Posted on 09/16/2007 8:53:29 AM PDT by NapkinUser
When Americans evaluate today's political landscape, most feel something between impotence and disapproval. So, while citizens shake their heads or shrug at the mainstream media's “top tier” presidential candidates, it is extraordinary how many are becoming overjoyed about one lesser covered candidate.
Tens-of-thousands have joined the appropriately named Ron Paul Revolution, joining Meetup.com groups, putting up signs, and crossing states to attend rallies. Congressman Ron Paul's genuine message and untarnished record of promoting individual liberty for everyone, a free-market economy of wealth and abundance, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade, has attracted vast support from diverse individuals. Inspired libertarians, Democrats, independents, and previous nonvoters have registered Republican so they can vote for Ron Paul in the primaries.
For those who watch mostly mainstream media sources, Paul is one of the most “searched” humans in cyberspace, has won several straw polls, has been the subject of dozens of blogs, and has an amazing number of entertaining, amateur Youtube.com videos promoting him.
Ron Paul, a medical doctor, worked as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force before becoming an obstetrician. As a 10-term congressman, he has consistently promoted individual rights and kept his oath to defend our Constitution. In 1988, he was the Libertarian Party's nominee for president. As a supporter of Dr. Paul's for more than a decade, I enjoy watching people first learn about this great statesman and appreciate the universal benefits of liberty.
So just what is it that many of us think Ron Paul gets? Why do we want a president who does not want to run our lives nor our economy? How can we make our lives on this planet more peaceful, fairer, greener, and more prosperous? Let me discuss (too) briefly a few important, and recently highlighted, issues.
Our foreign policies have gone well beyond matters of defense. Regardless of whether our intervention in the affairs of other countries is altruistic or self-interest, it is a negative for everyone. Not only do we not have the right, we have created enemies who are now aggressors against us, making us less safe; we have supported those who would oppress many; we have militarized areas of conflict; we have unwisely spent borrowed trillions; we have created opportunity for large-scale graft; many well-intentioned Americans and innocents have been killed or injured and otherwise have had their lives disrupted.
Military is for protection
The only appropriate use of our military is to protect Americans. It is immoral and illegal to order U.S. soldiers into battle for any other reason. If we truly want peace, to be safer, and to not drain the pockets of our children, we should redeploy our military personel back to our shores and waters and trade freely with all nations.
Consumers have enjoyed the benefits of lower prices and better quality in products and services offered by the least regulated industries. Unfortunately, two of our most important services are the most heavily regulated. Public education has innovated little in 50 years and student performance is poorer. Patients find it more and more difficult to access affordable health care.
To provide quality health care to the greatest number of people, the costs for all levels of care need to be less prohibitive, so that near everyone can achieve a level of care to which they are comfortable. This is accomplished by deregulating the industry, re-establishing competition amongst health care insurers and providers, and allowing patients more freedom in their health choices.
Corporations benefit unfairly from favorable legislation that drives out competitors, harming the consumer. There is only one way to end this inequity and to get money and corruption out of politics. Take back the power from politicians by returning government to its constitutional limits.
There is no surer way to have the money you have earned for yourself and your family be used to support that which you do not value and given to those who have not earned it than by allowing the government to tax your income.
They say a frog thrown into a pot of boiling water will immediately jump out, while a frog in a pot of water that is slowly brought to a boil will remain to be cooked. Authoritarian usurpations of our freedoms progresses.
Laws prevent adults from making decisions for themselves every day. They decide when you must use personal protective equipment, what you cannot eat or drink, what you cannot sell and buy, how much you are to get paid for a service, who is not allowed to provide services, and what medical therapies you may choose for yourself.
Right now there are untold numbers of people being imprisoned, without due process, by the U.S government that have not been charged with a crime. The Real ID Act has been passed and soon Americans will have to present their papers to be allowed the privilege to travel domestically. Citizens are spied upon by government officials without legal warrant.
In our often well-intentioned attempt to solve more quickly the few problems suffered by any free society, we have created wider-spread, deeper-rooted and longer-standing ones by burdening ourselves with the heavy fist of government. Many of us think an effective way to advance liberty and enjoy the benefits of a free society is to elect Ron Paul president. So, order a yard sign and a bumper sticker, donate to the campaign, join a local Meetup group, register Republican for the primary, and join the Ron Paul Revolution.
Marc Guttman is an emergency doctor and vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut. He lives in East Lyme.
I’ll give you a hing ____ __F! Paul threads should be banned.
Thank you for that quote in post #107.
Well, that’s easy for you to say, as you are an fan and another, Extremely Extreme Extremist like Paul.
Paul threads should be banned.
Then why in HELL is everybody so furiously bad-mouthing him? He is on record that he won't run on a third-party ticket so he can't pull a Perot on us. I know, we're so used to politicians lying to us that we automatically think he's lying too, but what if he isn't? What if he's just what he says he is? What if he were to be elected and managed even one tenth of what he wants? Isn't that what we want too?
