Ron Paul

The 9-11 Commission report, released late last month, has disrupted the normally quiet Washington August. Various congressional committees are holding hearings on the report this week, even though Congress is not in session, in an attempt to show the government is "doing something" about terrorism in an election year. The Commission recommendations themselves have been … Continue reading “The Government Says We Need More Government”

Last week’s announcement that the terrorist threat warning level has been raised in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., has led to dramatic and unprecedented restrictions on the movements of citizens. Americans wishing to visit the U.S. Capitol must, for example, pass through several checkpoints and submit to police inspection of their … Continue reading “Police State USA”

I rise in strong opposition to this incredibly dangerous legislation. I hope my colleagues are not fooled by the title of this bill, “Declaring genocide in Darfur, Sudan.” This resolution is no statement of humanitarian concern for what may be happening in a country thousands of miles from the United States. Rather, it could well … Continue reading “US Must Stay Out of Sudan”

The Millennium Challenge Act, a new foreign aid scheme I wrote about back in May, received its hoped-for $2.5 billion from Congress last week. Only 41 members of Congress supported an effort to strip the funding, demonstrating once again that the two parties are not serious about reducing federal spending. Considering all the rhetoric in … Continue reading “‘Saving the World’ With Your Money”

A Wall Street Journal article last week detailed a Department of Defense memo that discusses the legality of interrogation and torture methods in the wake of events at Abu Ghraib. The document reportedly advises that the president has authority to order almost any action, including physical or psychological torture, despite federal laws to the contrary. … Continue reading “Torture, War, and Presidential Powers”

Since the passage of the “Iraq Liberation Act” in 1998, the U.S. government has spent more than 40 million taxpayer dollars on the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi. As we now know, Chalabi in turn fed the U.S. government lies about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaeda in the … Continue reading “Superpower or Superdebtor?”

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Our allegiances to our allies and friends change constantly. For a decade, exiled Iraqi Ahmed Chalabi was our chosen leader-to-be in a new Iraq. Championed by Pentagon neocons and objected to by the State Department, Mr. Chalabi received more than 100 million U.S. taxpayer dollars … Continue reading “Fresh Failures in Iraq”

I rise in opposition to H.J.Res. 83, which amends the United States Constitution to allow appointed persons to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives in the event of an emergency. Since the Continuity of Government (COG) Commission first proposed altering our system of government by allowing appointed members to serve in this body, I, … Continue reading “The House of Representatives Must Be Elected!”

In recent days administration officials have warned the nation about possible terrorist attacks, subjecting us once again to color-coded threat charts and puzzling admonitions to go about our lives as usual. The message is clear: grave danger surrounds us, but ordinary citizens should do nothing and trust the government to take care of it. But … Continue reading “Freedom vs. Security: A False Choice”

Though the ill-conceived Millennium Challenge Act has already become law and therefore we are only talking about its implementation, it is nevertheless important to again address some very fundamental problems with this new foreign aid program. I believe that the Millennium Challenge Act (MCA) may be one of the worst foreign policy blunders yet – … Continue reading “New Millennium, Same Old Foreign Aid”