Re: [A-List] The End of Empire

["Anne Williamson" <annewilliamson@xxxxxxx>]

Ai, ai, ai - two mistakes here; one mine, one Macdonald's.  I should have
attributed to Norman Singleton, and in a rush wrote "Solomon."  Apologies.
And Macdonald's mistake is quite understandable since Ron Paul, a Republican
congressman from Texas, is a libertarian maverick who never hesitates to
buck the RNC when proposed policy or law violates the US Constitution.
Additionally, in defense of the Constitution, Ron Paul ends up from time to
time in alliances with socialists, feminists, greens, Marxists, etc. - it
all depends upon the constitutional principle at issue.  In brief, Dr. Paul
is a man of principle, not of party.

In fact, Ron Paul is such a thorn in the RNC's side that the party actually
gives money to his electoral opponents and through gerrymandering puts him
in the roughest districts (for a libertarian) Texas can serve up.  Ron Paul
was in Congress in the 70s, he headed Reagan's Gold Commission and it is
thanks to him that after 40 years the right to hold gold privately and to
contract in gold was restored to Americans.  When he later ran for an open
Senate seat that Phil Gram eventually secured, the RNC went all out to
defeat him - one of the more disgraceful bits of party skullduggery on
record.  Dr. Paul then returned to his pediatric practice, but was tempted
back into politics after the 1994 conservative congressional sweep in which
he saw hope of reducing the Fedgov beast.  The amazing thing is that despite
the RNC's efforts and constant changes to his electoral district, each
electoral cycle has delivered Dr. Paul a larger margin of victory!

BTW, Dr. Paul, a monetary expert and a member of the Finance Comm., was a
respected thorn in Greenscam's side - and at every Greenscam testimony, the
broadcasters always - and I mean always -went to commercial break when Ron's
turn for questioning the banks' fraudster-in-chief came, couldn't possibly
have the American people hear the mighty Greenscam squirm and spin in the
glare of the one man on the Committee who actually understands the fiat
system.  History will show that it was Ron Paul who managed to pry from
Greenscam's lying piehole the most amazing admissions presaging the monetary
disaster he bequeathed to his eager successor, Bernanke.

Dr. Paul is tight, very tight, with the taxpayers' money (his staff is the
most modestly paid in Congress) and does not engage in porkbarrel politics.
I asked one staffer once how Dr. Paul manages to get re-elected when he
refuses to "bring home the bacon."  The staffer replied with a then current
example of shrimp farmers who were being crushed by federal regulations -
instead of delivering them subsidies they were demanding, Dr. Paul fought to
remove the regulations that were strangling them.  Their ability to earn a
living restored, the grateful shrimp farmers became supporters and dropped
their demands for subsidies.

BTW, the latest DeLay-managed gerrymandering has delivered Dr. Paul the very
toughest district yet, and there are doubts that he'll manage to pull off
another victory.

> From: Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: The A-List <a-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: The A-List <a-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [A-List] The End of EmpireAi
> Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 23:07:30 -0800
>
>
>
> Anne Williamson wrote:
>
> > Also today, Patrick Bond's article on the WB and Wolfowitz for
> > Counterpunch got a plug of recognition and recommendation on the LRC blog
> > from Normon Solomon, a member of Congressman Ron Paul's legistlative
> > staff.
>
> Norman Solomon works for a democratic congressman?
>
> --
> Macdonald Stainsby
> http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
> http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
> In the contradiction lies the hope
>    --Bertholt Brecht.