Below is a repost of Adrian Murry’s facebook post from earlier today. For those who don’t know Adrian, he is the leader of the Fort Worth tea party, owner of Painless Performance Products, and author of the book Common Ground America
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COULD I BE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE?
Sometimes I think this whole world
Is one big prison yard
Some of us are prisoners
Some of us are guards
Bob Dylan
Having lost my preferred choice for a presidential candidate on Tuesday, I determined that after a suitable period of mourning and reflection the only viable option was to shake it off and begin the search anew, the presumptive, media-anointed frontrunner not being desirable or acceptable.
Last night, as part of this Quixote-like quest, I ventured into the heretofore unexplored dimension of a Ron Paul rally and was witness to something that can only be described as all parts exhilarating, befuddling, encouraging, depressing, moving, maddening and, ultimately, inspiring. More on all that later.
Over the years I have been to more political rallies, events, forums, roundtables, discussion groups, debates and whatever than I care to remember. While a whole range of adjectives from boring to thrilling could be used to describe these events, I have never before been moved to use contradictory metaphors for the same event. Attending a Ron Paul campaign rally is a singularly unique experience. I have never seen anything like it before. Perhaps phenomenal is the word that comes closest in accuracy, not in the ordinary “awesome” sense, but in the other-worldly, spatiotemporal sense.
A little truth in advertising first: I come from an old school of conservatism, a hodgepodge of Strauss, Kirk, Buckley, Reagan and a smattering of other modern day conservative thinkers who shaped my thinking while coming of age in the midst of a persistent nuclear threat during the so-called Cold War, replete with duck and cover, fallout shelters and a young girl sitting in a meadow picking the petals off a daisy. One is shaped by the world one is raised in and then, if playing the game right, uses those experiences to shape the world for those who will inherit it.
The purpose of this piece is not to analyze Mr. Paul’s specific policies, although my worldview does not coalesce with his on many fronts. I do not write this piece from the point of view of a longtime Paul devotee, many of whom (and you know who you are) I have exasperatingly debated over the fallacies I see in some (not all) of his positions. Over the years, though, I have learned (much to my surprise and dismay) that not everyone will agree with my positions on all things and I often frustratingly find myself having internal disagreements with my own stated beliefs. Such is the nature of evolving thought.
I have spoken before a lot of groups in the last several years as we have all grappled with the seeming dissolution of our country. I have half-jokingly said on many of these occasions that the other side doesn’t really have to defeat us politically, they just have to wait for us all to die off so they can implement their plans. My point has been that the greatest issue facing the conservative cause is a demographical one, a lack of diversity that will shortly render the conservative message irrelevant. Where are the youth? I and others have asked. Where are the people of color? Why doesn’t the conservative message resonate?
The answer to where they are could be found last night at the Will Rogers Auditorium. Often at political events there is a sense of excitement, anticipation, a certain buzz in the audience while waiting for the main event. Excitement, anticipation and buzz are weak and inadequate words to describe the pre-rally crowd last night. Energy is even inadequate. What undulated through the thousands who thronged outside before the doors opened last night was a kinetic power, the power of hope, the power of liberation, the power of anger at a system turned upside down, the power of liberation and, yes, the ultimate and emancipating power of freedom. You had to be there to understand it.
Once inside, for the only time in my politically active life, I was transported to a world I had not seen before. There was enough energy in that room to power a skyscraper. Teenagers, college students, whites, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, middle-aged, elderly, every racial, ethnic, socio-economic, cross cultural ingredient of the American melting pot was there. The auditorium was a cauldron of American citizens who understand and have grasped the true nature of the tyranny which has befallen this nation, a conflagration, if you will, of passion and anger and joy and determination. This is where the fire starts this time. The eruption when Mr. Paul took the stage was deafening.
