Posted on 10/14/2007 10:05:52 PM PDT by freedomdefender
Over the weekend, the Second Amendment Foundation's (SAF) Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) convened in Fort Mitchell, KY. With eight hundred pre-registered attendees, this was the largest SAF event ever. From the buttons, bumper stickers, and familiar faces, it was clear that a sizable chunk of the morning's record figure could be attributed to interest in Congressman and Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul.
The conference began on Saturday with a Federal Affairs Briefing that explained the many ways that bloated federal government and bureaucracy is currently attempting to regulate as well as legislate away our rights. The crowd was unified in their disgust at regulatory initiatives that would have effectively eliminated firing ranges, gun stores, and even private stores of ammunition. Candidate Paul's supporters were very familiar with these issues - and other examples of the unintended consequences of regulation without representation. Calls to continue to light fires under troublesome regulators were met with widespread enthusiastic applause.
The Paul supporters, libertarian-leaning folk from all parts of the political spectrum, listened intently as Robert A. Levy of the Cato Institute updated the crowd on the status of Parker v. District of Columbia and what to expect in the coming months. By 3:15pm, a large group was beginning to trickle in to hear Gordon Hutchinson's account of "The Great New Orleans Gun Grab", yet another issue that resounded with the group of SAF regulars and Ron Paul supporting newcomers alike.
By 3:15pm, a large group was beginning to trickle in to hear Gordon Hutchinson's account of "The Great New Orleans Gun Grab", yet another issue that resounded with the group of SAF regulars and Ron Paul supporting newcomers alike. The SAF had perfect timing as they moved on to another issue near and dear to the audience - the calculated attempts of the UN, EU, and NAU to ban gun ownership around the globe. The attendees were united in their desire to defeat these powerful global foes.
When asked for a show of hands of how many were first time attendees - at least half indicated this as their status, yet the first timers (many of them Ron Paul supporters) were familiar with the dangers all of these issues pose to our civil liberties. As one speaker put it, "I feel like I've come home!".
One of the key questions from a member of the graying crowd was how to attract young people to pro-gun groups. A later panel discussion explained the need for Second Amendment groups to develop expertise with new technologies to effectively influence policy in the future. An answer to both of these concerns was all around them.
By now the hallways were teeming with supporters. There were tables with literature on Ron Paul's career-long history of tireless insistence on the restoration of the Second Amendment and protection of gun owners rights. The crowd was now so massive that it was clearly overwhelming the event support staff - but the recent arrivals set to work helping to move tables and do anything else possible to make the event a success. Sunday afternoon the SAF would put the total number of attendees at twelve hundred - the eight hundred pre-registered attendees plus another four hundred people that arrived for Ron Paul's speech.
Buckeye Firearms Association was recognized with the prestigious honor of being named "Grass-roots Organization of the Year"! The most applause of the day had either gone to pro-gun US Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH 2nd Dist.) or to Venus Ramey, Miss America, 1944 who at 82 confronted thieves on her farm and held them at gunpoint until police arrived. Both won awards, and both received standing ovations. As enthusiastic as it was, it wasn't close to what was in store for that evening.
As Ron Paul entered, the venue, the crowd went up in a deafening roar - you don't have to take my word for it - watch for yourself.
Alan Gottlieb introduced the candidate and talked about the many other presidential candidates that were invited but that couldn't come for one reason or another - Hillary Clinton's invite was the only one that went unanswered. He was also careful to explain that due to the legal status of the Second Amendment Foundation they could not make endorsements. He then explained that this was not Ron's first time attending a SAF event and handed over the podium to the candidate for his remarks. The links to the video of his speech, in two parts is below:
Part 1
Part 2
The second video ends with a pan of the crowd and video of Ron Paul being awarded as the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) "Gun Rights Legislator of the Year" by Alan Gottlieb. Amazingly this video was online for the world to see by the following morning at 4:00am.
In the crowd among SAF regulars, I saw smiles and nods of approval as Ron Paul spoke. I saw young and old, men and women, people of every size, shape, color, and orientation united for a common cause - the restoration of the US constitution. I'd hear people near me interjecting "That's right!" and turn to see that it was a person I had first met at the SAF Grassroots training earlier that spring. It was clearly heartening to the event sponsors to have such a massive turnout of people energetic on the same issues that they had been championing for decades. Consider two pieces of Second Amendment legislation he has introduced this year:
HR 1096
HR 1897
I heard a few grumbles about the newcomers - but mostly from people who were frustrated that the throngs of passionate supporters stood between them and the buffet-style dinner. All told, I think the best summation of the attitude of most SAF regulars could be summarized by a Ron Paul supporter's T-shirt that said "Who is this man - and why is he trying to save my country?" After the candidate was whisked away, I mingled with the crowd, grabbed a quick bite to eat (kudos to the event staff for ensuring that nobody had to go hungry in the face of a tsunami of a crowd) and happened across a chat among some key grassroots leaders.
They asked what percentage of them were Second Amendment supporters. I explained that easily 75-90% of them were die-hard Second Amendment advocates. In retrospect, I'd have to revise that to a sliver away from 100%. The reason is that in the heat of the moment I had forgotten a key fact - even the libertarians I've met that were uneasy about guns in their own hands were still ardent supporters of my constitutional right to keep and bear arms. In the years I've been around libertarians, and the months I've been watching the Ron Paul campaign grow, I've met hundreds of people but not a one would sell out my rights for their personal appeasement.
