Date: 08/30/2010
Iraq – An End or an Escalation?
by Ron Paul
Amid much fanfare last week, the last supposed “combat” troops left Iraq as the administration touted the beginning of the end of the Iraq War and a change in the role of the United States in that country. Considering the continued public frustration with the war effort, and with the growing laundry list of broken promises, this was merely another one of the administration’s operations in political maneuvering and semantics in order to convince an increasingly war-weary public that the Iraq War is at last ending. However, military officials confirm that we are committed to intervention in that country for years to come, and our operations have in fact, changed minimally, if really at all.
After eight long draining years, I have to wonder if our government even understands what it is to end a war anymore. The end of a war, to most people, means all the troops come home, out of harm’s way. It means we stop killing people and getting killed. It means we stop sending troops and armed personnel over and draining our treasury for military operations in that foreign land. But much like the infamous “mission accomplished” moment of the last administration, this “end” of the war also means none of those things.
50,000 US troops remain in Iraq, and they are still receiving combat pay. One soldier was killed in Basra just last Sunday, after the supposed end of combat operations, and the same day 5,000 men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood were deployed to Iraq. Their mission will be anything but desk duty. Among other things they will accompany the Iraqi military on dangerous patrols, continue to be involved in the hunt for terrorists, and provide air support for the Iraqi military. They should be receiving combat pay, because they will be serving a combat role!
Of course the number of private contractors – who perform many of the same roles as troops, but for a lot more money – is expected to double. So this is a funny way of ending combat operations in Iraq. We are still meddling in their affairs and we are still putting our men and women in danger, and we are still spending money we don’t have. This looks more like an escalation than a draw-down to me!
The ongoing war in Iraq takes place against a backdrop of economic crisis at home, as fresh numbers indicate that our economic situation is as bad as ever, and getting worse! Our foreign policy is based on an illusion: that we are actually paying for it. What we are doing is borrowing and printing the money to maintain our presence overseas. Americans are seeing the cost of this irresponsible approach as our economic decline continues. Unemployed Americans have been questioning a policy that ships hundreds of billions of dollars overseas while their own communities crumble and their frustration is growing. An end to this type of foreign policy is way overdue.
A return to the traditional American foreign policy of active private engagement and non-interventionism is the only alternative that can restore our moral and fiscal health.
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Forgive him Lord for he knows not what he speaks. Where do you get this stuff? Oh yeah, out of thin air just like Bernanke’s money supply.
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***LISTEN UP*** RON PAUL IS NOT GOING TO GET ELECTED **UNLESS** HE IS SELECTED IN THE ***REPUBLICAN PRIMARY*** SO IF YOU ARE NOT A “REPUBLICAN” REGISTER AS ONE AND VOTE FOR HIM IN THE PRIMARY!!!
IF WE CAN GET HIM THROUGH THE PRIMARY HE WILL EASILY WIPE OUT OBAMA OR ANYONE ELSE IN ANY DEBATE!!!
GET IT DONE PEOPLE – WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME!
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i ant trying to start no thing but ! the Federal government is nothing but a bunch of perverts who require $10,000 hair cuts and $ 500 an hour escorts ! lol
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You are right, this is nto the country we are told it should be. However, it you disregard public education and mass media propaganda media and read the real history of our nation you can see that the question of what sort of country we will be has never been settled. That is our job now.
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Why because I don’t agree with everything he says and blindly follow?
Check out my homepage if you doubt my support for Dr.Paul…
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- the names i called are accurate and it’s quite evident that i’m far from bankrupt on any level
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- murray rothbard was discredited and sold out to the mises institute long ago; bernake made it clear, in the audit video, how the fed is already audited and why politicizing monetary policy is a bad idea, which is why ron’s bill (hr 1207) was rejected; face it, ron paul is a 75 year old, geeky nut case
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If we end the wars, we end our economy. I’m all for it, I wouldn’t mind seeing greedy, entitled, consuming idiot Americans suffer hunger and homelessness, particularly among the retired generation who padded their bank accounts at the expense of our country. I wouldn’t mind loosing my house and standing in a bread line next to a Wall street crook so I could spit in his face and steal his bread.
