 About two weeks ago, I sent out a controversial email to most of the people in my contacts file. It caused quite the uproar. Like most of the staffers here at SheVibe, I'm liberal minded. I used to refer to myself as a liberal Democrat, but in recent years that distinction has become so convoluted with objectionable associations, I've had to step back a little and reevaluate my personal political definition. That being said, I've always fought for Democratic ideals and Ann Coulter is definitely not on my Christmas list. So when I sent out an email asking all of my friends to register as Republicans so that they could vote for Ron Paul in the Republican primaries, the response I received was hostile and over the top. I can't say that I'm surprised. After years of Republican bashing, laughing at Limbaugh and O'Reilly and hating Bush and his Middle-Eastern sandbox, I was apparently defecting. 
I've got to tell you, I'm not crazy. As a matter of fact, I just woke up from a prolonged sleep that would make Rip Van Winkle's snooze look like a cat nap. Unfortunately, most of the people in this country are still asleep. I'm not trying to be insulting and I'll explain my revelation so don't click over to Erotic Ink just yet. When the founding fathers crafted the blueprint for our sacred democratic experiment, they set up a system of checks and balances to make sure everyone stayed in line. They insisted on a few cornerstones that were supposed to insure that the experiment was successful. Religion wasn't ever supposed to determine legislation. Free speech and freedom of the press were paramount, and, perhaps most importantly, the Federal government was supposed to exist to protect the national security, represent the people in the international arena and uphold and defend the Constitution. If I had just told my friends that I had a candidate that would make it his mission and mantra to uphold the Constitution and I gave them no further information, they'd probably have responded more favorably than "are you out of your fucking mind".
You might be thinking that the principles of the Constitution have been upheld, that its tenets and determinations have been defended and enforced. Let me give you a little education. When Ronald Reagan, Republican immortal, used the National Guard to crackdown on marijuana growers in the mountains of California, he was violating the Constitution. The structure of the Federal Income Tax and the charge of the IRS is unconstitutional. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's welfare state is unconstitutional. Think this was a problem of the past? Doesn't happen any more? The Bush Administrations NSA wiretapping program is unconstitutional their stance and actions regarding torture and interrogation are unconstitutional and the invasion of Iraq was unconstitutional, to say the least. None of this concerns you? Maybe these issues don't hit home, but I can assure you, there are myriad declarations and positions in the Constitution that do affect you and that you'd never want violated. So the conundrum is we either uphold the Constitution or we amend it...but we don't ignore it. Ignoring it allows a Federal taxation system whose top tier taxes individuals at 70%. Ignoring it allows Homeland Security to listen in on your phone conversations without permission or probable cause, and ignoring it sends our young men and women to die in a war declared on a country that never attacked us and that is costing the American taxpayers over $500 billion dollars.
So who is Ron Paul? Why am I now a registered Republican? Why is it that so many Americans think now is the time for this relatively unknown Congressman from Texas? Simply put, he knows what's broken and he knows how to fix it. Oh, I see...you want some hard facts. No talking points, no sound bites, no problem.
