Many have been hearing a lot about Ron Paul lately — have heard some things they like — but aren’t sure exactly where he stands on the issues. Well, he’s actually a real candidate now. He’s not some random, fringe guy anymore. He’s winning straw polls, he’s making it onto mainstream media outlets, and he’s getting people involved.

Here’s a collection of some of the main points of interest about him and his beliefs. This is why he’s so appealing, and why he’s starting to worry the competition.

• He’s a conservative libertarian who’s running as a traditional republican, i.e. he’s for small federal government, individual liberty, and states rights.
• He voted against the Patriot Act.
• He’s for re-implementing the gold standard so that our money actually means something again.
• He’s a medical doctor (M.D.), served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force, and is an active congressman from Texas.
• He’s known for impeccable honesty and for not flip-flopping on issues.
• He is pro-life, but doesn’t think the federal government should have any say in legalizing or banning abortion.
• He doesn’t believe gay marriage is a Federal issue either, and thinks they should stay out of it.
• He’s also against capital punishment for the same reason he’s pro-life (he’s pro-life).
• He’s for lowering taxes.
• He introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
• Supports the medical use of cannabis (marijuana).
• Believes in allowing the hemp industry to thrive.
• Doesn’t believe in the effectiveness of a “war on drugs”.
• He doesn’t participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
• He wants to get out of other peoples’ business and focus on our own problems.
• He is against the Iraq war, and always was. He wants us to come home as soon as possible.
• He’s serious about fixing the immigration problem.
• He believes in, and has voted consistently for, an open and free Internet.
• He strongly supports the concepts of privacy and personal freedom laid out by the forefathers of this country, and would rigorously defend Habeus Corpus.
• He’s strongly pro-second-ammendment.
• He also supports property rights and the eminent domain, meaning the government shouldn’t be allowed to simply confiscate people’s land and homes out of greed.

My point to those of you reading this is simple — get involved this time around. 2008 is the year for you to participate, and the best way you can do that is by wielding the Internet to share ideas.

There are so many of us out there who bitch and moan and don’t do anything about it. We have representation in congress and in the senate, but we don’t contact them. Many of us don’t even vote. Well it’s time to get involved. There is momentum behind the little guys with big ideas this time. Let’s not waste it.

If Ron Paul is the type of candidate that actually inspires within you a glimmer of hope in our democracy, the way he does in me and many others, I ask you to please pass this link, the sources below, his videos on YouTube, etc. on to others. Watch the debates, learn about the candidates, get involved.

If we fail, we fail. But at least we will have tried. We can’t complain about a failed democracy in which we never participated. Please participate.:

–

Ron Paul Website http://www.ronpaul2008.com/html/Issues_fx.html

The Political Positions of Ron Paul http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul

Austrian Economic Theory http://www.mises.org/

The Ron Paul Archives http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul-arch.html

Perhaps now the media will start paying closer attention.

[ Link: Ron Paul in Alabama and New Hampshire ]

Yeah, I’m all for Ron Paul, and I will continue to push for him. He not only represents himself as an individual candidate, but he more importantly represents a renewed faith in the political system itself. And for that I thank him and support him.

But he won’t get the Republican nomination.

And since he can’t win without that, he’s lost. But even if he did win it probably wouldn’t matter. Within the next few months Al Gore is going to enter the race, and he’s going to win. Let’s review:

1. Has the perfect image of concerned citizen pursuing just causes outside of Washington.
2. Was actually elected President by the people, but got robbed of it.

gg.

His election will by a symbolic gesture by the American people — us handing him back what was stolen from him. Now all he needs to do is convince Ron Paul that he can’t get ahead in the toilet that is the republican party, and convince him to join his ticket as Vice President.

Now THAT would be truly awesome.:

I just ordered five (5) of these and will be putting one on my car, one on my fiance’s car, and giving the rest away.

If you are into Ron Paul and willing to do something to show support, I urge you to head over to cafepress.com and pick up a couple of these ($2.99). The lesser-known candidates need our support.

[ Link: Ron Paul Bumper Stickers ]

Those of you who read this site know that I’ve been heavily promoting Ron Paul as a candidate for President in 2008. Until today all of my posts about him have been positive. But alas, I am not a fanboy. I heap praise when I like something, and I call attention when I see something that doesn’t look right.

Well, something doesn’t look right…

Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the ‘criminal justice system,’ I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal. — Printed In Ron Paul’s Newsletter (but not written by him)

Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action. — Printed In Ron Paul’s Newsletter (but not written by him)

The notion of a rigid separation between church and state has no basis in either the text of the Constitution or the writings of our Founding Fathers. On the contrary, our Founders’ political views were strongly informed by their religious beliefs. — Ron Paul

The Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian yet religiously tolerant America, with churches serving as vital institutions that would eclipse the state in importance. — Ron Paul

Through perverse court decisions and years of cultural indoctrination, the elitist, secular Left has managed to convince many in our nation that religion must be driven from public view. The justification is always that someone, somewhere, might possibly be offended or feel uncomfortable living in the midst of a largely Christian society, so all must yield to the fragile sensibilities of the few. The ultimate goal of the anti-religious elites is to transform America into a completely secular nation, a nation that is legally and culturally biased against Christianity. — Ron Paul

He’s also of the opinion that there is serious disagreement within the scientific community regarding global warming. I was under the impression that the only people disagreeing at this point are in denial.