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RON PAUL 2012!
To all you drones, stop voting for these idiot neocons and stop watching Faux News and MSNBC for your daily dose of indoctrination and slow death propaganda killing America. NO MORE! This is where it has to stop, and Ron Paul is the solution. So don’t vote for Henry Kissinger porcelain Sarah Palin or Federal Reserve bitch Mitt Romney and Marxist Democrats. Vote for real change or suffer the results.
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like Alex Jones was saying yesterday, we need to be like the guy at the end of the 50′s film “invasion of the body snatchers” and tell everyone we can about this stuff. this is the true invasion on all of us by our own govt. the founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves.it’s truly disgusting.
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Combat troops are still in Iraq. My son is there and this is so patently false it is ridiculous. I am in 100% agreement with Ron Paul on this war.
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heya people
so is Ron going to run in 2012??? I really hope so… but i am new to the revolution… Is there a chance he could win? what are his usual percentages etc i guess is what im wondering…
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Ron Paul Go ! Stop these New World Barbars !
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Im American and sadly too many of my countrymen act like giddy school children when an irrelevant issue comes up and like apathetic vegetables when the issues that matter finally surface for that to ever happen.
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what is the goal or goals of the war anyway ? is it just a cleen up after the cold war ?
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im english and i hope that Ron Paul runs for president and wins.
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Obama is such a joke
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thank you Ron Paul – keep truthin’!!!
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he is samual on the wall warning this corrupt people.
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It’s no wonder that we have spent way too much money on funding the so-called war in Iraq, and so-called “War on Terror”! All this is just another political theatering from Obama like Bush, and it’s just a phoney draw down of all combat troops!
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I read the other day in the paper that we gave $1.9 million dollars in computers to Iraqi school children that were stolen and auctioned off for $45K. I flip the page, and the article says the local community college is having cutbacks because they were refused a $2M grant. This whole war is wrong on so many levels.
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I bothers me that so many people do not either care or understand the current situation. And worse, if they do understand and are still either apathetic toward or even support these policies.
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Thank you all for these thoughtful responses. It appears I was too quick to judge Ron Paul and make such claims about him. Based on your descriptions, I think I need to learn more about him, and that is why I will go through more of his videos.
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And everyone fails to realize also that these ridiculous salaries are all TAX FREE as well. So that $100,000 someone is making over there simply driving a truck (not unlike your stereotypical trucker here in the US) is closer to the equivalent of making $180,000 over here!
On another note, the military folk I’ve spoken with (who must remain nameless) have informed me that the remaining forces in Iraq are being advertised as non-combat, but the mission is far from over. Apparently the non-public plan, so I’m told, is to be there for at least another 15 years. There is plenty going on that is not being made aware to the public. I wish I could say more, but I fear for my life.
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Eight years in Iraq for a n illegal, immoral war. Ten years in Afganistan same thing. Now they say we need to keep our troops there to train their armies. If they can’t be trained in ten years, it means they don’t want us there. Our CIA and NSA are hellbent on destroying these poor people. Karma is a bitch. America has paid a huge price. Read Co. Fletcher’s, The CIA and the Kennedy Assasination. These wars are for the military/Industial Complex…Money. They are control freaks.
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It sounds to me like Ron Paul hates America? Why can’t he be FOR America and FOR our troops instead of being AGAINST it? Why does Ron Paul want to destroy America?
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Sounds like you need to lay off of the toothpaste.
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You want him as your prez? Better become a precinct leader ASAP! …otherwise RP ain’t going nowhere in 2012.
Educate your neighbors including your local precinct and you WILL win them over.
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End the Fed…end the Federal government! I hope Rand Paul has not fallen too far from the tree!
