This is Freedom

I have been searching for things to do on my days off from work. I decided that I should go hiking on the 100+ miles of trail in Waterville Valley. I was amazed by the beauty of the views from the short hikes I took.


That picture is from Goodrich Rock, a short hour and half hike. I began to think about the feeling I got when I ventured into the wilderness and experienced the magnificent views. I realized that this was a total state of freedom; I had no obligations to any man or state. I was free to do as I pleased with no one telling me what to do.

It reminds me of the state of nature expressed by enlightenment philosophers. I was all alone, left to my own devices. Total freedom from coercion.

Why can't we all take a walk in the woods and realize that we don't need to be telling each other what to do to lead a happy life.

Ron Paul 6th out of 16 in WMUR/UNH Poll

304 likely GOP primary voters were polled by UNH between July 9th and 17th. Here are the results:

Romney 33%
Giuliani 18%
F. Thompson 13%
McCain 12%
Gingrich 3%
Paul 2%
Huckabee 2%
T. Thompson 1%
Other 3%
Undecided 12%
Brownback, Tancredo, Hunter, Gilmore <1%

Full Poll Results [.pdf]

Given that the margin of error is +/- 5.6%, there is a theoretical probability that Ron Paul could join the likes of McCain and F. Thompson in the "top-tier". I think it is just a matter of getting Dr. Paul better name recognition. Once we can start putting up some official campaign signs here in New Hampshire it will be only a matter of time before the "official" polls start showing our true support.

Ron Paul Rakes in the $$$

The figures are in for the 2nd quarter fundraising in the race for president. Ron Paul came in 4th place out of all Republicans in money raised for this past reporting cycle. Dr. Paul was only beat out by the Rudy McRomney trio in total receipts for the quarter. However, Dr. Paul does have more cash on hand than John McCain!

Within the money reports are two promising events: Ron Paul is a solid contender in the money race here in New Hampshire and he is also the most popular among the military.

Dr. Paul is just about $1,500 shy of beating Rudy Giuliani for money raised in the Granite State. The Ron Paul Revolution has raked in a total of $34,211 in New Hampshire, a total of 5% of all funds raised in the state (both Republican and Democrat).

Some of the biggest news is that Paul, being the lone antiwar Republican, raised more money from donors listing their employer as the military than any other candidate, Republican or Democrat.

The latest Gallup Poll reports that Ron Paul is in 5th place among the Republican contenders. He comes after Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Paul is at 3% among the respondents to the survey, 5 points below Romney's 8%. Given that the margin of error is +/- 5%, there is a probability that the true proportion of Ron Paul supporters is greater than that of Mitt Romney.

I want to see Ron Paul's fundraising take off this next quarter. I also want to see some hard campaigning so we can overtake Mitt Romney. Let's make the next quarter even bigger than this one. I think we can beat Rudy in fundraising and Romney in polling.

In Libertate,
Tyler

Donate to the Campaign

Ron Paul Wins CNHT Straw Poll

I went to the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers' annual picnic today. On years that we are approaching a presidential primary, CNHT adds a presidential straw poll to the list of events for the day.

The following press release from the Ron Paul campaign sums up how the picnic and straw poll worked out:

Ron Paul Wins Big in First New Hampshire Straw Poll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2007

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – Presidential candidate Ron Paul today won the Coalition for New Hampshire Taxpayers (CNHT) straw poll at their annual picnic in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Dr. Paul received 182 of 294 votes cast, or 65 percent. In second place was Rudy Giuliani with 24 votes, or 8 percent.

"Today's strong victory is further proof that Dr. Paul's message is resonating throughout New Hampshire," said campaign manager Lew Moore. "Dr. Paul is the only candidate in this race truly dedicated to smaller government and lower taxes for all Americans."

CNHT is a statewide, grassroots organization dedicated to reducing the size of government at all levels, stopping judicial activism, providing students and parents with a choice of educational opportunities, expanding job markets, and protecting property rights.

-30-

Ron Paul - Hope for America

I just sent out a Letter to the Editor. Here is the contents:

Ron Paul – Hope for America

To the Editor:

Americans are disappointed with how the government is being run. Most national polls give our Democratic congress an appalling 27% approval rating. Our Republican president hasn’t faired any better; Bush has been hitting new lows at about 30% approval. It appears that Americans are sick of Bush-style wannabe conservatives, but are no more impressed by liberal Democrats.

I can see why the citizens of this country are disappointed with both the liberal Democrats and neoconservative Republicans. According to the most recent polls, approximately two-thirds of Americans oppose the occupation of Iraq. One might say “I suppose we should vote out the Republicans for Democrats!” On the contrary – almost 60% of Americans favor making the Republican tax cuts permanent. Most Democrats want to let the tax cuts expire.