While I didn’t find much to cheer about on the foreign policy portion of his speech, it is on domestic policy that I find much agreement with Ron Paul. In fact, he could have lifted whole tracks of his speech from my book, Common Ground America. Foreign policy, while a crucial element of any president’s agenda, has slowly shifted from my center of attention to domestic policy, I having long come to the conclusion that the greatest threat to American freedom comes not from foreign governments, but from our own. Sadly, America has become one of the least free nations on earth. Increasingly, everything in our lives is being regulated by a faceless bureaucracy, to a degree that neither Orwell nor Huxley could have imagined. Want to add a room onto your house? Get permission. Want to get married? Get permission. Want to open a business? Get permission. Want to fly a flag in your front yard? Get permission. Want to own a gun? Get permission. Want to open a lemonade stand? Get permission. Want to play Frisbee on the beach? Get fined. Want to preach politics from the pulpit? Get fined. Want to protest your government without permission? Get arrested.
We have become a nation of regulations and licenses and permits, fines and punishment and intimidation by a remorseless, uncaring government. We have become, as Dylan sang in 1971, “One big prison yard”, in which our guards are always watching, always monitoring, always snooping, always threatening, always ready to swoop in with a fine or a cuff or a taser or a bullet should we wander outside the boundaries of what is allowed. The IRS can now revoke your passport should you owe too much on your taxes, making you not just a literal prisoner but a figurative one as well. It has been so long since we were truly free that we don’t even recognize it anymore. Freedom is slowly being snuffed out in American.
Obamacare is only the latest affront to freedom. While lawyers and pundits debate the constitutionality of this provision or that, what goes unstated is the insidious evil of the bill itself. Your very body, your existence, you own life will now belong to the state should Obamacare stand. If your physical body belongs to the state, how then is American freedom defined?
What exactly is our national security securing? Certainly not our liberty. We have been sacrificing ever larger chucks of our liberty to the gods of security for decades now and in the interests of securing our liberty have given it all away. Go to an airport if you want to witness the loss of liberty in all its glorious humiliation. One wonders if we actually were taken over by another power and our Constitution dismantled what exactly could they do to restrict our movements, monitor our activities and control our actions that would be any worse or oppressive than what our own government is doing right now?
This part of Mr. Paul’s message, if I have interpreted it correctly, is what resonates with me. All the other things pale in contrast to our becoming a nation of slaves.
Can Mr. Paul become the next president of the United States? At the risk of inflaming his supporters, I must say I doubt it. The media’s message is that he no longer exists, the question is settled and Mr. Romney is the Republican nominee. It is true Mr. Paul’s most ardent supporters are strenuously working at the precinct level to tilt the delegate count at the Republican convention in his favor. Do they have the numbers to pull that off? I don’t know. But knowing the ones involved locally I would guess their chances are better than 50/50. Will that type of organized effort be successful in enough states nationwide to put Mr. Paul over the top? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not even going there.
So what did I come away with last night? It can be captured in one picture. Before Mr. Paul was introduced, part of his family took the stage: his wife, one of his sons, a smattering of cousins, nieces and nephews. That picture tells us all we need to know. They are us. They weren’t pulled from central casting, exquisitely coifed and finely tailored, prepped and ready for the cameras. No. They are a family. They are us.
Where personally do I go now? As I said, I have more internal debates than an outwardly sane person should admit. For over three years now I have been looking for an army – an army to take on the anti-Americans, the Communists, the statists, the outright criminals running our government. An army of citizens fiercely devoted to liberty and the founding principles of America. One rose up three years ago but slowly faded away. As I looked around the room last night, I saw a lot of faces I recognized from the past, from the ghost army that either became dispirited or no longer believed in the message. So this is where you all went….
The flame of liberty’s torch is no longer just slowly being extinguished. Each day brings new Executive Orders, new laws, new regulations, each more ominous than the last. Corruption in our government and our financial markets is rampant. The disease of dependency is infecting every layer of society. America is dying. We need an army of citizens, motivated and committed, to restore liberty in America, to breathe new life, new vibrancy into a nation on life support. We will not return our nation’s vitality with lawyers. We will not be prescribed the cures for our ailments by opportunistic politicians pedaling the latest edition of What Will It Take to Buy Your Vote. We simply will not. America is on the brink of flatlining.
