Congressman Ron Paul in the Debate
Too bad he doesn’t stand a chance. 🙁
HT: Quiet Paths.
Too bad he doesn’t stand a chance. 🙁
HT: Quiet Paths.
… have to vote for one of the major party candidates come November. I’m going to take a break from not posting anything political. I haven’t stayed away from political posting because I think politics is bad and Christians shouldn’t be involved. I welcome the involvement of everyone in politics. For me, it is a…
Every so often I have a conversation with someone who knows I value tolerance that goes something like this: Q: So you believe in tolerance? Me: (Heroically resisting the urge to tear apart the phrase “believe in x”) Yes, I value tolerance. Q: But then you have to tolerate intolerant people. Me: No, actually I…
Recently I had a conversation with someone who claimed that Republicans had much more integrity than Democrats. He was, of course, a Republican. I maintained, in turn, that all politicians were tempted, and that many would, inevitably, lose their integrity, irrespective of party. After we had exchanged names and scandals for a period of time,…
I found an interesting quote in this MSNBC story on the [tag]Jena 6[/tag] that explains why I have been very concerned about this event from when I first read about it. (I have been following this mostly via Pursuing Holiness, with her latest post here, and only occasionally reading other stories.) Here’s the quote: The…
Since I blogged two days ago about my opposition to certain phraseology used by Rev. Jim Wallis, I want to say something about the quote to which he is responding. I find the “death boards” complaint about health care easily the least well-founded and most damaging of the issues. There is good reason to discuss…
… at least according to the Fox News headline: Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist. But there’s a problem with the headline. There are, of course, no charges for capturing the terrorists, but rather for his treatment after the capture. Now I don’t know the facts of the case beyond what is…
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Update: Exclusive: Ron Paul Now Passes Barack Obama in Web Traffic
Prior Politics 2.0 Exclusive: Ron Paul website traffic passes Clinton, Giuliani, Romney, McCain and Edwards
http://hammer2006.blogspot.com/2007/05/exclusive-ron-paul-now-passes-barack.html
Ron Paul to Rudy Giuliani – Read a Book!
Thursday, May 24, 2007 – FreeMarketNews.com
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=42024
At an “Educating Rudy” press conference Thursday morning, May 24, presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Tex) “assigned Rudy Giuliani homework.”
According to a CNN report on the press conference which featured Ron Paul and a former CIA head, Micheal Scheuer, Paul said presidential contender and former New York City Mayor Giuliani should read books to educate himself about foreign policy.
CNN reported: “[Ron Paul] suggested that the former mayor read four books: ‘Imperial Hubris’ by Michael Scheuer, ‘Dying to Win’ by Robert Pape, ‘Blowback’ by Chalmers Johnson and the 9/11 Commission Report.”
The CNN article’s tone might be seen as wry, even mocking. The headline is, “GOP Opponent Assigns Giuliani Homework.” But, in fact, Ron Paul has committed a radical act in American politics by bringing up the idea of historical literacy – of reading widely as a way of helping to make informed decisions.
The expectation of literacy among leaders was more widespread in the 1700s and 1800s when heads-of-state were supposed to be familiar with a wide variety of ideas, and the books that contained them. With the advent of the popular media, the vulgarization of leadership worldwide and the relentless attacks on Western literature’s “canon” as composed of “dead white men” the emphasis on the “great conversation of the ages” has waned.
The point of such a “great conversation” was at least in part to retain and pass on wisdom about how to better humankind’s “lot.” Not surprisingly, almost inevitably, the ideas that withstand the test of time are those that emphasize the free-market, de-emphasize government control and generally encourage individual human action over collectivism. For this reason, likely, among others, the canon has come under attack, its credibility disparaged, its value criticized by those who seek to collectivize human initiative in order to concentrate and control power.
Ron Paul, a doctor, political economist and commentator is one of the more deeply read candidates ever to run for high office in the United States. Ron Paul is also one of the most prolific, with literally hundreds of articles on a myriad of political and economic issues available on the ‘Net. He is a commentator for FMNN, which keeps an abbreviated archive of his papers here:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/Writers-Archive.asp?wid=110&ncat=ema
The press conference was held in the National Press Club Lisagor Room. Ron Paul was joined by Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s “Bin Laden unit.”
The Ron Paul campaign did not videotape the press conference, though both ABC and CNN were filming. Sources close to the campaign said that the video would be requested from both ABC and CNN to display on the Ron Paul campaign site. Earlier, sources close to the campaign had hoped that a video of the press conference would be made available on the Ron Paul campaign site, http://www.ronpaul2008.com “over the next few days.” There is no certainty, however.
During the “First in South” GOP debate, earlier this month, Ron Paul stated that 50 years of interventionism in the Middle East is a significant motivating tool for radical Islamists. Dr. Paul’s position, though disparaged during the debate by Giuliani and others, has since received backing from numerous individuals, including others in the GOP, administration officials and – in excerpted reports – from the 9-11 Commission itself.
CNN summed up Ron Paul’s points at the press conference this way: “Texas Rep. Ron Paul questioned former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s qualifications to be president Thursday, suggesting he would not support him unless he’d read several specific books and ‘report back to me.'”
CNN added the following in its report: “‘No, I don’t think he’s qualified to be president mainly because of his views,’ Paul said of his fellow Republican presidential contender during a press conference he called ‘Educating Rudy.’ ‘And no, unless he would read the books and report back to me and say, you know, you’ve changed my mind — then I would reconsider.'”
The CNN story can be seen here:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=42023