intelligent, right?

Then I got a computer and the internet, and I learned a ton of things that NPR had kept away from my attention. The biggest of those new stories to me was that many people doubted the official story of 911. Prior to this time last year, I had no idea about any of the issues which cast the official story in doubt.

So I'd conclude that NPR failed to keep me informed.

I was fortunate enough to have a liberatarian mom. My dad was republican but has since been neoconned by Faux news. He watches O'Reilly (Orwell's "Two minute Hate") every night and I am convinced that it makes him very hateful and definately keeps him very ignorant. So I have always been a freedom lover.

Anyway, I could not conceive how much the media was involved in the destruction of this nation until the lead up to the Iraq war. I thought the whole WMD story sounded so deceptive. I could not believe that the media was not questioning the story but mostly I knew it was none of our business and the media not once brought this up. I kept wondering what I would think if I were Saddam and did not have any WMDs. And then, I heard of "Shock and Awe". I was horrified. It was like it was some video game that we were going to play and obliterate an entire Country and make fun names for it. The media unquestionably used this discusting language . I was so sad and embarrased.

After the war started I watched Tommy Franks a couple of times get questioned by a few complicit American Journalist and some wonderful BBC journalists that finally started asking some good questions. Tommy Franks was so flustered by these real reporters that they quickly found him a replacement. He was gone shortly after that. So was I, I could never watch MSM after that. I had figured them out and could then seemingly see through all the spinning.

Now, I will watch Jon Stewart and Colbert if I want a bit of truth and MSM if i want to laugh. I love Amy Goodman from Democracy NOW. She has a hard time hiding her liberalism but she is the best journalist on TV.

Aaron Russo did it for me. It all made sense.

realize the media bias. Simply, it was pointed out to me in several ways. I read about it, I looked into it myself, and I formed my opinion. I think that our strongest fight is to continue to educate people, point things out to them, let them look into it, and then let them form their own opinons.

When the media can virtually ignore a typical turnout of 250,000 people, who travel to DC from all over America in the dead of winter (January 22) to take part in an event which includes freezing your buns off, marching and lobbying AND WHO HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR 30+ YEARS, EVERY YEAR, YEAR AFTER YEAR, and they're lucky to get so much as a mention in the mainstream media ... well, you start wondering if the media is deaf, dumb and blind. Then you notice that the 20 or so meaner-than-a-junkyard-dog pro-aborts, who were protesting the 250,000 in some obscure spot garner 20 seconds of the 30 second piece the MSM showered on the event, it becomes painfully clear what they're up to: IT'S NOT ABOUT REPORTING THE NEWS ... IT'S ABOUT HIDING THE TRUTH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT'S ALSO ABOUT FASHIONING THE POISON THEY WANT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SWALLOW. I have to say, they're good at what they do!

Another thing about the March for Life, not a single solitary stinking president or veep has EVER shown up at the rally ... not Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush the first, Clinton (obviously) or Junior. Apparently, it's frowned upon by the man behind the curtain.

Final comment: in the early 90's I was a loyal listener of Rush Limbaugh ... he was pro life, pro America and very outspoken in the best possible way. NAFTA was wending its way through Congress and Limbaugh had been an arch opponent. He even reported that 80% of the American people were against it. Then, one day, everything changed. Having previously articulated the hundred and one reasons why NAFTA was a bad idea, Rush suddenly saw the light: NAFTA would be good for America (he never could say why, however). From that point on, I was cured of believing any media ... so called right or left ... and that has served me very well. I think for myself, thank you very much! Getting rid of the cyclops was a brain-booster too.

As soon as I started to realize that war is the health of the state and notice everywhere and through all time and in what ways this is true, this was the final straw of NO GOING BACK and no more accepting what you are given/told.

So many things simply don't make sense unless you make this connection. And it's that moment when things start to make sense and you see cause and effect that it feels worth it to make any effort. If you stop the wars, the big foreign policy and control over money, the state will really start to wither and things get better for *everyone*.

