DID CLINT EASTWOOD ENDORSE RON PAUL AT RNC?

Posted on September 2, 2012 by admin

Republicans did not want Ron Paul’s message of liberty to be heard at RNC- photo by Larry Blucher

GOP decision-makers weren’t about to allow Ron Paul on stage at the Republican National Convention to talk about subjects such as ending the war in Afghanistan and closing Guantanamo. That is just a small part of Dr. Paul’s message of liberty, but they are points with which neo-cons vehemently disagree. So, it likely shocked Republicans when Clint Eastwood addressed those very subjects during his speech in Tampa. For many alienated Ron Paul supporters, Eastwood made their day.

The Republicans tried half-heartedly to lure Paul supporters to Romney by extending an invitation for the Texas congressman to speak at the RNC, but the invitation came with two large strings attached. First, they demanded Paul allow the Romney camp to edit his speech. Secondly, Paul would have to fully endorse Mitt for president. Unsurprisingly, Dr. No said “no” to those demands, refusing to compromise his principles.

The GOP obviously felt they did not need to impose those rules on Eastwood. How could things possibly go wrong with Eastwood comically addressing an empty chair representing President Obama? The loud thud heard during Eastwood’s speech might have been the jaws of RNC organizers collectively hitting the floor as the actor/director told the empty chair, “Even some people in your own party were disappointed when you didn’t close Gitmo…Why close it? We’ve spent so much money on it.”

Closing Guantanamo is definitely not part of the neo-con Republican agenda. Then the ‘Man with No Name’ took aim at foreign wars, telling the Empty Chair Obama, “You thought the war in Afghanistan was okay. You thought that was something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how they did there for ten years.”

Ron Paul and Clint Eastwood agree that our troops should be brought home from Afghanistan immediately- photo by Larry Blucher

That sounded very similar to what Ron Paul argued during the debates, and what Romney scoffed at. After channeling Paul, Eastwood finally got around to the endorsement. “There is so much to be done. I think Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are two guys that can come along.” Two guys that can come along? Is that really an endorsement?

Eastwood added, “We own this country…Politicians are employees of ours. They are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years.”

“We don’t have to be mental masochists and vote for somebody that we don’t really want in office just because they seem to be nice guys, or maybe not such nice guys if you look at some of the ads going out there.”

Ron Paul supporters have said all along that there is no point in voting for the lesser of two evils. That sounds like what Eastwood was preaching, and his speech came off much more like an endorsement of Ron Paul than Mitt Romney.

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THE RON PAUL SPEECH THE GOP DEMANDED

Posted on August 29, 2012 by admin

Ron Paul spreads the word of liberty, not the word of Romney- photo by Larry Blucher

It was an offer an unprincipled man could not refuse. Only, Ron Paul has made a name for himself by standing firmly upon his principles. The GOP may have figured it had bullied the Texas congressman into submission before offering him a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. That offer came with a couple conditions.

First, the GOP demanded that Paul allow his speech to be edited by Mitt Romney’s staff. Secondly, it required him to fully endorse Romney for president, which Ron’s son Rand had already done. But, if the GOP figured Ron would fold like his son, they figured wrong. It would be endorsing a man with whom he disagrees on so many topics. Dr. No said ‘no’ one more time. It left the GOP looking like a tent divided at the RNC, furiously rewriting its own rules to prevent any challenges to the status quo.

So, how would Ron Paul’s speech sounded had he agreed to the GOP’s demands. Questionable Things offers up this possibility:

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RON PAUL’S SWAN SONG SPEECH

Posted on August 27, 2012 by admin

Ron Paul delivering his message of liberty- photo by Larry Blucher

It may have been Ron Paul’s political swan song. Based on the response of the thousands of people who braved an oncoming hurricane Sunday to hear him speak in Tampa, Florida, his words were music to their ears.

Paul talked about George Orwell’s book, 1984, and said (only half-jokingly) that “Congress thought it was a business plan” rather than a warning of what could happen to our society. He discussed our foreign policy, pointing out that Americans want the government to bring the troops home and that we should not be “the policemen of the world.” He warned of a potentially backbreaking economic situation and suggested “the solution is to get the government out of our lives, off our backs, and out of our wallets.” And when he called for an end to the Federal Reserve, the crowd reacted loudly, chanting, “End the Fed, end the Fed.”

He criticized the war on drugs, the war on whistleblowers, the war on our civil liberties, and warned of the danger of the NDAA’s indefinite detention clause

Will the liberty torch be passed from Ron Paul to Gary Johnson?- photo by Larry Blucher

(“there is something very un-American about that”). These are topics that are unlikely to be discussed in televised presidential debates…unless Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who shares many of Paul’s political views, manages to force his way in. Given the two establishment parties’ strangle-hold on the debates, Johnson’s voice of liberty will likely be silenced. President Obama and Mitt Romney will have the stage to themselves.

