Badnarik's Constitution Class Online

I've heard great things about this 8 hour Constitution class by Badnarik. Next time he is in the area, I will be sure to take the class. In the event that he does not make his way to Europe any time soon, I am posting a link to the class.
- Allan in Highwood

Break the Matrix Starts its Social Networking Site and Already Has A Few Good Articles

- Allan in Highwood

BreakTheMatrix Announces Grand Opening And Ron Paul Book Bomb

Posted: 28 Apr 2008 04:43 PM CDT

We are pleased to announce the grand opening of BreakTheMatrix! Our social networking website is up, running and active at www.BreakTheMatrix.com, and sign ups for membership are open. Join us; we’re off to a great start; 1,500 people have joined us in only a week (and we’re still in beta testing). Become a part of our freedom community; and let’s come together and change our mainstream media in America NOW AND FOREVER. Visit our site; sign up—we think you’ll like what you see!

For our grand opening event, we’re hosting a BOOK BOMB for “Revolution: A Manifesto” at www.BreakTheMatrix.com. Ron Paul’s masterpiece officially goes on sale on April 30, and we’re taking BOOK BOMB pledges at our website to drive Manifesto to NUMBER ONE on the best seller lists from the day it hits the market. Pledge to buy Ron Paul’s book; let’s get this outstanding work right to the top! “REVOLUTION: A MANIFESTO” Join with us in the BOOK BOMB all this week; enter your pledge to buy a copy; and let’s drive some book numbers. Oh, and by the way, it’s a great read.

GRAND OPENING at www.BreakTheMatrix.com. BOOK BOMB for “Revolution: A Manifesto” by Ron Paul. It doesn’t get much better than that. Welcome.

Ron Paul GOP Activism

Ron Paul supporters are indeed doing a good job in flooding GOP party conventions. What happened in Nevada is just one episode.

And GOP party insiders are starting to take note. One of those is Patrick Ruffini who raises his concerns about that very development in a blogpost titled The GOP and the Six Million. His analysis of the dynamics at play is sound and it reads like this:

The Internet empowers geographically distributed communities to fund campaigns, to set the tenor of media coverage, to explode little YouTube clips into a big, big deal. These are the 5-6 million people on each side who can be inspired enough to sign up for the nominee’s email list, visit blogs, spread messages and volunteer. In caucuses, these types of people represent 100% of the turnout universe (including older people if you take out some of the tech references). Let’s round up and call these groups the Six Million (this is a smaller group, I think, than “the base”)...

Even now, many envision they can create grassroots organizations from the top down, using an issues matrix conjured up by a pollster. Sadly, it’s not that easy. When the right idea to energize the Six Million comes, it won’t come from a “MoveOn of the right” occupying a D.C. office suite funded by an initial round of 7-figure commitments. It will come from someone working outside their den in far outside the Beltway hosting a little activist website that hits the right message at the right time on a $7 shared server.

And then there is the passage that probably best reveals Ruffini's concerns as he talks about the convention in St. Paul.: "Can the speakers safely voice a pro-victory message [sic] in Iraq without a significant amount of boos and catcalls?". No, they cannot because a substantive number of people in the base are fed up with spending frivolous amounts of treasury on needless wars that in no way make the country any safer but threaten its longtern well-being instead. And they are making themselves being heard more and more.

All in all this is reassuring. The powers to be are taking note. I highly recommend you to read all the posts in the discussion that follows this article. There are quite a few well thaught out points being made by some of the posters.

-- Johannes from NYC

An Email that I received last week from Nevada

This is an email that I received this week
from Nevada but did not want to post before
the convention.  It makes it clear that the
dirty tricks campaign did not just happen
the day of the convention, or the day of the
primaries, or many days prior to the primaries.
Nevada was, and continues to be a hard fought
state.  One would think that the already
inaugurated GOP nominee would not have to
perform such dirty tricks.  One would also
think that dirty tricks would not have to be
used against a disarmed opponent. The Ron
Paul revolution is alive and well in Nevada.
It is returning to life in Chicago.
- Allan in Highwood



Dear Ron Paul Supporter:

Our Supporters are being polled by the McCain
campaign. We are being asked the following
questions (paraphrased):

1. Given that the surge appears to be working,
do you support the Iraq war?
2. Do you think the Patriot Act has been
responsible for us not being attacked again?
3. Who did you support at the caucus.

