LEK
02-11-2008, 11:28 AM
We continually hear, said in one form or another, that many agree with Congressman Ron Paul on everything except Foreign Policy issues. I am dismayed at this because his view on Foreign Policy is the most sane, intelligent, and well thought-out position being presented today.
Perhaps something written out in bullet form that can be printed and talked over as you canvas (all of this information is from the ISSUES link below). People can grasp short bullet points easier than sifting through pages of text. I have it in WORD but don't know how to upload that file.
Please comment if it can be tweaked and please use it to help share Congressman Paul's excellent evaluation of where we are regarding Foreign policy today.
9/11
• Primary objective in the war on terror is to capture or kill bin Laden and his henchmen. President Bush referred to finding him "dead or alive."
• Original Purpose : "When we retaliate for this horror we have suffered, we must be certain that only the guilty be punished."
• We have allowed the passage of time and the false specter of an Iraq threat to distract us from our original purpose.
• Marque and Reprisal : A modern day BOUNTY :
Create an incentive for individuals close to bin Laden to kill or capture him and his associates.
Help us avoid a wider war by bringing terrorists to justice without the need for military action.
Save American lives.
Iraq
This war will have nothing to do with US national security or Iraqi aggression. It will, however, make us all less secure by antagonizing millions of Muslims who understand the necessity of our actions against Al-Queda, but who will object to an invasion of Iraq.
• The Just War Theory - The war in Iraq fails to meet almost all of these requirements:
War should be fought only in self defense.
War should be undertaken only as a last resort.
A decision to enter war should be made only by a legitimate authority.
There must be a reasonable chance of success.
A public declaration notifying all parties concerned is required.
• The United States invaded Iraq under false pretenses without a constitutionally-required declaration of war. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it.
• Until the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraq never had a suicide terrorist attack in all of its history.
• The strongest motivation for suicide bombings is to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorists view as their homeland.
• While we keep our focus on Iraq indefinitely, bin Laden remains free to plot his next attack, and can continue to portray us as occupiers and recruit more volunteers to his cause.
• Our Army and Marine Corps are at a breaking point with little to show for it (General Batiste). A weakened and over-committed military is a recipe for a national security disaster. Meanwhile, Washington continues to talk about how many other countries it could send troops to.
• It is now time to bring our troops home. We must return our focus to finding bin Laden and making sure that we can be prepared for any future threats against our national security.
Non-Intervention
We should neither initiate violence, nor take sides in conflicts that are none of our business.
• Talk with our neighbors, do honest business with them, cultivate friendship, allow travel and open communication.
• The administration has behaved as if there are only two choices in foreign policy - sending money or sending bombs.
• Our government involvement in the internal affairs of other nations: Our friend one day is our enemy the next. And all our friends' enemies become our enemies. How many times have we armed BOTH sides of a conflict because of this?
• The American taxpayers are working hard enough to support their families here at home. Do not slap Americans in the face by forcefully sending their children's college money abroad to subsidize despotic foreign governments.
• Our children should be going off to college, not going off to more senseless foreign wars.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/
Perhaps something written out in bullet form that can be printed and talked over as you canvas (all of this information is from the ISSUES link below). People can grasp short bullet points easier than sifting through pages of text. I have it in WORD but don't know how to upload that file.
Please comment if it can be tweaked and please use it to help share Congressman Paul's excellent evaluation of where we are regarding Foreign policy today.
9/11
• Primary objective in the war on terror is to capture or kill bin Laden and his henchmen. President Bush referred to finding him "dead or alive."
• Original Purpose : "When we retaliate for this horror we have suffered, we must be certain that only the guilty be punished."
• We have allowed the passage of time and the false specter of an Iraq threat to distract us from our original purpose.
• Marque and Reprisal : A modern day BOUNTY :
Create an incentive for individuals close to bin Laden to kill or capture him and his associates.
Help us avoid a wider war by bringing terrorists to justice without the need for military action.
Save American lives.
Iraq
This war will have nothing to do with US national security or Iraqi aggression. It will, however, make us all less secure by antagonizing millions of Muslims who understand the necessity of our actions against Al-Queda, but who will object to an invasion of Iraq.
• The Just War Theory - The war in Iraq fails to meet almost all of these requirements:
War should be fought only in self defense.
War should be undertaken only as a last resort.
A decision to enter war should be made only by a legitimate authority.
There must be a reasonable chance of success.
A public declaration notifying all parties concerned is required.
• The United States invaded Iraq under false pretenses without a constitutionally-required declaration of war. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it.
• Until the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraq never had a suicide terrorist attack in all of its history.
• The strongest motivation for suicide bombings is to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorists view as their homeland.
• While we keep our focus on Iraq indefinitely, bin Laden remains free to plot his next attack, and can continue to portray us as occupiers and recruit more volunteers to his cause.
• Our Army and Marine Corps are at a breaking point with little to show for it (General Batiste). A weakened and over-committed military is a recipe for a national security disaster. Meanwhile, Washington continues to talk about how many other countries it could send troops to.
• It is now time to bring our troops home. We must return our focus to finding bin Laden and making sure that we can be prepared for any future threats against our national security.
Non-Intervention
We should neither initiate violence, nor take sides in conflicts that are none of our business.
• Talk with our neighbors, do honest business with them, cultivate friendship, allow travel and open communication.
• The administration has behaved as if there are only two choices in foreign policy - sending money or sending bombs.
• Our government involvement in the internal affairs of other nations: Our friend one day is our enemy the next. And all our friends' enemies become our enemies. How many times have we armed BOTH sides of a conflict because of this?
• The American taxpayers are working hard enough to support their families here at home. Do not slap Americans in the face by forcefully sending their children's college money abroad to subsidize despotic foreign governments.
• Our children should be going off to college, not going off to more senseless foreign wars.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/