Thread: Black hats keep lookout for troublemakers-Ron Paul Supporter

'Black hats' keep lookout for troublemakers
Posted September 4th, 2008 by freedom1776

Washington Times

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Fearing demonstrations from Ron Paul delegates here at the Republican National Convention, the party has created a "black-hat" squad to track the Paulites and other potential troublemakers to make sure they don't cause a scene on the convention floor.

Identified by their black baseball caps emblazoned with a white star, squad members keep an eye on delegates they fear might cause a scene. The squad is empowered by the convention managers to take delegates' credentials and kick them off the convention floor -- a step one convention official said would be unprecedented.

Squad members have made "their presence known, to let all people know big brother's watching them," said a Republican official familiar with the squad who has been involved in the last 10 GOP conventions.

Convention spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment.

The black-hat squad is on the lookout for T-shirts, unauthorized signs and anything else that could cause a disruption, according to people familiar with the operation who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

Convention leaders always have been vigilant about outsiders gaining unauthorized access to their events, but this time the danger comes from within: Mr. Paul, who sought the Republican presidential nomination, won dozens of delegates to the convention and has hundreds of other supporters who are credentialed to attend.

What's more, Mr. Paul's supporters have been creative about getting attention for themselves.

"Here they have a vocal group who are actually in the building who want to make a statement," the official said.

So far, Paul delegates and backers have remained subdued. On Wednesday night the only disturbance in the hall came from two demonstrators from Code Pink, the anti-war organization. They apparently gained access to the arena with press credentials but were scooped off the floor quickly by the black-hat squad, among others.

In addition to the black hats on the floor, there are also convention aides with yellow hats, who are the rapid-response team to handle disturbances; those with red hats, who are the floor managers; and those with white hats, who serve as ushers, helping with seating and passing out papers.

The floor and security managers include both lobbyists and longtime Washington political operatives.

The black hats' power comes from their authority to revoke credentials. The fine print on the back of each credential says: "This ticket is a revokable license. Tickets may be revoked from persons engaging in inappropriate or disorderly behavior, or for any other reason deemed necessary by security personnel and/or the Republican National Committee.

Mr. Paul's spokesman, Jesse Benton, said Republican Party officials warned Paul supporters not to cause a commotion.

"There have been some overtures to our political guys and our delegates that if they acted up, they would be removed," Mr. Benton said.

He said the Paul campaign has identified 260 delegates and hundreds of alternates to the convention who support Mr. Paul even though, by the rules of the convention, they are bound to other candidates.

Republican officials asked the campaign for a list of those supporters, but the Paul campaign declined, Mr. Benton said.

Mr. Paul conducted his own counter-convention in Minneapolis on Tuesday and made his way through the press areas of the Republicans' event Wednesday. But he will not visit the convention floor this week. Mr. Benton said Mr. Paul and his supporters were unable to reach an agreement on rules for his visit.

Mr. Paul, who as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas, is entitled to a pass and wanted credentials for a few staffers. But Mr. Benton said convention officials wanted to control Mr. Paul's access and did not allow his staff on the floor, insisting that they have a party escort.

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/60366

Thu September 4, 2008
Oklahoma's Ron Paul supporters upset by roll call; said they won't sit with delegation tonight

By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
ST. PAUL, MINN. – Ron Paul supporters in Oklahoman’s Republican National Convention delegation remain disappointed today because no one heard the U.S. House member from Texas receive two of Oklahoma’s votes.

The microphone was cut off Wednesday night before U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, could announce the Oklahoma delegation’s vote.

All but two of Oklahoma’s 41 delegates voted for Republican Party nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain. Delegates Paul Clayton of McAlester and Robert Demarest of Talihina voted for Paul, who had sought the GOP presidential nomination.

Oklahoma’s vote was announced in the Xcel Energy Center as all 41 votes going to McCain. Inhofe tried to get the attention of convention organizers so he could correct the mistake and announce the correct tally.

