Coming to Terms with Ron Paul’s Past
James Kirchick’s putative exposé of Ron Paul – in which the reader is led to conclude that the 10-term congressman is an “angry white male” and “filled with hate” – has been released online, and we’ve learned some important things.
Most importantly, we’ve learned that Paul made some serious errors of judgment. Statements such “the animals are coming” and “zooville” in reference to blacks are disgraceful and embarrassing. Contentions that the L.A. riots prefaced a “coming race war” on a national scale or that David Duke’s message could be transformed into one of libertarianism (and not Nazi-nostalgia and Holocaust denial) are not only offensive but wrong. Speculations that Mossad was behind the first world trade center attack indulge in the worst kind of conspiracy theorizing.
Paul is right to apologize, he’s right to take moral responsibility.
Still, it is patently obvious that Paul himself is not the author of the passages cited in Kirchick’s article. None of the language even resembles the kind Paul has used on the campaign trail, and Kirchick has no evidence that Paul has ever uttered anything like “zoo-ville” in his life. Moreover, the most offensive passages come from a specific 1988-1992 time period and most likely from the pen of one particularly poorly chosen ghostwriter.
But by no means does everything in Paul’s newsletter, or even everything that Kirchick cited, amount to racist propaganda or extremism. As I noted in my earlier post, treating any criticism of Lincoln as “extremism” is evidence only Kirchick’s own intellectual shallowness. Furthermore, while some have praised Kirchick’s research, he actually uncovered nothing new. The newsletter scandal first broke more than ten years ago; there’s even a section dedicated to it on Paul’s wikipedia page.
But then, Kirchick has never been interested in defending Lincoln, rethinking the L.A. rioters, or anything else of this matter. He’s interested in purging Ron Paul.
Kirchick ends his essay lamenting that Paul “has found himself increasingly permitted inside the boundaries of respectable debate.” And yet when the gatekeepers actually have let Paul have his say, he has put forth nothing even resembling name-calling or racial hysteria. What he has talked about is limited government, the erosion of the U.S. dollar, and the consequences of massive overseas military commitments. It seems that Kirchick is much more comfortable with a “conservatism” based on 100-year commitments to Iraq and the “expansion of freedom in all the world.” In releasing the article online the day of the New Hampshire primary, TNR wanted to make sure that dissatisfied Democrats wouldn’t even think about abandoning the Clinton-Obama machine.
The idea that a Paul presidency would be one of racial violence and confederate revival is beyond absurd. But his long-shot campaign has brought to the fore some political ideas that for the TNR crowd are strictly verboten.
Comments
Nice job, Richard
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This nails it.
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Yes, I would love an America where it is the likes of John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton are the candidates seen ‘beyond the pale’ and denounced as lunatics by the MSM.
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What if Ron Paul even DID say that negro neighborhoods are “zooville”? The remark may be offensive, but sometimes the truth hurts.
The American negro ghettoes ARE “zooville”, and to deny that is to deny reality. Their behavior IS animalistic, and to say “the animals are coming”, once again, may be offensive, but true. No, the negro is not an “animal”, he is not subhuman, but when a person acts like an animal, he should be called and treated as such (i.e., dragging a man behind your pick-up truck; that is animalistic as well).
Why not be honest and say: “No, I didn’t write those opinions, but negro ghettoes are unhuman violent places, and no one should be living in such conditions.” Would anyone NOT vote for Ron Paul for stating the obvious? The Emporer has no clothes, and the negro ghettoes are a violent place, sorry if the truth offends.
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Speculations that Mossad was behind the first world trade center attack indulge in the worst kind of conspiracy theorizing.
Can we please stop acting like Claude Rains in Casablanca who was ‘shocked to find gambling going on”? Have you ever read ‘By Way of Deception’ which also happens to be their motto? Mossad has probably not been blamed for half the outrageous acts they have actually done or been a party too.
It is not conspiracy theory and it is not ‘anti-Semitism. It is a fact. They have been caught red-handed in ‘false-flag’ operations.
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andrew capp/ jlw -don’t you guys have a blacks on blondes site to visit?
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What would be wrong with a “Confederate revival?” Some of us see that as a necessary pre-condition of restoring the Republic.
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See what I mean?
You make a simple statement of fact, that Negro ghettoes are rather more dangerous than, say, Mexican ghettoes, and you get smeared as a “racist”.
I’m no “racist”, but I am what you might call a “culturist”.
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This is the way the game has always been played, with the internet it is possible to play it faster. Anything you have written or spewed on these here intertubes is available somewhere to be used or misused in the future as needed.
Anyblog, chatroom, website, newsgroup that you have associated with can be retrieved. Digital Storage is cheaper than dirt almost cheaper than air.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._Watt once told a joke, it wasn’t an extremely funny joke but it was overheard and spread. Should have been a wake up call to every conservative minded person, wasn’t.
Oh well 3 down 48 to go. Brokered convention possibility for the repubs.
