Paulville, Texas

Paulville, Texas, is the name of an American cooperative organization as well as the site and planned community under its development in the salt flats of north Hudspeth County, intended to consist exclusively of "freedom and liberty lovers".cite news|url=http://lonestartimes.com/2008/04/18/ron-paul-supporters-plan-west-texas-commune/|title=Ron Paul supporters plan West Texas commune|author=Bramanti, Matt|date=2008-04-18|accessdate=2008-05-02|work=Lone Star Times] [Special Report with Brit Hume. Broadcast: May 16, 2008.] The Paulville community idea was named after U.S. Congressman and 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul, and the utopian cooperative is modeled on his often libertarian ideas.cite news|url=http://lonestarliberty.com/?p=10|title=Paulville|author=Barton, Patrick|publisher=Libertarian Party of Texas|date=2008-04-17|accessdate=2008-05-07|work=Lone Star Liberty] The "New York Times" says, "For now, the town is little more than an idea and a title deed," but considers it to be evidence that Paul's "campaign appears to be growing into something beyond a conventional protest campaign,"cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/fashion/25ronpaul.html?pagewanted=all|title=It's Not a Campaign, It's a Mission|author=Williams, Alex|work=New York Times|date=2008-05-25|accessdate=2008-05-26] also echoing the concept expressed by others that "the Ron Paul revolution has increasingly less to do with Ron Paul".

Location

The Paulville site is located in the undeveloped salt flats outside of city limits, located south-southwest of rural Dell City, Texas (population 413 in 2000), north of U.S. Route 180, and an hour east of El Paso. It is also convert|770|mi|km from Paul's East Texas office of Lake Jackson. The organizers say convert|50|acre|ha have been purchased to date.cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Documentarian_alert_Paulviller.html|title=Documentarian alert: Paulville|author=Smith, Ben|work=Politico|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-07] Photos reveal the range of the Guadalupe Mountains convert|15|mi|km east, and the local area has occasional deer and tumbleweeds. The mountain area is also noted for elk, coyotes, jack rabbits, desert cottontails, ring-tailed ground squirrels, and gray foxes. [cite web|url=http://www.guadalupe.mountains.national-park.com/bird.htm|title=Guadalupe Mountains National Park Flora and Fauna Guide|publisher=Guadalupe Mountains National Park|accessdate=2008-05-23|date=2007|author=Uhler, John William] Another mountain range looms just west.

The site is located within Texas's 23rd Congressional district and is represented by Democrat Ciro Rodriguez.

Organization

The property became available to the community when offered for sale on eBay by its original owner. It is now held by a cooperative of shareholders, who held a first organizational meeting in April 2008cite news|title=Paulville: the town where rightwingers will be free|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/14/usa/print|author=Evans, Paul|work=Guardian|date=2008-04-14|accessdate=2008-05-02] and who vote on essentials such as utilities.cite news|url=http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/the_road_to_paulville/3490/|title=A Revolution Beyond Ron Paul: The Road to Paulville|author=Brown, Kellyn|work=Flathead Beacon|date=2008-05-14|accessdate=2008-05-15] The cooperative's name in land records for this first purchase is "Jason Ebacher Land Investment Group". Shareholders, who obtain land use rights for a minimum of one homesteaded acre per share, priced at around $500,cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Dont_go_back_toPaulville.html|title=Don't go back to....Paulville?|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-13|author=Bunch, Will|publisher=Philadelphia Newspaper, L.L.C.|work=Philly.com] were described as "planting a flag" and in the process of "packing up and moving to Paulville. No, that's not metaphorical."cite news|url=http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/05/01/the-road-to-paulville/|title=The Road to Paulville|author=Weber, Christopher|date=2008-05-01|accessdate=2008-05-02|publisher=AOL News] Members discussed but ruled out secession from the Union. Membership is open exclusively to "freedom and liberty lovers", [cite news|url=http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/thursday_buffet_kalispell_cold_case_possible_flooding_ice_cream_caper/3496/|title=Thursday Buffet: Kalispell Cold Case, Possible Flooding, Ice Cream Caper|author=Lynch, Keriann|work=Flathead Beacon|date=2008-05-15|accessdate=2008-05-15] or, as a "Houston Chronicle" blogger put it, "r3VOLutionaries only".cite news|url=http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2008/05/last_train_to_paulville.html|title=Last Train to Paulville|author=Brendel, Patrick|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-13|publisher=Houston Chronicle|work=Texas on the Potomac]

The cooperative is also called "Paulville.org", after its website, established January 27 2008, by Ron Paul meetup organizer Jason Ebacher of Farwell, Minnesota. [cite web|url=http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=paulville.org|title=WHOIS Search Results|publisher=Network Solutions|date=2008-03-28|accessdate=2008-05-02] [cite web|url=http://www.justin.tv/ronpaultv/62106/For_what_its_worth_with_Jason_Ebacher|title=For what it's worth with Jason Ebacher|publisher=Justin.tv|date=2008|accessdate=2008-05-02|work=Ron Paul Television|author=Ebacher, Jason] Ebacher appears in a one-hour conceptual video, created for Ron Paul Television prior to the purchase; captioned "Television for the revolution", it was carried by the "New York Times", which meanwhile chided the website for a libertarian "view of the laws of grammar, spelling and punctuation"cite news|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/a-gated-community-for-ron-paul-supporters/?hp|title=A Gated Community for Ron Paul Supporters?|author=Mackey, Robert|publisher=New York Times|work=the Lede: Notes on the News|date=2008-05-08|accessdate=2008-05-13] [cite web|url=http://www.justin.tv/ronpaultv/63484/Paulville_conception|title=Paulville conception|publisher=Justin.tv|date=2008|accessdate=2008-05-13|work=Ron Paul Television|author=Ebacher, Jason] and noted its lack of contact information. On May 12 2008, web content formerly at Paulville.org became unavailable for several days,cite news|url=http://reason.com/blog/show/126492.html|title=Cities on a Hill|date=2008-05-14|accessdate=2008-05-14|author=Walker, Jesse|publisher=Reason|work=Hit & Run] which "Politico" considered as possibly suggesting "a perilous time for the infant community."

