The other day I sat down to my computer with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream to catch up on the latest Ron Paul news. He had received 6.3 million dollars in contributions from over 50,000 donors in one day. This was huge news. Since that time the mainstream media has found it hard to ignore Ron Paul. He has been reported on more than ever. The word is spreading even to those who do not use the Internet. He was given an entire hour on Glen Beck’s show. He was interviewed by Tim Russert on Meet the Press. There are some who would say that the media has played some dirty tricks on Ron Paul to minimize his impact and to try to make him look like he’s still not a viable candidate, but any kind of media exposure this big is bound to be good. Unlike other politicians who can get on these media programs and show just how disingenuous they are (i.e. saying things like “I never inhaled”), Ron Paul always comes across as honest and the genuine article simply because he is and he’s not afraid to say what he feels even though it might not be a popular opinion and might cost him votes. No matter how hard these media talking heads try to attack his stances, the message he delivers is powerful and it breaks through the muck.
You know, as I look through some of these articles and watch some of these videos, I’m really enjoying my ice cream. I love chocolate ice cream. I realize I’m a little overweight. My kids remind me of that all the time. Yeah, I know ice cream isn’t real good for me. I probably should be watching my diet a little better. I know I should exercise more, but there’s so little time in the day. Maybe I could find a healthier frozen confection. I do like frozen fruit bars, but there’s just something about ice cream. Chocolate ice cream is my favorite. It’s just so darn creamy and tasty. It’s such a treat to eat while I’m catching up on current events.
Glen Beck likes to claim he’s a libertarian. I just don’t know about that. I personally don’t see how anyone can be a libertarian and support the war in Iraq. One of the main tenets, if not the main one, of libertarianism is no initiation of force. Iraq is a preemptive war, not one of defense. This is especially true after the lies that got us into the war were exposed. But, if Mr. Beck wants to consider himself a libertarian, I suppose that’s ok. He does, after all, agree with Ron Paul that the government needs to be much smaller. He also gave Ron Paul a fair interview, in my opinion. I saw the scrolling “Paul is dead” quote and heard the various concerns about it, and while I feel it was disturbing to notice something that could be taken as an attempt at some sort of subliminal message, I’m not so sure that such a big deal should be made of it. There is the possibility that such a thing was put there just to illicit a reaction so that the media could point at those Ron Paul supporters who would mention it and accuse them of being “paranoid conspiracy theorists.” Mr. Beck did, after all, mention that Ron Paul supporters had threatened him so even this self proclaimed libertarian seems to be trying to paint Ron Paul supporters as crazy. Can he even be sure that the threats came from actual Ron Paul supporters, or did they just say they were Ron Paul supporters? In any case, Ron Paul did quite a job at delivering the message of freedom to Mr. Beck’s audience and I’m certain such exposure is helping his name recognition.
This chocolate ice cream is great. I wonder if maybe I’m addicted to it. As I eat it, I wonder about my health. Healthcare is on the minds of many Americans these days. I know many of the presidential candidates have come out with their healthcare plans. Hillary Clinton is especially concerned with healthcare. I seem to remember that she was trying to sell government healthcare to the American people when her husband was in office. It seems that all the candidates have some sort of plan for healthcare that they would like to implement if they were elected president. They’re all trying to make it an issue. It’s strange that Ron Paul, who is a doctor, isn’t asked about his plan more often. Perhaps because he would like to remove the government from healthcare and let the people, their doctors and the market decide what should be done with healthcare in this nation. All those other candidates seem to think that government should be able to dictate to everyone what their healthcare should be like. They probably realize that chocolate ice cream isn’t good for someone overweight like I am. I doubt that they would ever prohibit the sale of ice cream, though. I mean, just because they would be paying for my healthcare and they’re control freaks doesn’t mean they’d ever be able to dictate to me what my diet should be or anything like that. It’s not like they’re collecting biometric data or anything. It’s not like they’ve collected any medical data on us or passed any medical data laws like HIPPA lately. It’s not like there’d be anywhere in the country where foods like foie gras would be banned. No, to believe that the government would ever infringe upon our freedoms so much as to mandate what we can and can’t eat is just paranoid.
Tim Russert on Meet the Press was much harsher with Ron Paul than Glen Beck was. He seemed to be harping on insignificant issues that occurred in Ron Paul’s past. The questions about the earmarks were particularly bothersome since every congressman partakes in such practices. That doesn’t mean that I approve of the practice, but it is a congressman’s job to represent his district. There’s something slightly distasteful about holding someone’s feet to the fire over something that all his colleagues do and not holding their feet to the fire over the practice as well, and this is especially so when they are doing so because the person being questioned has a reputation of being more principled than the others. It seems to me that Ron Paul’s reputation of being the most principled man in congress and his voting record excuses him of some minor earmarks for his district. He should be given that as he should be given a little wiggle room for his not running as a third party candidate stance. It was a little more difficult for Ron Paul to deliver his message with Mr. Russert interviewing him, but I think he did a good job delivering it once again. He got to mention our recent loss of freedoms, privacy and government intrusion with laws like the Patriot Act taking effect and how his message is resonating with the people of this nation as they become more and more fed up with such abuses of power. As for Mr. Russert’s parting remark, I doubt he meant anything nefarious by it. I often tell people as they are leaving my home to drive safely or to be safe, that doesn’t mean that I am warning them or predicting that something bad will happen to them. It is a simple form of wishing one well as he departs.
That was some good ice cream. I’m glad I live in a country where they still allow me to eat what I please, even though I am overweight. I most certainly hope I will have the freedom to enjoy such treats whenever I want for the rest of my life. I also hope I’ll be able to continue to express my opinion as I see fit without having to worry about going to dissident prison or ending up on some kind of government list, like a no fly list or something. I know I need to exercise more, perhaps in the new year. I mean, after all, except for that small problem I’m a very healthy man. I think I’ll have another bowl. I should be going now, someone’s pounding on my front door. At least I know that, for now, it isn’t the chocolate ice cream – Internet dissident police.
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