The Fear Factor

[buffycat]

For those of you who are a fan of Paul, here is the link to his site and this, his most recent article.

If any man should be president of the US, Ron Paul is it!

Caution: You are about to read a column by a politician who actually speaks the truth - please sit down so to avoid injury.

Texas Straight Talk

The Fear Factor

by Ron Paul

While fear itself is not always the product of irrationality, once experienced it tends to lead away from reason, especially if the experience is extreme in duration or intensity. When people are fearful they tend to be willing to irrationally surrender their rights.

Thus, fear is a threat to rational liberty. The psychology of fear is an essential component of those who would have us believe we must increasingly rely on the elite who manage the apparatus of the central government.

The statement “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin. It is clear, people seek out safety and security when they are in a state of fear, and it is the result of this psychological state that often leads to the surrender of liberty.

As Washington moves towards it summer legislative recess, indications of fear are apparent. Things seem similar to the days before the war in Iraq. Prior to the beginning of the war, several government officials began using phrases like “we don’t want the smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud,” and they spoke of drone airplanes being sent to our country to do us great harm.

It is hard to overstate the damage this approach does psychologically, especially to younger people. Of course, we now know there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, let alone any capacity to put them to successful use.

To calm fears, Americans accepted the patriot act and the doctrine of pre-emptive war. We tolerated new laws that allow the government to snoop on us, listen to our phone calls, track our financial dealings, make us strip down at airports and even limited the rights of habeas corpus and trial by jury. Like some dysfunctional episode of the twilight zone, we allowed the summit of our imagination to be linked up with the pit of our fears.

Paranoia can be treated, but the loss of liberty resulting from the social psychology to which we continue to subject ourselves is not easily reversed. People who would have previously battled against encroachments on civil liberties now explain the “necessity” of those “temporary security measures” Franklin is said to have railed against.

*snip*

How wonderfully refreshing it is to read the words of a true Patriot, true American and true Constitutionalist. It is no wonder that so many fear him. They should. He is a dose of sanity badly needed in the post 911 sociopathic governmental administrations.

Now, if only we could find ourselves a Ron Paul for up here in Kanuckistan.

[SkyhookJackson]

For those of you who are a fan of Paul, here is the link to his site and this, his most recent article.

If any man should be president of the US, Ron Paul is it!

Caution: You are about to read a column by a politician who actually speaks the truth - please sit down so to avoid injury.

Texas Straight Talk

The Fear Factor

by Ron Paul

While fear itself is not always the product of irrationality, once experienced it tends to lead away from reason, especially if the experience is extreme in duration or intensity. When people are fearful they tend to be willing to irrationally surrender their rights.

Thus, fear is a threat to rational liberty. The psychology of fear is an essential component of those who would have us believe we must increasingly rely on the elite who manage the apparatus of the central government.

The statement “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin. It is clear, people seek out safety and security when they are in a state of fear, and it is the result of this psychological state that often leads to the surrender of liberty.

As Washington moves towards it summer legislative recess, indications of fear are apparent. Things seem similar to the days before the war in Iraq. Prior to the beginning of the war, several government officials began using phrases like “we don’t want the smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud,” and they spoke of drone airplanes being sent to our country to do us great harm.

It is hard to overstate the damage this approach does psychologically, especially to younger people. Of course, we now know there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, let alone any capacity to put them to successful use.

To calm fears, Americans accepted the patriot act and the doctrine of pre-emptive war. We tolerated new laws that allow the government to snoop on us, listen to our phone calls, track our financial dealings, make us strip down at airports and even limited the rights of habeas corpus and trial by jury. Like some dysfunctional episode of the twilight zone, we allowed the summit of our imagination to be linked up with the pit of our fears.

Paranoia can be treated, but the loss of liberty resulting from the social psychology to which we continue to subject ourselves is not easily reversed. People who would have previously battled against encroachments on civil liberties now explain the “necessity” of those “temporary security measures” Franklin is said to have railed against.

*snip*

How wonderfully refreshing it is to read the words of a true Patriot, true American and true Constitutionalist. It is no wonder that so many fear him. They should. He is a dose of sanity badly needed in the post 911 sociopathic governmental administrations.

Now, if only we could find ourselves a Ron Paul for up here in Kanuckistan.

He has some good thoughts, but I couldn't support someone as rabidly anti-choice as Ron Paul. In a perfect world there would be no abortions, but in the meantime I'd like politicians to keep their noses out of womens' uteri (uteruses?? not sure). I suppose that will never come about until men can get pregnant.

[buffycat]

Hi Skyhook,

To be honest, Paul isn't advocating that abortion be made illegal - his own opinion is against abortion - but he still does advocate that these laws be made on a state by state basis, in a democratic fashion - ie let the people decide.

I agree with you wrt a pro-choice stance at least for early term abortions (I don't agree with late term abortions unless the mothers' life is in danger).

There are many on both sides of the fence (repub/dem) who want Paul silenced and have taken some things he has said out of context - you know the usual smear.

Check out his site - there are articles there wrt the abortion issue.

I don't think anyone will ever find a political rep. with whom they agree 100%. If my only bone to pick with Dr. Paul is that over the abortion issue then so be it. 9/10 ain't bad!!

[SkyhookJackson]

Hi Skyhook,

To be honest, Paul isn't advocating that abortion be made illegal - his own opinion is against abortion - but he still does advocate that these laws be made on a state by state basis, in a democratic fashion - ie let the people decide.

I agree with you wrt a pro-choice stance at least for early term abortions (I don't agree with late term abortions unless the mothers' life is in danger).

There are many on both sides of the fence (repub/dem) who want Paul silenced and have taken some things he has said out of context - you know the usual smear.

Check out his site - there are articles there wrt the abortion issue.

I don't think anyone will ever find a political rep. with whom they agree 100%. If my only bone to pick with Dr. Paul is that over the abortion issue then so be it. 9/10 ain't bad!!

What's his position on healthcare? I looked at his site and couldn't find it.

[buffycat]

Hi Skyhook,

To be honest, Paul isn't advocating that abortion be made illegal - his own opinion is against abortion - but he still does advocate that these laws be made on a state by state basis, in a democratic fashion - ie let the people decide.

I agree with you wrt a pro-choice stance at least for early term abortions (I don't agree with late term abortions unless the mothers' life is in danger).

There are many on both sides of the fence (repub/dem) who want Paul silenced and have taken some things he has said out of context - you know the usual smear.

Check out his site - there are articles there wrt the abortion issue.

I don't think anyone will ever find a political rep. with whom they agree 100%. If my only bone to pick with Dr. Paul is that over the abortion issue then so be it. 9/10 ain't bad!!

What's his position on healthcare? I looked at his site and couldn't find it.

Hi Skylock,

There is this article on lewrockwell.com where Paul has been a contributing writer for years now - it might fill you in a little more about where he is coming from.

IMO Dr. Paul is far more of a Libertarian than a Republican (at least he doesn't resemble the current neocon republicans running roughshod over the constitution as they are currently doing).

If you google Ron and Healthcare you will find lots of stuff - he is a Doctor (OB GYN) so this issue hits close to home for him. As with his feelings on all government involvement he wants to see LESS of it - on all fronts. Not a bad idea IMO. BTW his nickname on the Hill is Dr. NO!!! (hee hee)