Operation Live Free or Die

I am Ron Paul

2008-03-21T15:56:00.001-07:00

Don't give up on the dream!

Super Tuesday is the Valley Forge of the Second American Revolution.

2008-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Victory looks impossible, defeat looks inevitable. Our army is tired, ill equipped, out-manned, out-gunned, undertrained, underfunded, and generally in despair. This is a time of great uncertainty for us. There will be deserters, there will be nay-sayers, there will even be calls for Dr. Paul to give up.

An inspirational statement is the motto of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and comes from Virgil, "Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito!" or "Do not give in to evil, but proceed ever more boldly against it!"

We must NEVER give in! We must NEVER surrender! Defeat is not an option!

If you believe that 'they' are just going to give us our freedom back, or even let us keep the bits that we have, you are wrong! We must regroup, and go forward with a greater tenacity than we have ever known! We must be ever-vigilant, we must never allow the light of Liberty to be extinguished from this nation!

As General John Stark once wrote, "Live Free or Die; Death is not the worst of evils." When given those options, which do you choose?

The war is not over, it has just begun. There are many tough battles ahead, and we will need every one of us in order to win. Texas is March 4th, with 140 delegates at stake, and Pennsylvania (where the Continental Army regrouped at Valley Forge and emerged a force to be reckoned with) is the ONLY contest in April, with 74 delegates available. Most states with a caucus have not held their State Conventions yet, so their delegates are not even decided, contrary to what the media would lead you to believe at a glance! We are still in this!

Time is on our side, and as the other candidates continue to pick each other apart we will continue to bring in new supporters, more money, and storm the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota with so many Ron Paul Delegates they'll never know what hit them!

By Jeremiah Galli

looking ahead

2008-02-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

The results are coming in at first glance it seems discouraging. Im sure all over the world Ron Pauls supporters, their friends and families are saying one of two things: "what the hell happened" and "I told you so" What everyone needs to do is take a deep breath and remember a few things. First off these results are good. Even though it seems as though Ron Paul is coming in last, the popular votes mean NOTHING. Most of these Super Tuesday states are winner take all. What that means is if ONE candidate wins with 51% of the votes then the delegates are legally bound to vote for that winner. If no one candidate takes 51% then it becomes a brokered convention. With there being three virtual "frontrunners" there is no chance of any of the candidates taking that required 51%. Let me repeat THERE IS NO CHANCE OF ANY ONE CANDIDATE TAKING 51%. What does that mean you say? Let me break it down as simply as possible. Take Missouri for example. The Missouri caucuses are March 15th. Over a month away. On March 15th registered voters can show up at their county caucus locations to show their support for their candidate. Because there was no 51% winner then those voters are able to vote for any candidate they want. There is not much of a turnout at these caucuses. Only hard core GOP party members show up for the caucus and those numbers are not high. SO if 100 people show up at my county caucus in webster county, and 75 of us are Ron Paul supporters then we get ALL 15 OF WEBSTER COUNTIES DELEGATES. Same for each county. we can still win this election. All that needs to be done is for each and every Ron Paul supporter to show up at their county caucus. Thats it. JUST SHOW UP. at that point the real election results will be decided. The mainstream media is doing their best at brainwashing americans into believing that John McCain and Hillary are the nominees after tonight BUT THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE!

Ron Paul has a lot of money. He also has a lot of support. BUT its going to take more than money and support. GET on the phone. call your friends, ask them to come to the caucus to vote for YOU as delegate. call the voters in your county, find out which ones voted for ron paul. if those people will show up at the caucus for you then he will win. Or you can sit back and cry and whine that what you did wasn't good enough and watch our country be ruled by neocons for at least 4 more years.

The Revolution Continues!!!

It's not who votes that counts; it's who counts the votes

2008-01-19T18:25:00.002-08:00

Taking Stalin's epigram to heart, I decided to volunteer to oversee the caucus vote in one of Clark County's districts.

The vote was, at least in my district, done in a completely open manner. The Republican party volunteer handling the vote count had people from each campaign sit around a table and directly observe each ballot as it was counted for each precinct. Any discrepancies between counts for each precinct resulted in a recount that everyone was able to observe. We each tallied the precincts to arrive at a final total for the district.

Here are the total votes for my district:

Romney: 184
Paul: 104
McCain: 70
Huckabee: 38
Thompson 34
Giuliani: 31
Hunter: 8

Speaking with other Paul volunteers across Clark county reflected that we had a strong second place in a number of large districts. Based on my observations I'd be very surprised if we don't place second in Nevada.

The Revolution grows stronger every day.

Thank you from New Hampshire!

2008-01-12T12:43:00.001-08:00

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get around to saying thank you. After the celebration at the Marriott, I drove over to the OLFD house party in Rye, NH to thank those folks personally. I left there at 4 AM, and drove to the airport for a flight out to Reno, NV on business. I got a few hours of sleep on the flight, then showed up at a conference and immediately started working with clients all day. I finally got to pass out later that night, then back to the conference in the morning. But I know I am not the only one to have several sleepless nights like this. The dust has finally settled, and I wanted to pass on my deep appreciation to all those involved in the Ron Paul campaign in New Hampshire.

The sacrifices made by folks in NH and around the country have been immense. The sleepless nights, lost pay, financial contributions, quitting jobs, time away from family, etc, etc. These sacrifices have paid off immensely already. We crushed Giuliani in Iowa, and Thompson in New Hampshire. Giuliani spent a ton of money and time in New Hampshire, and could not pull significantly ahead of Dr Paul. We made Fox news look like fools for excluding Dr Paul, and now he is invited to the Fox debates in South Carolina. New Hampshire was only one of many battles for freedom to come. While not the outright victory we hoped it would be, we certainly did some serious damage. The next battle is in South Carolina, where I grew up. And with grassroots support well established across the country, super Tuesday could be very "interesting". You folks in super Tuesday states could really have a huge impact, since voter turnout in those states is usually low, and campaigns are generally not active.

The number of supporters we got in for this is frankly astonishing. We must have had the most supporters of any campaign. On Monday we sent hundreds of folks out across the state to knock on the door of every known supporter. We had 30 people phone banking all day. And then when I walked through downtown Manchester, we had a huge group protesting the Fox Forum!!! Ron Paul supporters were EVERYWHERE. I would estimate that Operation Live Free or Die had up to 300 people at the end, and housed around 500 people total (as some came and left). Then we housed around 100 people with NH volunteers. And these are just the people we know about - I kept bumping into folks that just came up on their own. I think we definitely had 1,000 people in state working for the campaign near the end.

I also want to make sure that we thank the N.H. campaign staff, with whom I got to work very closely. There are so many things that they did behind the scenes that they can never talk about, and will never get credit for.

Tuesday night at the Marriott and then at the house party in Rye, I got to talk to a lot of folks about the future. The overwhelming majority of these folks are committed to continue the fight, not only for Dr. Paul, but for freedom in general. Many of the OLFD folks are headed to Nevada and South Carolina! I hope you will all make the same commitment to continue the fight for Dr. Paul and freedom. Please continue to be a member of our Meetup groups*. More details to come.

Finally, on behalf of everyone in New Hampshire who wants to restore our liberties: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

*Ron Paul's campaign is about more than just the man, it is also the message of freedom and liberty. Now that the NH campaign is over, I urge you to remain a member of your Meetups so we can continue the fight to restore our freedoms. Stay tuned for details coming out in the upcoming weeks and months.

In the meantime there are two organizations that I strongly urge you to join since they have exactly the same purpose that Dr Paul has - to restore our liberties. I am only talking about these two groups, despite the large number of groups to choose from because of how important I think they are.

The first is one that everyone across the country can join - DownsizeDC (http://www.downsizedc.org...). All the special interests have their own lobby groups, but this group's special interest is liberty! Once you sign up, it's only a minute or two a day with a few clicks of the mouse to lobby Congress on a range of issues that most of us would all agree on. If we can get all the folks that have joined the Ron Paul campaign to join, we can have a powerful voice in Congress that can shout down all the special interest groups.

