Ron Paul - "Congress is Trump’s Co-Conspirator Against Liberty"

[good man]

ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congress-is-trumps-co-conspirator-against-liberty

Imagine that President Trump spent his phone call with the Ukrainian president threatening to withhold military aid unless the Ukrainian government agreed to use the money to purchase weapons from a US manufacturer. Does anyone seriously think that foreign service professionals and deep state operatives would be so shocked and offended by Trump’s request that they would launch efforts to impeach him? Would Congress view this as “high crimes and misdemeanors” or applaud Trump for carrying out one of modern presidents’ supposedly most important jobs — acting as salesmen for the American military-industrial complex?

This hypothetical shows that impeachment is not about President Trump’s abuse of power. Instead, it is an attempt to make sure President Trump, and all future presidents, confine their abuses of power to items that advance the agenda of the political establishment.

President Trump’s most consequential abuses of power have been met with the full approval of the majority in Congress, the mainstream media, and the deep state. For example, when President Trump launched military action in Syria without obtaining a congressional declaration of war there were no calls for his impeachment. Instead, most members of Congress were perfectly happy to let stand unchallenged President Trump’s claim that the 2001 authorization for use of military force —a limited grant of authority to act against those responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks — gave him the authority to launch military action against a government that had nothing to do with the September 11th attacks. The only times Congress rebukes President Trump’s foreign policy is when he speaks favorably about pursuing peaceful relations with Russia or ending US involvement in no-win military conflicts.

This hypocrisy extends beyond foreign policy. Many Democrats who claim that President Trump is both a fascist and mentally unhinged are eager to ensure President Trump can continue to conduct warrantless surveillance on every American by reauthorizing Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.

Trump-opposing progressives in Congress are also eager to give President Trump new authority to violate the Second Amendment. Even those progressives who say they believe Trump is a deranged fascist did not object when he endorsed “red flag” laws that give the government power to, as President Trump put it, “take the guns first, go through due process second.”

Perhaps the most sickening example of Trump’s congressional opponents’ hypocrisy is how many of those fretting about the safety of the Urkrainegate ”whistleblower” are silent about, or supportive of, the Trump administration’s complicity in the inhumane treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They are also silent about the US government throwing Chelsea Manning back into jail because she refuses to help the US prosecution of Mr. Assange.

All modern presidents have exceeded constitutional limitations on their power and thus could have, and maybe should have, been impeached. The reason they were not impeached is that a majority of Congress members support allowing presidents to wage war abroad and destroy liberty at home without being “hamstrung” by Congress. The only real dispute among the political class is which party should wield the levers of power.

Restoring constitutional limits on government power and thus protecting liberty depend on spreading ideas and building a movement. Our lost freedom will only be restored when presidents and members of Congress fear being “impeached” at the ballot box for committing high crimes and misdemeanors against peace, prosperity, and liberty.

I wish we had a President like Ron Paul . Small government, private ownership, no military interventions anywhere in the world etc.

America would be in a much better place. This government is evil.

[Machismo]

ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congress-is-trumps-co-conspirator-against-liberty




I wish we had a President like Ron Paul . Small government, private ownership, no military interventions anywhere in the world etc.

America would be in a much better place. This government is evil.

So, you've gone from a Brit, living in England, to a Brit moving to the United States, to a Brit living in Washington, to an American living in Florida, to a Brit moving to Texas, and a huge Trump supporter, to suddenly hating Trump. You've gone from an interventionist imperialist neo-fascist, to an isolationist?

Does that pretty much cover it?

Thanks for admitting you've been wrong this entire time.

[Jotaux]

One scenario is Trump witholding funding for america's interest, the other is for personal gain.

[D Luniz]

One scenario is Trump witholding funding for america's interest, the other is for personal gain.

It's a burner alt, it would be amazing if it didnt build strawmen to support its bs.

[Spectral]

Imagine that President Trump spent his phone call with the Ukrainian president threatening to withhold military aid unless the Ukrainian government agreed to use the money to purchase weapons from a US manufacturer. Does anyone seriously think that foreign service professionals and deep state operatives would be so shocked and offended by Trump’s request that they would launch efforts to impeach him? Would Congress view this as “high crimes and misdemeanors” or applaud Trump for carrying out one of modern presidents’ supposedly most important jobs — acting as salesmen for the American military-industrial complex?

This hypothetical shows that impeachment is not about President Trump’s abuse of power. Instead, it is an attempt to make sure President Trump, and all future presidents, confine their abuses of power to items that advance the agenda of the political establishment.

This is an astonishingly stupid hypothetical. Even libertarians should be able to understand that a President using leverage to get something for the United States isn't "abuse of power". Claiming otherwise is starting to move from the normal dopeyness of libertarianism into crankish state abolitionism.

