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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Ron Paul is already a huge leader for a movement the CIA and their Illuminist controllers are very uncomfortable with. If Ron Paul had a pricetag he’d already have been bought off.
Ron Paul is the only politician that merits anything approaching trust. Hes sounds the same now as he did in the 70s, hes never wavered. If he says something he damn well means it. look at his voting record, find old clips of him. They dont call him doctor no for nuttin
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I do not think you blindly follow any man. You stated you were a HUGE supporter of Ron Paul, if that were the case than you would have seen the Huckabee exchange during the debates where Huckabee said even though going to Iraq was a mistake we must stand united and fight. Ron Paul then stated his reasoning for ‘Just bring them home’ as we are to correct the mistake not continue the mistake. If you followed the 2008 campaign you would have remembered.
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I do not think you blindly follow any man. You stated you were a HUGE supporter of Ron Paul, if that were the case than you would have seen the Huckabee exchange during the debates where Huckabee said even though going to Iraq was a mistake we must stand united and fight. Ron Paul then stated his reasoning for ‘Just bring them home’ as we are to correct the mistake not continue the mistake. If you followed the 2008 campaign you would have remembered.
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Your question is why 911 happened. The CIA claims that it was unintended consequences to or actions in the Middle East. The term ‘blowback’ is the common term used to describe it. Do you want a list of the motives behind 911 or do you really believe Bin Laden can convince people to fly airplanes into buildings due to our way of life? Google Michael Scheuer, he is the former head of the CIA’s bin Laden Unit. But maybe Hannity has a better grasp on the subject than Mr Scheuer.
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Your question is why 911 happened. The CIA claims that it was unintended consequences to or actions in the Middle East. The term ‘blowback’ is the common term used to describe it. Do you want a list of the motives behind 911 or do you really believe Bin Laden can convince people to fly airplanes into buildings due to our way of life? Google Michael Scheuer, he is the former head of the CIA’s bin Laden Unit. But maybe Hannity has a better grasp on the subject than Mr Scheuer.
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Well, more name calling. The debate ends when the name calling begins. You lose.
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Well, more name calling. The debate ends when the name calling begins. You lose.
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Well, more name calling. The debate ends when the name calling begins. You lose.
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Gold gets its value just like anything else in a market place. There is not a set value of any commodity, product or service. Demand for any commodity, product or service determines its value. Historically many commodities were used as a basis of exchange. In POW camps, cigarettes were the commodity of exchange.
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Gold gets its value just like anything else in a market place. There is not a set value of any commodity, product or service. Demand for any commodity, product or service determines its value. Historically many commodities were used as a basis of exchange. In POW camps, cigarettes were the commodity of exchange.
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Is that what I sound like? You are a presumptuous idiot and believe me, you would be much better off if you stopped giving your opinion and read some books. Look at the amount of crap you have posted on this one video. Get an education, because those of us who have one can tell you do not, and get a life.
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- i got my stuff from studying economics at university and several decades of business experience; let’s see what you know about economics and money; here’s a question for you: what gives gold its value? hint: it’s not scarcity
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The reasons are long. Do the research. Start with googleing 911.
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The reasons are long. Do the research. Start with googleing 911.
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You sound like a true socialist with the idea of planning what an economy needs. Every planned economy in history has failed. No human can forecast the needs or trends of an economy. Even more true, no human can fool the laws of economics, not even the FED. And yes I did and continually do the research. Now that we have tried economic manipulations and failed, let’s try a real free market. Before you get your panties in a bunch read Rothbard, The Case Against the FED.
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You sound like a true socialist with the idea of planning what an economy needs. Every planned economy in history has failed. No human can forecast the needs or trends of an economy. Even more true, no human can fool the laws of economics, not even the FED. And yes I did and continually do the research. Now that we have tried economic manipulations and failed, let’s try a real free market. Before you get your panties in a bunch read Rothbard, The Case Against the FED.
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Are you the comedian they sent to us?
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Are you the comedian they sent to us?
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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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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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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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