RP rally in Lake Jackson

This was sent from Lisa in Texas. - Allan

Yesterday, a group of us went to the Ron Paul rally at the Lake Jackson Civic Center. Down the hall (in a much smaller room) Dr. Paul's congressional opponent was holding a rally at the same time. As we drove up to the Civic Center, we were greeted by a small plane carrying a Ron Paul banner. Ron Paul sign wavers greeted us as we entered the parking lot filled with Ron Paul decorated cars and the famous Granny Warriors RV which has travelled around the country in support of our growing movement. We'd brought the Austin mini blimp and as we carried it down the hall, I peeked into the room Dr. Paul's opponent had reserved and felt a tinge of empathy for his small group of supporters. It's hard to compete with the energy and enthusiasm of the Ron Paul R3VOLUTION! A couple of students holding a Peden sign stared at us in amazement as the blimp went by and I got the impression that one of them was ready to toss his sign right then and there and join us as it was clear that we were having a lot more fun in the room down the hall. As we entered the room, our mini blimp was greeted with cheeers from the crowd. Nancy left the room for a minute and the security tried to tell her that she couldn't come in because the room was packed to capacity, which I think was 1,200 people. (You'll be happy to know that Nancy, being both clever and determined, later found her way in through a service entrance off to the side.) The crowd outside continued to grow and estimates are that we had about 2,000 people there vs. about 100 supporters for Dr. Paul's opponent.

Like some others in our meet-up group, I was concerned about the most recent Message from Ron. I'd read an analysis of this message by the MSM (though you'd think by now I would have learned to ignore them) and had a secret concern that Dr. Paul might be gathering supporters and his local constituents to tell them that he was dropping out of the Presidential race and that we'd suddenly start hearing a new stump speech directed more towards his local constituents. Boy was I wrong! While Dr. Paul does want to keep his congressional seat, he continues to encourage us to fight for the Presidency. And as he told us: "I don't have to adjust my speech. My speech is always the same - it's about freedom." Ron did also briefly directly address his constituents and he told them "All I can do is report to you that in this last year of travelling, the ideas of liberty - the ideas of the Constitution - are alive and well and GROWING!"

He spoke to us about our obligations as his supporters, and I felt it was important to share his words with you:

"What we do as individuals - and as groups - we have an obligation and that is to understand the issues and promote the issues and promote the candidates that understand thses issues and truly believe in what's great in America. If we do that, there's enough of us. You don't convert 51% of the people. You use this to convert a hard-core group of people who are willing to promote a cause and promote these views. The unfortunate thing for us today - in spite of the fact, whether's it's national television or national coverage, or in the debates - our views have been short-changed. But we have made up for it because there is a wonderful new invention that has made us politically competitive - and that is the internet - and it works!"

After breathing my sighs of relief and cursing myself for having let the MSM pundits put any doubt in my mind in the first place, I had another eye-opening experience as some of our County Coordinators met with other County Coordinators and meet-up organizers from around Texas and Oaklahoma. What was clear at that moment was this: This movement is far bigger than any of us realize. As we continue to identify ourselves and organize into precinct teams here in Austin, other organizers are doing the same across Texas and America. Each of us is comitted to keeping this movement alive and growing, beyond the Texas primary or the republican nomination. As so many of us are new to this process, and this level of activism in politics is unprecedented, it's taken some time for us to get organized, but we now have a structure and are continuing to build that structure across the Country. We're just getting started and the GOP is in for a big surprise as the "hard-core" Ron Paul supporters enter into positions of leadership within the party.

But it all starts with you.

I'd like to welcome the newest activist in our movement. His name is Ramiro. Sunday was his first meet-up, but as we talked during the long drive to Lake Jackson, he now understands the need for active involvement, he's assured me that his first meet-up will not be his last. For those of you in the meet-up group who haven't yet come to an event in person, I hope you'll give serious thought to Dr. Paul's words above. "WE have an obligation." I invite you to actively participate with us. We can and are building a movement, but it all starts with you.

I'll close this message with a few words from another supporter, Rick Fisk:

What happens from here on out is completely up to you. I believe that you'll rise to the occasion. While a large majority of the Republican apparatus has treated Ron Paul as if he had a contagious disease, he has bravely defended the constitution and his oath. Now the hardest part of our battle comes and it is up to us to prove we can match Dr. Paul's courage and work ethic.

But let's go ahead and imagine that the goal of getting Ron Paul the nomination fails. Staying in this fight to the "end" is crucial. The upcoming county and state conventions do far more than just select delegates. It is at these smaller conventions where the platforms are drafted and party leaders are chosen. A select few will become the future leaders of the Republican party and will guide it for the next decade and beyond. What better ranks to chose from than the Ron Paul Revolution? Where will the GOP's money be spent? Will that money be directed towards the same country club republicans who have been driving the party since the Nixon era, or will it be directed to support those candidates who would work to restore our liberties?

The answer is obvious and thus our responsibility is clear. We must do everything in our power to eke out a Ron Paul nomination. By doing so, we will be securing our future and the future of our children even if we fail at that one task. What fun it will be to utterly stun the Old Media which thinks that it can black us out. Hold fast my friends. We are in for the drive of our lives. We must talk to everyone, in person, about Dr. Paul and the message of freedom he has championed. How we reach people is up to us. I have faith in you and your ability to devise even more astounding ways to promote the message of freedom.