I did see the media reports about Ron Paul has suspended his campaign etc. NOT TRUE! Here’s what the email says:
Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.
Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have. I encourage all supporters of Liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and Congressional elections, where so many defenders of Freedom are fighting and need your support.
I hope all supporters of Liberty will remain deeply involved – become delegates, win office, and take leadership positions. I will be right there with you. In the coming days, my campaign leadership will lay out to you our delegate strategy and what you can do to help, so please stay tuned.
So, let’s keep fighting, especially in Virginia. Ron Paul didn’t quit on us; let’s not quit on him.
I have found this from the Daily Paul about the five district conventions held today in the First, Second, Third, Seventh and Eighth Congressional Districts and the word is surprisingly encouraging:
Looks like we got a good number so far.
Adding to the list below:
CD1: 2/3
CD2: 2/3? (Could be 3/3)
CD3: 3/3
CD7: 0/3
CD8: 1/3
Thats so far 10-11 out of 18 which is over half.
This added to these victories in the other districts:
I contacted the NEW THIRD District GOP CHAIRMAN, J. Christopher Stearns, who confirmed the following numbers (as well as his own election!):
CD 1: 2/3 national delegates, sweep of state central committee (3/3)
CD 2: 2/3 national delegates, another SWEEP of state central committee (3/3)
CD 3: 3/3 national delegates, STILL ANOTHER SWEEP of state central committee! (3/3)
(Our national curling team could use sweepers like this!)
CD 7: 0/3 national delegates, 0/3 state central.
CD 8: 3/3 national delegates and 3/3 state central.
I have not confirmed the other districts as far as RP delegates or state central but just these numbers will reshape the future of the Grand Ol’ Party in the Old Dominion. It means libertarians will have a seat at the table with the state party. I am a delegate to that convention and I plan (Lord willing) to be there for that. Maybe a live blog…
UPDATE: The new RP members of state central might get to decide the biggest question of 2013: How is the fight between Lt. Governor Bolling and Attorney General Cuccinelli (Note: I have endorsed Cuccinelli) for Governor: Primary or Convention? Convention is cheaper but also favors Cuccinelli. Here’s a Virginian-Pilot article on this question.
The groundwork for that possible shift, which could limit broader access to the nomination process, is being laid now even as a fight for party control builds ahead of a likely gubernatorial matchup between Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
Behind it is a roster of Ron Paul loyalists, Cuccinelli supporters, tea partyers and other factions – what one activist called a “perfect storm of odd alliances within the Republican Party.”
They’ve been quietly working to put like-minded people in seats on regional Republican panels that come with votes on the Virginia GOP’s governing body, the State Central Committee.
It is safe to say the staid, steeped in convention (pun intended) Virginia GOP is due for a big change. I think it is a positive change. Let’s invite and welcome liberty candidates into the GOP!
While the Greek Pirate Party only garnered about one half of one percent in the recent election, its counterpart in Germany is rolling right along, having won seats in a third state parliament: The northern state of Schleswig-Holstein:
Voters in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein have chosen a new parliament. The Pirate Party has won seats for the first time, while the embattled Free Democrats have fared better than expected.
After its success in Berlin and Saarland, the German Pirate Party – whose policies focus on freedom of information in the digital sphere – has managed to win seats in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Following Sunday’s election, the Pirates walked away with over 8 percent of the votes.
The Pirates essentially tied with the Free Democrats, the somewhat libertarian but pro-EU party.
The next state to have an election is North Rhine-Westphalia, the California of Germany with nearly 18 million citizens. And the Pirates are slated to do very well, maybe even double digits:
On Sunday, voters in Germany’s largest state, North Rhine-Westphalia, will elect a new state parliament. If recent opinion polls ring true, the Pirate Party will have its best election results to date.
Germany’s five leading polling research institutes agree on one thing: The Pirate Party will most certainly enter the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state parliament after this weekend’s election. Three of the institutes said the party will receive up to 10 percent of the vote, which would put Germany’s up-and-coming political group on the same level as the Green party, which is currently part of the governing coalition with the center-left Social Democrats.
Their leader in NRW has a notable last name: Joachin Paul. Yes, that’s right, Herr PAUL. He is either a distant relative of Ron Paul or the Pirates wanted some of the Paul electoral skill to rub off on them! Here’s what chief candidate Paul says:
The Pirate Party’s top candidate in NRW, Joachim Paul, said his party is no longer just a party for younger Germans.