It is probably useful to remember that TNR was the home of Stephen Glass for many years and has always been in the forefront of praise for the totalitarian sickness in the american body politic. An early and strong admirer of Mussolini and Italian fascism ( as were so many during the early 30’s ). Not quite on the same par as the NYT and its grand support for Stalin or IBM and its willing support of the Nazi regime. That totalitarian/authoritarian aspect of the masses is just one of the myriad reasons the articles of confederation were written the way they were. Damn shame that the members of the constitutional convention overstepped their mandate.
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Kirchick’s argument has a number of serious weaknesses that could easily be picked apart. For example, he shows no awareness of the formerly well-known observation that their own governments have been far more dangerous to people than foreign enemies. Stalin and Mao provide case studies of this historical truth—Stalin killed more Russians than Hitler. The Founders knew this idea well, and Paul’s wariness of government simply follows their thinking. Kirchick is an example of the fairly recent world-view (for lack of a better term) to whom the old suspicion of government is totally incomprehensible. I wonder why Paul has not pointed out that it is not him but Kirchick, who is undermining America’s political traditions.
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Ron Paul proposes something much more radical than the rise of the confederacy. He proposes a return to sovereign states with a very limited role for a federal government. Put simply; no North no South. Just 50 sovereign governments.
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When one finds it a wee bit uncomfortable to refute concepts of liberty and notions of Constitutional loyalty, the only thing one can do is race-bait, culture-bait and take advantage of gaffes made by a candidate. The Cultural Marxist Manifesto.
That a man who has devoted many years of his long life to a government service that has hewn firmly to the defense of the Constitution and limiting government in support of liberty....... while being a medical doctor specializing in birthing babies...... only to be slurred by the likes of these nincompoops, popinjays and slavishly derivative apparatchiks is just part of the game. Watching that pasty little dwarf who gloriously penned “Axis of Evil” cast innuendos about Paul is like sitting at the Jail Cafeteria table with yer gents only to have some pitiful fidgety dope sit down and claim he’s innocent. It is patently hilarious and a little late.
The media has one channel: The Salacious and so this kind of stuff always plays. Concurrently, the people who really need to watch CSPAN , one of the few places Ron Paul catches a break....well they’re too busy adjusting the tourniquet around their pin heads before injecting another round of spectator methadone. Read? Are YOU KIDDING ME?
If I could, I’d bequeath a large portion of the continent to these morons as long as they take the rubes who believe in them along and we can watch as they starve while trying to figure out how to survive reality by reinventing it. We’ll import their newspapers as toilet paper because we do so want to be contributing globalistas. Actually, we could find a place that has the largest land fill and replicate Hitlers favorite Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden to house these yakkers and wankers with their favorite Publishers. Not that I’m suggesting they are like Hitler . Nothing could be further from the truth, .....After all, Hitler actually acted on his mad ravings instead of sitting back satisfied with one’s self after baying to the moon like some Cambridge-Educated Mayberry Mystic. “Mein Kampf” will, unfortunately, still be around under the category of political madness long after any back issues of the Weekly Standard have beneficially crumbled into a compost fit only for cockroaches.
I enjoy watching all these ijits. It reminds me that in America, even 100 lb weaklings and utter morons can still get ahead and reach the highest level of manufactured society. If only we didn’t have a military that seems to enjoy being their gun fodder.
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“Mein Kampf” will, unfortunately, still be around under the category of political madness...Dirk Sabin
Which leads me to ponder exactly why did the investment bankers finance such a madman.
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Andrew Capp, et al. --
When inner-city black communities order draconian sanctions on foreign nations, or order 10,000 pound munitions to be dropped on Iraqi neighborhoods, then maybe I’ll join you in talking about how violent and nasty they are.
Until then, it looks like the most violent community in this nation is in Congress. And guess what? It’s exceedingly white.
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Tom Doniphon,
Where are you when we need you?
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Amen, Charlie.
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@ Charlie
Try this little experiment: Take a walk through
inner city Detroit & the through Capitol Hill.
Note which one you emerge from alive.
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“For example, he shows no awareness of the formerly well-known observation that their own governments have been far more dangerous to people than foreign enemies. Stalin and Mao provide case studies of this historical truth—Stalin killed more Russians than Hitler. “
Posted by Kari Konkola on Jan 10, 2008.
West is engaged in demographic suicide everywhere
Comment: “We investigated various cases of the island model with stochastic migration. If the population is infinite, the immigrants have a fixed gene frequency and the alleles are neutral, the gene frequency on the island converges to that of the immigrants.”
Genetics. 1979 January; 91(1): 163–176.
The Island Model with Stochastic Migration
Thomas Nagylaki
Department of Biophysics and Theoretical Biology, The University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=12139
Our government isn’t just a potential threat, its engaged in our extinction right now, and that is not hyperbole, its math.
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The one man who wants to limit federal government, restore the constitution and stop overseas idealogical crusades to ‘bring democracy at gunpoint (a la the French ‘revolution) is seen by main stream media as a ‘nazi’ I think that sums it up nicely.
