NDAA and why I’d vote for Ron Paul if I were an American.
I used to think Ron Paul was nuts. I laughed at my dad for being such a fan of him for all these years because I truly believed the man was a whack job. I mean, looking back to 2002 when he gave that now-historic speech in congress, it all seemed outrageous at the time because he was saying things that sounded so out of this world and improbable. A true tin-foil hat wearer. And then everything he said started to happen. Again and again. He was right about 95% of what he said. And that’s really what cemented to me and so many others the importance of questioning every single thing any and all politicians and governments do, regardless of party affiliation. I don’t think all politicians and governments are corrupt, but I still believe in questioning them and the people who run the show. The honest won’t mind getting raked over the coals and questioned endlessly, because if they are truly there to serve the public, they will know that this is a necessary part of democracy, therefore will not resist being put under a microscope.
Question, question, question. Never stop questioning. The day people stop questioning is the day democracy dies.
I don’t agree with everything Ron Paul stands for, but the man stands for peace. He can’t be bought like the rest of them. I trust him more than I have ever trusted any American politician. They all talk the talk, but he walks the walk.
I never in a million years thought I’d ever hold any Republican in a positive light. But his message is one that I fundamentally agree with. Peace, social justice, freedom. A future. He’s a libertarian, and I’m a socialist. But I live in Canada, where the government and social climate is quite different from the United States. Socialism is a dirty word here in the United States. The system in the United States is broken and it is not serving its people. In fact, it’s robbed them blind - stealing not just money, but of hope, of a future, of every personal and political freedom that they are supposed to be guaranteed. I believe Ron Paul will serve his people to the best of his ability, and I truly believe in him. Again, I do not agree with everything, but I believe he’s worth a shot. There’s little more to lose. And I don’t think this is something that should be left until there’s absolutely nothing left to lose.
If I were an American, I would have voted for Obama in the previous election, even though I’ve always known what a liar and panderer he was. Better than McCain! And then he got about as bad as he could ever get when he signed the NDAA 2012 into law on New Year’s Eve, effectively throwing habeas corpus out the window, and drawing rebukes from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Essentially they can now imprison Americans on American soil indefinitely without charge. I saw that bill as a declaration of war on the people - a method to squash dissent. Deliberately using confusing and vague language so that it makes people afraid, since it’s hard for the every day citizen who doesn’t have the time to pore over the 100+ pages of the legislation to determine exactly what it all means. It’s hard to figure out precisely who it applies to, under what circumstances, when, or how.
In short: they can make you disappear, and if they ever let you go free, you can’t tell anyone what happened, as under the Patriot Act, telling anyone that you were arrested under it is illegal and will get you sent right back to wherever it is you were imprisoned.
The scary thing is, this is the truth. This is fact. This is not fear mongering, nor is it manipulation of information.
I never in my lifetime thought I’d see anything like this.
I just wish more Americans would vote. It’s okay to be left-leaning and vote for a Republican when you agree with things that they stand for, even if you don’t agree with everything. Fix the system now.
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