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Ron Paul is THE MAN!!! God bless America.
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I think the real mission in Iraq was to establish a central bank, which was done in 2004.
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RON PAUL IN 2012!!!!! YOU WILL GET MY VOTE!!!!
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end the fed
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cant hear shit to low
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THEY HAVENT ENDED A DAMN THING MORE B.S. FORM OUR GOVERNMENT & PRESIDENT ….ALL BIG LOSERS EXCEPT RON PAUL OF COURSE!!!
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That little monkey George Bush, and that Kenyan really are a lot alike!
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Ron Paul Stated that “”Of course the number of private contractors who perform many of the same roles as troops, but for a lot more money, is expected to double.”"
Ron Paul is Right and here is why. A US green card holder or naturalized citizen from Iraq can get up to $179,000 (Job advertising agency).
http://www.efbf.org/jobs/Government-and-Policy/Find-job-Arabic-Translator-for-IRAQ-Permanent-Resident-or-U-S-Citizen-299453.htm
http://www.jobline.net/jobiraq1.htm
“”All the jobs are outstandingly well paid with salaries ranging from $ 60,000 to $ 175,000 a year, depending on age, qualifications and experience. in addition there are costs of living allowances and free transport from the USA, there and back.”"
http://www.rense.com/general46/hal.html
the pay continues up the scale upwards to $250,000 per year for other jobs working for KBR
While a US combat soldiers get $7.50 per day and 225 per month
http://www.alternet.org/world/21130/
RON PAUL 2012
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00:47 …We still have bases in Germany and Japan…when is this mystical time that Dr.Paul speaks of?
As a HUGE Ron Paul supporter, I have to question his last few videos…Is he loosing it?
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This says we still have bases in Germany. US Citizens are paying for military bases all over the place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases
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Not sure if I’m reading your comment correctly, as I cannot intone your intent, but if you’re implying the US has no bases in Japan or Germany, need I remind you of the whole controversy about moving a US base from one end of the island to the other is what resulted in the ouster of the Japanese prime minister earlier this year.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/apr2010/japa-a29.shtml
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/01/japan-prime-minister-yuki_n_597009.html
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Double in sub contractors/ Mercenaries. Fed money at work for their agenda… Why dont you say United Federal Reserve of America?
Ron Paul for President 2012
Rand Paul for Vice President 2012
Peter Schiff for Treasury 2012
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Feds are the root cause Obama is just a Puppet and Ron paul is the man who understands Feds policies and can give answers to all problems.. he is very good economic analyst and has better understanding then any other President of USA till to date, but Feds for let him come out on the main stream now it’s MC turns if some how idiot Obamba Goes off There is not a single chance that RON Paul could come on main stream not a single chance cause he do not flatters The FEDS
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MISSION FAILED: Obama has broken promises more than an old lady breaking her hip. The war on Afghanistan is going to get an F-. Even if the war has been finally won by some miracle (which there is 100% doubt that will ever so happen) the economy will still be in shitzone. Why are we killing muslims while we are spending tax dollars doing so in the middle east?! We should be drinking tea with them! This is why you shouldn’t vote people from Harvord or Princeton.
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Ron Paul 2012
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I want to hump the Fed
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DON’T FALL FOR THE TRAP THAT IS RON PAUL
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instead believe in the status quo and green pieces of paper!
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go ron! you my hero boy!
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I don’t want to pay taxes to kill towelheads
I wan’t to pay taxes to end corruption at the Fed.
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Ron Paul is my president.
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I love these weekly updates.
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Dr, Paul is a consistent and brilliant man whose patriotism is true. Not a Sunshine Patriot or an attention seeking goof. America’s greatest hope, our guy on the “inside” of our oppressive Congress fused with large corporations and fascist elected officials.
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Dr. Paul bringing us knowledge from one day in the future. this will be an invaluable ability when he is president
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Ron Paul 2012 For a real change!
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