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Confession:
I probably spend way too much of my time reading blogs on the internet. I admit a ravenous appetite for the opinions of free thinkers.

I once read a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

The mark of a first-rate intelligence, is the capacity to entertain two contradictory propositions in one’s mind simultaneously without going crazy.

I knew that I must be crazy, because I am just not that smart. A first-rate intelligence…nope. Not even third-rate, if you know what I mean.

In a former incarnation of mine, I fancied myself an itinerant preacher of sorts. Spewing forth the things that I was taught to anyone that would stop and listen. A real narrow mind and not very open to contradictions. And then one day, it happened.

I asked myself, what if.

At that moment, my house of cards lay in ruins at my feet and I was immersed in the sea of self doubt. I knew nothing for certain anymore and that’s when, in my experience, I began to learn.

So, what’s that got to do with Les Visible, and his Smoking Mirrors blog.

I stumbled across his site in my search for the truth about 9/11 and I was hooked. His tag line is “As long as certain twisted souls feel the need to lie, cheat and murder to achieve their ends some of us need to keep pointing it out…” Definitely my kind of guy. (I mean that in a manly way, you know.)

His writing style assumes you have intelligence and I always love a writer like that. And he attracts some equally intelligent comments from his readers.

This afternoon, I read a very fascinating article “In the Land of Personal Darkness” and it is excellent. (I re-linked to his site after realizing my pettiness was visible for all to see.)

Three of the comments moved me to write this recommendation. This one in particular, by cranston.

Just one final note about your writings….
Without them I would be a much less sane and rational person.
Without them I would still be trying to wipe the mud off my glasses.

Your words (writings) have even more value than I think you are aware of.

The contributors to his sites are some amazing people that give me hope, knowing there are unknown others out there fighting the fight.

Just google smoking mirrors.

Came across a website called ManOfCommonSense.com and they have a couple of ads that you can download and put in your local paper or print them out and use as flyers wherever you go.

Excellently done. It should embarrass the National Campaign.

We can only hope.

SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.

Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. WHEREFORE, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever FORM thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expence and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.

From Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

Common Sense is what we need today not the rhetoric of government slaves.

Vote Ron Paul for President, isn’t it time for a little common sense?.

Check out this site and download the flyers.

Read an awesome essay on the effect tasering ought to have on a sane law officer. Visit the Church of Nobody Check it out.

Utah Trooper Tazes Alleged Speeder

Personally, I think this “failure to comply” argument is ridiculous. A sane officer would have tried to de-escalate the situation with what used to be called “verbal judo” this guy had the tazer and chose to escalate it.

And for all you morons out there defending the cop suggesting he was reaching for a knife, obviously never heard the idiom “Never bring a knife to a Gunfight.”

The kid thought a gun was drawn on him and he was gonna attack the cop.

Yeah Right.

This is a reprint of a post I found on the RonPaulForums by amichel

Problems with official campaign caused us to miss 3rd place in Iowa and NH -

Ron Paul was within a few thousand votes of 3rd place in both Iowa and New Hampshire, but, sadly, came in 5th in both states. If he had placed third in the first two primaries, he would have gained a lot of legitimacy as a real contender in the minds of voters in other states. Just getting a few thousand extra people to the polls would have done it, but it didn’t happen.

In my opinion, the fault lies with the official campaign. The grassroots supporters have overdelivered beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Without question, Ron Paul grassroots supporters have invested more money, more volunteer hours, more energy, more enthusiasm, and more creativity than any other candidate’s supporters. They have done more than the official campaign to drive recognition of Ron Paul and his platform.

The real problem is that the official Ron Paul campaign is not a professional enough organization. It is staffed with long-time supporters who originally expected to be running an “outsider” campaign that was more about sharing a message than about seeking victory. They have been pleasantly surprised by the momentum, by the grassroots support, and by the online fundraising success they’ve enjoyed, but they haven’t really adjusted their organization to take advantage of their new situation.

A truly professional campaign–fully staffed, experienced, and organized, would have been able to deliver a few thousand extra votes. Little things like busing people to the polls and having professional campaign staff in a state as much as possible really make a difference. Mitt Romney probably got thousands of people to vote for him in Iowa and New Hampshire who don’t know anything about his platform and don’t necessarily even like him that much, just due to the superior organization of his campaign.

When Mike Huckabee began attracting more attention in the polls, he immediately went out and hired an old pro–Ed Rollins, to become his new campaign manager. At the end of the day, you need some people who have been to the big show before on your campaign staff so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel on everything. There’s simply not enough time to learn on the job. There are people out there who have run winning Presidential campaigns before. The Ron Paul campaign should go talk to them.