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war. He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
He introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress. On marijuana and prostitution: "Well, I understand prostitution has been around for a few years. And they tried to legislate it out of existence and I don't think it's worked very well. I would essentially have no restrictions, certainly on the federal level. And marijuana - I think it's tragic what's happening today in the drug war. Since the early '70s we've spent maybe $200 to $300 billion on the drug war. That's not been any good. This whole effort on the drug war doesn't make any sense at all to me." - Ron Paul I don't want to waste a ton of time soap boxing for Ron Paul. You're on the internet. You can go to his website and learn all you'll need to know about his stance on the issues, his voting record and his history. It's all there. It's impressive and it's not really why I'm trying to get him on the ballot. It's his message. He wants to remove big governments foot from our asses. He wants to uphold the Constitution. He wants to do away with the IRS and the Federal Income Tax. He's for the legalization of marijuana and wants to do away with federal restrictions on prostitution. Yes, there are issues on which I disagree. He's against abortion and wants to overturn Roe V. Wade. I'm pro-choice, but I also know that Roe V. Wade was unconstitutional. The Constitution doesn't stipulate an individuals right to terminate a pregnancy, therefore the federal government had no right passing a law granting that right and usurping the states rights to make that determination for themselves. Though I'm pro-choice, I can't help but see Paul's logic as it pertains to this issue. He's correct. It should be left up to the states. More importantly, his position on the intrusion of the federal government into all aspects of our lives needs to be heard. On abortion: "I think we ought to return the issue to the states so that local opinions could better determine the specific regulations concerning this deeply personal issue," Paul said in an interview earlier this year. He previously argued that this is necessary to create "a pro-life culture," because federalization "has prevented the 50 states from enacting laws that more closely reflect the views of their citizens." Accepting this, he explained, means "we lost the ability to apply local community standards to ethical issues." - Ron Paul Take a step back and consider the probability of a Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani Presidential election choice. Can you hear the debates? I can. Two media masters debating issues with talking points and sound bites and the country none the wiser. I can only imagine, with an ever widening grin on my face, the debate between Clinton and Paul. She'd be cheerleading a popularity contest and telling prefabricated stories and he'd be educating the American people. It would be like watching the host of Access Hollywood debate Thomas Jefferson. It would be nice (and totally overdue) to have a choice in 2008 instead of an ultimatum involving the lesser of two evils, but more importantly, it would be enlightening. Our fast food culture and drive-by-media is fine when ingesting who Paris Hilton is fucking or how many kids Brad and Angelina are adopting today. But when it comes to the Presidency, sound bites no longer work. Bullshit declarations like "Mission Accomplished" are no longer welcome, believed or tolerated. Ron Paul doesn't speak in sound bites. He tells you his position on an issue, your jaw drops, he educates you and you see the light. He educates you...what a novel concept.
Your next reaction might be "I don't need an education. I know the issues and I know where I stand on them". Well let me throw a little Ron Paul quiz at you. I'll state some of his positions and you tell me why he thinks that way. Free Trade? Ron Paul wants out of CAFTA, NAFTA, and the WTO. Why? Simple, it's unconstitutional. Say goodbye to the United Nations and NATO while your at it. Like Federal Agencies? Well he doesn't. Say goodbye to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the IRS, NASA, DHHS and the Department of Education, he calls them unnecessary bureaucracies. So now you're thinking he's looney. That's what most Americans think. But he's got a perfect rationale for all of these positions. And that's why we need him as the Republican nominee. America needs to hear Ron Paul and that's not going to happen unless Democrats like me register as Republicans and vote for Paul in the primary.
Ron Paul supporters believe most matters should be deferred to the jurisdiction of the state, not the federal government. This is based on the principles established by our founding fathers, flawed men, no question, but geniuses when contrasted against today's bloated self-promoting professional politicians. If you believe in personal accountability and individual responsibility and if you are a Constitutionalist like Dr Paul then you'll agree. If you believe the role of government is to take care of you from the cradle to the grave, you'll find him more of an extremist then a constitutionalist.
Let me be clear. I'm not unequivocally stating that I'll vote for Ron Paul in the Presidential election. But I want him up there. I want to hear his position on the issues and I want to see Hillary or Barack Obama answer the call to enlightenment...and then I'll decide. Anyone with a modicum of common sense and a decent education knows Ron Paul speaks the truth on the issues. He's more of an idealist and less of a demagogue than any other candidate. Popularity contests aside and the early state of affairs considered, he'd make a better president than any of them, and still he's hated by the media who have treated him with contempt and virtually ignored the post debate polls in which he showed so well. He is unlikely to win because the media continues to treat him as a non-starter which is, of course, a self-fulfilling prophecy of the highest magnitude. If the media treats a candidate as a joke the easily manipulated masses will ignore him. This alone is reason enough to support him in the primary even if you fully intend to vote for a Democrat in the election. His ideas need to be heard. The traditional media needs to be humiliated, educated and called out on their false aura of credibility. The sooner "We the People" replace the media machine, the sooner we decide who the candidates will be rather then MSNBC, the better for the world. So get some yard signs and bumper stickers, make a donation, and support an enlightened, much needed, Presidential dialogue. Thor - Contributing Staffer Send an email to the editor
Additional Information Source Info
1. Federal Court Finds NSA Wiretaps Unconstitutional
2. Law Scholars File Brief Arguing That Torture Is Unconstitutional In All Circumstances
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