In this video, Ron Paul talks about the concept of “blowback”. It is something that all of the other presidential candidates don’t talk about. Instead, we hear them spout off about “American exceptionalism” when it comes to our foreign policy. There is no doubt that America is exceptional. But is because of the diverse hardworking innovative Americans, NOT the government.
Posting this video is in no way an endorsement of any candidate. The Rock River Patriots do not endorse candidates.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NhRPo0WAo]
Your site state,”RRP does not endorse candidates”. How dumb do you think we are? Every other post is about Ron Paul who :1. wants to sit down and have cookies and tea with Iran . 2. Openly states it was bad the way US took out Bin Laden”. Please unsubscribe us from all future Rock River Patriot Posts. Merlin Westphal
Thanks Merlin…We DO NOT endorse candidates. However, if someone believes in many of the same issues that we do, I think it merits posting to the site. It is too bad that you want to be removed. You don’t have to agree with everything we say. Our main goal is to educate the public. So long we have been provided two false choices when it comes the Democrats and Republicans. Both parties have sold us down the river in many instances.
I will see if I can do that with the site updates. It might be something you have to do. I will take you off our email list as well.
That was very enlightening – I will pass this on. Thanks, Dan!
Susan
The position Ron Paul takes on foreign policy is the same foreign policy our founders decidedly put in place.
The current meddlesome interventionist policy our country now has is much closer to the corporate empire system of the dutch east india company.
Our foreign policy since the progressive era began has created more enemies than prevented. We should exhaust every effort to stay out of war, not rush to it every time someone believes different than us. To many people are to quick to rush in and kill other people. It is only because most Americans are not touched by the death and suffering war creates.
If we are attacked, invaded, etc. then we will fight. Running around being the worlds cop is not what our founders ever would have supported.
Those that support that policy support global corporate empire, they certainly can not claim the principles of our founding.
Merlin, you would rather kill people than strive for peace? You have taken the bait of the neo-cons and progressives.
Shame on you. You would make John McCain proud but I assure you, you make Jefferson, Washington, and Samuel Adams roll over in their graves.
Linus did you get a F in history or miss school when the taught about the Barbery priates? When Jefferson became president in 1801 President Jefferson dispatched a squadron of naval vessels to the Mediterranean.
The Constitution Article 1 Section 8 specifically authorizes Congress “To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high seas.”
Remember Jerry…This mess with the Barbary Pirates started in the 1780’s. America paid ransom for the sailors for a long time and negotiated / tried to negotiate treaties (diplomacy first and foremost). It didn’t work, so after continued ATTACKS on the ships…(copied from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War)
“Immediately prior to Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801, Congress passed naval legislation that, among other things, provided for six frigates that ‘shall be officered and manned as the President of the United States may direct.’ … In the event of a declaration of war on the United States by the Barbary powers, these ships were to ‘protect our commerce & chastise their insolence — by sinking, burning or destroying their ships & Vessels wherever you shall find them.'”[14] On Jefferson’s inauguration as president in 1801, Yusuf Karamanli, the Pasha (or Bashaw) of Tripoli, demanded $225,000 from the new administration. (In 1800, Federal revenues totaled a little over $10 million.) Putting his long-held beliefs into practice, Jefferson refused the demand. Consequently, on May 10, 1801, the Pasha declared war on the U.S., not through any formal written documents but in the customary Barbary manner of cutting down the flagstaff in front of the U.S. Consulate.[15] Algiers and Tunis did not follow their ally in Tripoli.
In response, “Jefferson sent a small force to the area to protect American ships and citizens against potential aggression, but insisted that he was ‘unauthorized by the Constitution, without the sanction of Congress, to go beyond the line of defense.'” He told Congress: “I communicate [to you] all material information on this subject, that in the exercise of this important function confided by the Constitution to the Legislature exclusively their judgment may form itself on a knowledge and consideration of every circumstance of weight.”[14] Although Congress never voted on a formal declaration of war, they did authorize the President to instruct the commanders of armed American vessels to seize all vessels and goods of the Pasha of Tripoli “and also to cause to be done all such other acts of precaution or hostility as the state of war will justify.”
The schooner USS Enterprise defeated the 14-gun Tripolitan corsair Tripoli after a fierce but one-sided battle on August 1, 1801.
In 1802, in response to Jefferson’s request for authority to deal with the pirates, Congress passed “An act for the Protection of Commerce and seamen of the United States against the Tripolitan cruisers”, authorizing the President to “…employ such of the armed vessels of the United States as may be judged requisite… for protecting effectually the commerce and seamen thereof on the Atlantic ocean, the Mediterranean and adjoining seas.”[16] “The statute authorized American ships to seize vessels belonging to the Bey of Tripoli, with the captured property distributed to those who brought the vessels into port.”[14]
Actually Jerry I did quite well in history and enjoy the study of it. You are 100% right about Jefferson sending a few frigates in 1801 and then newly formed Marines 03-04 to deal with the pirates. Hence the phrase “to the shores of Tripoli” in the Marines fight song.
He did that AFTER US merchant sailors and the like had been ATTACKED and taken for ransom. In fact, the actions he took in 1801, the land fighting in 03-04 and the final second war with Algiers in 1815 led by Bainbridge and Decatur that ended all tribute/ransom payments, was only done only after the pasha of Tripoli DECLARED WAR ON THE UNITED STATES.
Iran has not declared war, not built up any staging of troops, fired no missiles at anyone, and attacked no one.
Why aren’t you calling on the congress to issue letters of Marque and Reprisal? Why are we not arming our merchant sailors off the coast of Somalia? Why have we not gone in and exterminated the pirates in Somalia. You used a historical event that has nothing to do with Iran and in fact weakens your argument when the facts are known.
Preemtive undeclared wars are the actions of a dictator, they are not the actions of a liberty loving true constitutional republic.
Linus, I see you brushed up on your history. I suggest you continue to read about the people(the founding fathers)views you use to support your opinions. You will find they often disagreed and each interpreted the constitution to support their opinions, not unlike all Americans. Using Jefferson and the Barbary pirates as an example and considering the attack on the World Trade center Bush had every right to dispatch troops to Afghanistan. Now that Obama succeeded in eliminating the threat it is time to come home. However considering the constitution Bush had no right to invade Iraq and you should thank Obama for bringing the troops home.
You may notice that my response favors neither party. Spoken like a true independent.
I agree, we had no business going into Iraq. They hoodwinked the public by lying about WMD’s and ginned up popular support on the heals of 9/11.
Libya, totally unconstitutional war that was unprovoked. They again lied to the public stating we were on the side of freedom. Half a the leadership in the field of the “revolutionaries” are affiliated with terrorist groups. Hmmm……lied to again.
Iran, again completely ginned up to start another war.
Afghanistan…….that is for another day.
You used Jefferson and the barbary pirates to demonstrate justification for taking action against Iran. My point was that the Barbary pirates are completely out of context for the issue of Iran. There is no similarity. Perhaps it is you who should consider brushing up before using such a dissimilar event in history to compare to this current event.
The other thing about Iraq was that Sadaam Hussein was a “check” on Iran. Iran and Iraq hated each other and fought wars against each other. We created a big mess by going into Iraq and destabilized the whole region that much more.
“Blowback” is one consequence of that interventionist foreign policy.