Brady Wright reports from RNC Minneapolis / Suggests Next Steps for R3publicans

SUMMARY:

1) *What our enemy wants us to do*

2) A preview of McCain's police state

3) Manipulation from the GOP

4) *Lessons Learned from Brothers and Traitors*

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1. WHAT OUR ENEMY WANTS US TO DO
I am putting this part first because I think it is by far the most important thing I will discuss here. After the vile things done to us at the RNC, it is not surprising that many Ron Paul supporters are outraged at the GOP and want to leave it. But let me submit to you that this is exactly what they are hoping we will do. How do I know this? Because I talked to several insiders this past week and they encouraged us to go elsewhere. In one example, I was told by a senior Republican official that they believed the Constitution Party was a better representation of what we believed in. I replied that I agreed 100% with the Constitution Party, but I had grown up a Republican and had been raised believing that the Republican Party stood for those things too and that is why I was here today -- to hold its feet to the fire.

Make no mistake, those who want the things to continue on their current path WANT US GONE. They would love nothing more than to see us join a party where they know we are a non-factor; where we pose no threat to their power. And they would especially love it now that they have seen that we are a major force to be reckoned with! Stop and recall that we were 1/3rd of the vote at the State Convention. One-third!!! We are the single largest unified voting bloc, and they know we pose a major threat to their continued power. If we walk away now, on the other hand, that threat disappears and their power is assured. I, for one, will not let this happen. And why should I? Our state platform calls for repeal of the PATRIOT Act, a return to sound money, etc. Just about the only thing about this party that is out of line with our views are a few of the snakes running it, and they're up for re-election next year. If you forget everything else you read in this e-mail, DON'T FORGET that fact. The bums can be booted out next year and they know it, which is why they're in a hurry to get rid of us by January. Look for them to do more things to try and drive us out of the party between now and then. Don't give them the satisfaction!

2. A preview of McCain's police state
On the way up to Minneapolis, I must admit that I voiced my indecision as to which Presidential candidate would be worse? McCain or Obama. My experiences at the RNC made it QUITE clear for me that McCain would not be better than Obama. Not to say Obama would be any better, but it would be tough to be worse than what I saw of McCain.

I'm sure you have all heard about the raids of private homes, the tear-gassing, the unwarranted arrests, etc. that occurred outside the RNC venue. But what many did not hear about, and what really doesn't come across fully unless you are there to experience it first-hand, is how McCain's hired hands terrorized and intimidated even the RNC DELEGATES! I spoke to a couple of non-Ron Paul supporters who voiced how they were disturbed by the heavy-handedness on display at the convention. Let me relate just a few of my own experiences as well as some of those with me at the convention.

First, I was amazed by the sheer number of McCain's hired thugs. They each wore a colored-coded ballcap (I wonder where they got that idea?) with "McCain" emblazoned on the front, except for one color -- black. The black hats had a white star on the front, and this was a very special designation: the Ron Paul handlers. These were assigned to monitor and handle the Ron Paul people specifically. I don't know about you, but I feel honored. That goes to show just how far we have come as a force in the Party and how afraid they are.

Getting back to the size of this goon force: I estimated that on the floor of the convention alone, there were 150-200 red hats. The red hats were charged with things like spotting troublemakers, starting chants (to overpower anyone saying something "off-message"), and generally keeping things under control and filling in with paid enthusiasm where the rank-and-file left off. Think about that number for a moment -- 150-200. That's almost one for every ten delegates on the floor. And when McCain finally spoke, the floor was flooded with other paid staffers as well to help further bulk up the applause. They also had what I call "morale officers" posted behind the delegations and they would say things like, "come on, Oklahoma, you can do better than that" and then urge them to cheer and clap louder for the speaker. It was a tightly managed production, and what struck me was the lack of confidence McCain must have had in his ability to inspire genuine support from Republicans in attendance to the point he thought he had to have a hired army on the floor to "boost morale" as well as silence opposition.

There were also hired hands with white hats. These were the ones who would deliver signs. You know those homemade-looking signs you saw people holding? Those weren't homemade. They were made by RNC staff and then distributed to those in the audience. One of the most absurd examples I saw was when they handed a "Hispanics McCain" sign down a row with no Hispanics in it. If you saw one of those signs on TV, that most likely wasn't a heart-felt statement from someone of Hispanic descent in the audience, but rather a convention-goer dutifully hefting the message the Powers That Be have ordained for you to see. It was all very deceptive.

