"Dr. Paul’s conservative message of low taxes, limited government and strictly following the Constitution resonates with voters here in his home state of Texas," said Ron Paul campaign chairman Kent Snyder.

Blues guitarist and singer Jimmie Vaughan played for the crowd before Dr. Paul spoke. In Vaughan’s endorsement of Dr. Paul, the guitarist and singer said "he knows the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and he always votes for the Constitution."

You can view the video of Dr. Paul's speech here.

Read more here.

Caucus States (votes, % reporting)

25% -- Montana: 400 (100%)
22% -- Washington: 2,666 (96%)
21% -- North Dakota: 2,082 (100%)
19% -- Maine: 851 (68%)
17% -- Alaska: 1,955 (98%)
16% -- Minnesota: 9,852 (100%)
14% -- Nevada: 6,087 (100%)
11% -- Kansas: 2,182 (100%)
10% -- Iowa: 11,817 (98%)
10% -- West Virginia: 118 (100%)
8% -- Colorado: 4,670 (95%)

Primary States (votes, % reporting)

8% -- New Hampshire: 18,303 (100%)
8% -- District of Columbia: 471 (98%)
7% -- New York: 38,918 (99%)
7% -- Washington: 26,798 (54%)
6% -- Michigan: 54,434 (100%)
6% -- Tennessee: 30,730 (100%)
6% -- Maryland: 17,865 (97%)
5% -- Illinois: 45,166 (99%)
5% -- New Jersey: 26,952 (99%)
5% -- Wisconsin: 18,771 (97%)
5% -- Arkansas: 10,740 (100%)
5% -- Louisiana: 8,595 (100%)
4% -- California: 110,077 (100%)
4% -- Missouri: 26,445 (100%)
4% -- Arizona: 22,581 (99% )
4% -- Virginia: 22,066 (99%)
4% -- South Carolina: 16,054 (100%)
4% -- Connecticut: 6,092 (100%)
4% -- Delaware: 2,131 (100%)
3% -- Florida: 62,063 (99%)
3% -- Georgia: 27,978 (100%)
3% -- Alabama: 15,454 (99%)
3% -- Massachusetts: 13,210 (100%)
3% -- Oklahoma: 11,179 (100%)
3% -- Utah: 8,295 (99%)

The Texas Attack on Ron Paul

by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

On January 12, 2007, a Texas city councilman named Chris Peden told the Galveston Daily News, "I have an immense amount of respect for Ron Paul. Politics has a way of forcing people to go against their core principles for political gain. That has never been the case for Ron Paul."

In case you don’t know, Chris Peden is now Ron Paul’s congressional challenger in the Republican primary in Texas’ 14th District.

What happened to make Peden go from an admirer to an opponent – and not just an opponent, but one who is running a vicious and (as he surely realizes) dishonest smear campaign against the very man he so recently praised?

I have no idea.

But here’s an indication of just what a classy guy he is: all throughout Peden’s campaign website, his professional head shot sits next to a silly photo of Dr. Paul – the kind of photo every human being on earth has taken a zillion times, but which in this case is presumably intended as a stark contrast to the sobriety and deep thinking of Chris Peden.

That’s one of the benefits of running for public office against a gentleman: you can do childish and dishonorable things all campaign long in the full knowledge that your opponent is too decent to reciprocate.

Thankfully, you don’t even need to visit Peden’s website. We’ve already heard every thought he’s ever had every fifteen seconds for years and years.

Thus we read: "I think Islamo-Fascist terrorists were responsible for the 9/11 attacks; the incumbent thinks America’s Middle East policies were responsible for the attacks." (Yes, he really is talking down to his potential constituents like this.) The terrorists "wish to destroy our way of life because they abhor freedom, democracy, and liberty." We should continue to encourage democracy around the world "even if it takes the remainder of the century."

You know what that means – lots and lots of war. And you know what it also means: the politician uttering these inanities has no intention of disclosing the tiniest hint as to where the money for these fantasies is going to come from, what with bankruptcy on our very doorstep.

Being a neoconservative means never having to explain, well, anything.

Assuming Peden has an IQ above 50, he knows he is misrepresenting Ron Paul’s position. Dr. Paul’s argument, which is shared by top terrorism experts, is that our government’s expensive and counterproductive foreign policy has stirred up more trouble than it has alleviated. He’s saying kind of what Russell Kirk – the founder of the modern conservative movement, and no "liberal" – said after the first Persian Gulf War. Good thing for Peden he’s never heard of Kirk.

