Mysterious Bird Flying Around S. Texas???

Mysterious Bird Flying Around S. Texas???

I-Team

I-Team: Expert trying to identify mysterious bird flying around S. Texas
Web Posted: 11/16/2007 12:42 AM CST
Joe Conger
KENS 5 Eyewitness News

More sightings of a huge flying creature, originally reported by KENS, have prompted an investigation to determine if it is a monster or myth.

“Even though it was dark, the thing itself was black. The blackest I’d ever seen,” said Frank Ramirez.

Years ago, Ramirez thought he was after a prowler in the back of his mother’s Southwest Side home. But what greeted him on the garage rooftop still gives him goosebumps now.

“That’s when the thing up there turned to me, and it was in a perched state, and it started to turn,” he said. “It started to move its arms and this giant blackness was just coming out. At that point, I dropped the stick and I ran.”

Ramirez sketched a drawing of the large, bird-like creature. The image is disturbing, and similar to dozens of sightings across San Antonio and South Texas.

“If you were to take a man’s face and pull his chin down, just like a stretched face,” said Ramirez.

More Coverage
KENS Video: Sightings of mysterious giant bird continue
KENS Video: Expert trying to identify mysterious bird flying around S. Texas

“I was just terrified and as I was running. I just thought it was going to carry me off or something.”

An earlier KENS story about a large, prehistoric-like bird drew more than 100,000 hits on MySanAntonio.com. More than a few people in San Antonio came forward to say they’d seen the creature, too.

One woman contacted KENS by e-mail, saying that because of our story, she now knows she’s not crazy.

KENS caught up with cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

Gerhard recently wrote a book, called “Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters” on the large, dark birds.

“When investigating mystery animals, it’s important to point out that there are vast areas of land, even here in South Texas, that remain uninhabited,” said Gerhard. “If an animal like big bird does exist, it certainly needs some habitat, somewhere to hide.”

The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge has 88,000 acres, and the marshes and prairies are home to 413 species of birds, but no flying pterodactyls.

“Raptors of all kinds, from hawks to falcons, come throughout. Our most common is the Harris Hawk, ” said Park Ranger Stacy Sanchez.

But even Sanchez admits that blogs spiked with reports this summer of something.

“People were posting about a very large, raptor-like bird, and they were talking about an 18-to-20-foot wingspan. I don’t know … It’s kind of a myth,” said Sanchez.

Critics say where’s the proof? Eyewitness testimony without a feather or other body of evidence leaves these stories as they are — just stories.

“We know that it’s rare, and we know that this area’s been pretty popular hangout in the past,” said Gerhard.

Gerhard has been installing cameras in Harlingen, where Guadalupe Cantu wants his big bird sighting documented and validated.

Back in San Antonio, Ramirez has mounted an outdoor light to keep the creature at bay.

“I know what I saw. It took me more than a week to step out of this house. I wouldn’t step foot out of this house,” said Ramirez. “It had this very, very horrible demeanor-look on its face. Like I was lunch,” he said.

On Nov. 21, Gerhard will be featured in a History Channel documentary called “Birdzilla.”
Tef
http://tinyurl.com/23f6n8
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmm….
I saw this story on several Google news articles a few days ago.
Earlier today I ran across Wikipedia’s article on “Mothman” (see below).
I went looking for one of the mysterious bird articles I’d seen–the one posted above is the only article I could find now.

Hmmm…(again)
Mothman?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman

(I always loved good ghost stories, etc.)
GyG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Response to me from Piedpiper6….

Dick my boy you’re obviously losing it.  The object in question is what is called in South Texas a “La Chusa.”  Mary Jane and I have interviewed a dozen persons who at one time in their lives were pursued by such a witch-bird.  There was no question in our minds that what was being told to us was perceived by the teller to be true.  A favorite roost for La Chusa seems to be the bell tower in the Presidio La Bahia.  This was the site where some 340 Texians (i.e. Texans [Anglos] and Mexicans who supported the 1824 Constitution of Mexico and therefore opposed Santa Ana) were executed on Palm Sunday, March 27th 1836.

Should you ever venture to Tejas de Sud look me up and I’ll show you the lair of La Chusa, as well as where the bodies are buried.  SF Sully

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Full Version: la chusa (witch bird)

Unexplained Mysteries Discussion Forums > Unexplained Mysteries > Urban Legends

ghostbuster_3

Oct 26 2005, 05:21 PM

have any of you ever heard of la chusa it is also called a witch bird.

