12.28.11 Update: What appears a carefully orchestrated attack on Dr. Paul for "racism" has continued to build, based on out-of-context quotations and innuendos. Mike Laurrie deconstructs this misinformation here:Ron Paul in 2002 on Racism:
http://politiocracy.blogspot.com/2011/12/ron-paul-racism-uneducated-masses.htmlOne response to this propaganda campaign is to pledge your vote to Ron:VoteRonPaul.us
Another Response is to be counted as one who is willing to Write In Ron Paul
"Racism is simply an ugly form of collectivism, the mindset that views humans strictly as members of groups rather than individuals. Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike: as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called "diversity" actually perpetuate racism. Their obsession with racial group identity is inherently racist.
The true antidote to racism is liberty. Liberty means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Liberty means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence, not skin color, gender, or ethnicity.More importantly, in a free society every citizen gains a sense of himself as an individual, rather than developing a group or victim mentality. This leads to a sense of individual responsibility and personal pride, making skin color irrelevant. Rather than looking to government to correct our sins, we should understand that racism will endure until we stop thinking in terms of groups and begin thinking in terms of individual liberty."
A Response to Addicting Info's Attacks on Dr. Paul & His Supporters
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/14/u-might-be-a-ron-paul-supporter-if/
[The Bold type or Italic paragraphs are my responses to the numbered allegation below that Ron Paul supporters "do not know what they support".]
Action Item (let your voice be heard!): http://tinyurl.com/WriteInRonPaul
“For anyone that doesn’t support Ron Paul, and has ever tried to talk to his supporters, you’ve probably realized that they are unaware of all the things they are supporting by endorsing Ron Paul. Here’s a list of just 21 reasons someone might be a Ron Paul supporter...”
[As you review, below, the “reasons” alluded to above, as to why veterans, patriots, libertarians, Constitutionalists, peace activists, economists, students, 80%+ of his constituents and so many moderates and liberals support the good doctor from Texas, you will enter a strange mirror world of socialist meanderings that reasonable people thought had been left in the “dustbin of history” decades ago.
Dr. Paul, a gentle, courageous crusader for the Constitution, public morality and limited government, is portrayed as some sort of right-wind kook, rather than the perceptive student of history, politics and economics that he is. One would never guess, from the “21 Points” that Dr. Paul supported the restoration of our right to own gold bullion coins in the mid 1970s (of course, how could a socialist imagine such a right?), or that he garnered 320 bi-artisan House co-sponsors to his Audit the Fed Bill (the watered-down version that the leadership in Congress allowed to pass exposed the Fed Reserve's secret $14+ trillion bailout of foreign and domestic banks, above and beyond TARP, the stimulus and all that). Now, as Chair of House Monetary Policy, he has offered a trio of bills to reduce the debt by $1.7 trillion in one step, to return to Constitutional Money, and to finally END the Fed! In that, he stands with the Founders and with Andrew Jackson, ready to bring down the central bank fraud.
Below each distorted “reason” Ron Paul supporters are alleged to support him, we append some points that might be useful in refuting the allegations, assuming, of course, that such a “bourgeois” concept as “logical refutation” is accepted by the proponents of these hackneyed efforts at attack politics.
On the contrary, it appears politically correct in the chump parade to denigrate an appeal to reason and rely on collectivist “class warfare” propaganda that once-upon-a-time turned much of Eurasia into a death camp. Dr. Paul rejects the theories of statism, whether feudalistic, monarchist, merchantilist, crony corporatist, fascist or communist. Instead, he is the champion of Liberty and of the restoration of the Constitutional Republic.]
1. You’ve never researched Ron Paul’s voting record.
Dr. Paul is called “Doctor No!” because he always votes against any bill that increases govt power over people, all “homeland security” bills, all spending bills, all revenue bills, all war-supporting bills, all bills that cannot be justified under the 13 specific powers of Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. His voting record is clear.
2. You think it’s OK for businesses to discriminate against people based on their race, since Ron Paul thinks the Civil Rights Act is unconstitutional.
Dr. Paul's respect for privacy and community precludes any support by him for any fed govt intervention either domestically or internationally; it is as wrong to engage in “nation building” in the USA as anywhere else. He relies on voluntary private action to promote the nondiscriminatory values most of us share; he knows it was govt intervention, through the Jim Crow laws, for example, which created segregation in the first place. The proper role of govt is to get out of the way of social interaction.
3. You’re a supporter of the white supremacist organization StormFront.org, which has repeatedly endorsed and stated their support for Ron Paul.
