http://www.chron.com/…

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, the congressman from the Houston area who opposes the Iraq war, has gotten more contributions than any other White House contender from donors identified as affiliated with the military.

According to a Houston Chronicle analysis of campaign records from January through September, Paul received $63,440 in donations from current military employees and several retired military personnel.

Democrat Barack Obama, another war critic, was second in military giving. The Illinois senator got $53,968 during the nine months.

This is good news. While some reporters bring up this fact occasionally I rarely see it really analyzed. I think this is a very important bit of information. I’ve not looked up the total donations so as to figure the percentage of donations Dr. Paul received but he’s got the largest and the second is Obama who half heartedly wants the troops home. Any way you slice it it appears the majority of the troops want to come home. A majority of them support the guy who wants them home ASAP. I think if you are going to listen to any one or group as to what to do… I’d think those dealing with it directly would be the best start.

http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/…

http://www.freenewmexican.com/…

Anastasio Prieto, a truck driver from El Paso, Texas, doesn’t trust banks and prefers to carry his savings with him in cash. While this is a dangerous way to manage one’s money, a cursory glance at recent headlines tends to validate Prieto’s concerns about the stability of the fractional-reserve banking system.

During a stop at a weigh station in New Mexico on August 8, Prieto made a critical mistake: He cooperated with the police, assuming that as a law-abiding individual he had nothing to fear from them.

A New Mexico state trooper asked Prieto for permission to search his truck for contraband, such as needles or cash in excess of $10,000. Displaying an ingenuousness that breaks my heart, the truck driver consented, informing the officer that he was carrying nothing illegal — but admitting that he had $23,700 on board.

The police “forfeited” — that is, stole — Prieto’s savings. The DEA agents who presided over the theft “told Prieto he would receive a notice of federal proceedings to permanently forfeit the money within 30 days and that to get it back, he’d have to prove it was his and did not come from illegal drug sales,” reported the Houston Chronicle.

How terribly disgusting. How exactly does one prove $X in cash is theirs and not made through illegal means? Does anyone keep track of the serial numbers of their cash? I doubt his bank did when they cashed his checks. I’ll be surprised if this guy gets his life savings back. Unless the ACLU can shame the government into doing so. Never volunteer your property to be searched. It can only increase the chances of you losing something.