10.3 Million and Counting

So we've now surpassed Giuliani's third quarter fund raising. Based on the way the man is positively blowing up, I have my doubts that Giuliani will surpass his third quarter fund raising. And McCain could suprise but my gut says he'll be lucky to raise 5 million.

Fred? About the same. He's been a big disappointment. From a philosophical/political viewpoint, I might be able to live with Fred (though there's no way he'd beat a democrat in the general). He was one of the few sane voices in the Senate during its investigation into Janet Reno's home fry restaurant in Waco. But today, he has no fire, he looks like skeletor and nobody gets excited about anything he has to say. So I really don't think that even the corporate donors will be writing checks to his campaign. I have to admit that before Fred Announced I saw him as the real dark horse of this campaign. He allegedly had some charisma and that is what I think the poor neoconservative values voters were hoping to find. Oops... "First, can I get a round of applause?"

Huckabee might raise 3 million this quarter. We still have a month to go. Huckabee's poll numbers on the other hand put him in the top tier. But it seems awfully convenient. I mean...how? He doesn't have money to spend, doesn't have grass roots support of any note and even though he is being touted as the "surprise" candidate by the old media, there's no "there" there.

The only challenger to Ron Paul's fund raising will be Romney and my guess is that he will write himself another loan which will represent the majority of his fund raising "success".

So in terms of money, Ron Paul will likely be #2 if not #1 in the fourth quarter. What's very exciting about this campaign is that the growth is steady. It hasn't peaked.

And I really don't think it will peak until we get into the middle of the general election and perhaps beyond. Laura pointed out that today's fund raising of over $500,000 was a "disappointment" to certain commentators.

To whom? Certainly not to Ron Paul or his supporters. More of the old media's rotten spin since they can't find bad news to report elsewhere. Wait 'til 12/16 you putzes. That is going to be a world-wide event with sympathetic protests held in Europe.

Show me any Candidate on either side that is inspiring support in any country other than the U.S. Isn't happening because the world is scared to death of the whole lot of megalomaniacal sociopaths who aren't named Ron Paul.

Superb Alternet article in defense of Ron Paul

Alternet's Joshua Holland has a superb article deconstructing the idiotic guilt by association attacks on Ron Paul's campaign. Money quote:

But more than that, the typical analysis misses the fundamental dynamic driving Paul's popularity. His campaign occupies that political space where right- and left-populism intersect, and that space exists only because there are significant areas of national policy where neither of the two parties, nor any of the "mainstream" candidates, have shown any willingness to represent their constituents.

And the award for best live blogger of the debates goes to....

Steve Gordon. His last one was a laugh riot too.

Will the Real Kooks please stand up?

All of this bashing of Ron Paul supporters got me to thinking that the truly dangerous kooks, are members of the neoconservative punditry. Enjoy.

Ron Paul Delegates: Ahead in West Virginia

According to the very worried-sounding Senator from West Virginia:

So, the Ron Paul people have been coming out in droves and signing up to be At-large Delegates to the State Convention. In fact, at this point, I believe they are ahead in the ‘at large’ category of Delegates.

Lookout GOP, we're taking you back.

More Evidence that the old Media is starting to get it

from the Washington post:

And little wonder. In the 1990s, conservative Republicans rose to power by relentlessly attacking Big Government. Yet the minute they took control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, they kicked out the jams on even a semblance of fiscal responsibility, signing off on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and building literal and figurative bridges to nowhere. From 2001 to 2008, federal outlays will have grown by an estimated 29 percent in inflation-adjusted terms, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Aaron Zelman to the ADL: Burn in Hell

The JPFO has always had the most strident pro-gun organization in existence and nobody can touch their reasoning: gun control enabled the holocaust to occur.

The ADL has decided to flex its muscles in the Ron Paul direction and Zelman minces no words. I love this guy.

I've been an ADL hater ever since Mark Pitcavage put constitution.org on his now-defunct, militia watch site. Mark, by the way was instrumental in fomenting, directly and indirectly, the anti-militia and anti-constitutional mindset that led to the ATF's raid on the Branch Davidians. There are no words strong enough one could use to denounce the treasonous ADL.

