Beware The Consequences of Pre-Emptive War

From the desk of Dr. Ron Paul:
Last year more US troops died by suicide than died in combat in Afghanistan. More than 20 percent of military personnel deployed to combat will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some 32 percent of US soldiers reported depression after deployments. More than 20 percent of active-duty military are on potentially dangerous psychotropic drugs; many are on multiple types. Violent crime among active duty military members increased 31 percent between 2006-2011.
The statistics, compiled by the military last year, are as telling as they are disturbing. The Defense Department scrambles to implement new programs to better treat the symptoms. They implement new substance abuse and psychological counseling programs while they continue to prescribe more dangerous psychotropic drugs. Unfortunately, most often ignored are the real causes of these alarming statistics.
The sharp rise in military suicides, drug and alcohol abuse, and domestic and other violence, is the unintended consequence of a violent foreign policy -- of an endless and indefinable “global war on terrorism.”
Particularly in the past decade or so, we have lived in a society increasingly marked by belief in the use of force as a first and only option. We have seen wars of preemption and aggression, everywhere from Iraq to Pakistan to Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere. We have seen an unprecedented increase in the use of drones to kill overseas, often resulting in civilian deaths, which we call “collateral damage.” We have seen torture and assassination (even of American citizens) become official US policy. When asked by Senator Ron Wyden last week if the president has the right to assassinate American citizens on US soil, President Obama’s nominee to head the CIA, John Brennan, could not even give a straight answer.
The warning that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword" goes not only for individuals but for entire societies. It is a warning to all of us. A country or a society that lives with the violence of pre-emptive war in fact self-destructs.
Let us not forget that this endless war is brought to us primarily by the neo-conservatives who dominate foreign policy in both political parties and who never cease agitating for US military deployments overseas. Of course with very few exceptions they have declined to serve in the military themselves. These endless wars would not be possible, we should also remember, without the Federal Reserve printing the money out of thin air to finance our overseas empire. We are speeding toward national bankruptcy while at the same time turning the rest of the world against us with our aggressive foreign policy. Does anyone really believe this will make us safer and more secure?
Many who claim to support the military look the other way when the service-members return home broken in mind and body after years of deployments abroad. I served five years as a US military doctor in the difficult 1960s and even then saw some of this first-hand. During the 1960s the consequence of an unwise prolonged war tragically resulted in violence in our streets, and even students being shot by our military at Kent State University.
The truth is, killing strangers in unconstitutional and senseless wars causes guilt to the participant no matter what kind of military indoctrination is attempted. Those afflicted may attempt to bury the pain in alcohol or drugs or other destructive behaviors, but we see that only leads to more problems. It may not be popular to point this out, but it goes against human nature to kill a fellow human being for retaliating against those who initiate a war of aggression on their soil.
Who cares most for those in military service, those who agitate for more of what is destroying their lives and weakening our national defense, or the many of us who are urging a foreign policy of non-intervention and peace? If we are to survive, we must beware the seen and unseen consequences of pre-emptive war.

Source: http://the-free-foundation.org/tst2-11-2013.html

The Coming Debt Limit Drama: Government Wins, We Lose

From Dr. Ron Paul - 

Last week President Obama bluntly warned Congress that he will not negotiate when it comes to raising the statutory debt limit.  If Republicans attempt to use a debt ceiling vote to win concessions on spending from the White House, Mr. Obama threatens simply to raise the limit by executive order or other unilateral action. 

This is business as usual in Washington.  Democrats literally do not believe we have a deficit and debt problem, and reliably propose greater borrowing and spending.  Republicans talk a good game when it comes to government debt, but have no credibility to argue against deficits or abuses of executive power.  Brinksmanship ensues, and ugly compromises are reached at the 11th hour.  We all lose as the endless borrowing and money printing further erode our dollar and our economy.

