Local Fox affiliate, KPTM Nebraska, has covered the exclusion of Ron Paul by News Corp’s national Fox News Channel.

The anchor at the end of the clip is apparently not aware that Ron Paul raised more money in a single day than any candidate in American history, or that he raised far more money from real people this quarter than any of the other candidates raised last quarter. (Romney gave himself $8.5 million in Q3) Of course, he also trounces all the other candidates in online polls, forums, searches, and overruns other candidates in number of supporters who show up at events.

So, as it turns out, the story I broke yesterday at 8PM on LewRockwell.com about Ron Paul being excluded from the debates was true.  I cited an AP story which listed five other candidates who are to be attending.  Several people called the official campaign and were told that it was true, and between the AP and official campaign, I felt there was ample evidence to justify breaking the news on LRC.

Well, it wasn’t long before I got an email from someone who profusely insisted that my post was likely incorrect, that the New Hampshire GOP would not allow this to happen, and that I was a horrible person for posting it.  (I’m paraphrasing here.  She actually copied my boss on her emails and asked how I could post such “nonsense” several times.) Because she’s someone who seemed to be very close to the campaign and very close to the New Hampshire GOP, I believed her when she said, “I have an invitation at my home with his name printed on it.” (That’s a quote.)

It was one of my most embarrassing moments since childhood.  I thought I had tarnished the reputation of Lew Rockwell and had discredited myself in the eyes of tens of thousands of Ron Paul supporters who read LRC daily as their primary source of information. As a result of my post, the New Hampshire GOP’s servers and phone lines were out of commission because of hordes of angry Ron Paul supporters.

I quickly posted a very personal retraction that resonated around the blogosphere.  I received dozens of emails from angry Ron Paul fans who asked how I could have posted something like without checking out my sources.  (One would think the Associated Press and the official
campaign would be reliable sources of information, right?)  I then spent the next 17 hours trying to squelch copies of my news on dozens
of others blogs as they popped up, further making myself look like an ass.

Well, as it turns out, FOX has indeed excluded Ron Paul from the forum.  The official campaign has published a press release about it. 
The AP was right.  The people answering the phones at the campaign were right, and the retractions on all of the major Ron Paul sites were in vain.

In the defense of the person who sent me these emails that caused me to post a retraction, her chief complaint now is that the NH GOP is not the right outlet to complain to.  Due to reasons I agreed not to publish, she may be right
about that.

What a horrible experience.  I will, however, be confirming all Ron Paul-related news with the chairman of the Ron Paul campaign from now on if we end up making contact tomorrow.

Now, about Ron Paul being excluded…  Here’s where you can send your complaints:

• General Comments
• Email: yourcomments@foxnews.com
• Phone: 1-888-369-4762
• Marty Ryan, Executive Politics Producer
• Phone: 202-824-6403
• Kathy Ardleigh, Sen. Politics Producer
• Phone: 212-301-3186
• Email: kathy.ardleigh@foxnews.com
• Thom Bird, Fox News Sen. Producer
• Phone: 212-301-3250
• Email: thom.bird@foxnews.com
• Todd Ciganek, National News Editor
• Phone: 212-301-3352
• Email: todd.ciganek@foxnews.com
• Ian Rae, Exec. VP News
• Phone: 212-301-8552
• Email: ian.rae@foxnews.com
• John Moody, Sen VP News
• Phone: 212-301-8560
• Email: john.moody@foxnews.com
• Brian Lewis, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications
• Phone: 212-301-3331
• Fax: 212-819-0816
• E-Mail: brian.lewis@foxnews.com
• Irena Briganti, Vice President of Media Relations
• Phone: 212-301-3608
• Fax: 212-819-0816
• E-Mail: irena.briganti@foxnews.com
• Brian Knoblock, International Editor
• Phone: 212-301-5486
• Email: brian.knoblock@foxnews.com
• Kim Schiller Hume, Wash DC Bureau Chief
• Phone: 202-824-6389
• Fax: 202-824-6426
• Ken LaCorte, Los Angeles Bureau Chief
• Phone: 310-571-2000
• Fax: 310-571-2009
• Justin Schmidt, Chicago Bureau Chief
• Phone: 312-494-0428
• Fax: 312-494-0445
• Brit Hume, Managing Editor
• Phone: 202-824-6470
• Fax: 202-824-6426
• David Asman, Fox News Host
• Phone: 212-301-3944
• Email: david.asman@foxnews.com
• Shepard Smith, Fox Report Host
• Phone: 212-301-3711
• Email: shepard.smith@foxnews.com
• Bill O’Reilly, O’Reilly Factor Host
• Phone: 212-301-3320
• Email: bill.oreilly@foxnews.com
• Jane Skinner, News Anchor
• Phone: 212-301-5023
• Email: jane.skinner@foxnews.com

Major Fox Advertisers (Thanks to David P. Martin!)