When the Ayatollah Khomeini called for jihad on the United States in the early 1980s, it went nowhere. When bin Laden called for the same thing but on the specific grounds that the US refuses to leave the Muslim world alone, fighters flocked to his banner. Could it be that our government’s dumb foreign policy, in addition to wrecking our economy, is actually making us less secure?

I’ve explained all of this here.

We also learn that Ron Paul, who has been married to the same woman for 51 years and has five children, 18 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, doesn’t believe in "traditional family values." Peden draws this conclusion on the basis of Dr. Paul’s votes against unconstitutional legislation that would decide social policy at the federal level – you know, the kind of voting record you compile when you favor the "smaller government" that Peden himself falsely claims to support.

Ron Paul "weakens our economy," Peden says, because he doesn’t believe in supranational trade bureaucracies that can dictate tax and regulatory policy to member states – the very thing Republicans rightly opposed half a century ago when it took the form of the International Trade Organization. In those days, supporters of the free market knew a boondoggle when they saw one.

Peden says that opposing the World Trade Organization and NAFTA is "exactly the approach that led us to the Great Depression." Now much as I’d love to hear Peden’s entire collection of learned insights into the Great Depression – really, Peden has done us all a grave disservice over the course of his career by confining his remarks on the subject to this single sentence – I’m still inclined to stick with Ron Paul, who could write a treatise on the causes of the Great Depression off the top of his head.

Of course, as the Federal Reserve’s policies lead the country and the world to the brink of another depression, it is Ron Paul alone who stands tall as the one politician who told the truth all these years about what the geniuses who run our monetary policy have been up to. It is Ron Paul who spoke truth to power, and who understood what Austrian business cycle theory has to teach us about the inevitable devastation that results from expanding the money supply through credit markets.

I wonder, on the other hand, whether Chris Peden even knows what business cycle theory is, but if his bumper-sticker thoughts on the economy are any indication, I probably already know the answer.

As with so many other politicians, the message of "change" turns out to be more of the same. The Federal Reserve has wrecked the dollar and inflated the housing bubble? Then more of the same is just what we need. Or at least that’s what I assume Peden’s position is. Like every other politician in America, he is completely silent on the issue of money and the Federal Reserve, standing idly by while ordinary Americans are silently ripped off year after year. Chances are, he (again like most politicians) doesn’t know the first thing about it. How else can we explain his failure, in the midst of a Fed-induced downturn, to utter a single word about how we got here?

Over $50 trillion in unfunded entitlement liabilities is coming due in the next few decades. The national debt keeps skyrocketing, the dollar keeps plummeting, the prices of necessities are rising, and the housing bubble is bursting. Ron Paul understands these issues – in fact, he’s the only one in the presidential race who’s bothered to bring them up.

A Martian glancing at Chris Peden’s political positions, on the other hand, could be forgiven for assuming that these problems do not exist. It’s all business as usual, full steam ahead. A financial catastrophe is coming? Why, let’s carry on as before! Is this the Peden message that Republican Party hacks in Texas are so excited about?

The rest of Peden’s propaganda is the same old establishment boilerplate, along with a complaint that Ron Paul doesn’t vote for the pork and the corporate welfare that Peden himself promises to support.

This is the genius who is campaigning against Ron Paul. And not merely campaigning against him, but misrepresenting and smearing a man with a voting record unmatched in all of American history in its commitment to freedom, and whose knowledge of economics, foreign policy, and the Constitution makes him an intellectual giant among Washington’s pygmies.

Now instead of being honored and privileged to be represented by a statesman as accomplished and knowledgeable as Ron Paul, State Republican Executive Committee Chairwoman Kathy Haigler supports the city councilman. "For far too long," she says, "[Congressional District] 14 Republicans have been denied the opportunity to be represented by someone who actually believes in and practices the Republican Party Platform, and now they have the opportunity to vote for a solid conservative who will go to Washington D.C. and vote Republican."

Poor Kathy. She’s had to be represented by a constitutionalist for 12 consecutive years. There’s some serious withdrawal for you: twelve whole years without a business-as-usual, platitude-uttering hack as her congressman. She must be getting the shakes.

All that time, her congressman has been the only constitutionalist in the entire Congress, arguably the greatest congressman in all of American history, and a man who is loved and admired all over the world. Only a city councilman mouthing slogans and propaganda and promising pork and bankruptcy can rescue longsuffering Kathy Haigler from this unspeakable ordeal.

Now I don’t care how much you loved Mitt Romney, but no one, not even members of his own family, compared him to Thomas Jefferson. Yet Ron Paul has been compared to Jefferson and the Founders more times than anyone can count. Judge Andrew Napolitano calls him "the Thomas Jefferson of our day."