The second is an organization to join if you are in New Hampshire or are considering coming to New Hampshire - the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (http://www.nhliberty.org/). Again, this is a pro-freedom lobby group, like DownsizeDC. However, it also rates candidates based on how they vote for freedom by rating legislation. Even if you are out of state, you may consider checking out the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and trying to duplicate something like it in your state. I know the NHLA would be happy to help with that. These are the folks that got a ban on Real ID passed in New Hampshire! They are VERY effective.

The fight for freedom has just begun!

Jim Forsythe
HQNH Meetup Coordinator

Give Freedom a Chance

2008-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Images (Jay Reiter/MCT) appear in this McClatchy article:

By WILLIAM DOUGLAS - McClatchy Newspapers

MANCHESTER, N.H. - They come from across the country - and the political spectrum - to work in New Hampshire for Rep. Ron Paul, captivated by the philosophy and personality of the man who's become the Republican Pied Piper of the 2008 presidential campaign.

Paul is low in polls here. He's got only modest campaign funds. But his long-shot campaign seems unmatched when it comes to the organization, dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers here, where the first primary will be held on Tuesday.

Perhaps none is more dedicated than Vijay Boyapati. He's the founding father of Operation Live Free or Die, an effort to get 1,000 volunteers to come to New Hampshire and live in youth hostel-like conditions to wave Ron Paul signs along highways, canvas neighborhoods and work phone banks.

Boyapati's organization is independent of Paul's campaign and borrows its name from New Hampshire's motto. Its mission is to lift libertarian Paul to a surprise victory Tuesday - or at least a strong finish.

"I know how important New Hampshire is in the election - it's the first primary and decides who's viable," he said. "If Ron Paul wins New Hampshire, it changes everything. It changes the perception of Paul's viability and the perception of the campaign to more than just an Internet phenomenon."

Boyapati, 29, knows a little something about the Internet. He quit a well-paying software engineering job at Google in Seattle and raised more than $50,000 from 3,000 donors to launch Operation Live Free or Die - online, of course.

"I could have taken a leave of absence, but I want to go all the way to November," he said. "I didn't quit my job to lose."

Most of the cash has gone to renting 10 large houses throughout the state, each sleeping up to 24 volunteers, who are existing on caffeine, junk food and their dream of having a president who will strictly interpret the Constitution, return America to the gold standard and get U.S. troops out of Iraq. What little money's left after paying the rent has gone for supplies.

"I cleared out Wal-Mart," Boyapati said. "I bought every single air mattress in Wal-Mart."

Paul, campaigning in Manchester on Saturday, said he was grateful for Boyapati's effort but mildly shocked that he quit his job and moved cross-country for him.

"When I heard about that, I said `Are you OK?'" Paul said.

Boyapati, an Australian-born Indian who became a U.S. citizen last year, got hooked on Paul after watching a televised debate where Paul stated that terrorists attacked the United States because it's interfering in other countries' affairs.

The comments angered former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who demanded that Paul retract them. Paul refused.

"To say that when you have a crowd baying for your blood, that's a courageous thing," Boyapati said.

In October Boyapati put out an online call for volunteers to come to New Hampshire. Sam Wolanyk, 37, of San Diego, signed up.

"When I got here on Dec. 10, I was supposed to stay only until the 18th but then I saw how intense it was, so I called my wife and said I wanted to stay through the primary," Wolanyk said. "She said come home for Christmas. I got home Christmas Eve and came back the day after Christmas - with her."

Kim Wolanyk, 38, a self-professed liberal Democrat, thought her husband had become a tad obsessed with Paul. But the more she heard her husband talk, and the more she realized how angry she was at congressional Democrats for failing to end the Iraq war or kill the Patriot Act, the better Ron Paul sounded.

Now she's waving signs along highways and living in a group home - and loving it.

"I didn't know there were other people out there who thought like me, I didn't know they felt the way I felt," she said. "Ron Paul - I don't agree with him on everything, but he's a man of integrity."

Boyapati hopes Operation Live Free or Die has a big future.

"When we change everything in New Hampshire, we'll go to South Carolina and Nevada," he said. "This is only the beginning."

Once in a lifetime experience

2008-01-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

After my first full night's sleep after 9 days in New Hampshire with Operation Live Free Or Die, I've had a chance to reflect on this once in a lifetime experience.

I can say quite honestly, that I have never enjoyed a group of people more than the supporters I lived with and volunteered with in New Hampshire. It is a reflection on the quality and intelligence of Ron Paul and his message of liberty, that he attracts such highly thoughtful, fun, clever, and generous people.

The fact that we were all working toward a common goal made the experience that much more meaningful. We are up against true tyranny in this country, but that didn't stop us from turning our struggle into one giant week-long party for liberty.

Thank you, Vijay, for having this vision for OLDF and following through on it to make it happen. You and Trevor (and surely many others) have shown what can be accomplished for this revolutionary movement if we focus and follow through on great ideas.

I feel honored to have been invited to participate and get to know you all. I highly recommend that others join in the upcoming similar efforts in Nevada and elsewhere. We don't get many chances to be in the midst of history in the making.

Diana

We want Liberty, not Bill and Hillary!

2008-01-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

An article in the New York Times describes the fervent Operation Live Free or Die volunteers and how their chanting often drowned out the chants of other groups of supporters.

At the ABC debate I remember each candidate had a group of supporters gathered outside St Anselm College with signs. Ron Paul's supporters made up about 30% of the entire group and at one stage we were next to Hillary's group. While they were chanting "Hillary! Hillary!" our group was chanting "We want Liberty, not Bill and Hillary!"
Of course they were drowned out because our group was three times as big as theirs, but things got really fun when we started chanting "She voted for the War! She voted for the War!" The faces of almost all Hillary's supporters dropped.

Each of them was thinking, oh yeah... she did vote for the war... twice!

Vijay and Mike

2008-01-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

The other day I spoke at the Indian association of New Hampshire alongside Presidential candidate Mike Gravel. I spoke first, for about 20 minutes, then Senator Gravel spoke for about the same time. Each of us took questions from the audience and then I had the chance to ask Mike a question:

"Senator Gravel, firstly I'd like to say it's an honor to sit beside you and listen to your ideas. I also wanted to personally thank you for your role in ending the draft in the 70s. The draft is one of the most immoral attacks on personal freedom that one could imagine.

I became a citizen last year because I believe in the principles on which this Republic was founded, and I believe in the Constitution. You've spoken a lot about democracy, but if you look at the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the word "democracy" is not mentioned a single time. Our nation is a Republic founded to secure the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

The 9th and 10th amendments in the bill of rights emphasize that the power not delegated to the Federal government should go to the states, and to the people. The benefit of having little power at the Federal level, and most power at the local level is that citizens have choice. If a citizen doesn't like the community they're in, they can move immediately and they have a large number of states to choose from. In a democracy, voters have to wait four years, and the choice they're given is typically the lesser of two horrible evils.

So my question is why don't you support returning to the principles on which the country was founded with more freedom and less government?

Also, I wish you well in New Hampshire, but if things don't go well, I invite you to endorse Ron Paul for President. He's a man of integrity, he speaks the truth and he's a tireless defender of the Constitution."

Senator Gravel then spent a few minutes waffling about One World Government, and talking about how state governments are often just as incompetent as the Federal government (totally missing my point about competition between the states, and choice for individuals in each state). He smiled at my request that he endorse Ron, saying he invites Ron to endorse him and that Ron would make a great Secretary of Defense in a Gravel administration.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Ron Paul Supporters Operation Live Free or Die

2008-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Operation Live Free or Die Youtube channel

2008-01-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Did you know about it?

Ron Paul backlash hits Fox

2008-01-06T21:58:00.001-08:00

Fox faced a huge backlash in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire with hundreds of Operation Live Free or Die volunteers and local Ron Paul supporters gathering for a protest. This was a big story which made the top spot in digg within an hour of it going live on the web.

Pictures

2008-01-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

A collection of Operation Live Free or Die Pictures

Snowmen for Ron paul

2008-01-05T22:32:00.001-08:00

The Hampton house built an army of snowmen in Exeter, NH the other night. Enjoy!

The Intersection of Ron Paul and TGI Fridays

2008-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Article in ABC News:

At the busy intersection of Rt. 28 and the Mall of New Hampshire entrance, between roaring six-lane traffic and the glittering retail mecca, the libertarian Republican presidential candidate's eclectic ground soldiers staged a makeshift battleground, waving signs and and playing chicken with the oncoming traffic ... all in the name of the man sometimes known as Dr. No.