La Chusa was a winged female of sorts and horribly disfigured. If some one was near death, La Chusa would come to take their souls. You would know she was near from the sounds of her huge wings beating on a nearby window of the ill perons room or the side of that home. If La Chusa could be captured and see the sun rise she would evolve into a beautiful young woman.

343 Guilty Spark

Oct 26 2005, 05:41 PM

Sounds like a mix of a banshee and a harpie.

ghostbuster_3

Oct 26 2005, 06:49 PM

QUOTE(343 Guilty Spark @ Oct 26 2005, 05:41 PM) [snapback]903913[/snapback]
Sounds like a mix of a banshee and a harpie.

yea its kind of like that they say in life the la chusa was a witch and waskilled becuse of it. but if you go out side at midnight and wistled then it would come to kill you. now i did just that but i dont belive it will kill you but then agin it even went to a court case and people have been atacked by it. i think she may take the wistle as a thret or something like that.

me and my friend were out side and we wistled trying to get it to come then the next night at around 11 we heared rustling in the bushes we went out side to see wat it was and we thru some rocks at the area the noise was coming from and some black birds started flying around and then it sounded like somthing was on the ground and the sound was geting closer so we ran inside and locked all the doors. this was in the woods in my back yard a few days ago. even my energy rods pointed at the area.

freaked me out

Funi

Oct 26 2005, 06:50 PM

Never heard of such a story. I don’t believe that there’s a soul in the human body either.

343 Guilty Spark

Oct 26 2005, 06:57 PM

QUOTE(ghostbuster_3 @ Oct 26 2005, 07:49 PM) [snapback]904024[/snapback]
yea its kind of like that they say in life the la chusa was a witch and waskilled becuse of it. but if you go out side at midnight and wistled then it would come to kill you. now i did just that but i dont belive it will kill you but then agin it even went to a court case and people have been atacked by it. i think she may take the wistle as a thret or something like that.

me and my friend were out side and we wistled trying to get it to come then the next night at around 11 we heared rustling in the bushes we went out side to see wat it was and we thru some rocks at the area the noise was coming from and some black birds started flying around and then it sounded like somthing was on the ground and the sound was geting closer so we ran inside and locked all the doors. this was in the woods in my back yard a few days ago. even my energy rods pointed at the area.

freaked me out

I never get any weird paranormal experences.
Didn’t you look out the window to see what it was?

ghostbuster_3

Oct 26 2005, 06:58 PM

QUOTE(Funi @ Oct 26 2005, 06:50 PM) [snapback]904027[/snapback]
Never heard of such a story. I don’t believe that there’s a soul in the human body either.

well it origanated from texes i belive if you look it on yahoo you can get some info on it if your interested. it dosent realy have to do with the bodys spirits thats just in one story ive heard. im kind of with ya on that whole soul in the humen body im kind of undicided or in the middle.

iaapac

Oct 26 2005, 07:01 PM

The lachuza is a Mexican tale wherein a large owl-type bird takes flight and changes into a woman. There are countless tales of this and very recently I had a man tell me that he was walking to the bus stop and saw a lachuza sitting on top of a street sign. He then saw the bus coming and so he took his attention away from the bird and hurried to catch the bus. When he crossed the street he looked for the bus again and it had disappeared but there was an old woman sitting on the bench, as if also waiting for the bus.
What is interesting about the witch tales is that in 15th century Europe a witch had a pointed hat, dressed in black and could fly on a broom. In Mexico, long before the arrival of the Europeans, the witch also dressed in black, wore a pointed hat and flew on a broom. The same image and description existed for witches in China. How?

ghostbuster_3

Oct 26 2005, 07:02 PM

QUOTE(343 Guilty Spark @ Oct 26 2005, 06:57 PM) [snapback]904038[/snapback]
I never get any weird paranormal experences.
Didn’t you look out the window to see what it was?

yea for a long time to but nothing like it was wating out there or somthing but im not 100% that was it im hopin to have that happen agin and try to get a pic or somthing. i do have some random pics of me and my friend and the woods i took from out the window but i gota go get it developed.

ghostbuster_3

Oct 26 2005, 07:05 PM

QUOTE(iaapac @ Oct 26 2005, 07:01 PM) [snapback]904046[/snapback]
The lachuza is a Mexican tale wherein a large owl-type bird takes flight and changes into a woman. There are countless tales of this and very recently I had a man tell me that he was walking to the bus stop and saw a lachuza sitting on top of a street sign. He then saw the bus coming and so he took his attention away from the bird and hurried to catch the bus. When he crossed the street he looked for the bus again and it had disappeared but there was an old woman sitting on the bench, as if also waiting for the bus.
What is interesting about the witch tales is that in 15th century Europe a witch had a pointed hat, dressed in black and could fly on a broom. In Mexico, long before the arrival of the Europeans, the witch also dressed in black, wore a pointed hat and flew on a broom. The same image and description existed for witches in China. How?

