Lawson for Congress

The Republican National Convention concluded in St. Paul this week. While I wasn’t a participant in the RNC, I did receive an invitation to attend and help out at the Campaign for Liberty’s Rally for the Republic in neighboring Minneapolis. This rally was funded by Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty, an organization that grew out of Dr. Paul’s grassroots Presidential campaign.

I had an excellent time serving as M.C. for the Ron Paul Nation Celebration, a four hour outdoor concert and rally on Monday night…

Aimee Allen

Rockie Lynne

… and had a great time talking with supporters, donors, and conservative luminaries from across the country at Tuesday’s Rally.

I credit Dr. Paul and his principled stands on economics, foreign policy, civil liberties, and Constitutional government for cutting through my decade of personal cynicism. Grassroots organizing for his Presidential campaign inspired and grew into our Congressional campaign in North Carolina’s 4th District, and it is exciting  to see a groundswell of thoughtful Americans who are deeply concerned about our future.

I must admit, though, I was initially skeptical of the Campaign for Liberty’s plan to host a rally in Minneapolis. I’ve been so focused on my district Congressional campaign that the idea of spending significant money on a two-day party across the river from the GOP seemed a bit frivolous — especially since money is so precious for grassroots campaigns.

But having seen how these two events played out, I stand corrected. The rationale for holding the Rally for the Republic was based upon the RNC’s unwillingness to admit that there are deep divisions within the party and its base, and its unwillingness to embrace Ron Paul and his diverse group of supporters.

I had a number of friends and fellow Ron Paul supporters who attended as alternate delegates, and experienced firsthand the surveillance of “Black Hat” McCain operatives, as reported in the Washington Times.

One friend in particular was followed by a “Red Hat” each time he arrived or left the floor. Frankly, that’s both pathetic and disturbing. It’s pathetic that party leadership is so punch-drunk with power that they mimic Communist China in suppressing dissent. How can we claim to be a free country, when the very essence of political expression is censored through a totalitarian party filter?

It’s disturbing, and vaguely fascist, because the GOP convention is an inherently public event. Based upon the fact that the GOP and Democratic conventions are largely funded by the U.S. taxpayer — the two “major parties” received $17 million from the FEC for their media extravaganzas — these nominating spectacles are literally public property. Financially speaking, there is no justification for the convention floor being off limits to anyone.

Don’t misunderstand me — I’ve been a Republican my entire life. But when the party of fiscal responsibility and limited government accepts $17 million of corporate welfare funded by American taxpayers, we’ve got to cry foul. If we Republicans want to treat our event like private property, we need to pay our own way.

So given the many reasons to dislike the Democratic and Republican establishments’ publicly-funded made-for-TV media spectaculars, the Rally for the Republic was a stark and refreshing contrast. Not only was it completely funded by grassroots donations, but the passion and level of dialog for the challenges facing our country far exceeded the partisan rhetoric and scripted platitudes brought forth from Denver and St. Paul.

What did McCain and Obama have to say about $57 trillion in unfunded entitlement liabilities, a foreign policy of pre-emptive war and isolation, declining civil liberties, a federal government that ignores its Constitutional role, or a year-long credit crisis that is crippling our economy and benefiting sophisticated investors while Americans lose their jobs and homes? Crickets.

Interestingly, the GOP’s downsizing the Monday convention worked to the Rally’s advantage. I had a number of media interviews with folks who were originally attending the GOP convention, and confided that they were both surprised and impressed with the turnout, passion, and enthusiasm at Rally. As an outreach event, it was an unqualified success:

As I said in several interviews, the most important result of the Campaign for Liberty’s launch has nothing to do with Dr. Paul’s presidential campaign, nor any one individual office or issue. Instead, the most important result will be when 12,000 passionate individuals committed to Constitutional government that serves the people instead of corporate interests go back to their communities to get, and stay, active.

Based upon demographics alone, the Republican party cannot survive without broadening its ranks. The GOP may have won the battle to host a convention with a united facade. But it will lose the war for long-term relevance if it does not confront the serious issues facing our nation, and engage in open, honest, and thoughtful dialog with the millions of concerned Americans who are tired of politics as usual.

Please help us end politics as usual in North Carolina’s 4th District. Make a donation today!

It appears that my candidacy has ruffled some feathers within the local Republican party. I find that a shame, as I have been a registered Republican since I was 18 and consider myself a thoughtful and committed American who honestly wants what’s best for our country, my family, and my children.

I considered party affiliation carefully before deciding to run for office. While I don’t agree with 100% of the North Carolina GOP Platform, I agree with 90% of it. In my opinion, one of the most important lines in the GOP Platform is from the preamble:

4. We honor the original meaning of our Constitutions and the inalienable [sic] rights of the American people as recognized in the Bill of Rights and the North Carolina Declaration of Rights.

This statement is reiterated in Article III, Individual Liberty:

1. We embrace the vision for America established by our nation’s founders — the authors of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the North Carolina Declaration of Rights.

The word “Constitution” appears numerous time within the GOP Platform, and reinforces my desire to go to Congress as a Republican committed to restoring a Constitutional federal government.

Unfortunately, politics being what it is, there are those who would prefer to distort my beliefs instead of engaging in an honest debate about these critical topics. The message below was sent to a list of Republican party activists, and forwarded to me by a friend and supporter. I’ve copied the full text below for convenience, but wanted to respond to specific “allegations”:

BJ is a Libertarian.

I am not, and have never been, a Libertarian. I have been a registered Republican since I was 18 years old. I disagree with the Libertarian party’s positions on abortion and open borders.

