“The dollar has completely been removed from our oil trade ….Crude oil customers have agreed with us to use other currencies (in the trade),” Iran’s Oil Ministry official Hojjatollah Ghanimifard earlier today, although Iran had stopped selling oil in dollars in December 2007. America replied today by moving another aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf, ostensibly not for further bombings of Iraqis. Asked if the carrier move went hand in hand with the rising U.S. rhetoric against Iran, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, I don’t see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder
Preemptive warring against Iran will further secure Israel’s security and possibly America’s oil supply, both goals of which I reject as they just seem to be missing from the Constitution. The attack should secure the World versus America/Israel, possibly not a bad thing right now, as we continue attacking whichever country in the region at our pleasure. There is NO “AL-QAEDA” in Iran, they DO NOT HAVE nukes or “weapons of mass destruction.” And even if they did, or are trying, who could possibly blame them with a massive occupational army-with-their-deaths-written-all-over-it next door? And why aren’t we trying diplomacy? My expectations of my own country talking instead of threatening is very low, but how about China, Russia, Europe? Will they just let us have our way? Just like Chamberlain, Stalin, and Daladier let Hitler have his way.
Viewpoint
After the attack, America will be finally exposed as no better than Hitler’s attacks on Iran-Poland and Iraq-Czechslovakia. Our leaders will all be war criminals (or just committing another war crime, as you like). Our entire Congress, minus the Representative from Texas and a select few others, will need replacement. I voice doubt that there will even BE a vote of any type in Congress this time around, so powerless and spineless are the Pelosi Democrats of 2006 and the Bush die-hards.
Ron Paul was interviewed on KTSA 550 (San Antonio) this morning. He promoted his book and discussed all the things he normally discusses. He did reference the recent McCain comment when McCain said he wanted to run against Ron Paul “because he is like a Democrat.”
This is an excellent interview with Ron Paul on NPR Radio’s “Talk Of The Nation” show. Ron Paul even used a little humor which is somewhat unlike his normal “serious talk” on the campaign trail
George Bush recently said he gave up golf in 2003 because it wouldn’t “look right” while we are at war to have the President playing golf.
In an interview with the political newspaper Politico and Yahoo News, Bush also said he gave up golf in 2003 out of respect for U.S. soldiers killed in the war, which has now lasted more than five years.
“I didn’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”
Continuing a perpetual war while more and more American soldiers die kind of sends the wrong signal too Mr. Bush. Take a lesson from Ron Paul and bring them home. At least then you can play golf with a clear conscience. No wonder John McCain wants Bush as far away from his campaign as possible.
Bob Barr has officially entered the presidential race vying for the Libertarian Party’s nomination. I’ve written supportive articles of Bob Barr in the past and if he is the Libertarian nominee I’d happily vote for him. He certainly doesn’t have the unblemished record of a Ron Paul, but few do. Ron Paul is in a class to himself. So he’s no Ron Paul, but he now is a viable candidate running for President on the Ron Paul message. See his video message officially announcing his run for Prez below. He sounds like a Ron Paul clone.
The chief executive of the United States is no longer a mere constitutional officer charged with faithful execution of the laws. He is a soul nourisher, a hope giver, a living American talisman against hurricanes, terrorism, economic downturns, and spiritual malaise. He—or she—is the one who answers the phone at 3 a.m. to keep our children safe from harm. The modern president is America’s shrink, a social worker, our very own national talk show host. He’s also the Supreme Warlord of the Earth.
This messianic campaign rhetoric merely reflects what the office has evolved into after decades of public clamoring. The vision of the president as national guardian and spiritual redeemer is so ubiquitous it goes virtually unnoticed. Americans, left, right, and other, think of the “commander in chief” as a superhero, responsible for swooping to the rescue when danger strikes. And with great responsibility comes great power.
It’s difficult for 21st-century Americans to imagine things any other way. The United States appears stuck with an imperial presidency, an office that concentrates enormous power in the hands of whichever professional politician manages to claw his way to the top. Americans appear deeply ambivalent about the results, alternately cursing the king and pining for Camelot. But executive power will continue to grow, and threats to civil liberties increase, until citizens reconsider the incentives we have given to a post that started out so humble.