Dr. Paul and his supporters reject all collectivist ideology, including racialist ideologies. The reason he has photos of Professors Rothbard and Mises (both Jewish intellectuals) on his DC office wall is that he rejects the Hegelian Dialectic and its erroneous belief in legal fictions such as “race” “class” “corporation” and “state.” Mises, the great philosopher of freedom, opposed the collectivist ideologies founded on Hegel's false theories (Communism, Nazism, Racism, Collectivism) with the theory of Human Action based on individual choice on the Free Market. This reality-based philosophy defends human dignity and rejects collective impositions. See: Mises.org.
4. You don’t care that Ron Paul was the ONLY congressman who voted against granting subpoena power to the independent panel responsible for investigating the BP oil spill.
When crimes are committed, the responsible response is to impanel a Grand Jury which has well-defined subpoena powers and is overseen by the independent Judiciary. Dr. Paul opposed this non-judicial investigation for the same reason he opposes Obama's assertion that “The President” can order the death of any American he chooses, without the constitutionally required Judge or Jury.
5. You don’t like clean air and water, since Ron Paul wants to eliminate the EPA.
Historically it was govt intervention that took from people the right to redress for the trespass of pollution, in the alleged “public interest.” The creation of layer upon layer of bureaucracy to undue the damages done by bureaucracy does not protect anyone from the results of govt mismanagement of the public trust.
6. You don’t want to have a safety net in place, in case your house is destroyed by a tornado, hurricane, or some other natural disaster, since Ron Paul wants to eliminate FEMA.
The same FEMA that pretended to protect people in New Orleans is better fitted to round up and incarcerate dissidents of all beliefs, rather than provide the type of assistance that NGOs like the Red Cross exist to provide. A govt strong enough to resolve all ills is a govt too strong to allow us the freedom we need to innovate and protect our local communities. The fed govt attacks on Raw Milk is just one example of the govt “protecting” us from ourselves. See: http://tinyurl.com/rawmilkfreedom.
7. You think all schools should be private, and that you should have to pay for your children to get an education, since Ron Paul wants to eliminate the Department of Education.
Libertarians believe that education is far too important to leave to the govt. Govt “education” stifles innovation and forces all to citizens to become “Good Germans” in the service of the state. We reject state education as strongly as we reject state religion. Parents must be responsible for their own children, as is their right. For those who cannot afford non-govt education (though it is often rather less expensive that the state monopoly school system), it would be far better to provide assistance so they too can receive an education, without govt control over the content of that education. Those who believe in a state monopoly on education are just one step from all the other evils of collectivism.
8. You think corporations should be allowed to do whatever they want, because Ron Paul wants to eliminate all regulations on corporations.
This is a false accusation. Corporations are creatures of the state and have always been regulated for the good of the state (not of people). Libertarians deny the “personhood” of corporations and seek radical restructuring of these monopolistic entities.
9. You are anti-choice, since Ron Paul believes that states should have the right to take away a woman’s choice over what she does with her body.
Dr. Paul does not find any provision in Article I, Section 8 giving Congress responsibility over reproduction choices. Thus, any such regulation must be left to the states. Most libertarians oppose state govt impositions on women's reproductive choices, while often having personal moral objections to denigrating the value of human life (and often disagree as to when that life begins). Dr. Paul helped thousands of woman deliver healthy babies. He highly values life and does not favor voluntary termination of pregnancy, from that perspective.
10. You support segregation, since Ron Paul doesn’t think schools should be forced to allow attendance based on race or ethnic background.
Dr. Paul understands it is collectivism of the grossest sort to believe that govt schools should ever take cognizance of anyone's race or ethnic background. This type of invidious discrimination must not be allowed in a free society.
11. You support guns on airplanes, since Ron Paul thinks that 9/11 could have been prevented, if citizens were allowed to carry guns on airplanes.
It is clear to Dr. Paul that declaring airplanes, schools or any other place of public accommodation “gun free zones” is the same as telling shooters they have free access to victims who cannot defend themselves. Anyone who believes that the govt will protect them is sadly mistaken. They will be long dead before the police arrive, unless, of course, armed guards are stationed everywhere. Those who oppose Dr Paul on this issue objectively want a police state.
12. You oppose equality for LGBT people, since Ron Paul doesn’t think the federal government should guarantee equal protection under the law for our LGBT brothers and sisters.
It is ludicrous to believe that only the fed govt can protect the equal rights of all citizens, without regard to sexual preference. Rather, LGBT people have successfully fought for equal rights in many states and will achieve equality as they assert personal privacy rights against the power of government.
