Ron Paul, U.S. Rep., Tex. Iran speech last nite - snippets

[lyonn]

Just skimmed his site and speech from last night. Also saw most of it.


Quote:

"In a way it’s amazing there’s not a lot more outrage expressed by the American people. There’s plenty of complaining but no outrage over policies that are not part of our American tradition. War based on false pretenses, 20,000 American casualties, torture policies, thousands jailed without due process, illegal surveillance of citizens, warrantless searches, and yet no outrage. When the issues come before Congress, Executive authority is maintained or even strengthened while real oversight is ignored.

Though many Americans are starting to feel the economic pain of paying for this war through inflation, the real pain has not yet arrived. We generally remain fat and happy, with a system of money and borrowing that postpones the day of reckoning. Foreigners, in particular the Chinese and Japanese, gladly participate in the charade. We print the money and they take it, as do the OPEC nations, and provide us with consumer goods and oil. Then they loan the money back to us at low interest rates, which we use to finance the war and our housing bubble and excessive consumption. This recycling and perpetual borrowing of inflated dollars allows us to avoid the pain of high taxes to pay for our war and welfare spending. It’s fine until the music stops and the real costs are realized, with much higher interest rates and significant price inflation. That’s when outrage will be heard, and the people will realize we can’t afford the “humanitarianism” of the Neo-conservatives.

(snip)

First, Iran doesn’t have a nuke and is nowhere close to getting one, according to the CIA. If they did have one, using it would guarantee almost instantaneous annihilation by Israel and the United States. Hysterical fear of Iran is way out of proportion to reality. With a policy of containment, we stood down and won the Cold War against the Soviets and their 30,000 nuclear weapons and missiles. If you’re looking for a real kook with a bomb to worry about, North Korea would be high on the list. Yet we negotiate with Kim Jong Il. Pakistan has nukes and was a close ally of the Taliban up until 9/11. Pakistan was never inspected by the IAEA as to their military capability. Yet we not only talk to her, we provide economic assistance-- though someday Musharraf may well be overthrown and a pro-al Qaeda government put in place. We have been nearly obsessed with talking about regime change in Iran, while ignoring Pakistan and North Korea. It makes no sense and it’s a very costly and dangerous policy.

(snip)

There are long-term consequences or blowback from our militant policy of intervention around the world. They are unpredictable as to time and place. 9/11 was a consequence of our military presence on Muslim holy lands; the Ayatollah Khomeini’s success in taking over the Iranian government in 1979 was a consequence of our CIA overthrowing Mossadech in 1953. These connections are rarely recognized by the American people and never acknowledged by our government. We never seem to learn how dangerous interventionism is to us and to our security."

[stopbush]

1. This was an amazing speech. Paul laid it ALL out there,

from imperialism to lying to our national debt. Tied it all up with a ribbon and delivered it
to the American people.

Too bad only a handful will ever hear his brave words.

[montanacowboy]

2. I listened to that whole speech

it was fantastic - this guy says it all in a nutshell, and is saying what Democrats SHOULD be saying if their heads were not so far up the Corporate Whorehouse's arse

[MadisonProgressive]

5. We need him to switch parties!

[High Plains]

3. Oh, he's just a crazy libertarian. Don't listen to anything he says.

Even if he's right.

[400Years]

4. A true patriot

[enfield collector]

6. Ron Paul is a true American, we need a lot more people saying

the same things he's saying.

[lyonn]

7. Paul's speeches are nearly as informative as Moyers

Yet his words don't get out to the masses. Guess he is a Liberterian, old fashion repub? Whatever, he is dead right on this war issue and the economics of it all.