[wvns] Yes, Antiwar Movement, There is a Santa Claus
Yes, Antiwar Movement, There is a Santa Claus
Welcome to the Revolution
By DONNA J. VOLATILE
December 10, 2007
http://www.counterpunch.org/volatile12102007.html
You may not like the gift wrapping but the contents are what you wrote
on your wish list: End the War, Bring the Troops Home Now, No War For
Oil, or for Israel, Do Not Attack Iran, Restore The Constitution and
The Rule of Law, No to The Patriot, Homeland Security, Military
Commissions Acts and No to The Homegrown Terrorism Act, No To Torture,
Rendition and Illegal Military Prisons and there's even some extras
that most of us wouldn't mind seeing like putting an end to the
Illegal Federal Reserve and doing away with the illegal personal
income tax on wages.
That all of these goodies happen to be the essence of Congressman Ron
Paul's, Republican Presidential candidate from Texas, campaign
platform is surely a shock to any leftist's/progressive's system.
Ah be careful what you wish for, you just might get it...
The only question is will you accept this gift?
Perhaps the wrapping paper isn't right, perhaps there are some extra
things in the box that don't fit your political criteria but hey, it's
the thought that counts, isn't it?
Even Dennis Kucinich seems to think so, there is so much buzz in
cyberspace about the possibility of a Dennis Kucinich/Ron Paul ticket,
it is stunning. Dennis has even raised the prospect himself as has his
wife Elisabeth. Who ever thought we'd see the day?!
There is a larger point to be made here and perhaps the most important
one and that is there isn't a whole lot of difference between the
wants, needs and desires of the anti-war traditional conservatives and
the anti-war leftists and progressives. We just all need to get over
ourselves. If Dennis Kucinich would consider Ron Paul as a running
mate isn't it time for the anti-war movement to dig a little deeper to
see what is going on here?...
(I have always supported Dennis Kucinich, whenever possible but after
the 2004 Convention and his failure to stand up at the Convention
against the war and support the peace activists who were hauled off
the convention floor, with their anti-war signs, and given his
inability to run a strong campaign, I can no longer back him. I do
respect his positions on many issues.)
A few activists like myself have crossed over to support Ron Paul but
far too many others have not. Far too many from the left, far too many
progressives and liberals and far too many anti-war activists have not.
We have so much in common but many on the left ridicule Ron Paul and
his supporters. They are so stuck in their positions, they do not see
the monumental things we have in common.
For many on the left it is Ron Paul's stance on abortion, or his
stance on health care and the list goes on...
But as we face another election year and perhaps the most critical and
important election year, I ask what cause can be more important than
the cause of PEACE? Without it, we have no chance at all.
For years, since the Bush regime stole power, we have all been looking
for a Peace Candidate and now we have one.
The democrats have been co-opted and fail us at every turn. The third
party has been decimated, largely due to the democrats in 2004 and
their fear mongering tactic of "vote democrat or else". And here we
are again, facing another Presidential election at the most critical
time of our country's history and indeed the world and what have we to
choose from? The same damn pot that calls the kettle black and they
all want the same thing, they all have the same agenda and we are left
with voting for the lesser of evils or not voting at all. Is anyone
really going to fall for this routine again?...
But what if all of the disenfranchised people got together, pulled
their forces, their energy and supported a true candidate for Peace?
Would Peace not then be possible?
Are we to forever be held back by issues, such as abortion or even
National Health Care, an issue that never gets delivered in the first
place (we are no closer now than we were way back when) ? These issues
are by design. Abortion keeps us divided. National Health care lends
us false hope.
This is no ordinary election year. This is our last real chance to try
and get our country back on track and to prevent a third world war.
Will any of us risk losing this chance over our own personal issues
versus the common purpose and the Universal good?
We need to start somewhere and Ron Paul is a good place to start.
For me, supporting and voting for Ron Paul is the most 'radical' thing
I have ever done in my political life. It is something I do with
comfort and good conscience. I support peace and I can only vote for a
candidate who wants to stop this war and prevent a larger war from
happening.
Ron Paul has a tremendous groundswell of grassroots support, people
from all walks of life, people from all over our country, giving of
their time, their money, their hearts and their energy to support this
man. I have never seen nor experienced anything like this in my life!
I encourage leftists, progressives and the anti-war movement to check
Ron Paul out for yourselves, Google him, watch his YouTube videos,
listen to what he has to say and how he says it.
Ron Paul is the Peace candidate we've all been looking for. He answers
to the people, not corporate or political lobbies.
Perhaps the Ron Paul Revolution is best defined in his own words: He
is honored to be a part of our revolution.