“More and more older people from all parts of society are coming to our party,” said Paul, who himself was chosen to head the state party in the place of a younger candidate.
But the Pirates aren’t there yet:
Since its early days when the Pirate Party had the reputation of being nothing more than a protest party, it has now come up with a comprehensive manifesto. One of the main areas they are looking to make changes is education. However, fewer kids per classroom – one of their main goals – would significantly increase public spending.
Other objectives the Pirates have emphasized include free public bus and train transportation and an unconditional welfare for all NRW citizens. The costs for such endeavors would balloon into the multi-billion-euro range.
The German Pirates need a consultant – a liberty consultant! Here’s some free advice! Germany needs to get out of the Euro, free Europe from EU bureaucrats, reform education by allowing home schooling and school choice and endorse national sovereignty. Reform of copyright and trademarks will require MEPs and the Pirates need to get that motion going. Ring the Bell of LIBERTY! SAY NO to Tweedledee and Tweedledum! Say YES to liberty and sovereignty.
Next time someone says, Ron Paul has not won a state yet, show them this article from a local MN newspaper (The Pierce County Herald):
Paul’s campaign swept all the delegate and alternate slots in Congressional District No. 2, which south metro suburbs and CD 4 which is St. Paul, Ramsey County and the east metro. Paul’s forces also won two delegate slots each in CD 1, which is southern Minnesota and CD 8 which is northern Minnesota.
All the CD conventions have conclude and Paul has won 20 out of the 24 delegate slots at stake and nearly all of the alternates.
TWENTY of 24! WOW! This media source speculated that Paul will probably carry the state convention. But narrow losses reported in Missouri show we cannot be complacent! The Paul delegates need to show no matter what!
I am aware for sometime about the movie Kony 2012 (I saw it first on my way to the class I teach at VCU and I thought Kony was a candidate for Mayor of Richmond! Wrong again!) But it did not bother me because we were not actually chasing this guy with US troops.
However, the Washington Post is reporting that 100 US troops are helping to try to find Joseph Kony in central Africa:
OBO, Central African Republic — Behind razor wire and bamboo walls topped with security cameras sits one of the newest U.S. military outposts in Africa. U.S. Special Forces soldiers with tattooed forearms and sunglasses emerge daily in pickup trucks that carry weapons, supplies and interpreters — as well as the expectations of a vast region living in fear of a man and his brutal militia.
Memo to Ron Paul – we are now in one more nation with a base and troops – the Central African Republic! (Anyone else remember when it was briefly the Central African Empire?) Another intervention without any approval. It is officially only in an advisory capacity:
Hilary Renner, a State Department spokeswoman, said that the American forces were serving only as advisers and that obstacles to finding Kony remain significant despite the capabilities of the U.S. military.
That is how Vietnam started: Advisers, then an incident, then all out war. Stopping this intervention is unpopular:
To be sure, Kony and the LRA are uncontroversial targets. Unlike others wanted by the ICC, such as Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Kony has virtually no allies because of his unique brand of brutality. In Washington, there is strong bipartisan support for the U.S. role in the hunt for Kony, and in recent weeks, that quest has gained new prominence with the release of videos by the advocacy group Invisible Children that have gone viral on the Internet.
So the video Kony 2012 is to prepare the people for intervention. But there are no real compelling interests for Americans to catch Kony. I do not seek to help the International Criminal Court in any event and we should not be the hired gendarmes for the ICC. (Who is paying for this intervention: You are! Nice thought on tax day 2012!)
Since 2008, the United States has provided nearly $50 million in logistical support and nonlethal equipment to Uganda’s military to fight the LRA and nearly $500 million to support LRA victims in northern Uganda.
Critics say such monetary support helps explain Uganda’s failure to capture Kony despite many opportunities. Several official investigations in Uganda have showed that military officers profiteered from the protracted conflict.
Expectations are high in the CAE and already, there are disappointments that we have not done more:
Eveline Nalayanga, a refugee who was driven from the nearby village of Nguili by an LRA attack two years ago, said it doesn’t matter that Obo is home to soldiers from the world’s most formidable military.
“I am still afraid to return to my village. The LRA can attack anytime,” she said. Then she paused before adding: “I am waiting for the Americans to catch Kony.”
