Texas Congressman Ron Paul (R)* on “Hannity and Colmes” (I’ll paraphrase): Since 1984, the Jews have killed more Palestinians than the Palestinians have killed Jews. Therefore, the Jews are to blame for the trouble in the Mideast.
Congressman Paul’s suggestion? Cut the Jews loose. Cut the Arabs loose. Save ourselves lots of money. Shoot us some of them border-hoppin’ Mexicans, instead. Yeeehaaaaaaw!
*Paul is a former Libertarian candidate for President. Evidently, “Libertarian” — at least to this guy –means “put a boot on the head of your allies and whistle while they’re drowning.”
Dirtbag.
And while we’re shootin’ up them dagum tacobenders, can we grease a couple of them there blue-gummed nigras too, Congressman?
Love,
The Alamo Knights of the KKK
Hmmm. First Harry Browne, now Ron Paul. Perhaps the LPUSA has a bigger problem then it will admit to itself?
1. Don’t blame all libertarians for the mistakes of a couple.
2. Ron Paul is right IN THAT we need to cut everybody loose and let them do their own thing. It has nothing to do with drowning your allies it has everything to do with the fact that we should not help others (as a country). [forgive me this is the cold medicine talking]
3. Leave the Mexican shooting to Pat Buchanan <s>(and me!)</s>
4. Most libertarians would like to help the Mexicans by doing away with the borders to some degree (of course that might just be the libertarians I’m around).
5. Harry Browne sucks but <a hred=”http”//www.shnelvar.com”>Ralph Shnelvar</a> doesn’t. Some are good and some are bad!
In theory, Matt, it’s okay to cut everybody loose and let them fend for themselves.
But it’s a bad long-term decision pragmatically for the U.S. not to protect/support like-minded allies against attacks from those who would challenge our values.
Israel, for all her faults, is the one beacon of hope for that putrid region. If Israel were to disappear tomorrow, a year from now, Arab grievances would turn to the next closest “westernized” country, and to the U.S.
And I was careful, I should note, to identify Paul as a capital L Libertarian. I have many libertarian leanings myself—but one of them is NOT pure self-interest.
Jeff, I’ve been trying to find quotes for Paul’s anti-Mexican comments. He’s sponsored some pro immigration bills in the past years, it doesn’t sound like him to say such a thing.
As for the ‘cut them loose’ idea, that’s been a part of the national Libertarian platform for as long as I can remember. You didn’t expect different from Paul, did you? We might disagree on this issue, but he’s still perhaps the ONLY congressman in DC worth spit.
Walter —
Admittedly, I didn’t know much about Paul before seeing him on H&C last evening. I suppose what I objected to was the stridency of his objections to helping out an ally. Well, that and his stupid argument that because more Palestinians have died than Israelis, Israel is more to blame. Which is like saying that because more criminals have died than cops, the police are at culpable—or that because more Germans died in WWII than Americans, the Nazis are entitled to some retrospective moral highground.
The “let’s go shoot some Mexicans” thing was meant to suggest Paul’s intellectual proximity to Pat Buchanan, nothing more; Paul may very well be pro-Mexico and pro-immigration (he’s a Texas Republican, after all).
Since 9/11, I’ve witnessed (as many who hop around the blogosphere regularly have) a change in the foreign policy thinking of many many Libertarians from a “non-interventionalist” stance to a more proactive one. Given the nature of OUR enemy—and given the struggles Israel is undergoing—I suppose I’d hoped for more sympathetic words toward Israel from Paul, not for some hideous equivalency arguments.
Jeff-
You’re wrong, but I’m late for class.
Matthew