Suggested Answers:
1. Yes, I love the surge. We're winning the war.
2. Yes, the Patriot Act has been great for our safety.
3. I supported (anyone except Ron Paul) at the caucus.

They are gaging our numbers. Do not give them
the information they will use against us. Do
not answer truthfully. This is not about Ron
Paul pride. This is about winning the
convention, and information is power. Keep your
support to yourself until the convention on
Saturday

Yours In Liberty,

(I will keep his name off of this email)

Report from Nevada GOP Caucus

This just appeared in my inbox sent from Adam
in meetup group 109.  Please accept my apologies
on the length and formatting.  It's good stuff,
none the less.  The article did a good job
helping me visualize the atmosphere of the
event. I am unable to verify the facts.  This
article seems to be a good companion to the
article that Dan posted earlier today.  Thank
you, Adam.
- Allan in 60040


Report from Nevada GOP Caucus.

Ernest Hancock
Website: www.ernesthancock. com
Date: 04-26-2008
Subject: Presidential Campaigns for 2008 - United States


1417 is the number of credentialed delegates
that can vote and a quorum is 709.

At the beginning of the Convention the State
GOP/McCain campaign tried to limit who could
be considered delegates. This prompted a floor
fight that went on for hours. The record crowd
wondered why they were there if the people to
be voted on were already predetermined.

Already the 3 congressional districts have gone
(3 delegates for each Congressional District)
One district has awarded all 3 to Ron Paul, the
second district went, One for Ron Paul, One for 
John McCain and One for NV.

US Senator John Ensign and the third congressional
district is unknown since the convention authorities
won't tell.

Nevada's US Senator Bob Beers is also permanent chair
of the convention. He approached the podium at 6pm
banged gavel and said we lost the room, we're in recess
and have to figure out another way another time to elect
the remaining 22 delegates to the national convention
and left the room.... but a quorum was present and
the people were not finished :)

After the hotel stated that they had no
problem with another 3 hours of room
use someone tried turning off the lights.

After running off as many as possible
during the confusion the lights started
coming back on. Ron Paul supporters are
now getting as many back as possible to
get the 709 needed to continue to vote
for the 22 more delegates that need to
be elected.

The lights are back on and now the microphones
are coming back on and the convention chair is
being asked to take a qurorum count,.... Bob
Beers is nowhere to be found soooo....

Brock Lorber our on the scene correspondent(and
delegate) will call me back with more shortly :).
I'll get it to you as I hear about it while I am
now in Washington DC (gott'a love the Internet
and modern communications :)

====

Brock just called and said that the convention
chair refused to reappear. A quorum call was
taken and they were short of the 709 by over 100 (I
think he said 580 something). Observers to the
congressional delegate count told them the numbers
of the delegates from the congressional delegates
for the two districts that they were involved in
but the third district ballots have been confiscated
by the GOP and sealed and so have the other two
congressional districts without an official report
to the convention.

Now the remaining 500+ delegates to the convention
are acting as a 'Committee of the Whole' to verify
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

I talked to several Ron Paul delegates at the
convention that confirmed how the State GOP
tried multiple methods to limit which delegates
were to be selected from and when that didn't
work their next tactic was to drag out the process
as long as possible to claim that there was no more
time and end the process. Once this was done all of
the McCain/GOP suits left.

I was also told that CSPAN began covering the
Convention but soon left after it was clear that
it was getting more complicated than could be rationally
explained on TV.

Brock called again to say that a second call for
a quorum was taken and it fell short. When it was
clear that it was over and the delegates began to
leave they found over 50 people standing in another
room wanting to be around in case there was a quorum
meet but didn't want it to happen so they hid :)

Nevada Senator Bob Beers, convention chair, told Brian
Komisky (Ron Paul's Southern Nevada chair) that most
likely the convention will come out of recess in Las
Vegas...