Intervention. It’s costly. Americans die. It does not work as planned. There is always corruption and waste of taxpayers’ money. It does not buy us permanent friends and can get us involved in the local human rights violations of our “allies”. It is not authorized in the proper way: An act of Congress. Joseph Kony is an evil man. He should be brought to justice. But it’s none of our business. Get the troops out of Africa. As a wise man once said, “We just plain don’t mind our own business!”
The Independent is reporting today that UKIP leader Nigel Farage is in discussions with perhaps two Tory MPs about defecting to UKIP.
Disillusioned Conservative MPs have secretly contacted the UK Independence Party to discuss possible defection, its leader claimed yesterday as he appealed to Tory Eurosceptics to jump ship.
I would say that this is blowing smoke but for this report in the same article:
Rumours have circulated among Tories that two sitting MPs are seriously considering following their lead and joining Ukip, which advocates withdrawal from the EU.
I think you say nothing until you got them in the crib, so to speak, and ready for the press conference. But I reluctantly agree with the scorched earth policy UKIP wants to adopt: Run against all the Tories, even the euroskeptic ones:
But Mr Farage disclosed that his party plans to contest every seat in the general election expected in 2015 – even in constituencies where the incumbent MP backs withdrawal from the EU. “My message to the Eurosceptics in the Tory party is: you’re wasting your time,” he said, adding that Mr Cameron was “instinctively pro-EU… There is a growing feeling he said all the things he said just to get elected, but never really intended”.
I would say stay away from Steve Baker MP, who is the Ron Paul of the UK and Bill Cash MP at least! But it’s time for UKIP to have a voice in Westminster. The euroskeptic Tories in masse should defect to the true British party: UKIP. All three major parties are compromised by Europe to a lesser or greater extent. Only UKIP can save Britain.
I am admittedly disappointed that former PA Senator Rick Santorum is getting out of the race. I theorize that Santorum was running the risk of not being relevant in 2016 or even perhaps there is a Pennsylvania race in his future: Governor of PA or Senate again! (I have no evidence for this, it’s just a political hunch!)
I am still for Ron Paul! I’ll be so probably until the moment arises, if it does so, that Ron Paul cannot win or cannot broker the convention. That is not yet. I did see that fellow evangelicals may be turning to Paul.
But I will give the putative nominee some unsolicited political advice:
1. Get George out to help the campaign. George? Yes George. Michigan Governor George Romney. George Romney was a courageous, principled leader who was against the Vietnam War before it was fashionable to do so (1967!), walked in a civil rights march (not with Martin Luther King because it was Sunday but he indicated that he would have been with Dr. King), worked with labor leader Walter Reuther as president of American Motors, and gave part of his salary and bonus back as AMC head when he felt it was too much money! As Secretary of HUD, Romney worked tirelessly to bring housing equality to all Americans. Romney was a early hero of mine (Yes, I know, what kind of eight year old admires George Romney? Let’s just say I was something like Michigan’s present governor!) and I think people would give his son a new look when they see what Mitt’s family came from. Nobody gave George Romney a silver spoon when he was growing up. Get George out there in videos and commercials. Hire the guy who did the Demon Sheep ad to do it effectively! (BTW, the one time I met Mitt Romney in 2007 I told him how much I admired his father.)
2. Don’t run away from the Mormon thing: Embrace it. Most of the Mormons I know are upright, honest, faithful to spouses and family, decent and honorable. Embrace that reputation! (I was once interested in a Mormon girl when I was in law school. I knew a guy in my apartment building who was Mormon and he introduced me to her. I even woke up at 2 am to help him clean the gym he had been hired to clean up just because he insisted she would be there, too! I was up in a flash! But the young lady, attractive on the inside and outside, too, was not going to budge on the faith issue!) Not a hint of scandal associated with Mitt Romney. That is not easy in the field Romney was in. We need a upright, honest, faithful leader in DC!
3. Make sure you gradually work in some Ron Paul positions. Start with auditing the Fed. Oppose most if not all bailouts. Promise to repeal NDAA. A new look at the USA Patriot Act. Skepticism about new interventions and quick withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Consideration of Sen. Rand Paul as VP. Real cuts in spending and tax reform. Maybe renounce Agenda 21? It cannot look like it is contrived. Do one position a week or so. Be seen with Michael Scheuer or some other prominent non-interventionist. Do a genuine reach out. It will pay dividends.