...

They risk their lives for us, we give our time and energy for them

2008-01-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

I just flew into New Hampshire late last night, where I was greeted quite warmly by a huge group of Ron Paul supporters, celebrating the New Year at Murphy's Tap Room.

On my flight, I had the pleasure of sitting next to an Army reservist, who was on his way home to visit his wife for 15 days after being in Iraq for 8 months. Then, he goes back for another 4 months. He hopes this is his last tour, but he isn't sure. He had just finished another 12-month tour, when he was sent right back out again. He said there is a limit for the Reserves. You aren't supposed to have to tour for more than 2 years in any 5 year period, but he didn't seem convinced that he wouldn't be called again anyway. He was a very upbeat, kind man. He wanted to start his life, but felt like everything was on hold. "But I guess, in the end, it's worth it, right?"

We chatted for a while and then the discussion turned to the primary. He said he doesn't like to talk about politics but he thinks he will have to vote for a Democrat this time. "I'm not very happy with my Commander-in-Chief," he said. He wants a big change in Washington and he doesn't want the U.S. military jumping from country to country over there trying to fix everything.

I told him I was supporting Ron Paul who will end the war and will definitely bring a huge change to Washington. I know he was more interested in spending time with his wife than researching political candidates, but I hope he looks into Ron Paul.

It seems like no matter who I meet, and no matter who those people are voting for, when I hear what is important to them, it's clear that Ron Paul will deliver the America they are looking for. We just need to keep getting the word out.

Diana

Ron beats Rudy?

2007-12-31T10:56:00.001-08:00

Operation Live Free or Die efforts mentioned in the Wall Street Journal article Ron beats Rudy:

Ron Beats Rudy?
December 29, 2007; Page A10
Wall Street Journal

For several hours on Sunday, more than a dozen Ron Paul volunteers stood in snow drifts in the rain outside the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester waving at last-minute Christmas shoppers and handing out hundreds of yards signs.

The campaign doesn't know how many people participated because, as with so many Paul rallies, this one was organized entirely by fans not officially associated with the campaign.

"We told them to take Christmas Eve and Christmas off, and next thing we know they're doing a sign wave at the mall," said Jim Forsythe, a self-employed engineer and former Air Force pilot from Strafford, N.H., who independently organizes volunteer efforts for Ron Paul.

That spontaneous grassroots support is why Mr. Paul, an obstetrician from Lake Jackson, Texas, could pull off a stunner on Jan. 8 and place third in New Hampshire's Republican primary. If he does, he would embarrass Rudy Giuliani and steal media limelight from John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are battling for first place.

Many Republican operatives in New Hampshire, even those affiliated with other campaigns, think Mr. Paul is headed for an impressive, double-digit performance. That he has been polling in the high single digits for months is discounted, because the polls may be missing the depth of his support.

Why? For starters, he appears to be drawing new voters. Polls that screen for "likely" voters might screen out many Paul supporters who haven't voted often, or at all, before. Many of Mr. Paul's supporters appear to be first-time voters. They will be able to cast their ballots because New Hampshire allows them to register and vote on the day of an election.

Even Mr. Paul's New Hampshire spokesman, Kate Rick, is an unlikely political activist. She grew up in a political family in Washington, D.C. and says "I swore I would never work in politics." She only changed her mind after finding Mr. Paul, a candidate she says she can finally believe in. "Most people I know in the grass roots are like that," she said. "My closest friends have never voted before, and they're die-hard Paul people now."

There is another reason to discount the polls on Mr. Paul. The one thing that unites his supporters is a desire to be left alone, not only by government, but by irritating marketers and meddling pollsters, too. Mr. Paul's supporters might well be screening their calls and not-so-inadvertently screening out pollsters. Still, some observers of the primary race here downplay this support, noting that a lot of the activists who show up in news stories are not state residents and won't be voting.

It is true that Paul supporters from New York, New Jersey and even California are prominent at campaign rallies. But volunteers and campaign staffers say that, although out-of-state volunteers often are the most flamboyant and can attend day-time rallies while local supporters are at work, they do not outnumber the locals.

"Ninety percent [of his supporters] are from New Hampshire," says Jared Chicoine, Mr. Paul's New Hampshire coordinator. Keith Murphy, a former Democratic campaign worker from Maryland who owns Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, has held several Paul rallies at his restaurant, which has become a regular hangout for the Paul crowd. When the candidate shows up, about 75% of the activists at an event are from out of state, he said, but on other nights it's about 50-50.

Regardless of where they are from, organizing Mr. Paul's supporters is a challenge. "This is entirely grassroots oriented to the point that the official campaign structure seems almost lost, to the point that they don't know what to do with all these people," Mr. Murphy said.

On their own initiative, and at their own expense, Paul volunteers hold rallies, print and distribute brochures and even purchase ads. "I pick up the paper and say, wow, there's an ad and it's not my ad," Mr. Chicoine told me.

The buzz surrounding the Paul campaign is reminiscent of the grassroots campaign Democrat Carol Shea-Porter waged against Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley last year. Polls showed Mrs. Shea-Porter trailing by 19 points in October. With almost no money and no support from the Democratic establishment, she came from behind and beat the congressman 51% to 49%.

Many are wondering if the polls are similarly missing Mr. Paul's momentum. Mrs. Shea-Porter and Mr. Paul have very different ideas about how to use the power of government, but both strongly oppose the war in Iraq. And Mrs. Shea-Porter ran last year as a fiscal conservative, so it's possible Mr. Paul could win over many Republicans who voted for her last year.

Mr. Chicoine and other Paul supporters say that, contrary to conventional wisdom, most of Mr. Paul's backers are Republicans, not independents. But everyone agrees that Mr. Paul draws an unusual mix of libertarians, fiscally conservative Democrats, conservative Republicans, home-schoolers, vegans, gambling aficionados, anti-abortion activists and others who want the government to butt out of some aspect of their lives.

But will they get out to vote on primary day?

"I've never seen a group of people that are this energetic about a candidate," Mr. Murphy said. "It's something else."

That sentiment is shared by Republicans who have observed numerous New Hampshire primaries. The level of enthusiasm for Mr. Paul is remarkable, they say. It transcends the state's Libertarian base (about 4% of the electorate). And by many accounts, Mr. Paul's backers here are more energized and committed than are supporters of Mr. Giuliani, who may enjoy inflated poll numbers because of his celebrity status.

National attention is focused on the horse races between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and between Messrs. McCain and Romney. But the shy obstetrician from Texas could be the surprise story of the New Hampshire primary.

Mr. Cline is editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader.

##

Jane's Note: Cline initially dismissed this candidacy yet is now asking the question, is Paul going to trump Rudy? Amazing progress we've made and a good indication of the recognition of support in this state.

Voter Fraud

2007-12-31T10:46:00.001-08:00

As the meetup coordinator for New Hampshire, I wanted to update everyone on the efforts of the campaign to make sure the election is free from any fraud, and votes are counted accurately. There are a lot of posts and e-mail going around about this, so I thought it would be good for people to hear something from the folks on the ground and closest to the campaign. I have been talking to the NH campaign manager about this issue, and he has in turn been discussing it with national. They are taking the issue quite seriously, contrary to the rumors floating around the internet.

First, I have done hand counts here in NH in the past, with my kids sitting by my side. I know the folks in my town take the accuracy of the count quite seriously, and we normally have numerous volunteers to count the votes. Each table has two people so they can double check each other. The hand counts are a very transparent process, and this is what is used in about half the communities.

The other half use scanning machines, NOT the all-electronic machines. A paper trail is required in New Hampshire. So the person will fill out a paper ballot, and insert it into the machine to be counted and registered. If there is an error, it is spit back out, giving the person an opportunity to fix the mistake. All the paper ballots are put into a box and kept on file for 60 days (see RSA 659:95 - http://www.sos.nh.gov/rsa659.htm) for possible recounts. It is my understanding that many communities go ahead and hand count that night to double-check the scanning machines. These machines are NOT hooked up by modem.

