Two Republican Conventions in 2008: An Eyewitness Contrast

September 4, 2008 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Vetting explained

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Last updated: September 9, 2008

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"At the Xcel center, Coast Guard boats with M-240G machine guns mounted on the front and back were patrolling up and down the Mississippi river (image 4). Police helicopters were constantly heard circling overhead, as they do at a crime scene. ...the Target Center was lined with cheering people enthusiastically waving signs and American flags..." You have probably seen some coverage from inside the two competing Republican conventions in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. If not, here is a short clip with some footage from Congressman Ron Paul's: Ron Paul Rejects 'Fringe' Label, Claims Conservative Mantle. However, have you seen the contrast outdoors? Comparing the Republican Party convention at the Xcel center in Saint Paul with Congressman Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty convention across town at the Target center in Minneapolis, the difference was so drastic that it can easily be summarized in only a few words: Republican Party = War, Government, and Inflation Campaign for Liberty = Peace, Freedom, and Sound Money The two conventions were a complete contrast. They were both full of thousands of cheering supporters, but Ron Paul's convention was paid for and supported entirely with donations and volunteers. The Republican Party convention, on the other hand, was paid for with $50 million dollars in taxpayer money for security, and an additional $16.8 million dollars in government grants for the convention. By the way, the Democratic Party convention received the same government funding of $66 million; as a taxpayer, you paid for both the competing Republican Party and Democratic Party conventions whether you wanted to or not. In total, the government will forcefully take from the American people over $132,000,000.00 dollars, probably through Federal Reserve inflation, to cover the money it gave away to both the Republican and Democratic political parties; in order to keep the American people out of the conventions, while creating propaganda to show them on TV. While the Republican and Democratic political parties are using force, and spending huge amounts of taxpayer money to remain in power, Ron Paul's message of freedom and Campaign for Liberty continues to spread among the people of America by word of mouth and through volunteers and donations. Freedom is popular in America; it doesn't need a sales pitch. Even outside the two convention centers, the difference was like night and day. The Republican Party convention center and about two city blocks in the middle of downtown were blocked off and surrounded by 8-foot-high steel barricade walls manned by Army military police, federal agents and local police to keep the public out ( image 1 ). There were literally thousands of police (news reports state 3,500), in black uniforms, black helmets, black body armor, and armed with riot gear, such as long wooden clubs and zip-ties for handcuffs. The police were surrounding the walls of steel barricade fences placed around the Republican Party convention center and blocking off the convention from the public ( image 2 ). Public school bus loads of Army soldiers in combat fatigues and riot gear were unloaded, staged, and hiding-out behind the Saint Paul cathedral waiting to be deployed. Dozens of city streets were blocked off from public access with barricades and police. Bridges were blocked off with dump trucks parked across the middle of the road -- U.S. flags blowing in the wind ( image 3 ). Near the Xcel center, a half dozen Coast Guard boats with M-240G machine guns mounted on the front and back were patrolling up and down the Mississippi river ( image 4 ). Police helicopters were constantly heard circling overhead, as they do at a crime scene. Camouflaged military Humvees were driving through the city streets and going in and out of the steel barricade fences ( image 5 ). Federal agents were detaining people and searching every single vehicle entering the massive steel gates of the convention area with bomb sniffing dogs. Sirens from police cars were screeching out everywhere throughout the city as they sped around in front of and behind chains of rental vans packed full of police in body armor with their boots and batons hanging out the open side doors. I was getting yelled at and threatened by federal agents in blue uniforms, just for taking pictures, but when I asked if it was illegal to take pictures the agents shrugged and walked away - it was apparent their main intent was to threaten people. Hundreds of people that showed up protesting for peace were being zip-tied, and held in long lines waiting to be processed and hauled away - they were being arrested merely for walking in the 'wrong' area ( image 6 ). The people were being ordered to not walk across imaginary lines, and when they did, they would be thrown to the ground and zip-tied. I was there all day and saw no violent protesting. Incredibly, all the violence was coming from the police. Yet, the next day, the TV and newspapers would repeatedly state the same phrase over and over again -- that windows were broken, tires slashed, and bottles thrown. Those must have been isolated incidents, because I never saw anything like that. Most these people protesting for peace seemed to be Obama supporters, from the concert across the river. They were carrying Obama and Peace signs, and walking along the streets. This was supposed to be a political party convention, yet it truly was like a nightmare I could not wake up from; I was ashamed to be associated with the Republican party doing this and I could not believe I was walking down city streets in America. In contrast, when I went to Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic convention, the Target Center was lined with cheering people enthusiastically waving signs and American flags right in front of the convention center next to the street, even standing out in the rain ( image 7 ). Cars were honking their horns in support as they drove by. There were only a couple of the regular Target center security guards standing outside the doors. No barricades, no towering steel fences blocking off the city streets and buildings, no Army soldiers, no federal agents, no checkpoints with bomb dogs, no police in riot gear, no helicopters, no gun-boats, no barricaded roads, nothing except for excited supporters. It was like stepping into another world. Congressman Ron Paul's convention had people outside waving U.S. flags, the Republican Party convention only had flags displayed inside the building behind glass ( image 8 ). Even those not attending the conventions could see the extreme contrast, merely in driving by both convention centers, but what was being said inside was the most important; Republican Party convention versus Campaign for Liberty convention: 1) War versus Peace 2) Security versus Freedom 3) Deficit Spending versus Sound Money 4) Welfare versus Personal Responsibility 5) Government versus Liberty There was a lot of talk at the Republican Party convention, but unfortunately, that's all it was -- hot air. Ron Paul seems to be one of the very few politicians that always tells the truth and always votes in accordance with the Constitution. During the 2008 elections, many Republicans talked about the greatness of Ronald Reagan, but what they seem to be ignorant of is that Ronald Reagan actually campaigned for Ron Paul. When the Republican Party tries to exclude 20-year Republican Congressmen like Ron Paul, it is proof that the party really has been taken-over and lost it's way. A large billboard downtown seemed to sum up America today, reading, "Truth is treason in the empire of lies." - Preface, The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul ( image 9 ).

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