Ron Paul
Paul's Greatest, Most Daring Book Yet A. Maheshwari April 19, 2011Ron Paul continues the noble tradition of founders and thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Burke, James Burnham and Patrick Buchanan in social-political conditions of the 21st Century. The book is written in lucid, vital and free flowing style without any convoluted jargon. I purchased the kindle edition and finished the book in 3 hours with several re-readings of some chapters/paragraphs.
The stage is set in contemporary America, and the intended audiences are likely the young indoctrinated subservient Americans, victims of Washington DC. This book could be the conservative bible for next two decades to effect political renewal of a tired, beaten and declining America. It deals with Paul's unique approach as a practicing Christian, a conservative libertarian and a citizen statesman. The amoral and utopian aspects of left-libertarianism are absent in this book.
Indeed the word libertarian has been mentioned only 6 times in the text. In comparison, the word moral has been mentioned a good 109 times, and “liberty” occurs 191 times. The book emphasizes the true essence of Christianity and Christ as the prince of peace, not a messenger of aggressive/deceitful secular wars.
The writing is universal in its appeal so that a person from China, India, Africa, Islamic World or Europe will naturally relate to its contents. It defines the true meaning of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, the three principles of humanity. It is applicable to all human societies and aggregates, not just America. It shows the essence of conservatism and social order and extensively deals with liberty's relationship with morality, religion and ethics.
The book is tabulated in 50 chapters and covers 5 principal themes:
1. The Individual and the State: Chapters on Capital Punishment, Civil Disobedience, Public Land, Surveillance and Slavery deal with Washington DC's atrocities on Individual liberty. The State has systematically imposed Slavery, bondage, violations of civil and property rights on American people. These atrocities have been carried out almost since the founding of the Republic against the spirit and letter of the Constitution. The trampling over Individual freedom is at the tipping point so that in near future we might completely lose all remaining freedoms. Our fate will then fall into the hands of monsters in Washington DC. Ownership of all life, liberty and property will be dictated by the Socialist tyrants.
2. Foreign policy: Chapters on Assassinations, CIA, Conscription, Empire, Foreign Aid, Patriotism, Security, Terrorism, Trade Policies and Zionism. These chapters describe how the Federal Marxists are now conducting unspeakable genocides on defenseless states around the world. The worst consequences are being paid both in blood and treasure by the American people. These Washington DC policies are formulated and executed by the bloodthirsty neocon cabal whose intellectual founders were Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol- while its executive roots lie in Wilson's presidency. Paul traces this ideology to Plato and Machiavelli, the ancient and medieval founders of the noble lie. Paul's prescription for Arab-Israeli conflict is love-making and Intermarriage, not war.
3. Welfare Narcotic and Amorality of Tyrannical State Socialism: Chapters on Bipartisanship, Executive Power, Four Freedoms, Gun Control, Immigration, Insurance, Lobbying, Medical Care, Moral Hazard, Morality in Government, Prohibition, Public Land, Statistics and Unions. These chapters deal with the systematic undermining of individuals, families, Towns and States by Washington DC. These corrupt bureaucrats have been coercively and deceptively concentrating all wealth and power in their own hands at the expense of hapless people. The chapters warn the reader on the attempts to crush human initiative, effort and philanthropy in order to replace them with helpless, suffocating and lifeless bondage under the Washington DC tyrants.
4. Monetary/Economic Policy Subversion: Taxes, Monetary Policy, Keynesianism, Business cycle and Austrian Economics deal with the source of all material corruptions, the criminal Federal Reserve and central economic planning/domination. The system of militaristic Keynesianism which confiscates all wealth from the poor, middle class, and the justly rich – to what the book calls the “Goldman Sachs Elite” has been discussed. These hidden monetary actions are far more powerful than the Presidency, the Media and responsible for all American misfortunes.
5. Moral Order and Cultural Decline: Chapters on Abortion, Demagogues, Discrimination, Education Indoctrination, Envy, Evolution, Global warming, hate crimes, marriage, political correctness, racism, religion and liberty deal with the corruption of American society. Freedom is reserved for certain organized special interests and groups at the expense of others. Affirmative action, dishonest cultural and political discourse, an obsession with victimhood and demands for special treatment, privileges and free lunch by robbing the middle-class/working class, racial and ethnic quotas, and blatant use of force, intimidation and naked violence to subjugate people under State controlled institutions, ideas and directives is the subject of these chapters.
The ultimate goal of State Socialism is to transform Americans into helpless, subservient and docile cattle, where forced, regimented and artificial equality will lead to strife, uniformity and slavery, not Liberty, Diversity and Unity. This equality will be ruthlessly enforced on the 99% masses, while the Washington/Wall-Street elite will exempt themselves and enjoy the looted spoils from America.
These provocative and taboo topics which can lead to harsh political/social condemnation and banishment have been written with great force, conviction and masterly command. It is likely that State controlled thought police will virulently attack these ideas as it is the great foe of a free society, free exchange of ideas, expressions and associations.
The book is sprinkled with a few personal anecdotes and the reader gets a glimpse of some events from Paul's life. The chapter on Democracy is well written and concisely lays out the distinctions between a Republic based on rule of law versus a totalitarian mob rule of Majoritarian Democracy.
Throughout the book a convincing case has been made that America needs a rebirth of moral order based on Liberty, Equality of Spirit and Freedom, and a Universal Fraternity based on Spiritual Love and Golden Rule (Chapter on Religion and Liberty). Only then it will win peace, prosperity and social soundness.
It is laden with wit, humor at the expense of hypocrites and fraudsters such as Cheney, Al Gore, Bush and Obama. Interesting terms such as “evangelical atheists”, “thinking like a Black” and “Goldman Sachs Elite” are used to make incisive points. The chapters are engaging and delightfully entertaining. Paul invokes George Orwell's 1984 several times to expose the evil of American elite and Bush-Obama's duplicity.
This book is a testament to Paul's wisdom, character and principled statesmanship, unique in our time. Those who miss the moral authority of Gandhi, Solzhenitsyn and even great spiritual figures, can finally look towards Liberty Defined as the living symbol and text to strive for liberty. Gandhi, Solzhenitsyn, Paul all favored local government, human scale, family, faith and liberty against tyrannical state socialism and aggressive domestic and foreign imperialism.
The book calls for character and action to save the Republic. Not “utter cynicism”, “endless policy details” and resignation.
In the age of Lady Gaga, Obama, Bieber, Reality TV, sexual liberation, unfettered greed, gluttonous obesity, and rapaciousness, the capacity to independently think, comprehend and act has been greatly diminished. In such decimated cultural conditions, this book provides a faint glimmer of hope that a misinformed, confused, paralyzed and desensitized Third World America will look towards Liberty, faith and Constitution and find a way to reclaim its destiny. A new manifesto from an iconic statesman.