Earl J. Hesterberg
Vice President, Marketing
Ford Motor Company
1 American Rd
Dearborn, MI 48126-2701
TEL: (313) 322-3000
FAX: 313-845-6073

Koichi Kondo
President& CEO
American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc.
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Mail Stop: 500 – 2N – 7D
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
TEL: (800) 999-1009
FAX: (310) 783-3023

Rick Kornhauser
Vice President, Marketing
Chattem, Inc.
1715 W 38th St
Chattanooga, TN 37409-1248
TEL: (800) 366-6077
FAX: (423) 821-0395

Patrick M. Byrne
Chairman & President
Overstock.com
6322 S 3000 E Ste 100
Salt Lake City, UT 84121-6931
TEL: (801) 947-3100
FAX: (801) 944-4629

William R. Rhodes
Chairman
Citibank
399 Park Ave
New York, NY 10022
TEL: (800) 285-3000
FAX:

Henry A. McKinnell, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Pfizer
235 E 42nd St
New York, NY 10017-5755
TEL: (212) 573-2323
(212) 573-7851

Javed Ahmed
Executive Vice President
Reckitt Benckiser Inc.
Morris Corporate Center IV
399 Interpace Parkway
Parsippany, NJ 07054-0225
TEL: (800) 333-3899
FAX: (973) 404-5700

R. Kerry Clark
Vice Chairman
Procter & Gamble
1 Procter & Gamble Plaza
Cincinnati, OH 45202
TEL: 513-983-1100
FAX: 513-983-9369

Charles Fruit
Chief Marketing Officer
The Coca Cola Company
1 Coca Cola Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30313
TEL: 404-676-2121
FAX: 404-676-6792

Paul Carothers
Vice President, Public Affairs
Kraft Foods
3 Lakes Drive
Northfield, IL 60093
TEL: 847-646-2000
FAX: 847-646-6005

Kathleen Flaherty
Chief Marketing Officer
AT&T
1 AT&T Way
Bedminster, NJ 07921
TEL: 908-221-2000
FAX: 908-532-1675

John Middlebrook
Vice President
General Motors
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48265-3000
TEL: 313-556-5000
FAX: 248-696-7300

Janine M. Bousquette
Chief Marketing Officer
Sears
3333 Beverly Rd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
TEL: 847-286-2500
FAX: 847-286-7829

Kelly Mankin
Vice President, Marketing
DaimlerChrysler
1000 Chrysler Dr
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766
TEL: 248-576-5741
FAX: 248-576-4742

Jill Kelly-Paget
Corporate Communications
Director
MediaVest
1675 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
TEL: 212-468-3828
FAX: 212-468-4110

Charlie Rutman
President
Carat USA
3 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
TEL: 212-689-6800
FAX: 212-689-6005

Dennis Donlin
President
General Motors Planworks
150 W. Jefferson, Suite 400
Detroit, MI 48226
TEL: 313-237-8111
FAX: 313-237-8490

Cheri Carpenter
Media Contact
Starcom MediaVest
35 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
TEL: 312.220.6218
FAX: 312.220.6530

Bob Lilley
Vice President, Media Marketing
Optimedia
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
TEL: 212-820-3161
FAX: 212-820-3300

Charles Courtier
Worldwide Executive Chairman
MediaEdge
825 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
TEL: 212-474-0000
FAX: 212-474-0001

Robert Mancini
Executive Director
Ford Motor Media
500 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI, 48226-3428
TEL: 313-964-3800
FAX: 313-845-6073

Marc Goldstein
Chief Executive Officer
MindShare
498 7th Ave
New York, NY 10018
TEL: 646-756-4000
FAX: 646-756-4060

Mike Vogel
Chief Executive Officer
PHD Detroit
840 W Long Lake Rd
Troy, MI 48098
TEL: 248-293-3400
FAX: 248-293-3434

Peter M. Butterfield
President and CEO
KIA
PO Box 52410
Irvine, CA 92619-2410
TEL: 949-470-7000
FAX: 949-470-2800

Richard D. Fairbank
Chairman, President and CEO
Capital One
1680 Capital One Dr
McLean, VA 22042-4500
TEL: 703-720-1000
FAX:

Jay Carothers
Chairman and CEO
Levitz
300 Crossways Park Dr
Woodbury, NY 11797
TEL: (516) 496-9560
FAX: (631) 927-1780

John Stratton
VP & Chief Mktg Officer
Verizon
180 Washington Valley Rd
Bedminster, NJ 07921-2120
TEL: (800) 214-3555
FAX: (908) 306-7766

