There has been much hubbub about Dr. Paul being racist – a charge I consider beyond the pale. It is making the rounds because of some newsletters that were printed in a publication bearing his name while he was busy with his career – and he made the mistake of not proofreading the material, simply trusting those who wrote the newsletters.

If you are going to judge Ron Paul on whether he is prejudiced, I think you should listen to every recording you can.  I consider myself free of prejudice (having been brought up that way) and have yet to hear Ron Paul utter anything to arouse suspicion that he may be prejudiced, so I seriously doubt the claims.  As a devout Libertarian, it would be entirely at odds with his beliefs.

I can imagine he has some well-meaning intentions for not wanting to “out” those responsible for the newsletters, but that would be conjecture, so I will keep them to myself. He has already taken the blame for allowing these newsletters to be published without first checking them.  So, he has accepted responsibility for not minding the store – and virtually everyone who knows him (including many independent journalists) finds it implausible that Paul could have been supportive of these articles, let alone written them.  Only those with something at stake seem to be pursuing the “racist” angle.

I encourage you to listen to Paul speak – in the present and in any old videos you can find online – and decide for yourself if this is a racist, as some claim.  If I may, I would like to suggest that you do take into the consideration the opinion of the NAACP’s Nelson Linder.  He speaks positively of Ron Paul in this video:

Among the Republican Presidential candidates, Ron Paul easily has the most support by minority voters.  In fact, if you look beyond the race of all of the candidates, including Obama, Ron Paul is really the most favorable to the plight of the poor and minorities.  Hear what some of them have to say:

As for material with Dr. Paul speaking for himself, here is a good place to start:

In the last election, we were promised change. Instead, we’ve gotten more war, more involvement in the internal affairs of foreign nations, and higher domestic spending, all while we go further and further into debt. We simply cannot afford to another five years like the past 11 (8 under Bush and 3 under Obama).

Why did this happen; that is, how could such a sincere-sounding campaign for “Change” end with a presidency that is so utterly pro-establishment? I think the primary reason is that our president is beholden to Wall Street and other special interests just as much as any past president. Follow the money: Obama got even more campaign money from big Wall Street firms and other large corporations — including major military contractors — than John McCain. Given that, how could we expect things to change in any meaningful way?

We have the chance within our grasp to do something about it in 2012. Ron Paul does not get big money from these firms because they know that he will not return political favors. He is principled and will not be bought. His monetary support comes almost entirely from small contributors like you and me. He is finally leading some of the polls in Iowa, indicating he has a real chance of winning there. That said, we CANNOT REST. We must continue to talk about him to friends and relatives. Buy signs, bumper stickers, buttons — whatever you can — and display them.

Most people in the country do not follow politics as closely as those of us who read and write about politics online do. Most people get their politics in sound bites on the news shows, whose producers, writers, hosts, and invited pundits spend a great deal of time and effort in figuring out how best to get viewers and listeners to come around to their views. In other words, they are propagandists. Remember when the Soviet new agency, TASS, was ridiculed here by our serious journalists for the state-approved propaganda it would spew? Well, our problem may not be state-dictated propaganda, but it is propaganda, nonetheless. Instead of purely objective journalism, we have well-connected people deciding what is reported and how it is to be reported. We need to overcome this propaganda through sincere communication of the truth with one another. The more the pundits proclaim that Ron Paul “can’t win,” the more you can be sure that they simply fear losing grip on their piece of the status quo. Don’t believe them. Read and listen to the words of Ron Paul, himself. (YouTube is a great resource for videos of Dr. Paul speaking about the issues.) Think about the resultant guarantees of your personal liberty, your life and your loved ones’ lives, the protection of your personal property, and the likelihood that we will earn respect the world over for exercising restraint out of strength instead of trying to be the rulers of the world. No doubt, if you read enough, you will find more reasons for electing Paul for President. If it is required in your state and you have not already done so, register to vote in your state’s upcoming Republican primary and urge your friends, family, coworkers, and any other acquaintances to do the same. Through word of mouth, and from heart to heart, we can make the difference. We can elect Ron Paul for President.

Ron Paul has said that he does NOT want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He has, however, said that he can understand why Iran would WANT one. He has pointed to CIA intelligence reports that Iran is nowhere near actually having a nuke — which means that spurious reports to the contrary are akin to the Irag/WMD fear-mongering we heard leading up to THAT war. In other words, guard your children; the chicken hawks want them to fight — and possibly die — in another unnecessary war.

I have been spending much of my free time (scarce as that is) on Twitter, trying to reach people through discussions there. Unfortunately, brief as my periods of free time may be, it is difficult to express well-considered opinions in 140 characters or less. So, I will endeavor to spend more time here — and encourage people to consider what they find here as they decide for whom they wish to vote in the upcoming elections.

In Liberty,
Bob Giesen

Tomorrow (Friday, October 14) is the deadline to vote in the New Hampshire and New York primaries. If you live in one of these states and you are not already registered as a Republican, please register on Friday! If you live in another state that requires registration, don’t delay – do it as soon as possible!

