Last Call

I admit that I participated in a frenzy of self-indulgent behavior tonight - visiting Northrop Auditorium to listen to the Honorable Dr. Ron Paul. He said a few things differently, but most of all, he was very engaging and exiting to watch live. For some things he is talking way over a lot of people's heads, including mine at times, but he dumbs it down as much as he can. He's still asking more of his listeners' brains than any other candidate (no wonder he's less popular). To folks with their parachute closed he sounds disjunct and all over the map, but he knows he won't be able to reach those people anyway - among them are the folks who don't make up their minds until they're catching up with the herd.

Try explaining your job to someone in a few minutes. Now, pretend your job is 10 times more complicated and your audience doesn't really want to listen. I suggest people investigate Ron Paul's message thoroughly before discounting it. I'm getting tired of hearing things like he's "funding his campaign with corporate donations" and "he only appeals to the over 80 crowd" oh, and "he's a nut case." It's like trying to argue with someone who believes water isn't wet. When the satirists are coming up with stuff like this, believe me, you risk looking like a tard if you outright dismiss him for superficial reasons. His stuff is steeped in philosophy. Consider Ron Paul's stance on a foreign policy of non-intervention and then chew on this.

Men regard it as their right to return evil for evil - and if they cannot, feel they have lost their liberty. -Aristotle

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. -Benjamin Franklin

Liberty without learning is always in peril and learning without liberty is always in vain. -John F. Kennedy

Okay, so that last one is a bit more general, but we need to learn why they hate us or we can't solve the problem. They hate us because we are there, and we know it. It's in the 911 report and spoken from Bin Laden's own lips (terrorist does not = liar). I suspect RP wants you to research his positions/underpinnings more than any other candidate wants you to investigate theirs. I think I've mentioned this quote before, but it's appropriate here:

You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on. -George W. Bush

Does a candidate who is a fool have a chance if he concentrates on anyone else? If so, is the opposite true. Does the most intelligent candidate concentrate his/her efforts on the ones who are seldom fooled? I think so (even though there is little incentive for doing so these days - which is why politics is full of unseemly frantic fark wits). If politics is all about smoke and mirrors the guy who reveals the tricks does seem crazy at first. But, everyone really wants to know, and when they find out (whenever that is) the people will throw their collective flag. This is all about brush fires - right now we've got a torch and a large field of dry weeds.

So, on the eve of Super Tuesday I will make an official appeal to join me in caucusing for Ron Paul. I pledge any honor I have on the principles he represents despite the few unsavory dunderheads who have associated themselves with him. Here's my case:

Long before there was a United States, there was the natural human right to life, liberty, and the will to follow our dreams as we see fit so long as they do not harm others. Then, governments were instituted to protect those rights - governments who's powers were derived by the consent of the governed. Now, we stand on the precipice of an economic collapse due to well-intentioned but destructive policies of a central bank. Our homes can be searched without warrant, and even the act of reporting the incident is a federal crime. Habeas Corpus has been suspended, and as of May 1st we will need to carry a National ID card to travel by plane or enter a federal building. Our government has indeed become destructive towards the very things it was instituted to protect. I did not consent to such actions, and I suspect many of you did not either.

If the principles of individual liberty are responsible for our greatness, I ask how can we expect to persevere as a great society when we disobey these principles? Once we have lost respect for the rule of law contained in our Constitution, what precise traditions are we deciding to choose instead? And, what are the consequences? How do they hold up to historical scrutiny? Most importantly, how can we justify spreading these ideals when we cannot stand as an example ourselves? What message are we sending the citizens of the world when we suspend the foundations of the very system we are encouraging? Our strength is in our principles, and their universal appeal to all civilized individuals.

Do the terrorists hate us because we are rich and free? How can we make such a claim? Would we be capable of murder suicide if another country were richer and freer than us? It's as ridiculous as assuming we can forcefully prevent a suicidal barbarian from harming others. Our principles require us to fight with weapons of the mind and appeal to the best in people. The terrorists appeal to the worst. We depend on individuals taking responsibility for themselves, and our power of influence is only as great as our power to lead by example.

I urge you to consider the consequences of continuing the interventionist foreign policy; the consequences of perpetuating the destructive policies of our monetary system; a nation that requires an ID card; a nation that starts wars. It is not our generation, but the generations of our children and grandchildren that will bear the burden of these policies. They were perhaps not started by us, but here, in 2008, we have one moment when we can make a genuine difference. Let us not say no one tried to reverse the trend of poor policy when we were handed the opportunity.