From the March 2008 Idaho Observer:

All across the country, Republican central committees are on alert that Ron Paul supporters are attempting to "infiltrate" the GOP (you remember—the "big tent" party). That is true—we are attempting to infiltrate party politics. But our tendency is to resent the implication because it comes loaded with a bunch of politically-biased stereotypes about us that are not true.

This is exactly why most of us have not participated in politics—for generations. Every time we brush up against politics we feel compelled to take a shower and brush our teeth. Most of us unconsciously developed our aversion to politics by high school because we found most of those who gravitated toward student government to be jerks. As a result, we have avoided party politics ever since entering adulthood. About half of us don’t even vote.

So, because we learned to dislike party politics in high school—and our dislike is confirmed every time it touches us, politics has become increasingly the domain of people who like socializing with other shallow, manipulative, self-interested, ladder-climbers willing to do things like betray their communities and country for personal gain and to zealously promote the phony ideals of their corrupt political party.

In this way, we only have ourselves to blame for the state of party politics in this country. Because we have (and might I say selfishly so) stayed out of political circles for the reasons previously stated, political parties have devolved into being what they are: The engines being used to drive our nation to absolute ruin—fueled by the shallow, backstabbing, girl/boyfriend-stealing jerks we haven’t liked since high school.

Proof of this truth is playing out right now. Ron Paul supporters, on fire with the selfless desire to save their country—and the world—from disaster, are overcoming their prejudices and becoming passionately involved in party politics. Our passion and dedication has been inspired by Rep. Ron Paul who has not only proved himself over time to be the most noble statesman in D.C., but has since proved himself to be a brilliant and tireless campaign tactician.

The secret to his success is the secret to our own. Ron Paul is winning the hearts of a nation by taking the high road and never deviating from the message: Stick to the Constitution because that is where the answers will be found. He is patient, knowledgeable, polite and maintains a calm demeanor while everyone—other candidates and "colleagues," the media and its pundits and even his supporters—is reacting all around him. It is both prudent and correct that we behave similarly as we seek to win the hearts of our communities through the political process.

At left is a letter that was modeled by a letter from Ron Paul supporter, lifelong Republican (and IO subscriber) Leah Southwell. Leah was at a Kootenai County Central Committee meeting when the chairman expressed his concern that Ron Paul supporters were attempting to infiltrate the party. He then characterized us as a bunch of "atheists and libertarians" with a derogatory tone. After her initial rush of indignation had subsided, Leah wrote him a letter that would make Ron Paul proud.

We chose to print a model of her letter in The IO this month because we know that the national Republican Central Committee is combating the invasion of Ron Paul Revolutionaries by feeding lies to the state central committees and they are passing them down to the county central committees which are passing them down to the precincts.

We can leave the state and national central committees to the Ron Paul campaign because it’s operating on those levels; we must take responsibility for the counties and the precincts because these are our neighbors and this is the level at which we operate.

At this time last year, Ron Paul had announced that he was thinking about running. Now, as a huge surprise to all of us—including Ron Paul and the establishment trying to ignore him—he has a real shot at winning the nomination. Just look at how fast and how far Ron Paul has led us to this point with humility, patience, knowledge and the sincere desire to restore the Republic.

In honor of this magnificent man, let us serve notice on our neighbors that we intend to take the high road into their hearts because we need them to help us save our nation—and we aren’t going away until our work is done. That will be the day when freedom and justice reign again and our children are equipped to carry on.

PS: There are some good people in politics. They selflessly overcame their disdain for the arena because they decided their community would be best served if they were to participate in the political process. They will not be offended by my comments.

At the last Central Committee Meeting a very unfair portrayal of Ron Paul supporters and their involvement in the Central Committee was presented. It was implied that Ron Paul and his atheist/libertarian supporters were attempting to "infiltrate" the Republican Party. This letter is an attempt to show you the other side of the story from the viewpoint of a fiscally-conservative "Ron Paul" Republican.

As a leader of the Republican Party, you need to understand that voter appreciation and support for Ron Paul’s ideals and principles are growing in this country and will continue to grow long after this election.