i seen a tale on tv that some cops and towns seen it i think the town was point plesent or somthing like that around some goverment wast plant or something

Fox McCloud

Oct 27 2005, 04:54 AM

This is news to me… *makes a note never to whistle outside*

riotboy555

Oct 27 2005, 05:32 AM

I’ve heard of La chusa, or Lechuza, as I was told. One of my friends told me a story about his grandfather’s run-in with one at his ranch. According to him, his grandfather’s neighbor was rumored to be a witch. One day, while walking around his ranch, the grandfather caught an owl, and beat it up with a stick he was carrying. The following day, he saw his neighbor walking down the street all bandaged up like she had gotten in a bad accident. So….

343 Guilty Spark

Oct 27 2005, 08:33 AM

^ That’s terrible, why would he beat up an owl.

Mekorig

Oct 27 2005, 01:09 PM

Neve heard anything of “La Chuza”. The mane appears to de a deformation of Lechuza, that is the spanish word to Owl.

ghostbuster_3

Oct 27 2005, 01:16 PM

QUOTE(Mekorig @ Oct 27 2005, 01:09 PM) [snapback]905131[/snapback]
Neve heard anything of “La Chuza”. The mane appears to de a deformation of Lechuza, that is the spanish word to Owl.

u myhave heard of it by another name a witch bird some people call it.

Darkmage515

Nov 2 2005, 02:47 PM

Well all I know is that a owl is a omen of something bad to come. Just like when dogs howl or cry that is bad to some people say that when they do that they are calling the reaper. There is also a saying that if you put on a eye booger of a dog you can see ghosts and spirits.

Lord Umbarger

Nov 4 2005, 07:01 AM

Iaapac, Two things.
One:
How do all these various cultures have the same image of a witch? They all dated my ex-girlfriend!
Two:
My father was born on September 14, so you’ll just have to pick another date.

Back on topic,
I’d never heard of this bird before. I have heard of a Vietnamese creature that ran through the woods on two legs and if you saw him you were supposed to die in the next battle. Not really the same thing but, I just thought that I’d add my two pesos.

Sorry for interupting a rather interesting thread with my idiocy.

Lord Umbarger

Nov 4 2005, 07:09 AM

Darkmage515:
I’ve always heard that the dog howled because he saw the Grim Reaper, not to call him. I grew up in South Georgia, United States. Interesting that the two tales are so similer. Also, my Jewish grandparents on both sides of my family always called the grim reaper Samael. Not that it really adds much to the thread but, maybe to the knowledge.

I’ve never heard the one about a “dog booger” though. That’s a totally new one on me. I’m gonna file that one away in the “things I’ll not do” folder.

iaapac

Nov 4 2005, 03:03 PM

QUOTE(Lord Umbarger @ Nov 4 2005, 04:31 AM) [snapback]915728[/snapback]
Iaapac, Two things.
One:
How do all these various cultures have the same image of a witch? They all dated my ex-girlfriend!
Two:
My father was born on September 14, so you’ll just have to pick another date.

Back on topic,
I’d never heard of this bird before. I have heard of a Vietnamese creature that ran through the woods on two legs and if you saw him you were supposed to die in the next battle. Not really the same thing but, I just thought that I’d add my two pesos.

Sorry for interupting a rather interesting thread with my idiocy.

Can you clarify this September 14 thing? I don’t understand.

Lord Umbarger

Nov 4 2005, 09:57 PM

Your profile states that Sept. 14 is your birthday. I was just razzing you a little. LOL

Vainomoinen

Nov 16 2005, 03:30 PM

The Lechuza is a very old Hispanic legend – some people take it to mean barn owl while others take the name as being the ‘witch bird’ that’s discussed here. Being from South Texas I’ve heard tons of stories about it. Growing up it was a very real boogey man or cucuy – living across the street from a very old graveyard gave us even more reason to fear this thing. We’d see lights dancing there at all hours of the night and hear odd noises.

The main thing my grandpa told us about lechuza was to never whistle after dark because it might be the lechuza whistling…and if you whistled back it would come after you and ‘try to scratch your eyeballs out’. Needless to say whistling was taboo after dark for us.

