Category Archives: Ron Paul

Former Rep. Ron Paul, who has run for president several times, is predicting the Federal Reserve's actions will have serious consequences for the stock market, just as the latest growth figures suggest the economy may have hit a soft patch.

According to government figures released on Friday, the nation's gross domestic product fell to 0.7 percent in the first quarter the lowest rate in three years as personal spending slid to its worst level since 2009. That data came on the heels of a jobs report that showed the economy created far fewer jobs in March than the prior month, even as the unemployment rate fell.

Paul told CNBC a correction is "inevitable," even as investors cheer the Nasdaq composite's new record highs.

"We spend too much, we borrow too much, and we distort the markets," Paul said on "Trading Nation" this week. "The bigger the distortions have lasted, the bigger the bust will be."

The Federal Reserve holds its meeting on interest rates the first week in May. Wall Street doesn't predict a rate hike this time, but the consensus still calls for two more rate hikes this year.

In coming months, the Fed also plans to unwind its balance sheet, which holds $4.5 trillion in bonds.

But Paul, a Republican known for his libertarian policies, predicted it will be too little, too late. He warned the Fed is going to push the economy over the edge and should have let the market determine the rate of interest.

"It has been especially bad in the last 10 to 15 years. I mean they have driven these interest rates so terribly low, and everybody was recognizing it even when Greenspan was there," said Paul. He said the Fed is likely to unwind during a market downturn.

"There's enough evidence around it even though there's some euphoria on Wall Street. I still think there are serious problems in the economy," he added.

Paul said the main problems are "uncontrollable spending" and financial issues affecting the middle class.

"When monetary policy destroys the currency, it always destroys the middle class," he said.

Not even the Nasdaq's historic milestone is altering Paul's read on the markets. The index broke 6,000 this week for the first time ever.

"All you have to do is go back to the year 2000, and the Nasdaq was at 5,000. And now it's all the way up to 6,000, after what, 17 years?" asked Paul, who's been invested in gold.

"Gold back then was less than $300, and it's $1,200. So I would say gold has done very, very well in that period of time," Paul said. "And besides the 20 percent increase in the Nasdaq, if you discount for the inflation ... that's not the greatest investment in the world. "

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Ron Paul: The Fed's actions will soon cause a long-overdue ...

Donald Trump supporters have been outspoken about how the so-called deep state has been working behind the scene to undermine the president. In fact, Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of Trumps most adoring cheerleaders, recently said it has become a clear and present danger to this country and to you.

But what exactly is the deep state and is it really even a thing?

Famed NSA-leaker Ed Snowden tackled the complicated concept in an interview on Ron Pauls weekly Liberty Report, and this is how he described it:

Snowden added that the deep state doesnt end with the government, either.

These people are from private war-making industries... defense contractors, intelligence contractors... these are people at think tanks, he said. It raises the question of who really has the most power in our society.

Snowden suggests its not the voters or the politicians tasked to carry out their will, rather its this larger constellation of influential groups and actors who are able to subvert and shape the decisions of these congressmen... or presidents.

Watch the full half-hour interview:

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Ed Snowden talks with Ron Paul about the 'deep state' and who's really in control - MarketWatch

Published time: 21 Jun, 2017 12:53

The US has no right to fly into Syrian airspace where it shouldnt be and set boundaries but should mind its own business. Otherwise, it is an act of aggression, says former US Congressman Ron Paul.

The US fighter jetdownedan armed drone belonging to pro-Syrian government forces in southern Syria, near a base in the al-Tanf region, on June, 20 as the drone was advancing on US-backed forces, according to a coalition statement.

This is happening at a time of escalating tension between Moscow and Washington. Also on Tuesday, Australia said it is temporarily suspending air operations in Syria.

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RT discussed the latest developments in Syria with former US Congressman Ron Paul.

RT:Australia halted its cooperation. How significant is this development? Why did they do it?

