Imagine - The Time for Change is NOW! Ron Paul 2012 Foreign Policy Speech

[1] http://ronpaul2012.com
[2] http://revolutionpac.com/defense
[3] http://mises.org

Now that we have captured Osama Bin Laden it is time to end the wars and stop policing the world.

Ron Paul raised a record $6 million in 24 hours on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in December 2007. Here is the USAToday article on that event: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-12-17-ronpaul-fundrai...

This talk is called "Imagine" and it was given by Ron Paul on March 11, 2009. The original text of the talk is below:

Imagine for a moment that somewhere in the middle of Texas there was a large foreign military base, say Chinese or Russian. Imagine that thousands of armed foreign troops were constantly patrolling American streets in military vehicles. Imagine they were here under the auspices of "keeping us safe" or "promoting democracy" or "protecting their strategic interests."

Imagine that they operated outside of US law, and that the Constitution did not apply to them. Imagine that every now and then they made mistakes or acted on bad information and accidentally killed or terrorized innocent Americans, including women and children, most of the time with little to no repercussions or consequences. Imagine that they set up checkpoints on our soil and routinely searched and ransacked entire neighborhoods of homes. Imagine if Americans were fearful of these foreign troops, and overwhelmingly thought America would be better off without their presence.

Imagine if some Americans were so angry about them being in Texas that they actually joined together to fight them off, in defense of our soil and sovereignty, because leadership in government refused or were unable to do so. Imagine that those Americans were labeled terrorists or insurgents for their defensive actions, and routinely killed, or captured and tortured by the foreign troops on our land. Imagine that the occupiers' attitude was that if they just killed enough Americans, the resistance would stop, but instead, for every American killed, ten more would take up arms against them, resulting in perpetual bloodshed. Imagine if most of the citizens of the foreign land also wanted these troops to return home. Imagine if they elected a leader who promised to bring them home and put an end to this horror.

Imagine if that leader changed his mind once he took office.

The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would be if they were stationed in Texas. We would not stand for it here, but we have had a globe-straddling empire and a very intrusive foreign policy for decades that incites a lot of hatred and resentment towards us.

According to our own CIA, our meddling in the Middle East was the prime motivation for the horrific attacks on 9/11. But instead of re-evaluating our foreign policy, we have simply escalated it. We had a right to go after those responsible for 9/11, to be sure, but why do so many Americans feel as if we have a right to a military presence in some 160 countries when we wouldn't stand for even one foreign base on our soil, for any reason? These are not embassies, mind you, these are military installations. The new administration is not materially changing anything about this. Shuffling troops around and playing with semantics does not accomplish the goals of the American people, who simply want our men and women to come home. 50,000 troops left behind in Iraq is not conducive to peace any more than 50,000 Russian soldiers would be in the United States.

Shutting down military bases and ceasing to deal with other nations with threats and violence is not isolationism. It is the opposite. Opening ourselves up to friendship, honest trade and diplomacy is the foreign policy of peace and prosperity. It is the only foreign policy that will not bankrupt us in short order, as our current actions most definitely will. I share the disappointment of the American people in the foreign policy rhetoric coming from the administration. The sad thing is, our foreign policy WILL change eventually, as Rome's did, when all budgetary and monetary tricks to fund it are exhausted.

CREDITS:
Voice and Music was done by Jeremy Hoop
Video animation was done by Nicholas Bozman and MysteryBox.

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[robodril1]

Get your Lliberal, Libertarian, and Independent friends to the bluerepublican site. It has all the info and links to explain the caucus and primaries, gives the dates for every state and has the links to get qualified to vote for Ron Paul in the primary or caucus in your state. They can vote for the President or the Libertarian or Independent in the general election if they want, but wouldn't it be nice to have an actual choice instead of a couple of clones?

Our non-republican friends are key.

[robodril1]

@RejectorofDelusion We pulled out of vietnam fast enough. When the dollar crashes we will have to pull them out fast, and many will die. It definately does not take years. That is only true if you pack up the big screen TVs and the soda machines. Every base has an overrun plan where the classified stuff is destroyed, things we leave behind are disabled and the people are moved. You have a valid point, but staying just because we are there is not a policy worth having. IMHO

[oraenor]

@RejectorofDelusion You are so wrong, what you are pointing out is the lack of urgency to pull the troops out. Look at how fast the bulk of the troops were pulled out of Iraq to focus on Afghanistan, you seriously do not think that it was that hard do you?

[RejectorofDelusion]

Anyone who supports the message against Obama in this video has absolutely no idea how difficult withdrawing from a foreign nation really is. It takes YEARS full of careful precision and planning. You can't just decide one day "Oh, I think today I'll bring our troops home. Laladeeda." as most Americans think. Hell, we're STILL withdrawing up from Desert Storm, and no one even knows what that is anymore. Try to have a LITTLE patience before you throw out accusations.

[MF713]

Everybody who believes in Ron Paul should boycott all News Stations Who Try To Cover Him Up and Their Advertisers Until they show Ron Paul The Same Respect as the other candidates.

[HiawathaMohawk]

We already have foreign troops in America, they're called SWAT/ BATF. The only thing is, American's haven't started fighting back against this foreign enemy as of yet. Let's avoid CIVIL WAR from happening by electing RON PAUL as PRESIDENT. Ron Paul will end the "Soviet Police State" and restore FREEDOM to America.

Ron Paul for President 2012! Ron Paul is our last chance, "We the People" to redress our grievances against the tyranny that has grown up around us in America today. Ron Paul or bust!