I agree with Aaron in this instance though it may be unbecoming. Sometimes, there aren't enough rocks.

Thompson's Lack of Enthusiasm? Turn That Proposition Around

The MSNBC blog (HT: Laura) follows Fred Thompson's campaign noting that not only are his staffers unenthusiastic about the campaign, but the low number of people who come to see him speak seem just as apathetic.

a small crowd of less than 50 also seemed to lack an enthusiasm for the candidate. Throughout the roughly 20-minute speech, largely centered on national security, Thompson stopped several times for applause, yet there were only uninspired responses from the crowd. As Thompson entered the rustic VFW hall, the crowd had to be prompted to applaud by his campaign staffers in back of the room.

I have no idea if my comment will make it on their blog since comments are moderated but here's the response I posted...

So at what point do you guys start noticing that Ron Paul's support is staggering?

We now know via this blog that a dozen for Romney and 50 for Fred where applause has to be prompted is newsworthy. (Last month, shortly after his announcement at a stop in New Hampshire he [Thompson] had to ask a crowd of about 20 for applause). Maybe Fred isn't the one lacking enthusiasm. Maybe his platform is not only un-inspiring to his supporters but to Fred and anyone on his staff.

So where do you note that 5000+ in Philadelphia, 2000+ in Nashville, 2000+ in Michigan, 1000+ in Nevada, 700+ in Austin (back in May!), all crowds that arrived to see Dr. Paul in varying weather conditions, is newsworthy?

Isn't it time to recognize that the real front runner of this Republican race is in fact Ron Paul? Isn't it time to re-assess this absurd notion that it is Ron Paul who is the quirky "fringe" candidate?

Poison Your kids or We'll Shoot

In Maryland the state has herded children into a courthouse like cattle and forced vaccinations under threat of imprisonment. Even Fox news thought this was extreme.

Of course, there's no law that they can use to actually punish parents for not vaccinating their children. But that didn't stop them from threatening jail time and a good number of parents just gave in. We definitely should be ashamed of letting this sort of thing to happen. Vaccination "science" is dubious at best and this should be a choice made by parents. But when your biggest political donors are drug companies, it is no wonder that this happens.

Here in Texas, Governor Perry, who takes a good amount of cash from Merck, signed an executive order demanding that girls in Texas schools take a vaccine that hasn't been shown to have any positive effect in reducing cervical cancer rates.

Of course Merck is going to be profitable when the government is mandating the use of its products. This practice has been going on for years, benefiting many different industries and corporations here in the U.S.

Giuliani's Implosion Imminent

From the MSNBC News Blog (embedded reporter's view):

The crowds, however, don’t seem to have gotten the message. A rally for Giuliani in front of Manchester City Hall garnered only a few dozen supporters. Backers of Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich almost seemed to match them in numbers. Giuliani generates healthy crowds at town hall meetings, but they are not all loyalists. When it comes to rallies and events where partisans are expected in droves, Giuliani’s crowds disappoint. And the mainstream media has started to notice.

Top tier? My eye. The front runner has been Ron Paul for at least two months.

Ron Paul beats Hillary

Alex Jones commissioned Zogby to perform a "blind poll" which pitted resumes rather than names against one another. Ron Paul's issues were 20 points ahead of anyone, Republican or Democrat.

As Steve Gordon wrote back in September, Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate that can beat Hillary in the general election. In fact, it wouldn't even be close in my opinion. It would dwarf the landslides we saw in 1980 and 1984.

But now even the scientific data seems to overwhelmingly support the idea.

HT: Laura

The Ron Paul Zeppelin? Whole Lotta Love!

For those who have "maxed out", here's another way to help. Check out Ron Paul Blimp dot Com

Each time I think I've seen it all, somebody comes up with another brilliant idea. During the winter, I'm not sure how much sense this makes in northern states. You need visibility for this one. It's a blimp to be painted up with Ron Paul copy that would fly around the states. Of course it would attract a great deal of attention and it's completely a grass roots effort.

The site asks that you only give if you haven't yet maxed out. They've already received 65k in pledges. How cool is that?

