Johnnybags
09-28-2007, 04:07 PM
Column: Ron Paul for president campaign attracts following
Christine Malady, guest columnist
Thursday, September 27; 11:26 PM
In case you were unaware, you have the great fortune to be witness to a centuries-in-the-making humanist political revolution currently gaining steam at this very moment.
I am in no way exaggerating when I use the word "revolution," for the Ron Paul for president campaign is nothing less than a grassroots retaliation by the private citizens of this country against the Federal Leviathan.
Ron P — who now? On the off chance that you haven't been privy to the explosion on the Internet in the last few months, let me update you on this uniquely inspiring candidate who has attracted such ardent supporters from all political persuasions.
Rep. Paul is an obstetrician by trade and a representative from the Texas 22nd, where he has been the lone beacon of responsible governance drowning in a legislature of pork projects, earmarks and seemingly limitless spending. In fact, his record has earned him the nickname "Dr. No."
He is a member of the Republican Party but has repeatedly attempted to distinguish himself from his "neo-conservative" fellows, who have completely lost touch with the limited government for protecting individual rights provisioned by the Constitution.
Be you a democrat, republican, libertarian, independent or other, Paul has something to offer every single person interested in combating the oppressive "powers that be" — whether its government bureaucracy and overregulation, the industrial military complex, corporate interests, excessive taxation or expanding executive powers digging ever deeper in to our civil liberties.
His message cuts across party lines, appealing to those on either end of the spectrum, because he brings to light the true nature of the dominating political players: they are only slightly modified versions of the same thing. Mainstream politics has one monstrous, defining trait that unifies left and the right — advocacy for increasing the size, scope, breadth and power of the state.
Sure, the parties are different in that they wish to achieve this goal in distinct ways. The democrats traditionally have focused on crippling the economy through regulation after back-breaking regulation and twisting noble intentions into wasteful and ineffectual government welfare programs.
Whereas the republicans have reserved their gluttonous spending on the post-WWII "warfare" state and self-righteously meddling in your personal affairs in the name of "family values" and "the war on (insert logistical disaster here)." But the net effect is the same—you are poorer, less free and less able to stop it.
If you are liberal-leaning in your political philosophy, then you will undoubtedly have our unacceptable foreign and Orwellian domestic policies on the top of your list of concerns for the upcoming election. The Iraq "War" is increasingly unpopular with the American people, and for good reason.
We are all aware of the WMD fake-out, the "victory" fake-out, the cost fake-out (originally thought to be no more than a few billion dollars, it has surpassed $700 billion), the "hate us for our freedoms" fake-out (our past clandestine and unlawful interventions and current presence in Saudi Arabia was one of the three reasons given for the attack on 9/11 by Al-Qaida, still largely unacknowledged by either side), the wire-tapping, and the destruction of civil liberties (e.g. suspension of habeas corpus; torture in Guantanamo).
So if you're one out of the majority of Americans who identify this as a major problem, you should vote democratic, right? Wrong. Ron Paul voted against the abominable Patriot Act and its reauthorization, against the illegal invasion of Iraq (guess which female Senator from N.Y. did neither of these things?) and is much more vocal and clear about removing our troops from Iraq as soon as safely possible than any democratic candidate.
If you are conservative-leaning in your political philosophy, then you are undoubtedly dissatisfied with the fact that the current administration has spent more money than any other in United States history.
Perhaps you want a return to the free-market principles that are proven to yield prosperity. You are most likely disgusted by the federal government being in bed with special interests, including the corrupt practices of corporate welfare, subsidies, and unnecessary regulations.
You are concerned about the prospect of universalized health care — making a trip to the doctor as frustrating as a trip to the DMV and severely reducing quality of care while simultaneously driving up costs. So, in order to reduce taxes, reduce spending, regulations, and avoid "HillaryCare," you should vote republican, right?
Try again. Paul has never voted for a bill that was outside the expressed powers of Article I, Section 8. None of the republican candidates' records can come close to Paul's consistent advocacy of limited government and free market principles.
The Ron Paul campaign raised $2.4 million at the end of the second quarter, more than 99 percent of which came from individuals and almost half from small ($200 or less) contributions.
That means that Dr. Paul's campaign is truly supported by the people and not by special interests. Paul placed first in the N.H. Straw Poll with an unbelievable 72.7 percent of the vote and has come in first in nine others around the country.
Almost half of polled military personnel support Paul over other republican candidates — nearly as much as all others combined. This is because Rep. Paul's enlightened stance on matters of foreign policy resonates with those who see first-hand the realities of our dangerously misguided interventions on the world stage.
Finally, of the five republican primary debates Paul participated in, online polls showed Paul as the winner of four by a significant margin. The people have spoken — Ron Paul's message can no longer be ignored.