Ron Paul:I think that is good. Maybe wise enough, I wish we could do the same thing just come home. It just makes no sense; theres a mess over there. So many people are involved, the neighborhood ought to take care of it, and we have gone too far away from our home. It has been going on for too long, and it all started when Obama in 2011 said:Assad has to go.And now as the conditions deteriorate it looks like Assad and his allies are winning, and the US dont want them to take Raqqa. This just goes on and on. I think it is really still the same thing that Obama set up Get rid of Assadand there is a lot of frustration because Assad is still around and now it is getting very dangerous, it is dangerous on both sides. One thing that I am concerned about - because Ive seen it happen so often over the years are false flags. Some accidents happen. Even if it is an honest accident or it is deliberate by one side or the other to blame somebody. And before they stop and think about it, then there is more escalation. When our planes are flying over there and into airspace where we shouldnt be, and we are setting up boundaries and saydont cross these lines or you will be crossing our territory.We have no right to do this. We should mind our own business; we shouldnt be over there, when we go over there and decide that we are going to take over, it is an act of aggression, and I am positively opposed to that. And I think most Americans are too if they get all the information they need.

RT:Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that he wanted to ask his American counterpart why the US-led coalition isnt targeting Al-Nusra in Syria. What sort of answer do you think hell get?

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RP:I think it will be wishy-washy. Hell probably think it is in their interests not to do anything to damage the radicals, the extremists, the rebels because I think that our government thinks that they could be helpful in undermining Assad. I dont think they are going to sayYeah, they are our buddies now, we consult with them all the time.It wont be that. Theyll argueWe have to help the Kurds outor something along those lines and make excuses. I think that theres a net benefit to the radicals for us to get involved there and it is not helpful in the long run for our position which ought to try to bring about peace.

The propaganda the American people hear is such that they get them pretty excited about it, but I am very confident that if the American people had more informationbecause when I talk to them, they side with my arguments. It doesnt make a whole lot of sense to be doing what we are doing, and thats why I persist in trying to get to the facts but trying to eliminate the danger, try to obey international law, try to do the things that are in our best interest. And if we are talking about Americas interest it isnt helped by our policy in the Middle East for the last 15-20 years, I think it has all been negative.

Richard Black, Republican member of Virginia State Senate, told RT that"the US and the coalition are in Syria without any permission, without any lawful authority to be present".

"Some members of the coalition may say We are in clear violation of international law, maybe this is not right. Others bought into this coalition to be part of a group fighting ISIS, and now they are saying Wait a minute. We didnt go into Syria to fight the legitimate duly elected government of Syria; we went there to fight this terrorist organization.The coalition is certainly not there to help the Syrian people; it is there to help Saudi Arabia with its Wahhabi radical Islamic domination of the entire world beginning with the countries close to it".

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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'US should mind its own business; it shouldn't be in Syria' Ron Paul - RT

Published: 1 day ago.

Ron Paul

President Donald Trump is veering from his campaign promises to destroy ISIS at all cost, says former presidential candidate Ron Paul.

On Saturday, a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian war plane after it attacked rebel forces being supported by Washington.

The F-18 launched from the USS George H.W. Bush in the Mediterranean Sea near Israel and shot down a Syrian SU-22 fighter over Syrian territory. This is the first time the U.S. has engaged in an air-to-air shoot-down since the U.S. attack on Yugoslavia in 1999.

In response to the U.S. attack, the Russians have suspended the use of the military hotline and announced that they will view all unidentified aircraft operating in the vicinity of Russian military aircraft as potential targets.

Paul is mystified by the Trump administrations actions.

The U.S. claims the attack was in self-defense, that the Syrian jet was threatening U.S.-backed rebel forces in the area, he said in an emailed statement. That claim has been debunked by even the pro-rebel Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The shoot-down of the Syrian plane is the latest in a pattern of military actions against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

This marks the fourth recent U.S. attack on Syrian government forces as they engage ISIS in attempt to eject the terrorists from eastern Syria, Paul continued. Each time, U.S. intervention has benefited ISIS.

Paul put forth similar criticisms in a June 16 columntitled Why are we attacking the Syrians who are fighting ISIS.