========

9:30pm update (Nevada Time)

Confirmed by delegates who witnessed a conversation
between the state party chairwoman, Sue Lowden at
just before 6pm, with counters from the counting
room and McCain functionaries that of the 9
Congressional Delegates up for grabs - 7 had gone to
Ron Paul. These numbers were told to the state party
chair and the McCain campaign people implored the
chair to stop the State Convention. Soon after this
conversation the Convention chair Nevada US Senator
Bob Beers put the Convention in recess and the lights
were turned off.

A 5th delegate in attendance just reported to me that
just before 6pm there were several women running through
the crowd looking for McCain supporters.

Declaring to be a McCain supporter she was told that they
all had to get out of the convention hall immediately. The
delegate argued that a lot of party business was yet to be
finished (Platform, delegates etc.) but was told that
they would conduct business by email if they had to but that
the Ron Paul people had taken over the convention and they
had to get under the number needed to have a quorum.

Another delegate told me that they heard
the Convention chair, Nevada US Senator
Bob Beers say, "I'll save you the trouble,
I'm making the announcement that we are out
of time".

I'm really looking forward to the details
of how a bunch of invisible freedom
supporters exposed the GOP for what it is.
THIS is the WIN that I have been working
very hard for. It is the "system" that is
the enemy (and the Bad Guys that always
wind up in charge of it).

Another update: The RNC was involved :)

After the chairman's, Senator Bob Beers,
cowardly exit, it's clear that he and the
other neocons would rather keep themselves
in power by turning a state convention into
a travesty of justice than to allow people
to vote for the candidate of their choice.
It wasn't clear who would have won: Ron
Paul or John McCain, but by taking away our
choice he has taken part in turning this
country into a banana republic, and had made
a terrible example to Americans and the
world of what America should be about.

The entire convention was filmed by SNCAT,
an impartial observer whose purpose is to
simply report the actual news, no spin,
no lies, just the facts.

The convention (subject to time limits)
will be broadcast on Public Access Television
this Wednesday, April 30th, at 8:00pm. They
welcome people who took part in the convention
(and they don't care which candidate you
support) to state your observations and
comments, on camera, during the broadcast.

If you can express yourself well verbally and
willing to do so in front of a camera, please
contact Dennis Grover, 775-284-1388,
dennis@liberyandjus ticeforall. tv, or contact
SNCAT at 775-828-1211.

I've written a very hard hitting one-minute ad
for Ron Paul vs. John McCain which WILL jettison
McCain's bid for the nomination and/or presidency.
The casting call will be coming out within one or
two weeks or so, but in the meantime we have some
important issues to deal with, so I'll hold off
for now.

For now PLEASE go to the convention site Sunday
morning at 8:00am. The fight continues and the
gloves are coming off.

As Ron Paul says, Yours in Liberty,


Though Ron Paul supporters outnumbered Mc-Cane
supporters 700+ to 400+ at the Nevada State
GOP Convention today, the State Party Chairman was
able to cancel the convention and walk out of
the convention hall with security guards. The
State GOP has said they will "reconvene" the
convention at a later as yet unnamed date,
not in Reno but in Las Vegas.

Is there no shame among the GOP Party elites?

And more importantly. ...anyone up for a trip to Las Vegas!

Nevada Convention

The Nevada Republican Convention took place this weekend, well that is to say, some of it took place. Ron Paul supporters showed up in full swing. The delegates, however, were not chosen for the National Convention because the contract ran out in the room they were renting. The chairwoman said they had to leave by 6 p.m. Who rents out a room for a convention until only 6 p.m.? Why assume everything will go your way? Make sure you read the comments to this piece: http://www.lvrj.com/news/18312799.html. Though the validity of any comment posted on a news article should be held in question, a number of these comments appear to be from people who attended the convention.

-Dan in BA

WMDs all over again

Allan's post came up slightly before I too wanted to publish a post on the Syrian reactor story. I hadn't seen the Greenawald piece yet, but as always he perfectly nails it.

I saw the press conference given by the Syrian embassador in Washington on C-Span yesterday. This is definitely not the representative of a model country, but I couldn't help to feel sympathy with him.