Which logically only leads to one question:
Is there a doctor in the house?
Which logically only leads to one answer:
Ron Paul 2012
This is a great article, thank you for sharing it with us. This is what I hope more people would see. The mere ideal that someone can change their mind becuase they actually took time to look around and open their ears, is profound in this union we live in. I think the mass media needs to crank up the brain-washing if they intend to snuff this out.
The mainstream media has a massive amount of power, too bad they aren’t interested in using that power to promote liberty.
Lies are quickly being expelled by exposure to the truth via the internet. Big money-controlled media-outlet-pundits (Bill Maher?) would be embarrassed by this constant exposure if they weren’t such integrity-impoverished “tools.” Millions of internet hits “searching” Ron Paul tell us what any Marketing Analyist knows: his supporters are a “silent” grassroots majority. Will the establishment-Republicans break their own rules to shut out Dr Paul out in Tampa? Will we let that happen?
In the even Ron Paul doesn’t win, I had an idea of requesting support from the people to request Ron Paul, Dick Army, that sheriff in Arizona, and numerous others, to form a watchdog task force.
I wish someone could tell me HOW to stop things like this from happening! I am here, ready and waiting!
Much appreciated. The problem with the folk in the media, the liars for hire, is that they would not deign to go to a Ron Paul rally. Worst than that, they won’t even visit a Ron Paul website for first hand exposure to this great man and his message. Worst of all, when they see footage of these enormous rallies, they go all out to suppress it.
You’re an honest man. I hope your message resonates with others like you who are still totally in the dark when it comes to Ron Paul. I came to this country in 1991 and had no interest in politics. I could see no reason to surrender my British passport, so that I could participate in a process where two wings of the same predatory bird steal us blind. Then in the summer of 2007, I saw a You Tube video in which the lead female singer of Three Shoes Posse in Austin spoke about Ron Paul. Three months later, and my wife and I were US citizens. We were boots and all into the Ron Paul Revolution. It has been the best days of our lives and it gets better every day.
“America is on the brink of flat lining.
Which logically only leads to one question:
Is there a doctor in the house?
Which logically only leads to one answer:
Dr. Ron Paul 2012 !!”
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/the-issues/ron-paul-plan-to-restore-america/
Welcome to the family….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp2AlUpn_5c&feature=youtu.be
This is the best Ron Paul video ever. Well done, perfect!
Wow, wow, wow! Starting out with that song and the people filing in. This made me cry with tears of relief and hope. And excellent footage of the huge crowd. Several great quotes in here for spreading the word. Such as Samuel Jackson ” Don’t worry about waiting for the 21%. just get that Irate tireless minority starting brush fires freedom in the minds of men (and women) and things will come out alright.” ( I hope I got that right.) Except we’re only a minority in the words of the media. Every bit of energy you put out as an individual reaches the planet’s mass consciousness and makes a difference. Individual liberty and civil rights for ALL citizens!
I am interested to know, if you classify Strauss, Kirk, Buckley and Reagan as old school conservatives, what is Ron Paul is your view? A libertarian?
Most Ron Paul supporters consider him to be an old school conservative.
If an old school conservative means following the Constitution there is no stronger person than Ron Paul. But “old School” terminology is limiting. The people today equate “old School” with the old way of doing things and we are certainly not that. So you can do what you want with your terminology but until Ron Paul say’s he is an “old School” conservative, I would leave that term out.
He has said he is an old school republican- well he said he comes from the “old right”, which is a way of saying paleoconservative. Small government and low taxes promotes families and friends to be your safety net not the federal government. Non interventionism was a classic republican platform until the new conservatives (neoconservatives) took over the party. New school is business as usual- old school is what we need to go back too.
Great article! While its likely we will never see eye to eye on a large range of issues, I will warmingly welcome you to the Ron Paul camp. Thank you for taking time to investigate and research Ron Paul before writing him off. It really shows your integrity and that one or two issues is not enough to derail support. Its the overall message, which is liberty, that is supported by Dr. Paul. Keep up the great work with your writing (I have enjoyed a number of your articles) and may God bless you in your future endeavors.