John F. Antioco
Chm & CEO
Blockbuster
1201 Elm St
Dallas, TX 75270-2102
TEL: (214) 854-3000
FAX:

Yukitoshi Funo
Pres
TOYOTA
19001 S Western Ave
Torrance, CA 90501-1106
TEL: (310) 468-4000
FAX: (310) 468-7800

Eric Milledge
Company Group Chairman
LifeScan, Inc.
1000 Gibraltar Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
TEL: (408) 263-9789
FAX:

Jim Julow
Vice President
Dodge Magnum/Dakota,
DamlierChysler Corp
1000 Chrysler Dr
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766
TEL: (248) 576-5741
FAX: (248) 512-2817

Emil J. Brolick
President
Taco Bell
17901 Von Karman Ave
Irvine, CA 92614-6253
TEL: (949) 863-4500
FAX: (949) 863-409

Marc Covent
President
Slim Fast
777 S Flagler Dr Ste 1400
West Palm Beach, FL 33401-
6176
TEL: (561) 833-9920
FAX: (561) 822-2876

William R Rhodes
Chairman
Citigroup
TEL: (212) 793-6872

And here’s a link to more FOX News sponsors.

I’ll post more contact info as I get it.

Have I mentioned that Tim Swanson and B.K. Marcus are two of my heroes?  The first time I read B.K. Marcus’s piece on why spectrum should be private property, I almost had a Glenn Beck moment.  If you’ve ever thought for a second that the FCC might be good thing for America, you must read these two articles:

• The Spectrum Should Be Private Property: The Economics, History, and Future of Wireless Technology by B.K Marcus
• The Spectrum Swindle by Tim Swanson

Every American has been screwed by the FCC.  A vast, vast majority of them will never know just how much they’ve been affected, but sadly they all have and will pay the price.

So the night before Christmas, the New York Times posted what is very obviously a childish anti-Ron Paul smear piece.  A diminishing group known as their readers called them on it, and the NY Times responded by removing the comments!  However, due to widespread pressure from Lew Rockwell and internet bloggers, they’ve now begun publishing a few hundred of them.

The old media is still used to being able to get away with this sort of thing, but each time they try they inch closer to grocery-store-tabloid status.  Gone are the days when publications like this could publish whatever they want without any accountability, thanks to the internet.

UPDATE: The New York Times has retracted their smear piece.

This news is a few days old but is critically important, none the less. A federal judge in Vermont has ruled that the right not to divulge his PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) passphrase is protected by the 5th amendment. A pseudo-anonymous blogger points out the significance:

If this becomes a precedent, it will be distinctly different from European countries such as the U.K, where a new law provides for up to two years of jail time simply for refusing to reveal a key.

As people’s digital storage increasingly becomes an integrated part of their identity, the right to keep certain data private will become increasingly important. The right to keep encryption keys private will increasingly mean the freedom to keep certain thoughts private, whether they are stored in wetware or digital form.

Click here to read the story on News.com Since the ruling, the DOJ has refused to answer any questions regarding their stance on citizens being forced to reveal encryption keys.

It’s going to be very interesting to see how the federal government reacts to this. From the article:

“We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,” long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means told a handful of reporters and a delegation from the Bolivian embassy.

A delegation of Lakota leaders delivered a message to the State Department on Monday, announcing they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the United States, some of them more than 150 years old.

Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free — provided residents renounce their US citizenship, Means said.

Click here to continue reading.

What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally-syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 Billion, which is what Mitt Romney’s private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country. This is part of a negotiation that has been pending for over a year.

Clear Channel owns over 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States. Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well.

In an email, Josh writes:

“I’ll bet those hosts won’t reveal that conflict of interest, but it’s worth noting when you hear them begin hyping Romney, which has already begun. A lot of GOP supporters will support whomever they are told to support, so be prepared for a big push for Romney. On the bright side, Romney has more vulnerabilities than Rudy, based on his record. Look at this as the GOP establishment doing us a favor. Rich men can bankroll their own campaigns (a la John Kerry), but it takes a special breed to use investors’ money to buy entire networks that can operate as passive wings of a presidential campaign.”

It should be noted that Mitt Romney, while no longer the CEO, remains a silent partner of Bain Capital.

Thanks to Scott Johnsson for sharing this.

I’ve learned some invaluable lessons within the last three months of my life. Some of them sound very simple, and even very obvious, but they didn’t click for me until I began to learn them first-hand.

The one on my mind right now is: Life is hard.

We live in a culture of putting-off-the-inevitable. It doesn’t matter where you look, or what problem you’re talking about. If there’s a problem, we’ve invented a way to fool ourselves into thinking that we don’t have to deal with it, and we pull it off masterfully, while managing never to learn from our mistakes.

