Draft Fred!

[towerclimber37]

hey folks...visit this board..sign in and post your support!
http://draftfredthompson.com/index.php

let people know that you want him for president!!

Gen. George Washington once said the words "So help me God" when he was inaugurated, at the end of his acceptance speech.
He believed that the burden of running this country was so important and so heavy..that it was enough to swear an oath in front of God himself that he would carry it out.
we need that now more than ever.
this is the man! This is the time!


(http://draftfredthompson.com/index.php)

[Steelharp]

His middle name is Dalton, right? I'm a member of the "Dalton Gang," for SURE!

[TNFlyer]

Just saw it on News2 Fred is running!! Woo Hoo!!

[molonlabetn]

Just saw it on News2 Fred is running!! Woo Hoo!!

Best News I've Heard All Week! :up:

[Phantom6]

Saddle up boys and girls. The "Dalton Gang" is riding.

[saintsfanbrian]

Fox News and the AP has it that he will offically announce his plans to run after the Independence Day holiday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,276387,00.html


And this http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/ap-fred-thompson-to-take-step-toward-formal-candidacy-next-week/98431.htm from News2.

Still taking preliminary steps to run for President, though I am still interested in this Ron Paul fellow to a degree.

[Len]

Anyone catch Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) on The Daily Show last night? John Stewart loved the guy. As did I. I am probably (and with great pride) the most liberal member of TGO, and I could not find one word of Rep. Paul to disagree with. In a crowded and somewhat tepid GOP presidential field, he stands out as a man of principle and conviction, IMHO.

Here is his website, if anyone is interested: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

[The Rabbi]

Ron Paul is totally unelectable. I wouldnt vote for him, and I'm a staunch Republican since 1980. His stance on Iraq wont make him many friends inside the party.

[Punisher84]

Fred is my man! Finally a candidate to actually vote for.

[Hyaloid]

Anyone catch Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) on The Daily Show last night? John Stewart loved the guy. As did I. I am probably (and with great pride) the most liberal member of TGO, and I could not find one word of Rep. Paul to disagree with. In a crowded and somewhat tepid GOP presidential field, he stands out as a man of principle and conviction, IMHO.

Here is his website, if anyone is interested: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

While I respect Mr. Paul, he stands a snowball's chance. Dream ticket for me? Thompson - Paul '08!

Paul is wacky on the war, but so are many of those congress critters. His shoot straight mentality and strong support of Constutional views overcomes his shortcomings on the war.

[Phantom6]

Here is the website that they put up today- http://www.imwithfred.com/ (http://www.imwithfred.com/)
It is agonizingly slow in opening most likely due to the amount of traffic to the site. You can sign up to be a frind of Fred and receive email reports, make a donation and will soon be able to follow and communicate with the campaign.

I'm with Fred!:up:

[Len]

Never said he was. The best ones rarely are.

Still figuring out who to support myself. The primaries offer a chance to vote principle, but I don't know enough yet to make a smart choice. In the general elections, I often end up holding my nose and pulling the lever for the lesser of unpalatable choices.

Ron Paul is totally unelectable. I wouldnt vote for him, and I'm a staunch Republican since 1980. His stance on Iraq wont make him many friends inside the party.

[Ghostrider]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq_7251dqc8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmypetjawa%2Emu%2Enu%2F

[The Rabbi]

Yup.
Sort of doubt Ron Paul endorses that kind of thing. But you are known by the company you keep.

[Marswolf]

Fred isn't perfect either but he's far better than any other viable candidate running.

[Len]

Ron Paul was on the Colbert Report last night -I guess he's making the rounds of the talk shows. Advocated abolition of every govt. agency Colbert listed. He's really a libertarian, but its such a pain in the butt to get on the ballot in many states as anything but (R) or (D).
I'm still undecided on what level to pull come February and November. Sort of hoping for some juicy scandals to cull the herd and make the choice simpler...

[Marswolf]

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/videos/2007-06-13-colbert-report/

I can't say I really disagree with him, but he has as much chance of being elected President as one of my dogs.

Hey Len, you are a Democrat. Aren't you suppose to be for bigger government?

[Len]

Hey Len, you are a Democrat. Aren't you suppose to be for bigger government?
Nah, the Republicans seem to have the big-govt thing down pretty good lately. :)

I, and the Dem party, think most govt agencies out there serve a useful purpose (or did at one time) and the disadvatages of an immense beuracracy are counter-balanced by the advantages. Or at least we hope that...

In an ideal world, I really see the appeal of a Ron Paul/Libertarian approach, but we live far from an ideal world, and the word and its myriad of issues is so complex that I think Libertarianism would create bigger problems than it solves. And of course, you are right. Paul isn't going anywhere.

