I hopped on a train out of Emeryville on the 9th of September, heading to Colorado, after a brief lay-over in San Francisco. My goal is three-fold;
- To promote my “End the War” platform though volunteer work and endorsements for Ron Paul’s campaign for President and the encouragement of Green Party leaders to run for Congress in 2012.
- Spread the concepts I’ve written about for the last two years on this website, which I have gathered together under the term “2012 Enlightenment Theory”
- Get to know the rest of America; previously only having visited (outside of California) Oregon, Indiana and New York. I’ve been around the World, but not around the Country.
My first destination was Denver, where I had lined up roughly two weeks of “couches” to crash on, and a number of political meetings to attend. Before I even got to a meeting, however, I’d already begun having conversations with random people I’d meet on the train, on buses, at restaurants and at bars that only helped reinforce what I was out here to do.
People Are Awake
A guy from the United Kingdom I met in a hostel in San Francisco was in the midst of studying sustainable political systems. I showed him my articles, told him about 3D Printing, Permaculture, Open Source Ecology and the fact that we had a Green Party; something he was unaware existed in America. At the same hostel a traveler from Australia called Ron Paul the “only politician worth a damn” in the United States, and recalled a valet in Hawaii that was talking about the same social theories I was sharing with him. We talked the groundswell of conscious people that was gathering around the world.
On the train I played cards with a group of people who all agreed that they could support Ron Paul. A “stoner” on the bus in Denver told me about Open Theology and the Six Stages of Faith after I shared with him my theories; he believed that we need to go back to a basic understanding of the Constitution and begin addressing any parts that were unclear before moving forward. Another “stoner” on a bus back from Boulder, who admittedly doesn’t vote, shared with me the “American Dream” of grabbing a quarter acre and growing more than enough food to survive off of; a dream shared by the young couple that picked me up from the train station and hosted my for the first three nights of my stay in Denver.
A guy with a Galveston Flag on his truck, which he had had there long before the current TEA Party movement, explained his political view as “Pro-Defense, Pro-Gun, Pro-Choice, Pro-Marriage Equality” and believed that most people were of similar belief. We agreed the purpose of the media was to create a divide amongst the population. We were sitting on a restaurant patio and I had asked him about the flag.
At the System76 headquarters I talked to the owner who shared my feeling of being quite alright with sharing any abundance or surplus with those who can’t, or just don’t want to, work. He explained that others’ actions had nothing to do with his actions, and that all that was important was what he did with his life, and if sharing abundance kept others from living a life of suffering, even if self-imposed, then he had no problem taking care of them if he were able.
A Vietnam and Gulf War veteran riding the bus with me proclaimed that we need to learn to mind our own business and wished me luck with helping Ron Paul get elected.
And I’ve had at least a dozen more of these conversations, simply by opening up to people sitting next to me at coffee shops, a seat away on public transit, or across the bar while having a drink. We never agree 100%, but we almost always agree on the direction we need to go, and despite natural resistance, they overwhelmingly acknowledge the potential of what I am talking about, that we can, and will, have a world of Abundance.
People Are Organizing
Except for the Green Party Meeting, which I found out about from the Colorado Green Party website, I found all of these meeting through meetup.com.
Buffs for Paul – Boulder, CO
This was a great meeting to start with, because they were so well organized, and had such a solid direction, that I felt inspired. Assisted by the creator of Ron Paul Flix, and working to become an official chapter of “Youth for Ron Paul,” this group spent their meeting brainstorming the best possible ways to spread Ron Paul’s campaign to their fellow students at Boulder University. At least a dozen were in attendance. There website is still in the works.
The main message brought to this meeting by others was the importance of becoming Precinct Leaders and Delegates within the Republican Party.
As well, I suggested putting together their experiences creating the group and sharing it with other colleges. A sort of “Grassroots University,” perhaps in conjunction with AlexaForRonPaul.com. In my opinion, Buffs for Paul has the organization and resources to allow them to become the leading College Group for the Ron Paul campaign (Official and/or Grassroots).
Libertarian Party of Colorado Weekly Lunch – Denver, CO
I met with three Denver Libertarians to talk about Ron Paul, and my general mission. One member had actually been a delegate in 2008, but had become overwhelmed and frustrated with the “up-hill-battle” of reforming the Republican Party, so had decided to put his energy into building the Libertarian Party. Rather than debate, as I’ve found is completely unproductive, I expressed my opinion that if getting Ron Paul the GOP Nomination is an “up-hill-battle” than expecting a Libertarian (or Green, or Independent) to get elected President in 2012 is like a “trip-to-Mars.”
At the local level the group has been successful in Colorado, electing Mayors and City Council members, and bringing many libertarian issues to the attention of the voters. I shared with them my theories, heard their stories, and wished them luck on their ventures.