I blogged on the German phenomenon of the Pirate Party (Here’s their website in German) earlier this year when they won several seats in the Berlin city state parliament (Berlin is a separate city-state due to the division of Berlin during the Cold War).
Well, they did it again: In the Saarland!
Saarland is one of those places that you might know if you are a history buff or a stamp collector but it is now a state in Germany. And their state parliamentary elections were held recently and while Chancellor Merkel’s party won the election, the big story was the Pirate Party:
The real winner of Sunday’s election was Germany’s newest political force, the Pirate Party, which campaigns for political transparency and Internet freedom. They won 7.4 percent of the vote, despite having had to rush to cobble together a campaign after snap elections were called. They will now be represented in the 51-seat state parliament with four seats. It is their second entry into a state parliament after winning almost 9 percent of the vote in the Berlin state election in 2011. The Pirates’ success is likely to cause concern for the Greens, who are in danger of losing voters to the political upstarts. Observers attributed the Pirates’ success in Saarland partly to voter frustration with perceived political corruption in the state.
There may have been some local issues, but the Pirates are serious and they are now a serious force in German politics. Der Spiegel, the leading magazine in German) reports that the Pirates are the THIRD largest party in the nation!
According to a survey released by the pollsters at Forsa for broadcaster RTL on Tuesday, the political newcomers currently enjoy 13 percent of voter support and are now the third most popular party in the country ahead of the environmentalist Greens, which lagged behind at 11 percen
Check out the photograph of the Pirate Party convention in Munster in this Der Spiegel article (I can’t print it as I do not have permission): Yes, it reads like how the Ron Paulians write the word “R3volution”! And the Pirate Party has several things in common with the Ron Paul movement in this country: Transparency, liberty, skepticism (that’s putting it mildly – I am not yet sold on their copyright positions and Paul has not spoken on it other than oppose SOPA/PIPA but I do agree copyright needs reform) with copyright and patent laws, more democracy etc. The Pirates are attracting the youth to their cause.
I think that many Europeans have had it with the Tweedledee/Tweedledum nature of politics in Europe: Fundamental change in the EU and its institutions and slavish obedience to EU elites are off the table. Well, so was the Fed and non-intervention here in the USA BUT the Ron Paul people brought it to the fore!
What the Pirate Party needs to do is see that the EU is their enemy. Here, from Der Spiegel is one example:
A few years ago, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, a member of the FDP, could have become the heroine of this Internet freedom movement. As a member of the opposition, she and others had filed a suit against the data retention legislation.
But now she is German justice minister. Last week, the European Commission gave the German government a final, four-week deadline to agree on a new data retention law, in order to implement the EU’s directive on the issue, otherwise it could face legal action. Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger is in a no-win situation. The legislation won’t happen without compromises with the conservatives, and even her own watered-down proposal earned her much criticism among the web community. “Bye bye FDP,” Pirate supporters tweeted sarcastically.
Well, bye bye FDP (Free Democratic Party, a pro-business, semi-libertarian party) indeed: They only garnered just over one percent of the vote in the SaarLand and got shut of the state parliament. The Pirates got over SEVEN percent and got four seats!
But the Pirates need to become a trans-European force for liberty. If the Pirates need help, I got a little time. Feel free to contact me! Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch! My first unsolicited advice is: Take back power from European institutions, reintroduce the Deutsche Mark, no more bailouts, and fight for liberty! Don’t be Tweedledee or Tweedledum! Be the Ron Paul Revolution in Europe!
UPDATE of SORTS: There are Pirate Parties in other EU nations, too: Of course the movement started in Sweden, but is now in many nations. Here’s the website for the Pirate Party International which is meeting in Prague this weekend (Tom, got any expenses to send me? No, he says!) here is more information on that.
During this conference, the General Assembly – the highest body of the PPI – will decide upon the admittance of new members to the PPI, elect a new board and discuss and vote on amendments to the PPI statutes. In addition there will be an open space and a parallel session for Pirate Party Europe/EU discussions.
Speeches will be given by Amelia Andersdotter, Swedish Pirate Party’s Member of the European Parliament, and Laurence Vandewalle, Policy advisor on telecommunications and free culture from Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament. Saturday’s program will be closed with a keynote address by Cory Doctorow, blogger, journalist and well known anti-copying-monopoly fighter.
Like I said, I’ll help! We need a voice of LIBERTY in Europe (and in the USA, too!) immediately! THIS is good news!
