I just read an article on GOPUSA by Paul A. Ibbetson that surprised me. It is titled “Whose Side Are You On?” Ron Paul. You should read this article if you are a Ron Paul supporter.
Personally, I have supported Ron Paul on several occasions because he stands for many of my same beliefs. However, after reading this article, I am not so sure about that any more.
You can read the full article yourself by using this link: http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2010/06/ibbetson-ron-paul-whose-side-are-you-on.php.
Here are some of the highlights:
1-We all choose sides on important issues and are transparent on how we feel about our views. However, some of us pretend to believe one way but don’t really follow those beliefs when we say things opposite of those beliefs.
For example, it seems “Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s interview with Don Imus over the Israeli embargo of the Gaza Strip raises a number of disturbing questions about where this self-proclaimed Republican stands on a number of important questions”.
2-We may believe a certain way but events may change our thinking enough that we embrace concepts we never used to accept. This appears to be the situation with Ron Paul.
Although Ron Paul claims to be a conservative Republican, he is beginning to sound more like a Democrat “when he not only admonished Israel’s lawful blockage of the Gaza Strip, but also said that Israel’s action were nothing short of an act of war. When Imus mentioned that Israel was not attempting to stop humanitarian aid in the region, rather weapons being smuggled to the terrorist organization Hamas, Ron Paul released a tirade of unbelievable statements.”
- He said that terrorist organizations like Hamas and “the countries that harbor them have been victims of Israel and America’s inability to continue to reach out in friendly dialogue.”
- He attacked both Israel’s and America’s attempts to restrain terrorist organizations using boycotts and embargos.
- He denounced actions taken against known terrorists and enablers in Palestine, Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
- Ron Paul told Imus, “America should tell Israel they are on their own.”
- The article points out that Ron Paul’s “assertion that we should abandon our ally Israel is shocking but it is only the tip of the iceberg of the congressman’s misguided thinking. If we are to question Ron Paul’s anti-Israel stance, should we not also question his overt anti-America stance?”
- He sounds more like a liberal than a conservative “by minimizing radical Islamic terrorism and placing the terrorists as victims and America as an imperialistic aggressor”.
- Ron Paul actually said of Hamas, “Yeah, they’re probably not the best people in the world, but you know, didn’t we talk to the Soviets…?”
3- It appears that Ron Paul is disconnected from the realities of terrorism! His mentality of ”blame Israel and America first” does not represent the Republican Party that I know and is not living in the same universe as my own conservative values.
What about you? Does this report cause you to consider his stance differently?
Have you changed your own position on politics recently?
Read more: http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2010/06/ibbetson-ron-paul-whose-side-are-you-on.php#ixzz0rBxIlLeJ
That’s okay, we can certainly disagree, and I’m sorry for any hateful comments. You must not have seen Ron Paul in the 2008 Presidential debates. Fox and others interview him often on economic matters that we can all agree on. But make no mistake, the man is a true patriot. Levin, Hannity, etc. do not even speak of Dr. Paul unless they are making fun of him. This despite the fact that they’d agree on 80% of issues. If you’re interested, check out my podcast- short Ron Paul interviews that can give you an idea of the man’s perspective. What many Americans need to do is put themselves in the position of the country being bombed or invaded by the US government; the golden rule right? What would you do if a far off foreign power tried to blockade us? I would undermine their efforts by any means available- even pick up arms if need be. Then ask what our soldiers are doing in the foreign land, and IF THEY’RE IN THE RIGHT? Is it not morally just to fight a foreign invader? For this reason, our troops must come home, lest they continue to die in vain.
One more thing, and remember this quote, because it puts thing is perspective.
Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.
There is no difference. Do you think that the innocents in Baghdad were not in absolute terror as the bombs fell? So called terrorism is only the poor’s attempt to fight back against an enemy with relatively limitless resources and technological superiority. And they think that their cause is as just and morally righteous as you do. Except, um, we’re in their country.
Judith, I’ve seen this article all over the web, and if Israel’s security is among your top political priorities, then Ron Paul probably isn’t for you. Alot of your interpretations on Dr. Paul’s positions are related to what “conservatives generally believe”. Ron Paul, in the pejorative, is an isolationist (like we Americans have generally been historically). He doesn’t believe in a special status for Israel. They are no longer an underdog, we give them billions in aid every year, and they have hundreds of high tech thermonuclear bombs. Thanks to their corrupt leadership, the people of Gaza are under siege and in utter poverty. Israeli commandos forced confrontation in international waters, which is illegal. The nature of the israeli blockade is too complicated to get into here. But I will say that, whether you approve of them or not, Hamas is a popular movement and an elected government. Because you call them terrorists does not make them illegitimate, it only limits the possibility of dialogue. Trust me, I used to think like you and Ibbetson. But if there’s one thing about Ron Paul, it’s that his positions are absolutely consistent. I had been unclear on the author’s writing, because in the article, he painted Ron Paul as something he never was, anyway. I would guess that his intent was, from a GOP establishment perspective, to excoriate the differences between the philosophies of Paul and mainline neocons like Hannity and Limbaugh. You’ve been conditioned to think that, if a liberal has said it, it’s wrong. That’s garbage, and most independent minded people would tell you that the conservatives have it right on some issues, and the liberals have it right on others. Libertarian thinking, like that of the founding fathers and Dr. Paul, is the best of both worlds: freedom, peace, and prosperity.