13. You don’t have a problem with people carrying guns near schools, since Ron Paul want to repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act.
See Answer 11. These guys and gals do seem obsessive about disarming people, though.
14. You oppose same-sex marriage, since Ron Paul was an original co-sponsor of the Marriage Protection Act in the House of Representatives, in 2004.
The conservative view is that marriage is a matter that ought to be left to the states. Dr. Paul's position would not stop any state from legalizing any form of marriage, including same-sex or even polygamy. His stated ideal is even more libertarian, that marriage is a private contract and neither state nor federal govt ought to interfere. Dr. Paul voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004.
15. You don’t like having a good relationship with other countries around the world, since Ron Paul wants the United States to pull out of the United Nations.
Dr. Paul is a non-interventionist; as such he apposes all entangling alliances. He stands with the Founders on offering friendship and trade to all; entangling alliances with none.
16. You think the middle-class should have a higher tax burden than the wealthy, since Ron Paul’s tax plan would disproportionately favor the rich.
The demographic reality is that the burden of excessive govt spending will always fall on the large middle class; even confiscating 100% of all earnings over a million dollars would only fund the deficit for a few months. Not everyone views “progressive” tax rates as fair, and even with a true flat-rate tax the “rich” will individually pay more taxes than others.
In any event, Dr. Paul never votes for increased taxes and always votes for exemptions. He is the only public figure who accurately predicted the govt-created housing bubble and bust, the 2008 economic disaster and the failure of the Bush/Obama billionaire bankster bailouts. He predicts the collapse of the Federal reserve fiat dollar and says the fed govt is bankrupt and the next president must manage that bankruptcy. He has proposed three specific bills to restore honest Constitutional Money and END the Fed, HR 1094, 1098 and 2768.
17. You want a President who would make more unilateral decisions and undo more progress in this country than George W. Bush could have ever hoped to accomplish.
Dr. Paul has spoken eloquently against presidential unilateralism. He would never seek to seize power over private persons or the states, unlike Bush and Obama. He rejects the imperial presidency, and will not exceed what he views as his limited Constitutional authority.
18. You think that poor students shouldn’t be allowed to go to college, since Ron Paul wants to eliminate federal student loans.
The allegation is illogical; opposing tax-funded education is not the same believing someone “shouldn't” be “allowed” an education! And why should blue collar workers be taxed to pay for some other, wealthier family's children's education?
19. You believe crazy conspiracy theories about globalization, and that the Zionists are trying to take over the world.
Those who fail to read history believe that “conspiracy theories” are “crazy” – those who read history see it is replete with real conspiracies. Once again, an objection to Dr. Paul based on false premises.
20. You think the 10th Amendment is the most important part of the Bill of Rights, even though it’s last on the list.
The case of Bond v US, decided by a unanimous Supreme Court on June 16, 2011, allowed individuals to assert the 10th Amendment in defense of fed govt criminal action. This goes a long way to vindicating Dr. Paul's view that the 10th Amendment is a major “Check and Balance” against overwrought fed power.
21. You’re mad at Obama because you believed him when he said he would end the war immediately, and he didn’t because he didn’t have the support of congress, but you believe Ron Paul could get it done immediately.
Says Ron Paul, in support of an immediate end to war and world-wide military bases, “They marched in; they can just march out.”
The left-neocons, such as Obama, have the same hideous warfare state/welfare state mentality as the right-neocons like Bush. Only a “useful idiot” believes the Obama “Peace Laureate” propaganda.
Dr. Paul, the only veteran running for president, understands the overriding need to achieve peace and to reject war. He stands squarely in the patriot tradition of opposition to Empire. Those who persist in supporting the Bush/Obama imperial war policies are not friends of peace, or justice, or freedom.
“Thousands of lives and trillions and trillions of dollars wasted...” based on false propaganda of war; Dr. Paul now warns us that the drums of war are being beaten yet again, mesmerizing the unthinking and perhaps leading to disaster again.
With other GOP candidates vying to see who can support torture the most; who can see more preemptive war targets, while the Democrats consolidate and extend the war policy, extending it to Pakistan, and to any place on earth where an American "judged" without trial to be a "terrorist" might hide...
The Republic is sick and needs a good doctor!
Here is Dr. Paul on Pushing Back for Freedom:
----------------
For further information, see Tom Woods in Defense of Ron Paul:
http://www.tomwoods.com/ronpaul/
Some of the information provided here is from this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul
Other information is from my knowledge of Dr. Paul's positions over time.