Peace and Love in Liberty,
Adam B.
I loved your critique…I find him to be the most inspiring man of my lifetime and I am no spring chicken.
Here is a cartoon that explains the problem with civil liberties: http://i.imgur.com/Vg4Jl.jpg
I change my view on foreign policy when I had to admit that it is wrong to force American taxpayers to pay for other peoples misery. Leave the American taxpayers alone.
” Sadly, America has become one of the least free nations on earth.”
This. A thousand times this.
Most conservatives think saying this is blasphemy and hold to the grade school myth that we are the freest nation on earth, therefore they won’t even admit we are losing our freedom. This, more than any other thing keeps them in the neocon flag worshipping camp.
America has become one of the least free nations on earth and when they come to this conclusion they HAVE to come to Ron Paul! if we can convince people of the loss of their freedom winning then over to Ron Paul’s ideas naturally will follow.
“While I didn’t find much to cheer about on the foreign policy portion of his speech, it is on domestic policy that I find much agreement with Ron Paul. ”
If you allow the government to go to war, the thing the founding fathers considered the most momentous act a government can do, without a declaration of war, then you have pretty much given them permission to do literally anything. If they can commit us to war against the constitution then I don’t see how you can be upset when they force all the rest of those things down your throat. You have literally given them permission to have unlimited power over everything. Therefore foreign policy leads DIRECTLY to Obamacare. If the government isn’t bound by the constitution in making war then it cannot possibly be bound by the constitution domestically.
I am a Tea Party officer who supported the wars also. I first took a hard look at Ron Paul by reviewing the Southern New Hampshire 912’s Presidential Position Matrix:
http://www.southernnh912.com/
Whoaa! The spreadsheet clearly laid out that Ron Paul is a Tea Party guy right down the line. Without a doubt a fiscally responsible, Constitutional Small Government Conservative. And of the last 4 republican candidates he’s the only one even close to being a Tea Party politician. A really stark contrast.
After realizing how rare a politician he was and just how consistently right he was on every issue worth caring about, I began to muse to myself: “I wonder if Dr. Paul, as a dedicated student of history and foreign affairs, could be right about our current US foreign policy and I as a busy physician and more casual observer could be wrong?”
I had to come to grips with the likelihood that someone of obvious honesty and integrity who is without a doubt quite bright, (read his book: “The Case For Gold” and you’ll see what I mean), and has dedicated his life to restoring our constitutional republic, probably has a pretty good handle on what the US has done right and wrong in regards to it’s foreign policy.
I am now quite happy to give Dr. Paul my 100% unqualified endorsement.
In the past week, Ive gone from supporting Rick Santorum to giving 100% of my support to Ron Paul. Just for the record, I bailed on Santorum 2 days before he suspended his run. I jumped ship because I kept seeing youtube videos of Ron Paul bringing in thousands of people to his rallies and I couldn’t figure out why the media was not even talking about him. I dug a little deeper and watched his 2008 Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis, MN. When I was through watching the entire thing, I was on the Ron Paul wagon, even if I wanted to keep supporting Santorum, it would have been imposible. EVERYTHING Ron Paul says, is pure gold. I don’t know where my head was at but seeing how biased the media really is, I have a pretty good idea why my head was, where it was at.
Any ex Santorum supporters out there still undecided. The choice is very simple. Go to youtube and search Rally for the Republic, because it appears that night was very special and everything Ron Paul said will be echoed in history.
Ron Paul 2012!!!
Great article.
As a former media soaked neocon, I have begun to do my own research because of what I heard Dr. Paul say. The more digging I do, the more I support Dr. Paul’s message and the vibrant community of Constitutionalists that flock to his leadership. Foreign policy is what I questioned most at first, but now I find it to be among the most attractive part of the platform. The effects of undeclared war are more dangerous to our life and liberty than terrorist will ever be.
