By Ron Paul
The term “deep state” has been so over-used in the past few years that it may seem meaningless. It has become standard practice to label one’s political adversaries as representing the “deep state” as a way of avoiding the defense of one’s positions. President Trump has often blamed the “deep state” for his political troubles. Trump supporters have created big conspiracies involving the “deep state” to explain why the president places neocons in key positions or fails to fulfill his campaign promises. But the “deep state” is no vast and secret conspiracy theory. The deep state is real, it operates out in the open, and it is far from monolithic. The deep state is simply the permanent, unelected government that continues to expand its power regardless of how Americans vote. There are factions of the deep state that are pleased with President Trump’s policies, and in fact we might say that President Trump represents some factions of the deep state. Other factions of the deep state are determined to undermine any of President Trump’s actions they perceive as threatening. Any move toward peace with Russia is surely something they feel to be threatening. There are hundreds of billions of reasons – otherwise known as dollars – why the Beltway military-industrial complex is terrified of peace breaking out with Russia and will do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. That is why Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s indictment on Friday of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for allegedly interfering in the 2016 US presidential election should immediately raise some very serious questions. First the obvious: after more than a year of investigations which have publicly revealed zero collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, why drop this bombshell of an allegation at the end of the news cycle on the last business day before the historic Trump/Putin meeting in Helsinki? The indictment could not have been announced a month ago or in two weeks? Is it not suspicious that now no one is talking about reducing tensions with Russia but is all of a sudden – thanks to Special Counsel Robert Mueller – talking about increasing tensions? Unfortunately most Americans don't seem to understand that indictments are not evidence. In fact they are often evidence-free, as is this indictment. Did the Russian government seek to interfere in the 2016 US presidential elections? It’s certainly possible, however we don’t know. None of the Justice Department’s assertions have been tested in a court of law, as is thankfully required by our legal system. It is not enough to make an allegation, as Mueller has done. You have to prove it. That is why we should be very suspicious of these new indictments. Mueller knows he will never have to defend his assertions in a court of law so he can make any allegation he wants. It is interesting that one of the Russian companies indicted by Mueller earlier this year surprised the world by actually entering a “not guilty” plea and demanding to see Mueller’s evidence. The Special Counsel proceeded to file several motions to delay the hand-over of his evidence. What does Mueller have to hide? Meanwhile, why is no one talking about the estimated 100 elections the US government has meddled in since World War II? Maybe we need to get our own house in order?
The just-completed summit between presidents Trump and Putin has surprised - and infuriated - President Trump's supporters and detractors at home. Is this the beginning of an improvement in relations...or will the neocons have the last word?
By Liberty Report Staff
Ron Paul joins CNBC Futures Now to discuss the inflated markets:
Patrick Bet-David and Valuetainment recently made a trip to Clute, TX for a deep conversation with Ron Paul.
By Jacob G. Hornberger
Suppose I had an unlimited power of attorney to sign your name as a co-signer on any loan I made with the bank. Every time I went to the bank and borrowed money, I could legally obligate you to pay my loan if I defaulted. How would you like that? My hunch is that you wouldn’t be too excited about that arrangement. That is precisely the authority that NATO has over the American people, only the obligation is much worse than a financial one. The obligation involves killing and dying. That is, NATO has the authority to obligate young Americans, both men and women, to kill and die for whatever overseas regime that NATO decides to admit as a member of the organization. How does NATO work? If another nation attacks any member of NATO, the United States is automatically bound to come to its defense. That is not the type of system on which the United States was founded when the U.S. Constitution called the federal government into existence. The founding principle was that it would be up to Congress to decide whether the country would, in fact, go to war against another nation. There would be nothing automatic about it. If Congress declared war, then it would be the president’s responsibility to wage war. But if Congress failed to declare war, the government could not legally go to war. Unfortunately, the Constitution did not limit war to the defense of the United States. That means that if Congress decided to declare war against, say, Uruguay, simply because they didn’t like that country’s ruler, there was nothing in the Constitution that would preclude such a war. However, as a practical matter, a founding principle was that the United States did not involve itself in wars in faraway countries. That foreign policy of “non-interventionism” was encapsulated in John Quincy Adams’s Fourth of July address in 1821, where he observed that America does not go abroad in “search of monsters to destroy.” U.S. membership in NATO nullifies those founding principles. NATO now decides when the United States goes to war and, equally important, decides which countries the American people are obligated to defend. No congressional declaration of war is required. If, say, Russia were to invade Latvia, the American people, thanks to NATO’s decision to admit Latvia as a member, would be automatically bound to go to war against Russia. NATO is a blank, signed check which the American people have handed to NATO bureaucrats, a check by which they have obligated the lives of American youth and America’s money in the defense of some faraway nation that NATO has decided to admit as a member. Of course, it’s easy for people to say, “Jacob, this doesn’t really involve my children, my siblings, or me. We have a professional army.” But let’s not forget something: Mandatory draft registration. The Pentagon requires every man to register for the draft when he reaches the age of 18. That’s not just some esoteric exercise. It is a very real, practical device that enables the Pentagon to seize millions of young men, if necessary, to wage a NATO war (or any other war that the Pentagon deems is important to get involved in). Moreover, even though young American women are not forced to register for the draft, there is no doubt that they are as subject to being drafted to go fight, kill, and die in the defense of Latvia, Montenegro, Turkey, and every other member of NATO as young American men are. Isn’t it amazing that Americans would object to granting someone a power of attorney to obligate them on loans but have no reservations about giving the president, the Pentagon, and NATO bureaucrats the unfettered power to seize their children, spouses, brothers and sisters, and even themselves and the authority to force them to kill and die in the defense of faraway nations, some of which, by the way, are quite autocratic and dictatorial? Of course, it hasn’t always been that way. George Washington, the father of our country and the first U.S. president, declared “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.” Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president, echoed Washington’s sentiments: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none.” This article was originally published at The Future of Freedom Foundation.
