Ron Paul Farewell Speech

[Voyageur]

If not read or if interested, just noticed this source:

_http://www.naturalnews.com/038006_Ron_Paul_farewell_speech_liberty.html

There are 16 pages to the speech so did not include except a snip from "questions" he asks:

Questions

Excessive government has created such a mess it prompts many questions:

• Why are sick people who use medical marijuana put in prison?

• Why does the federal government restrict the drinking of raw milk?

• Why can't Americans manufacturer rope and other products from hemp?

• Why are Americans not allowed to use gold and silver as legal tender as mandated by the Constitution?

• Why is Germany concerned enough to consider repatriating their gold held by the FED for her in New York? Is it that the trust in the U.S. and dollar supremacy beginning to wane?

• Why do our political leaders believe it's unnecessary to thoroughly audit our own gold?

• Why can't Americans decide which type of light bulbs they can buy?

• Why is the TSA permitted to abuse the rights of any American traveling by air?

• Why should there be mandatory sentences -- even up to life for crimes without victims -- as our drug laws require?

• Why have we allowed the federal government to regulate commodes in our homes?

• Why is it political suicide for anyone to criticize AIPAC ?

• Why haven't we given up on the drug war since it's an obvious failure and violates the people's rights? Has nobody noticed that the authorities can't even keep drugs out of the prisons? How can making our entire society a prison solve the problem?

• Why do we sacrifice so much getting needlessly involved in border disputes and civil strife around the world and ignore the root cause of the most deadly border in the world-the one between Mexico and the US?

• Why does Congress willingly give up its prerogatives to the Executive Branch?

• Why does changing the party in power never change policy? Could it be that the views of both parties are essentially the same?

• Why did the big banks, the large corporations, and foreign banks and foreign central banks get bailed out in 2008 and the middle class lost their jobs and their homes?

• Why do so many in the government and the federal officials believe that creating money out of thin air creates wealth?

• Why do so many accept the deeply flawed principle that government bureaucrats and politicians can protect us from ourselves without totally destroying the principle of liberty?

• Why can't people understand that war always destroys wealth and liberty?

• Why is there so little concern for the Executive Order that gives the President authority to establish a "kill list," including American citizens, of those targeted for assassination?

• Why is patriotism thought to be blind loyalty to the government and the politicians who run it, rather than loyalty to the principles of liberty and support for the people? Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it's wrong.

• Why is it is claimed that if people won't or can't take care of their own needs, that people in government can do it for them?

• Why did we ever give the government a safe haven for initiating violence against the people?

• Why do some members defend free markets, but not civil liberties?

• Why do some members defend civil liberties but not free markets? Aren't they the same?

• Why don't more defend both economic liberty and personal liberty?

• Why are there not more individuals who seek to intellectually influence others to bring about positive changes than those who seek power to force others to obey their commands?

• Why does the use of religion to support a social gospel and preemptive wars, both of which requires authoritarians to use violence, or the threat of violence, go unchallenged? Aggression and forced redistribution of wealth has nothing to do with the teachings of the world great religions.

• Why do we allow the government and the Federal Reserve to disseminate false information dealing with both economic and foreign policy?

• Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it's the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority?

• Why should anyone be surprised that Congress has no credibility, since there's such a disconnect between what politicians say and what they do?

 

[Niall]

So ends the Ron Paul phenomenon.

What a shame, all that energy wasted on vectoring those few critical thinkers the US does have towards a fruitless end. Unfortunately Paul's legacy will be to have helped Americans believe even more deeply in the legitimacy of their political system/government/electoral process. Just when they needed to step away from the poisoned well, along the lines of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Ron Paul helped corral them back in.

 

[meta-agnostic]

So ends the Ron Paul phenomenon.

What a shame, all that energy wasted on vectoring those few critical thinkers the US does have towards a fruitless end. Unfortunately Paul's legacy will be to have helped Americans believe even more deeply in the legitimacy of their political system/government/electoral process. Just when they needed to step away from the poisoned well, along the lines of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Ron Paul helped corral them back in.

Maybe, for many of them. But I think someone like Ron Paul is just as capable of guiding people toward the path of 'waking up' as many others have been. Just look at people's introductory posts here. Wake-up calls can come from people like Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore or even *shudder* Ayn Rand. I think Ron Paul's message is clearer than most, even if he doesn't 'go all the way'. Maybe for those waking up he is just a delivery mechanism for certain ideas they need to hear about when they are a certain age or at a certain point in their development. And maybe they would have come across those ideas somewhere else if not from him. But for all his vectoring people toward a fruitless end, I think there are people who paid attention to him who will continue searching now that he's leaving elected office. Hell, now that he's leaving, maybe his 'cult of personality' will start to dissipate and people will focus more on the ideas than the man.

 

[Buddy]

I like Ron Paul, but as a politician he seems like just another Uncle Tom trolling for the master's system. Speeches like this fill the Congressional record and go as far back as when James J. Hill moved to D.C. hoping to pre-empt the I.C.C. and Anti-trust laws by testifying as to the real source of corruption within the transcontinental railroads.