I saw an interview on CNN last year about Professional Wrestling and steroid use. (This was about the same time I started paying attention to Ron Paul.)

Here's the CNN piece. Fast forward to the 2:00 mark and just watch the 45 second John Cena interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUe_62u57E

Sounds pretty damning, huh? Well here's the completely unedited part that John Cena himself taped:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkj-vd-q5A8

CNN completely lied. That little clip did it for me, forever. I will never believe a single thing I watch on TV again. Then I witnessed the media coverage that Ron Paul received. Not only was the MSM blatantly lying, but there was an agenda.

The local newsrag publishing sanitized propaganda of school board meetings I attended. Sometimes I wondered if the reporter attended a different meeting. The chumminess of the reporters with the folks they were covering. The story about Kuwaiti babies being thrown from incubators by invading Iraqi soldiers during the first Gulf War, it outraged me but turned out to be a total hoax. The MSM blackout and spin of Ron Paul this past campaign, worse than I ever imagined it could be. Then I realized that this is simply standard procedure, the MSM is nothing but stimulus-response psy-ops against the people. We have little way of knowing what is really going on outside of our own locations and can trust very few "leaders" or talking heads. Watching the Trade Center buildings implode, a show for the rubes, the dumbed down American herd. Probably the biggest "aha": Reading John Taylor Gattos "The Underground History of American Education". He explains what school really is, conditioning and dumbing down of the entire population, behavioral training to turn naturally curious and intelligent children into ignorant, atheistic, state worshipping, fearful, easily manipulated sheep responding to endless "polls" herding them toward the desired behavior for all: "Polls show that MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE...."

It's called free will.

We can choose to exist or not to exist.

In this country, up until now, the easy choice has been not to exist.

Steady income, getting by, t.v., food, etc. etc.

The freedom movement will be easier in other countries. The struggling countries.

The choice to exist is the easier of the two choices there.

When we choose freedom, the world will choose freedom.

We will not have to convince the individuals in the struggling countries to exist, they already do.

The hard part is to get people to choose existence.

The easy part is to get them to choose freedom.

Because I have chosen to exist in America does not make me special, it makes me unusual.

That is it.

WAHOR!!
http://www.dailypaul.com/...

my father is a cynic and skeptic (and i love him for it), he is a retired marine colonel. i served also, to the rank of captain in the army. i served under reagan, daddy bush, and clinton.

i was activated for hurricane andrew. we were forward echelon medical response. our mission in our orders was for four weeks. we completed our mission in three. there was talk about an extension, but no details on the mission.

well, daddy bush was running for office then. he wanted a huge military exposure in florida to win the election. our unit ended up participating in dog and pony shows for bush and his cronies. i even got an "adda boy" from undersecretary of the army, john o. marsh. he was later found guilty of shoplifting womens' underwear in d.c., in his size.

it was such a political play to waste our resouces for highly trained men and women to be used for political purposes. it was then that the lightbulb went on (i'm a late bloomer, i was 28....now 43).

now, dad and i have some really in-depth conversations regarding our constitution and sovereignty. i'm glad i'm awake now and ron paul has only given me more fuel to fight this cause.

peace

GOP treason turned my head.

The infamous USA-Patriot Act. Before that I was a conservative Libertarian who split his philosophies between Harry Browne and Rush Limbaugh depending upon what mood I woke up in. Before that I bought into the illusion that Republicans were well-meaning but spineless incompetents. But before the Patriot Act, there was not really a defining moment where a line was drawn in the sand. Anyone who voted for that bill was unworthy to hold public office, and the majority of those who did were Republicans. It was an eye-opener for me.

At the same time, that was when I first became an admirer of Ron Paul. He publicly sounded the alarm on the Patriot Act and voted against it.
I am grateful to have him as a statesman representing this country.