In addition there will be an open space and a parallel session for discussions about the forming of a Pirate Party Europe/EU.
Yes, there is a US Pirate Party, here’s the website. But I think this is better done in the USA as a group and we have it: The Ron Paul Revolution! We are the pirates of the USA!
Former US Senator Rick Santorum announced a short while ago that he was suspending his campaign for President.
During the weekend, his daughter Bella, who has a rare condition, was hospitalized due to her illness. She rebounded and is said to be home and doing well, but it gave the Santorum family pause to consider remaining in the race that most had already concluded was all but over.
So while giving a nod to Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, as I have already said in a previous post, Mitt Romney is the nominee. As I sometimes do, I included a video with that post of the song “Love the one You’re With”. It sort of speaks to the fact that we must come together with Romney as he IS the nominee.
And in the tradition of using song to illustrate a point, I will leave you with another . As we get closer to the Republican Primary nomination process “closing time” it seems oddly appropriate (and admittedly sexist) to include the song “Girls All get Prettier at Closing Time”.
It’s closing time and the only ladies in the bar are Mitt and Barack. And I never realized just how pretty Mitt actually is!
I have confirmed from this source that Dr. Ron Paul will speak in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 22 at the Philadelphia Phreedom Rally starting at 1PM.
There will be live music, including a new singer I just discovered: Tatiana Moroz. She has a powerful voice for liberty!
Also speakers cited on the website will be Michael Scheuer, the former head of the bin Laden unit of the CIA, who has a blog in favor of non-intervention and a board member of Students for Liberty, James Padilioni, Jr. (who is attending graduate school at William & Mary this fall! Sounds like a great speaker for your next Tea Party event – if he has time!)
I would like to suggest – let’s get a car caravan from Richmond to go up to Philly for the day and hear the Doctor of Liberty and these other great speakers and singers!
The Washington Post has called for the United States to intervene in Mali. Well, they actually called for NATO to intervene in the African nation. But NATO is something of a sock puppet for the USA in that NATO cannot legally commit troops without an unanimous vote of the nations in NATO. Here’s some of their editorial highlights and my thoughts on it:
THE UNITED STATES and its NATO allies took a big risk in Libya last year — not by supporting the rebellion against dictator Moammar Gaddafi but by doing little to help the victorious rebels with security after the war. Libya is now struggling to hold itself together as its various tribes and militia factions resist central authority; meanwhile, former Gaddafi fighters and weapons are spilling into neighboring countries.
Actually the big risk was intervention in Libya to start with. There was blowback in the neighboring nation of Mali. First, the Libyan mercenaries of the Tuareg tribe have set up their own nation in the north and this caused a coup in the south. This has brought in al-Qaeda into yet one more nation where it was not (not in Iraq before we went in and not in Libya before we intervened there last year without any authority from Congress):
Mali has become a transit point for drug trafficking to Europe, and an al-Qaeda branch, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is active. An al-Qaeda ally called Ansar Dine has been capitalizing on the Tuareg rebellion, sweeping into conquered towns, raising a black flag and announcing the imposition of sharia law. Hundreds of Christians living in Timbuktu were reportedly forced to flee the city.
Once again, US intervention has hurt Christians. Evangelicals in the remaining primary/caucus states can best help their persecuted brethren: Support non-intervention! Vote Ron Paul!
More than that, the Libyan mercenaries of the Tuareg tribe have set up their own nation in the north and this caused a coup in the south. So what is the solution for the Mali problem: More intervention! Fifteen African nations have intervened economically which is problematic but the Washington Post has a better idea:
France, which led the NATO intervention in Libya and employed its troops to defend democracy in Ivory Coast last year, appears ready to assist the possible intervention, at least logistically. Paris, as well as its NATO partners, should perceive a moral obligation, as well as a tangible national security interest, in restoring Mali’s previous order. The West should not allow its intervention in Libya to lead to the destruction of democracy — and entrenchment of Islamic militants — in a neighboring state. (emphasis mine)
Some people never learn. What the editorial board of the Post will not do but should do is admit: Ron Paul is right. It is clear intervention causes adverse blowback and consequences. Hundreds of Christians had to flee their home. Because it is far away, no one gets offended about it. Maybe some evangelical will ask Santorum how he likes his intervention! Or for that matter, Senators McCain or Graham or Lieberman. Let’s mind our own business.