My first point is that Ron Paul has been elected to Congress as a Republican for 10 terms and was just nominated for an 11^th term with 70% of the vote. His Republican constituents must overwhelmingly believe and support his message. Ron Paul’s current message is an echo of what the Republican Party used to stand for, namely; limited government, balanced budgets, lower taxes and a humble foreign policy. It is because the GOP has strayed from true conservatism that Ron Paul supporters are working through the Republican Party to restore these values.

Your publicly-stated belief that Ron Paul supporters are "athiests" and "libertarians" needs to be addressed. The charges likely stem from Ron Paul being interviewed by a libertarian magazine that had also published something about atheism. Ron Paul’s detractors apparently seized this opportunity to negatively portray Ron Paul and his supporters as atheists and libertarians. Ron Paul himself is a professed Christian who believes in religious freedom and has chosen not to politically pander for "the Christian vote." Ron Paul’s support comes from Americans who desire freedom and justice for all—a "demographic" of Americana that includes members of all races, religions, professions, social classes, levels of educational achievement—and both parties.

In response to charges that Ron Paul supporters are "libertarians," as if that is a bad thing, then California Governor Ronald Reagan properly aligned true conservatism with libertarianism many years ago. In 1975, Reason magazine quoted the future president as stating, "…I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism…The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is."

It would appear that central committee concern that libertarian (conservative) Ron Paul supporters are "infiltrating" the Republican Party is being promoted at the national level by "neo-conservatives" that dominate GOP political strategy. You are likely aware of the term "neo-conservatism" and its adherents who are called "neocons," but may have not yet fully explored what it is and who they are.

I have attached the Wikipedia definition of neo-conservatism and a description of its policies. I think you will agree that it is not the libertarian side of the party you need to fear, but the neocon side. If you have been wondering what has happened to the Party since 9/11 but haven’t been able to put your finger on it, you will want to explore the neo-conservative influence over post-9/11 Republican Party politics further.

You will then begin to understand why balanced budgets are no longer relevant, growth of the federal government is exploding, individual rights are being sacrificed for our "security," the Constitution (the supreme law of the land) and the Bill of Rights have become meaningless, the dollar is intentionally being destroyed, there is no end to government borrowing (the national debt is now mathematically impossible to ever repay) and why, with the massive printing of fiat dollars, we are primed to experience the worst inflation this country has ever seen. You will also understand why this "war on terrorism" will continue regardless of the $12 billion a month it is costing us and why there are no plans to end this war. It is the reason why we are "policing" the world and promoting "democracy" and why we are continuing to support welfare for illegal immigrants while making no attempt to defend our own borders. It will also help you to understand why this primary election is being run from the top down with the assistance of the corporate media.

Does McCain’s candidacy represent your conservative ideals? Does he embody what our Founding Fathers intended for our country? Is this the best we can do?

Supporters of the Ron Paul message are a tremendous asset to the Republican Party.

Our goal is to restore freedom and justice to our people and make our Founding Fathers proud again. Ron Paul has caused an uprising from informed people on a national scale much greater than the media has allowed you to see. His supporters are well educated on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, economic policy, and are dedicated to maintaining U.S. national sovereignty.

Ron Paul’s campaign received over $20 million in donations in the last quarter. The average donation was $100. Ron’s campaign was the largest recipient of money from the U.S. Military; maybe they know something the public doesn’t. This was achieved without corporate or special interest money. It was also raised on a grassroots level without the campaign’s involvement. We know how to raise money. We have learned how to influence and educate the public and will continue to do just that. We are passionate and are willing to work tirelessly because we all know that the very future of our country—not just the next four years—is what is at stake. Many of us have never been politically involved until now but our love and concern has inspired us to work for real change and we are willing to sacrifice our lives, fortunes and our sacred honor to save our nation.

We are just what the Republican Party needs; we are just what this embattled nation needs.

We are not asking you to vote for Ron Paul. We are asking you to work with us in restoring our great Constitutional Republic. We love our Country and our Constitution and are willing to do whatever is necessary to save them. Our Founding Fathers wisely advised us to do just that.

I welcome your comments and further discussion on restoring the Republican Party to its conservative values and supporting only those Republican candidates who embrace true conservatism. The futures of our children and grandchildren will be brighter once their parents and grandparents begin placing principles above politics and party.