SUPPORT OUR FOUNDERS' AMERICA
Support the Constitution of the United States

Was the victim of a yellow journalistic hit piece as an innocent sophomore in college. That encounter taught me the hard way how the media works (in general): the facts are selectively reported so as to further the editorial agenda.

Fastforward some 5 years when I was handed a copy of "Atlas Shrugged". Boom it was all over. My liberal midwestern college education was shamble-ized and thoroughly discredited. Politics from that point forward was virtually pointless; even the Libertarian Party in my view was destined to a minor role for the near term.

I really don't recall how I came to know about Dr. Paul; however it was clear immediately that he possessed two fundamental traits that the LP presidential candidates and others did not:

1) He was a member of one of the major parties, had been for a significant duration. He was the boy who said the Emperor had no clothes, and was in a position to have a noticeable impact on politics 'as usual' in DC.

2) His use of the Constitution as an objective standard by which to cut off meaningless philosophical and legalistic debate was masterful. I think many, even here, underestimate the beauty and power of this approach. And it is an approach that we all can use in the fight for freedom at every level. Ron has presented us the intellectual ammunition that we having been overlooking as a nation for far too long.

Those two things cured my apathy.

I learned about the media's agenda to misinform or not inform the public by watching a few videos I came across on Ron Paul sites and other like minded sites. I can't remember all of them but I believe one started out with JFK.(maybe Zeigeist pt.2 ?) and showed how some people took over the major newspapers in the 1st half of the last century.Another video showed how a handful of big corps. combined to buy tv,radio and cable stations and the power they posess to report what they want to.( Be it truth or not.)Then there was the clip from the movie" Network". Also there was a video of two former Fox news journalists who tried reporting a story that Fox wanted buried and their ordeal to get the truth out and how Fox tried everything to stop them.I can't remember the address of all the videos but I have them in my favorite places and show them to all that I can. It seems most people are more likely to watch a video than to read.
It would be a great thing for someone to combind these videos into one and call it "WHY YOU CAN'T TRUST THE MSM"

I did a google search "What Brought The Towers Down?"
Since then I've been wondering where the fuck is the media on this? I'm a C student and it took me one search? Ron Paul & 911 Same Media Bullshit, Same Media Bias.

9/11 was an inside job .....time to get some answers..RP 2008

I did a google search "What Brought The Towers Down?"
Since then I've been wondering where the fuck is the media on this? I'm a C student and it took me one search? Ron Paul & 911 Same Media Bullshit, Same Media Bias.

9/11 was an inside job .....time to get some answers..RP 2008

2004 I was thinking about going back to school. Messing around downloading PDF books on limewire on how to be smarter or learn how to learn... I came across a book called "The End of Suburbia" Found out about 9/11 and many other things from that book. After that it was night and day difference every time I watched TV. It was only until recently that I discovered TV plants subliminal messages and suggestions and I quit watching it all together.

Michael Nystrom wrote:
And so I am curious if you have a similar story - an 'aha' moment that made you change your view of the world?

My view of MSM wasn't high to begin with, but it really took a dive over the last year. The two events that come to mind are:
1. The CNN (I think it was) chart from one of the primaries with two pie pieces of the same basic size, one had 'Giuliani' attached to it and the other was not labeled. Of course, it would have been titled 'Paul. Worse, there was room on the screen to put those four letters on there.
2. The Tim Russet treatment of Ron Paul. He went way out of his way to prove 'you aren't one of us' rather than examine the actual issues. When Ron Paul was on Face the Nation he got the normal 'Isolationist' type rhetoric but on NBC the focus was not on the issues.

The other thing that really stood out was what I call 'The Disclaimer'. You know, that first sentence or two on any news story that made sure you understood off the top that this Ron Paul guy had no chance to win. I was amazed with how common 'The Disclaimer' was.

Here's a video and my take in late January of this year:
http://www.dailypaul.com/...

And we are not hung up on plurality. We don't fall for the left vs right paradigm. Those are probably the two major factors.