On the other hand, we could run Fred McRomniani against Hillary. We know what to expect from the "first tier" candidates, more of the same ol' same ol'. Even if we do elect Fred or Rudy we know from past performance that they'll do whatever it takes to keep the Pubbies in office. I've voted the party line for over fifty years. No more! This time I'm voting for the man I feel is best for America. I may not agree with him on everything but I don't agree with the others on a whole slew of stuff.
That is your biggest error. Don't believe the polls on Iraq. The questions are worded to get the results they seek.
This is the question asked in the latest Fox News poll:
Based on General Petraeus' new report, do you think the United States should pull out all troops immediately, pull out all troops gradually over the next year, pull out after Iraqi troops are capable of taking over, or, send more troops?If that question is slanted "to get the results they seek", then it wasn't slanted toward the first two options.Pull Out Immediately - 22%
Pull Out Gradually - 42%
After Iraqis Capable - 24%
Send More Troops - 2%
Unsure - 10%
Thank you for your service and your excellent comments.
My support of Paul is due to his tireless commitment to limited government (federalism), low taxes, American sovereignty, border security and ending the drug war. Now I do have some reservations about his foreign policy, but to me Paul would still be better on foreign policy than all the Dem candidates and maybe even Rudy/Romney/Huckabee, because he'd fight a war without harassing law-abiding Americans with crap like the RealID Act and leaving the borders wide open.
It's a shame that the presidential candidate who adheres to the Constitution the most is trashed on the very website dedicated to defended it.
That's easy enough
It (honest investigation of 9/11 truth) will be a little bit better now with the Democrats now in chargeBearing false witness is cool when it's you, huh? Especially when you have a good reason cuz then, well, it's righteous.
Looks that way.
Are you kidding me? Paul has always been a strong supporter of the military. He supported Reagan's SDI and military buildups and more benefits for military veterans. He supports border security and ending handouts to illegals so they'll go home.
I guarantee you if, God forbid, this nation is ever attacked directly again and Paul is President, he'd immediately drop a dime on their asses and let the survivors rebuild their own country. He wouldn't have a finger jammed in his crotch wondering whether to go to the UN or the "international community." That's what Bush should have done on 09/12/2001, Middle Eastern capitals should have been in smoking ruins.
Also, Henry Hyde. Rejecting Congressman Paul's proposal for a declaration of war, Hyde said this:
There are things in the Constitution that have been overtaken by events, by time. Declaration of war is one of them. There are things no longer relevant to a modern society. Why declare war if you don’t have to? We are saying to the President, use your judgment. So, to demand that we declare war is to strengthen something to death. You have got a hammerlock on this situation, and it is not called for. Inappropriate, anachronistic, it isn’t done anymore.
Dont sugarcoat it Sonora!
Perhaps because Paul doesn't have time to determine the agendas of each and every single one of his supporters? How does Paul know who people are unless he personally interviews each of them.
Skinheads and Neo-Nazis probably voted for Reagan and Bush too. Does that mean Reagan and Bush supports or is in bed with them? Even the old ladies at the voting booths don't know who everyone really is. Give me a break. Your guilt-by-association s--t is getting annoying.
"When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
This aint a preventative war
That's a new one.
You expect me to play by the Queen of Marquesberry rules when you post drivel about my candidate?
Congratulations, your mother must be very proud.
Damn straight she is. I didn't get my ass kicked by her when I was a shorty and became a responsible adult for nothing.
I've always been a huge fan of Dr. Paul, thanks.
Paul threads should be banned.
Paul is a presidential candidate, so if he's in the news, it's going to get posted here one way or the other.
Look. Like it or not, we are there, and we have to finish it.
IMHO the spread of freedom is not a bad thing.
Yeah, I suppose that the folks in the ME used to be free before we got there, Free to fester and waste, free to piss and whine.
Lets offer the world some hope
Excellent quote, the longer version runs.
When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war... War settles nothingUsed a lot by the hard left.
It came up on this thread, Ike knew that war settles nothing from the Capital Times from Berkley midwest, the heart of progressivism.
One of the problems I had, as did a couple other freepers, is the attribution of the quote.
As in, it can't be found in primary sources.
I've been told on these threads that Freepers are a bunch of dumbass neocons, Ron Paul and his folk are the source of wisdom, never to be criticized. Thus I've come to realize that there is no one smarter than Ron Paul supporters.
I look forward to the specific source of the quote. Primary source, not blogs.
To give you a head start, if you find an antiwar site that provides a citation, they'll send you to the Ottawa Speech.
Well no, it's not there, but November, 1953, what preemptive war were we considering four months pre Dien Bien Phu?
As well as the primary source, context please.
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