The official Ron Paul campaign apparently has several unstated implicit goals that are interfering with its ability to run a tight ship and really prioritize victory. These goals include things like being frugal, rewarding loyal employees by not bringing in outsiders, catering to Ron Paul’s distrust of professional handlers and public relations people, etc. I understand these preferences, but to Ron Paul’s many donors, it will feel hollow indeed if the campaign says in the end, “We didn’t maximize our impact, but what impact we had we achieved frugally and with our original team still in charge.” The campaign is also very excited about the fact that the campaign itself represents a libertarian model with lots of grassroots activity and limited central control. I think that’s cool too, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for the campaign abdicating responsibility for key campaign functions. If the campaign itself were more organized and had more and better-experienced staffers, it wouldn’t hurt or muffle the grassroots activity at all. But it would help Ron Paul get more money, more media coverage, and more votes.

There are several key areas in which the Ron Paul campaign has suboptimized. One is fundraising. Every other campaign does certain basic things. They organize bundlers–donors who go out and collect other donations in their communities. They hold fundraising events for big donors. The Ron Paul campaign has done very little of these two basic building blocks of fundraising, primarily due to lack of organization, know-how, and sufficient man-power. The campaign will point to its Internet fundraising success, but the truth is that that success is something that happened to the campaign that was driven by the grassroots. It’s a tribute to Ron Paul’s platform and message and to the man himself, but it’s not a tribute to the campain fundraising staff. The campaign may believe that the only people who give $2300 to the Obamas, Clintons, and Romneys of the world are trying to buy access, but that’s actually not true. A lot of people with money actually care about politics and donate the maximum to their favorite candidate. And many others like to attend parties and fundraising events with their rich friends just for fun. But the Ron Paul campaign has made very little attempt to go get these people. Which is a shame because $2300 donors often become evangelists for candidates and they know other potential donors and opinion leaders. The head of the Ron Paul campaign fundraising staff is 24 years old. He is a patriot and I’m sure he’s working hard, but by definition he doesn’t have a rolodex full of wealthy baby boomers or decades of fundraising experience. If the campaign were a start-up company, the right move would be for this young man to go hire himself an experienced boss now that the campaign has grown to a bigger level. At the very least he should have hired some professional fundraising staff to work with him or for him. But that hasn’t happened in any significant way.

Another area in which a lack of professionalism has haunted the campaign is in media relations. Ron Paul supporters constantly talk about the Mainstream Media blackout of Ron Paul, and frankly I sometimes worry about it myself. But what the campaign doesn’t realize is that the media is more lazy than corrupt. Journalists working on deadline don’t have time to go do a bunch of original research every single day. They sometimes rely on public relations professionals to pitch them stories. The average mainstream political reporter is getting 5 substantive press releases every single day from the Clinton campaign with personal follow-up calls from professional public relations people whom the journalists have personally known for years. Is it any wonder that she gets more coverage than Ron Paul? This may seem unfair and corporate, but it’s the way the media works. Given this, the reluctance of the Ron Paul campaign to hire more media relations professionals with good rolodexes is a mistake. Here too I fear that the campaign’s desire for some sort of purity is trumping its desire for success. Press releases need to be followed up with phone calls to every single media outlet to maximize the likelihood they’ll be picked up. That’s basic. And yet the Ron Paul campaign doesn’t do it. In fact, for months their email address for press inquiries automatically replied with a message saying that the campaign staff couldn’t keep up with the email so “please be patient.”

A third area in which a lack of professionalism hurt the campaign was basic time on the ground in Iowa. Ron Paul actually spent less time in Iowa than Giuliani, who supposedly wrote it off. I understand that the rigors of the campaign trail are tiring and that Ron Paul needs to conserve energy, but the campaign should be organized enough to have had other campaign spokespeople and organizers on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire. Just being there matters when the results are so close and early momentum is so crucial. His amazing wife could have been very effective. Other supporters and spokespeople could have been great. But it takes organization from the campaign to arrange campaign events.

Finally, the campaign needs to work harder to appeal to establishment types. I love the Ron Paul Revolution and I’m not recommending that Ron tone down his message in any way nor that the grassroots mute their enthusiasm in any way. But I think that the campaign needs to do more to proactively reach out to key influencers. Obviously Ron Paul won’t get a good reception from lobbyists and corporate welfare recipients and defense contractors. But he should be reaching out to local organizers, to local politicians, to church leaders, to investors who like his economic ideas, to small business groups who want less government regulation, etc. People like this like to be asked for their support. Some will give it.