I appeal to all of you to consider this. To think about it, process
it, digest it, meditate on it do whatever but above all find the
higher meaning.
Donna Voltile can be reached at: djvolatile @ windstream.net
===
Salam,
This is really amazing technology. Check out the minute by minute
donation counter at
ronpaul2008.com
Today until midnight is the day for the record-breaking donations. He
earned 4 million today but he is praying for ten million.
Please donate now to end the war and end funding for Israel. Legal US
immigrants are allowed to donate too, even if they are not citizens.
If you need some inspiration first watch the videos at teaparty07.com
===
The Ron Paul Revolution Documentary
http://www.ronpauldvdproject.com/themovie.php
The Ron Paul Revolution is an hour-long introduction to Congressman
Ron Paul and his freedom message. Beginning with the amazing
grassroots support his candidacy has spontaneously ignited, the video
covers his positions on foreign policy, health care, immigration,
monetary policy, income taxes, entitlements, civil liberties and more.
The movie is interspersed with clips of Dr. Paul through a twenty-year
career in the House of Representatives. Current clips from the 2008
Presidential campaign are virtually interchangeable with past clips,
his consistent positions and unwavering defense of the Constitution
clearly on display. Ron Paul is not beholden to lobbyists or special
interests, he simply does not participate in politics-as-usual.
Go to the Download page to retrieve an ISO file from which you can
burn your own DVDs, or Order a set of them from us directly. Please
assist our effort by making a donation to the project!
http://www.ronpauldvdproject.com/themovie.php
===
Operation Live Free or Die.
Mon Dec 3, 2007
http://www.apfn.net/videos.asp
To pledge your $5 donation for December 5th, 2007, please
enter your email address:
http://www.fiveforfreedom.com/
My name is Vijay Boyapati and I'm the director of Operation
Live Free or Die, a grassroots movement to help ensure that
Dr Paul wins the Republican nomination in the State of New
Hampshire. You may remember me from the talk Dr Paul gave at
Google (skip to 42:31, that's me).
Today we face a matter of utmost urgency in our campaign to
get Dr Paul elected as President of the United States. [He is the
only candidate committed to NOT bombing Iran.]
We are just weeks away from the New Hampshire primary, which
is the first and most important primary in the election. The
New Hampshire primary is extremely important in the
Presidential election because it sends a message to the other
states about who the leading candidate is. We cannot afford
anything but a super strong result in that first primary, or
all may be lost.
So I ask for your help. We need volunteers to come to New
Hampshire in the days and weeks before the primary to assist
in canvassing the entire state.. Together we raised 4.2
million dollars in 24 hours on November 5th, in a money bomb
that shocked the media and the country. Now we need to shock
the country with a volunteer bomb.
If you are able to come to New Hampshire, I urge you to sign up to
volunteer:
http://www.operationlivefreeordie.com/volunteer.html
If you are unable to come, I ask that you pledge $5 for
freedom on December 5th, to help the grassroots movement in
New Hampshire house volunteers who will be flocking to the
state from all over our Republic. The number of volunteers we
can bring to New Hampshire will be directly related to
how much we can raise to house those volunteers.
http://www.operationlivefreeordie.com/donate.html
With your help, we can bring enough volunteers so that we can
reach out to every single citizen in New Hampshire and share
with them why Dr Paul's message is most compatible with the
principles of their state - the Live Free or Die state.
sincerely,
Vijay Boyapati, Director of Operation Live Free or Die.
http://www.fiveforfreedom.com/
Operation Live Free or Die. -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9X5yWWlb2U
===
Liberty Dollars
November 28, 2007
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2075
WASHINGTON—Recently, The Washington Post carried a front-page story
about a federal raid on the headquarters of the National Organization
for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act and Internal Revenue Code
(Norfed). The Indiana-based company, which advocates "sound money,"
has been selling coins and paper certificates backed by gold and
silver for years, in effect trying to compete with the dollar.
The government ignored Norfed's "Liberty Dollars" for a long
time—until the group started selling thousands of coins with Ron
Paul's likeness to show support for the Republican presidential
candidate. Paul also wants to abolish the Federal Reserve.
To the public at large, the activities of Norfed seem utopian, naive
and even downright fraudulent. The idea that the world's greatest
economy could be run without a central bank and private parties could
replace the government as issuers of currency is one that many people
will find scary. With the dollar in something of a free fall and the
United States in the midst of a housing and credit crisis that has
sent some of the nation's top CEOs packing, Americans will be looking
for financial security, not monetary adventures.
