Ron Paul Vigorously Defends WikiLeaks

[t0dd]

Source: National Journal

Distancing himself from Republican Party orthodoxy (as he's prone to doing), Texas Congressman Ron Paul gave a rousing speech on the U.S. House floor in support of WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange. "Why is the hostility directed at Assange, the publisher, and not at our governments failure to protect classified information?" asked Paul. He went on to compare WikiLeaks to the Pentagon Papers, explaining how both exposed American wars that were based on "lies." He also asked his colleagues which events caused more deaths, "Lying us into war, or the release of the WikiLeaks papers?"

Questions he poses in his speech:

Number 1: Do the America People deserve to know the truth regarding the ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen?

Number 2: Could a larger question be how can an army private access so much secret information?

Number 3: Why is the hostility directed at Assange, the publisher, and not at our governments failure to protect classified information?

Number 4: Are we getting our moneys worth of the 80 Billion dollars per year we spend on intelligence gathering?

Number 5: Which has resulted in the greatest number of deaths: lying us into war or Wikileaks revelations or the release of the Pentagon Papers?

Video here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x534090

Read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/dailyfray/breaking-ranks-ron-paul-vigorously-defends-wikileaks-20101210

[gateley]

1. That's something I've always liked about him - he says what he feels, politics be damned. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

5. He's a lot like 'Kramer' in that regard; he just 'says stuff'

I don't necessarily believe 'saying stuff' is a virtue. To my way of thinking, it's more pathological than virtuous. It's like there's no 'filter' between the brain and the tongue. I'm sure that particular 'brain wiring' is vital to human survival, otherwise, the completely 'free speaker' would end up with his brains bashed out in no time.

[gateley]

6. You may be right, but he makes some good points nonetheless. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

13. I don't give a fig about 'good points'

When it comes down to the nut-cuttin', it's the voting record that matters, and according to a 1998 study published in the American Journal of Political Science, he has the most conservative voting record of ANY member of Congress since 1937. Not exactly someone *I* would tout as making 'good points,' but whatever the fuck ever!

[gateley]

16. Yeah, "whatever the fuck ever". nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

19. TEA BAGGER WITH HALF A BRAIN.... I AGREE WITH HIM ON THIS ONE THOUGH

[gateley]

20. Me, too. nt

[WheelWalker]

42. Me, too. nt

[movonne]

12. I remember he was very staunch against going to war with Iraq and

make some wonderful speeches on the floor of the house...I think he was about the only repug that was against going to war..and now this...I give him that credit but his views on domestic stuff he is not to my liking...

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[gateley]

17. Yeah, when I initially became interested in politics during the 2008 run-up,

I was interested in him because of the War and other issues, but then I got to "know" him better and our views, as you note, differed on domestic stuff.

There are so few that I agree with all the way down the line. I turn to Bernie often as my bellwether.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

37. I will always have a lot of respect for Ron Paul for that

And the Patriot Act. And generally being anti-empire and pro-people.

Even on the stuff the we disagree with, I feel like he honestly believes that what he wants is best for the average person, which is more than you can say about most in congress.

But yeah, for those days after 9/11, when only a handful of people, like Kucinich and Feingold and Paul were speaking out, I have more respect for those people than I could ever have for any self-proclaimed liberal goose-stepping along to drumbeats of war and surveillance in those dark days after 9/11. Paul was one of the very few people of any public significant who gave me any sense of hope in society.

[DeSwiss]

2. K&R n/t

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, t0dd.

[struggle4progress]

4. Translation: Ron Paul wants to attack Obama instead of Wikileaks

[Tempest]

10. Bullshit

Read what he says.

He blames the Bush administration.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/10/ron-paul-wikileaks-defense_n_795014.html

[struggle4progress]

14. "Bush" occurs nowhere in the transcript

and Paul is a rightwing Texan

[Blue State Bandit]

28. Wrong Paul.

Ron Paul may not be a "liberal" but he is respected around here because he is a "true libertarian". It's not a lapel pin, or poll tested coin for him. And in a system devoid of such principled individuals (the number in which I could count if I took a shoe off), such people deserve to be heard.

[struggle4progress]

30. He's a Reaganite and von Mises devotee: he fits snugly amidst rightwing Texas conservatives

on the issues that matter most to them

[krabigirl]

36. Who cares?

[struggle4progress]

38. I'm sorry if you don't like that sort of thing pointed out

[NashVegas]

7. Ron Paul Was Quoted Quite a Bit in DU In 2001/2002/2003

When it came to the Iraq war. He only became very unpopular here when he ran for POTUS, so you can imagine the prism those posts were coming through.

[Blue_Tires]

23. he was quoted all the way up to '08

of course the ol' "Race Report" archives resurfaced (along with some of his more extreme anti-abortion comments), and his defenders didn't have any more standing...

[BenzoDia]

24. I'm assuming the race reports is his views on the Fair Housing Act

and his refusal to commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Right's movement?

[Blue_Tires]

26. no, about 20 years ago his office circulated regular newsletters

for his district... One of them was the infamous "Ron Paul Race Report"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2631499

[JackRiddler]

39. He's obviously quoted today (above) and quoting is not "defense."

When he's wrong, he's wrong.