Good background information on this story is provided by Juan Cole on his blog Informed Comment. One of the guesses he makes about the timing of the announcement by the US concurs with my initial suspicion, namely that it had to do with the arrest of an Israeli spy in the US the day before. From a public relations point of view this was perfect timing. The many assertions that all this originated from Cheney's office further adds credibility to this assumption.

BTW, Juan Cole's blog is one of the few places that provide substantive information on the Mideast from within the US without the usual bias. Always worth reading.

-- Johannes from NYC

An Activist's Guide for Exploiting the Media

This is called "An Activist's Guide for Exploiting the Media." It's meant for a British audience, but nearly everything sounds like it can be applied to other media environments as well. It's great, and has been one of the guides that I've referenced as I prepare for an interview this evening via telephone. A good Monday to all of those who are already in Monday, a good Sunday to the rest of us. - Allan

Pennsylvania II

I visited the Lancaster County Ron Paul Meetup Group on the night before the Pennsylvania primary. I was impressed by how many people did show up (more than fifty) and by the diversity of the group. This was definitely not just a couple of spammers (young white male, tech savvy) such as a common stereotype likes to paint Ron Paul supporters. Many older people, parents with their kids, younger people, both sexes were all well representated. I'd suggest that these were in good part rank and file Republicans, the part of the base that wants something different than what the current Republican Party stands for (big government, big war).

I also was impressed by how focused and well organised they were. I mean, I've seen the kind of chaos that a group of only a few people can create. All the logistics for the next day (covering the polls, distributing campaign materials, promoting Ron Paul delegates) were well in place. And people really worked hard, some of them driving all night and getting signs in place for the final push.

In the end the effort paid off. Ron Paul got 22% in Lancaster County. Together with the neighbouring counties, in some of which Ron Paul did even slightly better, this seems to constitute the highest concentration of Paul supporters, based on primary results, in the whole country.

On the day of the primary I talked to Shawn House, organizer of this Meetup group, while driving to different polling places in the county. You can read the interview on my new blog called The Free Lunch - American Encounters.

-- Johannes from NYC

North Korea helped Syria and both deserve to be attacked NOW ! !

As I was watching a "debate" on this issue, I grew frustrated at the idea that both "experts" agreed that North Korea was involved, that plutonium was going to be produced at that site, that nuclear weapons are being developed by Syria, and that the US better be very concerned. They disagreed on very little.

Here, Johannes's favorite, Glenn Greenwald, tells us to be cautious of exactly these kinds of claims presented in that "debate" and also points out that practically every media source is parroting the lines of the White House in this matter, unquestioningly.

(Has anyone else noticed a recurring theme in the things that Johannes, Ben, and I have been writing and posting. I don't think that it is at the heart of things, but we all seen shocked by the lack of honest coverage the media is giving to important issues. I wonder how far away the US is from having a periodical named Truth.)

This here is an intriguing paragraph from the article:

Worse still -- though completely unsurprising -- is the almost complete lack of challenge to the underlying premises. We just accept uncritically the idea that it is the expression of Ultimate Evil for Syria (or Iran) even to pursue nuclear power in accordance with their obligations under the NPT, let alone develop a nuclear weapon, even while Israel stockpiles enormous amounts of nuclear weapons and refuses to be a party to that treaty. Virtually nobody questions the right of Israel simply to attack its neighbors whenever it wants (imagine the reaction if Syria or Iran had unilaterally bombed a facility inside Israel which it claimed was used to develop destructive weapons). And all of that is underscored by recent claims by the Israeli Government that President Bush himself expressly approved of Israeli plans to expand settlement activities in the West Bank at a time when he was pretending to support a halt to that expansion.

Later in that same article, Greenwald professes his love for Seymour Hersh.

(not really, he just calls him "a real reporter")

A good day to all of you.
-Allan

Guiding America

An article on the thoughts of Pat Buchanan, pro and con, arguing for the fact that enlightened patriotism should guide America, not the concept of citizen of the world, or one who spreads democracy to the Arab states. The website it's posted on has excellent weekly audio news programs. -Allan

Wesley Snipes

In Ron Paul related news, Wesley Snipes was recently given a three-year sentence for not paying taxes: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hqRdIQN43C8lgKXjzAris2-Xu0YAD909070G0. One year for each year he failed to file his taxes, the judge said. An appropriate punishment?

