Ron Paul's 2nd money bomb explodes

Today was the anniversary of The Boston Tea Party and supporters of our Favorite Son, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, marked the day by pouring close to $4 million into the Grumpy Gynecologist's presidential campaign coffers.

The total is approaching the $4.2 million that was raised on Nov. 5, which was Guy Fawkes Day, says an AP report out of Columbia, S.C.

Those donations are processed credit card receipts, said Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. Benton said the median donation is about $50 in the fundraiser, which was the idea of Paul supporters who are not officially connected to the campaign.

In other news, the Austin daily did a big take-out today on the Paul campaign, which has found purchase in the liberal-leanin' state capital.

Paul's Austin "meet-up" group is the biggest in the country and was organized by Paul Davis, a Marine who's a Gulf veteran.

Unfortunately, Davis is part of the campaign's so-called "black helicopter crowd."

He coordinates his group from a laptop in the kung fu and tai chi studio he runs on South Lamar Boulevard. Across the left side of his neck, in blue cursive script, is a tattoo that reads "Freedom."

Davis is also one of the people a few of the mainstream political pundits have called Ron Paul's black helicopter crowd. Davis' fear of the U.S. government stems in no small part from his belief that it is responsible for the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11. He is well aware that views like his have given opponents of Ron Paul's ammunition to marginalize his campaign.

The black helicopter crowd drives me nuts.

Even so, there are lots of other types of citizens who are backing Dr. Paul and they're not all cuckoo.

If you'd like to read about a number of them, you can read this story in the Austin American-Statesman. However, we don't advise anyone to quit their job and move to Austin to volunteer full-time for our Favorite Son like one guy did. There's a chance, we must admit, that Dr. Paul may not win. But then again ...