Push comes to shove, I'm a pretty moderate person, except when it comes to the so-called "social issues," where I lean hard left. Am I a pure Democrat? No. But am I closer to that ideal than what the GOP offers? I'd have to say yes. Back home (NY/NJ) the GOP was much more appealing to me. Up there, they were all small-govt, low-taxers with moderate social views. You could find Republicans who support gay rights arguing that "big govt has no business in the bedroom." In TN, that's a Democratic argument. Go figure. Anyway, I think I've digressed plenty. And I really should get my butt to work. Young minds to corrupt and all that...

[Marswolf]

Nah, the Republicans seem to have the big-govt thing down pretty good lately. :)

Boy, that's the truth. That's a major reason why the Democrats are now in control of Congress. Republicans forgot their contract with America once they took charge.

You and I are alike on some things and absolutely opposite on others. I consider myself to be an independent. I agree with Russell that creeds - no matter what kind - degrade intelligence.

I think that government is best which governs least. That means it stays out of "social issues" and also out of your bedroom and medical research.

Basically, I'm very pro-freedom. That translates to anti-security underwritten by government. I'd eliminate Social Security, Medicare, Welfare and a bunch of other stuff. Want to kill yourself with drugs? Sooner the better! None of my business....

Want entitlements? You are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's about it.

It would be easy to become the grumpy old man sitting on the porch and bitter about how the younger generations are going to hell. Fortunately I have a realistic streak that understands that most people of any age are lazy butts who want something for nothing and are willing to give up freedom for security. I just have to live with it. It doesn't make me mad, just sad. They never seem to understand that they aren't getting something for nothing. Most people pay for it throughout their life and they are too dumb to realize it. They grumble about high taxes, but vote for people who will impose them. I'm at an age when not too far down the line I'll get to sponge off of your tax dollar. Yippee!!!!

[Len]

I agree with Russell that creeds - no matter what kind - degrade intelligence.
Smart guy, that Russell...
:up:

[Hyaloid]

It's funny how many people that think alike on so many issues, can bedescribed by so many differrent labels. For instance, my wife and I agree on many core social beliefs. I jokingly refer to myself as a liberal conservative, and she as a conservative liberal.

The bottom line is, the GOP has screwed the pooch, and squandered the goodwill of the people who elected them to office by pandering to special interests and vote getting. Our current President has not met a spending bill he didn't like, and this current attempt at passing "comprehensive" immigration reform (what some refer to as "Hispandering") to help the GOP secure the vote of the Hispanic populace, and deflect attention from his monumental failures in Iraq, is simply nauseating.

The President has, as the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces, the DUTY to protect the borders of our soverign nation. Compassionate conservatism be damned.

Ummm... sorry for that rant... got carried away. What was my point again?

Oh yes, we are all the same, only different... or something like that.

[towerclimber37]

Ron Paul was on the Colbert Report last night -I guess he's making the rounds of the talk shows. Advocated abolition of every govt. agency Colbert listed. He's really a libertarian, but its such a pain in the butt to get on the ballot in many states as anything but (R) or (D).



I Agree with that Len. The DNC and GOP has a stranglehold on the politics of washington..they've been vested in big money and lobbyists for so long that it would be hard to unseat them.

BUT! with what Bush is doing on the Immigration reform (selling the same old lies they did back in 86) as well as the Democrats speaking out publicly in a more and more socialist fashion, I'm hoping we can pull something off before long to revive that independent streak that America has.

Long before money was involved in the governance of the country, George Washington had to borrow money so he could make it to a caucus.
we need that sort of dedication once more in America. Ron Paul IS the best candidate..but would he get the vote? no. sadly.

so we have to go with who'll be the most realistic and best choice without compromising our values.

Hopefully Fred will be the man!

[The Rabbi]

I have been a Reagan Republican since Reagan. I'd consider myself pretty conservative.
And I wouldn't vote for Ron Paul if the other choice was Hillary.
Fortunately he doesn't a ghosts chance so its OK.

[towerclimber37]

well Rabbi, I guess thats why you still believe the govt. on immigration issues.

Reagan lied to us on THAT one...or else his predecessors decided to nullify his promise to the people..either way we got the crappy end of the stick

[The Rabbi]

I didnt realize "the government" had a view of immigration issues. What is that view? How do you know it is the "gov'ts view"?

No, my view is the view of freedom: there should be free movement of labor and capital across state lines.

Do you have a problem with freedom??

[towerclimber37]

I didnt realize "the government" had a view of immigration issues. What is that view? How do you know it is the "gov'ts view"?

No, my view is the view of freedom: there should be free movement of labor and capital across state lines.