My uncle has perhaps the scariest tale: He was walking home with his girlfriend and his brother after the movies one night. His brother kept walking home as he took a different route to walk his girlfriend home – well after leaving her he began his trek home. He was walking when he heard some whistling. His first thought was that it was his brother messing around, trying to scare him. So he continues walking and the whistling continues – so he yells his brother’s name and begins whistling back even louder.

A tree up in front of him erupts, he said he heard small branches breaking, the foliage just shaking about and wings flapping as if something HUGE was flying out of the tree. So he breaks and as he’s passing under a streetlight he sees this shadow block out the light and the whistling is getting louder. So as he’s running he takes off his belt w/ his, like, five pound western belt buckle on it and begins swinging it around his head. He eventually made it home with this thing hot on his heels. He said from that time on he never whistled after dark again.

iaapac

Nov 16 2005, 03:40 PM

QUOTE(Lord Umbarger @ Nov 4 2005, 07:27 PM) [snapback]916611[/snapback]
Your profile states that Sept. 14 is your birthday. I was just razzing you a little. LOL

Okay, I understand. Then your father must be a wonderful, intelligent, kind, gregarious, humble, responsible person.

Mekorig

Nov 16 2005, 04:25 PM

whicht bird? Neither i haerd anything about that…i am a city dewler, but i had some family in the field, iand i have spend some summers whit them. Never heard of anything like that. Its maybe some weird mexican legend that get estended over C. America and South USA…

Celumnaz

Nov 16 2005, 06:11 PM

La Lechusa I’ve only heard it along the Rio Grand area. Many I’ve talked to in Southern Mexico haven’t heard of it in particular. Same with La Llorena. I mean, it could be, I just haven’t heard of it farther south.

Just be sure you’re talking about La Lechusa, and not La Lechuga.

Mekorig

Nov 16 2005, 06:29 PM

jajajajaja..La Lechuga..very evil vegetable spirit that attack all the salad carrying tourist!!!!

mako

Nov 17 2005, 02:55 PM

Okay, this is all too weird! Yesterday, when I came out of the office, I had a flat tire! By the time I took the flat off, put on the spare and found a place to repair the flat, it was well after dark. I live 60 miles from work (yep, 120 mile round trip- but hey, this is Texas), so to try to make up for some of the lost time, I took a short cut that I normally steer clear of (too many deer and wild hogs). I left Farm Market Road 1835 and turned onto County Road 127 (gravel, bumpy and dusty) to cut over to Farm Market Road 57 (I live just off that road). As I was about ½ mile from FM 57, I noticed red glowing eyes beside the road and up in a tree ahead. At first, I thought that it might be tail lights on an auto going down FM 57, but then I realized that FM57 takes a curve just past where it and CR 172 join, and you wouldn’t be able to see tail lights in that direction. As I watched, the eyes blinked, closed, opened again and then just as I was getting to the tree disappeared altogether. I have no idea what it was, but having had a conversation, that day, (fueled by this thread) with a young Hispanic woman that I work with on LaChusa, my first thought was that I had actually seen one, but who knows…

Kronos’s_Boy

Nov 23 2005, 07:10 AM

QUOTE(ghostbuster_3 @ Oct 27 2005, 07:49 AM) [snapback]904024[/snapback]
yea its kind of like that they say in life the la chusa was a witch and waskilled becuse of it. but if you go out side at midnight and wistled then it would come to kill you. now i did just that but i dont belive it will kill you but then agin it even went to a court case and people have been atacked by it. i think she may take the wistle as a thret or something like that.

me and my friend were out side and we wistled trying to get it to come then the next night at around 11 we heared rustling in the bushes we went out side to see wat it was and we thru some rocks at the area the noise was coming from and some black birds started flying around and then it sounded like somthing was on the ground and the sound was geting closer so we ran inside and locked all the doors. this was in the woods in my back yard a few days ago. even my energy rods pointed at the area.

freaked me out

lol well may be its just mad neighbours that didnt like loud noises and got u and they got power rods and tryied to scare u lol!!

zoom7500

Nov 25 2005, 08:15 PM

sounds like the wendigo

Piney

Nov 26 2005, 12:03 AM
My tribe, the Nanticoke has a legend about the “Gu’kus” who are witchs which turn them selves into owls. The Lena’pe (Delaware) and the Shawnee have the same legend but the witch in their stories is always a Nanticoke. The Owl witch is also known among other Algonquian tribes too. During the “Long Walk” of the Delawares and the Shawnees a group of them stayed in Texas while the main part went on to Oklahoma. Maybe an Algonquian tribe brought the legend to Texas. It was also known that a group of outlaw Delawares and Shawnees crossed into Mexico and were known as the Delas’.