He told that to Paul Stam himself.

I never told Mr. Stam that I was a Libertarian. While sitting down to visit Mr. Stam, he gave me the “World’s Smallest Political Quiz” that asked me to define the role of “government” (without specifying federal, state, or local) in specific economic and social situations. My answers were based upon my running for federal office, and upholding the U.S. Constitution. Because there is no Constitutional role for the federal government in the issues presented, I answered as such and thus scored as a “libertarian” (small l). However, some of the issues may be proper roles for state and local government, as determined by the people. It is essential that we as a nation recognize the difference between the roles of federal, state, and local governments. Mr. Stam is an attorney, Republican leader of the NC State House, and was Chair of the NCGOP’s platform committee, so I am sure he understands this critical issue.

He also told Bill Carraway he could not support the NCGOP Platform. He told Dan Cote the same thing.

I said no such thing. As I said above, I agree with 90% of the NCGOP Platform, to the extent that we follow it.

He told Martha Jenkins he didn’t know if he was in the right party and he might run as an independent.

My comments to Martha Jenkins were out of frustration with her taking me to lunch and telling me not to run for Congress. How can we have a representative form of government if the “party” decides which candidates should run for office? I am, and remain, a Republican. I have no intention of running as an Independent. Additionally, I find it interesting that my own District 4 chair is overt in her support of my primary opponent, even though the GOP’s rules would suggest that those in positions within the party should not show favoritism in party primaries.

Here is the full text of the email that was sent to local Republicans. I hope that each voter in the Fourth District will focus on the issues at stake in this election, and not make this a personal, negative campaign.

BJ

Please pass this information on to your contacts. We need to make sure that the candidate we support is a “true Republican” and will support the Republican Platform. From the information contained on this web site below, BJ Lawson is supporting the Libertarian platform– and Ron Paul. There is also evidence that the organization is trying to take over the Republican Party and use it to deliver the Libertarian candidates into office.

Here are some interesting threads of information from the website noted below::

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=86982

Please read this link, and if you have time, scan the whole thread. Certain sections have been highlighted below:

• “We need to get him (BJ) into congress so he can run for president in 2012.” page 2
• Besides, if we don’t have people like BJ in Congress how will RP get his domestic agenda through as President?” page 2
• “what is the feedback from Republicans in the area? are they receptive/supportive? is the message getting across?” page 3, followed by “Again, it’s early, but I’d say that it’s very receptive and the message is getting across…. Also, BJ has already made some great inroads with local movers and shakers and other people of importance.” page 3 (He’s talking about us!! Because Republican groups are inviting him to speak).
• From a Lisa James who says she’s in the 4th District: “True. I told my husband that barring a straight up voting scandal, Dr. Paul will take this state. But wouldn’t it be awesome that as he goes into the presidential office, that an army of Ron Paul like pro liberty candidates like BJ are elected into Congress.” page 6
• OH yeah! We gotta take this guy down!” (Referring to Augustus Cho) page 7
• “While you people are at it, become precinct leaders.” page 9

There are many more quotes here that show what Ron Paul and his supporters are all about. I’ll end with this one.

• “Every election in which we can get a RonPaulitician in office is crucial. ALL of them from local, county, state, and national elections. The Revolution is about taking the entire runaway, reckless government back, not just the office of the President. This has to happen regardless of the outcome of the 2008 Presidential race. This can’t be a one election effort, it has to continue from now on. Remember that every RonPaulitician we have in Congress is another vote against future Patriot Acts, unbalanced budgets, bad monetary and foreign policy, and illegal wars that affect each and every one of us. How do you eat an elephant? (no Republican party pun intended ) One bite at a time. (hopefully with many others helping!) The whole reason we are in this mess today is because Americans became apathetic, lazy, and were not paying attention to what was going on. Thankfully people are waking up finally but extensive damage has already been done. As for the 2008 Presidential race, Ron Paul has already won in that the R3volution has been begun, and the window for doing so peacefully is closing. If anyone is not looking at this as a lifetime commitment, then not much has changed from what got us in the place we are presently in.” page 10

Ron Paul makes no bones that he is a Libertarian. BJ is a Libertarian. He told that to Paul Stam himself. He also told Bill Carraway he could not support the NCGOP Platform. He told Dan Cote the same thing. He told Martha Jenkins he didn’t know if he was in the right party and he might run as an independent. One of his supporters told me that they would take over the precincts and spread through the groups like a virus.

We all need to realize what is happening here.

The only candidate to file in the 4th District so far that is a “true Republican” and supports the Republican Platform is Augustus Cho. He has served the Republican Party and has stated publicly time and again that he is a true conservative and supports the Republican Platform. All this makes it even more important for good Republicans to be sure to attend their precinct meetings to support the true Republicans and our Republican platform!!

It’s not every day one gets to experience history. But on December 19-20, 2007, I and some friends from the Triangle Ron Paul Meetup joined Michael Maresco for a slice of his cross-country cycling road trip from Santa Monica, California to Washington, D.C.

I’m an avid cyclist, so I’m easily excited about a good bike ride. When I heard about Michael pedaling away from the Santa Monica pier in October, well, that was just too much to pass up. Thanks to help from a supporter in Texas as well as grassroots folks in South Carolina, I was able contact Ken and Shirley, his excellent support team, as he was approaching Charlotte. Then with help from Kevin Coggins, owner of The Spin Cycle, we suggested a route that would take us right through the heart of the Triangle and around our state capitol before exiting north to Henderson, NC and onwards to D.C.

