The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
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Book Reviews of The Revolution: A Manifesto
Book Review: Ron Paul's Solution? Follow the U.S. Constitution!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Paul is a maverick U.S. Congressman whose career in Washington is marked by a consistent political philosophy and a voting record that is unmatched in the halls of Congress. Paul is one of the very few congressmen alive who votes according to the dictates of the Constitution and he is sometimes the only person in the entire congress to vote a certain way. His devotion to the U.S. Constitution is relentless, and he has voted against his fellow Republicans almost as often as he has sided in their favor.
Paul wrote this book to briefly supply his followers and other interested parties with some food for thought. Paul, as everyone knows, was a candidate for the U.S. presidency this year for the second time in his life (he ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988) and he developed quite a following among those who believe strongly that following the U.S. Constitution is not only a good idea, it is also the law. The Revolution: A Manifesto was written to recap Paul's positions on politics and his absolute devotion to the U.S. Constitution,
This book devotes most of its pages to discussion of the U.S. Constitution and how far American has strayed from the wisdom of our founding document. This has been especially true since the election of George W. Bush to the U.S. presidency. Civil liberties, privacy rights, first amendment rights, and most everything else has gone out the window. Not only that, but the U.S. faces ever larger deficits and a revenue pool that cannot keep pace with the outflow of funds. Monetary and fiscal policies are in shambles, and the U.S. housing market is a mess. Paul realizes these things are true and he knows his fellow Republicans are to blame for much of it. Paul does not hold back his criticisms of members of his own party. If they deserve to be blamed, then Paul is right there, blowing the whistle on their continuous violations of the U.S. Constitution.
Paul responds to many common questions hurled at him from his critics and his message in this book is sensible and thoughtful. Even though the book uses the word Revolution in its title, Paul isn't radical in his responses, unless you consider supporting the U.S. Constitution an act of rebellion. Paul simply feels that following the U.S. Constitution is the best way to govern. He rejects the concentration of power in the hands of the U.S. President and he longs for the day when the Constitution will be followed as closely as possible and freedom will be respected and protected.
I like the way Paul includes separate chapters on economic freedom and personal freedom. When today's politicians speak about freedom, they are often referring only to the free enterprise system and the freedom to build wealth and live prosperously. But this is only part of the picture, as Ron Paul is quick to point out. Personal freedom is equally important, and it includes everything from the right to decide whom one will marry to the right to decide where to live, what to eat and drink, whether or not to be religious, whom to associate with, how to think, etc., etc. Too often, politicians pay lip service to these fundamental rights. A quick check of their voting records often reveals a completely different agenda that looks nothing like the political direction in which they claim to lead.
Overall, The Revolution: A Manifesto is an excellent book about American foreign and domestic policy; where it has been heading over the past several years/decades and what needs to be done to change its course for the better. Ron Paul is unique among politicians, for he is one of only a handful of U.S. Congressmen who actually practices what he preaches; votes consistently in favor of the U.S. Constitution; and criticizes his own party without hesitation when they deserve it. His book would be even better if it was longer, but as it stands, it is still an excellent piece of writing on American Government and the actions that need to be taken to ensure freedom and prosperity for future generations.
Book Review: Why I am voting for Ron Paul - if I have to write in his name...
Summary: 5 Stars
Do you want to know why I support Ron Paul for the presidency in 2008?
Read this book.
'the Revolution - a Manifesto' is Dr. Ron Paul's literal blueprint for the future and what I enjoyed about this 192 page book is with every chapter Paul shows his understanding and plan for a different issue that he knows important for the American voter.
Why does the WORLD now really hate the United States and what is blowback? What is the Council of Foreign Relations? Who are it's members? Isn't that part of the problem in this country? Hardly anyone gives a damn about the American People anymore and truth? The Media really decides who will be in the race, right? They sure as the world is round won't tell you that Ron Paul is still in the race for the presidency. He's a ten-term Congressman. Does that make him experienced? He isn't in the quick, though, and hasn't been bought off like those still left in the presidential race - Obama, Clinton, and McCain... though it is almost May of 2008 and Ron Paul is still in the race - you will rarely hear his name mentioned or this bestselling book.
You may have heard about The Military Industrial Complex or it mentioned in the news, but what is the real story there? Have you sought it out? Has anyone explained it to you?
If you are someone who reads, then I suggest reading The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek or watching Eisenhower's exit speech from office warning the United States populace of it's control...
At the risk of being labelled a Conspiracy Theorist I'd like to point out certain truths I've found out in the 34 years I've been on this earth and actually studying real history. I've found the real history in those gray areas - definitely not in history books in grade school. And not in agenda based history either, like a book by an Ann Coulter (Republican whackjob) or a movie by Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 911). But there is some truth to some of their work, but it often times becomes Propaganda when it only supports one side of an argument.
