Ron Paul 2012: 'End the TSA' Raises Over $214,000 in Two Days

UPDATE: Ron Paul surpassed his goal of $250,000 Thursday night, just three days after he launched the End the TSA grassroots money bomb.

Ron Paul raised close to a quarter-million dollars just two-and-a-half days into his campaign to End the TSA, launched shortly after his son made headlines for refusing a security patdown.

As of Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Texas congressman and Republican presidential hopeful had raised more than $214,000 since announcing the End the TSA Money Bomb on Monday, according to his campaign Web site. Paul has been a long-time critic of the Transportation Security Administration, claiming it violates civil liberties and gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones an neighbors with disabilities ... while doing nothing to keep us safe.

Please, give whatever you are able right away to our End the TSA Money Bomb to help us keep the spotlight on this out-of-control organization and restore respect for freedom and common decency to the White House, Paul said in an e-mail to supporters, according to the Daily Caller.

Paul had already brought in $125,000 of donations a day after announcing the effort, according to Business Insider. The goal for the campaign is $250,000, which at this rate, will likely be reached in the next few days.

The money bomb was inspired by an incident at the Nashville, Tenn., airport when Paul's son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, walked through a security scanner and triggered an alarm. Rand Paul apparently refused a full-body patdown while he was on his way to the anti-abortion March for Life protest in Washington, D.C.

Reports that Rand Paul had been detained by the TSA wildly circulated the Internet after Ron Paul tweeted about the incident, but the agency denies formally detaining the senator.

Paul has been outspoken about his criticisms of the TSA for years. In 2010, he introduced legislation that would make it illegal for federal agents to look at nude pictures, grope another person or expose them to X-rays for under the pretense of security.

Last year, Paul questioned TSA Administrator John Pistole on procedures and protocol after a 6-year-old girl from the senator's hometown was patted down.