The Vanderbilt Torch

A Good Doctor's Campaign for Liberty

While the Republican National Convention was busy officially nominating John McCain and Sarah Palin in St. Paul earlier this month, there was another event taking place simultaneously across the river in Minneapolis. The Campaign for Liberty or C4L, a 501(c)4 non-profit set up by Ron Paul and funded by a combination of donations and left-over campaign funds, held a Rally for the Republic at the Target Center, home of the Minnesota Timberwolves, from August 31-September 2. Tickets for the event were priced at a symbolic $17.76. On Sunday, approximately 600 people attended a 9-hour Real Politics Training School, at which various presenters offered expert advice on various issues related to political activism, whether at the local, state, or national level. As anyone who followed his presidential campaign can attest, it was Dr. Paul’s grassroots supporters who provided most of the impetus for his campaign, and Sunday’s event was designed to increase their effectiveness.

Ron Paul: We Say "Yes" to Dr. No

Ronald Reagan called him “one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a strong national defense,” adding “he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and always puts them first…We need him to keep fighting for our country.” Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman told him “We very badly need to have more representatives in the House who understand in a principled way the importance of property rights and religious freedom for the preservation and extension of human freedom in general…I wish you every success.” The president of the National Taxpayers Union proclaimed that he “has always proven himself to be a leader in the fight for taxpayer rights and fiscal responsibility…no one can match his record on behalf of taxpayers.” He receives an A rating from the NRA, is staunchly pro-life, and strongly opposes illegal immigration. He has been unanimously endorsed by the UROC (United Republicans of California), and received nearly as many (49.5%) contributions from the military as all of the other Republican candidates combined. Know who I’m talking about yet? (Hint: It’s not Giuliani, Thompson, Romney, or McCain.)

Vandy Prof's Dirty Laundry

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year and a half or so, you are at least somewhat familiar with the now infamous Duke lacrosse scandal. You are likely aware that former Durham DA Mike Nifong has been disbarred for, in the words of the North Carolina State Bar, “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation.” In April of this year, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper not only dismissed all charges against Colin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and David Evans, but took the further and unusual step of declaring that “We believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges.”