In this day and age it is kind of accepted that the President is sort of a puppet, especially in the case of idiot Presidents like George W. Bush or Johnson. Somehow, the corporate agendas of businesses like a Halliburton takes presidence over what our Constitution actually says about matters of Foreign Policy.
Why wasn't Bush impeached and why in the hell was he re-elected?
Was he re-elected?
Why didn't Al Gore run again?
He won the popular vote in 2000 but the Supreme Court that George H.W. Bush appointed handed the white house over to Dubya anyway. Everyone knows the Bush Administration had plans before 9/11 to enter a war with Iraq. And they never attacked us. And Saddam had everything under control.
America never even declared war on Iraq and we have over 150,000 troops there now. And there are another 150,000 contractors there working as well. Wait - CONTRACTORS? Well, you know, our military blows their bridges and buildings up in Iraq...just to rebuild them with our taxpayer dollars. We kill hundred of thousands of innocent people (women, children, and regular citizens). We create and unrest there in Iraq that will keep us committed there for another ten years MINIMUM.
Who benefits from that? It isn't the Iraqi people. They want the US gone. It's the Military Industrial Complex that benefits.
This book is an exceptional introduction to Ron Paul and a real conservative/patriot that is in the race.
In my opinion - the book is just the right length and Dr. Paul tackles and presents the topics without pulling punches.
Great reading.
Understanding Apples
Gathering Leaves: Understanding Apples Book Two
Book Review: Freedom -- or more interventions?
Summary: 5 Stars
Throughout his book, regardless of topic, Paul's message is clear: Intervention works only for the politically privileged. Freedom works for all the rest. History bears it out, theory supports it.
If anything is obvious about our political - economic scene today it's the high level of government intervention. Point: intervention is not freedom, in spite of how politicians dress it up. But claiming their interventions "secure" or "protect" freedom allows them to blame the latter when things invariably go wrong. The prescription for failed "freedom" is always more intervention. If the people don't act to stop them, the interventions keep coming until we reach the "Freedom is slavery" and "War is peace" stage.
That's called tyranny. It's also called a racket writ large.
But statists see things differently. We need troops in 130 countries. We need the federal reserve to fight inflation and protect the value of the dollar. We need an income tax to care for the poor and helpless. We need withholding to ease the taxpayer's suffering. We need Social Security to make sure old folks are taken care of. We need a war on terrorism to stop terrorism. We need a war on drugs to keep people from taking harmful drugs. We need gun control to keep people from killing each other. We need FEMA to save us from natural disasters. We need the NEA to keep artists from starving. We need foreign aid to buy influence and support corporate welfare. We need to invade other countries to bring them democracy. We need to suspend personal liberties to preserve our liberty.
The Justice Department investigates crimes against the state. Public schools educate our children, for "free." The Department of Defense defends our country, overseas. The Department of Homeland Security color codes perceived threats. We need hordes of lobbyists to promote the general welfare. We need hordes of spies to protect us from terrorists. We need more and bigger prisons to "correct" those who don't get it. We need a multi-trillion dollar budget and a huge deficit to pay for it all.
All of these interventions and countless others are needed to establish an authentic free society, say the interventionists -- a free society that's compassionate, responsible, and stands tall in the world. A free society totally run by the state.
Imagine if Paine had written something like this in Common Sense: "We need government! More and bigger government!" It would have died on the printing press. Instead he wrote this and changed the course of history: "Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one."
Ready to stop tolerating it?
Ron Paul:
"We have lost our belief that freedom works, because we no longer have the imagination to conceive of how a free people might solve its problems without introducing threats of violence -- which is what government solutions ultimately amount to." [The Revolution, p. 85]
Ron Paul's Revolution: a Manifesto brings us closer to reality. I give it five stars.
See also:
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
Your Money or Your Life: Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax
Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market (Scholars Edition)
George Smith
Author, "The Flight of the Barbarous Relic"
Book Review: WTF America?! What else do you need, a gun to your head?!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have heard many remarks that have perniciously evaluated and rebuked the political ideologies of Ron Paul. The most common I come across is, "That man is nuts!" The irony here is that when you look at the core of what he stands for it edifies all that every American should stand for: the Constitution and a free Republic, with a very limited CENTRALIZED government. The unfortunate instance is that our population is becoming unfathomably comfortable allowing the Federal government the freedom of regulating our liberties to the extent of its interpretations as to what liberty means. In a nation that is becoming evermore politically docile and withdrawn I would not expect the masses to understand the principles of what this nation was built upon. Especially, since the Federal government has subsidized and seized the nation's educational system and curriculum.