Don't talk about drugs on campus.

Last week in Round Rock, just north of Austin, a high school newspaper published a story claiming that drug use was common at the high school.

The Principle of the school removed the paper from circulation citing issues of "journalistic integrity" as her reasoning. She wrote a letter to parents to let them know that she was making sure the journalism students were on their toes.

I found that the content and sources could not be validated, that information from school counselors were misrepresented, and that it was not even known if the student sources even existed as the names used were aliases. I was very disappointed that rules of good journalism were not in place and that the approval system failed as well.

Uhh huh. It couldn't be that one of the allegations was that a common drug being dealt on campus was the Ritalin that was handed out like candy by school health administrators to students diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. It probably couldn't be that the article claimed that school officials knew of the drug dealing and turned a blind eye to it.

Nah...they pulled the paper from circulation because it was a case of bad journalism.

Prescription pills are popular for school-related issues. Many teens diagnosed with ADD or ADHD sell their Aderol, Ritalin and Hydrocodine. Some students believe that pills help them to better focus and concentrate on school work.

Local AM radio station KLBJ posted the principle's letter and the original article on their web site. I graduated in 1981 when the biggest drug war push was just beginning. The student's article here mirrors what I saw in high school and that was 25 years ago. Except for one thing: back then there was nobody in my school being prescriped Ritalin and other drugs for these pseudo disorders.

The drug war has obviously failed miserably if its intent was to rid society of dangerous drugs. If its intent was to turn us all into watched sheep, it has been wildly successful. Now it would appear to also be affecting our right to talk about it.

Ron Paul helps us to Remember America's Great Past

What I've noticed about several old media outlets is that they're finally starting to "get it" regarding what's going on, sort of....

For Mr. Levins and other supporters, Mr. Paul is more than just a choice on the Republican primary ballot. He is talismanic, a 72-year-old 10-term congressman who transcends partisan politics. For them, he's the man who can restore the Constitution, end the Iraq war, bring back the gold standard for money and stop an erosion of civil rights.

It's a good piece and I do not mean to deride the writer. But he's only noting half of the story. Yes, it's true that his supporters are excited. But it's not just about their level of enthusiasm at events where Ron Paul appears. It's their level of enthusiasm which motivates them to act and spend their money when Ron Paul is not appearing in their town.

For instance, today, Lawrence Lepard, a venture capitalist, spent $85,000 in one whack on a full page ad in the USA Today.

I would bet he's also already "maxed out."

He didn't do it alone. The effort was launched on Ron Paul forums and lickety-split a graphic artist was located, the copy was discussed and the ad was produced. Months ago, I blogged about this sort of spontaneous activity even before the Iowa straw poll when the critical mass appeared as if it would be reached sooner, rather than later.

A Lawrence, Kansas, painting contractor had painted a huge Ron Paul sign on a roof that was going to be replaced. Funny how it wasn't until I started writing about this tonight that even I didn't "get it" yet. I mean, I "got it", but I didn't know why exactly.

I'm sitting here with a big grin because I've known that Ron Paul is going to win, but not why we all get so excited about him, until now. Yes, "Hope for America", strong message of liberty, excited supporters, blah blah blah.

We're so excited, and so many people keep enthusiastically supporting him because we're being reminded of the so-called American dream. I realize that the message is strong and is the basis for this remembrance. But that is not the secret. There are actually two reasons why this campaign has become so powerful.

The first is Ron Paul's credibility combined with his ability to inspire the imaginations of those who hear his message.

The second and most powerful reason is that the grass roots accomplishments of this campaign have been mirroring the laissez faire, unregulated success of our ancestors during the late 18th century. Anyone could own a press and many did. The amazing technological advances that seemed to just keep exploding from the barns and warehouses of ordinary citizens were much like what we keep seeing on YouTube video after video.

Not that cures for cancer are being discovered, but were our society to organize itself the way that these Ron Paul meetups are organized, completely voluntarily and with a high tolerance for people of different backgrounds working toward a common cause, I have no doubt that a cure could be found.

