| Lately I've noticed an uptick online in the number of people trying to sway the left wing over into supporting Ron Paul. Some of this may be driven by Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald, who has been singing Paul's praises as an anti-war, anti-imperialist libertarian hero for liberals. (As opposed to Greenwald's portrayal of President Obama as a warmongering neo-fascist who didn't really end the Iraq War, Bush deserves that credit thank-you-very-much.)
Of course, there's the little complication to that that Paul is neither "libertarian" nor "anti-war" in any way, having supported the Iraq War until it turned out bad, has previously supported attacking Iran, and supports the criminalization of abortion and homosexuality. But then, you could say that about most of the Republican candidates.
No, where Ron Paul really stands out is where he actually departs from the Republican pack. Less in what he believes than in what he's actually willing to say, or was willing a few years ago. You may have heard about his controversial newsletters, but I guarantee you haven't heard even a fraction of the worst of them, simply because you can't read the worst of them on TV.
No, it's not just a few vague quotes taken completely out of context. In fact, Paul's newsletters read like a "greatest hits" album of far right bigotry, conspiracy theories, and violent propaganda. The following quotes were all taken newsletters operated by Ron Paul and published between 1985 and 1994.
Those who don't commit sodomy, get blood transfusions, or swap needles are virtually assured of not getting AIDS unless they are deliberately infected by a malicious gay.
If you heard a certain behavior of yours caused a deadly disease, wouldn't you immediately cease & desist? Well, gays in San Francisco do not obey the dictates of good sense. They have stopped practicing "safe sex." The rate of AIDS infection is on the increase again. From the gay point of view, the reasons seem quite sensible.
First, these men don't really see a reason to live past their fifties. They are not married, they have no children, and their lives are centered on new sexual partners. These conditions do not make one's older years the happiest.
Second, because sex is the center of their lives, they want it to be as pleasurable as possible, which means unprotected sex.
Third, they enjoy the attention & pity that comes with being sick. Put it all together, and you've got another wave of AIDS infections, that you, dear taxpayer, will be asked to pay for.
A mob of black demonstrators, led by the "Rev." Al Sharpton, occupied and closed the Statue of Liberty recently, demanding that New York be renamed Martin Luther King City "to reclaim it for our people."
Hmm. I hate to agree with the Rev. Al, but maybe a name change is in order. Welfaria? Zooville? Rapetown? Dirtburg? Lazyopolis?
But Al, the Statue of Liberty? Next time, hold that demonstration at a food stamp bureau or a crack house.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the face of what the right wing really believes but can no longer say openly. It's also why anyone who thinks that Ron Paul is anything other than a wretched sack of human bile, no matter his positions on a few issues, is badly mistaken. That you agree with a Republican on something doesn't make the Republican right, it makes them only slightly less wrong.
And make no mistake: Paul's crime in Republican politics is not to believe this, but to have it committed to paper in no uncertain terms. Look at every other Tea Party approved Republican, and tell me they would disagree on substance, instead of on language.
Remember that the next time that someone tells you that there's no real difference between the parties; the next time someone expresses admiration for Ron Paul; and most importantly, remember it when it comes time to choose between apathy, and fighting like hell to elect Democrats. |
