Written by Richard Kane   

Over 3000 people in the pouring rain were across from the Liberty Bell before the Republican Primary. All to hear Ron Paul. I traveled the least, living just down Market Street from Independence Mall to hear my favorite “Don Quixote” character.” I had some musings of Romney being stopped. In part due to public outcry over the huge amount he gave to his church. And to prove Republicans weren't prejudiced a less determined Mormon, Jon Huntsman, would get the dark horse nod.


But the rest of the crowd wasn't musing, they felt this was possibly the last hope to save this society from an overwhelming disaster. Nevertheless the atmosphere was extremely relaxed. Supporting organizations had their own booth. The only emotional exchange I noticed involved me where I (at the time) differed with those in one stall over US involvement with the UN, arguing while I leaned over my walker making them quite uncomfortable.

If it was a rock concert, sports event or some entertaining group, it would be huge news but since apparently only I considered it an entertainment event, it was less fun for the media to report on. The viewers choosing the news programs that dwell on the lighter side of life. The crowd, however, saw the limited coverage as a media black out.

Dennis Kucinich has tried to make the world a better place, and is one of the few people who ever discussed the future beyond the confines of the next election cycle. However, Ron Paul might have at least postponed the war with Iran. The otherwise shrill Republican debates, each candidate trying to prove they were tougher than the other, would have encourage Obama to be harsher with Iran. The delegates pledged to Ron Paul extending his cooling efforts.


Back to the event, my walker gave me pass to the front seat in front of the sound system, With the help of hearing problems plus tissue paper in my ears the sound was quite pleasant. A tent blocked my view but before Ron Paul spoke I leaned forward to rest on my walker and I had a clear view from under the tent canopy blocking the stage. Despite a couple of times wiping rain from my eyes it was quite peasant to relax and listen to Ron Paul sound like he was explaining how to fix something to a mixed audience including little kids. Something like one of Rick Steves's documentaries, traveling around Europe. Not the uncomfortable angry I feel at other political events where I hear about this or that devil that is causing us great harm. “Stop the Fed” is a Ron Paul staple. Yet not a drop of anger toward Alan Greenspan or any present federal reserve bank officials. Others seems to think they need a little hate in their rhetoric.


Some accuse Twitter, with its short comments, of teaching people not to think. But politicians constantly tell themselves and their aids not to say too much. Petition gathering is supposed to involve not arguing and shutting up and moving on as soon as the signature is obtained. No solutions suggested to any problem, crime, poverty, the environment etc except in the confines of one election cycle wall. Some say there is a vast conspiracy of religious fanatics to spread ignorance. or far right media outlets to stop people from thinking. But today's politics of trying not to say too much inevitably teaches how to think less.


Primary season is over in Pennsylvania. I agree with those that say again mostly the wrong people won in each hotly contested primacy race in either party. But perhaps it's inevitable that the shallowest people will have the best sounding short sound bites.


Jimmy Carter was a honest mediator in the middle east. Now Germany has taken over that role. Russia and China,which I would have never guessed three years ago have temporarily taken the role as world peacemaker to the point that every time North Korea does something wrong the US urges China to do something about it.


When the US sparred with the Soviet Union Condoleezza Rice took Soviet studies in college, others took Russian if they wanted a job in foreign policy. Today how can the US possible do anything intelligent in Afghanistan and the Muslim world in general without a lot of college scholarships for Arabic and Middle East studies preparing for it?

The John Birch society who I sparred with at their tent says the US should stop any funding of the UN. What should the US relations with the UN and other international bodies be in the next 10, 20 and 30 years. Ron Paul says get out and it makes far more sense than the others who announce no proposal for dealing with the future outside of this election cycle. The UN would do better without any US funds then a lot of Americans getting involved without paying any attention at all including the US peace movement that has gotten fixated on the idea of setting a future definite date for ending a war with out even thinking when that ever ended a past war. I got a few suggestions like one year autonomy for Kabul with Turkish peacekeepers at the city borders to allow anger to cool a little and start the Taliban arguing with themselves instead of just Kabul. But such ideas require thought not the sound bite statements of fund raising letters that peace groups send out consist of sound bites not thought.


The UN for a change is finally trying really to make peace or slow the war in Syria. The US can do its part by keeping its money here at home and stop funding the rebels which inevitably includes al Qaeda in defiance of the UN. If Ron Paul would squawk about funding the rebels and al Qaeda as much as he does Iran we would be as big a peacemaker there as he is with Iran.


However I am sure there could be better proposals on how the US should deal with the future than Ron Paul's if anyone ever made any outside of the election cycles don't say too much perimeters.


Everyone, stop finding devils to blame for all our problem, take Paul's example of hating the federal banking system without hating any of the individuals involved.

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Ron Paul was once the Libertarian candidate for President. The primary fight in l988 was over abortion, despite Ron Paul's dread that was the deciding issue for Libertarians to argue about. I'm sure he wouldn't want to bring up tension within Third Party politics again. See Wikipedia Libertarian perspectives on abortion. Ron Paul doesn't like Federal encroachment even when it comes to the FBI telling local police what to do, or with Federal abortion legislation. But he doesn't abortion distracted from the local power vs big government issue. The two party system is too entrenched to be broken except with overwhelming effort. Perhaps several third party can have the same Vice-President candidate, The Presidential candidate pro and the Vice Presidential candidate anti. Paul would not even have to campaign just not take steps to keep himself off the ballot.

Another I think do-able scenario is a rebellion in both political parties, where the delegates rebel and the Republicans choose Ron Paul for Vice-President and the Democrats despite Obama's pleading, drop Biden for Vice-President picking instead the Mayor of Newark, so instead of two dish rags on the ticket, one milk-toast and one Rambo type politician. Ron Paul has a way of accomplishing change just by not compromising what he preaches.

By Richard Kane