Green Party of Denver Monthly Meeting – Denver, CO
There was a lot going on at this meeting. In addition to being a general meeting for the Denver Green Party, presenters for October 2011 (october2011.org) spoke about their plans to protest at Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C., beginning on October 6th, the 10-Year Anniversary of the Afghan War. They mentioned the “Arab Spring” revolutions going on in the Middle East, which led me to dub their protest “The American Fall: To Stop the Fall of America.”
Attending the meeting were a number of Green Party candidates who had run for the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A representative from Kent Mesplay‘s campaign for the Green Party President Nomination was there, as well as a liaison from the Colorado Libertarian Party, who was there to promote Approval Voting.
The Party’s main agenda was to promote the Colorado Single-Payer Health Care Initiative (SB 168) and a State Amendment to End Corporate Person-hood. Currently they are looking for candidates for State Legislature to run on these issues.
A Green Party activist was there to promote the Colorado350 “Moving Planet Bike Ride” on September 24th to promote moving beyond fossil fuels.
The Left Hand of Liberty – Longmont, CO
A loose meeting of the Libertarian Party, I was able to talk a bit more about “2012 Enlightenment Theory” than I had been at other meetings. It got people excited to talk about the concept of a Non-Hierarchical Society, whether or not they completely agreed with my observations, the conversation was lively and productive.
In addition Paul Tiger, the Libertarian Candidate for Longmont City Council Ward 1, spoke about his campaign and some of his platform. The conversation had a lot to do with allowing the City to operate a high-speed fiber-optical Internet line (Question 2A), which was installed years ago but never used due to a state mandate, and making public transportation safer and more efficient, including the concept of “trenching” the railway lines to prevent interaction with traffic.
Dan Martin, an active libertarian-Republican, came to bring up concerns with the upcoming mail-in-only election. The problem of “phantom votes” that occur when a voter doesn’t choose any candidate for a particular race, but due to machine reading, a smudge on the ballot may cause a vote to be read. His recommendation, was if not voting for any candidate, instead fill in multiple boxes so the machine spits out the ballot and a human reader is required to access said vote as invalid, rather than let the machine potentially assume a vote for a candidate the voter does not support.
Also in attendance was the wife of Longmont Mayor Bryan Baum.
Liberty of the Rocks – Denver, CO
Liberty on the Rocks is a non-partisan Bar/Pub Political Social event. I helped host the first one in Sonoma County after attending one in San Francisco. The Denver group is the original Liberty on the Rocks.
This meeting started off with an organized debate, the subject being Anti-Trust laws. The party was separated into two group; for and against, and then was brought back together to debate the topic. After that about a half-hour was given for people to mingle before the group’s attention was brought to a presentation on “fracking.” The point of the presentation was to relieve fears regarding environmental concerns about the natural gas extraction process. The presentation was very thorough, natural gas being a large issue for Colorado.
The Saga Continues…
Tomorrow I leave Colorado to fly out to Iowa (the first Caucus state in the GOP Primary). There I hope to meet up with the official Iowa Director for the Ron Paul Campaign and any Ron Paul, Green Party or Like-Minded groups organizing to bring about real-change in America. I will also be talking to people as I go, sharing my story, my vision, and my mission. If I have time (and the resources) to make it out to Vedic City I may go and do some Transcendental Meditation.
From Iowa I am planning on heading to South Carolina (another early Primary State) to work at a farm I found through WWOOF-USA. That should keep my busy until Mid-December.
I am currently looking into farms in Florida to carry me through winter, at which point I hope to make it up to New England to finish my volunteer work for the Ron Paul campaign (New Hampshire Primary) and begin looking for Green Party Congressional Campaigns to assist. Sharing my vision along the way.
I am very positive about what is happening around the World and throughout the Country. As I talk to more people about the visions of Peace and Abundance I am continually motivated. Great things are happening, people are waking up, and the world is becoming a better place. It is up to us, as individuals, what part we play, and what effect we have on those around us. Thank you, and May Peace Be With You!
Thumbnail Image: By Footwarrior (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Jack Wagner is the Editor of The Free Independent-Sun. Born in Sonoma, California and currently residing in San Francisco, Jack set up The Free Independent-Sun on July 4th, 2009, after sleeping in and not making his usual trip up north for his hometown festivities. He figured he'd do something revolutionary to make up for it. In the Summer of 2010 Jack registered Seraf Media with the City and County of San Francisco as a Sole-Proprietorship. He is dedicated to articulating the finer points of the Revolution in order to bring about a Global Renaissance and Abundant World Economy. He also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty transplanting succulents. 
whats up bro? hit me up
Keep up the good work yo!! Were about to launch a tour of our own. http://www.rocktherevolutiontour.com Maybe we’ll cross paths.
Peace,
Consise