Ron Paul + Linux: the Website

[mkeller]

A while back I suggested starting a website explaining to Linux users why they ought to vote for Ron Paul. The site was going to demonstrate how the Ron Paul Revolution is similar to the Free Software Movement, and show Ron Paul's views on the "geek issues", as well as have a link to Richard Stallman's secondary endorsement (after Kucinich) of Ron Paul.

At the time, a lot of people thought it was a good idea, but I haven't had a chance to do anything with it yet, until now. So my question to you all is - as close as we are to Super Tuesday, is it worthwhile to start something like this? Would it be able to make much of a difference? And how could we promote it quickly enough to get a lot of people to see it in time?

If a majority of us are still in favor, I'll put the site together. In that case, there's a couple more questions to be answered:

A while back, someone posted a link to an interview that Slashdot was going to have, asking all the candidates where they stand on issues that matter to geeks (internet regulation, software patents, etc). Does anyone know whether the interview was actually conducted, and whether Ron Paul answered it?

And, which url is better: www.tux4ron.org or www.tux4paul.org?

And any more ideas?

 

[AFM]

tux4paul

 

[mkeller]

Yes, I tend to think that one's better, too. And, uh . . . bump!

 

[plb]

There's a presidential candidate article on /. today...I saw a few RP in there

 

[mkeller]

It didn't say much, though. I found this site, which might be good to quote:

http://www.news.com/Technology-vote...ongress-on-tech-cred/2009-1040_3-6131719.html

Ron Paul is the highest scoring House republican on high-tech issues! He doesn't say much about that sort of thing on the official site, though.

 

[mkeller]

Bump.

 

[Elijah]

I am a Linux noob (Ubuntu flavors) and I vote for whichever one you can get all domains for. Where the numeral 4, four and for are used in the url's.

 

[mkeller]

tux4ron.com, tux4ron.org, tux4ron.net, tuxforron.com, tuxforron.org, tuxforron.net, tuxfourron.com, tuxfourron.org, tuxfourron.net, tux4paul.com, tux4paul.org, tux4paul.net, tuxforpaul.com, tuxforpaul.org, tuxforpaul.net, tuxfourpaul.com, tuxfourpaul.org, and tuxfourpaul.net are all available! However, I can't afford them all, and it's not worth it, either, I don't think. But getting maybe three domains is a good idea, if I can find a good cheap place to buy them (I already have a host, but they charge $10 a domain).

And I take it you all are still in favor of this, even considering how late in the election season it is?

 

[gregb]

I think it is a great idea only I'd rather see "opensourceronpaul.com" or some such name, broaden the field.

Dr Paul states that if there were no federal welfare programs that the people who need help would still get it (and better too) from locally based organizations and people. The argument to that is that people wouldn't help if they didn't have to and the truly needy would be forsaken.

Well, that hasn't happened with open-source. Where reasonably priced software has been unavailable to the average person an open-source project has sprung up, contributed to by many and in a lot if not most cases in superior to its commercial equivalent. Apache, nutch, postgreSQL and dozens of others right up to and including Linux have been developed by the open-source community.

By the same token you would think that "open-source" hospitals would spring up, open-source drug-treatment centers, etc.

Anyway, I'd be happy to help in whatever way I can. I'm fairly expert in a lot of open-source technology.

 

[Elijah]

tuxforpaul.com and tux4paul.com is my vote.

I must warn you though that url miners watch for these searches, buy them and hold them for 30 days if they are catchy, if they get any decent traffic they keep them. It has happened to me before.

So, what does this mean? It means that if you search for a domain then buy it ASAP or it may not be there in a few minutes.

Buy those now! Godaddy is a bit cheaper but you make the call.

 

[Mark]

http://Lypha.com == C:\$\5\domain

RonPaulLinux.com RonPaulTux.com

(edit) Well, they used to be - not showing that now

 

[Mark]

http://www.netfirms.com/domain-names/ == C:\5\95\year\free\privacy

 

[Mark]

opensourcepaul.com

http://www.startlogic.com/startlogic/hosting.bml == C:\6\50\year

• FREE Parked Page
• FREE Domain Forwarding
• FREE E-mail Forwarding
• Full DNS Control
• Domain Locking

 

[mkeller]

I got www.tux4paul.org from Yahoo! for $1.99! It took a while for the nameservers to be recognized right, so that it's hosted by Dreamhost (what I use), but it's working now, and I'm starting to get the site laid out!

If you have any extra ideas, give them!

 

[mkeller]

Say, how's this for a logo?

 

[nullvalu]

Say, how's this for a logo?

very nice!

openSuSE FTW!

 

[bcreps85]

I liked the idea.

 

[b_r_y_a_n]

penguins4paul.com

 

[mkeller]

Now I've got a little sidebar up, with some trivia about Ron Paul that will be of interest to Linux users:

http://www.tux4paul.org/

Just about all it needs yet is the main article. I don't feel up to doing this, myself. I've tried starting it a couple times, but it either sounds dumb or it sounds like a conspiracy theory. So . . . does anyone else want to write this article? Basically, it just has to tell Linux users why they ought to vote for Ron, and how the Ron Paul Revolution is similar to the Free Software movement. With links to any relevant outside info you can think of (one link you could use is this one). Go for it!

 

[stevenstremciuc]

While I think your heart is in the right place, I think the execution is a bit off. Something like Geeks for Paul or Techies for Paul makes a lot more sense to me than Tux for Paul. When you say Geeks or Techies or whatever you are making it clear who is speaking and who the target audience is. Tux represents a brand. A brand that really shouldn't be co-opted into promoting political campaigns IMHO. By using a mascot that already represents a brand, I think you veer off into the territory of misrepresenting a group of people instead of trying to target them. You may disagree and I encourage you to do what you think is right, but I am turned off when I see something like that. I would be much more receptive to a Techies for Paul message.