Posted on 09/23/2007 10:47:55 AM PDT by LdSentinal
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul contends that the federal government has overreacted by limiting personal freedom in the wake of terrorist attacks six years ago, noting more people die on U.S. highways in less than a months time compared to the number who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
We have been told that we have to give up our freedoms in order to be safe because terrorism is such a horrible event, Paul said today to more than 1,000 supporters who attended a rally at a downtown Chicago hotel ballroom.
A lot fewer lives died on 9/11 than they do in less than a month on our highways, but once again, who owns the highways? Do we own the highways? No. Its a government institution you know. We need to put all this in perspective.
More than 2,970 people were reported dead in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Federal highway traffic statistics show an average of 3,509 people a month were killed on the nations highways in 2001.
(Excerpt) Read more at weblogs.baltimoresun.com ...
The worst threat to the USA (freedom and security) is the
Gubmint/NWO/NAU/NAFTA/CAFTA/CFR/Krappola that is being shoved down our throats in small? pieces after the defeat of the “shamnesty” bill,,,WHY DO “THEY” KEEP ON WITH THIS ??
60-70% of the people said “HELL NO!!!”
What Does This Prove ?!?!?!
It proves Arbusto ,et al,are trying their dead level best
to sell out this country,,,
There is a reason why “they” want to take our guns away...
At the Texas Straw Poll, Paul called what we did an illegal act of aggression. He called us the aggressors. In fact, we were enforcing a contract that was the consequence of Saddam’s aggression in the First Gulf War. He had continued to test and push against any restrictions.
Congress voted to authorize the President to use all force necessary. That’s all that was necessary.
he’s trying to keep things in perspective, we should not let 9/11 completely dictate everything we do and throw all other cautions to the winds
And drunk illegals killed more than the 19 hijackers since 9/11. But Paul is still a douche.
The Federal government is a much worse threat than islamic terrorism! I’ve said it before on here, the fed gov steals 50% of what you make, spreads socialism, indoctrinates our children, spreads immorality and economic disaster, limits our freedoms, constrains our creativity and on and on. Islamic terrorists are a bunch of stone age thug parasites whose only hope is prick us enough into a hyperreaction that destroys our own society.
It is sad that people fear Islamic terrorists more than our government... It shows a misunderstanding or ignorance of what the government does to us, and an exaggerated importance/overfixation on a bunch of stone age stooges, why respect them so?
This discrepency is likely what paul was addressing in his comments here.
see my comment 248, it is ridiculous to talk of banning someone for stating the truth, IMO, you don’t seem to have a very good grasp of how the government effects our lives.
They steal 50% of every cent you make, and you aren’t bothered!?
a little ban happy too huh?
Back in 2002, RP urged Congress to declare war in order to force debate about our reasons for going to Iraq, which were specious. See:
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2002/cr091002.htm
He felt that declaring war would put Congress and the people of the US behind the war effort. See:
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2002/tst101402.htm
IMO, the lack of a formal declaration is water under the bridge. However, the objectives stated in Congress' authorization were to:
(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.
We're done, don't you think? What's Iraq going to do to us now?
exactly, but isn’t this obvious? from reading this thread it appears not to be; many if not most people at FR seem fear external enemies more... very puzzling, im not quite sure why that is...
I think in a way it shows a lack of appreciation on how powerful the US is as a culture, as a free people, as an economic powerhouse, as a beacon of morality. To fear external threats so?
This is key. Why is the border open, and why are Muslims swarming into the US like never before? IMO, these are because of W's globalist pretensions.
What's more, I believe that our slack national security (which RP would like to correct, btw) indicates that terrorism is not a significant threat.
Some have argued that we have not lost liberties. The fact is that through various executive orders since Reagan, bolstered by the Patriot Act which can be used to authorize surveillance and suspend due process against citizens, we have indeed lost liberty. We are dependent only on the gentle graces of our Chief Executive to not run the US as a dictator.
The contract was the terms of peace after the first Gulf War. To break an agreement is fraud and aggression. To fail to enforce an agreement is also fraud, while enforcing agreements is not “interventionist.” Libertarians like Ron Paul should understand fraud and aggression.
Agreed just like the anti-gun crowd doesnt think about is that Doctors kill more people a year from malpractice. Should we band doctors,cars,or alcohol?
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
We’ve been talking about the dangers of leaving a divided Iraq here at FR, long before the first of this month. The Search feature may help you.
I personally think we ought to let the Iraqis go back to fighting each other if they feel inclined to do so. We can continue to work with the government and kill some more al Qaeda while we are packing up, but it's their show.
What an incredibly stupid thing to say. Fewer people died at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941 than died on 9/11. So according to Ron Paul, we should have just shrugged our shoulders and went on with life?
To hell with this nincompoop. My respect for this guy has fallen to subzero.
Actually our involvement in the Middle East has resulted in the religious cleansing of the Middle East. 15 years ago, both Iraq and Iran had significant, although very minority populations of Christians and even some Jewish people. And they were able to co-exist in the Muslim nations. Today, they are essentially all gone. Our involvement in the Balkans led to the same result. E.g. Kosovo had a large minority Christian population. Today, there are very few Christians left in Kosovo.
****Just let the jihadists start using WMDs in western cities and the problems that the Ron Pauls of the world are whining about today will seem like chickenfeed compared to the enormity of trying to stop all possible future mass casualty attacks. Competent jihadists, with more time and funding and organization, could be killing hundreds of thousands, probably millions, in years to come.****
That is just silly. If an atomic bomb would be set off in NYC, some Muslim country (which ever one we thought was most responsible) would be wiped off the map. We wouldn’t be going in and trying to set up a Democratic government. We would be seeking vengence. If we invaded, there would be no namby, pamby rules of engagement. It would be more like, “kill them all and let God sort them out.”
To illustrate the stupid way we are fighting this war now, two special forces soldiers were tracking a terrorist in Afghanistan. The rules of engagement were “capture or kill”. They killed him and now they are subject to a court marshal because some hack general thought they should have been able to capture them.
As Sherman said, “War is hell.” You can’t occupy a country that doesn’t want you there without being very brutal. I haven’t seen any of our enemies being put in prison, by their leaders because they over stepped the rules of engagement. But we have put some of our military in prison on that type of reasoning.
You folks that want us to be cops of the world have to also say that in order to protect our troops, we will be brutal cops of the world.
Population wise, we are a small country. No way can we impose our ideas and virtues on the rest of the world by being Mr. nice guys.
This should make a point to the freepers who claim that no one in the military takes the view of getting out of Iraq.
One young man I know, did a hitch in the Marines and a tour in Iraq. He got out, but was unable to find a decent job to support his family. So he went back into the Marines. It is a lot like the 70’s when the draft was done by the numbers. Once the elite had to think that their children would be subject to the draft, the war got over rather quickly.
Put it on a personal level. Would you be willing to fight and perhaps die to support a democracy in Iraq. I wouldn’t as it doesn’t affect me personally enough. Would I be willing to die to protect my children, of course. The threat of the radical Islamic Jihadists is not that much of a danger to me or my children that I would want them fighting a war in a land half way around the world. Let the countries on the borders of radical Islam fight them, they have the most to lose.
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