Daniel has worked hard (and convinced me to help a little) on an idea for Lawson’s congressional bid. Check out the new site, Bucks for BJ!

The idea is really simple—if we each donate $5 bucks and find two friends to do the same B.J. Lawson will be in an awesome position to really make an impact by April 19th.

It’s only five bucks… let’s do it! (I did!)

I think it’s kind of cool how Ron Paul’s campaign “activated” many of us to action. Here I am, blogging about a guy I’ve never met, in a state I’ve never visited, and in an election I have no say in. Except that maybe my little bit of influence might matter—like a drop of water in the river that breaks the dam. And together, there is an almost inevitable chance that change is coming to USA political headquarters.

So it’s getting closer to crunch time for Mr. Lawson. A friend of mine, Daniel Harmon, recently called me to ask if I’d heard about him. I actually forgot that I had, but in any case, Daniel re-introduced me to him. He says:

He’s running for congress in North Carolina’s 4th District. And he’s the spitting image of Ron Paul…minus about 40 years, the receding white hair, the Texas drawl and about $35 million in raised campaign funds.

OK. So they obviously have their physical and financial differences. But when it comes to political ideology, they’re almost identical twins. In fact, on his site, BJ says, “I was drawn back to politics by Ron Paul’s tireless and principled work to restore a Constitutional federal government.” It looks like he’s even adopted a fund-raising strategy from Ron Paul’s play book: posting his numbers in real-time on his homepage. Nice move.

— Daniel Harmon

What if each of us donates $5 to his campaign, and tells two friends about this opportunity to come together again? If we can win congress, one seat at a time, we can put an end to (or at least slow down!) the corruption and warmongering that has undermined our freedom and sent the country into economic turmoil.

Hurray for grassroots politics!

This is fantastic news:

In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East.

It could mean fewer imports and higher cost of food, etc., but I’d be willing to grow my own garden and live on our food storage for a year if it would help stop the war. I’d even chip in financially to support the brave people who want to take a stand like this. Go ILWU!

[Here] at The Daily Reckoning , we are in no hurry to pronounce judgment on Ben Bernanke’s plan to save the U.S. economy. We don’t have to. We knew it was a mistake from the very beginning. Exactly how the markets would react, we couldn’t say. But the idea of rescuing people from too much debt by lending them more money struck us a bit like serving martinis at an AA meeting; it was bound to lead to trouble.

This Washington Post Q&A with Obama was enlightening. Specifically, he promises to:

1. End torture
2. Restore Habeas Corpus (the right to a trial)
3. Close the Guantanamo Bay prison

Perhaps more significantly, Obama has given notice that if elected president, he will make a significant speech directed to the Muslim world on behalf of America:

As president of the United States, I will directly address the people of the Muslim world to make it clear that the United States is not at war with Islam, that our enemy is al-Qaeda and its tactical and ideological affiliates, and that our struggle is shared. In this speech, I will make it clear that the United States rejects torture — without equivocation, and will close Guantanamo. I will make it clear that the United States stands ready to support those who reject violence with closer security cooperation; an agenda of hope — backed by increased foreign assistance — to support justice, development and democracy in the Muslim world; and a new program of outreach to strengthen ties between the American people and people in Muslim countries. I will also make it clear that we will expect greater cooperation from Muslim countries; and that the United States will always stand for basic human rights — including the rights of women — and reject the scourge of anti-Semitism. Simply put, I will say that we are on the side of the aspirations of all peace-loving Muslims, and together we must build a new spirit of partnership to combat terrorists who threaten our common security.

This speech would fundamentally alter the perception of a “clash of civilizations” and probably put an end to the phony “War on Terror”. It would also cripple the globalist neo-conservative agenda of forceful expansionism, perhaps for good.

Do you think Obama is for real? Can he be trusted as a civil libertarian? Will he reduce the power of the executive branch, or sustain the gross imbalance spearheaded by President Bush?

Also, if he proves good on his promise to restore basic human rights and decency to our honorable nation, can he also Do The Right Thing for the economy? Whom does he trust as economic advisors, and what are their policies?