If we want to be free, we must tolerate the freedom’s of others. We also must act on our own to bring liberty back. Hoping for the good will of others (politicians) to do it isn’t working.
Thank you for your eloquence and intellectual honesty, Sir. We welcome you to the r3VOLution.
For Liberty!
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The problem with America today is that the average voter is too stupid to vote intelligently. This is not hyperbole. Recent research indicates that the average voter has just enough political acumen to avoid selecting the worst possible candidate (which explains why Hillary did not win), but not enough to select the best candidate (which is why Ron Paul did not win last time).
When it comes to differentiating between good policies and bad policies, the lack of knowledge doesn’t stop voters from voting – nor does it prevent them from believing they are making an intelligent decision. This self-delusion, that they have any clue what they are doing, results in the best-marketed candidates from the wealthy classes winding up as our “choices” on election day and a total hodgepodge of policies resulting in ridiculous decisions – like the creation and operation of the TSA.
And on election day – what a choice! Do you want to be stabbed? (Choice #1) Or do you want to be shot? (Choice #2). Half of America wonders why we can’t get two better candidates than B.O. and Romney. But the reason is simple: Voters are stupid. And lazy. (Most don’t get involved until the only choice is no choice at all.)
I suspect that Murray’s objections (whatever they may be) to Paul’s foreign policies are more grounded in lack of knowledge than they are in reason. I don’t mean that pejoratively, but only point out that someone who is relatively knowledgeable about politics can still be uneducated in certain areas – while believing themselves to be fully informed.
Take Paul’s anti-empire, anti-world-cop approach to closing down bases and recalling US troops. It will happen sooner or later. Why? Because just paying for the 800+ bases and the current wars is costing America about a trillion dollars that we don’t have. Eventually, our debt will make us a poor credit risk – and when that happens, the dollar, and the American empire, will collapse.
Paul’s recipe is preemptive in nature. Pull the bases and troops now. Substitute diplomacy for force, keeping the option of force in reserve. Save a trillion dollars a year NOW, before our financial world implodes… because the only other option is financial ruin.
Perhaps Murray will read this, understand it, and reconcile his doubts about Ron Paul’s foreign policy platform. But the most important lesson here is that we, as a group, ultimately get the government we deserve. If you’re not doing your research, if you don’t know what you’re voting on – don’t vote. You only make things worse.
Naturally, if you do your research, truly understand the issues, evaluate beyond the marketing lines and apply rational decision-making… VOTE. Just KNOW what you’re voting on.
Geez Bambi, you hit like a sledgehammer. I guess you heard that we are only rated AA as of last week.
Face it, people were never taught how to vote. This is probably the first election were a lot of people are smart on issues. They are not dumb or lazy, they don’t know how to research. They were never taught and the info wasn’t there anyway.
Count your blessings, we are gaining and will win this one. The next one will be even better. A lot of people know Obama’s a shumk and that obamacare is bad. Not as many know we are bankrupt but the word is getting out there. Have some faith girl and stop calling them losers. Teach them, if they say they are voting for obama, realize that it’s a question. Ask them a question, what policy of obama’s do you like best, why? They are not going to have an answer.. give them some info. I did that today and it felt good. Try it, you’ll like it.
What is interesting is his focus on liberty in this statement… liberty in the US… yet unwilling to have that same liberty apply to foreign policy… I was at that speech in Fort Worth as well… and there was nothing in what was said per foreign policy that should have made any liberty seeking person upset… unless all you want is for the US to have liberty and nobody else….
I think Paul want us to mind our own business. If they want to follow our lead, that’s great.
Welcome to the Ron Paul community. Thanks for your support.
Great article. I was in those shoes till I watched votes being yanked from Ron Paul by the GOP the last time he ran. This time Im totally disgusted. Neither party at the top has a decent intent toward Americans. They are global and their greed is global. One represents power and the other money and makes the perfect marriage in the book of revelations. They are already joined to destroy us and enslave us.
Ron Paul will like this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trqgT0jhw08
We must work to bring our troops home now, it’s getting dangerous. If we must arrest obama to do it let it be done.