Two examples come to mind, and the first is a bit personal. Through a recent breakup with a girl whom I had convinced myself I was destined to be with, I’ve felt real pain for the first time in my life. Throughout my life, until this point, there has always been a “fix” for my problems. I’ve trained myself to look for the easy way out. But this time, no such exit exists. Not a day has passed yet in which I haven’t, at least briefly, felt an intense sadness over what was, as it turned out, not to be. I’ve often awoken suddenly in the middle of the night feeling alone and depressed, knowing there’s nothing I can do to make myself feel any better. It has felt like an emotional roller coaster – sometimes I feel okay, sometimes I even feel good and completely forget for a moment, and other times I feel so indescribably horrible that suicide starts to seem appealing.

Faced with the reality that there is nothing I can do or say to anyone that will relieve the pain — and trust me, I’ve tried — I’ve been tempted to resort to other quick fixes. For every feeling of pain that can only heal with time, there will always be someone offering a quick and “painless” fix that inevitably delays the pain and often creates a far worse situation. In a college town, where doctors prescribe some of the most potent and addictive drugs known to man as a solution to the common cold, drugs like Xanax and Klonopin are available free-of-charge to anyone with more than three or four friends, and at first seem to offer an easy escape. Of course, popping benzos every time I feel like shit is probably the single dumbest thing I could do as it would almost inevitably leave me psychologically and physically dependant and would guarantee that I’d have to deal with an unthinkably-horrible withdrawal stage in addition to the problem I would have been running away from in the first place. Thankfully, I have more than a few very incredible people in my life who have been through this before and were caring enough to share with me the wisdom that the only sane way to survive feelings like this is to recognize that life is hard, that the feelings will pass with time, and that I should get on with life. Once I get through this, I will be a much better, much strong individual than I was before I was in the relationship in the first place. Never the less, that a small number of my peers seem to think popping pills is a reasonable solution to getting through the rough time I’m having made me think very critically about the world around me.

However, it wasn’t until I read Lew Rockwell’s article today that I made the connection between what’s going on in my life and what’s going on in the rest of the country. This brings me to my second example. Here we are in a world in which our entire economy is built on a system designed to allow us to escape reality. For the unaware, the US Dollar is printed by an entity called The Federal Reserve. The sole purpose of this organization is to attempt to manipulate the laws of economics by transferring wealth from the average citizen to, well, wherever they think they should put it. This is called inflation. They create new money and cause the money that you and I work for to be worth less. The idea is that by taking the value of our money and handing it over to select groups of companies, the country will grow faster and disaster can be avoided. These guys honestly think they’ve conquered the laws of nature. The result of this activity is very real. Recent examples are the dot-com boom and even more recently, the real estate boom. As soon as reality sets in and people start to realize things aren’t right, a bust begins to occur, and the Fed rushes to stave off reality. Instead of ceasing the behaviour that caused the problem, they fight harder against the well-established laws of economics and make things worse by further inflating the money supply. This does delay disaster, but only makes matters worse in the long-run. Market corrections can be painful for everyone, especially when they’ve been manipulated so heavily for so long, but the economy cannot heal until they occur.

Make no mistake: The Fed cutting rates when they know there’s a problem is directly akin to a drug addict reacting to the onset of withdrawal by switching to higher doses of harder drugs, instead of suffering through the withdrawal so he can be free of his addiction.

Just as popping benzos is the obvious temporary way out of dealing with the intense pain I’ve felt, the President’s reaction of freezing interest rates is just a temporary way out of dealing with a market correction. All of this just makes things much worse, and the people who suffer and are you and me. Food prices go up, gas prices go up, prices on imported goods go up, and it seems like money gets tighter for everyone in America, but people don’t realize why. This is the result of the Federal Reserve making our money worth less.

We must, as a nation, recognize this problem. This is why Ron Paul’s candidacy is so important to me. He is the only one running for president who is trying to explain this to people, and until more people listen to him we will continue racing towards disaster.

Until I read Jeff Tucker’s piece today about the POP-mail generation, I had almost completely forgotten why I fell in love with Gmail in the first place.

It’s not the way it organizes my email, or the incredible spam-filtering. The real reason I love Gmail is that I’ve tried just about every email client known to man, and they all eventually crash, resulting in either a tremendous waste of time trying to clean it up or a total loss of data. With Gmail, the burden to keep things working is on Google, not me. No more strange error messages, no more searches that take five minutes, no more repairing of databases, no more worrying. It just works. And if it ever stops working, they’ll have millions of unhappy customers to answer to, and thus great incentive to rapidly fix it. Whereas, if Outlook breaks, I’m just plain fucked.