Lets be honest the hysteria is coming mainly from pro-Israel Neoconservatives - most of whom are Jewish - they see nothing wrong with Podoretz or Daniel Pipes who say far worse about muslims and arabs. They support a state where Jews are treated as first class citizens and everyone else, a distant second. Why are we even listening anymore?
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that ron paul has disavowed the statements says that he finds them personally reprehensible. so why defend them?
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“What would be wrong with a ‘Confederate revival?’ Some of us see that as a necessary pre-condition of restoring the Republic.”
Posted by Red Phillips
Amen Red. It’s just that the Samfranciscans, some of whom write here, think that such the idea is “infantile”. They have yet to abandon their own childlike love of Lincoln, or at least what he wrought. Francis said a lot of good things. His attack on the League and his fealty to The Occidental quarterly and American Renaissance were not his most prudent gestures.
The Cultural Marxists, of course, would have folk believe that Dixie’s revival means the revival of Jim Crow. It doesn’t.
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Sid,
“Dixie’s Revival”....? Excuse me but it don’t seem to me that Dixie is down in the mouth at present. In fact, Trent Lott done jest got his self a big ole fat raise and the Dixiecrats have had their way with us for some time. This current farrago was brought to us by both rebels and yankees.
Can somebody explain to me exactly how a “Confederate Revival” might “restore the Republic”?
As much as I might ponder the contradictions of Lincoln, favor States Rights, lament the sorry state of Forrest Park in Memphis and respect certain Southern Folkways, I fail to see how a secessionist movement would “restore the Republic” It’s kind of like saying removing two of the tires on the Buick will make it run better.
Not that I’m completely dismissive of secession either but really now...........exactly how many times do we have to fight a war that ended over a hundred years ago? I’d rather set my sights on both the rebs and yankees and Bolshies that occupy that swamp city on the Potomac.
Actually, if you’ll take Washington and all the carpet baggers and delusional lunatics there, you can have your Confederate Paradise in the South as long as I can still visit.
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Well shucks, Dirk W. Sabin.
I is from the South so meybe I kin splain it to you.
First of all, can I calls ya Dirk?
Thought so, thanks good buddy.
Listen Dirk, we here in dis here south feel sort of
angry ‘bout the 17th ammendment. You know, it’s one
of dem strings tied to the constitution?
It sez that me and mine don’t get no vote at our
State house to protect us from dem damn Yankees
tradin’ tariffs and such as that.
By puttin’ the U.S. Senate up for popular vote
it has turned my State into nothin’ but a vassle.
You knows what a vassel is? It’s like in dem days
of swords and armor. You knows, the midevil days?
Yup, and evil it was.
Well, without the States having any say ‘bout the
money and where it comes from and to where it goes
to, well every cockroach and cottenmouth has
headed straight to Washington D.C. (I still wish
Lee had blown it to bits when he had the chance
but he was a true Southern Gentleman.)
It was a darn sight more difficult to corrupt 50
States than it is now to corrupt just one giant
orgy of free money. I guarantee!
So, the Republic is dead. America today is one fat
Nationalist Socialist welfare/warfare state
and I hates it...I does.
In my local school, they taught me to hate this man
called Hitler cuz he was a nationalist socialist.
Supposedly we fought a war ‘gin him and won it,
so they say.
Twixt me and you, I think what we have here is a
failure to communicate.
Anyway, twixt me and you I think if we repeal the
17th ammendment then the States may do a better
job of heelin’ the Feds that we poor white trash
have done.
So I hope dis here little yarn help yo to unerstan
the situatin a little more better.
Good luck and signing off from here in da south!
YeeeeeeeeeeeHawwwwwwwwwwwww!
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Oh yea, one more point Mr.Dirk good buddy…
We all here in the south know full well that
the War of Northern Aggression was indeed ‘bout
slavery. Uh huh, yes indeedy.
But it weren’t ‘bout free’in the black slave,
no-sir-ree-bob. It was ‘bout enslavin the whites
right along side of ‘em.
I gurantee.
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Mr Sabin, we both see the South the same: full of Revolutionaries. Tradition was destroyed, finally, with Reconstruction. The South of today is not, nor will it ever be the South of 140+ years ago. All of America is pretty much the same: Revolutionary, some places moreso than others (California vs South Carolina, for example).
If the Southern States were to leave, what difference would it make for either remaining country? Would Dixie withdraw their troops in Iraq? Would the Union? Of course not, they would both work together to continue on the path of Revolution. The North would continue with abortion-on-demand, and the South would as well, especially for the Negro.
I live in the South, and it’s as sick as the rest of the country, only in a different kind of way. It’s sickness is rooted more in historical Revolution, “institutional Revolution”, if you will. No gay marriage, but no fault divorce. No gambling, but state run lotteries. No legal medical marijuana, but no buying beer on Sundays. The traditions have not be conserved by the vast majority of Southerners, and there’s nothing that can be done to turn it around.
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@Andrew Capp
Northern and Midwestern blacks feel the exact same way about rural Mississippi.
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I guess this is the silver lining in being blacklisted by the media: being able to more or less avoid embarassing issues like this going public
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