America has only one hope if it wants to end the killing in Iraq, and still save money on its taxes – His name is Ron Paul. Dr. Paul is a 10^th term congressman from Texas. He is one of a very small minority that has opposed the Iraq War from its inception. Ron Paul is the only Republican presidential candidate that opposes the war. He is also a member of an exclusive group named a “Taxpayer’s Best Friend” by the National Taxpayers Union.

Do you want tax relief? Do you want an end to America’s involvement in the Iraqi civil war? Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate that will do that and more. Visit RonPaul2008.com to find out more. Ron Paul is Hope for America.

Tyler Stearns

Liberty Ratings

The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance has just released their annual Liberty Report Card. The Report Card rates Representatives and Senators on their votes for selected "liberty" issues. Liberty, as defined by the NHLA, is an absence of laws that restrict personal and economic freedoms and that bar the practice of good government.

I would like to congratulate Rep. Richard Barry for being this year's Legislator of the Year. He was the only representative to receive an "A+" rating. I would also like to congratulate the other 18 reps. that received "A" ratings.

We still have a lot of work to do, however. There were numerous "F" ratings and even a handful of "Constitutional Threats"! I hope we can get them voted out in '08!

Finally, I would like to report that my own representative (the man that defeated me last fall), Bob Matheson, received a rating of "D". That mean that he voted against liberty almost 75% of the time! Thornton and Woodstock could have had better, but alas, the Democratic tsunami swept the state last fall. I hope that the voters of these two communities will realize that they deserve better.

In Libertate,
Tyler

Liberty Activist of the Year

I would like to thank the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance for choosing me as their Activist of the Year. It is a humbling honor to receive this distinction from New Hampshire's #1 promoter of liberty. I couldn't have been so involved if it weren't for the NHLA and all of the other liberty activists throughout the state. They give me courage and motivation when it seems that all hope is lost. I thank all of you.

The important thing I have learned from my political activism is that ideas do not die. The message of liberty is eternal and can never be silenced. By the same token, however, liberty cannot be spread to all corners of New Hampshire without its tireless supporters. I see myself merely as a symbol of all the hard work and dedication that goes into preserving and expanding liberty.

I feel a great sense of sadness that I will be leaving New Hampshire to continue my education. I hope that I can return permanently in a few years with a greater depth of knowledge and a stronger drive to accomplish my goals.

Freedom is the greatest end that can be achieved in society. I will expound the message of liberty on my college campus and return to New Hampshire to aid all of the other great activists that are working to preserve our "Live Free or Die" way of life.

In Libertate,
Tyler

Fred Thompson the War Monger

I have said that we Ron Paul supporters really have no reason to fear competition from Fred Thompson. But we do need to fear him as a government official. This article by Fred Thompson is further proof why Ron Paul does not share a base with Thompson and why he should be feared:

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/FredThompson/2007/06/14/the_castrochavez_axis

"America is facing a growing threat from Latin American totalitarianism and we need to call on those who are most familiar with it to lead the resistance." - Fred Thompson

We know that Thompson supports the Iraq War and will probably help to provoke a neocon war of aggression against Iran, but this article shows that he also has his eyes on Latin America. We've meddled in Latin American politics before and it wasn't very productive.

Remember the Bay of Pigs invasion? Around 1,500 Cuban expatriates (trained and supplied by the CIA) invaded Cuba in the hopes of deposing the reign of terror of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Needless to say, they ran out of ammo after three days of fighting and the invasion failed. JFK's special counsel, Robert Goodwin, met with Che Guevara after the failure at the Bay of Pigs: "[Che] went on to say that he wanted to thank us very much for the [Bay of Pigs] invasion - that it had been a great political victory for them - enabled them to consolidate."

It is partially the fault of our policy in Cuba that has allowed Fidel to stay this long! Castro and Chavez want us to attack. We will be seen as the aggressors and everyone will come to the aid of the poor defenseless Latin American country.

Fred Thompson and the rest of the neocon candidates must be stopped!

Video from New Hampshire Debate

Here is a video that shows the support for Ron Paul before and after the debate, as well as Dr. Paul's amazing performance during the New Hampshire GOP debate. I believe that this is the "official" Ron Paul 2008 video of the St. A's debate, seeing that it is the front page video on Dr. Paul's YouTube page. Enjoy, and remember to visit RonPaul2008.com!

Ron Paul TV

I recommend you all check out Ron Paul TV. The station plays a string of Ron Paul videos in succession to help inform those who are curious about Dr. Paul. There are some great videos on there and we can all learn more about the Good Doctor.