The campaign has plans for the day of the primary that will help ensure a clean vote AND maximize the number of people that turn out. The best thing supporters in New Hampshire can do is to volunteer with the campaign to work the day of the primary, all day and into the evening. Working for other groups rather than the campaign will only dilute our efforts and risk destroying all the hard work us NH residents have made starting as far back as March. There are hundreds of polling locations - we need everyone's help if we want to cover as many as possible. Having half the people work for the campaign, and half for other groups will mean we can only cover half the polling locations.

There have been a lot of nasty things said about the official campaign. Having worked closely with the campaign since they began in NH, I find this extremely frustrating. Several of these people I worked with prior to the official campaign starting, and they are great hardworking people who want Dr Paul to win. In NH, the grassroots supporters and the campaign have had a great working relationship, and there is no need to destroy that.

Breakfast with Ronny

2007-12-31T00:04:00.001-08:00

People in New Hampshire take their politics seriously. They have come to expect that candidates from each party will visit and speak with them directly. It's not uncommon to run into a Presidential candidate in a bookstore or a coffee shop.

One of the regular stops for all Presidential candidates in New Hampshire is the Red Arrow, a small diner in downtown Manchester. A few days ago Ron Paul showed up to the Red Arrow for a breakfast coffee and some toast. The story is written up in the Concord Monitor.

After Ron finished breakfast he came out to speak with a group of his supporters who had gathered outside the diner. The coolest moment for me was when he saw me and said "I remember you!". He spent a few minutes asking me questions about how Operation Live Free or Die was going, how many volunteers we had in the state, and how citizens of New Hampshire were receiving his message of freedom, peace and prosperity. I told him that most people in New Hampshire were still undecided, because of their spirit of independence, but that they were very receptive to the message. I also told him how all of our volunteers were carrying pocket Constitutions and were explaining to voters that "this is Ron's platform". The press (who were also gathered outside with us) really loved that.

The Union Leader also wrote about my experience hamming it up with Ronny outside the Red Arrow.

Honk, I'm freezing for your freedom!

2007-12-30T23:05:00.001-08:00

Over the last few days we've had several large sign waving efforts at the mall of New Hampshire, at the most trafficked intersection in the state. We've had a tremendous response, giving out hundreds of yard signs, Constitutions and reams of literature on Ron Paul.

Each day the sign waving effort has become larger with volunteers flocking to New Hampshire. You can feel the energy growing each day, and it's such a rush to hear cars honking at you and people drive by who're enthusiastic about Dr Paul.

The Revolution is here!

Part 1:

Part 2:

I'm back from New Hampshire...a reflection on my experience

2007-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a week in New Hampshire (12/12 - 12/18) as a part of Operation Live Free or Die (OLFD). Here are some notes on my experience:

The OLFD folks are working hard in New Hampshire for Ron Paul, and there is a lot of energy from the volunteers. We have come from all over the country. I met people from Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, Oregon, Kentucky, California, Missouri, Washington, and more! Most everyone coming into New Hampshire end up at one of the rented homes that OLFD have arranged for us. The homes get very busy but it's good to be among like-minded people.

During the week I was there I worked on several assignments. Some activities were directed by the campaign, others we did on our own. Here's a list of the different activities that were going on during my stay:

1. Voter ID canvassing (directed by campaign): going door to door to identify voters' registration and issues that are important to them.

2. Voter Advocacy (directed by campaign): going to specific homes spread throughout an area talking to people about issues that they have said are important to them.

3. Phonebanking (directed by campaign): same thing as voter ID canvassing, but by phone.

4. Business canvassing (on our own): going into different towns and stopping by businesses to talk to the owners/workers about Ron Paul. We made sure only to talk with employees if they were not busy with customers.

5. Posting signs (on our own): we posted RP signs at major intersections of the towns we drove through.

6. Handing out fliers in public areas (on our own): we walked down busy city streets talking with shoppers about Ron Paul. I FELT THIS TO BE THE MOST POSITIVE EXPERIENCE OUT OF THEM ALL.

7. Sign waving (on our own): we waved RP in the morning before canvassing and at night during high traffic times.

8. Boston Tea Party (on our own): a nasty winter storm hit this day keeping many people indoors. The city of Boston was dead quiet but 700 of us RP supporters turned out to hear amazing speeches (Rand Paul, Jim Forsythe to name a couple) by several people.

9. Blanket canvassing (on our own): several of us decided to simply go to uncanvassed areas and go door to door telling people about Ron Paul.

Some reflections and suggestions on my experience:

There are a LOT of people arriving in New Hampshire to help out. Coordinating together is a major challenge. Do your best to be self-sufficient!

1. Rent your own car
2. Bring your own food and drink (some of the OLFD homes will pitch in and cook meals together, but on their own schedule)
3. Keep RP fliers and materials with you to pass out (OLFD has plenty of material stored up at their houses - but some with you so you don't have to go back and forth)
4. I would recommend asking OLFD and/or the campaign HQ in Concord if you can take a specific project and run with by yourself or with another volunteer instead of trying to coordinate activities every day with other volunteers.

I would also recommend helping in whatever way you feel you're best suited to help with.

Bring WINTER clothing - it gets COLD, WET, and WINDY!

Suggestions on activities:

They are all important, but for me I found my best experience came from going door to door to talk with voters in areas that had not been contacted yet. Unfortunately, it is frowned upon to canvass door to door after dark (about 4:30pm), so many people won't be home.

The other activity I found effective was walking busy streets, talking with voters, and passing out information. People seemed to be less defensive and more open to talking/taking information with this venue than any other I tried.

My personal suggestion: It may be just the same to take a week (or however much time you can) off and work on campaigning in your home state/area. Find out how and when your state votes, pass out voter registration, get voters to switch parties if they need to, and assist them in getting involved in your state as much as possible. There is a LOT of help in New Hampshire and we'll need as much help across the states for us to win.

All that said, my hats off to OLFD and the Ron Paul campaign in New Hampshire - great work everybody. It was very exciting to be among the ever-enthusiastic supporters of Ron Paul in the state that holds the first primary in the nation.

The impression I got from voters in New Hampshire is that Ron Paul has GREAT support. He does, however, have his work cut out for him. The Democrats have a lot of support among Independent voters and Mitt Romney has strong support among Repubicans. My guess is that Ron Paul will have a very strong showing in New Hampshire and could very well win the state!

Here's to freedom!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

2007-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

I posted the following to the Daily Paul, but thought it would be of interest to anyone looking at Operation Live Free or Die.

----------------------

I wanted to post an update of what is going on in New Hampshire, since all eyes seem to be focused on us. I’ve seen e-mails, posts, blogs, etc, about the campaign in New Hampshire that seem to bear little relation to reality, so I wanted to try to provide a counterbalance to those posts.

As a Meetup coordinator in New Hampshire, I've had a lot of people contact me wanting to help in this state. The outpouring of support and offers to help have been truly outstanding and gratifying. However, there has also been some help that has been undesirable, and downright harmful to our efforts here. I’ve said several times that Ron Paul's best asset is his supporters. But they are also his biggest liability. There can truly be "too much of a good thing".

Current Status of the Campaign

I’ve worked a lot with the official campaign. Many of the hired folks are people I worked with on the grassroots level before they got hired. Although many are young, they are smart and extremely motivated. Several of them gave up high paying jobs with no hope of going back in order to get Dr. Paul elected, so their dedication is not to be questioned. It’s a small staff (10) but they have worked extremely well to leverage the energy of all the supporters. They tend to keep very quiet about what they are doing since they don’t want the “competition” to know what they are up to, and therefore they get far less credit than they deserve. Things that have been done, and my perception of them:

Direct Mail: The direct mail is easily the best of any Republican's, if not the best of anyone's on both sides of the aisle. They have probably sent out a total of 10-20 direct mail pieces, all of high quality. Many of these pieces were targeted to the recipient. For example, homeschoolers all got a flyer on homeschooling, and Dr. Paul’s protection of their rights. Those that care about sovereignty got a nice flyer on that, etc. The one that went to all Republicans was a beautiful 8-page beautiful piece.

Radio: I have heard as many or more ads for Dr. Paul on the radio as any other candidate. It’s blasting the airwaves. A day won’t go by where I won’t hear several radio ads on several popular stations.