We're witnessing in action what has occurred in the past, and on a small scale, how our country could be organized and run again. Actually, we're seeing something much closer to anarchy and it is exhilarating. If Ron Paul were not a student of Von Mises and Hayeck, this wouldn't be happening.

This is why Ron Paul will win the primary and why his supporters will completely demolish Hillary next November. It will be an epic land slide. Ron Paul is the first to admit that he isn't really doing anything in the way of campaign strategies, though I think he's very modest. They have a plan there in Virginia and have been executing that plan.

I think he understands that there is as much pulling as pushing. The grass roots is the personification of the ideals he espouses. He reminds us of the America that once was: full of innovation, peaceful, cosmopolitan and most of all, free.

The grass roots are then running with that concept and demonstrating how that works in action.

That's what the old media is failing to recognize. Ron Paul is causing us to remember a great past and imagine a future built on the same traditional principles that allowed imagination to truly fuel innovation. We remember and we hope.

Breasts are Dangerous

HT: Karen DeCoster 34 FFs require special TSA search techniques.

Don't wait for 12/16 to donate

Money bombs are nice but the campaign needs money now to have any sort of chance on Super Tuesday even if he wins Iowa and New Hampshire. Don't wait.

Orwell Lives

In Boston, cops have initiated a program to send cops door to door confiscating weapons. They will show up unannounced and ask (demand) to search the bedrooms of teenagers living there.

It's a way to "empower the parent" says the Rev. Jeffrey Brown co-founder of the anti-crime Boston TenPoint Coalition.

Of what is this statist a "Reverend"? The Church of Satan?

Washington Post on Liberty Dollar Raid and Ron Paul

Good article here

As if Ron Paul's supporters needed any more motivation to storm the battlements and wreak havoc on the Republican presidential primary, now comes this: the feds are trying to take away their money.

Earth to Washington Post: They took away our dollar in 1913. This is about keeping it that way.

The UnLiberty Dollar

In 1913, a 'dollar' was defined as 1.12929 ounces of silver. That definition hasn't changed. What has changed is the value of the paper 'dollars' -- declared 'legal tender' -- that you might just use (two of them) to get a cup of Starbucks coffee. Based on the government's own measure of 'inflation', the paper dollar is only worth about 4 cents today as compared to the value it held back in 1913 when it was still backed by gold and silver. Of course, the government's definition of inflation has nothing whatsoever to do with reality, but I digress.

In the late 90s, Bernard von Nothaus, a long-time opponent of the Federal Reserve system, decided to produce an alternative dollar which would be backed by silver. He called it the Liberty Dollar. As its popularity grew, so did the Federal government's discomfort. They decided to investigate. In 1999, the Secret Service investigated and "… determined there wasn’t a federal currency violation." They did suggest however, that perhaps NORFED, the organization von Nothaus began as a political vehicle to oppose the income tax and Federal Reserve, might be running afoul of SEC regulations.

It seems to be a trend that when an agency can't find anything wrong with a spontaneous and unregulated economic endeavor, they keep searching. Not counterfeiting? Maybe they're trying to engage in some other special activity that we regulate! Let's call up a different agency! Most people would call this harassment by authorities, something that is illegal in all 50 states. Nobody gave the feds that memo, apparently.

But why on earth would they care? What von Nothaus had created was a medium of exchange, the value of which could be easily determined. Where's the harm in that? To obtain Liberty Dollars, you had to pay with the "legal tender" printed by the U.S. Treasury, so why the scrutiny?

Perhaps, the government doesn't like to have its schemes foiled. If the Liberty Dollar and its creators were kooky for thinking that gold and silver is money, there was still the slight chance that people in the U.S. would gravitate toward that real money rather than the counterfeit stuff the Treasury kept handing out (by the trillions). NORFED wasn't the only group which offered alternative currencies. It just happened to be the only group that offered real money -- gold and silver -- as opposed to barter paper or scrip, and even its paper was backed by gold and silver.

Recently, the U.S. Mint declared on its website that use of the Liberty Dollar was a federal crime. The Mint didn’t provide specifics and von Nothaus filed a lawsuit which claimed that the declaration was defamation and a great harm to his business. This suit has been allowed to go forward even after many attempts by the defendant’s lawyers to have it dismissed. The government would never retaliate against somebody exercising their constitutional rights would they?

