Jack Hunter: 5 votes against John Boehner

I want to quickly share some news about a few YAL PAC-endorsed candidates from this past week.

As you may have already heard, this past Thursday Congress voted to reinstate Rep. John Boehner as Speaker of the House. Only Twelve House Republicans voted against Rep. Boehner—a vote that takes real guts.

And of those twelve, five were YAL PAC-endorsed candidates (and four more were strongly considered for an endorsement). These five constitutionalists were:

    Rep. Justin Amash (MI)

    Rep. Walter Jones (NC)

    Rep. Raul Labrador (ID)

    Rep. Thomas Massie (KY)

    Rep. Ted Yoho (FL)

Although we didn't have the votes to unseat Rep. Boehner, the good news is we are finally building a coalition in the House that is not afraid to stand up to leadership and vote on principle. For decades, we only had Ron Paul, but now our numbers are growing.

The bad news is the Republican Establishment will not forget these "traitors." No doubt there will be political consequences down the road. For example, even before this vote, Rep. Amash was removed from his committee assignment by Rep. Boehner and his cronies because he didn't vote "with the team" enough.

Ultimately, this is why it's important you and I remain engaged and support these candidates when it comes time for re-election. Not only will they need to defeat a Democratic opponent, but they will face opposition by their own party's entrenched establishment. And you and I know special interest money will not be on their side.

For now, keep an eye out for these constitutionalists in the news, and the YAL PAC will continue to stand on principle—and keep you informed.

For liberty,

Jack Hunter

YAL PAC

Advisory Board Member

Ron Paul, Conservatives and the War on Drugs

I’ve often argued that for every supposedly “controversial” position Ron Paul holds amongst Republicans, you can find some of the most iconic names in the conservative movement agreeing with Dr. Paul on these issues. Russell Kirk (the man most responsible for “conservative” becoming a popular term) agreed with Ron Paul on foreign policy and even concepts like “blowback.” Jack Kemp and Robert Novak were both opposed to the Iraq War from the beginning, just as Paul was. It’s no secret that Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul share very similar foreign policy views. Toward the end of his life, Buckley was essentially calling Bush’s foreign policy liberal. Today, George Will is perhaps as fierce a critic of our mindless ongoing presence in Afghanistan as Paul.

Foreign policy is an issue many conventional conservatives have taken issue with Ron Paul on, despite the fact that some of conservatism’s most famous figures have agreed with Paul on the issue.

The same is true of the War on Drugs.

Ron Paul is right when he says that the federal War on Drugs has been an abysmal failure. William F. Buckley and National Review were right when they said the same thing in 1996. Milton Friedman was right when he said the same thing in 1972 when President Nixon created the federal War on Drugs.

Despite having some major conservative intellectual backup on this issue, changing conservatives’ minds about it will likely not happen overnight. As Dr. Paul said about raising awareness about the Federal Reserve issue yesterday “I’d like to say that we’re on the verge of total victory — we’re not. We’re on an incremental victory” the same will be true of progress made on failed federal drug prohibition.

Reports The Hill today:

A bipartisan group of House members has proposed legislation that would make it easier for people to defend themselves in federal cases for possessing marijuana, if they can show that they are using marijuana for medical purposes in line with relevant state laws.

The Hill headline emphasizes that this legislation was co-sponsored by Ron Paul and Barney Frank. No surprise there. The more significant part of the story is Paul’s Republican co-sponsors:

Other Republicans on the bill are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and Justin Amash (R-Mich.).

Amash and Rohrabacher are not moderate Republicans, but strong conservatives. True, this is only three conservative Republicans promoting a bill that merely protects medical marijuana patients. But it is three more (or at least two more) Republicans than you would have seen taking such a stance before Ron Paul became a household name.

Recent polls have shown that more Americans than ever are fed up with the failed War on Drugs, with 18-29 years olds comprising the most irritated portion of the populace. These are the same young people who now flock to Ron Paul and his message.

I see an opportunity in the years to come for more conservatives to take a stand on what will increasingly become the winning side of this battle–ending the federal War on Drugs, standing up for states’ rights on substance laws, and getting rid of what is essentially modern day Prohibition.

Ron Paul will be leaving Congress at the end of this term. But on this issue, as will be the case with so many other issues, many Americans–including conservative Republicans–will look back knowing that Ron Paul was right.

Source: Paulitical Ticker with Jack Hunter

IT’S NOT OVER, DAMMIT! Rand Paul, Ron Paul, and the Future of the Liberty Movement

This is what’s happening and these are the things we need to do to keep the movement alive

Are you freaking out because Ron Paul won’t win the nomination, or because Rand endorsed Romney?  You need not do so.

FOR THOSE OF US in the greater liberty movement there was always a Plan A and Plan B; Plan A involved Congressman Ron Paul winning the Presidency of the United States in 2012 and rapidly implementing libertarian-style changes in government. Plan B entertained the idea of the establishment doing everything in its power to sabotage his candidacy and we his followers, resulting in our tireless activism and campaigning at all levels of government and civil society for ten or more years until government is in compliance with the Constitution.