Convention workers eventually said that couldn’t be done, possibly because the convention was running late. It was about 11 p.m. when it was Oklahoma’s turn to announce its vote in the second round. Several states including Oklahoma abstained on the first round so that McCain’s home state of Arizona could announce the vote that would allow him to receive the nomination. Then the roll call resumed with the states that had abstained going in alphabetical order.

Convention officials assured Oklahoma’s delegation that the official convention record would show McCain getting 39 votes and Paul getting two.

"In our eyes that will be very little," Demarest said today from the Minneapolis hotel where Oklahoma's delegates are staying. People who watch a video of the convention will Oklahoma’s tally announced as all 41 votes going to McCain.

Frustrated, Demarest and his wife, Cheryl, ripped the Oklahoma patches off their blue blazers – part of the Oklahoma GOP’s uniform - and said they were done with Oklahoma’s Republican delegation. They said they will not sit with the Oklahoma delegates during tonight’s convention.

Demarest said today he and his wife plan to walk around the convention and talk with other delegates.

The Demarests, Clayton and several other Paul supporters met with Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones Wednesday night after they returned to their hotel for an hour or so, and then the Paul supporters discussed the incident until about 4 this morning.

Paul didn’t receive any delegates during Oklahoma’s presidential primary in February, but he picked up the two delegate votes when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won six votes, released his delegates. The other four Huckabee delegates joined with the 32 delegates won by McCain. Three state party officials who are delegates supported McCain as well.

"I’m disappointed," Demarest said.

Demarest and other Paul supporters talked with Inhofe, and they said Inhofe isn’t to blame. Their disappointment is directed toward convention officials.

"It may have been an innocent mistake," Demarest said. "But to go through the time and expense just to lose what we deserve is quite disappointing, as well as the fact that we have to go home and explain it to the people who supported us."

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-ron-paul-su ... le/3292929

First Amendment Work Is Lonely Job for Maryland Ron Paul Backers

By JAMES K. SANBORN Capital News Service
Published September 04, 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Richard Matthews, Republican congressional candidate from Maryland's 2nd Congressional District didn't expect a large crowd when he agreed to speak at the Open Forum Stage in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday morning.
But when he stepped to the podium on St. Paul's Open Forum Stage at 8:20 a.m. there were just two people listening: a reporter and an organizer's relative.

A total of three backers of Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul from Maryland spoke, but uncomfortably, with virtually no one on hand to get the ice-breaker thrown out by Patrick Citroni, who manages Matthews' campaign and was representing another Paul supporter running for Congress from Maryland.

"Maryland is an extremely liberal state," he said. "It's so liberal even our crabs are blue."

The situation was caused by some dickering over rules and a failure by those invited to respond to organizer Harold Owen, a Paul supporter from Eldersburg, Md.

Of the eight congressional candidates Owen invited, just Matthews, Mike Hargadon from the 7th Congressional District and Collins Bailey, of Waldorf, Md., from the 5th Congressional District, said they would attend.

All were in town for Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic, a sort-of parallel
convention by supporters of the former Republican presidential candidate.

Matthews, of Orchard Beach, thought it would be a good way to gain more exposure.

"It would have been good to see more people but it's early. I'm just surprised they even had a stage," Matthews said.

Then Bailey canceled at the last minute. After parking near the Xcel Energy Center, the home of the GOP convention, he realized that although he was less than a quarter-mile from the stage, he was cut off by the security cordon and couldn't make it in time.

Hargadon, of Woodstock, Md., sent Citroni, of Baltimore, as his surrogate.

Matt Reinartz, the St. Paul Open Forum Stage coordinator, said that several morning speeches have drawn only a few people and at least once, speakers didn't show at all. Others, however, have drawn as many as 50 listeners, he said.

Despite the lack of audience, Citroni said his St. Paul experience was positive. Although the crowd at the Open Forum Stage was small, he said he had been happy to gain so much exposure among protesters.

