I have to agree with Ron Paul on this one because i believe he is correct. The fact is the people that are telling us that it will be extreme if we leave are the same ones that told us all that this invasion would be a slam dunk and would be paid for by oil.

They are also telling us now that things are getting better and the surge is working, think about that for a minute it is working? If the surge is working why has this been the worst year since the start of the war for americans ever?

I do not believe anything these people are telling us regarding Iraq because the entire invasion was all based on lies and they are still telling lies today.

Bravo Ron Paul for speaking out.

Well said Mr. Paul. I wish Americans would get their heads out of there crack and listen to your powerful message. I’ve been hearing folks wish for a candidate like you for years, and now that we have one, he gets ignored by the masses.

Iraq is very complex Politically, so it isn’t clear exactly what is working. The last few months have seen less violence, but is it more soldiers, is it that the worst neighborhoods have been ethnically cleansed

Also there is the issue of the government forces. I’ve seen no evidence that they are standing up. It is in fact local militias that seem to be doing the job, so it appears that the National government is not working – despite all the Purple fingers.

Iraq is very complex Politically, so it isn’t clear exactly what is working. The last few months have seen less violence, but is it more soldiers, is it that the worst neighborhoods have been ethnically cleansed

Also there is the issue of the government forces. I’ve seen no evidence that they are standing up. It is in fact local militias that seem to be doing the job, so it appears that the National government is not working – despite all the Purple fingers.

I said it yesterday and I will say it again today, excellent job Tim Dickinson!

I’m glad to finally read a balanced interview on Ron Paul!

Being a Ron Paul suporter, It’s time America heard this man speak!

Why would leaving Iraq be a propaganda boon for Bin Laden when Al Qaeda was not in Iraq? Nor is Al Qaeda responsible for the bulk of the violence killing our soldiers and Iraqi citizens.

What WAS a boon for Bin Laden was defeating the Soviet military in Afghanistan with funding provided by the US. Maybe we should stop creating future “monsters” to fight our current ones. How do we do that?

By following Ron Paul’s noninterventionist foreign policy.

Rolling Stones just bought me – I will be picking up the mag tonight – just like i bought the NY Times on Sunday – it cost $5!!! i hope RS is less than that.

Go Ron Paul – you cured my apathy

Ron Paul is the only candidate that makes any sense. He is going to win the GOP nomination.

The flood gates have been opened!

Who would have thought that common sense would be so extreme and yet so popular?

tim dickinson you are medieval not the notion of Ron Paul about immigration.
the border of a country is sacred and the illegal immigrants break the law of the state,much better to send American troops to control the US border instead of Iraq border!

Properly disseminating basic sensibility is a great start. Lets now reflect on the real ideas that made this country great. Thanks Rolling Stone and Tim Dickinson.

Never has such a small “army” of thugs caused so much damage to a country with such a huge military, with most of the damage having been self-inflicted.

The people who pull the strings that tie George Bush’s hands gambled on us being successful in overthrowing Saddam and installing a puppet pro-American government. This in turn would have allowed US corporations access to Iraqi oil fields. “Our” oil supplies would have been secured. In addition, it held the promise of creating great wealth especially for those corporations who own our politicians and the political process. To gain the support of the Christian Right (those who are supposed to be pro-life, but might have a pang of conscience being pro-war at the same time), they were told it was necessary for the defense of Israel to take out Saddam.

Long before 9/11, the Bush Administration’s agenda included regime change in Iraq. Paul O’Neill is our inside source of reference. After 9/11 it became much easier to persuade the public that, given some half-truths, propaganda, fear-mongering and a UN resolution, the US should invade Iraq. Only Ron Paul stood up in Congress and warned the country that this action was foolhardy, unconstitutional and immoral.

Government auditors are warning that the war will cost us $2.3 trillion. Add this to the $9 trillion national debt and we are a country in serious debt. We currently pay $500 billion per annum to service the $9 trillion debt. We are building an embassy in Iraq the size of the Vatican and 14 military bases. The cost will run close to a trillion dollars. We have 700 military bases in 130 countries. Our foreign empire costs us another trillion dollars a year to maintain. Ron Paul will bring our troops home, slash our foreign spending and start repaying our national debt ($30,000 per man, woman and child, not including $8,000 per capita to fund the war). Currently we are borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars a year to finance government expenditures. This borrowing places a huge interest cost on us. Future generations will have to deal with the repayment of capital. There is nothing moral about this picture.