Phones: Our phone banks are almost always constantly manned, and we don’t let up. Also, the campaign has done a lot of targeted auto-calls with some great messages. We have tons of coverage over the phones.

TV: I have to admit, I don't watch much TV. People didn't like the original ad, but the more recent ones are very good. The one that came out today, I thought was great.

Canvassing: We are getting a lot of people knocking on doors, largely thinks to Operation Live Free or Die. But we can always use more people!

Visits: Dr. Paul has spent a lot of time out here over the last month. We will never get enough of him, and unfortunately have to share him with Iowa, S.C., Michigan, etc. But he is definitely working hard, and shaking a lot of hands. And the people that meet him love him.

As you can see, the campaign is hitting things very hard. They are serious about New Hampshire.

Too Much Help

With as much as the campaign, local supporters, and Operation Live Free or Die folks are doing in the state, it is very easy to get “too much help”. Some examples:

Some folks outside the state have decided to do "auto-calls" on their own. Given the amount of auto-calls the campaign is doing, this is getting on peoples nerves. Also, someone forgot to take the time zone into account, and people were getting calls in the middle of the night!!! You can’t imagine how painful it is for us to hear "I was supporting Ron Paul, but all this calls are pissing me off, and I won't vote for him". This has happened several times, and is really a problem. If you know who this is – STOP IT. In fact, this is hurting so much, I wonder if it is coming from one of our opponents.

Some folks have come into the state, and handed out flyers for marijuana, or 9-11 truth. That's help we DON'T need. No matter what your opinion is on these things, you don't hand this stuff to someone you don’t know well! We almost had a die-hard meetup member drop out because of this. The key to winning people over is to find out THEIR issue, and speak to that. Don't push your issue. If you come out to NH, please keep this in mind.

Many people, including myself, are concerned about vote-count, voter fraud, etc. Many third party organizations are talking a lot about this. But I have talked to the campaign and sincerely believe that the campaign's plans should handle this. Third parties coming into New Hampshire, who are not familiar with what goes on here, could actually hurt us. Please leave this to the New Hampshirites, and the campaign. We've got plans we can't talk about.

Might Help, Hopefully Won't Hurt

Letter Writing: I know there are some campaigns to write letters to NH. I think this is pretty unobtrusive and could help a bit, and shouldn't really hurt. The important thing is to have a good message on the letters. Stay away from anything controversial. Maybe just say that you support Ron Paul, and hope that the folks in NH will consider him. Don't focus in on issues that they may disagree on.

So How Can People Help?

Work on your own state. It's looking likely that this will be a brokered convention, and we need to get delegates wherever we can get them. With the hugely successful fundraising, this is going to be a national campaign, and the eggs are no longer in one basket (NH). There are 20+ states that will have caucuses and primaries on Super Tuesday. With the large grassroots we have, we can compete in these if people start working now. A good site for canvassing training and other ideas is www.ronpaulreveres.com

Come out to NH ASAP as part of www.operationlivefreeordie.com. If you can’t come out, please donate to that effort (using the donate tab on their site).

Donate to the campaign. The next effort is New Year's Money Bomb The $4.3M, and $6.0M has really gotten people talking in NH, and taking Dr. Paul seriously. Breaking $20M will as well.

The blimp has also created a lot of buzz. Reporters in NH are dying to ride on it. Make sure it gets to NH by donating at Ron Paul Blimp.

I hope all this information helps. I am so happy that folks from around the country want to help us win New Hampshire!

Spreading the message of freedom despite a blizzard

2007-12-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

Dr. Paul is in town!!

2007-12-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

Dr Paul is in town, this makes our full time jobs double overtime, and we could never be more excited or tired. I have to roll out of NH tomorrow for christmas with my daughter, olivia but don't worry ill be working from missouri and laura will be here so volunteers will still be coordinated :)

He went to portsmouth late this morning to have lunch with his family and then greet businesses and residents, we put signs all up and down the highway with signs which were removed by the NHDOT at 3pm (after Ron Saw them)even though the STATE TROOPERS had given us permission to have them on the highway til 5pm... a meetup member snapped this for us

so then we went had a sign wave just down from where ron was and told people where he was so they could hear him speak. Next we headed to Concord HQ to help with phone banking calling people to invite them to hear him speak over the next few days
putting signs together, etc

Ron paul had just left on his way to Franklin Pierce Law School to have a Presidential Forum, in which all candidates were invited, only 2 excepted, Dr. Paul, and Mike Gravel, who canceled at the last minute, so Dr Paul spoke about the cons of executive power and then had a Q and A with the audience, it was great, and as always he did SO AWESOME, man that guy is a genius!!! so here are a few pics

the event

me getting jays christmas present ready :)

matt (AZ OLFD volunteer) and Dr. Paul

a view of the crowd

trying to mess up curtis's picture taking

thanks for reading!

Roxi

Freedom brings us together

2007-12-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

I often tell the media that there's no place I'd rather be, and nothing else I'd rather be doing, than fighting for my freedom in the crucial battleground state of New Hampshire. I can't think of anything more inspirational than defending liberty for all Americans. As I explain, I really had no choice in quitting my job at Google.

But what makes the effort especially exciting for me is the vast community of liberty-minded citizens that I've discovered in the last few weeks. Many people have joined us in New Hampshire. Many more have donated their money to our cause. And yet more have sent their well wishes.

I've recently been humbled by the generosity of the Free State Project in New Hampshire. An offshoot of this project, known at Ladies of Liberty, volunteered to feed volunteers of Operation Live Free or Die by cooking for us twice a week. This Monday, we were treated to home cooked lasagna and I can assure you, this is a vast improvement over cold bagels, stale doritos, and warm beer in a coffee mug. And just today we received a delicious box of confectioneries from California.

I want to thank everyone for the time, their efforts, their generosity, their gifts and especially their well wishes in this important effort to restore freedom to our beloved Republic.

Vijay and Ron

2007-12-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

Free At Last 2008

2007-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King was an American hero who dedicated his life to fighting for liberty and justice for all Americans. In 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial in Washington, he saluted our spirits with the immortal words, "I have a dream..."

Free At Last

Today the dream of liberty and justice for all is slipping through our fingers. Our government no longer speaks for the people. It is waging an immoral, unconstitutional war abroad, while stripping us of our basic civil liberties at home.

Now another American hero has taken the stage to fight for our freedom. Dr Ron Paul, like Dr King, opposes the immoral wars that we have fought abroad, and he believes in the principles on which our beloved Republic was founded.

On January 21st, when we honor Dr King and his message of peace and freedom, please support Dr Paul, who carries the same message, with a pledge of $100. Do not let history record that those of us who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Join us in our effort to bring liberty and justice to our Republic by signing up at: Free At Last 2008

OLFD Volunteer Dave Shares about his experience in NH

2007-12-19T04:48:00.000-08:00

We'll miss you Dave! Thanks for all you have done to help this cause and we hope to see you in January of '09!

Written by David Corbin from Atlanta,GA

Wow. I sit in my own home, listening to ronpaulradio.com, chatting on IRC and watching the money roll in for the Tea Party (we just past 11/5). We've done an amazing thing. But my thoughts turn back to last week when I was in New Hampshire.

I've been supporting Dr. Paul for over 6 months now, and like many other Ron Paul activists, this is the first time I've done anything like this. Each week it seems I commit myself more and more to the campaign, to level a could not possibly have imagined when I started. With a week of vacation I was going to lose at the end of the year, I made plans to go to NH.

I flew into Boston Friday evening and rented a car. When I landed, I thought I'd be staying in Concord, but Laura (who was arranging all the housing) rerouted me to Hampton to satisfy my preference to have a real bed instead of just an air mattress. When I got to Hampton, the house was full with Frank from Portland, OR; Laura and Wes (and their 2 kids) from Arizona, Jay and Roxi from Tulsa, OK; and Frank from Bakersfield, CA. Vijay (the chief) and few others were there from Manchester wrapping up a planning meeting.

I left the next Thursday, returning to Boston through a severe snowstorm (11" in 7 hours in Boston). And during those 6 short days, the following arrived in-state: Sean and Joel from PA, Justin from MO, Frank from OK, Steve from TX, Trevor from WA, Pat and Josh from KY, Sam (and Sue, his dog) from CA, Cathy from Canada, Shanon (from all over), Paul from OR, and I think 2 or 3 others that I never really got to know. While there, they opened up two new houses and by the time I left, I think everything was close to full again, and this was with over 3 weeks until the primary.