Back to the black hats. The black hats, as I said earlier, were intended as Paul-control. Several of our very own Paul delegates were harassed by these thugs. One of ours had some of her McCain-provided signs torn (because they believed she had modified them to promote Ron Paul) and had her belongings ransacked. Another of ours had some of his flyers on REAL ID confiscated summarily. And on another occasion, he was told to submit his bag to be searched by someone without any security credentials. When he refused on the grounds that he had been presented with no security credentials, he was told that his badge was CIA-issued. Our delegate replied that he would not believe that unless someone with actual security credentials could confirm this man's authority to search his bag. Sure enough, a security officer was summoned and confirmed this man's authority. This indicates he may have been telling the truth when he claimed his badge was CIA-issued. If that is true, it is very chilling since the CIA has no domestic authority and it is indeed illegal for them to operate domestically.

Many (if not all) of our Paul-supporting delegates had colored-hatted goons tailing them everywhere they went. One even reported being followed to and from the bathroom. I was not a delegate but was given the opportunity to sit with the alternates, and once they saw I was not standing and cheering when I was supposed to, we had a yellow hat (quick response team) assigned to stand by our row who watched us closely the entire time. In fact, each aisle on the second tier of seating had at least one red hat standing at the bottom looking up at everyone seated there as if to say, "we're watching you". I could feel the hot breath of Big Brother on my neck the entire time. I refused to compromise my integrity by applauding a criminal, but I also knew that made me a target. We knew our every move was being watched, and we could have our belongings confiscated at any time and be thrown out if not arrested.

Some Ron Paul delegates from another state reported that at one point they were surrounded by security, had their personal effects seized including books, flyers, pins and buttons, etc, and when they protested that Ron Paul was just another Republican, they were told, "this is McCain country".

Yes, the police state was on full display not only outside, but also inside the Republican National Convention. If this is the way McCain and his advisors handle possible dissent, by making sure no message can be heard but theirs, and by terrorizing and intimidating anyone who might hold a different opinion, just imagine what this man will do as President.

3. Manipulation from the GOP
The Powers That Be within the GOP were terrified Wednesday night that Ron Paul's name would be mentioned. They were so terrified, in fact, that they pulled every trick in the book to pressure, intimidate, and bribe Ron Paul delegates into voting for McCain. And for those states who went ahead and announced their Ron Paul votes, those votes were not repeated by the chair. In other states who were unable to suppress the Paul vote, they simply did not announce them.

Some mystery individuals even kept asking to borrow the credentials of Ron Paul delegates to go to the bathroom in an attempt to separate them from their credentials and thereby remove them from the floor so they could not vote. In some states they had Senators and Congressmen personally meet with the delegates and promise them grand things if they would change their vote. In others they were told they would be the only ones voting for Ron Paul if they did so, and how they would look ridiculous and be ostracized for "ruining" the otherwise unanimous vote.

This latter tactic was one of those used in the Oklahoma delegation, to no avail I might add with pride. In addition to this tactic, as I mentioned in my earlier e-mail, Chairman Gary Jones had the incredible audacity to attempt to get a hold of Paul Clayton's commanding officer in a bid to twist Clayton's arm to vote for McCain. To his credit, Sen. Inhofe told our unbound delegates that he would rather they vote for Ron Paul than abstain and that he would announce their votes from the floor. This did not happen, of course, because the chair cut off Inhofe's microphone before he could announce the actual numbers. Video evidence reveals that Inhofe did indeed attempt to give the actual vote counts, and when the incorrect count was announced, he raised his voice to correct them that they had given the wrong count but found that his mic had been turned off.

Once those of us in Oklahoma saw what had happened, we rushed downstairs to confront our state party officials to get things corrected. Chairman Gary Jones later held a private meeting at the hotel where the Oklahoma delegation was staying and assured us all that he would issue a press release about the mistake and do his best to set the record straight. None of us believed him as he has lied to us many times before, and to my knowledge, he has still not made good on that promise to this day.

I must, however, thank several of the old guard in the party who genuinely did their best to try to set the record straight by contacting the floor secretary, complaining to officials, and in the case of Sen. Inhofe, issuing a public apology the next morning even though it wasn't actually his fault. Among those who I personally saw express genuine sorrow at the injustice dealt to us were Rep. Sally Kern, outgoing National Committeeman Lynn Windel, and state vice-chair Cheryl Williams to whom special thanks is owed for really sticking up for our rights.

