Nevadans for Ron Paul 2008 |
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July 6th and 7th, 2007 |
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Dr. Ron Paul About Us Links Files |
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The Airport: It was eleven o'clock on a Friday night in Sin City. Dr. Ron Paul, the champion of freedom and the U.S. Constitution, was set to arrive that night at McCarran International Airport. The city was still hot after dark - over 100 degrees - and the air was full of smog and the constant roar of traffic. McCarran International was humming with activity; people of all shapes and sizes and descriptions were rushing into the cool, busy, airport, or out into the hot, dark night. In the middle of this welter of commotion, a small group of people assembled by the information desk in between the baggage claims. Determined, excited, intense people, with signs and T-shirts and buttons that showed they were the vanguard of Ron Paul supporters in Las Vegas. The group was led up to the main security gate, where they stood and waited, quietly discussing among themselves as passerby in the airport stared at their signs and shirts. The crowd gradually grew, and still they waited. Suddenly someone yelled. "There he is!" And the band of supporters moved en masse to greet the slight, gray-haired man who had come through the gates and was now looking at them, surprised and pleased. A kindly smile stretched across his face as he shook hands and spoke in his quiet way to these dedicated supporters. After a few minutes of discussion, handshaking, and picture-taking, Dr. Paul had to be on his way. The crowd of supporters erupted into hand-clapping and cheers that soon evolved into a chant of "Ron Paul! Ron Paul! Ron Paul!" Dr. Paul was disappearing down the stairway to the baggage claim but he turned and waved his hand before he was lost to sight.
The Casino: The next day was Saturday, when the sun was blazing hot and the temperatures were worthy of a roaster oven. Ron Paul supporters gathered at the Paris Casino Hotel, an elaborately decorated place that wouldn't convince anybody they were in Paris, despite all the signs in French. The cobblestones on the "Paris" street were linoleum, the pale blue sky was painted on the ceiling, and the hum of the casino floor could be heard even by "Le Boulagerie." It couldn't be anywhere but Vegas. Ron Paul was set to speak in Champagne Room #4. It was a long room, papered with a delicate "French" design wallpaper and floored with the standard busy casino carpet. Rows of chairs were set up facing a small stage at one end of the room that was decorated with flags and bunting. People filtered in and started filling up the chairs and buying T-shirts. As the time ticked closer to two o'clock, the trickle of people became a steady stream and the room filled to overflowing. Three hundred people at least were packed in the room, armed with signs and banners. The Ron Paul Revolution was in full swing, and the crowd noise was a constant hum as they waited. A few speakers got up behind the podium and talked: two of the local Meetup organizers, a local columnist, and Lew Moore, a Ron Paul campaign manager. He had the honor of announcing the New Hampshire Straw Poll results: Ron Paul had won with 65% of the vote. The crowd exploded into a roar that was probably heard to the streets of the "Paris" outside and everywhere in between. Mr. Moore stepped back from the podium with a wide grin on his usually stolid countenance while the Ron Paul supporters jumped to their feet and tried to raise the roof. Then Dr. Paul himself made his appearance. The crowd roared again, and Dr. Paul had the same kindly smile on his face as he told the crowd: "Now that's what I call enthusiasm!" Still smiling, he went on to talk about why his campaign is growing by leaps and bounds; it may be, he said, that "freedom is popular". He also discussed the need to eliminate the federal reserve, his policy of welcoming legal immigrants and eliminating free services for illegals, weaning the country off government welfare (such as Social Security), the importance of private property, and his absolute opposition to government interference in the lives of the American people. The kindly, affable man became very intense and sternly serious behind the podium, leaving no doubt about the sincerity of his words. The crowd responded with numerous rounds of applause and standing ovations. The room was full of an uplifted, enlightened, enthusiastic feeling when Dr. Paul had left the podium. It was as if the Ron Paul supporters were all aware of the unique, special moment that was happening; aware that history was being made. It was a feeling of freedom. It seems that maybe freedom is popular; and the Ron Paul Revolution is spreading that message of freedom across the land.
--J.L. Terhune |
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View Photos and Video from these events |
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