If the government feared that the liberty dollar would become popular, its fears were realized. As of Monday, eight years after its inception, the Liberty Dollar was the most popular alternative currency instrument in the United States.

On Wednesday, November 14, 2007, the government tried to kill it. Details are sketchy, but 12 armed federal agents raided Liberty Dollar's headquarters and took everything. Not only did they take the computers and records, they confiscated dies, medallions ('coins' are a statutorily defined artifact) and the gold and silver kept in the vaults. The paper certificates in circulation were instantly devalued. What in the world would motivate the government to do this?

The search and seizure warrants were posted at the Liberty Dollar web site. According to the seizure warrant, the allegation is that NORFED has been engaging in money laundering and wire fraud. The search warrant is nothing more than a wholesale fishing expedition. The seizure warrant itself uses three cites of criminal seizure statutes, USC 18 982 (2)(b), USC 18 981 (1)(b) and 21 USC 853(f).  I'm no lawyer but in reading those sections of the law it becomes only too obvious how cavalier our federal police have become when it comes to reading the laws they are allegedly sworn to uphold and the Constitution which allegedly authorizes these laws.

Let me show you what I mean.

In USC 18 Section 982 (2)(b) we find:

The court, in imposing sentence on a person convicted of a violation of, or a conspiracy to violate—

(A) section 215, 656, 657, 1005, 1006, 1007, 1014, 1341, 1343, or 1344 of this title, affecting a financial institution, or

(B) section 471, 472, 473, 474, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 485, 486, 487, 488, 501, 502, 510, 542, 545, 842, 844, 1028, 1029, or 1030 of this title,

shall order that the person forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds the person obtained directly or indirectly, as the result of such violation. [Emphasis added]

This section is describing criminal forfeiture which clearly requires a trial and can only be executed during the sentencing phase. There is no legal authority given in this statute to seize assets prior to a conviction. One of the statutes listed as being the source of authority is USC 18 981 (1)(b). It reads:

(B) Any property, real or personal, within the jurisdiction of the United States, constituting, derived from, or traceable to, any proceeds obtained directly or indirectly from an offense against a foreign nation, or any property used to facilitate such an offense, if the offense—

(i) involves the manufacture, importation, sale, or distribution of a controlled substance (as that term is defined for purposes of the Controlled Substances Act), or any other conduct described in section 1956 (c)(7)(B);

 I am assuming here that 1956(c)(7)(b) - money laundering - is the specific reason that this forfeiture applies. That statute is about a crime against a foreign nation or bank. Did a foreign nation or bank file a complaint against NORFED or does the government just make it up as they go along? Are they going to produce a victim or will we find that the "crime" is theoretical? Here's the section:

(7) the term “specified unlawful activity” means—
        ...

(B) with respect to a financial transaction occurring in whole or in part in the United States, an offense against a foreign nation involving—

...

(iii) fraud, or any scheme or attempt to defraud, by or against a foreign bank (as defined in paragraph 7 of section 1(b) of the International Banking Act of 1978)); [emphasis added]

The final cite for seizure authority given is 21 USC 853(f).

The Government may request the issuance of a warrant authorizing the seizure of property subject to forfeiture under this section in the same manner as provided for a search warrant. If the court determines that there is probable cause to believe that the property to be seized would, in the event of conviction, be subject to forfeiture and that an order under subsection (e) of this section may not be sufficient to assure the availability of the property for forfeiture, the court shall issue a warrant authorizing the seizure of such property.

Folks, this is a crock of [expletive deleted]. The government here has used as its authority, to seize property subject to seizure under banking laws, statues which apply to drug enforcement. Title 21 contains laws applicable to the Food and Drug Administration. Liberty Dollar and those who bought their products, have little chance that any judge will look at this blatant tyranny and reject it. A judge signed these warrants. More than likely the same judge that will hear any motions relevant to this case. It would seem that there is a very good argument to make against the legality of this snatch and grab, but frankly, I don't think the government cares about the law. The law is now just hieroglyphics used to justify tyranny. If it really meant anything to anyone in government except as a means to spread a patina of legitimacy over blatant criminal acts, this hodgepodge of legal "authority" wouldn't be the norm.

