Thats funny, because was it not John McCain who has quite frequently been a thorn in the mainstream Republican's side? Was it not John McCain who voted against Bush's tax cuts? Was it not John McCain who frequently sided with Democrats (McCain-Feingold/McCain Kennedy). Was it not McCain who helped the Democrats with their filibusters on Bush court nominees?
Again, anyone who uses this ridiculous John W. McCain **** is dealing with fantasy. John McCain is very much a moderate Republican, something not seen in this position for quite a while.
The idea that isolationism is a credible foreign policy. Rants about how we should eliminate the CIA and the FBI. Gold Standards. Taking out government programs like NASA. These are utterly ridiculous and incredibly extreme. Alexander Hamilton knew in the 1700's that a strict, unbendable following of the Constitution would not work - and he was right.
That being said, you could take the basic jist of Ron Paul's argument - that the government has become far too bloated, needs to be purged, etc., and form a credible agenda. Ron Paul lacks that.
Is it not John McCain who is now in favor of the Bush tax cuts? Is it not John McCain who will continue the War in Iraq indefinitley, is it not John McCain who will essentially continue every Bush policy? It is important to note that when I say "Bush policy", it is essentially the policy of the wealthy elite who have had this country by the balls for nearly a hundred years now.
Just because he has crossed the party line doesnt make him some sort of revolutionary. The emphasis on party in this country is preciseley part of the problem. It distracts people from the real issues. The fact of the matter is, both parties want to infringe on the Constitution, boht parties want to spend mass amounts of money (albeit in different ways), both parties want to give up U.S. sovereignty to outside organizations like the United Nations or the North American Union, both parties will eventually push the U.S. toward participation in a global government. Both parties also have their platforms written by the same people behind closed doors.
And Ron Paul...
He is not an isolationist. That is a HUGE misconception. Like I said, this sort of information is drilled in our heads not by him, but the media.
It is the truth, that U.S. interventionism overseas is BAD, and only gets us into problems that we will have to deal with once AGAIN down the road.
Perfect example? Iran in 1953.
We use the CIA to overthrow their popularly elected prime minister Dr. Mossadeq, and put in place and financially support the Shah, a brutal dictator in the same fashion as Saddam, for years and years and years. Finally, in 1979, the Iranian people under the command of the radical Ayatollah overthrow the dictatorship and hold hostage 400 Americans. Ever since, and increasingly so lately, we have had problems with Iran that are essentially of our own creation.
Afghanistan, 1979. The CIA radicalizes Islamic militants under the command of Osama Bin Laden to fight the Soviets. We train them and equip them coverty. Following the war, with the country in tatters, we leave them with no support, with no money to rebuild their country, and it becomes obvious to them that we were only helping them for the same reason the Soviets invaded them. Currently we have thousands of troops in Afghanistan.
Iraq, 1963. The CIA covertly fianances and puts into motion the overthrowing of Soviet-friendly General Abdul Qassim. We sponser his replacement by the infamous Baath Party, which paves the way for Saddam Hussein's take-over in 1979. Through the early 1980's, the U.S. government funds and train's Saddam's soldiers and instigates a war between Iraq and Iran. Saddam Hussein uses WMDs bought with our money to kill thousands of his own citizens. We are currently embroiled in the most deadly U.S. conflict since Vietnam, of course, in Iraq.
So please. Interventionism does not work. It is not the place of the United States to interfer in the self-determination of other peoples. It only causes resentment, and actually leads to the U.S. being more hated and isolated in the world, and thus creates more of a threat to our security. Ron Paul advocates the freedom of other nations to choose their own destiny, and strongly believes in obtaining economic friendships with these nations, but not entangling alliances that will only get us into trouble.
The CIA and the FBI are corrupt, a waste of money, and both infringe greatly on the rights of the citizens, and grant unequal and unecessary power to the Federal government. The CIA is essentially the security agency of the rich and wealthy. Whenever anyone gets in the way of the will of these people, or has a chance of exposing them, they disappear. The CIA is essentially free-operating and it is without doubt that many of their operations will never be known by any legitimate office-holder even in our own government. Not even the President knows what the CIA is up to. The FBI is rediculous. There is nothing the FBI does that could not be down by police forces of respective states. It's a waste.
NASA is also a waste. Originally designed to compete with the Soviets for control of space and thus international respect in terms of scientific achievements. Does nothing now but collect rocks. There are plenty more importants things to sink billions of dollars into here on this planet.
Anyone who critizes the Gold Standard, while I respect greatly their opinion, needs greatly to research how the economics of this nation works. Please read my post "The Federal Reserve" in this forum to see what I mean.
Alexander Hamilton, while well-intended, was wrong. He advocated the rule of a wealthy elite, not of the people, and the creation of a central bank that essentially is a scam. Again, read my post "The Federal Reserve".
The Constitution, my friend, is the only thing we have against out government. I disregard highly and expediantly any recomendation that it not be followed strictly, especially by someone like Alexander Hamilton, a man who essentially didn't believe much in democracy.
