Ron Paul supporters’ silent protest over rules changes

The protest during Mrs. Zoraida Fonalleda's speech at the Convention was a reaction from Ron Paul supporters to rule changes made by the Convention Rules Committee. This Committee is presided by Mrs. Fonalledas.
It was not meant against Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, Hispanics or Mrs. Fonalledas. (See articles below.)
MJR

By Liz Goodwin, Yahoo! News | The Ticket August 31,2012

A few Ron Paul supporters are staging a silent protest of rules changes adopted Tuesday that give more power to the national party leadership over states.
The delegates wanted to debate a minority report that struck the rules changes, but were dismissed by John Boehner after a close voice vote Tuesday. One new rule allows the RNC to change the rules that all the delegates hashed out last week at any point over the next two years.
Jim Uprichard, a Nevada delegate, sported the T-shirt Thursday, standing out in the crowd of jacket-wearing delegates.
Maryland delegate and state Rep Michael Smigiel said he is also upset about the rules changes, which makes the party "top down," he says. But Smigiel thinks it's time to move on and not distract from Romney's nomination. "It's in the past," he said. "It's time to support the nominee."


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related article:
Ron Paul Delegates Protest
By Ryan E. Little
THE LEDGER
August 30, 2012

TAMPA | As Mitt Romney prepared to accept his nomination as the Republican Party's presidential candidate Thursday, a group of GOP delegates cried foul over the nomination process.

Some delegates — Ron Paul supporters from Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, Minnesota, Maine and other states — met a group of reporters and photographers in front of the entrance to the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Thursday to protest rule changes they say disenfranchised delegates and made the nomination results illegitimate.

"This is the grassroots against the elitist part of this country," said Marc Jones of Missouri, with at least 100 protesters holding "Grassroots" signs behind him. "They think they own this party, but we are here to stay." A delegate from Minnesota said some might not vote for Romney in November.

The Paul supporters said some delegates were not properly seated, rules were adopted to prevent participation of some delegates, a "legitimately filed" minority report was ignored and a legitimate nomination of Paul was obstructed.

The Maine delegation was never seated Tuesday, and rule changes prevented Paul delegates from being counted during a roll-call nomination vote, enraging many supporters of the Texas congressman, a political lightning rod. AP estimated that Paul had 177 delegates; C-SPAN estimated 190 delegates. Some of the protesters walked out of the convention Wednesday with clothespins on their noses.

The ongoing conflict has been one of the few unscripted events during the convention. "The process of the rules was totally inappropriate. It was telepromptered right through," Jones said. "We were railroaded …This is the shot heard round the world. We are absolutely not leaving this party."