The Ron Paul cult has quite a following, including many well-meaning anti-war young folks and anti-government "libertarians" who think he is a modern George Washington who will free us all from the tyranny of Big Brother. The truth is that Ron Paul has a history of racism and association with white supremacists.
In an article published in The New Republic, Angry White Man, James Kirchick dug up Ron Paul's "Freedom Report" going back before 1999. According to him, "What they reveal are decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays, In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing--but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics>'' The newsletters contain racist attacks against Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders, defense of the Confederate, and anti-government paranoia and sympathy for right-wing militias.
Orac's Science blog has another expose: Ron Paul-Quackery Enabler which documents more of Ron Paul's looney ideas (anti-evolution, opposes FDA regulating drugs, etc..)
And check out:
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Ron Paul Is Scarier, but those who Cheer Him are Scarier!
"Paul's views are a corn ball blend of libertarianism, know-nothing Americanism, and ultra conservative laissez faire limited government. This marks him as a type A American political quirk...what really makes him scary--There are apparently millions that don't see a darn thing wrong with any of this and pillory anyone who does. They are even scarier than him."
(Reading the comments of Paul's followers is scary! )
Many (most?) of Ron Paul's followers seem to have no understanding of his extremist "libertarian" beliefs about abolishing Social Security and just about every government program since the New Deal.
(Not sure Ron Paul is really a "libertarian" given his opposition to abortion and gay rights, etc.)
And for a detailed critique of Libertarianism and Objectivism, see Mike Huben's Critiques of Libertarianism
UPDATE: CNN Has now picked up this story: Ron Paul '90s Newsletters Rant Against Blacks and Gays
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1 comment:
The weird thing about this is that Paul's opposition to all civil rights laws is well known. That alone proves beyond any sane or reasonable doubt that Paul is a heterosexist, racist, and misogynistic bigot.
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