Primaries are about momentum. Once it becomes inevitable, or nearly so, the voters begin lining up behind the winner. And that looks to be what is happening in Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum’s home state.
Mitt Romney now leads in Pennsylvania by 5 points – 42% to 37% according to a new PPP poll.
The only candidate with a path to victory now is Romney.
There are a lot of people who had hoped that Republicans could nominate a strong Conservative to defeat Barack Obama. And for those who see Romney as a Moderate, it is a bit of a let down.
But these people are now getting behind Mitt Romney because the bottom line is, we must defeat Barack Obama in November.
It is time for Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul to come to terms with reality. Romney is the nominee and it is time to stop beating one another up and turn to Barack Obama.
There is a lot of work to be done before the election and Republicans must begin the process of coming together behind the nominee.
Santorum has announced that he will be taking the next 4 days off. Let’s hope he decides to withdraw. That is the smart move at this point.
I saw this title in the Washington Post: Ron Paul: The Butler Bulldogs of American Politics
No, I did not write that title! I wish I had! But it’s true (Yes, even the WashPo gets it right now and then! A stopped clock is right twice a day after all.) There are a lot of comparisons between Butler basketball and Ron Paul in this article but few are favorable! Here’s the article but there is little to praise in this article – it is not favorable for EITHER Butler or Paul. Try this example:
But then, reality set in. While Paul has had a great campaign season for a “mid-major” candidate, things have certainly tailed off in recent weeks, and it’s clear that Paul is still missing something that the Dukes and the UConns and the Mitt Romneys of this world have: staying power.
The writer cites the delegate count proposed by the MSM that some dispute:
The practical effect of Paul’s campaign has been pretty minimal as well. While his campaign has talked a lot about being a player at the convention, right now he is projected to have won 50 delegates, which is higher than the approximately 30-35 delegateshe won in 2008 but still far from being a contender when you consider that there are more than 2,000 delegates available.
Here’s the take on Butler:
Like Butler, Paul wasn’t supposed to win the nomination and basically nobody thought he would, and that lack of an expectation is what makes his campaign a success.
A review of the last two NCAA tournaments, Butler defeated several major powers: Syracuse,Kansas State and Michigan State. The next year, the Bulldogs defeated Pitt, Wisconsin and Florida. That’s no fluky result. Butler is being courted by the Atlantic 10 conference as we speak. As the article admits, Paul has finished second seven times (and probably won the Missouri caucuses last week!) beating all three “major” candidates at least once.
Yes, Butler is the Ron Paul of men’s basketball! And yes, Ron Paul is the Butler of politics. Let there be a open or brokered convention and we may find out just how mid-major the RP campaign is. Ron or his son Senator Rand Paul may surprise the field, either as the nominee or as a VP choice (probably not Ron but Rand for the veep slot.)
Reports I have been monitoring suggest that RP delegates to district and state conventions have done very well in today’s caucuses in Missouri.
In Jackson County, near Kansas City, the combined Paul/Romney Beat Obama slate won the day 531 to 237, ensuring Paul will get 80% of the delegates from this county to both the district and state conventions! Thanks to Lorien Johnson for her exciting liveblog of the event today! (As always thanks to the Daily Paul too!)
On the other side of I-40, in St. Louis area, at least one caucus had 100% Paul VICTORY! Here‘s the report:
Supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul dominated the Republican caucus in St. Louis on Saturday with a majority-vote victory over two other slates backing other Republican nominee hopefuls.
The slate backing Paul cast 158 votes in the non-binding caucus Saturday. * * * The slate that primarily backed Santorum had 74 votes, while the Romney slate mustered 50 votes.
Barry County held their caucus today and the RP dominated slate again shut out Santorum:
Reed says Ron Paul supporters were extremely organized, wearing wireless mics and headsets so they could communicate across the room. Leaders wore orange hats and raised them to indicate their support of a particular delegate or issue.
They formed a coalition with Mitt Romney supporters in order to keep Rick Santorum from winning the majority of delegates. Reed says that strategy was a common theme at many other Missouri counties.
That’s organization at work! Many other counties apparently had the same theme.
The now infamous St. Charles caucus has been rescheduled for April 10 after state party officials forced the issue:
“Since Saturday, we have reviewed our options to determine the best way to move forward while ensuring that the voice of St. Charles has been heard,” Cole said. “We have concluded that the only proper remedy for this situation is to schedule a new St. Charles County caucus.”
