THE POPULAR MOVEMENT OF RON PAUL
PETER'S
NEW YORK, Sunday, July 27, 2007--It is interesting that one candidate
for the 2008 presidential race,
an obstetrician turned politician, who can perhaps be more aptly
described as a philosopher, has managed to inspire, not just
the attention, but the action, of the younger generation. Ron Paul is
the man behind the dream they are
pursuing, and it is truly an amazing phenomenon.
Photo
by Junalyn
Duveen
Peter of Peter's New York (right)
chats with fellow Ron Paul supporters Saturday on a street corner in
Troy, New York. This demonstration was one of many around the country
bringing the Ron Paul presidential
candidacy to the attention of the American public.
I
remember Ron Paul from some twenty years ago, when I interviewed him
for an
article about, if I remember correctly, changes the U.S. Congress was
then considering on the
design of Federal Reserve notes.
That was a
long time ago, but I have never forgotten Ron Paul, because I too was
interested in the gold standard, and America's departure from it. One
of Paul's thoughts was that the Congress should
repeal the legal tender laws. These laws, enacted during the Civil War
to raise funds for the North, and supported by Supreme Court decisions
(arguably a stacked court at
the time), allow the government to stamp a piece of paper with a
certain value, and compel the citizenry to accept that certificate in
lieu of the commodity. In other words, the
paper is "legal tender." So if the government-issued paper says "20
cows" on it, you must
accept the paper in lieu of the value of 20 cows. This is a tremendous
power on the part of government, and one that it is unlikely the
founders of our nation ever intended to give it. Nowadays, the
government currency, the dollar-denominated Federal Reserve note
(DDFRN) says $1, which in actuality (and correct
me if I am wrong) means 1/42nd of an ounce of gold. But 1/42 of
an ounce of gold is today the market value of 21 dollar-denominated
Federal Reserve notes (we call them "dollars" these days, even though
they are not. A dollar represents a certain quantity of gold). This is
because gold now trades at about 900 DDFRN, making 21 of these notes
equal to a dollar. But true to
the legal tender laws, we are obliged to accept a piece of paper with
an amount emblazoned on it that is 21 times the value it actually
trades for. Fortunately, the marketplace bas not yet been compelled to
value the DDFRN at
its nominal value, and nobody will force you to fork over a dollar in
gold for a DDFRN.
Photo by Junalyn Duveen.
Not yet of voting age, a youthful
supporter holds a sign, likely of her own design, at a "sign-waving"
demonstration on behalf of Ron Paul's presidential bid on Saturday in
Troy, New York.
But I
digress! Let's just say that Ron Paul is not a Johnny-come-lately, but
has
been espousing the same ideas for the past two or three decades.
Paul's
stand on the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq--that we should not
be in Iraq and that we should not
be meddling in the internal affairs of other countries--is another one
that captures my attention, because it is so closely aligned with my
own thoughts and feelings regarding that horrific atrocity that has
been committed by this country in violation of its own laws and
treaties. When Paul faced up to another (pseudo) presidential
contender, Rudolph Guiliani, and said that America brought
the attacks of 9-11 on herself because of her belligerent foreign
policy, I also could not but agree, except for the fact that we really
don't have a clear idea who perpetrated the 9-11 events, and some
evidence points, not to the 19 hijackers that the government accused of
pulling off the massive destruction of that day, but to the government
itself.
At any
rate, Paul would get us out of Iraq, help us form friendly and
productive alliances with other countries, and would withdraw our
troops worldwide so that we could afford to get rid of the income tax.
I support all of those measures.
Yesterday,
I was out at a busy intersection in Troy, New York, albeit for only a
quarter of an hour or so,
holding signs with others of like mind who also support Ron Paul's bid
for president. It is unfortunate that the elections appear to be rigged
from start to finish, but perhaps the sleepy American electorate, or
enough of them, by observing the unfair treatment the Ron Paul campaign
has endured from all quarters, will come to realize that we have
already lost
democracy, and will make a concerted attempt to win it back.
I was glad
to meet, if only briefly, my fellow "Ron Paul"-ites, many of whom were
half my age or
less. Not that age means anything, but it is of great surprise to me
that the issues that I feel are of great importance are the same ones
that are awakening
the young public these days.
If you are
one of the two or three
people who occasionally browse this site, you will already know that I
have written a few postings about Ron Paul. There is always the
possibility
that, if he does not win the Republican nomination for president, he
will run as an independent, or under the flag of another party. His
candidacy and his message are, in my opinion, too important to relegate
to the whims or destiny of any one political party.
UPDATED 1/27/2008, 8:53 P.M.
BACK TO HOME PAGE