The plans came together nicely, as Michael, Ken, and Shirley arrived in Cary on Wednesday night. We had a great Italian dinner with the Meetup at Casa Carbone (fantastic family restaurant!), and rose early Thursday morning for the ride. We met at The Spin Cycle, and my friend Jeff volunteered to drive the support truck so Ken and Shirley could get some time in the saddle, as well. It was a cool and crystal-clear day, absolutely perfect for a ride.

Our Meetup’s own Dean Hodgkins is a professional photographer, and he shot a fantastic portfolio from the “pregame festivities”. Here are some excerpts…

Michael in front of the support trailer

Michael being interviewed in front of The Spin Cycle by Patrick, a nice guy from Cable 14 who responded to our Meetup’s press release

Michael talking with Kevin Coggins, owner of The Spin Cycle. They’re a great LBS that sold me my Felt F4C (still loving it after 3,400 miles), and Kevin was kind enough to help us plan the route as well as give Michael some tubes and a new gel seat cover!

Patrick shot some footage of Michael and Kevin talking. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture Cable 14’s segment for posterity, but I heard it was good.

Michael, Shirley, Ken and I prepare to hit the road

The best part of the “pregame” was my four-year old son warming up to Michael’s camera, and agreeing to discuss the importance of a Constitutional federal government:

Thanks to a handy webapp called MotionBased and my GPS-enabled cycling computer, we documented the ride for posterity:

We had hoped to go the distance with Michael to Henderson, but my time was limited since we were starting our drive to Florida for Christmas that evening. More importantly, though, Michael’s lesson was that success isn’t defined by how quickly one covers the miles. The ride gave us a number of worthwhile interactions with folks, and we made it into a leisurely spin with more than a few excellent conversations along the way.

As you can see from the map, our local crew turned back just after crossing Falls Lake, and Michael, Ken, and Shirley continued to Henderson before making it all the way to Washington, DC for Christmas. It was an honor and a privilege to be part of his journey, and riding with Michael for a day reinforced some critical lessons I hope to pass on to my children:

• You don’t need to be a “professional” to make a difference. Michael had never ridden a road bike before starting this odyssey in October, and he completed this amazing journey on a $250 Schwinn bike that required only lots of tires and tubes, a new bottom bracket bearing set in Louisiana, and a new gel seat cover in North Carolina. No technical cycling gear, no full carbon frame, and no Dura Ace components.
• Committed people working together can accomplish amazing things. Michael’s ride came together spontaneously as he made his way across the country, with supporters reaching out through Meetups to fill gaps and provide logistical support.
• Finally, the longest journey starts with a single step. It sounds trite, but Michael’s description of walking up some of the early steep grades getting out of California was downright inspiring. He just kept pedaling, though, and eventually found himself in Washington, D.C.

Let’s hope everyone working to restore a Constitutional federal government keeps pedaling, and meets with the same result!

The Internet is abuzz with a video of Ron Paul “rejecting evolution”. Check out this blog post, the video, and the outraged comments. Now watch the video again, carefully. Notice how the video jumps at 31 seconds? Someone has cropped this video to make a point, and leaves us with a few sentences taken out of a presumably broader context.

Was this editing done out of respect for your valuable time? Or was someone being disingenuous, and attempting to paint Dr. Paul as indistinguishable from, say, Mike Huckabee?

I don’t pretend to speak for Rep. Paul, but please. He is a scientist, with a healthy respect for the scientific method and the need to reject the null hypothesis. I’d love to hear the context he provided outside of that hacked-up editing job, because issues as deep as how life began cannot be dissected in fifty seconds.

Like Rep. Paul, I also graduated from Duke Medical School. From anatomy to physiology, the diversity and magnificent complexity of life is astonishing. Statistically speaking, what is the likelihood of all this spontaneous order evolving out of the primordial soup, when my three kids can’t keep their rooms clean? If one respects physics as a foundation of science, entropy typically has the upper hand over spontaneous order. This article (thanks to Lew Rockwell) is a great summary of some of the problems with evolution as the sole answer to how life began.

For me to address this question, I first have to ask what you mean when you say “evolution”. Is “evolution” the all-encompassing process by which life began and reached its present observable state? If you define evolution as how life began and then evolved into its current state, I don’t believe it either. The evidence just isn’t there.

If, however, you define evolution as an ongoing process by which organisms adapt and change both spontaneously and in response to their environment… now that’s a definition of  “evolution” that is supported by evidence.

So how did life begin, and was God in charge? I don’t believe science can tell us. All science can do is describe the world around us. We can describe it from astronomic to subatomic levels, but we’re simply describing what we observe. At the deepest, most fundamental level, assuming that the “Big Bang” did occur, can you prove to me that there isn’t a loving God who whispered “let there be light” at that moment? Either way, it’s a matter of faith.

Too bad Fox News wasn’t around at the time. Then we’d know exactly what happened.

Well, it finally happened. After first learning about Rep. Paul in the South Carolina Republican debate, where his principled and rational stand against Mr. Guiliani cured my political apathy, after weeks of studying his Constitutional philosophy as executed over a twenty year Congressional career, and after months of beginning to get involved in our local grassroots effort here in North Carolina… I finally met Ron Paul.

My wife and I drove down to Columbia, SC last night along with a couple other folks from the Triangle Meetup, and were greeted by the most diverse crowd I’ve seen in one place. Folks of all ages, ethnicities, and economic/social backgrounds were there, all united by one common thread: a respect for individual liberty, and a desire to get our nation moving back towards our Declaration of Independence’s ideals through a federal government that honors its Constitutional contract with the people.