This is the amazing blog of Michael Scheuer, the former head of the bin Laden unit at the CIA, supporter of Ron Paul, and author of several books including Imperial Hubris. This is his blog and here’s a few highlights from recent posts:
On Syria:
U.S. avoidance of direct involvement in Syria is a good example of how non-intervention can benefit America. A year on and thousands of dead Syrians buried and not one American has lost a job, had a house foreclosed, or incurred any other problem here at home. * * * In the foregoing context, then, the military intervention called for by Krauthammer and McCain — and silently approved and appreciated by Mrs. Clinton, et. al. — will do what interventionism by America’s bipartisan governing elite always does: undermine U.S. national security; strengthen America’s Islamist enemies; deepen the nearing-mortal wound inflicted on our country by the federal debt; and get more of America’s soldier-children killed.
On why war with Iran is foolish and unnecessary:
…Iran’s U.S.-based intelligence apparatus and that of its Hizballah ally will attack in the United States. These attacks will be carried out by Iran and Hizballah, but they will possible mainly because of the unconstitutional picking and choosing of which federal laws to enforce that has been done Obama and all other presidents in the last 30 years, an illegal practice that has left our borders open and — with millions of undocumented aliens in the country — our domestic security in a shambles.
President Obama’s apology to the Afghan people:
So at day’s end, FOX’s always silly “terrorism expert” was wrong in damning Obama’s apology. What he should have said was that Obama’s apology was misdirected toward the Afghans and, instead, should have been made to Americans. * * * These men and women [from the Bush and Obama administrations] — who know only how to lose wars, waste American lives, and intervene in other peoples’ business — were morally and legally required to know the Afghan context into which they were trying to wedge their damnable Western fantasies. They failed to do their home work or, worse, believed history did not pertain to them, and as a result of their arrogant negligence America has lost the Afghan War and many American parents are grieving for the wasted lives of their military youngsters,…[killed so female Afghans can vote in elections].
I am not sure I agree with all of it. But I respect who Scheuer is and what he has done not to be a new fan of his blog. You should read it too. As a great man once said: We just don’t plain mind our own business!”
With all due respect to Henry Clay, who was also born here but who made his political career in the former far west of our Commonwealth (Kentucky), the Greatest Hanoverian is clearly our first governor and revolutionary agitator, Patrick Henry!
Today is the 237th anniversary of that famous call to arms, the Give me Liberty or Give me death speech! Here’s the text!
Today’s Patrick Henry is Ron Paul and he has honored the day with this money bomb that you can donate to! If you can, honor the Greatest Hanoverian – give to Ron Paul’s campaign.
Here’s the video from the Ron Paul rally in Champaign, IL.
It was estimated that 5,000 cheered Ron Paul’s message of liberty and personal responsibility.
Paul spoke for about an hour before an estimated 5,000 people, many of them chanting, “President Paul, President Paul,” Wednesday night at Huff Hall on the University of Illinois campus.
The organizers had to move it from one place to a larger place due to demand:
The event had to be moved to Huff from Foellinger Auditorium because demand for tickets exceeded the seating capacity at Foellinger.
Paul won at least one vote:
Lisa Grady of Bolingbrook said Paul’s speech convinced her to vote for him.
“He cares about getting us out of war and bringing jobs to American families,” she said.
It’s great to see the message of liberty spreading throughout the nation!
I am very upset (although I enjoyed the two Santorum wins in Alabama and Mississippi – if it holds up Ron Paul got FOUR PERCENT in both states.
So WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Don’t misunderstand. I love the South. I bleed for the South. (Yes, I love cheese grits. NC barbeque! Turnip greens with vinegar! Lima beans! You are excused as you go to a Southern place to eat lunch but come back!) But when it comes to the hero of liberty, the South is (except for Virginia where Paul got nearly 41% and won three delegates in the Third Congressional District!) AWOL. Why?
I have my ideas: Foreign policy/Iran/misunderstanding of non-interventionism/a perversion of “support the troops” and I’d like to speak further on it.
I solicit your comments: I won’t respond to profanity or meanness so forget it! But I am profoundly disappointed in my people. They seem to not be interested in ending the wars, establishing true limited government, ending loss of liberties such as the USA Patriot Act and NDAA.
No, he says!) 