During my time there, I canvassed 5 days, had lunch with Rand Paul and "phone banked" for a few a few hours. I canvased with 8 different people during my time up there. Overall, I had a blast. I made friends with folks from all over the country, and even though I've only known them a short while, I have no doubt some of these friendships are going to last, and I look forward to seeing them all again at the January '09 Ron Paul inauguration meetup. I definitely preferred canvassing to phone-banking, but that's just a product of my personality. The vast majority of NH residents where nice and polite, and many were genuinely amazed that we would volunteer our own time and money to come to NH for Dr. Paul.

So, while we should all be proud of what we've done with the Tea Party, there is much more to do to get Dr. Paul the nomination. In short, I encourage you to go up there for a week. The orgainzers are busting their butts to figure out how to house everyone, be sure everyone gets fed, and that no one is left lying around unable to work for Dr. Paul, and I'm sure there will be some wrinkles as the number of volunteers in-state grows (I bet they're over 30 by now) and 400 total are expected.

But it's an experience you won't regret, and of course, Dr. Paul is worth it.

random pics

2007-12-18T23:15:00.001-08:00

I thought you might enjoy some random pics taken at the hampton house, and the new HQ office we are setting up, and some volunteers in action

the office is upstairs at an old movie theatre...

Brinck the seacoast director....

andrew putting out signs...

Justin plugging in the car topper...

the view going down the road...

the front of our house...

Murphy's and Glen Beck

2007-12-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

we tried to make it to HQ in time to watch glen beck but jay had to finish the MLK video so we didn't leave in time, then we made it to murphy's just as everyone was getting there, and by that time most of GB was over. we didn't stay long we were so tired and our new house captain, Lisa had been on the road so long, plus the bar didn't want trooper, one of our three ron paul revolution mascots.... here are some pictures for ya :)

jesse the manchester meetup group organizer, and Ron's grandaughters, plus several other people...

Vijay, Lisa, our newest volunteer and house captain, who drove 1200 miles from milwaukee arriving today, and Trooper her puppy...

Justin Collins, (Poplar Bluff, Mo) drinkin it up...

Aaron Jones, (Bloomington, IN), with justin and micheal an FSP member and RP supporter..

Jesse (manch, NH) Andrew (Bloomington, IN) matt and another guy from the rye house...

crowd...

vijay and Andrew (Bloomington, IN)

aaron and one of Ron's grandaughters....

Tea Party 07

2007-12-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

I watched the ticker til 3 am, a few of us did, some stayed asleep this is what happens when you try to sleep on tea party money bomb night....

this is the screenshot of the ticker at 3am....

.

we were expecting a huge storm and it had barely started, so i wasn't really prepared for this in the morning....

so we pretty much thought we were snowed in so the guys made breakfast and coffee...

then a couple guys with trucks came and played in the snow on our street and eventually the snow plows came so the guys shoveled us out of the driveway, we ended up riding with someone else though since they drove out of their way to get us thinking we would be stranded. It was slushy but we made it pretty well, heres a picture going into the boston tunnel

the first place we stopped was quincy market which is right across from Faneuil Hall where the rally was being held, The market was really cool, I imagined what it was like when the founding fathers walked the streets of boston and what parts were original and what parts were not, Im fairly certain that the starbucks was probably there for sure, otherwise what would have kept sam adams and daniel webster energized? :)

another cool thing in quincy market...

so just walking around quincy market jay and I found plenty of other ron paul supporters including our OLFD roomates frank (tulsa, OK) and justin (poplar bluff, mo)who came with us, we were standing inside talking and drinking coffee when all of a sudden we see the crowd gathering in front of Faneuil Hall with, you guessed it, Ron Paul signs... there were people everywhere and the people inside the market were gathering at the windows to see the spectacle outside, this is what we could see...

then the granny warriors showed up

We went inside to the Hall and the energy was so amazing, I went to the Iowa straw poll and it was one of my first big events so of course i was excited, but it was so much like a competition parts of it were hard to enjoy. But the looks on peoples faces just made this so different, you could see in their eyes they were at their first big event, the electricity in them made me remember how it was the first time and it was so great to be a part of. if you would like to see for yourself watch this.....

heres a pic i took from the top of fanieul hall...

heres Jay and Norman (campaign staffer) with John McManus, the founder of the John Birch society...

here is our group of OLFD members in a group, some couldn't go but we still had a good showing...

here are some of the rest of the pictures of the rally and speeches

After that we marched (loudly) to the state house for the boston tea party official reeinactment heres the video, and some pictures.

It was really funny because i had no idea about the reenactment of the debates over the tax that was to be imposed on the tea in boston back then, and I honestly didn't know much about the history of it either, I was worried all day about not getting to put tea in the harbor and after the speeches were over, and I was trying to round everyone up for the group picture (not an easy task) Jim gave me two tickets to go to the state house and watch the reenactment, so i was worried i wouldn't make it because we were already late. We finally marched there, and they were very welcoming to us even though the show had already started... some went in and some stayed outside, Then I didn't see anything about them officially dumping tea in the harbor (which they normally do, i was told) and so I asked someone who appeared to be somewhat in charge and they said in fact no one would be doing that this year. I was never so disappointed considering this is WHY i wanted to go so badly. we all had plenty of ron paul tea bags though so we organized a march to the harbor to put in our tea bags, we chanted the whole way, trudging through snow, slush, ice and ice water puddles to get there but you would have never know it because everyone was so energetic, just like the march at the iowa rally but with less people. We lost about half our group

heres the video and some pics...

Jay and I with our tea

afterwards we headed back to where we heard the other ron paul supporters who didn't follow us to the harbor went, which was a restaurant and tavern called the green dragon.

outside all the signs had been lined up outside the bar in the snow

Coincidentally It happened to be VERY OLD, as a matter of fact it first opened in 1657 and was a "hotbed meeting place" for none other than.... you guessed it the founding fathers, can you imagine? It was even called the "headquarters of the revolution" by Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and Daniel Webster. My feet were walking on the same floor, I was sitting at the same bar, I could not have possibly been happier about that, and I had to get a sam adams to commemorate this amazing event in my life

here are the pics of everyone ....

and I thought i would throw in a few pics i took in boston...

So I hope you enjoyed my version of the events in boston.... heres to the 6 million dollar man!!

Roxi

My speech at Faneuil Hall for the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

2007-12-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

234 years ago an irate band of rebels protested the tyranny of a distant government by dumping tons of tea in Boston Harbor. Today an equally irate group of concerned citizens protested the increasingly tyrannical Federal Government by marching on Faneuil Hall to reignite brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. Among the speakers was Rand Paul, Dr Paul's son.

It was the highlight of my short citizenship that I had the chance to speak at Faneuil Hall, the birthplace of our Constitution, on a stage where Washington once presided over its drafting.

On the same day, citizens across our vast Republic came together to make the largest single-day political donation in American history, donating over 6 million dollars in 24 hours to Ron Paul's campaign.

Today the principles on which our Republic was founded are lost; but, clearly, they are not forgotten.

Donating their allowance to the glorious cause of freedom

2007-12-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

One of the most humbling experiences I've had since arriving in New Hampshire occurred a few days ago when I learnt that two young citizens asked their mother to drive them to my house to donate their allowance to Operation Live Free or Die. When I see that children this young care about their freedom so much that they would forgo the typical things that children desire, I know that there is still a lot of hope for our Republic.

I was not home to accept the donation, so Trevor Lyman, the man behind November 5th and the Ron Paul Blimp accepted it in my stead.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. We should not shrink from this responsibility, we should welcome it.

New Year's Resolution for 2008

2007-12-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is a big petition we're organizing for the New Year:

Obey The Constitution

Please spread the word. We'd like everyone to print the petition, sign it, and mail it to Congress. We'd also like to ask that each of you try to get five other people to sign the petition. It isn't associated with any candidate, and I think it's something almost all Americans should be happy to get behind.

Imagine the surprise of Congress when we deliver thousands of pounds of mail on the steps of Congress.