This video explains what needs to happen for the liberty movement to CONTINUE.

PLEASE LIKE, COMMENT, AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Ron Paul Fights Indefinite Detention

Lest we forget that despite still running for president (Something this story gets wrong. Seriously, how are they going to spin this once we get to Tampa?), Ron Paul is still fighting for our constitutional freedoms on Capitol Hill. Reports National Journal:

Rep. Ron Paul has joined the next battle over terrorism-detainee rules.

The Texan made a surprise appearance at a House press conference in support of a bipartisan amendment to the defense authorization bill, which hits the House floor today, that would ban indefinite and military detention of anyone captured on U.S. soil, regardless of citizenship.

“I do not believe a republic can exist if you permit the military to arrest American citizens and put them in secret prisons and be denied a trial,” Paul argued.

The amendment, cosponsored by House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., with the support of Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., promises to reopen the decade-long debate over whether to prosecute terrorism suspects in federal civil courts or within the military…

Paul, with just a bit less fire than he showed in this year’s presidential debates, asserted that if 9/11 planner Khalid Sheik Mohammed had been tried the same way the World Trade Center bombing terrorists were tried in 1994, he could have received a death-penalty conviction “10 years ago.”

“The system works; we should not be so intimidated,” Paul said. “This cannot stand.”

The good news is a federal judge in New York has ruled this to be unconstitutional. The bad news is most of the people on Capitol Hill don’t care one wit about the Constitution.

Source: Paulitical Ticker with Jack Hunter

One-Day Passes to LPAC Now Available

Less than one week remains until the start of the first-ever Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC)!

If you’ve already purchased a ticket to hear LPAC’s three days of powerful speeches and attend our second-to-none grassroots activism training, we look forward to seeing you there!

But if you haven’t reserved your spot just yet and are planning to come, I hope you will visit www.LPAC2011.com to sign up today.

Time is running out, and I don’t want you to miss what is guaranteed to be a tremendous and inspiring weekend.

LPAC will take place from September 15-17 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, and tickets to all three days of activities are $109.  Students pay only $35 for access to the entire Conference.

For those who are only able to make it on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, we’re offering one-day passes so can you still enjoy the Conference as your schedule permits.

In addition to our center stage events, LPAC will play host to several breakout sessions and receptions, where you can meet and talk to many of our speakers.

These include a Civil Liberties private briefing with The American Conservative senior editor Daniel McCarthy, an Economic Liberty private briefing with Austrian economist Walter Block, and a Jefferson Reception with Congressman Ron Paul and Senator Rand Paul.

Tickets are available separately for these and all our other breakout sessions.

Congressman Ron Paul, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Mike Lee, Congressman Justin Amash, Jack Hunter, Jerry Doyle, Mike Church, Dudley Brown, and many more will join us for LPAC’s activities.

I hope we can look forward to seeing you there, too!

In Liberty,

Matt Hawes

Vice President

P.S. Don’t miss out!  LPAC is less than one week away, so if you haven’t yet purchased your ticket and are planning to attend, please reserve your spot at www.LPAC2011.com today.

Ron Paul: Join Me at LPAC

Dear Zach,

I’m excited about the upcoming Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC), and I hope you’ll join me in Reno, Nevada, for this special event.

From September 15-17, hundreds of grassroots activists will gather at the Grand Sierra Resort for three days of educational speeches and vital activism training.

My campaign is cosponsoring the Conference, so in addition to the regular LPAC activities, we’ll host several events of our own.

On Friday, September 16, I would love to meet you at an exclusive luncheon taking place at noon.  Tickets are very limited, so click here for more information if you are interested in attending.  Every dollar raised at this luncheon will go toward further strengthening our top-tier campaign.

At 7:30 pm on Friday, I’ll speak on the main Conference stage.  To attend this event, you must buy an LPAC ticket.

Tickets to all three days of LPAC are $109.  Students can purchase theirs for $35.  You can also buy a “one-day pass” if you will only be able to attend the Conference on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

After the Conference closes on Saturday afternoon, my campaign will host a free party, featuring guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.

But the events don’t stop there!

Already, many in Nevada are working very hard to ensure our victory, so I hope you’ll join my campaign at the Grand Sierra Resort for a barbeque on Sunday, September 18, as we prepare to spread our message and win the Silver State.

LPAC 2011 will offer many tremendous opportunities for you to learn more about key issues, be equipped with the tools you need to advance liberty in your own backyard, and network with others who are ready to reclaim their freedoms.

Other Conference speakers include my son, Senator Rand Paul, Congressman Justin Amash, and Senator Mike Lee.

For more information, visit www.LPAC2011.com today.

I hope to see you in Reno for the first-ever Liberty Political Action Conference!

For Liberty,

Ron Paul

P.S. LPAC 2011 is just around the corner, and I’m looking forward to a great time with others who love liberty.

If you haven’t yet purchased your ticket, don’t wait any longer!

Visit www.LPAC2011.com today and register for the Liberty Political Action Conference.