Lapi’che

CharmedFan3

Nov 26 2005, 03:38 AM

QUOTE(ghostbuster_3 @ Oct 26 2005, 10:49 AM) [snapback]904024[/snapback]
yea its kind of like that they say in life the la chusa was a witch and waskilled becuse of it. but if you go out side at midnight and wistled then it would come to kill you. now i did just that but i dont belive it will kill you but then agin it even went to a court case and people have been atacked by it. i think she may take the wistle as a thret or something like that.

me and my friend were out side and we wistled trying to get it to come then the next night at around 11 we heared rustling in the bushes we went out side to see wat it was and we thru some rocks at the area the noise was coming from and some black birds started flying around and then it sounded like somthing was on the ground and the sound was geting closer so we ran inside and locked all the doors. this was in the woods in my back yard a few days ago. even my energy rods pointed at the area.

freaked me out

so la lachusa is a half woman half bird!! who is also a witch i am confused

iaapac

Nov 26 2005, 03:41 AM

QUOTE(CharmedFan3 @ Nov 26 2005, 01:08 AM) [snapback]948806[/snapback]
so la lachusa is a half woman half bird!! who is also a witch i am confused

According to the tales here in Mexico, the lechuza is the owl-like form a witch takes at night when she wants to travel to another location. Once arriving there, she reportedly has the power to resume her form as a woman. Most people are afraid of the sight of a large owl flying at night and, of course, believe that it is a witch of considerable power moving from one place to another.

CharmedFan3

Nov 26 2005, 03:44 AM

QUOTE(iaapac @ Nov 25 2005, 07:41 PM) [snapback]948809[/snapback]
According to the tales here in Mexico, the lechuza is the owl-like form a witch takes at night when she wants to travel to another location. Once arriving there, she reportedly has the power to resume her form as a woman. Most people are afraid of the sight of a large owl flying at night and, of course, believe that it is a witch of considerable power moving from one place to another.

not all witches are bad

Darkmage515

Nov 29 2005, 02:55 PM

I agree not all warlocks/witches are bad I use my powers for good reasons.

iaapac

Nov 29 2005, 05:29 PM

QUOTE(Darkmage515 @ Nov 29 2005, 12:25 PM) [snapback]953653[/snapback]
I agree not all warlocks/witches are bad I use my powers for good reasons.

I didn’t say all witches are bad. I merely reported the beliefs of the people in Mexico.

CharmedFan3

Dec 4 2005, 01:29 AM

QUOTE(Darkmage515 @ Nov 29 2005, 06:55 AM) [snapback]953653[/snapback]
I agree not all warlocks/witches are bad I use my powers for good reasons.

You wrote:

Hmmm….
I saw this story on several Google news articles a few days ago.
Earlier today I ran across Wikipedia’s article on “Mothman” (see below).
I went looking for one of the mysterious bird articles I’d seen–the one posted above is the only article I could find now.

Hmmm…(again)
Mothman?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman

(I always loved good ghost stories, etc.)
GyG

---

---

Actually Warlocks are bad, WARLOCK- a evil witch who destroys other witches

JMugenDPowerM

Oct 20 2006, 02:19 PM

are yall talking about the luchusa in robstown? that thing is like nothing ive ever seen before, it aint no witch or woman, its some sort of evil creature, it reminded me of the thing from jeepers creepers but shorter it was like 4 ft tall and huge wings, but i hear a whistling and i notice it was making the sound every time i was take a breathe like it was wezzing or something but it was louder, and i used to look for it all the time but since i saw it i aint ever gonna look for it, i had gotten interested in it when my gpa told me a story abbout it cuz he lives in the outskirts of robstown, and he was drive back home cuz he had just got off at work and it was like 2 in the morning, and he said something had his the back of his truck hard, and he looked in his mirror but didnt see anything then he looked of to the side and he said across the street was lachusa, and it was sorta keeping up with the truck until my grandpa started pushing it, and he got home and he had gotten far enough just to make it inside and lock the door and for the rest of the night he said he heard the huge wings of lachusa flapping around ouside, he also heard footsteps on the roof, and he got his gun, and called the cops but when they arrived lachusa was nowhere to be found and soon after they left it returned, oh yeah and for those who say lachusa doesnt have legs it obviously does cuz of the footsteps, but when i saw it it didnt seem to have any it looked like it was just floating in the air like a ghort or something, and when i fell to my knees cuz i was scared and they just gave out lachusa turned around and i saw the short legs it had, lucky i was behind some brush and i guess it didnt see me

coldethyl

Oct 20 2006, 03:50 PM

This thread is almost a year old so I don’t think you’re going to get an answer soon.