Christine Malady, guest columnist
Thursday, September 27; 11:26 PM
In case you were unaware, you have the great fortune to be witness to a centuries-in-the-making humanist political revolution currently gaining steam at this very moment.
I am in no way exaggerating when I use the word "revolution," for the Ron Paul for president campaign is nothing less than a grassroots retaliation by the private citizens of this country against the Federal Leviathan.
Ron P — who now? On the off chance that you haven't been privy to the explosion on the Internet in the last few months, let me update you on this uniquely inspiring candidate who has attracted such ardent supporters from all political persuasions.
Rep. Paul is an obstetrician by trade and a representative from the Texas 22nd, where he has been the lone beacon of responsible governance drowning in a legislature of pork projects, earmarks and seemingly limitless spending. In fact, his record has earned him the nickname "Dr. No."
He is a member of the Republican Party but has repeatedly attempted to distinguish himself from his "neo-conservative" fellows, who have completely lost touch with the limited government for protecting individual rights provisioned by the Constitution.
Be you a democrat, republican, libertarian, independent or other, Paul has something to offer every single person interested in combating the oppressive "powers that be" — whether its government bureaucracy and overregulation, the industrial military complex, corporate interests, excessive taxation or expanding executive powers digging ever deeper in to our civil liberties.
His message cuts across party lines, appealing to those on either end of the spectrum, because he brings to light the true nature of the dominating political players: they are only slightly modified versions of the same thing. Mainstream politics has one monstrous, defining trait that unifies left and the right — advocacy for increasing the size, scope, breadth and power of the state.
Sure, the parties are different in that they wish to achieve this goal in distinct ways. The democrats traditionally have focused on crippling the economy through regulation after back-breaking regulation and twisting noble intentions into wasteful and ineffectual government welfare programs.
Whereas the republicans have reserved their gluttonous spending on the post-WWII "warfare" state and self-righteously meddling in your personal affairs in the name of "family values" and "the war on (insert logistical disaster here)." But the net effect is the same—you are poorer, less free and less able to stop it.
If you are liberal-leaning in your political philosophy, then you will undoubtedly have our unacceptable foreign and Orwellian domestic policies on the top of your list of concerns for the upcoming election. The Iraq "War" is increasingly unpopular with the American people, and for good reason.
We are all aware of the WMD fake-out, the "victory" fake-out, the cost fake-out (originally thought to be no more than a few billion dollars, it has surpassed $700 billion), the "hate us for our freedoms" fake-out (our past clandestine and unlawful interventions and current presence in Saudi Arabia was one of the three reasons given for the attack on 9/11 by Al-Qaida, still largely unacknowledged by either side), the wire-tapping, and the destruction of civil liberties (e.g. suspension of habeas corpus; torture in Guantanamo).
So if you're one out of the majority of Americans who identify this as a major problem, you should vote democratic, right? Wrong. Ron Paul voted against the abominable Patriot Act and its reauthorization, against the illegal invasion of Iraq (guess which female Senator from N.Y. did neither of these things?) and is much more vocal and clear about removing our troops from Iraq as soon as safely possible than any democratic candidate.
If you are conservative-leaning in your political philosophy, then you are undoubtedly dissatisfied with the fact that the current administration has spent more money than any other in United States history.
Perhaps you want a return to the free-market principles that are proven to yield prosperity. You are most likely disgusted by the federal government being in bed with special interests, including the corrupt practices of corporate welfare, subsidies, and unnecessary regulations.
You are concerned about the prospect of universalized health care — making a trip to the doctor as frustrating as a trip to the DMV and severely reducing quality of care while simultaneously driving up costs. So, in order to reduce taxes, reduce spending, regulations, and avoid "HillaryCare," you should vote republican, right?
Try again. Paul has never voted for a bill that was outside the expressed powers of Article I, Section 8. None of the republican candidates' records can come close to Paul's consistent advocacy of limited government and free market principles.
The Ron Paul campaign raised $2.4 million at the end of the second quarter, more than 99 percent of which came from individuals and almost half from small ($200 or less) contributions.
That means that Dr. Paul's campaign is truly supported by the people and not by special interests. Paul placed first in the N.H. Straw Poll with an unbelievable 72.7 percent of the vote and has come in first in nine others around the country.
Almost half of polled military personnel support Paul over other republican candidates — nearly as much as all others combined. This is because Rep. Paul's enlightened stance on matters of foreign policy resonates with those who see first-hand the realities of our dangerously misguided interventions on the world stage.
Finally, of the five republican primary debates Paul participated in, online polls showed Paul as the winner of four by a significant margin. The people have spoken — Ron Paul's message can no longer be ignored.