Keep in mind that the federal government relentlessly spends about $100 billion more each month than it collects in taxes. This means roughly 40% of every dollar Washington spends is borrowed, to be “paid back” only in highly devalued, newly created money. Ultimately this can only lead to the destruction of the US dollar, as history plainly teaches.  But in the face of this reality Obama just shrugs, turning to demagoguery and talk of little old ladies’ Social Security checks . Like Obama, far too many Americans view federal debt as a nonissue.  Consider Paul Krugman, America’s most reliable Keynesian economist and a beloved figure among mainstream journalists.  He recently wrote an article about the debt limit issue, in which he discussed a controversial proposal to have the federal government simply create a platinum coin with a face value of $1 trillion:

“Here’s how it would work: The Treasury would mint a platinum coin with a face value of $1 trillion (or many coins with smaller values; it doesn’t really matter). This coin would immediately be deposited at the Federal Reserve, which would credit the sum to the government’s account. And the government could then write checks against that account, continuing normal operations without issuing new debt.”

To be fair, Mr. Krugman acknowledges that minting such a coin would be an accounting “trick,” but he is dead serious about this option for the Obama administration.  This then is the state of modern economics discourse in America, where a respected New York Times economist literally can propose creating “money for nothing” and have the idea taken seriously.  Krugman’s suggestion is just another variant of the endless stimulus proposals, which purport to create greater aggregate demand in the economy by creating more money.  Whether this is done by the Fed or the Treasury is of little importance, as long as government is creating demand-side “growth,” however artificial.

But in just a few short sentences Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe eviscerates the Krugmans of the world by pointing out the obvious: If governments or central banks really can create wealth simply by creating money, why does poverty exist anywhere on earth?  Why haven’t successive rounds of quantitative easing by the US Fed solved our economic recession?  And if Fed money creation really works, and doesn’t create inflation, why haven’t Americans gotten richer as the money supply has grown?

The truth is obvious to everyone.  Fiat currency is not wealth, and the creation of more fiat dollars does not mean that more rice, steel, soybeans, Ipads, or Honda Accords suddenly come into existence.  The creation of new fiat currency simply strengthens a fantasy balance sheet, either by adding to cash reserves or servicing debt.  But this balance sheet wealth is an illusion, just as the notion we can continue to raise the debt limit and borrow money forever is an illusion.

Source:  http://the-free-foundation.org/tst1-21-2013.html 

World Net Daily Names Ron Paul "Man Of The Decade"

Honoring one of the most inspiring and principled political careers in contemporary American politics, culminating in an extraordinary “farewell address” upon his recent announced retirement from the House of Representatives, WND has named U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, as its “Man of the Decade.”

His rise in influence, which helped to create the tea party movement, burst forth initially in 2008 with his presidential campaign bid, and surged again mightily in 2012, when he got 190 delegates at the GOP National Convention.

He is also the author of six books, “The Case for Gold” (1982), “A Foreign Policy of Freedom” (2007), “The Revolution: A Manifesto” (2008), “Pillars of Prosperity” (2008), “End The Fed” (2009), and “Liberty Defined” (2011).

On liberty – his favorite subject – Dr. Paul expressed his fear of rising world government as a key agenda of the American elites. If a person truly believes in individual liberty, said Paul, one cannot believe in one-world government. He gave examples of how America goes to war under a U.N. banner or NATO resolution and noted that the IMF regulates American monetary policy and that these are all stepping stones towards world government.

 
“To me, the solution to all this mess that we have is to believe in and understand what personal liberty is all about. Our lives, and our liberties, come from our Creator – not our government – and the purpose of government should be to protect those liberties,” he said.

“And the follow through on this is private property and sound economic policy, which is sound money. And also a basic moral principle is, you can’t do anything to other people that you wouldn’t want done to you. That means you want to protect your life and liberty, which means you cannot impose yourself on others, whether it’s on a personal basis or an international basis. That to me is the most important thing to do.”

 

Complete article at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/meet-wnds-man-of-the-decade/#zvlwoRlGsZuevi9B.99

470 Murders in Chicago, Rahm Emanuel ‘Has Some Blood on His Hands’

In Chicago, there have been 470 murders within its city limits in 2012, as of December 2; a 19 percent increase in homicide from 2011. Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, has turned Chicago into a victim disarmament zone. 