It didn't make any difference at all and the wealth the American treasury had built up as a result of all that and related economic activity was practically wiped out the first year of WW1 and there would be no more wealth like that coming from private, free enterprise. That may have been part of the impetus behind gov't issued bonds and the propaganda that supported them.

At any rate, I just don't see any meaningful change resulting from any message originating from within the political system, but maybe that's just me.

 

[Alx]

At any rate, I just don't see any meaningful change resulting from any message originating from within the political system, but maybe that's just me.

With over 500,000 views I think he at least planted some seeds peoples mind regarding the corrupt American government, liberty and personal freedom. I think he has done a lot of great work, and that this speech will be remembered.

It is sad to see Ron go. The debates that could have resulted if he had been able to run against Obama would've definitely have been interesting.

 

[mcb]

Does he really believe that "the government" as we see it is even in control? He sounds good at times, but what's that do?

I admit, I skimmed through the speech. Did anyone see in there where he addressed what is really going on?

 

[Buddy]

Did anyone see in there where he addressed what is really going on?

Not really. My impression is that he probably knows but doesn't dare spell it out any more plainly.

 

[realitybugll]

So ends the Ron Paul phenomenon.

What a shame, all that energy wasted on vectoring those few critical thinkers the US does have towards a fruitless end. Unfortunately Paul's legacy will be to have helped Americans believe even more deeply in the legitimacy of their political system/government/electoral process. Just when they needed to step away from the poisoned well, along the lines of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Ron Paul helped corral them back in.

What did Ron Paul corral them back into? I think there is a fair amount of non voters that voted for him but that doesn't mean they regained faith in the electoral process.

 

[societe humaine]

I watched him with great interest during the last two years.

Why didn't he follow through with a legal claim of vote fraud?

Why didn't he go it alone......with a third party?

Because he didn't want to be president. (my logical conclusion)

The only decent politician to come out of america recently is Cynthia McKinney.

jeff

 

[Niall]

So ends the Ron Paul phenomenon.

What a shame, all that energy wasted on vectoring those few critical thinkers the US does have towards a fruitless end. Unfortunately Paul's legacy will be to have helped Americans believe even more deeply in the legitimacy of their political system/government/electoral process. Just when they needed to step away from the poisoned well, along the lines of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Ron Paul helped corral them back in.

What did Ron Paul corral them back into? I think there is a fair amount of non voters that voted for him but that doesn't mean they regained faith in the electoral process.

That's my point. People who started to realise the game is rigged came back around to believing it could be changed in the usual way.

 

[Scottie]

To me, the very fact that Ron Paul got as much air time as he did meant that he was intended to be the "fly paper" to keep awakening people away from the table.

Or at least he was used for this purpose...

 

[Buddy]

That's my point. People who started to realise the game is rigged came back around to believing it could be changed in the usual way.

Good point, I think. At one time I might have thought of myself as an objectivist libertarian. From that identification, Ron Paul would have been seen as a 'hero', able to compel changes from inside the political framework. Today, I see politics as a stupid game designed mainly for losers who falsely believe they are somehow 'cream of humanity's crop'.

 

[meta-agnostic]

Maybe it's ultimately an irrelevant question, but I have to wonder to what extent Ron Paul is a conscious agent who is vectoring people away from useful forms of protest, and to what extent he is an 'innocent' dupe who believes what he says but does not grasp the bigger picture. Is is possible to provide evidence either way? Does it matter? If he is a conscious agent then the value of the energy of the people buying into his lie would seem to be greater. As in, they are giving away more of their power. But if he is genuinely trying to do good then maybe those putting effort behind him stand a better chance of awakening.

Maybe I'm just rationalizing. I certainly never voted for him but it crossed my mind a time or two. I felt obligated to speak somewhat in favor of him when discussing politics with people even more mired in illusion than his followers. I mean for that crowd, it's kind of hard to throw out, "Everything you think you know is wrong" in answer to every naive question. Does anyone remember what he has said on the record about 9/11? I seem to remember he entertained some of the 'truther' positions early on and then backed away from them, and now avoids addressing the issue directly.

 

[Buddy]

Does anyone remember what he has said on the record about 9/11? I seem to remember he entertained some of the 'truther' positions early on and then backed away from them, and now avoids addressing the issue directly.

I think this sums up the general consensus among activist 911 truthers:

...if you are a 9/11 truther and you can catch Ron Paul in a situation where he doesn’t realize that he’s being recorded or think that his statements will get out to the press, he will wink and nod and let you know that he’s really on your side. When he’s in front of the mainstream press, however, he has to play the game and pretend like he’s not an insane conspiracy theorist...
_http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2011/12/20/yes-virginia-ron-paul-is-a-911-truther-and-a-coddler-of-racists/

You might also find this page interesting:

_http://michellemalkin.com/2007/05/19/trutheriness-and-ron-paul/