Liberty Dollar and its customers have been denied the right of due process. Every civil and criminal seizure proceeding must allow the defendant a hearing to challenge the government's assertion that a preemptive seizure is justified. That never happened in this case and this government is proving itself beholden to no law, especially not the Constitution.

We have one chance to strike it down in our favor without resorting to violence. In 1913, the original liberty dollar was replaced with the unliberty fiat dollar. In 1971, Nixon finally put the nail in the coffin by finally severing the relationship between gold and silver and the "dollar". A man you may have heard about was driven into politics to change this. That man was Ron Paul. His stance on money has been consistently derided by ignorant (or worse) commentators but this issue has resonated amongst the population almost as strongly as has his principled stance on foreign policy. Von Nothaus even minted a version of the Liberty Dollar with Ron Paul's image on it.

Sound money is the only way that people can truly be free. Obviously, our government won't even give us a whiff of freedom. If you're not a Ron Paul supporter, try and get the candidate you support to even talk about sound money. Chances are your candidate will refuse to answer any questions about the issue or defer to the "experts" working at the Federal Reserve. With every day that passes, the truth of Ron Paul's admonitions become more evident. The persecution of Liberty Dollar shows us that our government is not interested in our freedom. Rather than protect our freedoms, they are at each passing moment inventing new ways to stifle and control us.

We have one chance to change it all and restore our liberties. Let's not blow it. All of us have been affected by the fiat unliberty dollar. For those who have been directly affected by the raid, there is a signup for the sure-to-follow class-action against our government. Sign up. Register to vote Republican in the primaries and support Ron Paul, the only Presidential candidate who is a defender of the true liberty dollar.

Wonderful Young Man

Responds to Glenn Beck....

And Now for Something Completely Different

My wife. She wrote an article about a day in the life of the homeschooling mom. My wife is scary. In more ways than one. For instance, I've tested on IQ tests at anywhere from 135 to 147. The last test I saw her take she knocked out 170. When she wakes up that is. She then deals with brain damaged children (ours) all day and her IQ plummets.

Anyway, Lew was kind enough to publish it. I think she's a better writer than I, personally but maybe I'm not so objective.

Sneak Preview

This will be up in the AM at Lew's. Ron Paul Tightens the Screws -- Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Money Bomb. (Does that make me a terrorist?)

Aliens hacked my blog!

Not really....just my 9-year-old if you're wondering about the cat videos.... P.S. I love you too Shannon.

Warehousing Humans

I was pondering how the U.S. has less cultural icons than it has institutional icons and how we tend to warehouse people. Over at Lew's.

Animal Testing

OKAY NOT LIKE ANIMAL TESTING!!!!!!!

SHANNON

P.S. I LOVE YOU DAD.

Stupid cat

HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!

Ron Paul: November 5th Starts With a Bang!

I caught a screenshot from about midnight Central Daylight Time from Ron Paul Graphs.com. The starting total was $2,788,637 just before I dropped my own $100 donation.

They've now updated that to a starting total of $3,115,107.

If we use the former, as of 1:00 CDT, the total is $3,345,180, and so far the total raised is $560,000 in roughly 2 hours.

If we use the latter start number (3.1 million), it's $230k in two hours. That's still a phenomenal rate. Using that rate, we're at 115k per hour and today will see about 2.7 million by the days end. It's less than the 10 million we wanted to see, but will certainly put Ron Paul on track to get to the 12 million mark by December 31. By the end of the day the total raised for the quarter could be about 5.4 million if this remains steady.

However, the former number is the correct number according to my screen shot which captured the RP Graphs data at 12:56 Eastern Daylight Time. That means that the number is more like $230,000 per hour and the total at the end of the day could very well be 5.4 million and 8.1 million for the quarter so far. 5.4 million In one day? Let's hope this pace remains this way.

Update: I sent a note to Dan, who runs the graphs site, regarding the discrepancy in the start numbers:

I added in the offline donors.. I think that is what you saw.

$326k