Ron Paul: What if the People Wake Up?

Speech before the US House of Representatives, 02/12/09

Madame Speaker,

I have a few questions for my colleagues.

What if we wake up one day and realize that the terrorist threat is a predictable consequence of our meddling in the affairs of others?

What if propping up repressive regimes in the Middle East endangers both the United States and Israel?

What if occupying countries like Iraq and Afghanistan - and bombing Pakistan - is directly related to the hatred directed toward us and has nothing to do with being free and prosperous?

What if someday it dawns on us that losing over 5,000 American military personnel in the Middle East since 9/11 is not a fair trade-off for the loss of nearly 3,000 American citizens, no matter how many Iraqi, Pakistani, and Afghan people are killed or displaced?

What if we finally decide that torture, even if called enhanced interrogation techniques, is self-destructive and produces no useful information - and that contracting it out to a third world nation is just as evil?

What if it is finally realized that war and military spending is always destructive to the economy?

What if all wartime spending is paid for through the deceitful and evil process of inflating and borrowing?

What if we finally see that wartime conditions always undermine personal liberty?

What if conservatives, who preach small government, wake up and realize that our interventionist foreign policy provides the greatest incentive to expand the government?

What if conservatives understood once again that their only logical position is to reject military intervention and managing an empire throughout the world?

What if the American people woke up and understood that the official reasons for going to war are almost always based on lies and promoted by war propaganda in order to serve special interests?

What if we as a nation came to realize that the quest for empire eventually destroys all great nations?

What if Obama has no intention of leaving Iraq?

What if a military draft is being planned for the wars that will spread if our foreign policy is not changed?

What if the American people learn the truth: that our foreign policy has nothing to do with national security and that it never changes from one administration to the next?

What if war and preparation for war is a racket serving the special interests?

What if President Obama is completely wrong about Afghanistan and it turns out worse than Iraq and Vietnam put together?

What if Christianity actually teaches peace and not preventive wars of aggression?

What if diplomacy is found to be superior to bombs and bribes in protecting America?

What happens if my concerns are completely unfounded - nothing!

What happens if my concerns are justified and ignored - nothing good!

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ron-paul
• what-if
• war
• foreign-policy
• empire
• iraq

[BlackWavez]

Ron Paul's message must be spread, whether he wins the nomination or not.

[jaysen2200]

no matter how good a leader is change will only come from the people come on america nobody is going to do it for you you have to get off your ass and do it yourself

[realsavior22]

fantastic foreign policy approach .... USA is increasing Islamic fundamentalism by meddling in Middle East ..... USA must transform itself into a non-aligned, diplomacy based superpower or world will be in danger of much more organized Islamic extremism than Al-Qaida, with Islamic nations like Iran, Pakistan etc directly involved ..... Thumbs up for Ron Paul from India .....

[luc59457]

Well said Ron Paul, and I like how he rejected evolution on another video, even though he believe in it. A good tactic for those christians that often enough, use this as an eligibility criteria..It's sad that Ron Paul has to even sink to this level, but if he wants even the slightest chance against the other candidates, he has to appeal to the religious voters. religious votes will take it harder if Ron paul is not religious, than evolution believers going against him. There's a difference!!

[1SECRETBILLY]

last man standing Ron Paul 2012 Only one that can unlock gridlock.

[NationalPro]

what a plug, glad i'm canadian

[LighthouseJC]

More genuine the Kennedy and any other politician I've heard in a long time...

[remoteless05]

This man must become the next president. He is the only one who seems to grasp the issues that the common people have with our overreaching government, Dont give up Ron Paul, we need you.

[DeloreandudeTommy]

Vote for Ron Paul, and maybe it might start a trend of good candidates for the elections after this one. Even if it doesn't he will be the next Washington, the next FDR, the next Lincolin, the next JFK, the next great president.

[TupacCobain]

1.) open a new tab

2.) play "2pac Letter to the President" down low while watching this

3.) enjoy

[lanceCoyle]

Ron Paul is right on target