This article from Nolan Chart gives a more positive spin on the Snipes trial: http://www.nolanchart.com/article3552.html.

Does anyone know if Wesley Snipes is a Ron Paul supporter?
-Dan

Pennsylvania

Though we assume John McCain has virtually raked in the Republican nomination, it is still important that we pay attention to the election results. In Pennsylvania, Paul received 15% of the vote. Supporters are still working hard and the message is still being heard. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/they-still-love-huck-and-paul/
-Dan

Der Wahlkampf ist nie vorbei

This means "the campaign is never over" and it is the title of an article in the Austrian daily "Der Standard" covering Ron Paul after his remarkable showing in Pennsylvania. For those of you who understand German, you can read it here.

The article gives a good overview of the campaign so far, Ron Paul's positions in general, about his new book and why all this is a long term project.

Alltogether an informative piece which proves that Ron Paul is still being noticed here.

-- Johannes from NYC

Great Article Ben ! !

Ben made Lew Rockwell, I made Lew Rockwell, Johannes is hob-knobbing with the big wigs of the campaign. What will be next? A Svec-Paul family marriage to cement our cross-Atlantic ties? Will Jan ghost-write RP's next book? Will Dan record the next RP-themed rock hit? Will Eric shoot a documentary about him? We can all be proud that our fearless leader Ben wrote this eloquent piece that Lew Rockwell ran. Somehow, it was noticed and passed along to me by someone I would not have expected to stumble upon such a piece. - Allan in Highwood

- allan

the war on drugs

This town near Chicago has stopped arresting first time offenders of drug laws who are caught with small amounts of marijuana. - Allan

Washington Metro Encounter

This is nothing of substance, a chatty post, but, I think, nevertheless worth mentionning.

Today in Washington DC, when I got on to the Metro at Capital South, some people with familiar faces entered at the same door: Lou Moore (a copy of "Revolution - A Manifesto" under his arm) and Kent Snyder.

I talked to them briefly. Me mentionning the Vienna Meetup group Kent Snyder said that when they started all this they could never have imagined that groups would form in such far places. He asked me whether I had already been at Ron Paul's congressional office, which I was not. I had no idea this would be possible, after all I'm none of Dr. Paul's constituents, not even an American citizen. And that was it basically. I had to get off after two stops. Nice coincidence after all.

-- Johannes from Washington DC

The Freedom Rally

While in Washington DC I took the chance to attend the Freedom Rally two days ago, and, well, it was a real good experience. The weather turned out to be fine, the speakers mostly did a good job, and the general mood in the crowd was positive, altough the turnout was less than I had expected (500 to 1000 people, I would say).

Ron Paul spoke shortly in the beginning. The essence of what he said was something along the lines that this is the beginning, that what has started with his campaign might turn out to be a turning point. Huge cheers for him as well as for his wife Carol ("We love you Carol" people shouted, and somebody added "And we love your cookbook too"...).

Many of the so called Ron Paul Republicans currently running for office got their chance to speak.

The atmosphere was friendly and people were very accessible. E.g, I talked to a meetup organizer from Pennsylvania. They are still very active and work hard for the primary next week. I learned of a recent book called Ron Paul speaks containing Ron Paul quotes by issues. With Philip Haddad, one of the two editors, I had a good conversation. I also talked to some of the candidates running for congress, about the meetup groups, about money...

See a google video of the rally at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3352659194164199552



-- Johannes

Progressives against the North American Union

This article from Alternet gives some good arguments agains the "Security and Prosperity Partnership." - Allan in Highwood

Would You Close Your School to Pay for Iraq

This article, at its heart, deals with a concept that speaks against the Fed's current monetary policies and the Congress's current spending habits. That notion at the heart of the article is that wealth is not created simply by printing money. When you spend money on one thing, you are going to have to not spend money on something else. Of course the Federal budget would not likely be used to finance local school, but they are both financed by the same source - American Taxpayers. - Allan

