Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Ron Paul Blames America For Everything From Terror to Gas Prices, it's all our the fault, according to Dr. Paulby John Armstrong
(Libertarian)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why does Ron Paul Blame America For Everything?
People are funny.
I was reading a book called Freedomnomics today when I ran across a great analogy that helped answer a question I've been wondering for quite some time. How in tarnation could someone listen to Ron Paul talk about terrorism and think that he was blaming America for what happened when the world stopped turning that September day nearly 7 years ago?
I wanted to share the quote and my thoughts about it with you.
When addressing how what seemed like corporate price gouging and profiteering could actually be a good thing while good intentioned government intervention could ultimately hurt the people the program was originally designed to help, the author used the example of gas shortages in the 1970's. This shortage was caused by government price controls. I'll spare you the simple economics behind this, but the fact that price controls cause shortages is inarguable. However, there is a lag time between the implementation of these controls and the fuel shortages they caused. Because of this non immediacy, when the shortage inevitably came, many more articles were written blaming the evil corporations for the shortages than the government price controls. Which brings us to the analogy.
The author stated that if one were to strike a match, but it took a day for the head to burst into flame, many people would not be able to see the correlation between the striking and the fire.
So why do people not understand what Ron Paul is talking about when he talks about blowback? We are incredibly short sighted as a nation in terms of cause and effect. The match called blowback sometimes takes decades to burst into flames.
It sounds like Dr. Paul is blaming America even when the former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit all but says that Rep. Paul is the only candidate left who understands the root cause of terrorism during an interview on Hannity and Colmes.
People are funny.
Democrats blame Republicans for all of the problems we are facing because the Republicans were the most recent party in office. And the Democrats are right.
Republicans try to tell us that if the Democrats are elected the country will be in grave peril. And you know what? The Republicans are right too.
As Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" campaign chant proves, people are incredibly short sighted in terms of cause and effect. Why?
Because people seem to have forgotten that "WE" are the people, and "THEY" are the politicians. Notice I didn't say government. Government is simple. Politics is complicated. Both are by design.
Politics is different than Government. Our government is easily understood by reading a one page Contract called the Constitution. Politics is a mechanism meant to divide, confuse, and win elections and thus control governmental power. And how do they get power?
From the people. And any power they have is supposed to be by our consent. That consent is not expressed simply by voting for someone to do what he or she feels is best for our country. The consent is given by amending the Contract.
Once we the people amend our contract with our government to grant them power to make laws to do things, they are more than welcome to have at it. But without this consent, there are going to be individuals who don't agree with that position, who haven't given their consent (as expressed through 75% of the states adopting the the amendment) whose rights will be violated in order to enforce a policy in which they don't believe.
How can people not see that this is what rips our country apart? What is so hard to understand about the politicians wanting the country divided so they can blame another party for the problems we face? Why is it so hard to see that this just creates more problems? Is it that hard to see through the political maze? If politicians can convince you that you should give up your freedom (financial or loss of liberties) to solve these problems, why would they ever want to solve them? Why would they tell you the real cause of the problems is not following the Contract when doing so would make it harder for the party out of power to violate it for their aims when they resumed power once enough people were upset with the incumbents?
The answer to all of these questions is pretty simple: the effect isn't immediately preceded by the cause. And in a lot of cases, the cause can even look nice and seem like a good thing.
As long as the politicians can convince you that you should vote based on your beliefs and on the issues instead of voting for the people who will best do what they swear they will do before taking office, it doesn't matter if there is a Democrat or Republican office, at least half the country will always be upset, and the country will remain divided.
What truly unites us is our humanity, or in other words, our God given unalienable rights. Those are protected by the Contract. Unless that contract is upheld, and those rights are steadfastly protected, we will always remain divided as a nation. Even if a charismatic "uniter" of the people convinces enough people in the nation that "We" means the government and "unites" the nation long enough to win an election, but not adhering to the Contract the nation will only become further divided.