And yet it is precisely in such a financially wobbly environment that
the actions of Norfed should invite a critical look at the way money
is managed. Some of the country's greatest economists, including Nobel
Prize winners, have been saying for years that the Federal Reserve has
probably caused more problems than it has solved since its creation in
1913. Its role in the last century's boom and bust cycles is a matter
of record; it looks as though it played a similar role in the current
housing market crisis too.
While the creation of the Federal Reserve was essentially a response
to a series of bank runs, those crises were mild compared to the ones
that were to follow. In 1913, the United States was under the gold
standard. Although the government issued currency, the fact that
currency was tied to gold meant the authorities could not manipulate
the money supply easily. The Fed's initial mission was to guarantee
the convertibility of deposits into currency on demand. A few decades
later, the United States abandoned the gold standard and the Federal
Reserve became the country's most powerful economic institution,
exercising its monopoly in issuing currency based on the discretionary
power of its board of governors.
All in all, financial instability has been far greater since the
creation of the Federal Reserve. What did the Great Depression teach
us? Essentially that even with the best of intentions, it is
impossible for the authorities to manage the supply of money in
accordance with the exact needs of the economy. A country's economy is
the sum of millions of people making decisions that no single
individual is in a position to anticipate. As economist Murray
Rothbard showed in his book "America's Great Depression," in the 1920s
the Federal Reserve pumped up the money supply, expanding credit by
more than 60 percent. Because the economy was very productive, this
monetary expansion did not show up in the regular inflation figures.
But, as is always the case with inflation, many resources went to the
wrong kind of investments—until the crisis hit. The late Milton
Friedman showed how the Fed made things worse by not providing the
system with enough liquidity once the Depression was obvious.
The current housing market and debt market crises are in good part the
children of the Federal Reserve. By cutting rates 13 times between
2001 and 2003, and then keeping them very low for years, monetary
policy contributed to the housing bubble. That is not to say other
factors—including financial instruments that made it difficult to see
that the underlying foundation was not as solid as it seemed—did not
play a part too. But, once again, the Fed has turned out to be a
factor of financial instability.
In this context, Norfed's attempt to prove to the Fed that the market
is ready to trust private currency backed by gold is a welcome
occasion to take a second look at some of the economic institutions we
take for granted. Naive and utopian? You bet. But that is probably
because of how far the world has moved from the time when money was
too important to be left to the politicians.
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Send email
Alvaro Vargas Llosa is Senior Fellow and Director of The Center on
Global Prosperity at The Independent Institute. He is a native of Peru
and received his B.S.C. in international history from the London
School of Economics.
===
Embracing a New Antiwar Movement
A Response to Left Turn
by Joshua Frank
December 4th, 2007
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/12/embracing-a-new-movement/
To the Editors of Left Turn Magazine regarding Max Uhlenbeck's recent
essay "The Anti-War Movement and the 2008 Elections":
I take offense to much of your essay; mainly your inability to
recognize that the movement to end the war is larger than the "Left"
in the United States. Also, you paint with a broad brush in your
simple critique of CounterPunch, one that is not referenced, let alone
accurate.
We cannot step back and effectively analyze the failures of the
antiwar movement without looking at what happened in 2004 with Kerry's
campaign. In essence, and I think Left Turn made a huge mistake on
this issue by not opposing Kerry (your essay seems to be a call to
move back in the right direction); the antiwar movement supported a
pro-war candidate. There was no pressure on Kerry to alter his
position on the war. No bird-dogging protests along the campaign
trail. No outrage over his
flip-flopping-let's-send-more-troops-into-battle rhetoric. Silence
during election season is complicity.
So let's be loud.
Dennis Kucinich failed us four years ago as well by abandoning his
antiwar platform in favor of Kerry's pro-war campaign. There is little
reason to believe ol' Dennis won't do the same thing again this year
if Hillary is the nominee. It was party politics before issues.
Kucinich wasn't an activist but a pawn in the Democrat's game. And the
antiwar movement, or at least those who supported his bid, felt the
damaging tremors for months afterward.
I think your largest, and perhaps most telling mistake is your
unwillingness to move beyond an appraisal of the usual suspects of
failing movements: mainly UFPJ and the like. The antiwar sentiment in
this country is large, yet, as you correctly point out, there is no
real visible "moving" movement on the ground. In many ways this is the
so-called Left's fault, as they are not willing to actually reach out
to antiwar folks across the lines. A movement will never move forward
with sectarian factions.
Case in point being the most visible and enthusiastic antiwar
candidate in the country, which you completely ignore: Rep. Ron Paul.