SKYY Vodka Responds

A SKYY response to the Absolut ad. : ) - allan

An Article on the Fed and Conspiracy

This article goes overboard on a few things here and there, but it was surprising for me to read this at Alternet. Good article summarizing the present monetary policy of the US for a general audience. - Allan in Highwood

Jay Rockefeller

A great article denouncing the post 9/11 behavior of Jay Rockefeller. It makes a conspiratorial Paulite just wince throughout. - Allan in Highwood

Just came across this. - allan in Highwood

Military Keynesianism

I just finished Chalmers Johnson's "Nemesis", the third volume of the so called American Empire trilogy. It constitutes a devastating critique of empire building and the militarism that goes along with it, which threatens to destroy the United States from within.

When elaborating on the military industrial complex he uses the term "Military Keynesianism" which was first coined by Polish economist Micha Kalecki in 1943 to explain Nazi Germany's success in overcoming the Great Depression.

"Kalecki understood that government spending on arms increases manufacturing and also has a multiplier effect on general consumer spending by raising workers' incomes. Both of these points are in accordance with general Keynesian doctrine."

In that process the military becomes an important employer, defense research helps bring about new technologies, and helps overall growth.

The downside of it all is of course the encouragement of militarism and the creation of a military industrial complex that ultimately threatens the Republican form of governmen.

Chalmers Johnson talks about Military Keynesianism in the following video.



-- Johannes

Crockett and Ron Paul: Not yours to give

What an excellent piece cut from a book on David Crockett and posted on RP's website. It is a little long, but deals so well with the power of Congress to spend and the duties of Congress's powers of appropriations under the Constitution. - Allan in Highwood

Ralp Nader: How about a taxpayer appreciation day?

Here, my dear Mr. Nader vents about corporate welfare from the taxpayers and calls for a Taxpayer Appreciation Day. A good two minute venting. - Allan

3 members met tonight

Tonight, two members of Americans in Europe for Ron Paul met to discuss the US Congress, Paulatics, and Guacamole (spelling?) north of the city. Also discussed was how Allan (and Johannes) really should read Glenn Greenwald's How Would A Patriot Act? and how America's elite abuse their place in society and in US Foreign Policy. There was a question left unresolved of what long-term impact the Ron Paul campaign will have. Both of us were saddened to hear the Jim Forsythe news. The existence of his campaign truthfully has been a beacon for me in hard times over the last few weeks. We are most curious how Ben's homecoming was. Joining us by conference call from Slovakia was a third member of the group, on her birthday. This is our largest meeting of group members so far here in Chicago. - Allan in Highwood

Ron Paul, China, and Tibet

Three cheers for RP for not involving himself in this. Why won't Ron Paul vote to publicly condem China on the matter of Tibet??? The writer of this article doesn't get it, neither does this blogger. Those who comment get it however. - Allan in 60040

Money Bomb

The money bomb lives on in Virginia. - Allan in 60040

Illinois Constitutional Convention

Monday night, two members of Americans in Europe for Ron Paul attended a meeting to discuss a new constitution for the State of Illinois and to discuss the referendum on that question that will appear on the ballot on November 4, 2008. - Allan in Highwood

A Petition for April 15

Hello Everyone,

So far we have a little over 3,000 signatures on the Petition to "Restore The Constitution" that is being formally presented to Congress on April 15, 2008 during The Freedom Rally.

In order to present this to congress, we need everyone to sign on. Right now, the signatures on this petition, represent less than half the population in my home town of New Fairfield, CT.

If each person who already signed, would get 10 people to sign, we'd have enough signatures to make a difference and if you haven't signed yet, please do so now:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/USRC01/petition.html (Direct Link)

I need to close the petition tomorrow evening. Turnaround time is 3 Business days (printing & express shipping). The petition needs to be in our possession by Monday, for the Tuesday presentation.

www.grannywarriors.com
www.freedomrally.info/
In Liberty,Isaac Birch

Obama on NAU

In the following video Barack Obama is asked about the North American Union and his vote in support of the Patriot Act. Ron Paul is being mentiond in the question as well as in Obama's answer.

-- Johannes

A meeting of our group in Chicago

Members of Americans In Europe for Ron Paul met in Chicago.