The crowd was warm and inclusive, and striking up a conversation with folks was incredibly easy. We’re all Americans concerned with the future of our country, and the more we talk with each other, the more bridges we can build to heal the wounds that have divided us for so long. It was a chilly evening in Columbia, but as the crowd grew in the amphitheater, a warmth became apparent that can only be ascribed to the flame of liberty in all those people.

Rep. Paul’s speech was the finest I’ve heard (audio here). Perhaps I’m biased since it’s the first one I’ve seen in person, but having seen most available footage on YouTube, I was particularly moved by his passion, sincerity, and openness in discussing the challenges we face. At the close of the speech, the crowd paused momentarily as people realized that we could actually approach the front and meet him. The rush to queue up commenced, and we milled around talking to folks for quite some time waiting our turn. After introducing myself as a fellow Duke Med alum and having Rep. Paul sign my pocket Constitution, a kind soul captured a photograph that will be our Christmas card this year (sorry, kids!):

We then spent some time talking with other folks we’d met, and even checked out a Zap! electric vehicle being sold in South Carolina by a local entrepreneur and campaign volunteer. As we made our way back to the amphitheater, Rep. Paul was preparing to depart but I was able to speak with him one last time about my confusion with some publicly-available personal income tax statistics:

He and his campaign/security detail then made their exit, to cries of “God bless you, Ron Paul!” from waving supporters.

All in all, well worth a four hour drive. Too bad our state’s primary is so late, but tonight really reinforced my desire to help our neighbors in South Carolina mount an excellent campaign to share the unifying message of what America can be. As Morgan Freeman says in this fantastic video, “The real glory of the Declaration of Independence has been our nation’s epic struggle throughout history to close the gap between the ideals of this remarkable document and the sometimes painful realities of American life.”

Thanks to the good folks in South Carolina, and indeed across the nation, I’ve never been more optimistic that our epic struggle will be successful in closing the gap.

I read an excellent autobiography this weekend: Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper by USMC Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin. Sgt. Coughlin is one of the most accomplished snipers in the Marine Corps, and while I have tremendous respect for all members of our armed forces, I’ve always had special admiration for the sniper’s training and discipline.

In a way, it’s oddly parallel with my original field of study, neurosurgery. Neurosurgery demands tremendous patience, sustained concentration over long periods of time, and uses exceedingly small movements to create life-changing results. Likewise, a sniper’s discipline to patiently await the target, maintain perfect concentration for hours on end, and integrate a lifetime of situational awareness and training into “one shot, one kill” culminates in just a few pounds of pressure on the trigger. The desired effect may be different, but like I said, oddly parallel.

Sgt. Coughlin takes you through conflicts from Somalia to Iraq, providing vivid eyewitness and participatory accounts. Most importantly, though, he provides a balanced portrayal of combat situations both as a dedicated soldier and a human being. The most challenging part of the book for me, though, was his description of civilian casualties after the Marines first established a position in Baghdad just across the Tigris River during Iraqi Freedom:

There is a dirty part of war that is seldom discussed. Little is written of it, and much less is said, for no one wants to talk about killing innocent people. By crossing that bridge, we stepped into one such troubled moment, a terrible situation that seemed preordained, with an outcome that was inevitable before it started. No matter how many times you try to turn back the clock, the ugly result remains unchanged. We did not intend to kill civilians, but we did, and we would just have to live with it. We did nothing wrong, but every Marine who was there would be scarred by what happened at the Diyala Canal.

The irregular fedayeen guerrillas had taught us, over and over, that just because an Iraqi was not in uniform was no sign that he didn’t want to kill you. Our entire batallion had driven past the smoking remains of an Abrams tank that had been blown apart by a suicide bomber. We had been in brutal combat all day yesterday and had lost Marines to an artillery barrage this morning. Faced with an incredibly tense situation in a zone of ultimate danger, it was almost impossible — even unwise — for the average grunt to hold fire on someone coming steadily closer. Threat or no threat? Guess wrong, and you and your buddies are dead.

My boys found a good high spot that gave us an unobstructed view up the main road, and all four snipers — me, Moreno, Carrington, and Harding — locked in on it. Since we could see clearly for a thousand yards, we established an invisible “trigger line” on a curve in the road about 850 yards from our position. Anyone approaching our positions would be watched but not considered a true threat until he reached that point. We quickly noticed that the curve in the road was at the top of a slight downward grade, so gravity and the physics of momentum would conspire to pull a vehicle towards us. It was another reason to be careful in choosing our targets.

More Marines were pouring over the bridge, which meant more rifles were pointing down the roads and machine guns were being set up. The buildup had potential for big trouble, because Iraqi radio stations were off the air, traffic cops had vanished, and there was no way to spread the word to civilians to stay the hell away from our bridge. Surely they knew of the ferocious fighting of the previous day and had heard the continuous shelling. But traffic continued to flow around the distant suburban area, with unwary civilian drivers passing faraway intersections as if going to work or the store. Others were just obviously trying to leave town.

I had a bunch of trained snipers with big scopes on their rifles, ideal for this kind of work, so I found the Kilo executive officer, and he agreed to let us use our advanced optics beyond a new trigger line. We would eyeball whoever was coming down the road and stop their vehicles by putting bullets into engines and tires. Anything that came closer would be free game for the grunts. That might get us out of what could easily become a shootout, with the possibility of civilians being caught in the middle. But communications in a war zone are always chancy, and not everybody had a radio, so the word did not reach all the Marines who were still crossing the bridge and enlarging the defensive perimeter.