Personally,reading "Conversations With God," by Neale Donald Walsh when I was 16 had more of an underlying influence than anything. If you have heard of it, or have considered picking it up, then I seriously recommend it.

Razorwind Studios is an official endorser of Ron Paul, and we will live free or die! 14th alternate to MN state!
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for most of my life, so I see things in a different light than the general public. I also have the added benefit of having two very inteligent (although still brainwashed) parents, both of whom are family practice MDs. In addition, my mom has a PhD. I have always been very critical of everything, and I always try to look at what other motives others might have. I do have some interest in psychology, and I have done some looking into propaganda techniques.

For a while, I was duped into believing the story of the evil people in the middle east... but it wasn't until a good doctor gave me a dose of truth did I awaken. When I went to hear Dr. Paul speak at Northrup, and cried tears of joy... that was when I woke up.

something wasn't right but I could never articulate it. The first time I heard Dr. Paul in the debate in May (which I tuned in by accident) I was sold. Woohoo! I thought here is someone speaking TRUTH. Everything he said was truthful and I couldn't get enough.

I think there are two kinds of people. Those who seek and question and those who do not seek or question. Those of the first group have a survival instinct of fear so we seek information hoping our chances of survival will be better. The second group don't question because they want to believe they already have all the answers. These people are happy because they can not control the big world but can control their small world.

The first group believes knowledge is power. This may or may not be true.

The second group believes ignorance is bless which may or may not serve them only time will tell.

A line in a movie keeps playing in my head " TRUTH- you want TRUTH?
You can't handle the TRUTH".

I read Ayn Rand about 10 years ago and realized that many of the evils she alluded to in her books were happening all around me. After that, it was a relentless search for truth, and a slow recovery from the social and religious brainwashing of my first 30 years. It was painful, and after a rough patch (disillusionment, anger, depression, and a little self destructiveness with drugs and alcohol), I moved on and became much stronger, more perceptive, flexible, and confident than I ever dreamed possible. Once your eyes are opened, you can't go back.

"Doc" Holladay
Nashville, TN

I woke up by stumbling upon the Alex Jones Show a few years ago. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions ever since, but all for the best. May God be with us.

http://www.humanityoverco...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." --Declaration of Independence

Marilyn in Lake Jackson
Michael, I commented on your post on Sunday, giving my reasons for the campaign from the start, like no media coverage, older people not being on the computer that much, etc. But I have to say, I am surprised at the things you said about things dropping off after Dr. Paul suspended his presidential campaign, low ticket sales to the Rally in Minn., not many new people joining, etc. Here at campaignforliberty.com, new people are joining every day. This cite has picked up considerably. And now ticket sales are 8,101, and we have a month to go. I feel sure sales will keep picking up, and any tickets not sold in advance will be sold at the door. Your post was somewhat of a bummer. We don't need bummers right now.

the common theme is disbelieving in what the boob tube is presenting. Getting the masses to break their addiction to television will be necessary if we want to reach them.