Speaking of Romney, he may be realizing too late that he cannot win the election without the support of liberty lovers. He tried to extend an olive branch by telling Paul he could have a speaking spot at the RNC if he agreed to allow the Romney camp to edit his speech and for Paul to give Mitt his full endorsement. Paul did not kneel and grovel. Instead he refused to sacrifice his principles (nearly unheard of in Washington these days) and basically told Romney to stick it.

“That would undo everything I’ve done in the last 30 years. I don’t fully endorse him for president,” Paul said, opting not to follow the path of his own son, Rand, who did give his endorsement to Romney.

It will be interesting to see what Americans will think of Paul’s swan song speech four years from now. Will people still buy the negative propaganda dished out for years by the mainstream media, or will they be asking why they didn’t heed Ron Paul’s words of wisdom while they still had a chance?

“Freedom should bring us together, it should never be divisive. We should all come together and defend liberty!” –Ron Paul

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WILL RON PAUL SUPPORTERS EMBRACE GARY JOHNSON?

Posted on July 14, 2012 by admin

Gary Johnson navigates the Libertarian seas in search of Ron Paul supporters- photo by Larry Blucher

The clock is ticking loudly, but Gary Johnson must remain patient. The Libertarian presidential candidate needs the support of liberty-minded individuals to help get him to 15% in the polls. That is the magic number (a bar intentionally set high by the two establishment parties to maintain their power) for inclusion into the televised debates.

Presently, most liberty-minded voters are still standing behind Republican candidate Ron Paul. Even though the mainstream media never wanted Paul to be considered a leading candidate and prematurely announced the demise of his presidential bid, he is the last contender standing. Paul supporters still hope to have an impact at the Republican National Convention.

Will Ron Paul supporters find the same appeal in Gary Johnson?- photo by Larry Blucher

If things don’t go their way in Tampa (if the RNC kicks Ron Paul to the curb, if it silences the message of liberty, if it fails to add any of his positions to it’s campaign) then those voters may be seeking an alternative. Some will elect not to vote at all. Some will vote for Romney in the hopes that it opens a door for Paul’s son Rand, who is expected to run for president in 2016.

Others may seek out someone with a similar platform to that of Ron Paul. That path would likely lead them to Gary Johnson.

This is the final segment of a three-part series based on my recent interview with Gary Johnson. Part One- Gary Johnson Offers Fresh Voice on Health Care and Part Two- Gary Johnson Unlikely to be Heard in Debates.

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GARY JOHNSON UNLIKELY TO BE HEARD IN DEBATES

Posted on July 11, 2012 by admin

Gary Johnson, Libertarian candidate for president- photo by Larry Blucher

An article appeared earlier this month on Gather.com entitled “Could Gary Johnson be Our Next President?” An addendum to the title should be, “Sure, if he could only get into the televised debates.”

Third party candidates do not have the luxury of competing on a level playing field with the two establishment parties. That is because Democrats and Republicans have been in power long enough to have established rules that set the bar high for ballot access and prevent third party candidates from participating in televised debates.

Gary Johnson needs nights on stage in the televised debates, but may have to settle for knights on stage when he speaks to small groups on his campaign tour- photo by Larry Blucher

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has overcome ballot access hurdles and will likely defy the odds by being on the ballot in every state. However, gaining inclusion in the debates is another matter.

To get an idea of what kind of obstacles prevent third party inclusion in the debates, check out my documentary, “The Snitker Paradox: The Media Muzzling of Alexander Snitker,” which exposes some of the dirty tricks used by the mainstream media and the pollsters to silence the 2010 Libertarian candidate in his bid for the Florida Senate.

Debate inclusion is likely a make or break for Johnson. It’s a mountain he must scale to get his voice heard. Johnson knows a lot about climbing mountains, but this might be a tougher challenge than Mount Everest (which he scaled in 2003).

This is the second part of a multi-part story based on my recent interview with Gary Johnson. Part One, which can be found at this link, explores Johnson’s thoughts on health care and our failing economy. Check back here soon at QuestionableThings.com for Part Three, in which we discuss the potential value of a Ron Paul endorsement.

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GARY JOHNSON OFFERS FRESH VOICE ON HEALTH CARE

Posted on July 8, 2012 by admin

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson- photo by Larry Blucher

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson believes it is time to say “no” to our government and for people to question the two establishment party system. On newsmax.com, Jim Meyers and John Bachman quote Johnson saying, “Everybody says there’s gridlock (and) we need cooperation between the two parties. Cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. That is code for how do we spend more money. I have no intention of spending more money.”