Another car came over the crest of the road. Carrington and I watched until reached six hundred yards, still on the sniper side of the line, and then we shot the engine block. The vehicle didn’t slow down at all but seemed to accelerate. There were two Iraqis inside, both wearing dark clothing, and although we couldn’t be certain, we had no choice, because the car kept coming. I took the driver and Carrington zeroed in on the passenger, and once again we fired together and killed them both. The car chugged a few times, veered to the side of the road, and gave up, but once again a slashing outburst of Marine fire savaged the vehicle and the people inside. I watched through my scope as bullets punctured shiny holes in the painted doors, blew out tires, shattered the windows into webs of glass, and made the already-dead bodies jump.

“Goddammit!” I yelled. “Stop shooting! Stop! Let us do this!” We had already done the job, and the thunder of infantry fire that sliced up the vehicle was totally unnecessary. I yelled for the grunts to cease fire, but even that took time, until the shooting finally eased with a ripple effect, like a wave in a stadium crowd. One guy would stop firing only when the guy next to him stopped. This was terrible.

I heard the Kilo XO shouting down the line, “Let the snipers deal with the civilian vehicles!”

But all of the Marines had to be suspicious about the cars and trucks coming toward them, some even accelerating after the snipers shot them. These kids had been carefully trained for months to add their power to the violent supremacy of an attack, and that’s just what they were doing. No one was going to let a truck that might be packed with explosives and driven by a suicidal madman get through and blow up in the middle of our lines.

Ten minutes later, it all changed in the blink of an eye, and in the swirling fog of war, the inevitable tragedy emerged in the form of a blue Kia minivan that came over the hump of the hill. Carrington, Moreno, and I all fired into the engine block, but once again the motor kep running and the built-up momentum pulled it along… I could see the people moving inside… Who knew what was packed in the big cargo space? I prayed for the damned thing to just stop, it eventually reached the trigger line and entered the kill box.

The Marines legitimately opened up on it, and a typhoon of bullets pummeled the van. I couldn’t remove my eyes from the scope and watched these innocent people die as rifle fire flashed and flared around me. A middle-aged man and woman in the back of the van somehow lived through the hell of gunfire and spent the night hiding among the dead members of their family before crawling out the next morning with their hands raised.

Suddenly, I was present, but I wasn’t really there at all. I snapped from the emotional overload, something I had never before experienced and did not believe was possible. My body began to react automatically to its years of training, but my mind totally disengaged from the awful scenes unfolding in front of me as people kept coming. Innocents were dying, and I was stuck right in the front row with a huge spyglass, but also participating in it, up close and personal. I was still a sniper, but I just wasn’t home.

I don’t remember all of the cars and trucks that were dealt with that day. A mother and father driving a big Mercedes were shot to death, but their little girl, clutching a teddy bear in the back seat, survived… There was no way for us to go into that uncleared area to help without exposing ourselves to getting killed, for Iraqi soldiers up the road were still shooting at us….

I could not count, and did not want to know, how many people I had killed in the past two days. My logbook would have to wait, and it would never be complete… Oh my God, what have we done? (pp 225-232)

War is Hell. We must be diligent as a nation to ensure that force is used according to the Augustinian principles of just war, as articulated here by Rep. Paul:

I have also acted to protect the lives of Americans by my adherence to the doctrine of “just war.” This doctrine, as articulated by Augustine, suggested that war must only be waged as a last resort— for a discernible moral and public good, with the right intentions, vetted through established legal authorities (a constitutionally required declaration of the Congress), and with a likely probability of success.

It has been and remains my firm belief that the current United Nations-mandated, no-win police action in Iraq fails to meet the high moral threshold required to wage just war. That is why I have offered moral and practical opposition to the invasion, occupation and social engineering police exercise now underway in Iraq. It is my belief, borne out by five years of abject failure and tens of thousands of lost lives, that the Iraq operation has been a dangerous diversion from the rightful and appropriate focus of our efforts to bring to justice to the jihadists that have attacked us and seek still to undermine our nation, our values, and our way of life.

I opposed giving the president power to wage unlimited and unchecked aggression, However, I did vote to support the use of force in Afghanistan. I also authored H.R. 3076, the September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. A letter of marque and reprisal is a constitutional tool specifically designed to give the president the authority to respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage aggression against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation.

On September 17, 2001, I stated on the house floor that “…striking out at six or eight or even ten different countries could well expand this war of which we wanted no part. Without defining the enemy there is no way to know our precise goal or to know when the war is over. Inadvertently more casual acceptance of civilian deaths as part of this war I’m certain will prolong the agony and increase the chances of even more American casualties. We must guard against this if at all possible.” I’m sorry to say that history has proven this to be true.

Several of our Meetup members spent a week at the GOP booth during the North Carolina State Fair introducing folks to the message of liberty and a Constitutional federal government. Speaking with over 1,000 people over 6 1/2 days was indeed trial by fire, but after the first couple of days we developed a rhythm hitting the same themes that resonated with attendees.

We engaged folks with our “Liberty Packs”, pictured below. They contained a Pocket Constitution/Declaration of Independence (with an excellent introduction, from the Cato Institute), Slim Jim, four pages of issues-based handouts including Rep. Paul’s Statement of Faith, and a Ron Paul DVD.

Our Meetup members did a fantastic job blanketing the area with Ron Paul yard signs and banners in the weeks leading up to the State Fair, so many people were wondering about Ron Paul before they even showed up at the booth. It was our pleasure to answer their questions!

