Massive police raids on suspected protestors in Minneapolis
[updated below (with video) - Update II - Update III - Update IV]
Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff's department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am going to the Ron Paul Rally for the Campaign for Liberty tomorrow. It looks as if it is going to be another historic event in a historic election year.
However, on the eve of the revelations of the Campaign 4 Liberty (C4L) there are a few disturbances in "the force." I won't go into all the details at this time. However, I have been around a similar movement before with some of the same people.
Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition took grass roots organizing to a whole new level from the ground up. Becoming the base of the Republican Party and capturing the power positions (the republican revolution) they accomplished their goal of electing a "born again, Bible believing, Christian president," George W. Bush. However, according to David Kuo author of Tempting Faith, he says some of the nation's most prominent evangelical leaders were known in the office of presidential political strategist Karl Rove as "the nuts."
"National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as 'ridiculous,' 'out of control,' and just plain 'goofy,'" Kuo writes.
More seriously, Kuo alleges that then-White House political affairs director Ken Mehlman knowingly participated in a scheme to use the office, and taxpayer funds, to mount ostensibly "nonpartisan" events that were, in reality, designed with the intent of mobilizing religious voters in 20 targeted races.
Nineteen out of the 20 targeted races were won by Republicans, Kuo reports. The outreach was so extensive and so powerful in motivating not just conservative evangelicals, but also traditionally Democratic minorities, that Kuo attributes Bush's 2004 Ohio victory "at least partially … to the conferences we had launched two years before."
You see folks, the Christian Coalition was a success. They got what they wanted. Only they found out too late that they were not in control. The "Neo-Cons" were in complete control behind the scenes. See PNAC. Recognize the names? They are the ones who have brought us the last eight years.
So what does this have to do with Ron Paul? Doug Wead & Grover Norquist! Why are they speaking at the rally? Are they disgruntled Dominionists?
Whatever the reasons or even if their more recent "conversions" to Ron Paulism is genuine, they bear careful watching.
If the C4L plan is to repeat the Christian Coalition strategy and take over the Republican Party for "Liberty" then, who defines that "Liberty?"
You know that it will still be a "Limited Liberty" as these are just "Statists Lite."
They still believe in the majoritarian position that if a majority of a minority of "qualified" votes cast, collected, and counted by a minority of the whole of the population says that you should be executed because you are a heretic to the secular religion of their interpretation of the "holy" writ of their completely mutable "constitution" then, you will be executed to applause, amens and apologies that "it may not be perfect but it is the law" and they must follow it.
Who really is in control behind the scenes?
It remains to be seen.
I'll report back. In the meantime, here are some other links to educate yourself with:
http://www.dougwead.com/biography.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/interviews/wead.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/etc/script.html
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Grover_Norquist
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/barack-obama-jo.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/08/AR2006070800983.html
Posts