[Draco-Onis]

This is an astonishingly stupid hypothetical. Even libertarians should be able to understand that a President using leverage to get something for the United States isn't "abuse of power". Claiming otherwise is starting to move from the normal dopeyness of libertarianism into crankish state abolitionism.

How does investigating Trump's political opponents using back channels benefit the US? forcing a country to use a private company would also be considered abuse of power if he or anyone linked to him got some financial benefit and it didn't benefit the country in any way.

[Orange Joe]

This is an astonishingly stupid hypothetical. Even libertarians should be able to understand that a President using leverage to get something for the United States isn't "abuse of power". Claiming otherwise is starting to move from the normal dopeyness of libertarianism into crankish state abolitionism.

Investigating a political opponent is not for the United States. It's strictly for Trump.

[Spectral]

How does investigating Trump's political opponents using back channels benefit the US? forcing a country to use a private company would also be considered abuse of power if he or anyone linked to him got some financial benefit and it didn't benefit the country in any way.

This has literally nothing to do with what I wrote. I responded to the hypothetical that I quoted, not whatever you're imagining I responded to.

- - - Updated - - -

Investigating a political opponent is not for the United States. It's strictly for Trump.

Are you guys just trained to trot out the same stupid fucking lines without bothering to read what's actually quoted? This is pathetic.

[Orange Joe]

This has literally nothing to do with what I wrote. I responded to the hypothetical that I quoted, not whatever you're imagining I responded to.

- - - Updated - - -


Are you guys just trained to trot out the same stupid fucking lines without bothering to read what's actually quoted? This is pathetic.

Even libertarians should be able to understand that a President using leverage to get something for the United States isn't "abuse of power".

I'm pretty sure I read and replied to that......

[Beefhammer]

ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congress-is-trumps-co-conspirator-against-liberty




I wish we had a President like Ron Paul . Small government, private ownership, no military interventions anywhere in the world etc.

America would be in a much better place. This government is evil.

Oh please.

[Spectral]

I'm pretty sure I read and replied to that......

And evidently failed to grasp that it's in response to the hypothetical I quoted. If you're unwilling to follow a reply and what it quoted, you shouldn't reply. Do better - this is incompetent. What you have in giant letters is in reference to the hypothetical, which is trivially obvious if you're not a robot.

[jeezusisacasual]

I wonder how Libertarianism will fair given the growing automation of things to come? Let them die in the streets? I have yet to hear a stable functional way to provide in Libertarianland.

[Spectral]

I wonder how Libertarianism will fair given the growing automation of things to come? Let them die in the streets? I have yet to hear a stable functional way to provide in Libertarianland.

If you ask Machismo, the market will fix it, and if it doesn't, at least people will be free to not eat.

[PC2]

ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congress-is-trumps-co-conspirator-against-liberty

I wish we had a President like Ron Paul . Small government, private ownership, no military interventions anywhere in the world etc.

America would be in a much better place. This government is evil.

I wouldn't hold my breathe for a libertarian president. Both parties are kind of locked into a scenario where it's difficult to cut government spending until it's absolutely unavoidable. *shrug*

Not having a military isn't even a debateable topic while countries like China exist. Liberal democracy is the best but it's also entirely worthless unless it can be defended, which requires the best military money can buy.

[Xeones]

The anarchist doesn't seem super willing to fully condemn Trump.

[Skroe]

I wonder how Libertarianism will fair given the growing automation of things to come? Let them die in the streets? I have yet to hear a stable functional way to provide in Libertarianland.

As someone whose career is in robotics, let me tell you, the fear of automation replacing low and medium skill labor is highly oversold, usually by those seeking an excuse for something they want anyway (i.e. UBI).

And most American jobs are in the services industry anyway.

[Wyrt]

Libertarianism is a bad joke.

[PC2]

I wonder how Libertarianism will fair given the growing automation of things to come? Let them die in the streets? I have yet to hear a stable functional way to provide in Libertarianland.

Automation making people obsolete is a myth and a misunderstanding. There's essentially no limit to the new kinds of products and services that people can work on making and unless someone cracks AGI then people will never be obsolete.

I wouldn't hold my breathe on AGI either.

[jeezusisacasual]

As someone whose career is in robotics, let me tell you, the fear of automation replacing low and medium skill labor is highly oversold, usually by those seeking an excuse for something they want anyway (i.e. UBI).

And most American jobs are in the services industry anyway.

Oh i agree but i can tell you my sector is facing real automated services ( Finance ). I was projecting more in 20+ years time.

[PC2]

Oh i agree but i can tell you my sector is facing real automated services ( Finance ). I was projecting more in 20+ years time.

All sectors that exist have been in the process of being automated since the beginning of civilization. There is absolutely nothing uniquely special about the technologies that are being developed right now that will caused a paradigm shift to a jobless society.