The conversation summaries below are organized as Question, Answer, and Response. We provide the question, the other person provides the answer, and we provide the response.

The Generic Pickup Line:
Q: Have you heard of Congressman Ron Paul, Republican running for president? (Show the Liberty Pack, with or without the Constitution — not everyone received a Constitution, so we generally led with the pushcard)

Path 1: Unfamiliar but willing to learn more
A: No, but I’ve seen the signs!
R: He’s a ten-term Congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and the rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so (Show Constitution/Declaration of Independence).
A: Tell me about it!
R: I’m just a grassroots guy out raising awareness — and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever volunteered for a candidate. Would you like to learn more about Representative Paul?

At this point, the person is willing to take a Liberty Pack. Depending on how willing they are to engage in a deeper conversation, I’d then ask about the Constitution:
Q: Does your family have a copy of the Constitution?
A: No…
R: I’m ashamed it took me until this summer to read it as a thinking adult, but now consider it the second most important book in my family’s life after the Bible. Would you like a copy?
A: Yes…
R: Please take and read this. It’s a gift, and every American family should have one. Do you know why I’ve come to support Ron Paul so strongly?
A: Why?
R: Because he’s been in Congress for 20 years trying to return us to the Constitution — it’s only now that people are waking up to how far we’ve come from our founding documents. Our Founding Fathers (and Mothers!) would be pretty upset if they knew we were sending 40% of our income to the government every year, and THEN our government was borrowing an ADDITIONAL $1-3 BILLION per DAY just to keep the lights on!

For folks who want to continue the discussion, they would typically respond with concerns about big government, out of control spending, inflation, and our declining currency.

Path 2: Familiar but not a supporter
A: Yes, he’s crazy.
R: (Pull out pocket Constitution) Do you like the Constitution?
A: What?
R: Our Constitution — right here. Do you like it?
A: What do you mean?
R: Do you think our federal government should follow the Constitution?
A: Yes!
R: Well, that’s all Ron Paul wants to do: return to the Constitution and the rule of law. How is that a crazy idea?

At this point, we delve into the specific reasons behind the person’s not supporting Rep. Paul. See “Responding to the Issues”, below. Depending on the tenor of the conversation and person’s willingness to discuss, it can be a short conversation where they take a Liberty Pack and express a willingness to learn more… or a longer debate focused on specific issues. There were only a (very) few folks who said they did NOT “like” the Constitution, nor care if our government followed it. One can only assume they wanted to avoid discussion at all costs.

Path 3: Familiar but skeptical
A: Yes, but he doesn’t have a chance.
R: Have you seen any volunteers spreading the word about other candidates? (For most of the fair, we were the only people there representing a presidential candidate. Some Romney folks showed up occasionally later in the fair, but they would typically only work a brief shift.)
A: No…
R: Ron Paul has over 60,000 volunteers like me getting the word out across the country, he raised over $5 million in the third quarter, and he has the third most cash on hand of all the Republican candidates. Do you support his candidacy?
A: I like him, but he’s not electable.
R: What do you mean?
A: I mean, he can’t beat Hillary.
R: Look, we have over 250 people in our local Meetup, and it’s split between Democrats, Republicans, independents, and Libertarians. All Ron Paul wants to do is follow the Constitution — he’s bringing people together because the Constitution is a unifying document. It’s what makes us Americans, it doesn’t divide us.
A: Yeah, but he’ll never win the primary.
R: What is the typical turnout in a Republican primary?
A: I don’t know… pretty low.
R: Yes, around 20-25%. Do you vote in primaries?
A: No…
R: Well, I’ve never voted in a party primary either. But this year, knowing what’s at stake, you can bet I’ll be there. And every Ron Paul supporter who knows what’s at stake feels the same way. So why don’t you think he can win?
A: He’s nowhere in the polls.
R: Have you been called by any of these polls?
A: No…
R: Me neither. Mainstream polls are only polling “likely voters in the Republican primary”. That automatically excludes me, since I’ve not voted in primaries, and all of my Democrat friends who have changed their party affiliation to Republican just to vote for Ron Paul. Would you like to vote for someone who’s not the lesser of two evils?
A: Yes…
R: Then would you like to learn more and support his campaign?

At this point, the person is generally willing to take a Liberty Pack, and perhaps a Constitution, and hopefully will learn more about Rep. Paul.

The Tailored Pickup Line
The best part about the GOP booth was its location — directly across from North Carolina Right to Life, and two booths down from a World Peace booth. When someone stepped away from the Right to Life booth, or approached with a Right to Life sticker on, I’d simply ask:

Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-life candidate for president?
A: No, who?
R: Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He’s a 10-term Republican Congressman who is actually an obstetrician by training and has a fantastic record protecting the Constitution and the right to life. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Yes, please!

Likewise, when someone walked by (or frequently tried to avoid) the GOP booth wearing a world peace sticker, I’d ask:

Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-peace presidential candidate?
A: No (suspiciously)…
R: Republican Congressman Ron Paul — he’s the only major candidate calling for an immediate and orderly withdrawal from Iraq, and understands that our counterproductive foreign policy is bankrupting our country and hurting our security.
A: A Republican? Who?
R: Yes, Ron Paul is a ten-term Republican congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so. Would you like to learn more about him?

That’s typically enough to get someone concerned about the war or pro-life issues to take some information, and I’d also try the Constitution tack if time permitted.