"We were happy to see a lot of protesters here in St. Paul that we could welcome into the fold. We're anti-war. We like to show people there are Republicans talking about those issues," he said.

Matthews, who is endorsed by Paul, took the podium at about 8:20 a.m. and delivered an impassioned speech advocating smaller government, a simplified tax code, an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and civic activism.

"While you are here in St. Paul, if you don't like your candidate, run yourself," he said. "I'm running for Congress because I didn't like my congressman. I saw that he was going to run unopposed potentially in this race and I decided that I could not let that stand."

He said the lack of attendance was disappointing, but he was happy to see that the city had created an alternative forum.

"Honestly, I'm even surprised they had a stage," Matthews said.

Part of the problem Citroni and Owen agreed was the stage's obscure location with only one street directly accessing it.

When Owen saw a group of birds and squirrels on the street, he joked about the surrounding security barriers and said, "Does the city know those animals are being improperly caged?"

Reinartz contended the stage had prime location within earshot of the building where the Republican convention was being held.

"I'm extremely happy because this is unprecedented that you can get within sight and sound of the (convention) center. People can voice their opinions and delegates can hear them as they enter the building," he said.

Delegates, however, don't generally come to the Xcel Center until an hour or two before the program begins, which was 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Low attendance, Reinartz added, was mostly the result of poor promotion by speakers and organizers.

"It's their responsibility to get their troops out here," he said.

"We're just here to provide the opportunity to have a sound system and a
microphone."


http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bi ... _04-06/GOV

Convention leaders always have been vigilant about outsiders gaining unauthorized access to their events,

What else is new with the GOP? They have been doing this over the last eight years.
Dick Cheney, from my experience, has never had a "town meeting" without those to be admitted be vetted first. Otherwise you don't get in. Ergo, there are no people able to ask questions that would require hard answers; the officials are ensured they will only get questions where they can spout and explain their platform to the applause of questioners.
GWB, unfortunately asked by a soldier in Iraq about body and Humvee armor that they had to build from scratch in the field, and while Bush muddled some answer, no one since has asked him any hard questions over the years.
This administration has also done its best to keep those media people asking difficult questions out of any give-and-take with the president at news conferences. Otherwise, the reporters will be banned.
The freedom of speech is evidently quashed, and this from a card-carrying Republican.

Figures.

I read that Ron Paul delegates were escorted out of the convention and detained by the FBI. Several delegates said the US has become Nazi Germany... if they had a Ron Paul sign, they were removed from the convention.

I'm still waiting to see the youtube on this but if it's true there needs to be a lawsuit! Imagine being a RP delegate and spending all that money to travel to the convention and then having your votes not read aloud and then being harrassed by secret service and GOP officials!!!



http://www.federaljack.com/modules.php? ... e&sid=2315


Fed Jack Exclusives: SECRET SERVICE CONFISCATES RON PAUL DELEGATES MATERIALS, VOTES SUPPRESSED
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 @ 23:03:57 EDT by jack



(FederalJack.com) - Delegate Dennis Rothacker from FL opened this story when he sent the following urgent text message:

*"We just had a group shot of all the RP delegates and alternates, the secret service came and started searching
everyone and took anything RP related. We got it on video though..."*


UPDATE: Delegate Thomas McMahon, a pledged Ron Paul Delegate for North Carolina's District 12, was present at the incident in front of the mock White House inside the Convention Center. He said that they were surrounded by "black, white and yellow hats." These colored McCain hats were worn by RNC personnel, who asked to the delegates to show the contents of their bags.


Press Release. SECRET SERVICE CONFISCATES
RON PAUL DELEGATES MATERIALS

DELEGATES VOTES FOR RON PAUL NOT
CALLED OUT LOUD OR SHOWN ON THE SCREENS.