He said the Trump foreign policy visa vie the Middle East is barely recognizable from the non-interventionist platform upon which he campaigned.

Just when you thought our Syria policy could not get any worse, last week it did, Paul writes. The Syrian forces were pursuing ISIS in the area, but the U.S. attacked anyway.

Why are we violating the sovereignty of Syria and attacking its military as they are fighting ISIS? Why does Washington claim that its primary mission in Syria is to defeat ISIS while taking military actions that benefit ISIS?

Clare Lopez, senior vice president of research and analysis for the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, says Paul is justified in his concerns.

Lopez said the broader question is: What is the core compelling U.S. national security objective that would plunge us into the middle of a 1,400-year-old intra-Islamic sectarian struggle between Shiites and Sunnis?

Paul pointed out that President Trump appears dead set upon making sure Iran doesnt see its hand strengthened in the Middle East, even if that means putting a governor on the campaign to destroy ISIS.

What is this really all about? Why does the U.S. military occupy this base inside Syria? Its partly about preventing the Syrians and Iraqis from working together to fight ISIS, but I think its mostly about Iran, Paul wrote. If the Syrians and Iraqis join up to fight ISIS with the help of Iranian-allied Shia militia, the U.S. believes it will strengthen Irans hand in the region. President Trump has recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia where he swore he would not allow that to happen.

But the intervention of the U.S. military in Syria comes with risks, the biggest one being direct engagement with the Russian military, Lopez said.

The administration appears to be poking the bear without a clear statement of objectives, she said.

Lopezwonders if the National Security Council and Pentagon have formulated a set of strategic objectives for this region of the Middle East along with the best course of action that would achieve those objectives.

Or, are we sliding inexorably into a maelstrom that will chew up more American lives and treasure without having set out that overarching strategy first? Lopez asks.

Even if the U.S. were to defeat ISIS, Lopez doubts it is prepared to defeat the idea that inspires ISIS, meaning the ideology.

From the strategic level down to the tactical one, have the NSC/Pentagon actually conducted a thorough investigation of just who these rebel militia groups on the ground really are? she asked.

Michael K. Nagata, former commander of American Special Operations forces in the Middle East, commented back in 2014:We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand the idea.

Have we ever moved beyond that astonishing admission of dereliction of professional duty to know the enemy? Lopez asked.

Has the Trump administration conducted its own study of Islam, jihad and Shariah to a depth of being able to understand why either Shiite or Sunni groups are fighting each other, us, Western civilization?

How does hurling the U.S. military into defense of what is very likely a jumble of Middle Eastern jihadist militias advance the strategic defense of the U.S. homeland, Constitution or core, compelling national security interests?

In his email to WND, Paul said the situation with the Russians could easily escalate.

We do know from the time of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan that elements in the U.S. national security establishment have utilized extremists in pursuit of their interventionist foreign policy goals. The fact that this strategy has failed with tragic consequences does not seem to faze proponents of this policy.

Paul said Russia is furious over the U.S. attack on the Syrian jet.

They also had jets operating in the area, and the U.S. did not use the hotline designed to avoid any unintended disasters, Paul said. Indeed, the use of the F-18 instead of a surface-to-air missile suggests that the U.S. understood the delicacy of the operation.

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Ron Paul: Why is US 'taking military actions that benefit ISIS?' - WND.com

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Ron Paul: Trump flip flops for the neo-cons - Tulsa World

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Communities Voices and Insights - Washington Times

Ron Paul expresses strong belief in "deep state".

Former US Congressman Ron Paul has voiced his strong belief in a secret network known as the"deep state" which runs the affairs in the United States.

"I strongly believe there is the existence of a deep state" in the US, the senior statesman said in an interview on Friday.

"Deep state" refers to powerful economic and intelligence organizations thatcontrol the country's affairs.

The former Representative for Texas' 14th and 22nd congressional districts who sought the presidency of the United States in 1988, 2008 and 2012, said that despite the fierce opposition among members of the Senate, the huge majority, 97 to 2, agreed on Thursday to slap fresh sanctions against Iran and Russia.