Responding to the Issues: Foreign Policy
A: I disagree with him on foreign policy.
R: How so?
A: He’s an isolationist.
R: No, he’s a non-interventionist — he’s thinks, as our founders did, that we should talk to countries, and trade with them. Do you think that’s a good idea?
A: Those guys are crazy. You can’t talk to them.
R: Kennedy talked to Khrushchev at the height of the cold war. Do you think that was a good idea, or should we just have launched missiles?
A: But he thinks we should get out of Iraq — he’s a pacifist.
R: No, he thinks we should only fight just wars that are declared by Congress as required by the Constitution. Would you like to read about what defines a “just war”? (Hand a copy of Ron Paul’s Statement of Faith)
A: Ok… but we need to fight them over there.
R: Why? Like you said, those guys are crazy. The Shia, Sunni, and Kurds have been fighting among themselves for hundreds of years. How can we make them like each other?
A: Well, we can’t… but we need to defend ourselves and stop the terrorists over there.
R: Are you more concerned about jihadists thousands of miles away, or our own wide-open borders?
A: Both.
R: We’re over $9 trillion in debt with a currency that’s now worth less than the Canadian dollar — we simply can’t afford to do both. Pick one — what’s MORE important?
A: Well, we need to defend our borders.
R: I agree, and so does Ron Paul. Do you think we’ll be safer if we secure OUR borders, bring the troops home, talk with countries, and use our military in defense instead of offense?
A: No, we need those bases overseas.
R: Why? How many military bases does China have outside of its country?
A: I don’t know…
R: None. Who is going to attack China?
A: No one.
R: Right. Why do we need 100,000 60,000 troops in Germany? Who is going to attack Germany?
A: Ummmm….
R: Why do we need 20,000 30,000 troops in Korea? China shares a border with North Korea. Do you think China would let North Korea mount a nuclear threat against the region?
A: Ummmm… but we can’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon!
R: Are you more concerned with Iran potentially getting a nuclear weapon, or the many unaccounted for Soviet nuclear weapons that could be walking across our open borders right now?
A: Well, we need to secure our borders, but we can’t let Iran threaten Israel.
R: Israel already has over 100 nuclear weapons. Do you think Israel is capable of defending herself?
A: Well, we should let Israel do what she needs to do…
R: Exactly. It’s her backyard…
At this point most rational folks would agree to take a Liberty Pack and learn more… or perhaps I’d steer the conversation towards monetary policy if they were still interested in talking.

Responding to the Issues: Monetary Policy
A: Isn’t he that guy who wants us back on the gold standard?
R: Does it make sense that a piece of paper would be money?
The answer to this question could be anything — some folks would mention the gold standard dismissively, yet still thought the gold in Fort Knox had something to do with our currency…
A: Well, I guess I never thought about it…
R: How much are you paying for milk at the grocery store? Four dollars? How about a box of cereal? Three dollars?
A: About that…
R: How much are you paying for rides on the midway? Four dollars? How about a game on the midway? Two dollars? How about a corn dog? Three dollars? (Thanks, State Fair! Inflation is easy to explain when it’s so blindingly obvious…) Does that sound right to you?
A: Yeah, things are getting expensive.
R: Do you know that the Canadian dollar is worth more than the U.S. dollar now?
A: Yeah…
R: Why is that?
A: I don’t know…
R: It’s because we have a $9 trillion national debt, and we’re borrowing an additional $1-3 billion per day just to keep the lights on… and everyone is beginning to realize that the dollars in your pocket aren’t worth as much since we’re borrowing and creating so many new ones. Is that a good thing?
A: Doesn’t sound like it…
R: Look, Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who understands economics and monetary policy. He understands that the federal government can’t help us any more, and that we’re killing our currency, and our economy, with our endless wars, entitlements, borrowing, and spending. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Sure, but how is he going to fix the problem?
R: All he wants to do is legalize the Constitution: we need to repeal legal tender laws and eliminate capital gains and sales taxes on gold and silver. That will allow gold and silver currency to be used as money, as the Constitution specifies. Check out this documentary, or this speech by Rep. Paul, to learn more. (In fact this entire section at the Ron Paul library is fantastic.) We also have to stop borrowing and spending so much money. But if we don’t take these simple steps, our paper currency will continue to decline along with our standard of living as inflation makes everything more expensive, and the working poor and middle class will be the biggest losers.

Responding to the Issues: Income Tax
A: He’s crazy. He thinks we can just get rid of the IRS, with our massive national debt.
R: No, he understands that we can only get rid of the IRS if we change our definition of what the government is supposed to do. If the federal government needs to take care of us from cradle to grave and police the world, we can’t get rid of the IRS. But should we be doing those things?
A: Well, no, but we can’t just stop.
R: Ron Paul understands that we have generations of individuals who have become dependent on government assistance, and we can’t switch that off overnight. But he also knows that we waste even MORE money on corporate welfare, and on a foreign policy that is killing our currency, and our economy. Does it make sense to stop foreign aid, corporate welfare, and a counterproductive foreign policy so we can save money overseas, and work on gradually ending the welfare state at home?
A: Yes…
R: Well, that’s all he wants to do — it’s just a matter of following the Constitution when we decide where we should be spending money. Would you like to learn more and support his campaign?
A: I like Huckabee and the Fair Tax.
R: Does it make sense to pay a 23% sales tax that’s “revenue neutral” at just over $1 trillion dollars, but still add to the $9 trillion deficit by spending $3 trillion per year? (2006 numbers)
A: Well, we need to cut spending too.
R: Exactly. That’s what Ron Paul has been doing for twenty years. Trying to cut spending and restore a Constitutional federal government. How is Huckabee going to cut spending?