Running against him – and, it has to be said, running a vigorous campaign that cannot be taken lightly – is not another Thomas Jefferson, to put it kindly. It is a forgettable city councilman who, if his campaign website is any indication, has never had an interesting thought in his life, and for whom the history books will not have a single thing to say. Well, maybe one thing: how did the American people become so debased that the intellectual and moral mismatch between City Councilman Chris Peden and Congressman Ron Paul could actually have been a contest?

Pretty maddening, isn’t it?

Want to let off some steam? Then go here right now.

I’d say we already have just about enough mouthpieces of official propaganda serving in the US Congress. Is it so much to ask for one – just one – congressman who tells the truth?

February 19, 2008

Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com

February 18, 2008


The DC neocons think their old dream is about to come true. They think they can defeat me in the Republican congressional primary in Texas on March 4th. And you know what? They may be right.

My opponent, who describes himself as a traditional conservative, is a dedicated servitor of all the special interests who have given us the disaster of recent years, from unconstitutional wars to a looming recession, from huge deficits to massive new welfare programs.

A Republican operative allied with the worst forces in DC recently said: "Give what you can [to Ron Paul's opponent]. Ron Paul is running scared -- using his Presidential campaign's donors' money to subsidize a desperate last-minute attempt to save his Congressional seat."

That is a lie, of course. It is illegal to use presidential campaign donations in my congressional race. The congressional campaign has to stand on its own. But so far, we have raised only about a third of what a well-funded effort would need.

In my 10 terms in Congress, I have not only been able to serve my constituents, and help them, for example, negotiate federal red-tape. I have also been able to defend our principles of less spending, lower taxes, no inflation, and strict adherence to the Constitution. Some people in DC laugh at the idea that I should obey my oath of office, and ask first of any proposed legislation, is it constitutional? But I know that you share my support for the vision of the framers.

My friend Congressmen Wayne Gilchrest (R-Maryland) was just defeated in his primary election by a neocon fraud similar to the one I face. My friend Walter Jones (R-North Carolina) is under heavy pressure as well. People like our hand-picked opponents will do anything to gain and keep power. They represent everything that is wrong with DC.

If I am defeated in the upcoming congressional primary, our ideas will be held to have been defeated as well. It will be proclaimed from the rooftops in DC that such "ridiculous and outmoded notions" as the free market, sound money, personal liberty, limited government, and a pro-American foreign policy are through.

I am determined not to let this happen. All that you and I believe in is far too important to the future of our country, and to everyone and everything we love, to let the neocons dance on its grave.

Please, help me stop the lies, the distortions, the pressure groups, the special interests that benefit from DC rip-offs. There is still time to run radio and tv ads, to set up phone banks, to get out the vote. But unless you help, my reelection to Congress may be in jeopardy. Please help me return to Congress to fight for the people of my district, and for the ideas that can save our country from the path to trouble we are now on.

I hesitated to ask you, since you have already done so much. But my wife Carol said, "When you need help, you ask your best friends." So I do ask you, to hold out your hand in support.

Please give today http://www.ronpaulforcongress.com, as generously and as quickly as you can.

Sincerely,

Ron

Update No. 1: Taking Back The Media

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 01:04 PM CST

Breakthematrix.com

Update No. 1: Taking Back The Media—Here’s How

Unless there’s a delegate revolt at the convention, Ron Paul will not be on the presidential ballot in November, 2008. The mainstream media has done its job, and Dr. Paul’s message has been effectively stifled, ridiculed, marginalized and ignored by the powers that be. The result? Those many millions of Americans who receive their news from mainstream media sources were shut out from the opportunity to hear the wonderful words of freedom, prosperity, peace and hope. We congratulate our adversaries. They appear to be closing in on an important victory. But in fact, they’re not winning at all. It’s only for the moment. Because we’re taking our country back.

To Our Subscribers and Supporters: We Say Thank You

In less than a week since our initial website posting of Breakthematrix.com we have received nearly 3,500 stock subscriptions and many hundreds of emails offering support, advice, talents and help. To our friends and colleagues in the grassroots, we say a heartfelt “thank you.” Your expressions of encouragement are inspiring indeed.

Please continue to write to us. It is not yet time to respond individually to your emails, but we’re reading and considering every one. We are creating a database with your ideas, suggestions and skills. Patience please. We’re moving forward one step at a time, and not everything can happen at once. The directions and goals are clear to us—but, of course, it’s implementation that presents the challenge. So these are our ideas.

This Is What We Plan To Do

We’re starting up a media company through the vehicle of an initial public offering of stock. Go to our website at Breakthematrix.com for an overview outline of our thinking. And here’s more.