Do you have a problem with freedom??

nope..not at all..I DO have a problem with doing away with the borders. I also have a beef with being lied to by the government concerning immigration problems. And to answer your question about the governments view...we voted to pardon and naturalize the illegal immigrants back in '86 with a promise that our borders would be strengthened and illegal immigration would be controlled..that didn't happen.
I'd say that their VIEW was pretty clear! lie to the folks and get away with what you can.

Your idea of freedom smacks of socialism.

[Mike.357]

This country is so caught up in political correctness that I doubt it will ever straighten itself out. Immigration laws are a joke. How about watering stations along the border, (on our side) so the illegals do not expire from thirst? What a load of crap. Armed guards with lots of ammo and permission to engage would be a better solution. Our gov't makes it easy for illegals to enter.

When illegals are caught they may or may not be thrown out, lots of gray area on what happens. How about the recent case where a rapist was arrested and tens of other illegal immagrants were caught in the raid. Now those illegals are suing over their rights being violated. Many attorneys have commented that the illegals have a solid case and stand to win thousands of dollars in this civil case.

I am not sold on Fred just yet, he has some issues to address for me to support him. Some of his past voting records need to be explained. But I do believe that positions can change and what a person did years ago does not mean they still feel that way today. Who has not ever changed their mind?

More to the point a candidate's personal views should mean squat. An elected official is elected to represent their constituents. The views of the constituents are what should be reflected by the voting record of those elected to office. That is why is it imperative that we all correspond with our representatives, we must let our feeling be known!

[Len]

Well said.

I am not sold on Fred just yet, he has some issues to address for me to support him. Some of his past voting records need to be explained. But I do believe that positions can change and what a person did years ago does not mean they still feel that way today. Who has not ever changed their mind?

More to the point a candidate's personal views should mean squat. An elected official is elected to represent their constituents. The views of the constituents are what should be reflected by the voting record of those elected to office. That is why is it imperative that we all correspond with our representatives, we must let our feeling be known!

[Marswolf]

The way I look at Fred, he isn't exactly what I want, but he is so much better than every other choice running right now I'd have to vote for him.

What we really need to do is elect representatives that actually represent our views. Or at least they need to represent my views. I really don't care about your views. :D

[The Rabbi]

nope..not at all..I DO have a problem with doing away with the borders. I also have a beef with being lied to by the government concerning immigration problems. And to answer your question about the governments view...we voted to pardon and naturalize the illegal immigrants back in '86 with a promise that our borders would be strengthened and illegal immigration would be controlled..that didn't happen.
I'd say that their VIEW was pretty clear! lie to the folks and get away with what you can.

Your idea of freedom smacks of socialism.

So "the government" of today is identical to "the government" of 1986??
Yes, the bill passed in 1986 was a dreadful failure. It promised stronger enforcement with sanctions against employers. No it didnt work.

So why does anyone think doing more of the same is going to work?? It won't. Because it isnt an enforcement problem, it is an economic problem.

As for socialism, telling business whom they can and cannot hire sounds more like socialism than allowing people to go in search of jobs where they want and allowing employers to hire whomever they want.

But you must come from the Brave New World of politics where government control is freedom and choice is socialism.

btw, I am now behind enemy lines in Baltimore. With people like this voting it is no wonder the whole country hasnt become a socialist workers paradise already. Everyone feels disenfranchised and alienated from gov't, unable to do anythiing but whine for more gov't benefits of one type or another.
Gd bless Tennessee! Run Fred Run.

[towerclimber37]

Rab,

WHAT in the WORLD are you doing that far North??
Maaaan! You didn't lose anything up that way did ya?
and to answer your question, YES the government today is just as corrupt (including and especially the congress) as the government back in 1986...even more so now that the BATF has become the jackbooted thugs that are working to remove every gunshop in America through legal Harrassment, intimidation and in some cases outright murder!

[The Rabbi]

No, no. You claimed implicitly that the gov't was the same, not that it had similar qualities. I am still questioning that.
As for what I am doing here, family obligations. We all got 'em.

As for BATFE, while they have some agents who are morons and totally ignorant of what their job is, overall they are par for the course. I do not think they have a mission to put all gun dealers out of business. That would be counterproductive since they would be out of a job.

[fury2neon]

As for socialism, telling business whom they can and cannot hire sounds more like socialism than allowing people to go in search of jobs where they want and allowing employers to hire whomever they want.

But you must come from the Brave New World of politics where government control is freedom and choice is socialism.


Amen Rabbi, I think people were miss educated on what socialism is. It began about the time government schools started teaching that the US is a democracy rather than a representative republic. And for those of you who don;t know the difference read anything by Jefferson, Madison, Payne and Adams. They all had very bad things to say about mob rule I mean democracies.

What happened to the US where the people believed government was the problem rather than the solution?

