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

[goog le]

Ron Paul is for the people. He is a public servant. Professional politicians are for themselves.

[kopfgeldjagar]

Damnit Ron. We needed you...

[levo75]

It's too late, you didn't listen.

[Renegade Giratina]

Stop idolizing the man! Yes, he was great. Yes, we missed him. But he was NOT liberty! Liberty is not in one person or group, instead it lives in all of us. Our will to fight for freedom, our will to gain liberty, is where liberty lives. Not in him. But in US. All of us. Not just him. Nor his party.

[pjohnson0504]

No, we still need him, but he needed us, and we as a country failed him.

[jacksonjr701]

Ron Paul For President

[Jonathan Marsh]

TRUTH BOMB!!

[high5en]

I think Obama is mistakenly seated in the chair marked "Ron Paul" at the Oval Office desk right now.

[DivineMissMelMel]

because the media controlled who the people would choose because they were following orders of their own bosses. it's like the illusion of the magician with the deck of cards..they make you choose which one but you think it is your own choice. I have written ron paul in for the last 2 elections..and will again next time too. at least i know that my choice wasnt what is destroying the country.

[jobbo30]

How didn't this guy get elected for presidency? Excuse my ignorance..

I'm sure if he did get elected however, he would soon find out he doesn't actually have the power to change anything!

[kingdom come]

Rand IS NOT Ron.... don't forget that. Trust is thrown around too much to people who have not gained it. I'm not saying Rand is a "bad guy" we just need to be much more inquisitive about our leaders (as history has proved). Ron Paul is the only person who has had the best interests for this country and the people in it... since the 70's he has been saying the same thing... we should demand for him to replace Obummer.

[ChevroletRacing29]

Ron Paul is great, but I voted for Gary Johnson because he was on the ballot. I will always vote 3rd party from here on out...that is unless Rand Paul runs as a Republican...