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Squaring The Circle – Ron Paul

Squaring The Circle – Ron PaulBy Erich Walberg
11-21-7

http://www.rense.com/general79/diday.htm

Among a dreary cabal of shopworn politicos running for US president, one provides hope for the Middle East, but does he have a chance, asks Eric Walberg In less than a year, the world will have a new leader. In a little over two months, we will know the names of the two likely candidates. The US media would have us believe that the Democrats have settled on New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who supported President George W Bush’s invasion of Iraq and continues to support the occupation (Bush lite), and the Republicans on New York ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani who thinks Bush is a wimp and can’t wait to attack Iran (Bush on steroids). The latter, despite his support for abortion, has just been endorsed by TV evangelist Pat Robertson, who argues that “the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists.” Both potential presidents put service to Israel at the top of their agendas. So it appears we are faced with Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, though these Alice-in-Wonderland characters are far from harmless. No one else has the blessing of the media and the other behind-the-scene controllers of American life (OK, AIPAC). The only two contenders who call for immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and foreswear any attack on Iran – Republican Congressman Ron Paul and Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich – are dismissed as fringe candidates if not nutcases. Paul is a self-proclaimed Libertarian, and Kucinich, who introduced a motion to impeach Vice-President Richard Cheney earlier this month, is regularly ridiculed as a believer in UFOs, especially by his stab-in-the-back fellow Democrats. The implication is that it would be dangerous to entrust the reins of government to either of these wackos. This, despite Bush’s belief that he has a hotline directly to God himself. For those who object to this conspiratorial view of American politics ­ that elections are a farce and that the real power lies behind the throne, in the hands of organisations such as the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Bilderberg Group and the Council of Foreign Affairs, consider that polls show 54 per cent of Americans want the troops home now, 68 per cent disapprove of Bush’s handling of the situation in Iraq and 64 per cent are against the war, 70% of American voters believe Dick Cheney has abused his powers as Vice President, and 43% definitely want him impeached. Yet the only candidates who represent the broad majority are dismissed as unelectable. There are some shreds of hope, though. Neither Paul nor Kucinich have any real dirt clinging to them, unlike both Giuliani and Clinton, who will be slinging mud and having it slung at them every minute they are in the media spotlight, and will ensure that the White House continues to be the home of the most hated person in the world. Also encouraging is that polls show, given the choice between likely candidates from the major parties, voters will vote along party lines rather than for specific candidates, that the Democrat will probably win, and that there is little or no difference between Clinton, Obama, or whoever when matched against Giuliani or Senator John McCain. So if by some miracle one of the so-called fruitcakes got the nomination of their party, he could well go on to win the race for the White House, despite the wishes of the real powers-that-be in America, and represent the real preferences of the majority. Kucinich ran in 2004 on a liberal Democratic policy of socialised medical care, less military (including creating a Department of Peace), more energy conservation, more support for city renewal, and the like ­ all policies which Americans would support ­ but his party just barely tolerates him, his campaign went nowhere and he dutifully supported the pro-war right-wing Democratic candidate John Kerry. AIPAC shuns him or worse, with good reason. During the Israel invasion of Lebanon last summer, Kucinich offered a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and a return to multiparty diplomacy between the United States and regional powers, with no preconditions. This summer, only Kucinich and Ron Paul voted against the House resolution calling on the United Naitons Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention because of his calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. And then there is his motion to impeach AIPAC member-for-life Cheney. So there is little excitement in his repeat campaign this time around and no likelihood that he will clinch the nomination. Knives are out. What about Paul, a former medical doctor, nicknamed Dr No for his contrarian insistence on “never voting for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorised by the Constitution”? Paul is also shunned by the Israeli Lobby. In addition to his vote on the Iran imbroglio, he calls for an end to all foreign aid, including to Israel, and he was pointedly not invited to the Republican Jewish Coalition debate in Washington, DC in October. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) said that Paul was excluded due to his “record of consistently voting against assistance to Israel and his criticisms of the pro-Israel lobby”. But Paul has developed a bit of a teflon coating. What Kucinich can’t get away with, he can. Paul promptly provided a statement to JTA explaining his position on Israel. “I support free trade and friendship with all nations, meaning that my administration would treat Israel as a friend and trading partner. Americans would be encouraged to travel to and trade with Israel.” He boldly argues that past US involvement in the Middle East fueled 9/11. In a 15 May televised debate sponsored by Fox News in Columbia, South Carolina, he argued, “They attack us because we’ve been over there; we’ve been bombing Iraq for 10 years.” The Michigan Republican Chairman Saul Anuzis was incensed and vowed to bar Paul from future debates, calling his remarks “off the wall and out of whack,” though he later backed off on his threat. Despite his supposed anti-Semitism, Paul has a small non-Zionist Jewish following, “Jews for Ron Paul”. There is even a “Zionists for Ron Paul” launched by Yehuda HaKohen, an American immigrant to Israel. “We