An Open Letter to Ron Paul Supportersby
Rick Fisk My fellow patriots,
Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? I don't know that everyone has experienced it but I bet a lot of you have if you were ever athletically active. Nothing in your respiratory system seems to work, you can't even convulse properly and after what seems an age your body's unconscious mechanics take over. Ironically, it may be that your inability to breathe had more to do with your conscious effort to control your breathing than your spasming diaphragm. Many things along life's path are like that. Too much thinking and even the simplest things become harder. Many spiritual leaders have tried to teach us how to make our so-called rational minds just be quiet for some period of time to get closer to that which brought us life. It isn't easy. If it were easy, people wouldn't spend much of their lives perfecting the practice of meditation and prayer in an attempt to drive out that constantly chattering inner voice. In my head the chatter is often doubt disguised as reason. It's that cosmopolitan intellectual in this uneducated brain that says, "You know, you're going to make a fool of yourself by being optimistic. You'll never have any real credibility by being unrealistic about things. The powers that be aren't going to allow you to have what you want. They have a plan and they have more resources than you. You are deluding yourself."
How the rest of this primary season fleshes out remains to be seen. One thing I have noticed time and time again is the symbiotic relationship between Dr. Paul and his supporters. When he's down, the revolution lifts him up. And when we're down, he sticks out his hand. I'm convinced that Dr. Paul's invitation to CPAC this year was due to your accomplishments. At every event, supporters of Dr. Paul have shown an incredible solidarity and enthusiasm that has been the envy of every other candidate. Dr. Paul's recent speech to CPAC attendees (after having been snubbed for the past 10 conventions) was one of the best he's delivered this year. It rivals the speech he made at the Iowa Straw Poll. As I watched it, I came to the realization that I am truly blessed to be alive at this time in our history and to witness quite possibly the bravest man alive. In spite of the superlative, I don't think I am exaggerating. CPAC would normally be a fairly hostile environment to Dr. Paul in recent years, but you know that he has no problem walking right into the lion's den and preaching truth to power. He never backs down and he never gives in. That speech in Iowa was a great example of this but so was his performance at the Values Voters debate and its follow-up convention and straw poll. And boy did he ever speak truth to power at CPAC. Let's face it, the credibility of the conservative movement has taken quite a beating since 1994. People who have supported a blatant disregard for constitutional and conservative principles in the name of pragmatic politics can't be too proud about where conservatism stands at the moment. Look at what they've had to defend. Laying aside the wars, we have torture, blatant disregard for enumerated rights and proscriptions found in our Constitution and a looming financial catastrophe brought on by total failure in monetary policy and fiscal responsibility. Most of this occurred while the Republicans occupied majorities in both houses of Congress and the White House. This speech came after the loss on Super Tuesday and the announcement by Mitt Romney that he was bowing out of the race. Frankly, I think that Romney's "suspension" of the campaign may be a clever ploy. McCain is not well-liked and if he fails to galvanize the conservatives in the upcoming primaries and caucuses, Romney might think he can, without spending another dime, walk into the national convention as a potential savior. There are still 20 states left to decide. The CPAC speech and the gnawing reality amongst conservatives that a McCain nomination ensures a Hillary Presidency (not that the media and Clinton backers would want to orchestrate something like that) could be a large factor in what happens from here on out. Conservatives have just one real conservative to support. What is disheartening about the "vote for a winner" mentality is that it is clearly what has put us in the mess we are in today and it is the single largest hurdle we as Ron Paul supporters have to face.
Yes. I believe he will be speaking at the GOP national convention. That is because I believe in you as much as I believe in Dr. Paul. We are Ron Paul. I also believe that it's possible to obtain the nomination at a brokered convention even though the conventional wisdom promotes the opposite view. I try to stay up on the rules but I am not clear on what happens to Romney's so-called delegates. Let's remember that even now, no delegates have been chosen to attend the GOP's national convention. If I'm not mistaken, the only delegates chosen so far are those elected at West Virginia's state convention on Super Tuesday. And three of those, by a brokered deal, have been committed to Dr. Paul. Dr. Paul's latest communiqué to us has put this election into our hands. He's pairing back the staff and getting them out of your way. What happens from here on out is completely up to you. I believe that you'll rise to the occasion. While a large majority of the Republican apparatus has treated Ron Paul as if he had a contagious disease, he has bravely defended the constitution and his oath. Now the hardest part of our battle comes and it is up to us to prove we can match Dr. Paul's courage and work ethic. But let's go ahead and imagine that the goal of getting Ron Paul the nomination fails. Staying in this fight to the "end" is crucial. The upcoming county and state conventions do far more than just select delegates. It is at these smaller conventions where the platforms are drafted and party leaders are chosen. A select few will become the future leaders of the Republican party and will guide it for the next decade and beyond. What better ranks to chose from than the Ron Paul Revolution? Where will the GOP's money be spent? Will that money be directed towards the same country club republicans who have been driving the party since the Nixon era, or will it be directed to support those candidates who would work to restore our liberties? The answer is obvious and thus our responsibility is clear. We must do everything in our power to eke out a Ron Paul nomination. By doing so, we will be securing our future and the future of our children even if we fail at that one task. What fun it will be to utterly stun the Old Media which thinks that it can black us out. Hold fast my friends. We are in for the drive of our lives. We must talk to everyone, in person, about Dr. Paul and the message of freedom he has championed. How we reach people is up to us. I have faith in you and your ability to devise even more astounding ways to promote the message of freedom. You have been doing this for a year now and look what it has wrought; Faith, hope and love. Yours in freedom, February 11, 2008 Rick Fisk [send him mail] is a 45-year-old software developer and entrepreneur. He is married, has three children and resides in Austin, TX. Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com |
Maybe
that's true and maybe it isn't. While our federal Leviathan has
seemed to suck up more resources than we can ever provide it, those
who run it are not resourceful. They don't even come close to what
a group of motivated individuals possessing ingenuity can achieve.
Can anyone look at what has been accomplished this year and fail
to marvel? You all should be so proud of what has been accomplished.
Sometimes I've wondered how it could get any better and then "something
better" happens. As optimistic as I have been, the reality has exceeded
my optimism.
Who
really thought that Bob Dole was the conservative nominee who could
cut Bill Clinton's presidency to one term? Nobody, that's who. But
instead of backing any of the real conservatives, people picked
the person who was more likely to get the GOP nomination. They didn't
even look past the primaries to the general election. It was very
short-sighted and demonstrated an utter lack of wisdom if not a
contempt for true conservative principles. There is nothing pragmatic
about picking a non-conservative "winner" who has no chance to sway
a majority of voters in the general election. Expect Dr. Paul to
point this out when he speaks at the GOP Convention.