Readers of Liberty Maven know by now how much we adore Ron Paul and his message of freedom, prosperity, and peace. That does not mean we can’t be critical of him when circumstances call for it. Anyone who views the list of candidates Ron Paul has endorsed for office should notice something missing. He hasn’t endorsed a single candidate who is running against an incumbent Republican in a primary.
As a Ron Paul supporter of all the liberty minded candidates it greatly concerns me that Ron Paul has not endorsed some candidates who are close to 100% in line with his platform. A perfect example of this is the race in Virginia’s 10th District between Vern McKinley and incumbent Frank Wolf. Vern McKinley is about 90% aligned with Paul on the issues. Frank Wolf is an Iraq war supporter, who voted for both SCHIP and minimum wage increases along with the Democrats. Wolf voted against repealing the DC gun ban. Wolf voted for Bush’s prescription drug plan. Wolf just had a bill that he sponsored signed into law by President Bush that will make property rights advocates vomit.
NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Nolan Chart and is being reprinted here at the request of the author, Jake, The Champion Of The Constitution. Jake has also agreed to become a semi-regular contributing author to Liberty Maven. We look forward to more of his insight into liberty. In this article he demonstrates how the Iraq war may be more like Vietnam than many would care to admit.
Dare to believe that maybe 9/11 did not really “Change Everything” and perhaps we have done this all before. My premise is that there are eerily strange parallels between the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. This article is in 3 parts, a brief outline followed by its elaboration, then a digression on McCain in Vietnam.
“Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it’s realized that our liberties and our wealth are in jeopardy.” – Dr. Ron Paul.
“Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Communism:Terrorism. A Great Fear is used to Unify and Scare the American Public and Initiate the Wars. In Vietnam, Fighting on Asian Soil Prevents Communism from Reaching America (the Domino Theory). In Iraq, Fighting on Middle Eastern Soil Prevents Terrorism from Reaching America (more 9/11’s).
Gulf of Tonkin: WMD and Iraqi Support of Al-Qaeda. Lying was used to Initiate the Wars and Unify the American Public. In Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, revealed as a false flag attack in 2005, made it seem as if North Vietnam was the Aggressor instead of the USA. In Iraq, the Bush Administration’s false claims of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and Al-Qaeda/Terrorist presence in Iraq were used to justify the Preemptive War by the USA.
Viet Cong : the “Insurgency”. The Single Enemy is another Lie. The American Public is Misled to Believe We are Fighting a Single Entity. In Vietnam, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong were separate entities, but most Americans thought we were just fighting the Viet Cong guerrillas in the jungle. For the starting years of the Iraq war, the Media classified the Iraqi resistance as “Insurgents” or the “Insurgency,” while in reality it is a civil war between multiple Sunni and Shia factions, with dashes of other groups added for good measure.
The Diem Assassination : The Hanging of Saddam Hussein. Political Killings of Our Evil Ex-Ally Spreads Total Chaos.
Secret Bombings of Nation States completely WITHOUT Declaration of War or even Approval by Congress. In Vietnam, Nixon executed the Secret Bombing of neutral Cambodia during Operation Menu in 1969. In Iraq, Bush and Britain’s Secret Bombing of Iraq occurred in mid-2002, well BEFORE Congress gave a rubber stamp to Bush to launch the invasion on October 11th.
“We Must Stay the Course. Leaving Is a Huge Mistake.” Vietnam: Presidents Johnson and Nixon. General William Westmoreland. Iraq: President Bush. General Petraeus/Powell.
Initially, the First Instinct of the US President was Refusal to Attack. (surprised?)
America Commits War Crimes Against Humanity. The My Lai Massacre. Abu Ghraib. Gitmo.
Use of Real “WMD” Against Civilians. Biochemical or Radiation Warfare. Agent Orange. Depleted Uranium.
The Legacy of Colin Powell Will Be to Have Lied in Both Wars.
Lastly, Murder of American Students by the National Guard in America. Kent State. Jackson State. And where next?
If Ron Paul were a poet he just might sound like this amazing work of art from Andrea Gibson delivered in 2006 at a poetry slam. This is “For Eli” and deserves your undivided attention.
Ron Paul is interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room today. Ron goes a bit crazy and endorses John McCain in this clip. Oh wait… no he doesn’t. We all know better than that. He does choose Obama as the lesser of three evils on foreign policy.
Liberty Maven
