Digg.com Dumps the Daily Paul and Pizza Hut Runs Out of Dough

by Michael Sternberg

“We’re committed to giving every piece of content on the web an equal shot at being the next big thing.” So says the last sentence in the About Us section on digg.com. It would seem, however, that the Daily Paul (www.dailypaul.com) has found its niche - the honor of being excluded from the popular “democratic” website that allows users to submit and vote on the content they like the most. See something you enjoy on the Daily Paul? Want others to see it? Well should you attempt to submit the content to Digg, original or not, you’ll be confronted with the following:

“URL Blocked - This domain has been consistently flagged as an intermediary to the direct source of news and/or video content. Please link directly to the story source.”

And what if the Daily Paul is the original story source? Digg does not seem to be interested.

Now before you scream censorship, let me tell you about some other oddities I've encountered lately: 1) One late evening, with an unbearable craving for stuff-crust pizza, I was informed by Pizza Hut that they were out of dough. 2) On a recent trip to Kinkos, I discovered it was impossible for me to make copies, because they were out of the prepaid smart cards they force you to use. The copy machines were fully functional. 3) En route to a hot date, a visit to the self-serve car wash proved fruitless, because the bill changers (for tokens not quarters) were out of order... all three of them.

So, is it censorship, incompetence, or just false advertising? And how do these companies stay in business anyway? Have they branded themselves so well that they don't actually have to deliver? I don't know, but I'm going to be proactive. It is satisfying to know that as a result of this writing, the folks at Digg (they claim to not have any editors) will probably be on the receiving end of a whole lot of emails from Ron Paul supporters. Now if only I could send the Paulites after Pizza Hut, Kinkos, and the car wash.

Here is a workaround for Daily Paul users to get this article posted on Digg:

Digg Dumps the Daily Paul

Don’t Centralize Me Bro!

Is the Ron Paul Revolution a fad or a movement? (as seen on the Daily Paul - www.dailypaul.com)

by Michael Sternberg

The Dr. Ron Paul official campaign seems to be inadvertently promoting the rationality of decentralization through its daily activities. The recent Las Vegas rally was an astounding success; this despite the fact that the campaign placed an ad in the major local paper with the wrong time and location posted. Fortunately, his grassroots supporters are well organized, and they quickly assembled to come up with, and put into action a plan to solve the problem. It didn’t hurt that Ron Paul people by their very nature are proactive individuals, and many figured out all on their own where to be and when to be there.

The current fundraising controversy (the email from the campaign
fundraising director urging supporters to donate now rather than waiting for TEA PARTY ’07 – www.teaparty07.com), and the subsequent posts in the online forums continue to shine a light on the many Ron Paul supporters that just don’t get it. An appreciable amount believe that they should just trust the campaign staff (i.e. succumb unquestionably to authority/expertise); after all, they know how to run things better than supporters.

While many folks insist the good doctor has cured their apathy, I am forced to wonder if, in their eyes, Ron Paul is just the next dear leader. Are they going to go back to their old lives after the election results are in, or will they form and join organizations to help retire the IRS? Will they go back to full-time entertainment, or will they show up in the thousands to protest government abuse of civil liberties? When the media lies, will they turn the channel, or will they bombard the outlet and offender with emails, phone calls, and visits? Is the Ron Paul Revolution a fad or a movement?

I will have to wait some time for answers to my questions. Thankfully it will be an exciting wait! For in the age of political correctness, credit reports, and corporate media, the Ron Paul Revolution has at least cured my boredom. And it has shown the creativity, power, and large-scale functionality of a highly decentralized effort.

Give Keith Olbermann the 'Worst Person in the World' Award

(as seen on Lew Rockwell www.lewrockwell.com, and the Daily Paul www.dailypaul.com)

by Michael Sternberg

I watched with dismay Wednesday night (Oct 10, 2007) as Keith Olbermann of MSNBC’s Countdown omitted pertinent facts and made false statements in his story about Mitt Romney's infamous response in the CNBC/Wall Street Journal GOP debate. In his introduction, Olbermann states, "In Dearborn, all eight contenders weighing in on executive authority vs. congressional authority..." However, nine candidates participated in the debate, and Olbermann's misstatement was made even more bizarre by the video coverage he was showing while making it. The video clearly showed 9 debaters on stage.

Olbermann then shows a clip of four of the candidates’ responses, including Romney's, and goes on to ask his guest whether or not Mitt, with the exception of lawyers, lost everyone with that response. The video showed Thompson, Giuliani, and McCain giving alternative yet similar answers, and while querying Chris Cillizza (washingtonpost.com) on the validity of Mitt Romney's perspective, Olbermann made no mention of the major dissenting view, which was expressed emotionally by Ron Paul during the debate.

Keith Olbermann consistently slams the Bush administration and other major media for fact fudging, propaganda peddling, or incompetence (as he should). So, what is this an example of, Keith? Are you guilty of manipulation or incompetence? Or is there another possibility I am not seeing? In any case, this compels me to pose the following question to Countdown, to all major media, and to their advertisers: If I have to do a research project to learn or verify the basic facts of every story you produce, then why should I continue to pay any attention to you?