The health care fiasco in Washington offers yet another example of how the two establishment parties talk different games, yet provide very similar and often unattractive results. We have a health care system that is failing, an economy that is tanking, a Democratic party that championed a flawed and expensive plan, a Republican party that failed to offer any substantial proposals of its own, a president who included a mandate in his plan that he swore was not a tax, a Congress that approved the plan it was told was not a tax, a Supreme Court that upheld the plan only because they argued it was a tax, and the Republican party’s candidate who supported a nearly identical plan as governor of Massachusetts and now claims he will repeal Obamacare if he becomes president and will

Gary Johnson delivers his message of liberty in Tampa, Florida- photo by Larry Blucher

replace it with the nearly identical plan he had in Massachusetts. In Hollywood, it would be called a comedy. In Washington, it’s sickening enough to gag a maggot off a gut wagon.

With both establishment party candidates trying their best to convince Americans there is a substantial difference in their health care plans, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson offers up something completely different.

Please check back soon at www.QuestionableThings.com for more of my interview with Gary Johnson.

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QUESTIONING OBAMACARE AND THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE

Posted on June 29, 2012 by admin

Many people are making their voices heard on the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 ruling that upheld President Obama’s healthcare plan and its individual care mandate. Democrats are ecstatically cheering, Republicans are screaming foul. But, let’s face it; most folks are just echoing their establishment party line much like they support their sports teams. Few citizens can truly make heads or tails of the legalese in the SCOTUS’ document.

Even the simple facts are confusing. For instance, consider that Obama, before he was president, claimed the individual mandate was a bad thing, especially for the poor:

Equally perplexing is how the Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional because it was a tax, not a mandate. Democrats Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi refused to call it a tax. Obama is on the record flatly denying it was a tax. He even chastised George Stephanopoulos during an interview for suggesting it could be considered a tax:

So, while Obama attempts to redefine the term “tax,” Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reacted by calling for Americans to vote Obama out of office and promised to repeal his health plan. Romney’s history of flip-flopping on healthcare and the mandate adds to the confusion, since he is on record as supporting the mandate and a similar health plan.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is calling not only for a repeal and a new president, but also for a new Congress and a new Supreme Court. The Libertarian Party has only a scant three-paragraph description of its own healthcare plan on its website. However Johnson knows what he doesn’t want healthcare to be. In his press release he stated, “The idea that government can require an individual to buy something simply because that individual exists and breathes in America is an incredible blow to the bedrock principles of freedom and liberty.”

Indeed, libertarians will likely agree wholeheartedly with the joint dissenting opinion of judges Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas and Alito- “The Court today decides to save a statute Congress did not write. It rules that what the statute declares to be a requirement with a penalty is instead an option subject to a tax… The fragmentation of power produced by the structure of our Government is central to liberty, and when we destroy it, we place liberty at peril. Today’s decision should have vindicated, should have taught, this truth; instead, our judgment today has disregarded it.”

When the establishment party cheerleaders finally tire of pontificating, it may be too late for them to consider the concerns of libertarians. The potential financial effects of Obamacare may pale in comparison to the potential effects of increased government power over its citizens and the further destruction of liberty.

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QUESTIONING JACK HUNTER’S DEFENSE OF RAND PAUL

Posted on June 20, 2012 by admin

A ?UESTIONABLE COMMENTARY

Rand Paul- Future liberty torchbearer or sell-out? Caricature courtesy of DonkeyHotey

Rand Paul’s endorsement of his father’s political opponent, Mitt Romney, sent shockwaves through the liberty movement. Many of Ron Paul’s supporters saw Rand as the next torchbearer of liberty. Now, they are questioning whether Rand sold out his dad to further his own political career.

A man who has been very close to the Ron Paul Revolution is Jack Hunter. The radio host/political commentator has been quite vocal in his defense of Rand. Hunter has posted at least three videos on YouTube offering up educated reasons for the actions of the Kentucky senator (video one, video two, and video three).

He makes some very good points, but still left me with many questions:

Photos in the video by Larry Blucher

Caricature of Rand Paul courtesy of Donkey Hotey

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RAND PAUL’S FAMILY VALUES

Posted on June 9, 2012 by admin

Julius Caesar was brought down by treachery and betrayal- Photo courtesy of jedibfa

Et tu, Brute? That Shakespeare line from “Julius Caesar” comes to mind when speaking of treachery and betrayal, just as it may have come to the minds of Ron Paul supporters when they heard the news that Rand Paul had stuck a knife into the back of his father’s campaign. To see Rand announce his endorsement of Mitt Romney on Sean Hannity’s show was like having salt thrown on the knife wound. The talk show host and GOP cheerleader has been one of Ron Paul’s fiercest critics. Hannity even claimed during the interview that the elder Paul had “officially dropped out of the race” which was false, and he claimed not to understand why Ron “is still mad at me.” Anyone who has observed his mistreatment of Paul for years certainly understands.