Paul identifies a myriad of issues that are quite odiously befuddling as to why they are here in the great America: from the increasing power of the Supreme Court; increasing power of the President; decreasing sovereignty of States; diminishing civil rights of the citizens; the perplexing and superfluous use of "national security" to lie or hinder knowledge from the public and to aid passage of bills sight unseen; excessive regulation based on "problem, reaction, solution"; government intervention into the free market; frivolously dispersed military; the waging of countless unnecessary wars; the welfare system; dependence of Americans on the Federal government; etc., so forth and ever continuous! As Americans, which is fortunate in this REPUBLIC, we can fight back against all of these issues and regulate that which needs regulation and reform. For those of us whom follow Paul and the Constitution find ourselves up against a monolithic edifice on civilian ground. The people of America have been groomed to see political issues in two dimensional idiosyncrasies: Republican fix and Democratic fix-which Paul did run for the Republican nomination, but his ideologies are in Constitutionalism. Anything outside of the Republican and Democrat ideologies is unacceptable and will be repudiated by the American population, which is sad. We, the people that say no to the orthodox, are quirks and conspiracy theorists. In my personal opinion those who would refute what Paul has to say is far from living INDEPENDENT, and has sold their independence for dependence (government regulation and "security") as they genuflect before the FED.
Overall I feel the thesis of this book is that "the Constitution is not an antiquated and obfuscating document." If one were to read the Constitution you would be frightened to see where our rights and liberties have been seized, and if this continues before long we will see the Bill of Rights abrogated. Being the brilliant men they were the Framers of this Constitution knew exactly what they were writing, and the intent of LIMITING CENTRAL GOVERNMENT was the premise. These men had an arduous task before them to create a document that would perturb an intrusive central government. As successful as they were FEDERALISM seems to have prevailed and now we as Americans need to wake up from our political indifference and allow our apathy to be cured by the sacred documents of America that are NOT, indeed, antiquated or obfuscated.
[Stepping from my soapbox]
The only issue I have with the book is its length, it should have been much longer. However, the amount of impact that the book does carry is definitely a detriment that will be felt by the current political orthodoxy. This book should be read by any American who believes in the principles upon which this country was founded, and should be required reading for all high school seniors.
Book Review: The emperor has no clothes!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Paul has seen the man behind the curtain of political manipulation and lies and told it like it is. We are slaves. However much we don't like to put it that way, there is no way around it. A totalitarian regime is not distinguished by the severity of its regime, its terror and its concentration camps, but rather by the fact that it does not recognize in principle any limits to the legitimate exercise of its power, and that every sphere of its subjects' lives are proper aspects of state control. This is precisely what we have. We have made our government our god: all-wise, all-benevolent, all-powerful, and the source of our provision and safety. The reality is far otherwise, and the clouds are gathering so darkly that it is now almost impossible to fail to recognize that something is deeply wrong.
But we insist on limiting ourselves every four years to two candidates who only differ on irrelevant details and are perfectly unified on fundamentals: the size, scope and power of the state. The illusion of the choice that we are presented is between an eternity of illegal wars, domestic spying, and police state on the one hand, and an exploding welfare state and forced wealth redistribution on the other hand, all guaranteed by the force and violence of the state. More and more of these things are what we have to look forward to.
Economically, our government has been a malignant cancer draining the incredible productivity of Americans for almost one hundred years now. By their own statistics, our dollar is worth 94% less than what it was in 1914 when the government in its infinite wisdom and benevolence saw fit to take over the management of it. And remember: that wealth did not disappear, it was stealthily redistributed to the politicians and their special-interest groups. The government manipulators and interventionists cause the bubbles and crashes, but to fix them they promise us more manipulation and intervention. The Austrian economists were the only ones to predict the Great Depression, the dot-com bubble, and now the housing bubble, but they are sneered at by establishment Keynesians and welfare statists. How bad is it going to get before we are willing to take them seriously? Pretty bad. Our combined national debt and unfunded social program liabilities are around $70 trillion now. Ron Paul thinks we can turn that around (not, of course, by more manipulation and government intervention, but by less). Perhaps we can. But the point is entirely academic, because no one else is even acknowledging the question, let alone offering an answer. There are economic laws in the universe, laws of supply and demand, cause and effect, even moral laws ("You shall not steal" which has been amended by our society to "You shall not steal, except by majority vote"). We have pretended there are no laws, but it's the day of reckoning, and the laws won't go away any more than the law of gravity will.
What we have in Washington is the precise and specific government that our founding fathers intended to prevent. They did pretty well, for about a hundred years, which is a long time to withstand the attacks of the insatiable lust for power. In a free society, the people get the government they deserve, and if we don't turn it around real soon on this road we've chosen, no one is going to like the outcome. In 2008 we don't have a choice to make. Ron Paul offered us a real alternative, a few people listened, but it is not an alternative that is acceptable to the establishment statists, Republicans or Democrats.
Buy this book. Read it. Get your friends to read it. Let the Revolution begin!