Byron's Blog

Anonymous sees indications that some in the news media as well as opposition candidates want to paint Republican Ron Paul as extreme, when he's actually more mainstream than anyone else in the race.

Ron Paul's the Man

by Anonymous

It was one of the subtle jabs, that maybe a mindless producer or other news staffer thought of to underscore Republican Ron Paul's view about the world's oldest profession. He believes that it's a waste of time, money and law enforcement personnel to have officers chase around after call girls, while career criminals victimize law abiding citizens. Some genius at one cable news operation invited the owner two legal brothels to appear for an interview about prostitution.

You may have seen the guy. He operates the Moonlight Bunny Ranch and BunnyRanch Two. The antics and shenanigans that happen inside those two establishments are the grist of a T.V. program that's designed to titillate and that's about all. Why then would anyone include him in any serious discussion about the matter? There is no reason for that man to be part of any serious discussion on the topic. He's an opportunist, a showman and has a huge bias, which is fine, but he cannot truly speak to the deep social implications of legalized prostitution.

The only purpose it served was to entice you to watch and -- in some ways -- equate that silly interview with Ron Paul. That's shameful. Rep. Paul and many others recognize the fundamental reality about most behavior, that's impossible to legislate away all the bad things that people do and when you try, you're simply affecting the cost of the activity. If the any action involves voluntary behavior, then the law to ban the activity is all but pointless.

This is not to say that prostitution, or even marijuana use or other non-lethal, fringe activities should be legal. It is an argument in favor or advancing the debate to a higher level while attempting to strip away the political posturing that usually surrounds the discussion. Crimes against individuals such as robbery, rape and murder are not the product of an agreement between two or more parties and should always remain illegal. Ron Paul and thousands of other intelligent people understand that the nation's resources are best spent on more serious matters than whether or not individuals chose to pay for sex, which has not led to the downfall of civilization and will not go away no matter how many laws are on the books.

This all leads to back to Rep. Paul and why he is the best of the bunch. He's the only candidate willing to advance the discussion on thorny social issues and despite what all the others are mouthing, he's perfectly clear about his views. No waffling. He parts company with other Republicans and opposes the Iraq War -- always has, he's never voted to raise taxes, he's never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership, he's never taken a government sponsored junket.

Not convinced. O.K., Ron Paul voted against the Patriot Act, voted against regulating the internet, returns a portion of the money he receives to run his office to the Treasury and does not participate in that ridiculously rich Congressional pension plan. Go ahead and name any Presidential candidate, heck any politician who's as clear and as honorable as that.

Ron Paul identifies himself as a Republican, but he is actually a Libertarian, which winds up being the bent of more Americans than mainstream politicians are willing to admit. Capital "L" Libertarians probably do not support his strict pro-life stance. That's fine, because Libertarians actually understand that reasonable people can disagree and if you engage Rep. Paul in a debate on the matter he will certainly listen and acknowledge your viewpoint.

No surprise then that his character and views are gaining momentum. He's on target to raise at least $12 million this quarter and that total could easily be much higher. He's had to rely on gritty, grind-it-out campaigning, because popular media -- as usual -- are slow to understand new ideas, including the Ron Paul phenomenon. They're busy chasing the front runners, while they lap up tired speeches from politicians who want to prevent a vibrant campaign and keep new ideas from reaching the voting public. Refuse to let that to happen.

Even if you do not agree with Rep. Paul, give him a hearing. America is not about the staid, stale two party views that offer either some socially liberal ideas coupled with stupidly excessive spending that have bankrupted the nation, or a the purportedly conservative fiscal stand from the other side that comes with intrusions into your personal life. Neither will work, both are out dated, most everyone gets it except the majority of the nation's leaders. The fun part is, you get to let them know exactly where they can go with their broken policies by voting for someone who actually thinks before he opens his mouth.