Rolling Stone ‘gets it’. How is it that you are ‘fair and balanced’ when it comes to Ron Paul and the ‘republican’ moutpiece FOX news is ignoring the only sensible conservative in the running? BRAVO!

Ron Paul is right. Why should we trust the goons who are ruling over us, destroying our civil liberties and bankrupting future generations?

As a life long republican Ron Paul gets my vote, and my donations!

December 16th is the anniversary of the Boston tea party, and there is another ‘money bomb’ in the works. Join me and tens of thousands of other patriotic Americans on that day to send a message to Washington. We are mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it anymore! Go Ron Paul!

this is the one area that i kinda disagree with Ron Paul on…i think a precipitous withdrawal would not be the best suggestion, simply because the power vacuum created in the reagion could do much more harm than good, not only to the region and its surroundings, but also blowback towards the US

we can do a measured withdrawal; simply pulling out now, espescially that the “surge” has really done something towards violence on the ground, maybe the Iraqi govt can get its stuff together…and we can leave without leaving the 21st century version of the killing fields in our wake

that said, once out of Iraq, i think Ron Paul, by far, has the most sensible plan to keep us safe(really, how can you argue for not having more secure borders?)

I support Ron Paul. He is a great man of integrity.

How refreshing, a politician with common sense and a grasp of history. Been quite a while since I have seen so rare a bird in American politics.

If the surge is working or not is irrelevant, we got into Iraq to overthrow Saddam, the mission was accomplished long ago. If we want to stay there until everything get back to normal, I am afraid, we will have to be there for decades to come.

It does not make sense to constantly change what we want to accomplish there. The worse thing that would happen than more violence in Iraq if we withdraw, is more violence in Iraq and a collapsed American empire due to the foreseeable finical crisis (like all the empires before us and after us). It is time to save America before it is too late.

michelle and least harm: applause!

tim, correct me if i’m wrong. the “money bomb” got your attention. did the “war-stance” hook you? i’d love to hear an op-ed from you on our guy.

thanks

I agree with Ron Paul 100%. I hope many more open up their ears to support the only honest and un-bought(lobbys and special interests) candidate running for president. I’ve donated to him and I will continue to..

‘This is the one area that i kinda disagree with Ron Paul on…i think a precipitous withdrawal would not be the best suggestion, simply because the power vacuum created in the region…”

The Iraqis have a government. Once we leave, the reason for the turmoil will be gone. The neo-cons started the trouble. They can petition the UN and its friends to pick up the tab.

What would happen when we leave is all speculation. In the mean time we spend $12 billion a month; money we have to borrow and pay interest on until we repay it, which seems in the never-never. What a way to run a government.

There’s no power vacuum in Gaza and the West bank and chaos reigns. They’ll have to sort out their own internal affairs. And let it be a lesson for us; don’t get involved int he internal strife of other nations. Don’t submit to UN resolution and become the world’s policeman. We are bankrupting ourselves.

Medieval views? Who actually believes that recriminalizing abortion would remove the reality of Choice by any means necessary. Last time I checked, abortion was as easy in 13th century Europe as today. But of course that was the pre-Pill era and that changed everything.

I’m an Aussie citizen posting from Australia; and I wish we had a Ron Paul in Australia too. Our rights are also getting erroded due to US policy on war and terrorisim. What’s with Bush pushing Democracy? Isn’t the US a Republic? I though the founding fathers realized the difference between the two? When Bush came to Australia, a truly remarkable thing happened. Our media got sensored. It was unbelievable. He was talking in OUR parliament house with OUR cameras turned off. We had to watch the nightly news, thanks to US media – it was very bizzare – it was a first and there was no attempt whatsoever to hide the fact, or to deny it. It was due to “security”. Sure it was…. No wonder people talk on the net – it’s not sensored.

Hmmm.. I just realized [looked up] the debate of republic vs democracy. I didn’t realize it was so complex, sorry.