Also, the campaign should offer some canvassing training for volunteers–at the very least they need some canvassing advice on the website. Right now, canvassers for Ron Paul are all untrained volunteers and sometimes they manage to turn off potential voters rather than recruit them. There are certain methods that are proven to be more effective than others, and getting that information to the grassroots would help.

The Ron Paul campaign needs a major retooling as soon as possible. It can’t afford to dishonor its huge donor base by bumbling and continuing to suboptimize everywhere. It needs to spend some money on experienced campaign staff. Even if the existing leadership insists on staying in charge and calling all the shots, it needs experienced and professional help and it needs it now.

Ron Paul has the best platform by far. Most Americans agree with him on the key points–less war, less government spending, lower taxes, less government interference, less inflation, etc. In addition to his appealing platform, he has an amazing and consistent track record to back it up and inspire confidence that he means what he says. On top of that he has tapped into a reservoir of enthusiasm in America. He has a lot of money and the ability to raise a lot more. He has one of the greatest bases of grassroots support ever. The ingredients are there for an impressive performance and a real impact. The question is, can the campaign rise to the occasion?

Like many of the disillusioned Ron Paul supporters, I was not at all surprised to hear that Dr. Paul, after consulting with his campaign staff, decided not to pursue a recount in New Hampshire. Even with numerous instances clearly pointing to something fishy.

You see, I’m no longer convinced they really want to win the nomination.

If you read his messages, you’ll notice he keeps emphasizing “getting the message out.” So much so that even his supporters are repeating the mantra of how after the primaries and the election are long gone, the Ron Paul Revolution will remain and continue to be a beacon for the growing liberty movement.

Here’s a newsflash for all you idiots out there with your positive outlooks. Nobody remembers a crushed revolution. If we don’t win, we do don’t win and our children’s children will suffer for it.

The official campaign has gotten so used to being the underdog that they can’t seem to break out of this mindset.

Silly me, I thought we were trying to win this thing.

Personally, I feel betrayed.

Let’s look at some facts here.

We, the grassroots, the Ron Paul Revolutionaries, were led to believe that the winning strategy formulated by the campaign needed just $12 Million by Dec 31 to score a victory in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

We provided the $12 Million a month early, and EXCEEDED their request by coming up with an additional $8 Million, giving them a little less than $20 Million to end the 4th Quarter.

So what happened?

A campaign so completely disorganized and inept squandered our funds and claimed victory with a couple of fifth place finishes. Are you kidding me?

$20 million doesn’t buy what it used to.

Well, at least the message is getting out.

As much as I admire Ron Paul (and have for more than twenty five years) I can’t bring myself to support his campaign financially anymore if they’re not in this to win.

And I’m not alone.

Some 33 pages of constructive criticisms for HQ can be found here. Check them out.

I just watched the MSNBC interview with the now infamous “Don’t Taze Me Bro.” Andrew Meyer. He very clearly articulated the wonder and amazement I shared at the media focus on him for the tazer attack and didn’t give a seconds notice to what he was trying to get Kerry to answer.

As you recall, (ok not so many folks follow my rants), I was outraged by the treatment of this kid at the Kerry forum by the UF Police. I was just as disappointed in the swill from the ignorant masses that claimed he had it coming.

I pointed out other incidents of video capturing apparent heavy-fisted police tactics in a piece I called “America the Fallen”.

Well, folks, here is a beautifully done piece, documenting the attack on peaceful protesters of George Bush in Portland, Oregon in 2003, using video footage from the Police cameras themselves to demonstrate the point that the Police indeed incite riots and ATTACK crowds for no reason.

This is What A Police State Looks Like

Seriously folks, I’m just not sure why I should continue to support this campaign if they’re not going to contest the results in NH and Iowa. There is plenty of evidence to at least warrant an investigation. Why do the campaign staff for Ron Paul drag their feet?

I can appreciate that they probably are concerned with their reputation and are trying to distance themselves from us lunatics that think our election process is no longer trustworthy.

But I’m not sure that’s a smart course, oh it’s safe for sure, but ignore us loonies at your peril, there will be blowback.

I’ve been a supporter and admirer of Dr. Paul since we met at a barbecue back in 1979 or 1980 and have been actively encouraging others to support him as well.

WILL RON PAUL AUTHORIZE AN AUDIT OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY?

Maybe it’s just that they’ve already conceded the election to the media darlings and don’t think they can win and have some “we’re not gonna win, so let’s just influence the dialog” agenda. I can’t tell.

My plea to the Ron Paul campaign….Just let us know that you don’t intend to win and we’ll go back to the shadows and hope we’re not rounded up as domestic terrorists for wanting to be free.

theRoy