Courageous Texas Repub Congressman Ron Paul • Lays It
On The Line • In USA House Of Representatives •• About
Iraq Invasion • And Evolving Extreme Foreign Policy
Sez:
"America's policy of foreign intervention, while still debated
in the early 20th century, is today accepted as conventional
wisdom by both political parties. But what if the overall
policy is a colossal mistake, a major error in judgment? Not
just bad judgment regarding when and where to impose
ourselves, but the entire premise that we have a moral right
to meddle in the affairs of others? Think of the untold harm
done by years of fighting - hundreds of thousands of
American casualties, hundreds of thousands of foreign
civilian casualties, and unbelievable human and economic
costs. What if it was all needlessly borne by the American
people? If we do conclude that grave foreign policy errors
have been made, a very serious question must be asked:
What would it take to change our policy to one more
compatible with a true republic's goal of peace, commerce,
and friendship with all nations? Is it not possible that
Washington's admonition to avoid entangling alliances is
sound advice even today?"
Asks:
1. What if the policies of foreign intervention, entangling
alliances, policing the world, nation building, and spreading
our values through force are deeply flawed?
2. What if it is true that Saddam Hussein never had
weapons of mass destruction?
3. What if it is true that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin
Laden were never allies?
4. What if it is true that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein
did nothing to enhance our national security?
5. What if our current policy in the Middle East leads to the
overthrow of our client oil states in the region?
6. What if the American people really knew that more than
20,000 American troops have suffered serious casualties or
died in the Iraq war, and 9% of our forces already have been
made incapable of returning to battle?
7. What if it turns out there are many more guerrilla fighters
in Iraq than our government admits?
8. What if there really have been 100,000 civilian Iraqi
casualties, as some claim, and what is an acceptable price for
"doing good?"
9. What if Rumsfeld is replaced for the wrong reasons, and
things become worse under a Defense Secretary who
demands more troops and an expansion of the war?
10. What if we discover that, when they do vote, the
overwhelming majority of Iraqis support Islamic (Sharia) law
over western secular law, and want our troops removed?
11. What if those who correctly warned of the disaster
awaiting us in Iraq are never asked for their opinion of what
should be done now?
12. What if the only solution for Iraq is to divide the country
into three separate regions, recognizing the principle of
self-determination while rejecting the artificial boundaries
created in 1918 by non-Iraqis?
13. What if it turns out radical Muslims don't hate us for our
freedoms, but rather for our policies in the Middle East that
directly affected Arabs and Muslims?
14. What if the invasion and occupation of Iraq actually
distracted from pursuing and capturing Osama bin Laden?
15. What if we discover that democracy can't be spread with
force of arms?
16. What if democracy is deeply flawed, and instead we
should be talking about liberty, property rights, free markets,
the rule of law, localized government, weak centralized
government, and self-determination promoted through
persuasion, not force?
17. What if Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda actually
welcomed our invasion and occupation of Arab/Muslim Iraq
as proof of their accusations against us, and it served as a
magnificent recruiting tool for them?
18. What if our policy greatly increased and prolonged our
vulnerability to terrorists and guerilla attacks both at home
and abroad?
19. What if the Pentagon, as reported by its Defense Science
Board, actually recognized the dangers of our policy before
the invasion, and their warnings were ignored or denied?
20. What if the argument that by fighting over there, we
won't have to fight here, is wrong, and the opposite is true?
21. What if we can never be safer by giving up some of our
freedoms?
22. What if the principle of pre-emptive war is adopted by
Russia, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and others, "justified"
by current U.S. policy?
23. What if pre-emptive war and pre-emptive guilt stem
from the same flawed policy of authoritarianism, though we
fail to recognize it?
24. What if Pakistan is not a trustworthy ally, and turns on
us when conditions deteriorate?
25. What if plans are being laid to provoke Syria and/or Iran
into actions that would be used to justify a military response
and pre-emptive war against them?
26. What if our policy of democratization of the Middle East
fails, and ends up fueling a Russian-Chinese alliance that we
regret - an alliance not achieved even at the height of the Cold
War?
27. What if the policy forbidding profiling at our borders and
airports is deeply flawed?
28. What if presuming the guilt of a suspected terrorist
without a trial leads to the total undermining of constitutional
protections for American citizens when arrested?
29. What if we discover the army is too small to continue
policies of pre-emption and nation-building? What if a
military draft is the only way to mobilize enough troops?
30. What if the "stop-loss" program is actually an egregious
violation of trust and a breach of contract between the
government and soldiers? What if it actually is a backdoor
draft, leading to unbridled cynicism and rebellion against a
voluntary army and generating support for a draft of both
men and women? Will lying to troops lead to rebellion and
anger toward the political leadership running the war?
31. What if the Pentagon's legal task-force opinion that the
President is not bound by international or federal law
regarding torture stands unchallenged, and sets a precedent
which ultimately harms Americans, while totally disregarding
the moral, practical, and legal arguments against such a
policy?
32. What if the intelligence reform legislation - which gives
us bigger, more expensive bureaucracy - doesn't bolster our
security, and distracts us from the real problem of revamping
our interventionist foreign policy?
33. What if we suddenly discover we are the aggressors, and
we are losing an unwinnable guerrilla war?
34. What if we discover, too late, that we can't afford this
war - and that our policies have led to a dollar collapse,
rampant inflation, high interest rates, and a severe economic
downturn?
LINK:
Rep Paul Whole Speech Telling Truth & Challenging Greed
Driven Stupid USA Policies
12:22:43 AM