Even if you intend to vote for Obama in the general election next year, consider this: There is a very real possibility that the Republican nominee will win the next election. Do you want to risk having an establishment- and big business-friendly president who may or may not have your best interests in mind when he makes decisions? If you have read this far, probably not.

If you would like to at least feel secure in knowing that someone whose greatest concern is protecting your personal liberties as well as those of every single American from encroachment by politicians beholden to big business and big campaign contributors, you should vote for Ron Paul.

Ron Paul has the most consistent record in Congress on supporting personal liberty. Ron Paul also happens to be the only candidate who understands, in depth, the underlying problems of our stumbling economy. A vote for Ron Paul is a vote for liberty and a vote for a return to prosperity. So please get out there and register Republican and vote for Ron Paul.

Please.

Many dismiss Ron Paul for his:

- Foreign policy, but they confuse non-interventionism with isolationism (which he does not endorse). It’s time we faced up to the fact that our interventionism has caused many of our foreign policy problems. He’s been chastised for his hands-off approach to Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon, but we need to face up to another fact: if they want the bomb, it’s only a matter of time before they get one, no matter what we do. The best thing we can do to prevent them from using one is to (1) don’t unreasonably provoke them by meddling in their internal affairs and (2) remind them that we are ready, willing, and able to turn their topography to glass should they initiate any nuclear hostilities. I thank God I’m an American; there’s no greater nation on Earth for me. Not everyone, everywhere agrees, though — and that is okay. We sure are quick to impose our ideals on the rest of the world — and that is not okay. Of course, I hate to see oppression and the evils that go along with it, but we simply cannot afford to police the world. We need to be far more selective in where we get involved; the current cost in dollars is unsustainable and the cost in innocent lives is unforgivable.

- National defense policy, but he is actually for a strong national defense. If you doubt this, consider the fact that Ron Paul has gotten more support (and money) from military personnel than any other Presidential candidate in either this or the last election cycle. The rank and file in the military know that Ron Paul understands national defense priorities and that support between Paul and the military is mutual.

Simply closing several hundred unnecessary foreign bases and stationing our troops at home would *improve* our ability to defend our homeland – not to mention save a bundle of money and allow us to rebuild our defenses. Getting out of these generational wars that succeed primarily at sacrificing our soldiers and money is also necessary our long-term security. The military-industrial complex has sold us a bill of goods; those who thrive (materially and/or vicariously) through our military conquests bombard us with “reasons” we need to fight these wars, but going along with this thinking is a fool’s errand.

With Ron Paul’s approach to foreign policy and national defense, we would actually be more secure (as in Teddy Roosevelt’s “Walk softly and carry a big stick” policy), while spending less money and earning greater respect in the world community. This makes far more sense than the endless war philosophy the other candidates have bought into, which serves no one as well as it serves military top brass and contractors.

If you desire a truly safe America, as I do, register as a Republican for your upcoming state caucus or primary and Vote for Ron Paul. Please.

Ron Paul isn’t as smooth-talking as some politicians, but that’s because his words are unrehearsed; he tells the unvarnished truth.

Haven’t we had enough of politicians who ride in on their figurative white horses declaring that they’re going to save the day, only to make excuses when they come up short? Haven’t we had enough of politicians who claim to have the answers, then blame it on partisan politics when their own pie-in-the-sky schemes don’t fly?

For President, we need someone who won’t try to sell us some rosy plan that will fix all of our problems — if only those politicians from the “other” party will go along with it (knowing full well that they will not go along with it). We nee a President who really understands the crux of the issue at hand so that he can implement a workable solution, lead others towards a solution, or simply get out of the way when a problem is actually worsened by government involvement. We need a President who understands that most of the biggest problems we face have more to do with special interests than political parties.

Probably most of all, we need a President who understands that people tend to count on the government to follow through on promises – even when politicians lead them to have unrealistic expectations of government. Many people seem to think they have a right to health care, food on their tables, and roofs over their heads. That is simply not true. What we have a right to is to pursue those things. Of course, if you have been paying into Social Security and Medicare, you have a right to expect that you will get benefits according to your contributions. Otherwise, to expect to have the government simply hand out money for food, shelter, or anything else is Socialist, plain and simple. To be sure, some poor people need help; for that we have an abundance of charities and charitable people who support them. For the government to take from some of us to give to others “according to need” is, in fact, Socialism.

What made this country the most desirable place in the world in which to live is the basic set of rights guaranteed by our Constitution that has allowed people with sufficient desire and determination to prosper. Not many get to be truly rich – in any society – but many people the world over desire to have such an existence as hundreds of millions of middle-class Americans enjoy. Still, opportunities abound for those who desire a wealthier lifestyle. What allowed this fantastic success for many years was the guarantee that we wouldn’t be held back by an overbearing government.

