The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
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Book Reviews of The Revolution: A Manifesto
Book Review: A Clear Argument for Liberty -- and a Solution to What Ails Us
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Paul's _The Revolution: A Manifesto_ is NOT an anti-government tirade. It is a clarion call for a return to the kind of government the American Revolutionaries fought for.
So, for example, in foreign policy, Congressman Paul calls for a return to the posture toward the world that was favored by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson: peace, commerce, and friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none. For foreign countries' good, we should stay out of their business; for the sake of our own society, we should mind our own.
When it comes to the economy, Ron Paul opposes having the Federal Reserve constantly inflate our money supply. When government-induced inflation causes temporary bubbles (over-investment) in particular sectors, and then those bubbles inevitably burst (witness Lehman Brothers, Fanny and Freddie, AIG, etc.), our leading politicians blame "greed" and lack of adequate "regulation." Ron Paul points out, on the basis of arguments developed by Nobel Prize-winning economists such as F. A. von Hayek, that the problem is the government's policy of printing more and more money. How to solve the problem? Stop printing the money.
In our current situation, simply bringing the troops home from Korea, Germany, and Iraq would mark a very good start to resolving BOTH of these issues. One wonders, then, why the politicians NEVER talk about this common-sense solution. Could it be that they benefit from being able to hand out military contracts and being able to inflate the money supply? Hmm.
Today is Constitution Day. You may have noticed that, as Tom Woods and I note in Who Killed the Constitution?: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush, neither McCain nor Obama says very much about the Constitution. Why is that? It's because 1) they're ignorant of it; and 2) it is hostile to their schemes for government control of economic activity and American military intervention in 130 foreign countries. (In case you think that Obama's stint as a constitutional law professor makes him an expert, I invite you to read my other book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution, for the skinny on what "constitutional law" actually is.)
Read Ron Paul's book. Notice that the presidential campaign avoids the actual issues altogether. Weep, or get out and do something about it! The choice is yours.
Book Review: Manifesto of the Revolution
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a must-read.
I truly believe that historians will one day write of THE REVOLUTION as the book that inspired a national movement to reverse America's decline.
It begins with a reality check. Our entitlement programs are insolvent. The dollar is collapsing yet we continue to borrow billions from China every day. National bankruptcy looms while we play empire games abroad, weakening our national defense and stirring up hostility against us. And the political class offers no alternative. Artificial limitations on free debate ensure that the right questions are never asked, let alone answered.
The book's core message is that our current path is unsustainable. Either we face the facts and revert gracefully from empire to republic, or financial reality will make itself known in increasingly uncomfortable ways until the system degenerates into chaos.
It seems impossible to me that anyone could read this book from cover to cover and come to a different conclusion. In concise and captivating prose, Ron Paul takes a rhetorical wrecking ball to the conventional wisdom about terrorism, foreign policy, the economy, healthcare, taxes, trade, the war on drugs, foreign aid, international institutions, and much more. He lambasts the media and political establishments for sustaining the illusion of a fantasy world while liberty and prosperity are silently strangled.
When the dust clears, all that remains standing is the legacy of our founding fathers. Ron Paul eloquently defends the original intent of the founders and the continued relevance of the Constitution. He draws for us a beautiful picture of America - the way it was meant to be, the way it still can be.
Forget the campaign-season rhetoric about unity and change. Here, finally, is a message - a manifesto - around which Americans can unite. "In the final analysis," Ron Paul writes, "the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves."
It is that time. The system is compromised. The government is not coming to the rescue. The media will only distract you. The future of our Republic will be decided by you and me. As a first step, let us rouse our neighbors by spreading this book far and wide.
Ron Paul has written a masterpiece that deserves to be read by every American. It enlightens and inspires from the first page to its final sentence:
"Let the revolution begin."
Book Review: The only campaign book with something to say
Summary: 5 Stars
Every election cycle, most presidential candidates write (or have ghost-written) a book to be released during the primary contest. These cliché texts are almost always the same; heartfelt anecdotes of formative years, hard work done to overcome obstacles and establish themselves in their adult lives, and finally a series of platitudes and vague commitments to right the wrongs, fight the good fights, and to put in the hard work needed to make the world a Better Place(tm). In short, sophomoric emotional crap that doesn't help in any way to clarify the candidates abilities, positions, or principles. Worse yet, you will almost never find a statement indicating the candidates justification for a policy position, references to materials they base their opinion on, or any sort of historic or scientific facts that support their conclusion.
The best you can usually hope for is a vague sense of "liking" or "respecting" the candidate. Of course, since they control the flavor of the story (I.E. the spin), you usually come away with exactly the impression they want you to have. For some people, perhaps most, this is enough to win their vote. Since all candidates are pretty much the same, they figure, the best you can do is vote for the one you see as likeable, with a strong presence, and a real-enough sounding claim to hold office.
