Posted on 04/15/2009 7:39:25 AM PDT by AmericanHunter
Last year at this time, a presidential campaign captured the interest of many in the nation. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of voters like me supported the candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul, a long time Republican congressman from Texas. Those of us who are interested in liberty and personal independence put quite a bit of our hope for a better tomorrow into his candidacy, and in my opinion, rightfully so. Dr. Paul has a long standing record of voting in a pro liberty manner on many of the important issues of our day. Many may have been disappointed by the events that took place, but perhaps they should not be surprised. Even though Dr. Paul did not become president, or even the Republican presidential nominee, his campaign has opened the eyes of a great many people and his message continues to reverberate in the American consciousness, and indeed around the world. The freedom message is powerful and popular worldwide, not just in America.
It became evident quite early on in Ron Paul’s campaign that the establishment was not going to give into him easily, no matter his popularity. The establishment media did their best to marginalize him and his supporters and minimize the impact he had on the political discourse. They did their jobs well, as far as that went, and managed to prevent huge numbers of common folk from discovering the only candidate that could really be trusted to make a difference. But since Ron Paul was a Republican, they couldn’t keep him out of the debates like they do so many other worthy candidates with a freedom message. Unfortunately, it may have been too little, too late against an establishment that was simply too powerful.
Still, Ron Paul managed to awaken a multitude who may have otherwise remained apathetic and feeling helpless against the rising tide of political disenfranchisement that continues to pervade not just the United States of America, but the entire world. Despite the fact that he was given less time than other candidates at the debates, despite the fact that he was asked more insignificant questions having nothing to do with the main issues of the day than the other candidates, despite the media’s efforts to make him and his supporters look crazy and/or radical, he managed to deliver a liberty message that resonated in the fibers of the American people. He managed to deliver a message of smaller, more transparent government that most freedom loving individuals can agree with. Ron Paul’s candidacy was a success in so many ways simply because the establishment and their media cronies did not want the common folk exposed to such ideas and they could do nothing to stop it. The idea of freedom has always been dangerous to those in power.
Yet Ron Paul did more than just deliver the message of freedom to the masses. He was able to make some predictions about the direction this country was taking. More surprisingly, he showed that the American people are interested in economics and how money works, particularly young Americans. After all, it is the younger generations who are going to have to pay for the follies the government engages in today. What do people think debt is anyway? What do people expect from a system where money creation is based on debt? Like the old fairy tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, debts are to be paid as promised else likely the children will suffer the consequences. Perhaps the people of this nation understand more than the establishment gives them credit for and that is why there was such an outcry against the recent bailouts.
It is only now, after we have seen many of Ron Paul´s economic predictions come to pass, that he is given credibility by those who interview him in the mainstream media. It is only after an election has been held and establishment supported politicians have remained firmly in place that the mainstream media begins to give any credence to the free market proponents who had been warning all along of the impending crisis. Even now, as Ron Paul, Peter Schiff and others warn of a deepening economic crisis, the politicians continue a policy of increasing the debt burden and trying to maintain an unworkable, credit driven monetary system. Even though thoughtful, common sense solutions have been proffered by such gentlemen and reported on in establishment media these men are ignored by the political and banking elite as their solutions would curtail the power and control the establishment maintains over our lives and so no real change will take place despite the apparent prophetic nature of past predictions.
It´s not just the economy that Ron Paul made dire predictions about, however. He also made predictions and continues to warn about the likelihood that our freedoms will be lost. As it stands, the United States government still honors a few of the freedoms we used to take for granted, but even those freedoms are tenuously honored at best as the elite who control the mechanisms of state would love to stifle all dissent and silence all who would dare protest. Civil liberties which were supposed to be protected by the rules of governance that were outlined in the Bill of Rights which were eviscerated by the Bush administration have not been restored. It seems to me likely that those who broke the law by violating those rights which they had sworn an oath to uphold will never be brought to justice. Worse still, the burdensome tomes legislators and their friends create and then refer to as laws are not being repealed. In fact, I am certain more cryptic laws are being crafted as you read this to create larger bureaucracies with less transparency and more power than ever.
There are remedies available for these problems also. Dr. Ron Paul understands what these remedies entail and gave us his recommendations during the debates. On top of my list is to bring all our troops home from all around the world. As a nation the United States has over extended its budget and its authority by trying to administer an empire it should never have built in the first place. It is time to give the rest of the world the freedom to police their own nations and to keep our troops here to defend ours. It is time to deal with other nations fairly on a private business level, letting them sell their resources for what open markets will determine is a fair price, rather than trying to force them to bow to the will of our corporations. If this causes higher energy prices, then so be it. Perhaps if that were the case we would develop better alternative renewable energy sources. We should have fair trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
It is long past time we ended our wars of aggression. Too much life and treasure has already been lost on an activity which by its very nature can only destroy. Wars of any kind only serve to generate an atmosphere of fear and animosity that darkens the future for all mankind. This kind of paranoia only serves to stifle the overall productivity of the world. Rather than concentrate on producing products and services to improve the lives of others, products and services that destroy are emphasized. Rather than concentrate on products that bring joy and value to one´s life, mechanisms and policies that bring about misery to others are pursued.
Fear is the biggest threat our society faces. It is this unreasonable, irrational emotion that has eroded the American way of life faster than any enemy ever could. Because of its grip, we have allowed the protection of our freedoms to be undermined by an unscrupulous few with their own agenda. Because of its continuing presence we can expect more restrictions on the exercising of our rights.
On more than one occasion last year, Dr. Paul referenced the United States Constitution as part of his answer to a question. As far as I could tell, he was the only candidate to do so. He is, in fact, a self proclaimed defender of the Constitution. Enshrined within the body of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments which are meant to restrict government’s activities and protect an individual whose natural rights might otherwise be violated by a far more powerful and possibly tyrannical entity. While the Constitution may not be a perfect document as evidenced by its past and present inability to prevent government abuses of civil liberties from taking place, it is a document those who have been unjustly persecuted can point to in their defense when making such claims. It is, at the very least, a good outline of how a just government ought to treat individuals under its auspices.
Many have come to believe that the Constitution is the document that grants American citizens their rights. This is not so. To suggest this would be to suggest that government can take rights and freedoms from its people. These rights and freedoms aren’t granted by government, but are a natural part of the human spirit. This is the case worldwide, not just in America. It is a condition that has been known to philosophers and hidden by tyrants for millennia. The question is not whether or not humans have rights that can be given and taken; the question is whether or not one can openly exercise his individual rights without fear of retribution from those who hold stations of power. This is a measure of the amount of freedom one has in a given society, and in today’s United States of America many have become afraid to exercise their rights due to the flagrant disregard the federal government shows for its own rules as outlined in the Constitution.
Last year in the debates Ron Paul was right about the direction the economy was taking. He was right about the federal government disregarding freedoms. He remains right about establishing a new, sound monetary system based on something other than debt. He remains right about curtailing government abuses by adhering to the Constitution, the highest law of the land. Just following those two simple steps would do so much to begin to bring fiscal sanity back to our economy and peace of mind back to our society. If the government continues to ignore such sound advice, perhaps it is time that common men begin to ignore government dictates and implement their own free market institutions based upon these principles which most politicians no longer care to uphold.
“Ron Paul, Right about the Economy, Right about Freedom”
Yeah, yeah. Give me someone who is right both of those, and not stupid about defense, then we can talk, okay?
My thoughts exactly. You would think he was some kind of damned messiah because he states the obvious once in a while in between his lunatic rants.
Keys is right far more often than Paul. He would have made a good senator. Unfortunately he does put his foot in it quite a bit and will probably never be taken seriously by the electorate. Time to move on from Paul-Keys-Gingrich. I still have hope for Palin, but we need to be developing more statesmen so we aren’t just relying on one or two people to rise up.
RE:#100.... For someone who doesn't know jacksquat about Keyes' record, you sure are going out of your way to defend him. I guess you like running around being uninformed.
While Newt is a highly intelligent man, he doesn't really fire up the troops these days. However, lets not forget. Newt was responsible for one of the two major conservative successes of the last 30 years -— the Contract With America being one and Reagan's policy agenda of the 1980`s being the other. I do think Newt still has some viability with Republicans.
I like Sarah Palin, but she has a lot of work to do between now and 2012, if she chooses to run at all.
You're assuming a lot. I know what he stands for in his speeches and I know he was U.N. Ambassador under Reagan. You brought up issues with his record. If you're talking about his record of losing elections, everybody knows that. If you've got something else about his record let's hear it. I'm always open to hear something I haven't known about. I'm not open to presumptuous and belligerent remarks which serve no purpose other than to make you look immature and marginalize your effectiveness on whatever it is you stand for.
I’ve just recently become interested in Keyes, mainly because it seems he won’t give up (nice to see) and the GOP are the old DemocRATS. Where has Keyes screwed up? Are you talking about his speeches or something else?
Newt was brilliant in 1994 and in the years leading up to it. It’s the 2009 Newt I am concerned with.....
But I do like seeing him work in the background on issues (except “global warming”) and being visible as a spokesman once in a while.
There has not been a Reaganite in the White House since Reagan, nor has there been Reaganite control of the RNC. What I am "getting at" is that the game is decidedly fixed against Conservatives at the national level, and there will never be a Reaganite in any position of national power (in the Republican party) for that reason.
Especially not, Alan Keyes.
Alan Keyes is as staunch a Reaganite as there is. I can find *no* fault in his positions, and his oratory is unmatched in all of politics. He puts his money where his mouth is, and he pulls no punches.
This election I came out for Hunter while he was in the race, but that preference was solely based upon his superior military experience- That experience, I felt, trumped Keyes' foreign policy experience in a time of war. When he retired, I quit the Republicans and backed Keyes.
But Hunter and Keyes... Reaganites BOTH, regardless.
I am not comparing them to Reagan, btw. Both were instrumental to his administration, and both adhere to the tenets of Reagan Conservatism. They do not merely invoke his name like so many others.
If RON PAUL is a Republican ... I”m EXTREMELY GLAD I have turned that membership in...
I’m a Conservative... and Independent Conservative I guess.
Congressman PAUL only Slightly more Republican than McLAME was.. and that’s NOT enough for me.
Since the CONSTITUTION Has NO FORMAL “DECLARATION OF WAR” ... what Congress did was JUST AND CONSTITUTIONAL. What was wrong was PRESIDENT BUSH had R.O.E.’s drawn up to Appease the Marxist SCUM LIBERALS in DC.
YOU, Sir, with all due respect.. sound like a LIBERAL! And RON PAUL is a KOOK, and if the USA is going to go to HELL, I’d rather a Democrat be at the HELM. McLAME has changed me to a PRinciple voter. I have 8 Items.. you meet them you got my vote. If not... don’t ask me for your vote or $$$.
LOL I’m not assuming anything. I know what Alan Keyes stands for. From your posts you’re the one assuming what Alan Keyes stands for. You keep defending him without knowledge of his actual record. That’s not my fault. God didn’t put me on Earth as your personal assistant either. Don’t be lazy. Get off your butt and do your own research.
At no time have I been presumptuous. I am combative with folks who try my patience and like flippant in debates. So far, you don’t impress me.
I hear ya. Newt does a better job behind the scenes these days. Newt’s best days are probably over and done with.
I agree with you about conservatives getting a raw deal from the moderates who run the GOP/RNC. But with the GOP base still being a majority of conservatives, I haven't lost all hope. When all hope is lost, it might be time for a true "Conservative Party". I don't think we're there yet. Election outcomes in 2010 and 2012 will determine what actions conservatives will be taking and what direction conservatives will be going in the future.
Being a Reaganite doesn't make you a viable candidate for potus.
Likewise.
Prompted by a reporter’s question, Keyes gave a brief tutorial on Roman history and said that in regard to reparations for slavery, the U.S. should do what the Romans did: “When a city had been devastated [in the Roman empire], for a certain length of time–a generation or two–they exempted the damaged city from taxation.”
Keyes proposed that for a generation or two, African-Americans of slave heritage should be exempted from federal taxes–federal because slavery “was an egregious failure on the part of the federal establishment.” In calling for the tax relief, Keyes appeared to be reaching out to capture the black vote, something that may prove difficult to do, particularly after his unwelcome reception at the Bud Billiken Day Parade Saturday.
The former ambassador said his plan would give African-Americans “a competitive edge in the labor market,” because those exempted would be cheaper to hire than federal tax-paying employees and would “compensate for all those years when your labor was being exploited…”
BULLETPOINT:
"only a rare individual (terrorist, disease carrier etc.) can be kept from freedom of movement through “political borders”.
PLATFORM
"Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property."
Yep, 100% unrestricted abortion, abort whenever and whatever you desire to.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re not communicating and I don’t appreciate your adversarial stance, so lets just call it a day.
>>>>>I don’t know what you’re talking about.
See, that's what I mean.
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