When we leave the civil war will continue and they will fight it out and one side will win. America had a civil war and our differences were resolved. Vietnam is a great modern day example. What if we leave South Korea, would relations get better between them? I think they would. We’re impeding the process. They’re going to fight until it’s over. Let them do it without our guys in the middle of it. 600,000 have been killed. This is their revolution.

And now like Nazi Germany, they are stealing our silver and gold! I have never advocated for violence to overthrow this corrupt government, but now I’m wondering…

I would like to remind everybody here that the excuse to start this war in Iraq is that our government felt it was necessary to disarm Hussein from weapons of mass destruction. That was the mission.

* Hussein is dead
* There were no weapons of mass destruction.

If the mission is accomplished, why are we still there?

If the mission isn’t accomplished, what the hell is the actual mission, and what excuse does our government have for lying to us about their intentions?

Did we receive/request any ‘help’ from foreign nations such as France, Germany or Spain during our American civil war? I wonder how things might have turned out if say the English helped out the southern army to keep the cotton trade going strong.

On the Iraq topic, if you believe the current US goverment rhetoric of being there to ‘install democracy’ in Iraq, the question is not what ‘we’ think is best for Iraq, but what the Iraqi’s themselves want. Who are the US administration to dictate the internal affairs of another country? According to several polls cited in Noam Chomsky’s books ‘Interventions’ and ‘Hedgemony or Survival:America’s quest for global dominance’, between 60% and 80% of Iraqis want an immediate withdrawal of all American troops. Does that count for anything? Ron Paul is quite right than an interventionalist policy does nothing but increase the terrorist activities at home. Since US is one of the largest terrorist nations (in regard to sponsoring terrorism abroad) by the dictionary definition of the term, what can they expect but a less safe ‘homeland’. Look at Nicaragua, Chile, Iran + Columbia where the CIA has funded internal militias to overthrow elected governments. Ron Paul stands for a monumental improvement in the US and around the world. I’m Scottish by the way – watching the develpments with interest.

Well said by Ron Paul, refuting his detractors. The war in Iraq has not gone well a single bit and the neocon wants to continue staying there? Maybe they should walk the talk by going over instead?

Koh Choon Lin

I find it very telling when last week ALL foreign US Diplomats were informed that they will be forced to serve in Iraq. The Diplomats called a special session to protest serving in Iraq. They are TERRIFIED that they are going to be sent there. These people are wet and willing when it comes to packing someone else into the fire, but now the volume is getting turned up and they must face their unintended consequences. “Saving face” is an obscene reason to continue a war that is killing and destroying lives, both our and them. BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!!

Goofy views on the Gold Standard? Perhaps you should study advanced Monetary economics, and particularly the Austrian school, further to know where he’s coming from. These views, while not mainstream among neoclassical economists, are grounded in very rigorous analysis and theorizing. Personally, I think the neoclassicists are the goofy ones; after all, they make rather “goofy” assumptions of perfect rationality, perfect willpower, perfect information, perfect price and wage flexibility in the short-run, etc.. The Austrian school makes none of these assumptions.

Andy thanks for the insight, would like to pass this on to some folks hope you don’t mind.

Our troops were sent to Iraq to stop the threat of “weapons of mass destruction.” This was a lie by the Bush administration. Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died because of this lie by our current President who believes he has absolute power.

There is no terrorist threat to America from Iraq, no terrorist threat to America from Iran.

The threat we now face is that of bankrupcy.

-We are 9 trillion in debt.
-We can barely pay the interest on it.
-The people of our own country are losing their homes in record numbers.
-The US economy is in danger of protracted recession.
-The only way our children can afford college is to go into deep debt.
-the healthcare system is failing.

Pay attention. We were lied to. Let’s get over it and move on to our own business in our own country.

Halliburton made the mess in Iraq. Let them pay to clean it up. They’ve made huge profits…

Respectfully submitted,

Our troops were sent to Iraq to stop the threat of “weapons of mass destruction.” This was a lie by the Bush administration. Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died because of this lie by our current President who believes he has absolute power.

There is no terrorist threat to America from Iraq, no terrorist threat to America from Iran.

The threat we now face is that of bankrupcy.

-We are 9 trillion in debt.
-We can barely pay the interest on it.
-The people of our own country are losing their homes in record numbers.
-The US economy is in danger of protracted recession.
-The only way our children can afford college is to go into deep debt.
-the healthcare system is failing.

