"America's policy of foreign intervention, while still debated in the early 20th Century, is today accepted as conventional wisdom by both political parties. But what if the overall policy is a colossal mistake, a major error of judgement? Not just bad judgement regarding when and where to impose ourselves, but the entire premise that we have a moral right to meddle in the affairs of others?"
This book is a collection of speeches that Ron Paul delivered to Congress between 1976 and 2006. For 30 years Congressman Paul stood firmly by the principles outlined in the Constitution. It was fascinating to read about modern history through his lens. The book covers many events including death of Communist leader Mao Tse Tung, the bombing of the American embassy in Lebanon, the Kosovo War and a large portion of the book is dedicated to the debates in Washington following 9/11.
I had some difficulty getting through this book. Dr. Paul was so consistent with his message that parts became redundant. I would have given this five stars if the content were presented in a more succinct format. I'm really hoping that a zealous Ron Paul fan will take that project on. Until then, I still encourage others to read this book, especially Republicans.
Here are some key points. (From the last 150 pages that I took notes.)
1. The U.S. can be hypocritical. For example proposing a trade embargo against Syria for failure to secure their border while our border is obviously insecure.
3. We can't say we believe in national sovereignty and then do things like tell the Ukraine how to handle their elections.
4. Our involvement in the Middle East is strange. We were once allies with both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Ladin. In 1967 we sent Iran a nuclear reactor and then in 1986 we sent Iraq biological weapons and Anthrax so they could fight against Iran.
5. History teaches us that sanctions and embargoes don't really influence governments, they do however hurt their poor people. (For example, 50 years of a trade embargo against Cuba has not produced our desired result.)
6. We can't afford this war.
7. We are better prepared to defend Seoul, Korea than our own border.
8. Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died since our invasion!
9. "We should remember that since World War II in 35 US attempts to promote democracy around the world none have succeeded."
10. The war in Iraq has everything to do with protecting "our oil".
Quotable quotes
"War, and the threat of war, are big government's best friend. Liberals support big government social programs, and conservatives support big government war policies, thus satisfying two major special interest groups. And when push comes to shove, the two groups cooperate and support big government across the board - always at the expense of personal liberty. Both sides pay lip service to freedom, but neither stands against the welfare/warfare state and its promises of unlimited entitlements and endless war."
"Does the mere existence of evil somewhere in the world justify preemptive war at the expense of the American people? Utopian dreams, fulfilled by autocratic means hardly qualify as being morally justifiable."
"As bad as it is to see Bush and his neoconservative cronies get away with needless killing and mayhem, the more disheartening and disgusting spectacle is the pro-war position of Christian leaders with their TV-financed empires. They cannot help but force all Christians to reassess their theological moorings and spiritual beliefs. Translating the bible to support aggression against a defenseless country should concern all thoughtful Christians."
"We've been told that we must fight to protect freedoms here at home. These reasons are given to make the sacrifices more tolerable and noble. Without an honorable cause, the suffering becomes intolerable. Hiding from the truth, though, in the end is no panacea for a war that promises no peace."
"Using force only builds resistance to the true principles of liberty that made America great. Using force contradicts the moral foundation of a free society."