We're going to invite any Congressman with a record of defending the Constitution to accept the petition and put it on the Congressional record. I can only think of one man who qualifies for this role...

New volunteers, fresh off the plane

2007-12-12T23:59:00.001-08:00

Ok just a few short words then ill get to the pictures because I know thats all you guys are interested in anyway. We had a huge canvassing event last weekend in Rochester and afterwards we met up in Portsmouth for a little gathering, where there were a few reporters, and a great speech! so thanks to scott and charlotte for hosting that!

We have had a lot of new volunteers come in this week, we have rented several more houses, so i wont be able to be everywhere to keep you up with the latest but i will do what i can and I will keep you updated with at least one of the houses goings on...

i can't think of anything else so ill just caption the pics...

New volunteers, fresh off the plane, ready and excited to work

give em a week ;) (sorry this pic was too funny to resist that caption)

I feel like I should just move into the airport I'm here so much :)

I wonder if Ron will make it legal to ride on the baggage carousel??

wouldn't it be cool to make this into a ron paul airmobile??? and pick up the OLFD members from all over and fly them here???? how about Operation: FLY FOR FREEDOM!
(go ahead and laugh but have you seen the blimp yet?)

The advantages of business canvassing: we met jeremy (pictured below) working at a gas station, and he now LOVES ron paul! he gets rid of bunches of materials for us, converts people left and right, and is going to the tea party with us too!!!

Meet the Staffrents.... andy and norman two of our hardworking campaign staffers ready to help us out... these guys are awesome we go in with an empty car we come out with slim jims, signs, stickers, tee shirts, YOU NAME IT! and they fed us too!

They could run out of signs at any moment so you better get up there and grab em before they are gone :) GET THESE BABIES ON THE HIGHWAYS!!!

a view of the phone banking room (they need help guys!!)

ok thats all for now, ill post more later!!

Ron Paul everywhere in New Hampshire

2007-12-10T20:15:00.001-08:00

Operation Live Free or Die in the News

2007-12-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Our effort to win New Hampshire for Dr Paul is making the news! With your support, dedication and hard work, we're going to shock the country on January 8th. Please join me in New Hampshire to spread the message of freedom, peace and prosperity. A message that has always animated the greatness of America.

NOW | The Ron Paul Phenomenon | PBS

2007-12-10T12:02:00.001-08:00

Operation Live Free or Die house guest Trevor Lyman discusses the November 5th money bomb on PBS

Live Free or Die: Volunteers come from afar for GOP's Ron Paul

2007-12-09T08:40:00.001-08:00

There's a feature story in the Portsmouth Herald today about Operation Live Free or Die:

"There aren't many people who would pack up their family, head to a colder climate, and live in a small home with about 10 other people with the goal of helping elect their favorite candidate, but as Laura and Wesley Lounsbury will tell you, Ron Paul isn't your typical presidential contender."

Operation Live Free or Die canvassing Manchester, New Hampshire

2007-12-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

On Fox News!

As Curtis explained to Fox, yes, we can win.

Another reason to get the word out

2007-12-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

Regardless of your opinion on polling techniques, check out this interesting Gallup poll.

According to the poll, only 26% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are actually committed to a candidate. That's pretty low.

Of those who ARE committed, it's pretty evenly split:

Rudy Giuliani 5%
Mitt Romney 5%
Fred Thompson 4%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Ron Paul 3%
John McCain 2%
Duncan Hunter 1%
Tom Tancredo 1%

This race is still wide open! Of course Ron Paul can win!

Diana

Up, Up, and Away...

2007-12-08T06:47:00.001-08:00

Posted by Joseph

The big news of the day is that with a 36 hour rush of support, the Ron Paul Blimp is go for takeoff. There were some doubts after the slow financial start and the speculation of false pledges, but as usual, Ron Paul supporters rallied and came through in the clutch. Without lifting a foot off the ground, the blimp has already started to generate a buzz, with lengthy articles from ABC News and the Washington Post, and more from Reuters, the Boston Globe, Politico, USA Daily, and Associated Content The blimp will launch from North Carolina on Dec. 10 and travel to Washington DC and New York, before flying over Boston on December 16th for the Mega Money Bomb Boston Tea Party. From there it is expected to spend the next three weeks flying over New Hampshire. To do so though, will require another $175,000 in donations by December 21st.

In other Ron Paul news today...

- Recent news has demonstrated why Ron Paul is the only candidate that has the intellegence and foresight to understand the problems facing our country. This week alone, he was was proven right about Iran, reckless abuse of taxpayer money to fund an unconstitutional war, and the consequences of economic intervention via the federal government.

- Thanks to lots of supporter emails, John Stossel of ABC is doing an interview series with Ron Paul.

- Good articles on Ron Paul's fundraising prowess and ability to bring together a diverse group of people in the name of freedom.

- Ron Paul gives John McCain a history lesson.

- Why Ron Paul could surprise in Iowa.

"You can canvass me as long as you want"

2007-12-08T06:14:00.001-08:00

Intro to Hampton Beach, Operation Live Free or Die field house

2007-12-08T06:11:00.000-08:00

My Experience Getting to NH

2007-12-08T01:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

My name is Frank and I arrived in NH on Dec. 3rd from Portland, OR. I will be campaigning in NH until the primary (Jan. 8th). Currently, I live in the Hampton Beach house with six other people. I wanted to share my experience with everyone on why and how I was able to get to NH. I made my decision about a week before I decided to leave with hardly any planning. I had already decided to quit my job, so I just needed to figure out my living situation. In the end, I gave up my apartment in downtown Portland, OR. I sold some things and gave away tons of stuff as well. I stored the remainder in boxes at my girlfriends place. I was going to fly into Manchester from Portland, so I just needed to plan a budget.

How can I afford the trip? This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get. If you are active in your local Ron Paul Meetup, I would suggest starting a chipin (www.chipin.com) and asking your members for help. Your group may not be very large or able to donate much, but every bit helps. I had already purchased my plane tickets, but my local Meetup "passed the hat" when they were sending me off and were quite generous. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive group of friends. The OLFD Project simply cannot afford to pay for everyone's travel expenses to NH.

Most Ron Paul Meetups have enough members to contribute $20 or so each to send one member to NH. If all the Meetups did this, we'd have a huge amount of people pouring into the state regularly.

If you are coming from a warmer state or have never been to the Northeast, here's what I recommend as "must-haves."

-insulated, water-proof boots
-rain jacket + pants
-warm, thick socks (merino wool socks are very warm and stay dry)
-towel & washcloth
-sleeping bag (although some houses are furnished with beds and blankets)
-pillow
-thermal underwear (long sleeve shirt and pants)
-chapstick
-sunglasses
-thick (insulated if possible), waterproof gloves
-warm insulated jacket (sometimes you can be canvassing for 2-3hrs outdoors)
-digital camera or camcorder
-scarf
-warm hat or ear muffs

I wouldn't recommend bringing things like toothpaste, soap, etc. It just takes up space and you can get them when you get here. You really want to bring only what is absolutely necessary. I brought two backpacks and I'm going to be here over six weeks. The more stuff you bring, the harder it is to keep track of everything and the longer you have to sit through TSA security or other nonsense. Obviously, people driving don't have this problem :)

If you have any questions, please read everything on the site (www.operationlivefreeordie.com) and on the message board first. We get so much email everyday, it's extremely hard to reply quickly. We are out campaigning all day long and usually don't spend time online until late at night. I hope this helps answer some questions for people who may still be on the fence about coming. Thanks everyone for all their support!

Introduction to the Operation Live Free or Die cast

2007-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics

2007-12-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

I thought i would post up a couple of pics we have taken in the last couple of days

our sign is king of the mountain

battle of the bulge

we put this sign up in portsmouth as your heading out of town

we put this sign above everyone else...

hunter and russell on the way to canvassing

charlies umbrella

Interviews at Murphy's tap room

2007-12-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

I was interviewed about Operation Live Free or Die outside of Murphy's tap room, after Dr Paul had given his impromptu speech inside. Here's the interview:

Here's an interview with Trevor Lyman, the man responsible for the money bomb on November 5th which shocked the country:

And here's the impromptu speech Ron gave at Murphy's:

Canvassing Portsmouth

2007-12-04T02:01:00.001-08:00

Just got home from canvassing, we hit downtown portsmouth, which was mostly apartment buildings that we couldn't get into but we found plenty of people who wanted to take our lit. I talked to this one guy named Tom, who liked what RP had to say, but didn't think he had a chance. By the time I left he was fully aware of how much of a chance RP actually has and after explaining the importance of voting on principle rather than who i thought might win he was more than willing to "waste" his vote anyway...