Easily passingagreement on such affairs is ample proof of a deep state runningthe US, he said.

'Deep state'

The former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, claimed a shadowy network of powerful organizations were attempting to destabilize the administration.

Of course, the deep state exists, said Gingrich.

This is what the deep state does: They create a lie, spread a lie, fail to check the lie and then deny that they were behind the lie, he added.

The term deep state, or derin devlet in Turkish, originated in 1950s Turkey, refers to a secretive network of influential members of government agencies or the military that operates outside the democratic system. The group is believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.

According to American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett, Peter Dale Scott, professor from the University of California, is probably the researcher who has done the most to popularize this term.

Scott developed the deep state concept out of his analysis of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

White phosphorous

In addition, in the same interview, Paul confirmed the use of white phosphorous by the US military.

Thechemical, which is used in incendiary munitions, is banned by international law.

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Ron Paul confirms 'deep state' exists in United States - Press TV

Ron Paul is Americas leading voice for liberty, prosperity and peace. As a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and three-time presidential candidate, Ron Paul tirelessly works for limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. Ron Paul never voted for legislation unless the proposed measure was expressly authorized by the Constitution.

Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, before proudly serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have 17 grandchildren.

While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Pauls limited-government ideals were not popular in Washington. In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president. During that time, Congressman Paul served on the House Banking committee, where he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserves inflationary measures. He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values. Dr. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending and regulation, and used his House seat to actively promote the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he returned to his medical practice.

Ron Paul went back to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He served on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and eventually became Chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology. After retiring from Congress in early 2013, Ron Paul continued to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.

On the Issues: Audit the Federal Reserve, Our Money, Taxes, National Defense, Border Security, Civil Liberties, Health Care, Abortion, Education, War on Drugs, Global Warming

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Who Is Ron Paul?

Just when you thought our Syria policy could not get any worse, last week it did. The U.S. military twice attacked Syrian government forces from a military base it illegally occupies inside Syria. According to the Pentagon, the attacks on Syrian government-backed forces were defensive because the Syrian fighters were approaching a U.S. self-declared de-confliction zone inside Syria. The Syrian forces were pursuing ISIS in the area, but the U.S. attacked anyway.

The U.S. is training yet another rebel group fighting from that base, located near the border of Iraq at al-Tanf, and it claims that Syrian government forces pose a threat to the U.S. military presence there. But the Pentagon has forgotten one thing: it has no authority to be in Syria in the first place! Neither the U.S. Congress nor the U.N. Security Council has authorized a U.S. military presence inside Syria.

So what gives the Trump Administration the right to set up military bases on foreign soil without the permission of that government? Why are we violating the sovereignty of Syria and attacking its military as they are fighting ISIS? Why does Washington claim that its primary mission in Syria is to defeat ISIS while taking military actions that benefit ISIS?

The Pentagon issued a statement saying its presence in Syria is necessary because the Syrian government is not strong enough to defeat ISIS on its own. But the de-escalation zones agreed upon by the Syrians, Russians, Iranians, and Turks have led to a reduction in fighting and a possible end to the six-year war. Even if true that the Syrian military is weakened, its weakness is due to six years of U.S.-sponsored rebels fighting to overthrow it!

What is this really all about? Why does the U.S. military occupy this base inside Syria? Its partly about preventing the Syrians and Iraqis from working together to fight ISIS, but I think its mostly about Iran. If the Syrians and Iraqis join up to fight ISIS with the help of Iranian-allied Shia militia, the U.S. believes it will strengthen Irans hand in the region. President Trump has recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia where he swore he would not allow that to happen.

But is this policy really in our interest, or are we just doing the bidding of our Middle East allies, who seem desperate for war with Iran? Saudi Arabia exports its radical form of Islam worldwide, including recently into moderate Asian Muslim countries like Indonesia. Iran does not. That is not to say that Iran is perfect, but does it make any sense to jump into the Sunni/Shia conflict on either side? The Syrians, along with their Russian and Iranian allies, are defeating ISIS and al-Qaeda. As candidate Trump said, whats so bad about that?

