(September 5th, 2002) Rep. Ron Paul [R-TX] speaks before the U.S. House of Representatives on the transition from a nonintervention policy to aggressive interventionism.
Ron Paul on The Price of War [Part 1]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdKFG4qZhqU
Ron Paul on The Price of War [Part 2]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzf-JnbpzMs
Ron Paul on The Price of War [Part 3]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pVY7A4NF7E
Ron Paul on The Price of War [Part 4]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQVP4h3tnlU
(Transcript)
Up until 50 years ago, this had been the American tradition.
Nonintervention prevents the unexpected and unintended consequences that inevitably result from well-intended meddling in the affairs of others.
Countries like Switzerland and Sweden, who promote neutrality and nonintervention, have benefited for the most part by remaining secure and free of war over the centuries. Nonintervention consumes a lot less of the Nation's wealth. With less wars, the higher the standard of living for all citizens. But this, of course, is not attractive to the military-industrial complex which enjoys a higher standard of living at the expense of the taxpayer when a policy of intervention and constant war preparation is carried out.
Wisdom, morality and the Constitution are very unlikely to invade the minds of the policymakers that control our foreign affairs. We have institutionalized foreign intervention over the past 100 years by the teachings of all our major universities and the propaganda that the media spews out. The powerful influence over our policy, both domestic and foreign, is not soon going to go away.
I am convinced, though, that eventually restraint in our interventions overseas will be guided by a more reasonable constitutional policy. Economic reality will dictate it. Although political pressure in times of severe economic downturn and domestic strife encourages planned distractions overseas, these adventures always cause economic harm due to the economic costs. When the particular country or empire involved overreaches, as we are currently doing, national bankruptcy and a severely weakened currency call the whole process to a halt.
The Soviet system, armed with an aggressive plan to spread its empire worldwide, collapsed, not because we attacked it militarily but for financial and economic reasons. They no longer could afford it and the resources and wealth that it drained finally turned the people against its authoritarian rule.
Maintaining an overseas empire is incompatible with the American tradition of liberty and prosperity. The financial drain and the antagonism that it causes with our enemies, and even our friends, will finally force the American people to reject the policy outright. There will be no choice. Gorbachev just walked away and Yeltsin walked in, with barely a ripple. A nonviolent revolution of unbelievable historic magnitude occurred and the Cold War ended. We are not immune from such a similar change.
This Soviet collapse ushered in the age of unparalleled American dominance over the entire world and along with it allowed the new expanded hot war between the West and the Muslim East. All the hostility directed toward the West built up over the centuries between the two factions is now directed toward the United States. We are now the only power capable of paying for and literally controlling the Middle East and its cherished wealth, and we have not hesitated.
Iraq, with its oil and water and agricultural land, is a prime target of our desire to further expand our dominion. The battle is growing ever so tense with our acceptance and desire to control the Caspian Sea oil riches. But Russia, now licking its wounds and once again accumulating wealth, will not sit idly by and watch the American empire engulf this region.
When time runs out for us, we can be sure Russia will once again be ready to fight for control of all those resources in countries adjacent to her borders. And expect the same from China and India. And who knows, maybe one day even Japan will return to the ancient art of using force to occupy the cherished territories in their region of the world.
The most we can hope for will be, once the errors of our ways are acknowledged and we can no longer afford our militarism, we will reestablish the moral principle that underpins the policy of ``peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.'' Our modern-day war hawks represent neither this American principle nor do they understand how the love of liberty drove the founders in their great battle against tyranny.
(...)
[ http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=8214720 ]
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Ron Paul voted against the 2002 Iraq War resolution, this is his speech before the House vote on October 8, 2002:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TZ5cpaPlf4
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@rcastaldo666 I fear that nobody is listening. I have been repeating his statements along with those of Jim Rogers and Peter Schiff to family, friends, and co works for years and still it falls on deaf ears.
jeremyraybrown 1 year ago
well h tries, nobody fucking listens
george carlin is right, this country is finished
rcastaldo666 3 years ago
Well roared, Ron (yet again).
Thanks for putting this up, J
8897670 3 years ago
go get em ronny
ERS86 3 years ago