Whether we agree or disagree with Paul's privatize the world solution
to every problem, we cannot ignore that his campaign is literally
exploding owing to a broad coalition (some racist, others loony) of
people who oppose the war in Iraq. Paul, for whatever reason, has
built a real campaign, one I hope moves beyond the Republican
primaries and in to the general election, despite who it may attract.
The more independent antiwar voices we have the better we'll all be.
Why won't Left Turn embrace this new reality? As a movement that was
allegedly born out of WTO protests in Seattle, which was an
unimaginable coalition of interests
(labor/environmental/protectionist), one would think the Left Turn
editorial staff would be at the forefront in calling for such a
coalition again today.
And this is where CounterPunch and Antiwar.com come in. Unlike the
typical left-leaning newsletters (CounterPunch is not purely a
leftwing site, and Antiwar.com is libertarian) their voices represent
a genuine call for on the ground collaboration among all who oppose
this war and the potential foray on Iran.
Whether we're beer swilling rednecks from Knoxville or mushroom eatin'
hippies from Eugene, we need to come together. And working to keep the
movement away from supporting a pro-war candidate like Hillary Clinton
is an important endeavor. One I hope Left Turn won't shy away from
over the course of the next 11 months.
Cindy Sheehan's campaign against Pelosi and CODEPINK's relentless
attacks on Hillary's war position are examples of the work that needs
to be supported. I'm hoping there will be a similar independent
campaign in the presidential election. We need to monkeywrench this
issue so the media and the big party candidates cannot ignore it.
There is a lot of work, some of which you mention, that must be done.
We cannot be locked in the logic of old. Vietnam was a different era.
We agree on that.
So let's move away from a purely leftist critique of the war machine
and its Left opposition and embrace this new reality: The antiwar
movement is larger than the Left. In fact, so much so that the Left
may be at the whim of a real grassroots resistance instead of at its
forefront.
In hope,
Joshua Frank
Joshua Frank is co-editor of Dissident Voice and author of Left Out!
How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush (Common Courage Press,
2005), and along with Jeffrey St. Clair, the editor of the forthcoming
Red State Rebels, to be published by AK Press in March 2008. Read
other articles by Joshua, or visit Joshua's website.
===
Ron Paul & The Seven Dwarfs
By BlogRolling
12-3-7
http://smokingmirrors.blogspot.com/
I could feel the little wheels spinning in my head as I watched the
Republican debate Thursday morning. It came on at 2:00 AM here.
They said they got 5,000 Youtube entries; two thousand more than for
the Democratic debate and there was the implication that this meant
something. I know what it meant; a huge number of people sent in
questions that had to do with Ron Paul. That's what happened. It must
have been something for the people scripting the event. Surely
Anderson Cooper; separated at birth from Paula White, knew this.
It was interesting to see the first Ron Paul question be something
from a headphone wearing Gen X rottweiler wanting to know about
whether Ron Paul was a conspiracy nut. Dr. Paul handled that one
beautifully and then for the next two hours, Cooper pretty much stayed
away from Ron Paul except for the opportunity to paint him as an
unpatriotic loony for not supporting the dupes dying for Israel and
the oil cartels. Enter John McCain- pull string in center of back;
batteries included.
They played Doctor Paul's commercial last and they got back to him
with a final question in the end which he knocked out of the park. I
loved the applause and cheers that washed out from the crowd whenever
he spoke. No one else got the same kind of response. They weren't able
to keep his supporters out of the crowd (which was loaded with neo-con
Schmoos) and who drowned out the boos whenever the fundarellas started
in. Ron Paul supporters can't be ID'd the way many others can; they
come in all ages, sizes and colors. Mostly Anderson kept away from
Doctor Paul. Dr. Paul is a real annoyance for the sleep machine,
bagmen and dinosaurs
Every time I hear Dr. Paul speak I am more impressed with his passion
and sincerity. He's the real deal. You may quarrel with some of his
positions but you can't quarrel with his obvious humanity, his savvy
and 'let's cut the bullshit' style. He stood out the way Snow White
would stand out from the seven dwarves.
At another time I said something to the effect that Ron Paul is the
sort of man who might be made great by the power of the office. I'm
convinced of that now. I do believe he would impact on the American
political system in a way that no one has since JFK. He makes you want
to believe him because he is saying the things you know to be true and
because he understands priorities.
What did I think of the other candidates? Giuliani is a reptile and he
definitely was involved in the 9/11 inside job. Romney is a glossy
magazine guy who will say whatever he thinks he has to say and doesn't
actually believe anything except that he's the man. Winning is more
important than serving is for him. The job isn't as important as the
position. Giuliani was far more skilled at dealing with smack-downs
than he. Romney's not going to make it.