This book shows it doesn't have to be that way. In his 20 years in the U.S. Congress, Ron Paul has written hundreds of position papers regarding our nation's policies. These papers were brief, coherent, and comprehensive statements of his decision making process. They provide insight into what he believes and why he believes it. If you disagreed with one of his stances, you could seek out and contest the very materials it is based on and argue against it using principle and reason.
"The Revolution" is as a distillation of those hundreds of brilliant papers, updated with current events, and interspersed with prescient quotes from the founders and other luminaries like Bastiat, Rothbard, and VonMises. This book is not like the vanity pieces produced by most campaigns. It offers real insight into the principles that Ron Paul has built his economic, social, and political world view upon. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those unsatisfied with the quality (and quantity) of political debate in this country and hoping for something more substantial.
Book Review: Nails down the issues that offend the status quo
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this book, especially as a precursor to Ron Paul's other books. IT WASN'T THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE THAT GOT OBAMA ELECTED. IT WAS THE BETRAYAL BY THE REPUBLICANS OF THEIR CONSTITUENCY that got Obama elected. Frankly, the Republicans treated Ron Paul terrible at the debate. The socalled neutral arbiter Chris Wallace made sarcastic remarks about Paul's view on the Federal Reserve and so on. Sean Hannity showed more hospitality to Barney Frank than to Ron Paul. O'Reilly called Ron Paul a pinhead. It was traitors like Hannity and O'Reilly who got Obama elected. Putting a loser like McCain was an insult to the conservative public. Abandoning the pro-life plank is an even bigger insult. Like the book "Tempting Faith," this book shows how far gone the two party system has gone. There was some life in the Republican party. But, now it's dead. I'll never vote Republican again. I'd die rather than vote Democrat. The fact our government continues to represent everybodies' interest other than American interest shows we are in need of serious house cleaning. Our public officials have sworn to uphold the laws of our land and defend the interests of our people. They betray that oath to the point of high treason. Sending our troops to die for Israeli interest is pathetic. Using tax payer dollars to escort foreign merchandise across the ocean is pathetic. You can sell Japanese cars in America, but you cannot sell American cars in Japan. You can sell Chinese goods in America, but you go through a hopeless wall of red tape and bureaucracy in order to sell anything American in China. When Traficant can go to jail for questioning Israeli control of our government, and get railroaded with impunity, we are a people held hostage. And when the much preferable Ron Paul is gerrymandered out of the primaries by putting forth a barrage of candidates, with McCain getting elected at the primaries, we see that Kenneth Arrow wasn't kiddin' when he said that voting can be manipulated to defeat the most popular candidate and give victory to the most unpopular candidate. That is what this book is all about. It makes plain the original text of American first politics. The Republican party today is what the democratic party was fifteen years ago. There is no checks and balances. What it doesn't say but wants to say is the masonic and juwish role in undermining that fabric of that original text.Book Review: I can't put it down!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Paul's book is FANTASTIC! It is highly relevant to citizens of both the United States and of Canada.
To Do List for Yourself and for Everyone:
Get the book and read it. Even read it multiple times.
Tell other people about it.
Gift the book to your family and friends. It's a worthwhile investment in both their future and your own.
Gift the book to libraries and schools, even multiple copies. Gift the book to the schools' history or social studies teachers.
Suggest to high schools and middle/junior high schools that they read this book in all American History and civics classes.
Ron Paul's book sat unopened on the table for a couple of days. I began reading it, because I felt that I should, like reading it was a responsibility. Now, I force myself to put it down, or I would continue reading all day.
The book format enables Dr. Paul to convey understanding of the issues in much greater depth. He provides perspective on the issues that spans from the days of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution to current times. Quotes from the Founding Fathers powerfully illustrate relevant points.
Technically, this is a campaign book, as Ron Paul discusses issues relevant to the 2008 Presidential campaign. But he wrote the book with the intention that it be relevant for many, many years. The education available here is timeless.
"I Hate History!" -- Transformed
Ever since 5th grade, I have said about myself, "I hate history." Had Ron Paul taught my social studies classes, had he authored my history textbooks, I would have been a true lover of history. Reading Ron Paul is engaging, both providing depth of understanding and drawing forth passion about the future of our country. I plan to purchase more of his books -- and he is a prolific writer and educator, to the tremendous benefit of our society. What a transformation for me, an ex-avoider of history and politics!
Ron Paul as a Founding Father
I now think of Ron Paul as being one of the Founding Fathers. It just happens that the beginning of his term of service was delayed 30+ years. In fact, his serving the United States of America today is of so much greater importance now than it would have been in the 1700's. In the 1700's there were many men speaking these truths. Today, Ron Paul's is a lone, yet confident and steady voice.
Sandra