I’m not abandoning Ron Paul, but these quotes definitely make me uncomfortable. The problem with the race quotes is that even if he has legitimate explanations for them they will still be used against him (very effectively) during the entire campaign. And that’s the last thing he needs when already fighting a nearly impossible battle.

The problem with the religion quotes is that as an atheist I think a largely secular society is the way to go, and he clearly disagrees very strongly. I do agree with him about maintaining Christian holidays and traditions within our country, but to me that’s not so much a religious issue as one of national identity and cohesion.

Either way, he has weaknesses. The only question for me (and for other potential voters) is whether those flaws are outweighed by his strengths. And according to my current tally I’m going to say that they are.

[ It's now January 2012 and this post is more pertinent than ever. Whether or not he wrote the race content himself, he surely wasn't unaware of the sentiments coming from his newsletters for all those years. But I think this is a much smaller issue than his views on church and state, regulation, education, evolution, etc. Despite his flaws, however, I've been inclined recently to think again that his strengths might simply be worth it. Here's a recent post along those lines: http://danielmiessler.com/blog/fou-paragraphs-all-progressives-must-read-going-into-2012 ]

::

As we all know, candidates trying to win elections are ecstatic when they discover something an opponent has said or done in the past. Well, Ron Paul has given his enemies just what they are looking for. Here are a few choice quotes on race from his past:

Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the ‘criminal justice system,’ I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal. — Ron Paul

…he went on to say (paraphrasing) that good people like himself are always told that it’s wrong to be afraid of black men, but that given how much crime they commit it’s basically rational to have such a fear.

Here’s the thing: I’m all for open and honest discussion of race — including bringing up and discussing the merits of negative stereotypes. I’ve done a little of it here and intend to do more in the future. But Ron Paul is running for president, and in today’s world you just can’t be a viable candidate with that kind of language in your past.

I think there are two options here:

1. He’s a decent and honest guy who was a bit too haphazard with his language concerning race in the past. And if he addresses things properly he may be able to pull out at least a shot at being a front-runner.
2. He’s a closet racist and these comments are simply examples of it shining through. If that’s the case then more and more will surface to support this fact. At that point he’s done. He’ll not only get very little support at that point, but mine will be gone as well.

It’s quite sad, really. I was very much for him based on what I had seen thus far. But alas there are chinks in the armor. First I heard him say he wasn’t convinced about global warming. Then there’s this stuff about us being a Christian nation. And now this stuff about black people.

Oh well. gg.

I’ll give him a chance to explain himself (even if it’s a logical defense of controversial views), but if he flip-flops or comes out with a clear racist slant, I’m done.:

Many have been hearing a lot about Ron Paul lately — have heard some things they like — but aren’t sure exactly where he stands on the issues. Here’s a collection of some of the main points of interest about him and his beliefs.

• He’s a conservative libertarian who’s running as a traditional republican, i.e. he’s for small federal government, individual liberty, and states rights.
• He voted against the Patriot Act.
• He’s for re-implementing the gold standard so that our money actually means something again.
• He’s a medical doctor (M.D.), served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force, and is an active congressman from Texas.
• He’s known for impeccable honesty and for not flip-flopping on issues.
• He is pro-life, but doesn’t think the federal government should have any say in legalizing or banning abortion.
• He doesn’t believe gay marriage is a Federal issue either, and thinks they should stay out of it.
• He’s also against capital punishment for the same reason he’s pro-life (he’s pro-life).
• He’s for lowering taxes.
• He introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
• Supports the medical use of cannabis (marijuana).
• Believes in allowing the hemp industry to thrive.
• Doesn’t believe in the effectiveness of a “war on drugs”.
• He doesn’t participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
• He wants to get out of other peoples’ business and focus on our own problems.
• He is against the Iraq war, and always was. He wants us to come home as soon as possible.
• He’s serious about fixing the immigration problem.
• He believes in, and has voted consistently for, an open and free Internet.
• He strongly supports the concepts of privacy and personal freedom laid out by the forefathers of this country, and would rigorously defend Habeus Corpus.
• He’s strongly pro-second-ammendment.
• He also supports property rights and the eminent domain, meaning the government shouldn’t be allowed to simply confiscate people’s land and homes out of greed.

My point to those of you reading this is simple — get involved this time around. 2008 is the year for you to participate, and the best way you can do that is by weilding the Internet to share ideas.

There are so many of us out there who bitch and moan and don’t do anything about it. We have representation in congress and in the senate, but we don’t contact them. Many of us don’t even vote. Well it’s time to get involved. There is momentum behind the little guys with big ideas this time. Let’s not waste it.

If Ron Paul is the type of candidate that actually inspires within you a glimmer of hope in our democracy, the way he does in me and many others, I ask you to please pass this link, the sources below, his videos on YouTube, etc. on to others. Watch the debates, learn about the candidates, get involved.

If we fail, we fail. But at least we will have tried. We can’t complain about a failed democracy in which we never participated. Please participate.

References:

Ron Paul Website http://www.ronpaul2008.com/html/Issues_fx.html

The Political Positions of Ron Paul http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul

Austrian Economic Theory http://www.mises.org/

The Ron Paul Archives http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul-arch.html