St Paul, MN

Boris Morales
Sept, 04 2008
22:54 EST

Delegate Dennis Rothacker from FL opened this story when he sent the
following urgent text message:

*"We just had a group shot of all the RP delegates and alternates, the
secret service came and started searching everyone and took anything RP
related. We got it on video though..."*

Today at the Republican National Convention, as the Ron Paul Delegates were
taking a picture in front of the model White House inside the Convention
Center, they were surrounded by Secret Service which proceeded to search the
bags of all the delegates. They took everything related to Ron Paul
including signs, buttons, videos, slim jims, cards, even books. "This is
an obvious and outrageous violation of our first amendment rights" said
Nathan Hanson, attorney and Delegate from MN.

Alternate Delegate Dennis Rothacker from Florida said "We were done taking
the picture when Secret Service started walking into the room and surrounded
us. There were about 30 of them. When they searched my bags they took my Ron
Paul sign and turned a deaf ear to my complaints, they just walked away."
Another delegate said that the people surrounding them were wearing red
McCain hats and identified themselves as police to him.

Delegate Ron Warner from Fairbanks, Alaska added that as he was walking into
the convention center today with about 15 Revolution Manifesto books, 20
DVD's for Delegates, 20 Ron Paul buttons and a handful of other things, he
was stopped by security which called on upon an apparent supervisor,
who directed all the materials to be confiscated. She told him, "You can't bring that
in here, this is McCain territory"

Dennis, Ron and the other delegates report being openly followed by Secret
Service. Dennis says that delegates known to support Ron Paul had been
openly monitored from the beginning of the convention, but that now they are
being shadowed constantly by these people.

There are also reports of delegates being approached by security and told
that they will be summarily thrown out if they leave their assigned chair,
and are advised not to walk around.

Delegate Corey Sax From MN's district five was on the floor and he witnessed
six oral votes for Ron Paul out of a forty something total delegation. These
votes were counted, but not read aloud by the RNC in the count or shown in
the screen. He and others said that they thought there was an obvious
attempt to suppress the votes casted for Ron Paul.

Corey says that Ron Carey and Tim (last name missing) witnessed the RNC tell
them that they had technical difficulties and that was the reason for not
reading the votes for Ron Paul. He says that the same happened to the Texas
delegation and the delegation from other states. He clearly stated that
illegal under-counting of delegates votes was going on across many states
delegations. It appears that the number of votes casted for Ron Paul were
not read aloud or posted on the screen.

Adam Weigold, Delegate from MN, reported that today he has been approached
at least five times by other delegates at large who ask him to borrow his
pass to go the bathroom. From his conversation with other delegates, he
believes that this is part of an orchestrated effort because many of them
have been approached. Without their pass credentials, they would not be able
to claim their seat or remain at the convention.

Other delegates who gave interviews were Jeff Austin, from NC, and Nathan Hanson,
a delegate and attorney from MN.

The delegates remain at the convention center till 10:30 or 11:00PM. They
were planning to approach the media and demand that this obvious disregard
for the first amendment and for their votes in a national US election for
president be reported by the national media.


St Paul MN

Boris Morales is an independent citizen journalist affiliated with
www.federaljack.com you can contact him at ronpaullegacy@gmail.com

I would make a big deal out of it. Regardless of who they were representing. The media wont report much truth these days, so I say become the media and report it yourselves. Watchdog is a great person who does this on the immigration issue, you can do this on any issue. Video recorder in hand, get the truth out there.

It is now necessary fro We the People to be the Media, since the corporate owned media reports on whatever their owners agenda is

Originally Posted by jp_48504

I would make a big deal out of it. Regardless of who they were representing. The media wont report much truth these days, so I say become the media and report it yourselves. Watchdog is a great person who does this on the immigration issue, you can do this on any issue. Video recorder in hand, get the truth out there.

It is now necessary fro We the People to be the Media, since the corporate owned media reports on whatever their owners agenda is

Absolutely true JP!

If we all wrote one article a week on an issu3e we are passionate about and posted it on several news web sites, we would make a huge impact.