Johannes, Allan, and others met to discuss the thinking of Leo Straus, and how it grew out of 1920's and 30's German thought and how it came to influence the neo-conservative movement in the US. Famed Austrian Wolgang Puck did the catering. - Allan

News From South Dakota

This came through Meetup, ads run in South Dakota. The P.P.S. is very interesting.
- Allan in Highwood


Dear Ron Paul Meetup Organizers and Members:

The following is a link to the various Ron Paul ads I have
placed in my local Sioux Falls, South Dakota shopping paper.

The ad at the very top is the latest which is running now
through April 8th.

I wanted to share this with you with the hope that you might
want to make it one of your Meetup group?s projects to run this
or a similar ad in one of your local papers.

The ad is designed to be 11? x 17?, which also makes it work
well as a poster.

Hope you can use it.

Yours in Ron Paul,

Bill Stegmeier
http://republican.meetup.com/534/
sd.ronpaul@yahoo.com

Here's the link to my ads:

http://www.sfshoppingnews.com/ronpaul.php

P.S.  The next image below the top ad is a picture of my new
72? tall by 93? wide banner which will soon be attached to the
back end of my motor home!

P.S.S.  We are up to 24 Ron Paul supporters caravanning from
Sioux Falls, SD to Washington D.C. for the April 15th Freedom
Rally.  Speakers include Ron Paul and Bob Schulz as well as
many other great patriots.  Dave Von Kleist is the Master of
Ceremonies.  We will be traveling mostly along I-80 and would
love to have you join us.  Check out the following You Tube
video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaL1N8I36QA
E-mail me for more information on joining our caravan to this
historic event.


P.S.S.S.   If you would rather not receive any further Ron Paul
related emails from me, just reply to this email with the words
'enough already!'  Otherwise, you?re bound to get a few more
now and then!

An Absolut Map of North America

Absolut is running an ad in Mexico that is making some folks rejoice and others happy. Interesting add, interesting map, well worth the click. - Allan in Highwood

Detained by the Portuguese Police

Sometimes during the day as I work, I have "News Radio 78" WBBM on in the background. 780 AM. It has short 30 second news blurbs repeated over and over. I very much dislike the very isolated views of the rest of the world delivered by the radio station. These short blurbs help me better understand some of the ridiculous isolated news stories that I've heard from people that I know in sentences with format of "I heard about...over in..."

An example of such a story was on today. It goes something like: "Portuguese authorities have detained a ship with passengers on it taking a 93 day around the world cruise. The ship has been detained because of claims against the ship's owners."

These news blurbs are a problem for me, because it the common kind of ridiculous thing that appears on blurbs about the world. It has the effect, I contend, of making the world outside of the US just seem like an absolutely ridiculous place.

- Allan

ALPR video

This is a video of a data collection device that was sent in from Bob, a Paulite in Chicago. It's scary. It is a video of an officer using the mass surveillance device to sweep parking lots and cars that he passes on the street. "ALPR" is what the police officer calls this technology. This makes the proliferation of police cameras that I've noticed at intersections throughout the US that much more intimidating. I'd never realized that computers were being used this way to make dating mining through video feeds more efficient.

- Allan in Blue Island

Is Rove pressuring McCain to take Romney?

insightful postig from Sneed. - Allan in Highwood

Tipsville . . .
Rumble is President Bush's big bucks donors have been holding back the cash from GOP presidential contender John McCain because they want him to pick conservative Mitt Romney as his veepmate.
• Rove 'em: Former Bush strategist Karl Rove is behind the pressure and was the biggest Romney presidential backer.
• Race 'em "Even if McCain loses with Romney as his vice president, the race sets up Romney to run as president again -- and if he wins, then Rove's got himself another president," according to a McCain source.

Restoring the Republic 2008

From June 6 - June 8 the Future of Freedom Foundation will host a conference called Restoring the Republic 2008: Foreign Policy & Civil Liberties. Their list of speakers is truly impressive: Ron Paul, Andrew J. Bacevich, Glenn Greenwald, Justin Raimondo and many others.

It's a pity I won't be in the States anymore that time around.

-- Johannes