Pay attention. We were lied to. Let’s get over it and move on to our own business in our own country.

Halliburton made the mess in Iraq. Let them pay to clean it up. They’ve made huge profits…

Respectfully submitted,

Paige-

I am interested in Ron Paul’s monetary policy. I have to admit, my neoclassicist preconceptions make me a bit skeptical about a gold standard. Still, I am willing to consider it. I think that a lot of the deteriorating social conditions that characterize America today can be convincingly (though possibly not correctly) argued as a consequence of an inflationary monetary policy. Moreover, from this perspective one not necessarily blame the ‘corportocracy’ or capitalism in general; rather, one might conclude that current monetary policy is the culprit. There are a number of statistical comparisons (pre/post demise of Bretton Woods)concerning minimum wage and/or CEO versus average-citizen-incomes that seem to suggest that an inflationary monetary policy is a threat to the middle class. You mention that the Austrian school utilizes ‘rigorous analysis’ to support their theories. My understanding is that the Austrian School eschews mathematics. So, I am wondering what constitutes rigor in your opinion? To me, arguments for replacing fiat currency might be more convincing if there was a body of work that indicated some degree of rigor had been applied to the problem. Without mathematics and the statistical tools that it provides, what else ensures that a standardized, reproduceable, and deductively valid approach is being employed?

Whats the point of breaking your interview in to itty-bitty segments? It seems like such a small piece of the picture.

Blood for Oil of Olay,
That is a very good question that you asked, and it is beyond my ability to answer. I myself have not heard that about austrian economists, though that’s not to say that it isn’t true. A point I would like to make is: If we do adopt Ron Paul’s foreign policy, our currency on the global market may suffer. The Roman currency – which, just like the dollar is now, was non-asset based – lost its value very quickly when it ceased being the supreme military force in the world. While circumstances are certainly different for us in several major fashions, it wouldn’t hurt to have a second national currency along with the dollar, just as Dr. Paul suggests. One thing you could do is simply call him and ask! Although I haven’t spoke with him in the last few month, he has always made himself available for anyone to talk to him in the past. And he certainly does enjoy debating monetary policy! Thanks for keeping an open mind!
Andy

Olay, here is a research paper(Sorry no book, being in academia means thats my first resource is always other post grad work). Think of it more as a reference guide. It will provide you with relevent references to Rothbard, Hayek, von Mises as well as evidence to counter their claims. I think Grignon and Callahan are also cited well.

I’m no economist(mathematics, physics, logic and computer science is my bag), so I can only agree with the strictly mathematical content of the paper. The rest of it sounds valid, but I’m in no position to state that as fact.

I can tell I need to get more sleep when I write an entire post about a research paper that I don’t even link to:

econpapers.repec.org/pape r/wpawuwpma/0203005.htm

My best sleeps would never acquiesce to Paul; he’s short, alien to eloquence, knows nothing of Bordeaux’s best blooms, and is a little nuts.
Oh, if only Tommy were still around for comfort, variegated gardens, those 3 P.M. dinners and his jokes about the press as necessary..
What a cat he was.

I am still waiting to hear from Huckabee on how many men and women must die to save face and pride in a go no where war.

Every time I hear Ron Paul speak,, I am more impressed. Unlike all the Democrats, for whom you need a law degree to understand their “anti-war” positions, Paul is sharp and to the point.

“Just Come Home”

IRAQ WAR FAUCETS

On the pretense of a nuclear threat, President Bush illegally turned on two faucets – full force: out of one flows the American People’s precious wealth, and out of the other faucet flows their priceless blood.

This is a black mark on his name that can never be erased – to damn him forever in history.

RON PAUL – KOOK, RACIST, NAZI, XENOPHOBE,…?

Is he that Libertarian Republican presidential candidate who was first totally ignored, then cruelly ridiculed, and now viciously attacked by the Neo-Con Republican and Neo-Lib Democrat media elite, who regard him with fear and loathing; is he that exceptionally sensible and uncompromisingly honest leader, who has again won the Republican YouTube debate by a landslide; that Ron Paul, who the World is cheering onto presidential victory?

Google: “CNN Debate Winner”; “Human Events Ron Paul Interview” and, “Who Would the World Elect”