We were told that if the Syrian government was allowed to liberate Aleppo from al-Qaeda, Assad would kill thousands who were trapped there. But the opposite has happened: life is returning to normal in Aleppo. The Christian minority there celebrated Easter for the first time in several years. They are rebuilding. Cant we finally just leave the Syrians alone?

When you get to the point where your actions are actually helping ISIS, whether intended or not, perhaps its time to stop. Its past time for the U.S. to abandon its dangerous and counterproductive Syria policy and just bring the troops home.

Ron Paul is a physician, author, and former Republican congressman. Paul also is a two-time Republican presidential candidate, and the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in the 1988 U.S. presidential election. His latest book is Swords into Plowshares." For more of Ron Paul's reports, Go Here Now.

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Worsening Syrian Policies Benefit ISIS - Newsmax

The US-led coalition continues to conduct airstrikes against Syrian government troops, claiming it is necessary to protect its unilaterally-declared deconfliction zones. Libertarian Ron Paul says such actions have no justification in international law.

On Thursday, the US conducted yet another strike against President Bashar Assads troops in Syria. It targeted two pickup trucks with weapons that were judged to be posing a threat to coalition and allied forces near Al-Tanf, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Ryan Dillon said during a briefing.

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It was the third set of strikes the US has conducted in response to the alleged direct threats posed to coalition forces operating out of Al-Tanf in the last three weeks.

Although the US has claimed that the strikes were necessary responses to troops or military equipment entering an agreed-upon deconfliction zone, Moscow has rejected the justification for launching attacks on areas the Americans have unilaterally declared as safe zones.

Im not aware of the deconfliction zones the Pentagon is referring to, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Maybe there are zones that have been established unilaterally where the [US-led] coalition thinks it can do whatever it wants. We dont recognize such zones.

The only de-escalation zones that Russia recognizes are those that were agreed to by Syria, Iran, Turkey and Russia, Lavrov added. Anything else is considered not legitimate.

This view is shared by Paul, a former Republican congressman from Texas and GOP presidential candidate.

I think its all a gimmick on our part to try to distinguish between what Russia did along with the Syrian government, Paul told RT. Of course, they were trying to de-escalate, and then the United States went in there and decided to have their own zone and demanded it not be violated, which, of course, I strongly oppose.

The US airstrikes could be hurting Washington more than they are helping American interests, journalist Alaa Ibrahim told RT. They not only undermine the fight against terrorism in Syria, but also increase tension between the US and Russia.

Like Ibrahim, Paul believes that the United States actions is compromising its fight against terrorism. The US has not respected the sovereignty of the Syrian government by backing anti-government forces and conducting strikes without Assads approval, he said.

Our position is sort of bizarre because at one moment were against ISIS, the next moment we do things that actually helps ISIS, Paul said. The recent attacks actually, were helpful to ISIS, so therefore I think its a bad policy on our part, and doesnt help the situation in Syria.

Instead, the US should join efforts with Russia to resolve the six-year civil war, he said, noting that he has long advocated for the two former Cold War adversaries to work together in the international sphere.

By working with the governments in Syria, Iran and Turkey to create official de-escalation zones, Russia has international law on its side, unlike the US with its unilateral safe zones, Paul said.

Were acting outside the law, he told RT. We weren't endorsed by the United Nations and not by international law. And, as far as Im concerned, it doesnt serve our interests, it doesnt serve the United States national security.

Paul was hoping that President Donald Trump, who initially had a much healthier attitude with Russia, would change US policy on Syria. Hes been disappointed thus far, however, with Trumps seemingly lack of a clear plan.

I havent been able to figure out exactly, you know, what is going on and what his position is because he has shifted his viewpoints, and hes closer now to our neoconservatives who sort of are in charge of our foreign policy than he was when he was elected, Paul said.

But then again, he hints at maybe we should have better relations with Russia. That, of course, is what I encourage.

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US 'acts outside the law' & harms its national security with Syria airstrikes Ron Paul to RT - RT