“Rahm Emanuel has some blood on his hands,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, in a statement.  “He and the city council have done everything possible to prevent law-abiding Chicago residents from exercising their restored Second Amendment rights in the two years since the Supreme Court’s landmark McDonald ruling.” 
(In June 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against a handgun ban in the city of Chicago in McDonald v. Chicago.) 
Original article at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/gun-rights-leader-470-murders-chicago-rahm-emanuel-has-some-blood-his-hands

Ron Paul's thoughts on Obama's $1.5 trillion tax hike

President Obama’s job creation and deficit reduction plan will do nothing to combat joblessness or reduce the crushing debt that the federal government has accumulated and is still accumulating.

That’s because when the President starts targeting the so-called rich, he’s really targeting small business owners, so ultimately he’s threatening the little guy. The President’s plan, then, will result in a fatal broadside to the national economy from Main Street on down.

The President’s class-baiting rhetoric categorizes Americans into opposing groups and pits them against one another, purely for his own political gain. This gets us nowhere as a nation, and nowhere closer to solving our economic problems.

A $1.5 trillion tax hike will do nothing to help us out of this mess we’re in, and will more than likely create more problems, lead to less investment, and cause more job loss at a time when Americans of all kinds are hurting.

President Obama and his administration refuse to confront the realities of our situation and the actions that are necessary. We must reduce spending, instead they pretend that the budget can be balanced and prosperity restored by increasing spending and taxes.

Instead of raising taxes, this administration should cut corporate welfare, foreign welfare and end the trillion dollars overseas wars by bringing troops home.

These would be sound policy actions, the kind that create prosperity and engender greater freedom. These are the kind of policies that a President Ron Paul will advocate for and institute to restore limited government principles and a strong America.

Presidential Candidate Ron Paul has whirlwind weekend

Presidential candidate Ron Paul had a whirlwind week. Starting Wednesday, August 17th, Dr. Paul's new campaign headquarters opened in Concord, New Hampshire and hundreds of people came to see him speak; pictured above.
Grand opening speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyciLmlplL8

Then on Friday, Ron was the keynote speaker at the 3rd annual Liberty Summit in Orlando Florida.
See speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wphRQF36TX8

On Saturday, Congressman Paul topped the New Hampshire Young Republicans Straw poll with 45%:
* Ron Paul, 45%
* Mitt Romney, 10%
* Rick Perry, 8%
* Thaddeus McCotter, 8%
* Gary Johnson, 6%
* Herman Cain, 5%
* Michele Bachmann, 5%
* Jon Huntsman, 3%
* Rick Santorum, 3%
* Newt Gingrich, 1%
* Paul Ryan, 1%
* Rudy Giuliani, 1%

And... to celebrate Congressman Paul's birthday on Saturday the 20th, starting at midnight Eastern time on Friday, a money bomb exploded. By midnight Eastern Sunday night, Representative Paul's campaign war chest increased by over $1.7 million.

Happy Birthday

Dr. Ron Paul!

Presidential Candidate Ron Paul and Wife Carol, in Iowa

"The Ron Paul wave has not crested yet. It will continue to grow because real answers are nowhere else to be found." -- Moses

"They [the status quo] have good reason to be terrified of Ron Paul -- unlike Obama/Bush/Romney/Perry, etc, he isn't bought and paid for by big banks. This nonsense of bailing out banks and financial companies who engage in risky behavior (because they know they will be bailed out) will be over, as will all the corporate welfare. The big military companies are terrified because we won't be constantly attacking foreign nations and giving them sweetheart deals for programs that don't work.

The Federal Reserve and the military industrial complex is absolutely terrified right now at how Dr. Paul is surging in the polls. He is beating Perry in Texas, and in third place in iowa and new hampshire, while just four points behind perry in new hampshire. Ron Paul's message of peace and liberty are far more powerful than the neo-con and establishment media's marching orders they received -- and things are only going to get worse for them in the days of the internet. Why else would anywhere from 500 to over 1,000 (depending on reports) people show up for Congressman Paul opening up his campaign headquarters in New Hampshire in a state where presidential candidates are a dime a dozen? As Lew Rockwell said, the media is experiencing blowback, and there is nothing they can do about it.

The Revolution is growing by leaps and bounds every day." -- neocontrotsky

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."

- - Mark Twain