Ron Paul

The death of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat last week once again brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the international forefront. The Bush administration finds itself in an uncomfortable but familiar role as peacemaker for yet another intractable, ancient, and deadly Middle East conflict. The popular press and political world both accept without question the notion that … Continue reading “Quit Meddling in the Middle East”

Once again the federal government has reached its "debt ceiling," and once again Congress is poised to authorize an increase in government borrowing. Between its ever-growing bureaucracies, expanding entitlements, and overseas military entanglements, the federal government is borrowing roughly $1 billion every day to pay its bills. Federal law limits the amount of debt the … Continue reading “Debt, the Greatest Threat to Our Security”

The 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act (H.R. 10) is yet another attempt to address the tH.R.eat of terrorism by giving more money and power to the federal bureaucracy. Most of the reforms contained in this bill will not make America safer, though they definitely will make us less free. H.R. 10 also wastes American taxpayer money … Continue reading “The Worst Way to Fight Terror”

I oppose HR 163 in the strongest possible terms. The draft, whether for military purposes or some form of "national service," violates the basic moral principles of individual liberty upon which this country was founded. Furthermore, the military neither wants nor needs a draft. The Department of Defense, in response to calls to reinstate the … Continue reading “Reject Draft Slavery”

Washington politicians are once again seriously considering imposing a national identification card – and it may well become law before the end of the 108th Congress. The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report [pdf] released in July recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a "larger network of screening points" inside the United States. Does this mean … Continue reading “National ID Threatens Liberty”

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”