4. Lessons Learned from Brothers and Traitors
As I just pointed out, many of our brethren underwent intense pressure to give in and change their votes. As was evident by the final counts, many of them succumbed. Indeed, even some of the delegates who were BOUND to Ron Paul did not vote for him. On the other hand, many of our brethren stood strong in the face of this intimidation, such as our very own Paul Clayton and Robert Demarest. This was the true test of our mettle. This was where we truly find out which of us is dedicated to the cause and our principles and which will be swayed by the siren song of power, prestige, and most of all, being liked.

On the Sunday before the convention, many of us attended the Real Politics school hosted by the Campaign For Liberty. In this class, we were warned that initially the enemy will attack you and try to make you go away. This is what we are seeing with their "encouragements" to leave the GOP. But for those who they see will not go away, we were taught that they then resort to attempting to turn you into one of them by promising to give you a "seat at the table" in exchange for your compromise. This is what eventually turned several of the RP delegates in other states. They were promised positions on certain committees, they were promised that they would be the "star" of later conventions, and above all, they promised them that they would be liked by their fellow Republicans. In short, they sold out their principles. Oh, I'm sure they all had convinced themselves that they were advancing our cause by trading supposedly unimportant votes for Ron Paul for the promises of positions of influence. But they should have asked themselves, "why are these people so afraid of us voting for Ron Paul?" But I am proud to report that nobody in the Oklahoma delegation gave in.

I did say "Brothers and Traitors", didn't I? While some of our brethren succumbed to the enemy, we also had outright traitors at the convention. The most disturbing example of such a traitor was Lew Moore, one of Ron Paul's highest campaign staffers during the Presidential race. Lew Moore is no longer employed with Ron Paul, but he still had the trust of many Paul supporters and was even featured on a conference call with RP delegates. Many at the convention noticed Lew Moore wearing a McCain pin on his jacket, and he even admitted that he was in the pay of the RNC to be a "liason" to Ron Paul supporters. Of course, his real mission was to keep us quiet at the convention. In short, he was the RP handler of the RNC. I am once again honored to be able to report to you that Mr. Moore spent most of his time standing behind the Oklahoma delegation. They knew Oklahoma would not be brought to heel! We will not give up, we will not go away, we can not be bought, and we are here to stay!

The lesson we must learn from all of this is that there are basically three ways to respond to our enemy, and two of them lead to our defeat:

1. Some RP delegates believed the lie, gave in, and voted for McCain in the hope that they would be better liked and gain more influence in the future.
2. Some RP delegates, being frustrated with the party and wanting to wash their hands of things walked off the floor, thereby allowing their alternate to take their place who then voted for McCain.
3. The rest of the RP delegates stayed, stood their ground, and voted for Ron Paul or abstained.

The Powers That Be were pleased with the outcome of both #1 and #2. It was #3 that infuriated them. This is why we must neither give in by compromising our principles, nor give in by leaving altogether. Victory will only be had if we continue to fight and refuse to leave. And in the case of Oklahoma, we are very close to total victory. Remember that this coming January when the precinct meetings are held.

A confirmation from one of the delegates attending the RNC:

Hello all,

I second Brady's comment that the RNC was truly afraid of us and that which we stand for. They were so afraid of us that they did special searches of people that they identified as Ron Paul supporters. I had two extra search attempts made on me. I refused to submit until I was threatened with removal from the convention. All outside signs and literature was prohibited. They provided all signs, instructions when and how to use them, and would also start chants and cheering. It was a very repressive and evil environment. I felt it the first evening, and several other Ron Paul delegates also made the same comment to me without any prompting. It was a tremendous contrast to the joyful and exciting feelings I felt at the Ron Paul events and the Rally for the Republic. As a result of the evil actions by Gary Jones (our State Republican Chairman), I have made a commitment to be fully committed to changing the Republican Party. I urge you to do so also. We have a great opportunity to do that and with the help of all the other people across the nation, we can save our country from the likes of John McCain and Gary Jones.

It seems to me that we should hold a debriefing meeting for the people that were not able to attend the convention and Rally. There are lots of videos, pictures, and experiences to share. I look forward to participating in such an event.

Thomas Kiene