As you can see, I evolved towards a style that was heavily biased towards asking questions whenever possible. It’s not about preaching to folks, it’s about engaging them in a meaningful dialog and letting them express their underlying concerns. I was amazed by how willing people were to talk (granted, folks browsing around the GOP booth are a highly-targeted population), and heartened by how many people share the same concerns as Americans.

Despite the passion we all feel about these issues, it’s important to avoid being too pushy with folks and let them break off if they’re not inclined to discuss. But most folks were more than happy to talk, and the vast majority left the discussion with a smile and a handshake. It’s also important to tell new supporters about ronpaul.meetup.com, and ask if they have any friends in key primary states — for us, South Carolina! Letting them know that the campaign is run entirely by individual donations, and that they should call their friends in early primary states to spread the word, are critical ingredients for success.

In the end, we had 6 1/2 days of fantastic interactions. Eventually we were kicked out of the fair, but it was halfway through the next-to-last day. Since I was representing a candidate and the GOP can’t make any endorsements, I couldn’t hand out material from inside the GOP booth… but since I wasn’t an official state fair vendor, I couldn’t be distributing materials outside the GOP booth. Whoops. Catch-22. To their credit, the GOP booth personnel fought for us as they’ve always welcomed candidate volunteers passing out information, and there had never been problems in the past. Both I and the Mitt Romney supporter (who was Mitt’s cousin, with Romney as his first name — small world!) tried to fight back against this oppression, but the State Fair folks remained steadfast. So I left materials for folks to pick up at the GOP booth, as well as with a couple of other vendors who had become (or were already) Ron Paul supporters.

What does it say about a candidate who displays real-time individual donations on his Web site, and sets explicit fund raising goals for the month and quarter?

A commitment to measurable results? Transparency? Accountability? Confidence?

All of those attributes are essential for anyone wishing to serve in government, and manage our money as Chief Executive of our United States of America.

This is the single best interview on monetary policy I have seen yet:

The North Carolina State Fair opened this weekend, and the family enjoyed a fantastic day checking out prizewinning vegetables and livestock, an 1,187 pound pumpkin (unbelievable!), and meeting some new Ron Paul supporters. But the most educational conversations came when the kids and I were sitting down at lunch discussing the corn dogs.

Three corn dogs, nine dollars. That’s three dollars per corn dog. Each “game” on the midway? Two dollars. Each ride? Generally three dollars unless you had discount ride tickets. The kids brought their own money, just to feel grown up, but as they counted their change at the table, it gradually dawned on them that they couldn’t actually afford to buy anything.

My oldest realized it first: “Dad, that’s crazy.”

Then I explained that when I was her age, the games at my school carnival were fifty cents. She replied, “But that’s just two quarters. These games are eight quarters! And the prizes aren’t even that good! That doesn’t make any sense!”

So then we had to talk about inflation.

“Honey, imagine that you had the ONLY diamond in the whole world. Do you think it would be valuable? Do you think other people would want it?”

“Yes!”

“OK, now imagine that instead of there being only one diamond in the world, that diamonds were just like sand on the beach — and that you could pick up endless handfuls of diamonds whenever you wanted. Do you think diamonds would still be valuable?

“Well… no.”

“Well, money is kind of like diamonds on the beach. The more money there is, the less valuable it is. When I was your age, there was less money. So it only cost two quarters to play a game at the carnival.”

We chose not to get into the question of where all that money comes from. Understanding the time decay inherent in paper money is enough of a shock for one day.

I highly recommend the fair, although I consider the midway a pretty poor value for our declining dollars. Perhaps they’re targeting Europeans and Canadians instead of the state’s taxpaying citizens.

This has got to be the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard from a politician. Senator Clinton’s most recent proposal shows that she skipped a few economics classes in college:

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that every child born in the United States should get a $5,000 “baby bond” from the government to help pay for future costs of college or buying a home. Clinton, her party’s front-runner in the 2008 race, made the suggestion during a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.

“I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home,” she said.

The New York senator did not offer any estimate of the total cost of such a program or how she would pay for it. Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in the United States.

Clinton said such an account program would help Americans get back to the tradition of savings that she remembers as a child, and has become harder to accomplish in the face of rising college and housing costs.

She argued that wealthy people “get to have all kinds of tax incentives to save, but most people can’t afford to do that.”

The proposal was met with enthusiastic applause at an event aimed to encourage young people to excel and engage in politics.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Rep. Stephanie Stubbs Jones, an Ohio Democrat who attended the event and has already endorsed Clinton. “Every child born in the United States today owes $27,000 on the national debt, why not let them come get $5,000 to grow until their 18?”

Britain launched a similar program in January 2005, handing out vouchers worth hundreds of dollars each to parents with children born after Sept. 1, 2002.

Earlier this month, Time magazine proposed a $5,000 baby bond program.

Question: What happens to property prices if you give everyone around the Monopoly board an additional $5,000? Answer: Prices go up, and your existing paper dollars buy less property.

Question: Can the government create wealth by giving away free money? Answer: No, but we sure do love trying.

I don’t know who sounds worse in this exchange: Senator Clinton or Representative Stubbs Jones with her well-meaning support. Sure, every child is born owing $30,000 of our national debt. So why not borrow another $5,000 for each of them? How does that help our balance sheet?

Is there a cure for this madness? Fortunately, yes. Check out this classic Ron Paul clip below: