"A Dark Horse Shines"
"A 'dark horse'? Well, let’s call him a horse of a different color. Which may explain why a lot of people want to see his campaign stopped at the starting gate. The last thing people who like the status quo want is this dark horse running out front."
Paul Jacob, 03/15/07
"Support Ron Paul For President"
"The importance of his [Ron Paul's] run for office must be recognized by the people, with/without help from the mainstream media and powers that be. He will bring issues and excitement to the debates which have not been seen, at least in recent times."
Jeremiah Messler, Opinion, The Chattanoogan, 03/14/07
Ron Paul: The Exception
"As a result, Republican primary votes are looking for -- but have not found -- an effective conservative leader. Over the last 10 years, no Republican has stepped forward as a conservative leader. While all of the GOP presidential candidates but Rudy Guiliani claim to be a conservative, none of them have consistently spoken out against the liberal excesses of President Bush and the former Republican-controlled Congress, with the exception of Ron Paul."
Richard Viguerie, 03/15/07
http://www.sierratimes.com/07/03/14/Taxpayers.htm
Ron Paul Honored as "Taxpayers' Friend" for Tenth Consecutive Year
Sierra Times
Washington, DC: Congressman Ron Paul has been recognized as a top advocate for taxpayers in the U.S. Congress for the tenth year in a row, earning the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union’s annual award as a “Taxpayers’ Friend” for 2006. Only 30 of 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives earned similar honors last year.
The annual NTU rating is based on critical congressional votes relating to federal tax, spending, and regulatory issues. Paul consistently ranks at or near the top of NTU’s scorecard in terms of his pro-taxpayer votes.
Overall, however, Congress is slipping when it comes to serving the least-represented special interest of all—American taxpayers.
“If every member of Congress voted like Representative Paul, Americans could enjoy much lower taxes and less waste in government,” stated NTU President John Berthoud. “Overburdened taxpayers in Texas and across the nation owe Mr. Paul a debt of gratitude for his hard work on their behalf.”
“While many Members of Congress talk about reducing the size of government, Representative Paul backed up those words with votes. This award proves that he/she is a consistent and effective ally in our battle to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.”
The Sierra Times maintains its operation only by our sponsors and our readers. As always, any contribution is desperately needed and always accepted. Thank you.
3/15/2007 1:40:37 PM
Foreword to A Foreign Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. Posted on 3/15/2007 [Subscribe at email services, tell others, or A Foreign Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul.]
Ron Paul has always believed that foreign and domestic policy should be conducted according to the same principles. Government should be restrained from intervening at home or abroad because its actions fail to achieve their stated aims, create more harm than good, shrink the liberty of the people, and violate rights.
Does that proposition seem radical? Outlandish or farflung? Once you hear it stated, it makes perfect sense that there is no sharp distinction between the principles of domestic and foreign policy. They are part of the same analytical fabric. What would be inconsistent would be to favor activist government at home but restraint abroad, or the reverse: restraint at home and activism abroad. Government unleashed behaves in its own interests, and will not restrict itself in any area of life. It must be curbed in all areas of life lest freedom suffer.
If you recognize the line of thinking in this set of beliefs, it might be because you have read the Federalist Papers, the writings of Thomas Jefferson or George Washington or James Madison, or examined the philosophical origins of the American Revolution. Or you might have followed the debates that took place in the presidential election of 1800, in which this view emerged triumphant. Or perhaps you read the writings of the free traders prior to the Civil War, or the opponents of the War on Spain, or those who warned of entering World War I.
Or perhaps you have read the speeches and books against FDR's New Deal: the same group warned of the devastating consequences of World War II. Or maybe, in more recent history, you understood the animating principles behind the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994: a generation had turned away from all forms of foreign and domestic "nation building."
Not only does this Paulian view have a precedent in American history; it sums up the very core of what is distinctive about the American contribution to political ideas. The proposition was and is that people are better able to manage their lives than government can manage them. Under conditions of liberty, the result is prosperity and orderly civilization. Under government control, the result is relative poverty and unpredictable chaos. The proof is in the news every day.
How unusual, how incredibly strange, that Ron Paul, who has stood for these principles his entire public life, is criticized by some as a radical, outside the mainstream, and influenced by experimental ideas that are marginal at best. And why is he treated this way? Because he takes the ideas of Washington and Jefferson seriously, just as seriously as he takes the idea of freedom itself, and he does so in times when faith in Leviathan remains the dominant political ideology.
Ideology is such a powerful force that it has propped up policy inconsistency for more than a century. The Left has a massive agenda for the state at home, and yet complains bitterly, with shock and dismay, that the same tools are used to start wars and build imperial structures abroad. The Right claims to want to restrain government at home (at least in some ways) while whooping it up for war and global reconstruction abroad.
It doesn't take a game-theory genius to predict how this conflict works itself out in the long run. The Left and the Right agree to disagree on intellectual grounds but otherwise engage in a dangerous quid pro quo. They turn a blind eye to the government they don't like so long as they get the government they do like.
It's one thing for the Left to grudgingly support international intervention. It makes some sense for a group that believes that government is omniscient enough to bring about fairness, justice, and equality at home to do the same for people abroad. In fact, I've never been able to make much sense out of left-wing antiwar activism, simply because it cuts so much against the idea of socialism, which itself can be summed up as perpetual war on the liberty and property of the people.
What strikes me as ridiculous is the right-wing view that the same government that is incompetent and dangerous domestically — at least in economic and social affairs — has some sort of Midas Touch internationally such that it can bring freedom, democracy, and justice to any land its troops deign to invade. Not that the right wing is principled enough to pursue its domestic views, but I'm speaking here of its campaign rhetoric and higher-level critique of government that you find in their periodicals and books. The precise critique of government that they offer for the welfare state and regulatory measures — that they are expensive, counterproductive, and hobble human energies — applies many times over to international interventions.
But the Right always seems to have an excuse for its inconsistency. In the early fifties, many on the Right said that the usual principle of nonintervention had to give way to the fight against communism because this was a uniquely evil threat facing the world. We have to put up with a "totalitarian bureaucracy" within our shores (words used by W.F. Buckley) for the duration in order to beat back the great threat abroad. And so Leviathan grew and grew, and never more than under Republican presidents. Then one day, communism went away, the regimes having collapsed from self-imposed deprivation and ideological change.
A few years went by after 1990 when the Right was inching toward a Paulian consistency. Then 9-11 happened, and the great excuse for Leviathan again entered the picture. Never mind that, as Congressman Paul pointed out, the crime of 9-11 was motivated by retribution against ten years of killer US sanctions against Iraq, US troops on Muslim holy lands, and US subsidies for Palestinian occupation. No, the American Right bought into the same farce that led them to support the Cold War: Islamic fanaticism is a unique evil unlike anything we've ever seen, so we have to put up with Leviathan (again!) for the duration.
Well, Ron Paul didn't buy into it. He is unique in this respect, and this is especially notable since he has been under pressure from his own party at a time when his party has ruled the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. He stuck by his principles, and not merely as a pious gesture. His critique of the post 9-11 warfare state has been spot on in speech after speech. He foresaw the failure of the US invasion of Afghanistan. He never believed the nonsense about how US bombs would transform Iraq into a modern democracy. He never went along with the propaganda lies about weapons of mass destruction. Nowadays, we often hear politicians say that they have changed their minds on the Iraq War and that if they had known then what they know now, they never would have gone along. Well, hindsight is child's play in politics. What takes guts and insight is the ability to spot a hoax even as it is being perpetrated. In any case, they have no excuse for not knowing: Ron Paul told them!
The freedom to trade internationally is an essential principle. It means that consumers should not be penalized for buying from anyone, or selling to anyone, regardless of their residence. Nor should domestic suppliers be granted anything like a monopoly or subsidized treatment. Nor should trade be used as a weapon in the form of sanctions. Ron Paul has upheld these principles as well, which makes him an old-fashioned liberal in the manner of Cobden and Bright and the American Southern tradition. He has also rejected the mistake of many free traders who believe that a military arm is necessary to back the invisible hand of the marketplace. For Ron Paul, freedom is all of a piece.
$20
"May this treatise stand as an example of how to fight for what is right even when everyone else is silent."
Ron Paul's singular voice on foreign affairs has done so much to keep the flame of a consistent liberty burning in times when it might otherwise have been extinguished. He has drawn public attention to the ideas of the founders. He has alerted people to the dangers of empire. He has linked domestic and foreign affairs through libertarian analytics, even when others have been bamboozled by the lies or too intimidated to contradict them. He has told the truth, always. For this, every American, every citizen of the world, is deeply in his debt. In fact, I'm willing to predict that a hundred years from now and more, when all the current office holders are all but forgotten, Ron Paul's name will be remembered as a bright light in dark times.
We can't but be deeply grateful that Ron Paul's prophetic words have been collected in this book. May it be widely distributed. May its lessons be absorbed by this and future generations. May this treatise stand as an example of how to fight for what is right even when everyone else is silent. May it always be regarded as proof that there were men of courage alive in the first decade of the third millennium. May public and intellectual opinion someday rise to its level of intellectual sophistication and moral valor.
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. is president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, editor of LewRockwell.com, and author of Speaking of Liberty. Send him mail. Comment on the blog.
This article appears as the foreword to A Foreign Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul.
Rep Ron Paul - America's Braveheart1-14-7
He might be this country's last chance for a real Constitutional Republic
Why to vote for Ron Paul and support him as this country's best hope of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness:
1. He is not swayed, as are the Corporate Democrats and Republicans by special interest groups like military contractors and the big oil companies - He is truly a man of the people and he loves the constitution of the United States. Ron Paul is not an elitist corporate puppet, he represents everything that made this country great.
2. He is against US involvement is unnecessary Wars.
3. He will protect all of our constitutional rights including the most sacred right of all - the right of self-defense - He has the only perfect score from the Gun Owners of America organization for his voting record in congress.
4. He will make sure this country does not continue down its path of becoming a total police state but unlike George Bush, he will rigorously defend our borders.
5. He wants to abolish the IRS and return to the era of prosperity and fairness by returning this country to the gold and silver standard instead of having a handful of private stockholders of the private Federal Reserve Bank printing money at will and manipulating our economy. This will be the return of Sound Banking Practices instead of fractional fiat banking which our Founding Fathers continuously warned us about.
6. He is a Vietnam veteran - he is a doctor who served as flight surgeon in the Vietnam war - not like some of these phony veterans that you see prancing around Washington D.C. on the news all the time.
7. According to the Associated Press , "Paul bills himself as "The Taxpayers' Best Friend," and is routinely ranked either first or second in the House by the National Taxpayers Union, a national group advocating low taxes and limited government."
8. "Here is another area where Ron Paul shines because he is a pro-American patriot. He loves this country and what it has stood for freedom, private property, rule of law, no intervention in other countries' affairs and he wants it to stand for that again. He has been speaking out on the floor of Congress against the war and against the myriad restrictions on freedom that have been foisted on us by a political class in Washington that is largely hostile to the freedom of Americans."
9. John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union, an organization that promotes lower tax rates, has said, "Ron Paul has always proven himself to be a leader in the fight for taxpayer rights and fiscal responsibility... No one can match his record on behalf of taxpayers." He is frequently considered an advocate of small business. Jack Harris, president of the National Federation of Independent Business, has said, "Congressman Ron Paul is a true friend of small business....
10. Ron Paul will make sure American farmers can stay in business and compete with China.
11. Ron Paul will make sure you can buy vitamins without a prescription and he will make sure the government doesn't outlaw them - Ron Paul will fight for your freedom of choice.
12. On January 11, 2007, Paul filed papers for an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential race. This will increase his fund raising opportunities until his presumed eventual announcement. This first step of running for the Republican nomination is significant because he is not running as a Libertarian like he did nearly two decades ago. - Please realize that all of those pathetic hand-picked corporate sell-outs that the corporate media is going to give you as your only choices are NO GOOD - the media's corporate backers want you to believe that those phonies represent "the list of candidates" from which you are supposed to choose - please don't let them fool you this time - the fate of your country depends on it, the future of your family depends on it - Ron Paul is the only real candidate that will keep this country from getting into World War 3 (as UN weapons inspector for the Middle East Scott Ritter has predicted if we continue this war and attack Iran which is supported by Russia, China, and North Korea, all of whom have nuclear war heads)
Dr. Ron Paul is the only candidate that will defend our borders, and he is the only candidate that even cares about the constitution - this is it - right now - please do whatever you can do to help him win the nomination and the Presidency in 2008! He has a real chance of winning! No matter what party you subscribe to - Ron Paul is the right man for the job!
Please, don't just vote for him - get everybody you know to vote for him - this guy is the Braveheart of Washington D.C. - go out and campaign for him - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, The Constitution Party - it doesn't matter - Ron Paul is the best of the best - Please do anything and everything that you can do to elect Ron Paul as the next President of the United States.
Ron Paul's office has confirmed reports that the Texas Congressman is set to run for the 2008 Presidency. Paul unites opposition to the war and the police state at home across the entire political spectrum and in contrast to the current gaggle of criminals running the White House, represents everything that America truly stands for. A gargantuan effort in support of Ron Paul needs to be mobilized now to prevent Americans from being hoodwinked once again into electing a different puppet of the same dark establishment in 2008.
Paul first ran for President as the Libertarian candidate in 1988, receiving a massive 400,000 votes. He now commands the support of those all across the political spectrum, from libertarians through anti-war Democrats to real paleoconservative Republicans.
Paul has been in and out of Congress since the 70's and is universally hated by the Republican elite, who routinely back Democrats against him just to try and get him out of office. The former Vietnam flight surgeon is the perfect candidate for President and activists from every corner of every political persuasion should mobilize now in an attempt to help Paul shatter the power monopoly of the Republican and Democrat establishment who have worked together for decades to slit America's throat in the interests of power, greed, and ego - all working towards the realization of a new world order.
The Texan represents a dying breed in Congress, those who actually cast their votes in accordance with the Constitution and not at the discretion of lobbyists or the fear that the elite will tarnish their political careers if they don't continually support the establishment. As a result Ron Paul is the elite's worse nightmare, simply having him on the ticket itself will be a massive public relations blow, and that's why media organs will probably be activated to try and discredit him before 2008.
Paul was one of only a handful of Republicans to vote against the illegal invasion of Iraq, contenting rightly that the Constitution clearly states that only Congress can declare war. In bucking a trend, Paul was anti-war long before the majority of the country came around to a similar way of thinking following the catastrophe of the occupation.
While Democrats soft-peddle and cozy up to Bush, creating phony arguments about the level of troop presence in Iraq and ignoring the majority will of the country to bring the troops home immediately, Ron Paul's opposition to unnecessary wars of intervention has remained steadfast throughout his entire political career.
If a gargantuan effort is made from now until the end of 2008 to heighten Paul's media profile and forward him as America's last hope, he truly has a significant chance of giving Jeb Bush, Rudy Giuliani or whichever elitist puppet the Republicans choose to put forward a real run for their money.
With the favor of the political landscape continually swinging away from the scam repeatedly run by the Republicrats and Democans, we should really start off on a positive footing and consider the fact that Ron Paul, though still an underdog, has a real chance of becoming the next President.
According to the Associated Press , "Paul bills himself as "The Taxpayers' Best Friend," and is routinely ranked either first or second in the House by the National Taxpayers Union, a national group advocating low taxes and limited government."
On every single issue of national importance - borders, the war, limited government, U.S. sovereignty, tax and the federal reserve - Ron Paul stands for populist ideals that the country is screaming out for after seven years of hell under Bush, preceded by eight years of disgrace under Bill Clinton.
Ron Paul voted against the Patriot Act, opposes the draft, advocates the abolition of the income tax, urges the re-introduction of the gold standard, and stands against initiatives to strip the U.S. of its sovereignty such as CAFTA and the FTAA.
Ron Paul has consistently upheld his commitment to civil liberties and slammed the militarized police state that Bush has created.
President Ron Paul could truly return America to the great nation it once was and his decision to run is an exciting development that we should all embrace and stand beside him in the fight to restore some form of dignity to the office of President that has been completely absent since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
"Congressman Ron Paul is a dream candidate, a super patriot, a total Constitutionalist, an American hero."
"We must elect him President."
Some of Dr. Ron Paul's many supporters:
"We very badly need to have more Representatives in the House who understand in a principled way the importance of property rights and religious freedom for the preservation and extension of human freedom in general ...l wish you every success." --Dr. Milton Friedman, Nobel prize recipient, economics
"Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country." --U.S. President Ronald Reagan
"Rep. Paul has a record of philosophical consistency unmatched in recent congressional history. He seeks to limit government at practically every turn. His refusal to compromise is legendary." --John Brady and Bob McAdam, The Wall Street Journal
"Congressman Ron Paul is a true friend of small business... He is committed to a pro-small-business agenda of affordable health insurance, lower taxes, tort reform, and the elimination of burdensome mandates." -- Jack Farris, President, National Federation of Independent Businesses
"Ron Paul has always proven himself to be a leader in the fight for taxpayer rights and fiscal responsibility.. . No one can match his record on behalf of taxpayers." --John Berthoud, President, National Taxpayers Union Campaign Fund
"If there were such a thing as a Most Valuable Player award for politicians, I would nominate Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican." --Charlie Reese, Nationally syndicated columnist
In October 1999, Congressional Quarterly placed Rep. Ron Paul on its list of "50 of the most effective l
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