Ron Paul

On Tuesday, March 11, the US House of Representatives voted for the version of the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2008 that banned waterboarding and other forms of torture. The measure, previously passed by Congress, was vetoed by President Bush. This vote was an attempt to override the veto. It passed 225-188, but failed to get … Continue reading “No to Torture, Yes to the Constitution”

On Wednesday, March 5, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution (HR 951) condemning Palestinian rocket attacks that include a strident defense of recent Israeli tactics in the Gaza Strip. The resolution also condemned Iran and Syria for "sponsoring terror attacks," and demanded that Saudi Arabia publicly condemn Palestinian actions. The resolution was originally … Continue reading “Stop Choosing Sides”

In recent months the undeclared war in Iraq seems not to have been on the minds of most Americans. News of the violence and deprivation which ordinary Iraqis are forced to deal with on a daily basis rarely makes it to the front pages. Instead, we read in the newspapers numerous slanted stories about the … Continue reading “War at Any Cost?”

Before the US House of Representatives, Jan. 30, 2008 Madame Speaker, I rise in opposition to the extension of the Protect America Act of 2007 because the underlying legislation violates the US Constitution. The misnamed Protect America Act allows the US government to monitor telephone calls and other electronic communications of American citizens without a … Continue reading “Protect America from the Protect America Act”

I recently highlighted the irony of sending nearly $1 billion overseas in military earmarks as we close down bases here at home to save money. Our government’s flawed foreign policy troubles me especially in light of recent events in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto’s assassination was a great tragedy. Pakistan is now more than ever teetering on … Continue reading “The Ties That Strangle”

The latest National Intelligence Estimate has been greeted by a mixture of relief and alarm. As I have been saying all along, Iran indeed poses no quantifiable imminent nuclear threat to us or her neighbors. It is with much alarm, however, that we see the administration continue to ratchet up the war rhetoric as if … Continue reading “Bombed If You Do, Bombed If You Don’t”

Before the US House of Representatives, December 5, 2007 I regret that I was unavoidably out of town on October 23, 2007, when a vote was taken on HR 1955, the Violent Radicalization & Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted against this misguided and dangerous piece of … Continue reading “‘Homegrown Terror’ Act an Attack on Internet Freedom?”

In the name of clamping down on "terrorist uprisings" in Pakistan, General Musharraf has declared a state of emergency and imposed martial law. The true motivations behind this action however, are astonishingly transparent, as the reports come in that mainly lawyers and opposition party members are being arrested and harassed. Supreme Court justices are held … Continue reading “Entangling Alliances”

Since Raul Castro seems to be transitioning to a more permanent position of power, the administration has begun talking about Cuba policy again. One would think we would be able to survey the results of the last 45 years and come to logical conclusions. Changing course never seems to be an option, however, no matter … Continue reading “Struggling for Relevance in Cuba: Still No Cigars”

A few months back, I wrote back-to-back weekly messages regarding globalism and isolationism. In writing those columns, I focused on the fact that our nation’s interventionist foreign policy was precisely what was isolating us from other countries. Turkey’s recall of their U.S. ambassador in the wake of last week’s resolution, passed in the House Foreign … Continue reading “Interventionism? Isolationism? Actually, Both”