by Ron Paul
President Obama last week began his second term by promising that “a decade of war is now ending.” As he spoke, the US military was rapidly working its way into another war, this time in the impoverished African country of Mali. As far as we know, the US is only providing transport and intelligence assistance to France, which initiated the intervention then immediately called Washington for back-up and funding. However, even if US involvement is limited, and, as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, US boots on the ground are not being considered “at this time,” this clearly is developing into another war. As usual, the mission is creeping.
Within the first week of French military action in Mali, the promise that it would be a quick operation to put down an Islamic rebel advance toward the capital was broken. France announced that it would be forced to send in thousands of troops and would need to remain far longer than the few weeks it initially claimed would be necessary.
Media questions as to whether the US has Special Operations forces, drones, or CIA paramilitary units active in Mali are unanswered by the Administration. Congress has asked few questions and demanded few answers from the president. As usual, it was not even consulted. But where does the president get the authority to become a co-combatant in French operations in Mali, even if US troops are not yet overtly involved in the attack?
How did we get to Mali? Blowback and unintended consequences played key roles. When the president decided to use the US military to attack Libya in 2011, Congress was not consulted. The president claimed that UN and NATO authority for the use of US military force were sufficient and even superior to any kind of Congressional declaration. Congress once again relinquished its authority, but also its oversight power, by remaining silent. That meant the difficult questions such as why is the action necessary, what would it entail, and what kind of unintended consequences might we see if the operation does not go exactly as planned, were neither asked nor answered.
When Gaddafi was overthrown in Libya, many fighters from Mali who had lived in Libya and been trained by Gaddafi’s military returned to their home country with sophisticated weapons and a new determination to continue their fight for independence for northern Mali. Thus the France-initiated action against Libya in 2011 led to new violence and instability in Mali that France decided it must also address. Shortly after the French attack on Mali, rebels in Algeria attacked a BP gas facility in retaliation for their government’s decision to allow foreign military to fly over Algerian territory en route to Mali. Thus the action in Mali to solve the crisis created by the prior action in Libya is turning into a new crisis in Algeria. This is the danger of interventionism and, as we saw in Vietnam more than four decades ago, it threatens to drag the US further into the conflict. And Congress is AWOL.
There is a reason why the framers of our Constitution placed the authority to declare war strictly with the Legislative Branch of government. They knew well that kings were all too willing to go to war without the consent of those who would do the killing and dying — and funding. By placing that authority in Congress, the people’s branch of government, they intended to blunt the executive branch’s enthusiasm toward overseas adventurism. The consequences of this steady erosion of our system toward the unitary executive are dire.
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Actually, Yom Kippur is not the day they’re forgiven for their sins, but the day a new chapter is written.
It’s quite the opposite of what you’re stating, in fact. Yom Kippur is actually the day where that chapter of our life is solidified, as we begin a new one.
I can’t speak for Ben Bernanke or lord Rothschild, but I can speak for myself as a Jew when explaining the beliefs and holidays of my people.
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The Democratic Party will clearly be divided by 2016 and hope the anti war half of it supports Dennis Kucinich for President who has been preaching the same message Dr. Paul has when it comes to foerign policy.
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Ron paul….the greatest president there never was.
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He’s just a troll; don’t waste your time. I just saw him refer to Ron Paul as a globalist on a completely separate video and topic.
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Everything Obama says is a lie. I think he has mental issues.
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Troll
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Have you ever served in the military? If you haven’t, feel free to enlist cause we’re always involved in a war and we need to get brave men like you at the fore front on the war on terror…..
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Yea hold a sign at the supershow about 911. I bet they would hurt that person too. Many know 911 isnt real, but so many are committed to being ‘cool’ that they dont look into it anymore. In fact, I would say that its rejected today more than ever. The other stuff you said is plausable in a world of deception now humming right along. Peace is just a mindgame in this time. Programmed to reject anything they dont understand.
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Another Palpatine, no telling how ‘the opposite’ of cool this will be. He is confirmed Imperialist by his record. I love the old footage of him rapping on about how we used telephones to torture in Nam. Yup, that was a real humdinger of a just war….NOT!!! Just a distraction to remove the shackles of the gold standard. What for?So they can make contstant war everywhere since.
»crosslinked«
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People dont come any dumber than you man
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We non-sheeples love you Mr Paul!
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Absent Without Leave. Military term. As in, “nowhere to be found.”
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the beauty of youtube is that you don;t have to watch videos you don’t really want to listen to.
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the beauty of youtube is that you don;t have to watch videos you don’t really want to listen to.
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Shame on me but what is AWOL?? Asleep…
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your are not the “whole people”,this is news to alot of people,gotta keep spreading the information,that is the key to winning this war.
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STR8 RAW!
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i wanted for dr. paul to be president. i think he would have straightened this country out and got it back to where it’s supposed to be.
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The Ron Paul Revolution is an idea whose time has come.
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Thank you Dr. Paul. You are definitely a man I want to emulate!
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Ron Paul, I really wish you would just shut the hell up.
Like any of this is news?
Yet you keep your mouth shut about the foreign government you know has infiltrated and taken over our government.
You go right along with this belief “terrorists” and Bin Laden took down the WTC.
You want to sound like a founding father, yet you don’t quote about them warning of a Vatican takeover.
Every person in high office is either catholic or went to a catholic or jesuit school.
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Ron Paul should be our president
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Our government is run by a buncha f***** retards.
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a nuclear strike*
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Ron what pisses me off is the media tells us nothing about anything for example ” Kim Jong-un threatening the usa with nuclear ” .. It could happen tomorrow and we would not even see it coming ., this government / media are all working as a unit and this should not happen PERIOD. The censorship laws in this country are just completely useless and ridiculously pathetic.
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“The government is either severely retarded, or strictly evil.”
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We are there to protect what we think is ours and to keep china from giving them a better deal.
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Maybe they’re uploading it straight from the phone. This is no Ron Paul uploading the videos himself, it’s grassroots
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I always question if it’s the same person, a retard mix of neocon/Obamabot that is the ever present single thumb down on these great Ron Paul messages
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I think we need a new, high quality microphone, Ron Paul…
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Yum KIPPUR is the Jewish holiday – which forgives them for all the lies that they told the proir year – and gives them a whole now lease to lie for another year.
Also most of these people are orthodox religion both Christians and Jews – both of these tribes under their religion they promote to NOT EVOLVE !
Add that with The Bankers – The Policy Makers – and a select Few Corporatist and you get The Military Industrial Complex !
This is why – everything in the ZIO GOV is reversed !
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You’re almost right, it is not even a war against anyone in particular. The special interest groups want war for profit, they do not care who or what the war is about.
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You’re ALL wrong! Obama is the dog shit, on the stick, I used to scrape my boots! And what a coincidence, he’s the same color too!
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Is Malia just an excuse for France to suck up to America over the war on Islam? (oh, sorry I mean Terror).
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End the fed : /watch?v=q4zIsgAGNg8
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