think that Israel should be an ally to the United States but not a vassal to the United States. I don’t think it’s important for America to defend me. American aid does more harm than good. These are insults to our national sovereignty. If you have Zionists, Muslims and white supremacists supporting him, he’s someone who really resonates with people.” Paul’s platform flows entirely from his Libertarian credo ­ a kind of conservative anarchism. While Kucinich’s opposition to the war is inspired by a dovish liberalism, Paul’s is inspired by a belief in the supremacy of the individual, private property, and the Constitution, which discourages foreign alliances and intervention unless the US is directly attacked. He believes that war must be fought only to protect citizens, it must be declared by Congress, and it must be concluded when the victory is complete as planned. Paul argues that a just declaration of war after the September 11, 2001 attacks would have been against the actual terrorists, Al-Qaeda, rather than against Iraq, which had no connection to the attacks. He claims he is not calling for US isolation, but his policies would sharply reduce US interference in other nations’ affairs and US involvement in international organisations. He calls for withdrawing from any organisation that overrides US sovereignty, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), the United Nations, the North American Union, the Law of the Sea Treaty, the World Trade Organization (WTO), NATO and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. He is a proponent of free trade, but opposes free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement as “international managed trade” agreements which serve special interests and big business, not citizens. He opposes foreign aid ­ including aid to Israel ­ as wasteful and unwarranted interference in other countries. The government, neglecting its Constitutional responsibility to protect its borders, has concentrated instead on unconstitutionally policing foreign countries. Paul would “essentially” eliminate the CIA; while retaining functions like intelligence-gathering, and would eliminate operations like overthrowing foreign governments and assassinations. He has called the 9-11 Commission Report a charade: “Spending more money abroad or restricting liberties at home will do nothing to deter terrorists, yet this is exactly what the 9-11 Commission recommends.” His domestic policies would fundamentally remake American society, emphasising a return to local governance. He calls for the elimination of income tax and the Internal Revenue Service, approving of war resisters’ nonpayment of taxes and other nonviolent resistance a la Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. He advocated employee-owned corporations in his 1999 Employee Ownership Act, which would have created a new type of corporation (the employee-owned- and-controlled corporation) that would have been exempt from most federal taxes. Paul calls for the abolition of the Ferderal Reserve and a return to a commodity-based currency, most likely gold and silver, arguing that current efforts to sustain dollar hegemony exacerbate the rationale for war. Along with vested American interests in oil and plans to remake the Middle East, he argues that the threat to the dollar as world currency has been a contributing factor for the war against Iraq and diplomatic tensions with Iran. This man is talking sense, cutting through one Gordian knot after another, never missing a beat. Even his calls to scupper the UN, NATO and the WTO are not as crazy as they sound. All these organisations with the exception of the ICC (which past and present US presidents have done everything possible to undermine) are for the most part willing US clients, and if they were to collapse under a Ron Paul presidency, this would in the long run be a boon for the rest of the world, since it would clear the deck for the creation of new organisations based on social justice without the present imperialist baggage. As for foreign aid, Paul argues that most of it is wasted, and humanitarian aid is best left to charities and foundations. The more you consider the supposedly whacky fruitcake Paul, the better he sounds. And that is exactly how Americans are reacting. He won the Republican presidential candidates’ debate in Dearborn, Michigan on 9 October with 74% of votes cast. He went on to win the Orlando, Florida debate with 34%. As one observer put it, “Ron Paul won the Republican debate last week largely because he didn’t come across as just another dumb old white guy.” “70% of Americans want war over with and are sick and tired of big government at home and overseas. They want their civil liberties and don’t want the government to spend endlessly and bankrupt us,” Paul confidently argued there. If there is any democracy left at all in the US, he should continue to gain momentum, be crowned the official Republican candidate and go on to win the presidency with a landslide. His greatest liability at this point is the horror of the powers-that-be and the continued media blackout about him. But even that is backfiring in our electronic age. In September, he announced he had brought in $5.2 million in the previous three months, largely over the Internet, putting him ahead of McCain in the Republican money race. He raised $4.2 million on 5 November from 37,000 individual donors who agreed to give as part of a “money bomb” on Guy Fawkes Day. On 16 December, the anniversary of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, the goal is to add $10 million to his campaign chest to protest taxation used to pursue an unpopular war and the sacrificing of Constitutional liberties at home, and it looks like he will raise much more. So to recap: minimal decentralised government, a gold standard, government “by the book”, war strictly as self-defence, charity instead of government welfare. But wait! This is very much like Mohammad’s vision of a just society, with the Quran as the Constitution. Add to this Paul’s pledge to end “aid” to Israel, withdraw from the Muslim countries the US has illegally invaded, and stop undermining foreign governments. No wonder there is already a Yahoo group “Muslims for Ron Paul”, urging block voting for him in the primaries. Who better to make peace with the Arab world – the entire world? *** Eric Walberg is a Canadian journalist at Al-Ahram Weekly. You can reach him at www.geocities.com/walberg2002/