Hunter and Tancredo; are just glad to be contestants on American Idol.
Wave goodbye and don't let the door hit you in the ass.
Fred Thompson is Mr. Folksy charm. He's another reptile who's deep
into the dark shit and has a hard layer of mean beneath the surface
charm. He wants to wear the Reagan-suit but Reagan he ain't; to be
fair, neither was Reagan. Say what about a Hunter-Thompson ticket?
Fred would probably bring the most entertainment factor to the
position; not because he's an actor but because he's married to Lady
Macbeth.
John McCain came across as the sad man in denial who just can't let
his delusions go. I don't know which is more embarrassing; McCain
playing up his war experience or Giuliani with the 9/11 fandango-
Rudy-boy is as slippery as an eel. He knew better than to mention
9/11; didn't do any good though.
Huckabee was the most impressive- besides Paul of course; whom we
hardly saw- and I'd say he might grab the nomination. CNN seemed to
sense this too. I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn't 'my'
Uncle Mike. He's really got that Kevin Spacey thing down and I like
Kevin Spacey. Huckabee definitely gets the biggest bump of the dwarves.
Whose idea was it to trot out the old gay general? Some compassionate
junior producer shut off his mike during the meltdown, the same way
your relatives might tell the nurse to pull the plug, but then you
just know this happened somebody higher up said, "No! No! This won't
look good." And so they got him another mic (like there was something
wrong with the one he had) and let him go on and make an incredible
fool of himself and it wasn't pretty no not pretty at all. The gay
media caucus got their scripted moment and uh boy did that backfire.
They ought to knock it off about that angle anyway. Why not just buy
the uniform and wear it to one of the clubs? Sorry really I just
couldn't help myself. The point is you want to be gay and in the
military? Go ahead, just don't tell anybody. Here's a clue, they
REALLY don't want to know. That's how it works and that's all you're
going to get. What's wrong with that?
CNN knows they were inundated with Paul videos and they know that Ron
Paul is the people's choice of the people who are sick and tired of
Scamelot. Their numbers grow every day. And who picked the Confederate
flag video? What were they thinking? I know it was supposed to mean
something. It was nice to see the whole Islamic terrorist thing flame
up after the woman in Muslim garb made her pitch. When you think about
who was actually behind 9/11, well [The writer shakes his head and
coughs.]
And then the Holy Order of the Blessed Gun thing went into action and
everything got real serious, sweaty and tumescent. I take my beloved
shotgun named Jesus to bed with me every night. And then What would
Jesus do? Snicker Huckabee nailed that one. I suspect the guy is a
hardliner but he had the moves; give him that.
I'd catch Ron Paul looking at his notes writing something down
generally keeping his face unreadable and patiently waiting out this
sorry affair. Afterwards he walked purposely right off of the podium.
I liked that. Well, my favorite American of the founding genre is
Thomas Jefferson so there are reasons why I like Ron Paul. I never
thought I'd be saying more nice things about a Republican than a Democrat.
I suppose of all of the Democrats, I dislike John Edwards the least. I
suspect he'd be a good president by comparison with a lot of what
we've had. I like Kucinich's positions but that Shirley McLane
connection and the flying saucer sighting makes me a little uneasy.
Now, I have seen a flying saucer or two myself and in much more
dramatic fashion that Kucinich is supposed to have AND with witnesses
but I don't think I'd mention that if I were 'seriously' running for
president.
I know that Israel is none too happy with Ron Paul and that's yet
another reason to love him. There are a whole lot of reasons to like
Ron Paul, not the least of these is the presence of 'the dwarves'. He
is just what America needs right now. He's just what the doctor
ordered but things being what they are it's unlikely that enough
Americans will get their heads out of their asses and pick up on this.
BUT you never know.
I believe there is such a majority of Americans who are so
dissatisfied and disgusted right now that Ron Paul could well have a
much better opportunity for the office than anyone suspects. I don't
think- as the youtube commenter said- that they'll (the Republicans)
give him the nomination. I know he said that he wasn't planning on an
independent candidacy. However a lot can happen between now and whenever.
It sure would be nice to see him get elected. I imagine there would be
a sort of Panic in Needle Park kind of a thing on the one hand and a
national sigh of relief on the other. In any case, it would be just
the kind of fairy tale ending that I like. Remember, whoever does get
into the White House is going to find out more than they ever wanted
to know about 9/11. I'm sure Hillary knows, as does Rudy and probably
a few of the others. This is the biggest thing that no one talks
about; the need to transfer the power so as to guarantee that nothing
gets said about what happened on that day ever. Just imagine
*********************************************************************
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