The two Thomases, Paine and Jefferson, understood the danger of confusing the people and the government. Paine eloquently explained the difference between the two in the first line of Common Sense and Jefferson wrote about how to make sure we remained united and free. Here are those two quotes:
"SOME [people] have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher."--Paine
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first."--TJ
When Ron Paul seems like he's "blaming America", he's really blaming the politicians in control of our government. We've so confounded our government with our society that it just seems like he's blaming the people. If the people are to blame for anything, it's for forgetting what our government is supposed to do and being okay with politicians stealing our freedom to solve our problems. We struck the match for this hoarding of power and destruction of rights when we decided to create a government. It has taken a few centuries, but the fire is burning hot. The fire extinguisher is the Contract.
When Ron Paul claims that all of the problems we face as a nation stem from not following the Contract, nobody can see this. We've forgotten what it was supposed to do--limit our government--so the couldn't become a legalized criminal. How many times have you heard words like "kook" used to describe Dr. Paul and his "fringe" ideas?
"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic." - Dresden James
The well packaged web of lies is that we are supposed to vote on our beliefs, based on issues, and then allow the person/people elected solve our problems by doing whatever he/they wish irrespective of their actual Contractual authority to do so.
The match was stuck long ago that began the divergence from our Contract; when that match bursts into flames as it is now doing, we the people don't even see the correlation. If Obama does continue his seemingly unstoppable roll and wins the Presidency, the flames will only increase in size and intensity.
I think this increased intensity is what Ron Paul is surprised claims to be surprised about when he explains that he thought it would be at least another generation before the people were ready to hear. The point is that unless we are willing to accept the fact that we are no longer a free country, the time will come when the only message that makes sense to anyone is the Constitutional message. At some point people will realize that the government can't solve their problems and the price they are paying in order to allow the politicians running the government to attempt to solve these problems just won't be worth it anymore. Things just aren't quite messed up enough yet for the common man to be able to see what's going on. But rest assured, the match has been struck.
Of course, when Wayne Allyn Root (W.A.R.-2024) culminates his recently announced 16 year campaign for President by becoming the first Libertarian President in 2024 or before, people probably won't realize that Ron Paul was the man who struck the match. They'll probably just think for some reason a lot of Americans just suddenly got really sick of the Democrats and Republicans.
Your Fellow American,
John Armstrong: Freedom Writer
strongarmedjohn@yahoo.com
As always, unlike the NFL you have the author's full and express permission to give accounts of, retransmit, or repost this article on your own blog or do anything else you'd like with it to spread the revolution that will Restore our Republic.
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Thank you. I'm printing this out to read a few times tonight with my bedtime reading. You said some things...in such a way...that I want to incorporate that kind of expression when talking to some people. (Laughing, because it is so true!) Thank you again. A really well thought out and communicated article. This has been a roller coaster ride for some of us. It is good, therapeutic...and probably healthy to think at this point of some of the "issues" which will be with us for some (or all) times in the more philosophical reference. Then formulate positive plans to address each through grassroot efforts. I believe the forward momentum in this area has begun.
And, articles written like yours help me linguistically reprogram myself with language that better communicates non-emotionally to others current situations as they are, than I am able to conjure up at this time. Helps then to rechannel energy that has been directed toward anger at and fear of the powers that be into thoughts, activities and plans toward combatting those very powers that are usurping liberty and freedom. Great article in a lot of ways.
I completely agree. That is why we're seeing the lag of people who hear Ron Paul's message and the foothold of the message to take hold.
With the looming financial crisis I think people are starting to realize the true gravity of our country's financial situation. Many people still believe we are America and nothing will happen to us. That is unfortunately the mind set of many. It would be great to see them implement change but it will most likely take some form of financial disaster.
I think Mr. Jefferson was right when he said:
All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Every law that unjustly infringes on any minority member of society's contract with the government is oppression. Perhaps Bm Franklin understood it best, with his address to the Constitutional Congress.
In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.
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