Socialist Venezuela is suffering from hyperinflation, starvation, and have sunk to bartering. Socialist ideas have produced these results countless times. "Something for Nothing" never has, and never will, work. For over 150 years, Socialists have dreamed of taking down America by incrementally implementing their schemes. They've largely succeeded. Will they finish the U.S. off too?
According to a recent appeals court decision, the Transportation Security Administration cannot be sued for violating our rights during the screening process...no matter how blatant they assault us. Why are government employees -- paid by us -- above the law?
 By Norm Singleton
Today marks ten years since the passing of Kent Snyder, one of the finest men I have had the privilege of knowing and a founding father of the liberty rEVOLution. I got to know Kent when he was the head of the Liberty Committee, the grassroots lobbying group Ron Paul founded and served as chair of from 1997-2007. Kent was also the visionary who convinced Ron to run for President in 2007. Kent saw the potential for a campaign based around the ideas of liberty that could move libertarianism form the fringe of American politics to the center. Kent was also one of the finest human beings I ever had the privilege of calling a friend. He was unfailing, gracious, generous with his time, devoted to the cause of human liberty, and also very funny. One of the things I miss most about Kent is his sense of humor and how he did not let the pettiness, personality conflicts, and general insanity of D.C. and the campaign trail discourage him or darken his mood. Whenever I would rant to him about some outrage on Capitol Hill or by someone in the movement he would simply shake his head, smile and say “Norman, these people.” Shortly before his passing, Kent and I discussed a new grassroots mobilization group that would take the momentum from the ‘07 campaign and make our rEVOLution a permanent force. Of course, that organization became Campaign for Liberty. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss Kent and wish he was still here fighting the good fight with us.
President Donald Trump started his European tour with a bang, accusing Germany of hyping the Russian threat to get US protection while sending billions of dollars to Russia for its oil. The Europeans are not amused. Fasten your seat belts!
By Chris Rossini
Imagine a fish in the deep blue sea. This fish is on a personal quest to discover water. He's heard about it and all of its wonders, but has never actually seen it. He's devoted his life to someday finding this glorious water. All the while, our hypothetical fish is immersed in the very thing that he seeks. The water surrounds him, flows through his gills, and is a part of his very physical being. Now let's take a human being and his quest to discover Liberty. He's never seen this Liberty that people speak of, but he's devoted to climbing every mountain, if he has to, in order to find it. All the while, our hypothetical human is immersed in the very Liberty that he seeks! It's built-in to his very essence! He doesn't have to go anywhere. It's right here, and right now! Think about this... Were all the powers of electricity present during the times of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome? Of course they were! They just weren't discovered yet, and because of that, were never able to be put to use. Once the powers of electricity were discovered, even though they always existed, the entire world lit up! At the same time, the proper use of this electricity also had to be discovered. The same electricity that has the ability to light up a city, also has the ability to burn it down. So humans have to consciously choose to use this amazing power in a constructive way. Liberty was discovered long ago. No one living today can claim to be the first to find out that we are inherently free. In fact, the Declaration of Independence listed "Life" and "Liberty" as self-evident and inherent truths. These do not come from other human beings, but are a part of the very essence of every single one of us. However, just because Liberty was discovered as a part of our very nature, doesn't mean that it has been generally accepted. Our freedom includes the ability (if we so choose) to try to deny and even fight against it. For many, it is easier and more comforting to pretend that they are not free individuals. They use their Liberty to deny their Liberty. As individuals we're each tasked with choosing our own path. Much as electricity has the power to be constructive or destructive, so does Liberty have a proper use. What is the proper use of Liberty? It's actually extremely simple. No individual has the right to use aggressive force against another. In libertarian lingo, this is knows as the "non-aggression" principle. Force is for self-defense purposes only. No one can rob, steal, cheat or kill. Doing these things are a misuse of Liberty, just as burning a city down is the misuse of electricity. While most individuals understand and wouldn't ever think of misusing electricity, far too many individuals do not understand Liberty, and comply with its misuse. Far too many individuals believe that governments can rob, steal, cheat and kill, if these things will indirectly benefit them. A person will not rob his neighbor by himself, but will lobby for government to rob his neighbor for him. A person will not invade a country 6000 miles away himself, but will Tweet that government should go over there and 'wipe them out.' The best that can be done, on an individual basis, is to (A) Discover that you are a free individual. (B) Use your Liberty constructively instead of destructively, and then (C) Do as the Liberty Bell says: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout The Land". Proclaiming Liberty has both selfish and altruistic benefits. From a selfish standpoint, the less people that there are around you who believe they have a right to rip you off, the better it is for you. If you're surrounded by a society of people who wouldn't think of harming your liberty, your quality of life would rise exponentially. So proclaiming liberty is definitely in your interest. From an altruistic standpoint, the vast majority of people who have ever lived (and that live today) never knew (and do not know) about their inherent Liberty. They never got to smell the roses. If your words help someone to see what has been hidden, there is great joy to be had. You don't have to change the world. No one is burdened with such a monumental responsibility. But what if you reached just a few people in your circle? With the existence of social media, you have the ability to reach much further! Many will refuse to see, no matter what. That's life, and not your concern. Let them be as they wish to be. But even if your son or daughter, or friend, or spouse (or total stranger) were to discover and use their Liberty and Peace because you explained it to them, the emotional payoff for you will be great. |
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