I was working as a precinct inspector for the registrars' office in Los Angeles County in 1992, a district predominately for Perot and Jerry Brown. The polls closed, I locked up what represented 10K ballots and headed for the designated drop off. Being November, it was dark, and there was a long line of headlights behind me of other precinct inspectors waiting to drop off their ballots. I was listening to the radio and it was announced, Clinton won. That moment changed my life. Clinton won? I had 10K uncounted ballots personally, and I was looking at what was adding up to the entire west coast and Hawai'i, Absentee uncounted ballots and Clinton won? How did Clinton win????? There was NO system to check..and I began looking for answers I found Ralph Nader who was working on campaign laws and ballot access laws, and I joined the Nader team. I didn't support Nader for president to win, I supported Nader for president because his contest was all about collecting evidense. It has been a BRUTAL fight, especially with the Democrats where in 2004 we recieved 23 law suits in 17 states to block us from ballot access. Ron Paul and Ralph Nader share some issues...no war, no war on drugs, fair elections...And I asked Ralph Nader about Ron Paul, to which Nader has tremendous respect. Like Ralph Nader, Ron Paul is an "Unreasonable Man" (great documentary). I was eally really looking forward to working with the Ron Paul campaign, AND, I was really hoping he would break with the GOP and make an Indy run because after 12 years working with Nader, we have Indy connections and network..many Ron Paul supporters are Indy's like me. I gave more money to Ron Paul than I did in three elections with Nader. The irony was the biggest FOES I had were Ron Paul's campaign. Seemed everytime we tried to do something a bucket of ice water was thrown on us by the campaign. Ron Paul's campaign became really confusing. And the fighting..the inner fighting was shocking. Ralph Nader had no problem bringing together antiwar Libertarians, Constitutionalists helped us gert ballot access while working on getting Petrouska ballot access, the Socialist Workers Party, I came away really liking allot of these hard working kind people, and Green party, ex Dems and GOP (who remember it was Nixon that took Nader's non-profit groups and turned them into government branches). No one has sued the government more than Nader...so as a Naderite.. I was really looking forward to helping Ron Paul and fight for Ron Paul as I had learned how to fight the Democrats, but the Ron Paul campaign didn't want a fight. They didn't want anything from me but to send money and more money. They didn't even want me to become a delegate..matter of fact, I joined Meetup groups from NV all over Northern CA, and I drove 400 miles to go to Meetups and participate...Most of the meetups were ignored by the campaign (Jeff Greenspan who?), and they even ignored the Republicans in the Meetups. Our being told to become delegates was a joke. Meetup groups in NV were fighting...I have never seen a campaign that had so much inner fighting. I watched good strong Ron Paul supporters get torn up, insulted, and dirty tricks played on Ron Paul supporters by Ron Paul supporters. This campaign has been the most expensive and greatest dissappointment in my life. Ron Paul's campaign avoided this area as if Mike Thompson has us all by the short hairs. People here are desperate to break the Democrat hold on this area, and Ron Paul wouldn't touch it with a 100 mile pole. So for me Mike, I found out 16 years ago that elections are rigged and MSM lies. I invested in Ron Paul and yesterday I recieved a letter from Nader (who misses me because I am very good at getting petitiioning) He's on the ballot in CA. I'm happy for him. And, if Ron Paul is not on the ballot, I will vote for Nader to spoil Obama, more than anything to do with McCain. I don't have any regrets with my choice for Ron Paul, dissappointments? sure, but I appreciate Ron Paul and am happy to have met him, though he's looking more and more as "the past" rather than the future, and I have my ticket to St Paul..but this campaign is the worst I've ever invested. Thank you for your part Mike. I'll miss Daily Paul when this is over..hopefully it's not over, but I don't see how people who attack each other will carry into the future very far. I don't know about that.

That's what makes me special.

There are so many medias to choose from that's it not a problem. So what if CNN or Fox doens't give Dr. Paul as much time as we'd like? It's not their responsibility. These are private institutions, with guaranteed free press rights from our Constitution. How about respecting that instead of criticizing them for doing what they want with their own property?

I see people criticizing the media as if they have some kind social responsibilty to present all sides of an issue and all candidates equally. I'm not buying that. That's socialism. That's the premise behind the Fairness Doctrine, which Dr. Paul, and all libertarians should be opposing, which is an attempt to force it on these businesses. Once you start pushing the premise that the media has a responsibility to be fair or informative, it's just one step closer to forcing it on them, because if they're morally obligated to be fair or informative, why not force it on them? I reject that premise. The media has no social responsibilty other than to maximize shareholder profit. How about we start respecting the principles behind a free market, capitalism, the profit-incentive, private property, and Constitutionally guaranteed free press (meaning a press that can say, or not say, whatever they want)? Let's stop bitching about the media. They don't owe us a damned thing.

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Trolling in the defense of liberty is no vice.