When he's right, he's right. In the above, he's right for the right reasons. There is no need to defend quoting that and agreeing with him about it in the context of his entire ideology or record. To suggest that there is, is to put ideology before thought.

[BenzoDia]

8. Funny that he should bring up Afghanistan b/c he voted for

The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) shortly after 9-11.

Barbara Lee (D - CA) was the only person in Congress to call bullshit on it.

[valerief]

9. Why is the hostility directed at Assange, the publisher, and not at our governments failure to prote

Because the puppetmasters own the media.

That question is the FIRST thing I asked. If they can't protect the data, it's THEIR fault.

[Dokkie]

32. yea, its just like blaming a coach

for for his team allowing a 3 pter. You can only do so much to protect data especially when the leaker is an insider. Anyway, I agree with his other points except his attempt to blame the "gourment".

[PassingFair]

11. He is exactly half crazy.

Weird.

[RoccoR5955]

18. K & R

[JDPriestly]

21. I disagree with Ron Paul on a lot of, if not most things.

But he is saying exactly what I have said on DU.

Do countries have the right to protect certain secrets? Yes. But they can't expect other countries to do that job for them.

And we do have the right to ask whether we are getting our money's worth.

I lived overseas for some years. And at that time, I developed serious questions about our intelligence capacity post-Viet Nam War.

Here is my Russian clothespins story. While living in Austria, I bought a package of Russian clothespins. The spring was made of some sort of putty-like material that I could twist and break in my hand. Based on that, it was obvious to me that the stories about Russian industrial capacity and technology were way overstated. If that product was being exported to the West for hard currency, what were the Russian people getting at home?

True, the USSR had the ability to produce military equipment (or to get it produced in the DDR -- East Germany), but it did not really have high standards in its industrial production. It did not have the economic structure to produce quality products.

Ironically, neither do we now. We did then. But that was during the early Reagan era. Our industrial base had not yet been completely decimated down to the bare bones of our war machine by "free" trade.

[Blue_Tires]

22. he's still an insane piece of shit, but correct on this issue, obviously

of course, Paul will play dumb when all the big oil/banking/credit card and other corporate dirt comes out

[buckrogers1965]

43. Wow, you have no idea what you are talking about.

>> Paul will play dumb when all the big oil/banking/credit card and other corporate dirt comes out

The bankers are trying to keep Paul from becoming the Chairman of the House Financial Services committee.

Because Paul is also one of the few people in congress that is doing anything about the federal reserve and trying to get transparency in banking.

[Blue State Bandit]

25. Signed in just to K-n-R this post.

I got to hand it to Congressman Paul (the elder, not the younger). He has a real knack for sticking to his principles.

[AnneD]

27. I have known Ron Paul forever....

He may be viewed as a crazy nut, but he is our crazy nut.

This is what I know about Ron. He always helps his constituents. He may not agree with you but he will listen. If you give a good enough reason in your argument, he will change his mind. He is not motivated by money but he has a better grasp on economics than most. He is not afraid to call bull shit if he sees bull shit.

He has always been on the margins of the GOP because he is his own person. I may not like all that he says but I respect him for being true to his libertarian principals. I know Ron as trustworthy and would rather deal with him as an enemy that as many politicians that will call themselves my friend.

THAT my friends is why he keeps getting voted in.

[Ter]

29. That's what he did with DADT

He was one of like four Republicans to vote to repeal it. He had been for it, but changed his mind at the last minutes, saying his constituents though it would be highly hypocritical for a libertarian to support it.

[struggle4progress]

31. He's not our crazy nut: he's an anti-regulatory laissez-faire Reaganite

[LanternWaste]

33. Joe Stalin wrote, "artillery is the God of war..."

Joe Stalin wrote, "artillery is the God of war..." and I agree with Stalin on that one point. Nevertheless, Stalin is still Stalin.

[David Zephyr]

34. This guy will connect with the teaparty more than Palin ever will.

He's correct on this. And I salute him on this issue.

[Habitual Candor]

44. Separate the Message from the Messenger

I agree completely with his message and like how he used the analogy of the Pentagon papers back in 1971. Ron Paul was able to articulate my thoughts on the subject and added historical context that I was not aware existed. Hopefully he can enlighten his followers with a more realistic viewpoint.

I just do not understand those trying to crucify Assange while at the same time other people are trying to make Assange out to be a hero. In my view, Wikileaks made it known years ago to send it your secrets and it will let the world know. I doubt Assange was naive when he started this service and knew something like this would happen some day. I question his own motives and methods, but news outlets have been relaying confidential sources far longer albeit on a smaller scale.

-= Yes, this is my first DU post but I have be a silent observer for a couple years =-

[krabigirl]

35. Go Ron! He is right yet again.

[TheWatcher]

40. Well now that everyone's favorite Broken Clock has defended it, I am sure the gatekeepers

Will be out in FULL FORCE telling us all how we should be against it, or we hate America, Obama, Democrats, rule Of Law, (Insert silly meme, strawman, talking point here), we love illegal activity, etc, etc, etc.

Nice to see the Broken Clock on board.

He's wrong about many things, but Sometimes, he's right.

Case in point.

[sarcasmo]

41. Kick for truth.

[Jefferson23]

45. Questions 1 through 5, come on White House, answer the questions. n/t

[unkachuck]

46. there's a little good in almost everyone....n/t