Unfortunately, our government has grown to an unsustainable size. It is a behemoth staffed by millions of bureaucrats whose primary objectives are job security and a quest for more control. Power is seductive. For one thing, we simply cannot afford it. (If we can, then why haven’t we just paid for all of it, right along? Instead, Congresses and Presidents have raped our Social Security nest egg and still run up a debt of $15 trillion – with more debt to come.) For another thing, we simply cannot allow this behemoth to continue to undermine our liberties that were so painstakingly laid out in our Constitution. Do you suppose it is for the greater good – for your safety? What safety do you suppose you will have when all of your basic rights have been stripped away? When that happens, what greater good will that serve?

Whether you consider yourself liberal/progressive, conservative, or middle of the road – whether you are independent, a Democrat, Republican, or member of some other political party – your rights are no more or less important than those of anyone else. No matter where you stand on the issues, if our government collapses on itself from overspending, you will will be negatively affected. No matter what you think of your government, we are all in this together. If we get a captain to steer our “ship of state” back on a course of prosperity, we all stand to gain. On the other hand, if we again elect a media-darling status-quo politician who bows to the special interests and allows our ship to continue to list and take on water, we shall all surely sink with the ship; our quality of life will be severely depleted.

We need a President who understands all of these things – how they play upon our psyche as a nation and how they affect us as individuals. Only one candidate for President has shown that he fully understands all of this and would do everything in his power and allowed under the law of our Constitution to protect our individual liberties and get our nation back on track to prosperity. That candidate is Ron Paul.

Please register and vote for him – for yourself, your family, your friends… for all of our well-being.

Viewers of tonight’s debate among Republican candidates at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library got their first look at Texas Gov. Rick Perry in this year’s series of debates. Perry, riding a wave of support due to Texas’ strong economic performance relative to the nation as a whole, came into the debate with favorable poll rankings. He probably lost some support, appearing to be a bit off balance when pressed on his record. Mitt Romney seemed well prepared and probably picked up some ground. Newt Gingrich showed a good command of the issues, probably gaining a little bit of support; like Paul, he’s not flashy, but he’ll grow on some conservatives who pay more attention to substance than style.

As for Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, and Michelle Bachmann, they probably held onto most of their existing supporters, with a few possible losses for want of enthusiasm. Of these, I think Bachmann stood to lose the most.

Finally, I think Ron Paul, with his consistent views on peace, liberty, downsizing big government, and executive discretion (stating that he would not use executive orders to write laws, an abuse common to both Bush and Obama), consolidated his base and won some new supporters. Once again, his views remained true. Regardless of the audience or the occasion, Ron Paul can be counted upon to champion the causes that made our country great — and can make it great once again.

[One day later...] Apparently, I have a lot of company in thinking Ron Paul did well in the debate! Click the “MSNBC Post-Debate Poll” link in the column at the right (under “Polls”) to see the amazing results. Dr. Paul’s message and integrity are really resonating among the people!

The Democratic primary is a foregone conclusion: Obama will be on the ticket.  Do Democrats want to take the chance that a neoconservative supporter of Big Business and the Military-Industrial Complex will get the Republican nomination?  Every chance you get (without sounding preachy), tell people that you are a Paul supporter and that you are going to vote for him.  ESPECIALLY tell democrats and independents to register as a Republican and VOTE for Dr. Paul in the primaries.

There is a very good chance that Obama will lose the election.  If so, to whom?  At least with Ron Paul, you know that he doesn’t take money from big business and he won’t cave to the Bigger Business that gets all the military contracts — all in the name of supposedly “supporting our soldiers.”  He will keep a strong military without putting them in harm’s way in Unnecessary Wars.  (Don’t just take my word for it; look at who gets the most donations from soldiers: Ron Paul.)  He cares far more about the soldiers than the other candidates who are constantly ambitious to project our military might around the world.

One more suggestion: go to your library or bookstore and get a copy of Paul’s’ book, Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues that Affect Our Freedom.  At the very least, read the introduction, which is about seven pages long.  Pause, occasionally, to think about what he wrote.  Think about the reasons he gives when he makes his points.  Think about how the government has taken over or, at least, pried into most of your life.  I highly recommend reading the whole book, though.  It is hard to argue with his points.  He supports them with clear logic and the depth of knowledge that comes from fighting the good fight for so many years.  The temptation for me is to go on and on… but please read the book if you can.  Listen as often as you can to Dr. Paul when he speaks.  Once you are convinced of the absolute integrity of this rare individual, convince others that he is deserving of their trust.  He is too good a candidate for us to let him lose at this critical point in our country’s — even our world’s — history.  For quite some time, our foreign affairs have been guided by money and influence peddlers.  Is it any wonder we’re hated in so many places?  President Ron Paul will make the United States of America the kind of country that other countries could grow to trust again.

A close acquaintance pretty much floored me, yesterday, when, out of the blue, he announced that he is going to vote for Ron Paul.  He was a huge supporter of Barack Obama’s since early in the 2008 election season.  Those of us who have come to the realization that the best hope for real change in Washington rests with Dr. Paul’s election as President need to continue to talk about him and convince others that it truly is in their best interests to register and vote for Ron Paul.  With sincerity, patience, and perseverance, we can overcome the establishment’s push for another status-quo president.  Not only can we, but we shall overcome.