Development

Planners have (at least metaphorically) raised the Paulville town sign and are establishing septic and electrical systems on an opt-out basis reflective of principles of individualism: citizens are not required to use the cooperative's water and energy supplies and may choose to live off-grid. Members say they chose the West Texas plot for its high amount of sunshine, favoring off-grid solar panels. Buying in and homesteading the land from scratch [cite news|url=http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/bullardblog/index.cfm?blogid=8064|title=Ron Paul: New town called Paulville|author=Bullard, George|work=Detroit News|date=2008-05-08|accessdate=2008-05-19] is expected to take significant work, which the organizers warn is "not for the faint of heart". In his conceptual video, Ebacher has described the ease of raising sheep and chickens, and the relative merits of energy from solar power, wind, water, and biodiesel fuels. Members also discuss alternatives for conveniences like cell phones, internet connections, and Starbucks.

A gated community unhindered by planning regulations is eventually intended, followed by additional communities in sites like New Hampshire, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska,cite news|url=http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/138370.asp?from=blog_last3|title=Ron Paul supporters: Would you move to Paulville?|author=Guzman, Monica|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-07] or Montana; the paradigm of a liberty-minded community with gates has been questioned. Members' beliefs that ideologically like-minded individuals can form a detached, thriving community have been echoed by experiments such as the Free State Project in New Hampshire, [cite news|url=http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/04/19/paulville/|title=Paulville|author=Stooksbury, Clark|date=2008-04-19|work=American Conservative|accessdate=2008-05-13] New Australia in Paraguay, the Findhorn Foundation community in Scotland, and Celebration and Ave Maria in Florida. Paulville has also been compared to the contemporaneously newsworthy YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, Texas, a Mormon fundamentalist community that was controversially raided by state authorities in April 2008 on child abuse allegations. Ideology-based communities have ranged from communism to environmentalism. Jonathan Dawson, an educator based at Findhorn, questions the point of inward-facing micro-communities, but talks about "providing an example" to others: "It's not useful to retreat just for the sake of it."

Reaction

The site was chosen by and for the large market of "100% Ron Paul supporters and or people that live by the ideals of freedom and liberty"; motivated followers of Paul have been estimated to number several hundred thousand,cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/05/ron-paul-politi.html|title=Ron Paul, political loser, now best-selling author|author=Malcolm, Andrew|publisher=Los Angeles Times|work=Top of the Ticket|date=2008-05-01|accessdate=2008-05-02] have had fundraising history that suggests "seemingly bottomless bank accounts", and appear not to be giving up in pursuing his campaign goals. [cite news|url=http://statelineobserver.com/component/option,com_mojo/Itemid,90/p,2955/|title=Sticking together|author=Green|work=State Line Observer|date=2008-05-09|accessdate=2008-05-14] Paulville has attracted mixed reviews. It received derision from Wonkette, which dubbed it "Paultard City"; the alternative Seattle "Stranger" found it suitable for those who have "the covenant of freedom espoused by Ron Paul guiding their every decision".cite news|url=http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/homesteading_for_ron_paul|title=Homesteading for Ron Paul|author=Jackson, Ryan S|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-13|work=Stranger] The Houston-based "Lone Star Times" referred to founding members as "Paulvillains" and as creating "an insane asylum", and presented diverse posts from forum members, while Philly.com and "Reason" anticipated other "dusty exurbs" named after presidential candidates, both citing "Bidentown" as an imaginary example. The "Guardian" expects shareholders to be interested in libertarian views like "the right to wield semi-automatic weapons and the abolition of income tax", and the "Economist" wonders whether the new town constitutes "a framework for utopia, or just a hilarious catastrophe". [cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2008/04/the_road_to_paulville.cfm|title=The road to Paulville|work=Economist|date=2008-04-19|accessdate=2008-05-13]

Paul himself has been ambivalent about Paulville: "You want to spread out and be as pervasive as possible .... I don’t see [Paulville] as a solution, but it can't hurt anything either." He believes that "it shows how desperate people are for freedom."cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0508/Paulville_Count_Ron_Paul_out.html|title=Paulville? Count Ron Paul out|author=Grim, Ryan|publisher=Politico|work=the Crypt|date=2008-05-12|accessdate=2008-05-12] [cite news|url=http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/138677.asp?source=rss|title=Ron Paul rejects 'Paulville'|author=Guzman, Monica|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=2008-05-12|accessdate=2008-05-13] He finds the prospects for additional communities entertaining, but says, "I don't know how much [Paulvilles] would do." [cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/18/0518paul.html|title=Paul not planning to endorse a presidential contender: Presidential candidate to sign best-selling book in Austin on Monday|work=Austin American-Statesman|author=Selby, W. Gardner|date=2008-05-18|accessdate=2008-05-19]
Andrew Sullivan of the "Atlantic" said, "Who wants to live around people who agree with you on everything? Not my kind of libertarian"; [cite news|url=http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/paulville.html|title=Paulville|author=Sullivan, Andrew|date=2008-05-07|accessdate=2008-05-13|publisher=Atlantic|work=Daily Dish] he was echoed by Jesse Walker of "Reason". The Libertarian Party of Texas believes Paulville has potential for demonstrating practical libertarianism in action.

References

External links

*cite web|url=http://www.paulville.org|title=Paulville.org|accessdate=2008-05-17