Today’s assassination of Benazir Bhutto has created a firestorm of passionate reactions from around the world. In the United States those vying to become our next President are responding in a variety of ways one could no doubt expect. by Gary Wood
(libertarian)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Today’s assassination of Benazir Bhutto has created a firestorm of passionate reactions from around the world. In the United States those vying to become our next President are responding in a variety of ways one could no doubt expect. John McCain is touting his unprecedented experience as being key and critical in times like these. Hillary Clinton is reminding people she not only had a professional but also a personal relationship with the Pakistan leader. Mitt Romney has mentioned the need to further our policy of propping up foreign governments. Rudy Giuliani is stating 9/11, 9/11. The fear of terrorism and the loss of this brave lady, who passionately lived to help a dream of democracy in Pakistan be realized, are being used to further the cause of interventionist approaches in dealing with the world.
I have listened to each candidate’s response with the thought of whom I would want in the Oval Office when this type of tragedy rocks the world. It is this type of crisis that allows a window of opportunity to be opened for either common sense preventative reactions or for the spreading of reactionary actions leading to more of the same. When passion and fear collide it is easy to believe we are listening to someone dedicated to being tough when it comes to terrorism and world instability by continuing a political path that has aided in leading us to our current situation. In our hearts we want to stand up with an iron fist to crush those behind such violent, despicable acts.
The toughest response I have heard today came from Ron Paul in a brief phone interview on Fox’s ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto’ and in a longer interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on ‘The Situation Room.’ No doubt many will spin his position as being somehow weak yet it is true intestinal strength to react the way he did. Often, when looking in the mirror, we don’t like to admit our policies may somehow weaken those we think we are helping.
Ron Paul reminded us all we backed a dictator who overthrew an elected government and spent billions over the last eight years aiding his government. He advocated changing the policy immediately while indicating Bhutto was a true fighter for democracy in that country. He also was brave enough to remind us our Constitution does not give us the right to continue to meddle in the affairs of foreign countries nor does it give us the right to continue to intervene. His lone voice on the campaign trail delivered tough common sense!
For several weeks we can be assured many will spin these tough words as the wrong approach to the events unfolding due to Benazir Bhutto’s sacrifice. We will have our patriotism called into question while the hawkish interventionists attempt to further capitalize on our fears as well as our compassion. Many of the media’s talking heads will tell us our policies must not only be continued but ramped up to fight the global war on terrorism. Through all of this I can only hope and pray the toughest common sense approach of non-intervention will finally be understood by at least of few more brave defenders of liberty.
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Posted By: James Orleans
Date: 2007-12-27 17:29:22
Well done Ron!
Eight years and 10 billion dollars later, what is our foreign policy result in Pakistan? They have a US installed military dictator, a popular (...and obviously unpopular) former president that has been assassinated, and scores of Islamic extremists who hate America.
Posted By: Oscar DeGrouch
Date: 2007-12-27 17:46:34
A Grand Slam for Ron Paul with Wolf Blitzer... if anybody wants to see what this guy is really made of, watch this interview. Hopefully it will help turn the tide for a Paul presidency.
A foreign dictator who beats up on Pakistani lawyers for wanting to enforce the rule of law. Good job, Musharraff - here's $10 billion.Â
Posted By: Goober W. Shrub
Date: 2007-12-27 18:09:29
What a breath of fresh air to hear a real man say what he really believes. Have you noticed that the news people are getting in touch more often with Ron Paul to ask what he thinks about things?  If I say anymore I would just be rambling...
Ron Paul is right again.... If our foreign policy of intervention in the Middle East is working, then how come that region is ever escalating into a bigger and bigger mess. Will more of the same bad policies result in a real fix...... I doubt it..... and at what price? Ron Paul's plan is worth a chance. What other options do we have. We can not afford to police the world any longer without serious negative results to our own economy and troops. But the real question is...... will American's accept the concept of non-interventionalism soon enough or are we forever doomed on a downward spiraling path of increasing military intervention at the expense of the collapse of our own economy and likely world war. We can NOT control all governments and peoples of the world and any attempts do do so will result in the collapse of our own empire. Check history.......
Those that profit from war don't care for peace. Our interventionist policies fuel large profits. If our country fails it does not matter to the ones who profit from war, sadly.Â
Will the people awake and demand a different course? That is the main question as we still have an ability to do that, for now. Yesterday was a sad day for defenders of freedom, now, how will we react to it?Â
Posted By: robert m. peters
Date: 2007-12-28 21:15:17
Benazier Bhutto was but our newest "man" in Pakistan. We had supported a dictator, Musharaff, who had overthrown the elected government of Pakistan. When he was not seeming to deliver, despite the billions of dollars which we were sending him and his cronies, we inserted Ms. Bhutto, who herself, despite her polished image and Western rhetoric, is no angel, in the hope of creating an alternative to our Mushafaff. However, even as we inserted Bhutto, we were seeking out other "strong men" within the army apparatus in case our Bhutto attempt did not work. Well, we have sewn the wind with our immoral and unconstitutional imperialistic interventions, and we are about to reap the whirlwind: civil war in Pakistan; perhaps a war with India, the purpose of which being to insill national unity and export the revolution threatening the current elites to a external enemy. There in the midst of all of this sit nuclear weapons. Such fools we are for having supported a succession of regimes in these United States, Bush and his clowns being but the last of several.
Pray and work as you can that Ron Paul can prevail; not because he alone can do anything at all but because he is our voice and he with us can do something!
For the Cause! Down with the empire! Up with the Republic!