Our plan is to develop and broadcast high quality radio and television shows on the Internet, and then distribute/market that content “off Internet” to the mainstream American audience in their households, cars, and daily lives. Our shows will be wide ranging: radio talk; comedy; satire; music; history; human interest—the list of potential show topics is endless. We plan to start out modestly, focusing first on the easier formats and then working our way up to the more challenging (and expensive) genres. Similarly with our distribution strategy, we will begin with those “off Internet” specialty audiences and specific test market locations that can be reached most easily and cost effectively, then build from there. Obviously, our content must be entertaining if it is to succeed in a highly competitive marketplace. We’ll need to develop media personalities, and stars, and talent, and artists. So we’re trying to build a community. Social networking will be an essential component of our business plan. Creative people are out there, all across our great country, and we’re convinced they are looking for opportunity to develop and share their talents. They will find us; and we will find them. Content creation and community building—our first and most important goal.

The development of a high quality technical platform for producing and distributing our shows is an essential step in the process. On this key point, the news is good. Existing technologies for production and distribution of radio and television content are already in place and available for use. All across the web we find systems, entities and individuals with creative ways and means of producing and transmitting content. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Our plan is to utilize the tools that are out there; to build a platform with existing technology; and to use mainstream media outlets that are presently available and are themselves seeking and searching for high quality content. There is no need to buy and own high overhead terrestrial radio stations, TV networks, large studios or the like. Not in the beginning, at least. Web based content creation and cost efficient distribution strategies are the way of the future, in our opinion, and this approach frees us to capitalize quickly on newly developing content delivery technologies as they emerge down the road.

Advertising and marketing will be at the core of our revenue model, just as they are for the old media entities. The logic of marketing is simple and straightforward. If our content captures an audience, the advertisers will follow. The reverse, of course, is equally true. If our content is dull and pedestrian, there will be no audience, and there will be no advertisers. So it all comes full circle. Our success will be dependent on the quality of our content. And we believe this is precisely the area where our competitive advantage exists. We have the freedom message—the old media doesn’t. Do people really want to listen to the aging, empty words of Limbaugh, Hannity, Couric, and the like? Do people actually want more tired productions from the old Hollywood culture of Britney Spears, Steven Spielberg and (sadly) Disney Studios ? Or are they looking for something new; something fresh; something that carries with it a message of optimism and hope for the future? We believe the answer is obvious.

A Few Words for the Naysayers

Some commenters about Breakthematrix.com have told us it can’t be done. They write that our plans are unworkable; that we’re going to fail; that we’ll be corrupted by the system; or that Rupert Murdoch and his ilk will buy us out. To these commenters we say: we recognize your concerns. Breakthematrix.com proposes to develop a startup entity that’s still in formation. Only the best startups succeed; the ones with strong leaders and great ideas. The rest go bankrupt and fail. So the pessimists have a point. There is no guaranteed or easy pathway to success for our new entity. And the world of the media is a challenging place.

But to our pessimistic commenters, we offer some additional thoughts. Some thoughts about the times we live in, and the power of optimism and positive message. We believe our adversaries are weak, not strong. Our message of freedom, prosperity, peace and hope is fresh and compelling—theirs is old and tired. Our grassroots subscribers and supporters are motivated and creative—theirs are from the aging past. They control the government and media today—but we are the future. If you want some evidence on this point, just look at their champions in government, their leaders. Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson in the finance sector. Laughingstocks; buffoons. John McCain and Mike Huckabee in the Republican Party. Warmongers; charlatans. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the Democratic Party. Ridiculous socialist fools. The very existence of such people creates endless opportunities for satire, amusement and delightful commentary. If this is the best our adversaries have to offer, we have every reason to be optimistic about our chances for success. They (and we) should be thinking of us buying out their media—not the other way around.

Join With Us—Here’s How

If you’re interested in what we have to say, go to Breakthematrix.com. Click on the “pledge” button and become a subscriber. Send us an email with your thoughts and your skills. This is the non–binding “solicitation of interest” stage of our stock offering, and we are still in the early process of shaping and forming our startup entity. Join with us, and become a part of it. Also, please note the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission:

1. No money or other consideration is being solicited by this document , and if sent in response, will not be accepted;
2. No sales of the securities will be made or commitment to purchase accepted until delivery of an offering circular that includes complete information about the issuer and the offering;
3. An indication of interest made by a prospective investor involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

We close with a few words that Ron Paul has spoken often on the campaign trail. Dr. Paul says: “Economic freedom IS freedom.” How right he is.

Basic Media, Inc. (in formation)
Rick Williams

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

rdw2008@gmail.com
Trevor Lyman

Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer

Lyman.trevor@gmail.com