Mainstream Media Continues Blackout of Ron Paul

While the mainstream media continues it's censorship of Ron Paul, it was refreshing to see that CSPAN arose to cover the Rally for the Republic event held in Minneapolis during the time of the Republican National Convention. 18,000 American patriots gathered at the Target Center to hear a message of liberty and freedom not heard at the smaller neoconservative RNC gathering across town.

Ron Paul was not permitted to address the Republican National Convention and was only given limited his access to the convention floor while his movements at the hall will be monitored by the party. Dr. Paul was the only presidential candidate denied access to the RNC, perhaps because of his position calling for a smaller government, lower taxes and an end to the Iraq war. He also does not support John McCain.

Dr. Paul’s Speech – Rally for the Republic

Other notable speakers included Howard Phillips, Jesse Ventura, Grover Norquist, Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., Barry Goldwater Jr., and a performance by Aimee Allen of the Ron Paul Anthem.

In other related news, the corporate bought mainstream media has also not been fairly reporting the news about journalists critical to the Republican party being arrested and detained in a citywide gestapo like sweep. Police in St. Paul arrested hundreds of people at a protest march, including alleged vandals, peaceful protesters, and several journalists, among them Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, who was seized when she questioned the detention of two of her producers. Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke was also arrested on a gross misdemeanor riot charge simply for taking pictures of the protest.

Since Friday, local police and sheriffs, working with the FBI, conducted preemptive searches, seizures and arrests. Glenn Greenwald described the targeting of protestors by "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." Journalists were detained at gunpoint and lawyers representing detainees were handcuffed at the scene.

Preventive detention violates the Fourth Amendment, which requires that warrants be supported by probable cause. Protesters were charged with "conspiracy to commit riot," a rarely-used statute that is so vague, it is probably unconstitutional. Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, said it "basically criminalizes political advocacy."