But, is it possible the endorsement was not a knife in the back at all? Did Rand have his father’s blessing when he publicly endorsed Mitt Romney? Hard to tell for certain, because Ron has not taken time to address this with his supporters, who have given so much money and so much time and so much effort to help further his message of liberty. Still, we are beginning to get glimpses of what transpired behind the curtain of the Paul campaign thanks to interviews like the one Adam Kokesh did with former staffer Penny Freeman.

There has been talk of a Ron Paul-Mitt Romney alliance for several months. Some will believe this is confirmation that a deal was struck prior to Rand’s announcement. However, others suggest Ron attacked Mitt less than other candidates simply because Romney has been known to flip on so many issues.

Rand Paul; a traitor to his own family?- Caricature courtesy of DonkeyHotey

How could Rand Paul support a man who was successfully portrayed as the polar opposite of his father during the presidential campaign? Rand claimed he and Romney have much in common, and cited “big families and a lot of the same family values.” Deserting your father for his political rival doesn’t sound like “family values,” it sounds like Rand is trying to further his own political career in the Republican Party.

Rand should not be confused with Ron. He has strayed from the message of liberty too often, including his recent attack on civil liberties. Libertarians have never fully embraced Rand. The Libertarian Party had harsh words regarding Rand’s endorsement.

His voting record is much more similar to Romney than it is to his own father. However, it was not similar enough to expect him to join ranks with Romney, or to claim that he can help bring independents into their fold. Rand even told Hannity, with a straight face, that Romney is “reasonable” on foreign policy. Did you hear the collective groan from Ron Paul supporters? You can easily find videos on YouTube in which Mitt and Ron clashed on that issue (here is one, here is another).

Ron Paul surrounded by supporters in Orlando- Photo by Larry Blucher

Ron Paul recently asked his supporters to “be respectful” at the GOP national convention. If they listen to Ron and become meek and timid and respectful in Tampa, they will be very unlikely to get any piece of the party platform. Rick Santorum, who endorsed Romney after ripping him to shreds during the debates, has already promised his supporters will “fight” to block Paul delegates. Will Ron take the next step and declare his own support of Romney, even though he is on record as saying Mitt is only “marginally” better than Obama?
If Ron Paul endorses Romney over Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, what message does it send his supporters?  Will they hold out hope that the Republicans will eventually become the party of liberty? Is Sean Hannity snickering? Or, will they perceive it as a demonstration that Ron is putting his son, the Republican Party, and his legacy ahead of his message of liberty?

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OBAMA’S ‘SEX’ ENDORSEMENT

Posted on June 6, 2012 by admin

Being on the BarackObama.com mailing list is quite entertaining. The emails rarely provide any real information on what Obama has accomplished as president, but it is great at dropping names in an effort to gain friends.

Obama recently sent out the following email blasting “our opponent” (presumably Mitt Romney, not Ron Paul) for using “a TV personality” (uncertain whether Donald Trump is really a “personality”).

Only days later, Obama turned right around and trotted out Sarah Jessica Parker to toot his horn.

Previously he had used mega-star George Clooney to lure voters into his fold. People love Danny Ocean. Following Clooney’s endorsement is like batting cleanup after Babe Ruth hits third. But, Parker may have enough clout to deliver a Lou Gehrig-type performance. After all, she is the woman who married Ferris Bueller. Okay, most of us wanted Ferris to marry his high school sweetheart, but Parker seems to be just as sweet as Sloane. She has very been active with UNICEF. Now, the former Sex and the City star is the new lead in the Obama re-election show. She is stumping for Mr. Big, and is the star of a new campaign spot designed to raise more money.

What seems odd are the three talking points included in her script. None of the three stand up very well to close scrutiny. One must remember that even thought Parker is a fine actress, she still couldn’t overcome a weak final script for rom-com bomb If Lucy Fell. Parker begins her pitch with, “The guy who ended the war in Iraq.” Yes, Obama did finally agree to bring troops home from Iraq, but that was only after he tried unsuccessfully to extend our stay there. Now, he is claiming he will have our troops out of Afghanistan by 2014, but has made an agreement with Afghan leaders to maintain a military presence there until 2024.

The president has a Hollywood smile, and has Hollywood pitching for Obama- caricature courtesy of DonkeyHotey

Parker’s second pitch is, “The guy who says you should be able to marry anyone you want.” Yes, Obama did finally say that, but why did he wait so long? It sure appears to have been a political move into which he was forced when Vice President Joe Biden defied the president’s previous position and gave his thumbs up to gay marriage. And, what exactly has Obama done to legalize gay marriage? Nothing.

Parker’s final pitch is, “The guy who created 4-million new jobs.” Those who take time to research what is really happening in the job market will find that is complete spin. Even left-leaning comedian Jon Stewart couldn’t resist mocking that one in his “Polish that Turd” segment.

No wonder they needed a professional actress. Could any informed person without acting experience deliver those lines with a straight face?

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