[Mike.357]

As for BATFE, while they have some agents who are morons and totally ignorant of what their job is, overall they are par for the course. I do not think they have a mission to put all gun dealers out of business. That would be counterproductive since they would be out of a job.

Wouldn't they still have liquor and cigarettes to worry about?

[Marswolf]

BATFE is like any other area of LE. Some of their guys are self-important punks and most are just trying to pay their mortgage.

[Mark@Sea]

The Washington Post is running some interesting quotes by Fred Thompson.

On the failed immigration bill in Congress: "No matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it's not going to win any beauty contests. We should scrap this 'comprehensive' immigration bill and the whole debate until the government can show the American people that we have secured the borders -- or at least made great headway."

On efforts to ban legal guns on college campuses after the Virginia Tech shootings: "Many other universities have been swayed by an anti-gun, anti-self defense ideology. I respect their right to hold those views, but I challenge their decision to deny Americans the right to protect themselves on their campuses -- and then proudly advertise that fact to any and all."

On concerns about global warming: "It seems scientists have noticed recently that quite a few planets in our solar system seem to be heating up a bit, including Pluto. This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air-conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle."

On the Palestinian crisis: "Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, N.Y.? What do you think our response would be if Mexican troops for two years had launched daily rocket attacks on San Diego ? and bragged about it? I can tell you, our response would look nothing like Israel's restrained and pinpoint reactions to daily missile attacks from Gaza."

[Mark@Sea]

And this, I stole from another forum - a poster by the name of Cosmoline...


Did you look in the Constitution? Because I'm telling you, federal criminal law and law enforcement are at the core of it. I mean, how could we have a Republic without federal criminal law? It's not like we'd just invent federal criminal law enforcement to impose an insane federal booze law. And if we did, it's not like we'd forget to disband those agencies after that booze law was repealed. And there's no way we'd expand it after the booze law was gone, to fight an imaginary crime wave. And there's absolutely no way it would become the personal mob of a very odd cross-dresser who would use it to blackmail Presidents. There's just no way!

[Phantom6]

The Washington Post is running some interesting quotes by Fred Thompson.

On the failed immigration bill in Congress: "No matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it's not going to win any beauty contests. We should scrap this 'comprehensive' immigration bill and the whole debate until the government can show the American people that we have secured the borders -- or at least made great headway."

On efforts to ban legal guns on college campuses after the Virginia Tech shootings: "Many other universities have been swayed by an anti-gun, anti-self defense ideology. I respect their right to hold those views, but I challenge their decision to deny Americans the right to protect themselves on their campuses -- and then proudly advertise that fact to any and all."

On concerns about global warming: "It seems scientists have noticed recently that quite a few planets in our solar system seem to be heating up a bit, including Pluto. This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air-conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle."

On the Palestinian crisis: "Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, N.Y.? What do you think our response would be if Mexican troops for two years had launched daily rocket attacks on San Diego ? and bragged about it? I can tell you, our response would look nothing like Israel's restrained and pinpoint reactions to daily missile attacks from Gaza."

God Bless Fred.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f303/MicroFx/ImaFredHead_sm.jpg

[towerclimber37]

BATFE is like any other area of LE. Some of their guys are self-important punks and most are just trying to pay their mortgage.
No, BATFE isn't like other areas of law enforcement. I have YET to see another arm of the federal government surround an innocent mans' house, shoot his 12 year old son in the BACK, then shoot his wife through a window while she was holding a tiny baby, killing her, then get on a bullhorn and GLOAT about it. I have YET to see another LE arm that is so corrupt that the national guard pulls out of the operation.

Defend them if you like Mars but when the sum total of what they do destroys more than it helps, they cease to be an asset to the nation, and in my opinion, when they begin to kill people who have done NO HARM to another person simply because they won't cooperate or they don't believe the same as the rest of us, then the blood of the innocent is on the whole organization.
as a whole they share in the triumphs so should they share in the disgrace.

[Marswolf]

Tower, I'll stick by my statement. The BATFE has some people who shouldn't be in their position, but most just want to pay the mortgage. In general, the laws are the problem, not the BATFE personnel, although as mentioned there are some exceptions. Blame the airhead legislators for the bad laws, not the people who enforce them. Reminds me of Vietnam when war protesters blamed the soldiers coming home instead of those who directed the conflict from Washington.

BTW, although ATF started the Ruby Ridge situation with their investigation of a local militia group and entrapped Weaver, they didn't shoot anyone at the site that I can recall. Those were US Marshalls and an FBI sniper.

Did you know that one of the ATF officers who died at Waco was from our area? They have a plaque in the BATFE office in Bristol in his memory. Don't think I'll say more about him on an open board, but as me in person sometime.