Could the supporters of Ron Paul give birth to a much larger movement?

This is not a news blog, though this is a musing that should be shared with the blagosphere.

I've done what I can to spread the word about Ron Paul in Ithaca, NY. I've written his website on dollar bills, made fliers, espoused his view to friends, but despite what I've done, it may not be enough. Despite all of our collective effort to support the Ron Paul campaign and spread the message, his nomination chances are slim.

...but what if he wins the nomination? Better yet, what if he actually becomes the 44th President of the United States?

Well that won't be worth much at all! The media has already proven that they show no interest in giving Ron Paul the time of day. Is their opinion magically going to change when he enters office? Even worse, Republicans and Democrats will both work tirelessly in Congress to make his life hell, he would represent the first major challenge to the two-party system in over a century. Any measure he wants to implement he will try to do it lawfully, through a hostile Congress, with a media in opposition to his leadership. Good Luck changing the status quo. I wouldn't put it past that Congress to attempt an impeachment measure... if they could find anything on a man famous for his honesty.

If we are going to change the direction of government, we can't sit here and focus on the Executive branch exclusively... after all, there is supposed to be a balance of powers... right? Look at these statistics on Meetup.com, this is representative of the army of followers that Ron Paul has amassed. Look at the straw poll results nationwide, something is fomenting in America. Change can happen and it can happen in the 111th Congress.

I call on all Ron Paul supporters to take this energy and invest it in your local government and the Congress. Find out who your Congressman is... honestly, do you know? Find a Constitutionalist or Libertarian candidate to support now, and use the grassroots base already brought together by Ron Paul to your advantage. Can't find a candidate? You're smart enough, why don't you run? After all, your country needs you!

So what is the best outcome for all of us in the 2008 Election? A legitimate presence of a third party element that can make a real difference in the 111th Congress... and Ron Paul being the 44th U.S. President would be nice too.

Great Conversations, Part II

There was a kegger at my house on Saturday, there were people there I've never met before, and will never see again. Kegs attract people with up to 5 degrees of separation from you. Here is a wonderful snippet of a conversation with one of those people.

Anonymous Blonde: "I just think that Billy Joel is the music of the world."
Me: "Wow. Interesting. What other kinds of music do you like?"
Anonymous Blonde: "Fall Out Boy"
Me: "... who are you and why are you here?"
Anonymous Blonde: "I'm Steve's friend"
Me: "Who's Steve?"

Great Conversations, Part I

Friday had a huge gathering of alumni on campus. I was there to audition for a film, or at least I thought it was an audition... turned out that I already had the part. Since I'm a born scavenger, I wanted to see what free food I could score from the get-together upstairs. After all, Ithaca is constantly trying to shakedown alumni for money, and they have to treat them to something in return. In this case it was a wet bar.

Me: "Hi, I'll have a double whiskey on the rocks."
Bartender: "Are you 21?"
Me: "Oh god... I don't want to have to go through this, can I just get my drink?"
Bartender (Humored but on the precipice of anger): "Seriously, I need to see your ID."
Me: "I don't have an ID! The government won't give one to a 97 year old anomaly..."
Bartender: "Oh come on..."
Me: "You know I'm so sick of this shit. I'm class of '31. When I was young my mother dipped me in the river Styx by my ankle and now I've ceased to age. The government has refuses to acknowledge my existence since 1961, because I raise too many scientific, religious, and mythical questions..."
Bartender: "..."
Me: "Whatever, fine..."

I think if I actually walked away with a drink I would have been less satisfied.

I made somebody cry.

So last Saturday I threw a party. It began with Vince Guaraldi Trio, Spinach Dip, and candlelight. It ended with a stripper and Marilyn Manson. Go figure.

Many things happened, but despite the free lap dance, my favorite part of the night was making someone cry. A few fellows came by our house earlier that day to invite us to a party. We extended the same offer to them. Well, two of them showed around three in the morning. Somehow the conversation turned to the topic of America, and if you don't know what you are talking about, don't talk to me.

Well, his argument boiled down to this: You don't understand. Bad things are happening, you don't understand. America. Bad things. In America. Things.

It was banal, without substance, and uninformed. I tried to debate him, but he kept interrupting with empty verbal strands. I started pushing him around for some reason, and would have slapped him up if my house mate didn't stop me. Eventually I realized he was crying, I called him a little bitch.

His final words? I don't understand, man. Cue whimper and storm out. Maybe he was too drunk, but that's no excuse, I drink more whiskey than water.