What You Might Not Know About Ron Paul, and Why You Should Know It

What You Might Not Know About Ron Paul,
and Why You Should Know It
by Bov
January 8, 2008

Sitting on the slippery cool back seat of my inlaws' car as we ease our way through the crawl of holiday traffic in Middle Georgia, I see a sign in stencil spray-painted red white and blue lettering, standing amongst the tall reeds and grasses lining the front a strip mall that reads, "Ron Paul 2008, Save America." We're in Ron Paul country here, in Middle Georgia. I have seen no mention of any other candidate, only fading "W'04" stickers here and there. And the other day it was announced that Paul has raised more money than any other Republican candidate, a surprising development for just about everyone.

Over Christmas, while wrapping presents, we finally got a chance to watch Glen Beck's hour-long interview with Paul and I could really see why average people get excited by him, why he gives them hope -- aside from his willingness to talk about the terrible mistakes and Orwellian draconian policies that the US is currently engaged in, with shocking openness, he is also a man who has cared for people as a doctor, and that compassion, on some level, shines through in his simple sensible statements. Americans, used to Hollywood style performances at campaign time, rolled out by the corporate media machine like a prescription drug, complete with gushing orchestral music, bringing us breathlessly to the finish, are caught off guard by the surprising words he utters -lies, cover-ups, cheats - his lips tight and his voice earnest, and our own feeling of childish excitement over this breaking of all the corporate media rules.

What if?

That phrase pops into one's head when we hear Paul open up the absurdities that we live with each day, and knock them down before our eyes.

Wow, what if we really could?

What if we could bring everyone stationed all over the world back home, those installed in foreign countries to protect the corporate interests, to infiltrate, manipulate or clandestinely "regime change" other governments?

What if we really could . . . walk out of Iraq, end the phony racist `drug war,' massively reform the IRS? It is a fantasy of many that we didn't even know we had until Paul opened it up for us. Writer Bill Douglas, in his essay advocating Paul for OpEdNews, focuses on a key issue that resonates with just about everyone:

"If you peel back the layers of what is making life the most miserable for Americans and theworld, you find one over arching issue . . . "the military industrial complex." The decline of the US standard of living, the collapse of the US dollar, and the growing hatred of America worldwide are explained by that one phrase."
Why a Liberal Progressive Can AND SHOULD Support Ron Paul
Bill Douglas, December, 24, 2007, opednews.com

The positions that Paul is taking, that no other corporate candidate has dared to, resonate so deeply with Americans that many don't look much further into what Paul is really about. When I talk to Paul supporters, I find that indeed most are unaware of his voting record or much about his work in Congress. They know that he has been a doctor and is a "Constitutionalist" and is against the war, imperialism and for tax reform. Lance Selfa, in his article for socialistworker.org, "A maverick, but not the good kind", tells us:

"Paul has managed to attract support from a wider layer of people, including those opposed to the Iraq war. To them, Paul comes off as a straight shooter who speaks unpopular truths against a two-party establishment that would rather not listen."
A maverick, but not the good kind
Lance Selfa, Oct. 12, 2007, Socialist Worker

Paul appears to want real fairness and he shows that he is willing to be labeled a radical to get there, which is touchingly American. Given that, Dr. Paul, I'm sure, would agree that voters should look at the whole picture, not just single issues. But when I actually tell Paul supporters some of the little known facts about him -- perhaps his steadfast protection of oil industry interests over the years in his voting record - they seem confused and come back as though awakening from a sleep, rubbing their eyes, "I hadn't heard that. . . . surprising. It seems like a mistake, or something. Can you send me a link?"

Americans are desperate because they have begun to realize the truth beyond even the financial crises in full swing right now and worsening by the minute: that America is indeed entering fascism - is practicing it -- but of the candidates they can choose from, only Ron Paul will confirm even just this for them, on NBC's Meet the Press.

"We're not moving toward a Hitler-type fascism, but we're moving toward a softer fascism," he said. "Loss of civil liberties, corporations running the show, big government in bed with big business."
Ron Paul defends seeking funds for Texas district
Bennet Roth, Dec. 24, 2007, The Houston Chronicle

When we hear him say these statements, Ron Paul gets under our skin and we fall in love, at least for a moment - its been so long since we heard truth uttered on corporate media that we swoon. Many have been waiting for 8 years or more for someone besides Michael Moore and Ralph Nader to say something - anything -- to make sense with reality. Paul tells us:

". . . The federal government . . . overrules state laws where state laws permit medicinal marijuana for people dying of cancer. The federal government goes in and arrests these people, put them in prison with mandatory, sometimes life sentences. This war on drugs is totally out of control. . . Prescription drugs are a greater danger than, than hard drugs."
MR. RUSSERT: "But you would decriminalize it?"
REP. PAUL: "I, I, I would, at the federal level. I don't have control over the states."
Meet the Press' transcript:
Representative Ron Paul (R-TX), John Harwood and Chuck Todd
Tim Russert, Dec. 23, 2007, msnbc.com

So what are the facts on Paul, anyway? Russert brought up some. What is the price we must pay for what seems like common sense? What are the votes, history and positions behind the curtain that most don't know, haven't thought about, or believe don't matter? Because the real question is about what we are asking people to give up when we tell them that they should vote for Ron Paul.

It seems there may be a very high price to pay, but most have no idea of it. And with Paul's positions shifting noticibly between interviews, it's hard to even know where exactly he stands on areas like welfare and his constitutional amendments. In this essay I'd like to look at what some are saying about him, and mention what little I do know, and why these might be important to know about.

A lot of how change is happening in the US today is by duping people - lies, scams, cover-ups and media manipulation - and some of us have had to become experts at un-duping, or debunking, just to cope with reading the internet these days. Now it's time to take a close look at Ron Paul. Because the real costs of what we must give up in exchange for Paul's `radical' ideas that can and do work, are being cast aside by most, stoked by the "Revolution" Paul promises, the man who has protected the Texas oil companies for most of his career in Congress.

CONTENTS
Property Rights, Human Rights
The Truth Candidate
The Bush Fantasy Candidate
The Internet Candidate
The Rorschach Campaign: Ink blots and Issues
The 'Dismantling of Big Government' But What Does it Really Mean?
The Constitutionalist
Ron Paul and the White Supremacists
Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime: The Price of Ron Paul
Conclusion: A Glimpse of Ron Paul America