The ride home was scary... frozen roads, bad tires, and people driving like idiots = me closing my eyes the whole way home. There is a new volunteer coming tonight so that should be exciting :) here are a couple of pics I snapped today.... i threw in a pretty one for ya and a short video above.

Great press for Operation Live Free or Die

2007-12-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

Keep up the great work. You're making an impact!

From the Christian Science Monitor:
Adroit online, Ron Paul backers hit the streets of N.H.

From Salon.com:
Ron Paul is a baby elephant

And we're just getting started!

Diana

Live Free or Die!

2007-12-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

My first night in New Hampshire was absolutely amazing.

A small army of folks from NY came up to canvass the Live Free or Die state and in the evening we all gathered at a bar called Murphy's Taproom run by a guy who's a member of the Free State Project.

At about 10pm Ron Paul showed up and the place went absolutely nuts. He stood on a chair and gave an impromptu speech (see below). After he finished the whole bar started shouting Live Free or Die! Live Free or Die! (NH's state motto). It was electric!

Excitement in New Hampshire

2007-12-02T13:01:00.001-08:00

Ron Paul supporters from all over the country came to new hampshire yesterday to help with a HUGE canvassing event to do voter IDing and spread the word about ron paul. we met at different locations throughout the state and instructions, packets, and ron paul paraphanalia was distributed.

then afterwards we all met up at Murphy's Taproom in Manchester to celebrate, meet everyone else and just have a good time. Murphys is owned by a Free state project member and they love Ron Paul. There was also a Monarchs game going on at the verizon building and we all held signs outside while people were leaving the game. Ron Paul came by to tell everyone thanks for being there and volunteering.

here are some of the pics i took and the video of Ron Pauls speech.

Me and Vijay, OFLD's founder

Linda and Trevor lyman

hunter and tracy

crowd

santa LOVES ron paul

someone made Ron Paul a cake

Ron paul shows up to a very enthusiastic crowd

he signed plenty of autographs

we talked him into giving a speech (video below)

and everyone was really excited, and some supporters just wore themselves out

Ron pauls speech

Thawing out cold feet

2007-12-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

If you were to ask me what I find most unpleasant on a day-to-day basis (tyrannical megalomaniacs and ignorant masses aside), cold weather and talking to strangers would definitely top my list. In the warmth and seclusion of my North Carolina home several weeks ago, knocking on doors for a week in New Hampshire in the middle of winter seemed like a good idea. But then, yesterday, I started to get cold feet, so to speak. And I thought, “maybe they won’t notice if I just don’t show up.”

But then I came to my senses. What could be more exciting than not only being a direct part of helping Ron Paul win New Hampshire, but being there when he wins, surrounded by hundreds of other Ron Paul supporters from all over the country? It’s going to be monumental!

I’ve already gotten my lodging worked out and I’m getting my travel arrangements squared away. The Operation Live Free or Die forum has been extremely helpful. If you don’t yet know how to get yourself to New Hampshire, or what to do when you get there, I highly recommend using the forum.

I’ll see you all the week before the primary, as promised!

Diana

New Hampshire or bust!

2007-11-30T14:41:00.001-08:00

In just a few hours I'm going to hop on a plane and fly to the Live Free or Die state. I can't express how excited I am to finally travel to New Hampshire and begin helping Ron Paul's grassroots movement win the most important primary in the coming Presidential election.

I feel tremendously blessed that I have a chance, in my lifetime, to fight for my freedom, and the freedom of my Republic. Generations have gone by without the chance to defend the principles on which our Republic was founded. Principles that animate the greatness of our Constitution.

I hope you will all join me in New Hampshire in the coming month so, together, we can prove to our country, and to the rest of the world, that America is still the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Freedom, Peace and Prosperity to all.

I'll be heading out December 11th

2007-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

I will be leaving Vancouver, WA on Tuesday December 11th to fly out to New Hampshire and join the many other patriots who are choosing to do the same. I can't tell you how honored and excited I am to work alongside those who are giving all they can to help see Ron Paul elected as President. At 24 years old, I am finding myself diving into our election process and giving much of my time and money. This is the first time I've ever been so involved and excited about a presidential election, and believe me, we need the hope! I believe that the great state of New Hampshire is full of citizens who think carefully about who they will vote for and why. That is why I believe Ron Paul stands a strong chance of winning the state once everyone has the opportunity to hear about him. This is why I'm flying to New Hampshire, to go door to door and let people know about Ron Paul. New Hampshire is the first primary in the nation and will help set the tone for the following primaries and caucuses, and will give Ron Paul some great momentum. I can tell you that our efforts here in Washington state have not gone unnoticed. Ron Paul's support here continues to grow rapidly. I have arranged the time off of work and saved money to help make this trip possible because I deeply care for the future of this great nation of ours. Now is our chance, now. I can't think of a better way to spend my time and money than to be a part of history in the making - we're talking about shaping the future of our country for us and our children. I don't want to look back and say, "if only..." For me, this is the beginning. I have become involved in the local GOP and will be truly fighting to take our country back as long as I have air in my lungs. As a lifelong GOP member, I can't tell you how lost our party (not to mention our country) is becoming. Here's to a better future! Hope to see you all out there!

Fantastic Program to Email Your Friends

2007-11-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wanted to e-mail a friend of yours who is pro-second amendment about Ron Paul, but didn't have the time to research all the good bills, youtube videos, writings, etc?

Have you ever written a fantastic e-mail to a friend about Ron Paul. It took you hours to come up with all the great material, and you'd love to share your email with more than just your friends?

Now there is a solution - www.whoisronpaul.com. Created by a member of Operation Live Free or Die, this system can help you come up with issue specific emails for your friends, or share great emails you have come up with. Since it just started, it needs some new content, so pitch in and help out! Then start e-mailing your friends about Dr Paul.

Videos of Operation Live Free or Die volunteers

2007-11-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

Volunteers are already flocking to New Hampshire from all over our Republic to spread Dr Paul's message of freedom, peace and prosperity. Please join us, and help rock the vote! New Hampshire's primary is January 8th. We don't have any time to lose.

Plenty to do

2007-11-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

Jay and I have been in New hampshire for 6 days now. We didn't know what to expect living in a house with 8 or 9 people, but theres a huge difference in living with 8 random people and living with 8 ron paul supporters. Especially RP supporters that have made the decision to travel halfway across the country. You have to have a certain mindset to do something like this. and as the old saying goes "great minds think alike" :) All of us get along great. we all have similar living styles, we work with each other making it work and it does.

Now we need more volunteers. There are a LOT more coming on the 1st and we certainly need them. We are canvassing almost every day and doing several events a week. We are having a lot of fun, and we are getting a great response.

you can read daily updates to what we are doing here

http://tulsatonewhampshire.blogspot.com

and see videos here

http://www.ronpaultulsa.com/NH

Thanks
Roxi

A journey to New Hampshire

2007-11-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Laura Lounsbury was the first volunteer of Operation Live Free or Die to move to New Hampshire, along with her husband Wes and her two children. Here's a video of Laura introducing herself:

It is the commitment and sacrifice of volunteers like Laura that will make it possible for the grassroots movement to deliver a victory for Dr Paul in the New Hampshire primary. Will you join us?

Introducing the Operation Live Free or Die Blog

2007-11-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Vijay and I'm the director of Operation Live Free or Die. I created this blog to provide a window onto the work being done by volunteers in New Hampshire to help ensure that Dr Ron Paul wins the nomination for President in that state.

In the coming weeks you will see posts from dedicated volunteers who have arrived in New Hampshire from every corner of our Republic to spread Dr Paul's message of freedom, peace and prosperity.

Everyday I'm humbled by the sacrifice that my fellow citizens are making to secure the blessing of liberty for themselves and their posterity. I look forward to sharing these experiences with all of Dr Paul's supporters around the country.

Love, Freedom, Peace and Prosperity to all.