I pointed out a few other observations as well. Namely, that the American public are losing interest in the Republican and Democratic parties in general and the Ron Paul movement has been able to re-capture lost voters - these are people that even the minor parties didn't know existed. They've feel betrayed, and they see Congressman Paul as one of their last hopes the restoration of Constitutional government - aside from the Second Amendment itself. If Paul does not receive the Republican nomination these folks will not even consider voting for a major party candidate. They'll either vote independent or not vote at all.
The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll predicted Clinton trouncing all Republican contenders with the closest being a Hillary v. Giuliani race - a lose-lose situation for those who hope to restore our Constitutional rights. Consider a Hillary v. Paul presidential race - and before you say "he can't win", just imagine a debate between the two. Who wouldn't want to see her debating a physician? Consider the fact that he raised $5 million last quarter, and last week he raised a million of that in just 7 days.[1] He's the only Republican contender to post notable fundraising gains in the 3rd quarter, and he's received more donations from the troops than any other Republican candidate.[2] As of noon on October 9th Paul has nearly raised another half-million since the quarterly figures were announced last week (see the live fundraising stats at www.ronpaul2008.com). Our movement has had some great accomplishments, but to accomplish our future goals we'll need a more passionate and diverse group of volunteers and supporters than ever before. Shooters should embrace these enthusiastic newcomers and invite the members of this grassroots movement to join the in our fight to restore our firearms freedoms, win future key elections, and restore hope for America.
Mark Noble is a Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Volunteer and former Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio.
'Nuff said. SPAM
Doing better than I would. Couldn’t recognize him in a crowd of one.
The recognition came when the third amendment turned around the first amendment and said, “Hey, Isn’t that that Ron Paul wacko guy?
I recognize him, too, as a cut-and-run peacecreep, pseudo-John Bircher with a bag of crackpot ideas that would never fly, even if the loony lottery of life landed him somehow in the white house.
He supports our Constitutional Rights - Second Amendment - to keep and bear arms, more reliably than any other candidate. If that's "demented," then give me demented.
Like Reagan once argued, Paul wants to get rid of the US Department of Education. Some "demented."
He also wants to do away with the IRS - in stark contrast to Rudy, who said we'll never do away with the income tax. I'll take Ron Paul's "dementia" over Rudy's statism any day, thanks.
It's a sad day when "conservative" Freerepublic people consider gun rights a "wacko" issue. This is a sign of how George Bush has redefined "conservatism" to mean what liberalism used to mean - big government, big spending, big deficits, big debt, diminished constitutional rights.
Fred Thompson wins state Republican straw poll (Ohio!)
Buckeye Firearms News ^ | September 28, 2007
The Hannah Report is covering news that the Ohio Republican Party released the results of its recent straw poll for the 2008 presidential primary showing the pro-gun former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson leading the anti-gun former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
In the poll, Thompson received 33 percent, Giuliani received 24 percent, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney received 17 percent, U.S. Sen. John McCain received 11 percent, former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee seven percent, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback four percent, followed by Duncan Hunter with two percent, Ron Paul one percent, and Tom Tancredo one percent.
Nearly 2,300 Republicans cast a vote in the party’s straw poll. “Ohio historically plays a central and often deciding role in choosing the next president, but we wanted to give voters here a voice in the primary process as well,” said Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine in a statement.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1903717/posts
The decision now lies with some lowly staffer as to whether or not to wake him and let him know now or wait until after sleepy-time is over.
It's in a word.........
Anemic.
That must be why he’s second in most polls and first in all the Southern states, huh? LOL
Ron Paul stood in front of a patriotic field of white stars on a blue backdrop and told Fox News correspondent Wendell Goler that the attacks of 9/11 occurred primarily as a response to U.S. foreign policy over the past few decades. "Have you ever read about the reasons they attacked us?" he asked incredulously. "They attacked us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for ten years!"When Goler asked for clarification that the United States invited the 9/11 attacks, Paul, with his arms folded, replied coolly, "I'm suggesting that we listen to the people who attacked us and the reasons they did it...."
...
Paul was unbowed in the second Republican debate last week, using the word "empire" to describe American engagements abroad...
...
...he also voted against the Patriot Act...
...Many Democrats have taken notice of Paul, an unlikely ally across the aisle. Earlier this year, Paul joined with Democrats John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, and John Larson of Connecticut, among others, to co-sponsor a resolution that would require the president to seek specific authorization before initiating military force in Iran. Dennis Kucinich, who is running for president and couldn't be further from Paul on most issues, told me, "Paul has true integrity. His word is good and he has the courage of his convictions."
Representative Abercrombie also could not speak highly enough of Paul. "He's a legislator's legislator," Abercrombie said. "He's an intellectual at heart; he is just the real thing without the slightest bit of pretense or condescension." Last week, Abercrombie and Paul teamed up again to introduce a resolution that stipulates a sunset for the president's authority in Iraq. According to Abercrombie, it was Paul's idea to force a re-authorization for the war in Congress, which would render all of the political rhetoric and smokescreens about timetables moot. (end quotes)
Ron Paul--The Republican Murtha and Kucinich Love!
Yeah, what the hell, let's go with ol' sleepy head.
They used this same “lazy, sleepy, old, tired, disinterested, geezer, stupid” meme against President Ronald Reagan. What is your opinion of him?
Please tell me that you're not attempting to equate Fred Thompson with Ronald Reagan.
on a t-shirt, Who is this man - and why is he trying to save my country?
Great t-shirt, got to get one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2PUZoukfA
I knew President Reagan (see my profile) and many things about Senator Fred Thompson remind me of him. Are they the same? Of course not! Will a “President Thompson” govern along the same lines as President Reagan? Absolutely, IMO.
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