 

 

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Full Page Ad by RP Backer!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928943/posts
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Ron Paul Backer Aims to Snag Travelers (full page US today Ad)
US News World Report ^ | 11/20/07 | Liz Halloran
Posted on 11/21/2007 12:51:02 PM EST by traviskicks
Larry Lepard, a venture capitalist and Ron Paul supporter from Massachusetts, has shelled out about $85,000 of his own money to throw what he told U.S. News is a “small hard rock at a good target”: a full-page ad supporting Paul that will run in tomorrow’s edition of USA Today—the nation’s largest circulation daily newspaper—on the busiest travel day of the year.

He noted that he bought a right-hand position in the newspaper’s front section.

“I’m trying to get maximum bang for the buck,” said Lepard, 50, a Republican who says his strong opposition to the Iraq war drove him to take out the ad. His firm, Equity Management Association, invests in emerging markets, he said, adding, “I’m good at spotting early trends.” The ad, presented as an open letter from the country’s Founding Fathers, was designed with the help of supporters on www.RonPaulForums.com, where Paul campaign activists hold their virtual gatherings.

“We think the message is beautiful and pure,” said Lepard, who first met Paul nearly two decades ago at an economic conference in New York. “He’s not the odds-on favorite, but people have come from relative obscurity before and done it.”

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The Myth of Ron Paul and National Defense….

President Ron Paul: Pro-National Defense

Friday, November 16, 2007 1:49 AM

President Ron Paul: Pro-National Defense

Critics of Ron Paul too often say he is weak on national defense. However the opposite is true. Ron Paul is pro-national defense and pro-America. This is an important issue that has too often been swept under the carpet by detractors for their own political agendas.

In a fine article, Michael T. Griffith explains why conservatives should support Ron Paul because he has the most solid record on national defense of any candidate running for president in 2008.

Ron Paul and National Defense

Michael T. Griffith, 2007

It’s time to put to rest the myth that Ron Paul is weak on national defense and that he would endanger America if elected.  I will list some facts about Ron Paul and national defense, and then I will provide links to numerous articles so that people can read what Dr. Paul has said on this subject in his own words.

First, some facts about Ron Paul on national defense.  These facts are just some of the things that could be said about Ron Paul and national defense.  Those who want a more in-depth view of where Ron Paul stands on national defense issues are encouraged to read the links in the second part of this article.  The Ron Paul quotes in the following points are taken from some of the linked articles.

* All conservatives agree that border security is a critical component of national defense.  Nobody is tougher than Ron Paul when it comes to border security.  His position is identical to that of border-security hawks like Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter.  In fact, Dr. Paul has called for ending immigration from countries that sponsor or aid terrorists (see below). 

* A crucial part of national security is protecting our national sovereignty.  Unlike the other candidates, Ron Paul has repeatedly talked about the threats to our sovereignty posed by the UN, by regional trade agreements, and by attempts to make “international law” superior to American law.  No candidate would be more aggressive in protecting our national sovereignty than Ron Paul.  

* Ron Paul has proposed the following measures as part of an effective counter-terrorism strategy:
(Excerpt)
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