Racist Issue: Ron Paul Vs. Collectivism

Mark Twain once opined, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”

Brent Daggett, Guest Contributor
Activist Post

Nothing could be more pertinent then what has been festering in Iowa for the past few weeks, as libertarian-minded presidential candidate Ron Paul, is continually being lambasted for some racist content appearing in newsletters published over 20 years ago.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Paul had a plethora of newsletters being produced under his name. The titles included; Ron Paul’s Political Report, Ron Paul’s Freedom Report, the Ron Paul Survival Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter.

According to a National Journal article, “The Story Behind Ron Paul’s Racist Newsletters,” written by Michael Brendan Dougherty, reveals some of the statements expressed in those publications:

“Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.”

“We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it’s hardly irrational.”

Lastly, one article made a reference to the Los Angeles riots, “Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks.”

No one can deny the aforementioned passages are derogatory, but Paul has consistently denounced writing any of the content when asked by various mediums in his run for president in 2008 as well as currently.

A poll released by Rasmussen Reports on December 29, shows Mitt Romney at 23%, Paul at 22% and Rick Santorum at 16%. While Paul and Romney are in a statistical dead heat, it’s obvious that some of Paul’s surge has dwindled due to the fact of the corporately-controlled media outlets are perceiving and amplifying Paul as a racist.

Despite being criticized not only for the statements made, but also for lacking sufficient oversight, Austin NAACP President, Nelson Linder, came to Paul’s defense.

“Knowing Ron Paul’s intent, I think he is trying to improve this country but I think also, when you talk about the Constitution and you constantly criticize the federal government versus state I think a lot of folks are going to misconstrue that….so I think it’s very easy for folks who want to to take his position out of context and that’s what I’m hearing,” said Linder, (who has known Paul for over 20 years), in a January 13, 2008 article appearing on Prison Planet.

“Knowing Ron Paul and having talked to him, I think he’s a very fair guy I just think that a lot of folks do not understand the Libertarian platform,” he added.

When Linder was asked directly if he thought Paul was racist, Linder responded, “No I don’t.”

“I’ve read Ron Paul’s whole philosophy, I also understand what he’s saying from a political standpoint and why people are attacking him,” said Linder.

“If you scare the folks that have the money, they’re going to attack you and they’re going to take it out of context,” he added.

“What he’s saying is really threatening the powers that be and that’s what they fear,” concluded Linder.

Besides the comments by Linder, when one actually does some research into Paul’s political and medical careers, one would realize that he speaks out against injustices.

During the September 27, 2007 GOP Presidential Forum at Morgan State University, Paul had this to say about the War On Drugs:

“A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no punishments for any group and no privileges.

Today, I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs.
For instance, Blacks make up 14% of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are Blacks and it ends up that 63% of those who finally end up in prison are Blacks. This has to change.

We don’t have to have more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on drugs. It isn’t working. We have already spent over $400 billion since the early 1970s, and it is wasted money. Prohibition didn’t work. Prohibition on drugs doesn’t work. So we need to come to our senses. And, absolutely, it’s a disease. We don’t treat alcoholics like this. This is a disease, and we should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal justice under the law.”

This is not the only issue where Paul has been critical of the way laws can be selectively applied. In an August 18, 2011 interview with the Concord Monitor Editorial Board, Paul had this to say regarding capital punishment:

“That’s a pretty good question. Because people, somebody asked me yesterday, “When was the last time you ever changed your opinion? And I said well, it’s been a while since I’ve had a major change of opinion, but I try to understand and study and figure out how things work you know and become better at economics and all.

But on that issue (the death penalty), I did have a change of opinion. And I stated this in the debates last go around, they asked…they asked a similar question, ‘when did you change your opinion last?’ And uh, and it, that was just not overnight, but I, my position now is, that since I’m a federal official and I would be a U.S. president, is I do not believe in the federal death penalty and in my book “Liberty Defined”, I explain in it more detail , but basically I make the argument for, uh, against the death penalty but I would not come and say the federal government and the federal courts should tell the states they can’t have the death penalty anymore. I don’t go that far.

But no, I just don’t think with the scientific evidence now- I think I read an article yesterday on the death penalty, and 68 percent of the time they make mistakes. And it’s so racist, too. I think more than half the people getting the death penalty are poor blacks. This is the one place, the one remnant of racism in our country is in the court system, enforcing the drug laws and enforcing the death penalty. I don’t even know, but I wonder how many of those, how many have been executed? Over 200, I wonder how many were minorities? You know, if you’re rich, you usually don’t meet the death penalty.”

Besides advocating ending the War on Drugs and discussing the discrepancies in the way capital punishment is applied, Paul has demonstrated his commitment to combating discrimination in other ways.

The Revolution Political Action Committee released a campaign ad, The Compassion of Dr. Ron Paul, which exemplifies Paul’s sincerity.

The ad focuses on James Williams of Matagorda County, Texas and what he and his wife experienced in 1972. James’s wife was having complications during her pregnancy. However, no doctors would care for her or deliver the baby since it was bi-racial. James pleas for help, only led to one of the nurses calling the police, saying James was harassing her.

Dr. Paul was notified and delivered their stillborn baby. Because of the graciousness of Paul, the Williams’ never received a hospital bill for the delivery.

Towards the end of the ad Williams says, “He’s just an honest man and that’s something we need know in this day and time. There is a lot of politics, and no honesty. When you have honesty, well, people will try and do anything to blot you out. And that’s what they will try to do to him, is blot him out, because he will be honest and they need more like him.”

To those of whom still believing Paul is racist, even with his above views explained, it’s simply your prerogative.

But ask yourself this question; Would an individual who speaks out against inequality and believes in liberty, want to alienate a society with prejudices, thus creating a collectivist mentality?

As Paul wrote in his 2008 tome, The Revolution: A Manifesto:

“No form of political organization, therefore, is immune to cruel abuses like the Jim Crow laws, whereby government sets out to legislate on how groups of human beings are allowed to interact with one another.

Peaceful civil disobedience to unjust laws, which I support with every fiber of my being, can sometimes be necessary at any level of government. It falls upon the people, in the last resort, to stand against injustice no matter where it occurs.

In the long run, the only way racism can be overcome is through the philosophy of individualism, which I have promoted throughout my life. Our rights come to us not because we belong to some group, but our rights come to us as individuals. And it is as individuals that we should judge one another.

Racism is a particularly odious form of collectivism whereby individuals are treated not on their merits but on the basis of group identity. Nothing in my political philosophy, which is the exact opposite of the racial totalitarianism of the twentieth century, gives aid or comfort to such thinking. To the contrary, my philosophy of individualism is the most radical intellectual challenge to racism ever posed.

Government exacerbates racial thinking and undermines individualism because its very existence encourages people to organize along racial lines in order to lobby for benefits for their group. That lobbying, in turn, creates animosity and suspicion among all groups, each of which believes that it is getting less of its fair share than the others.

Instead, we should quit thinking in terms of race—yes, in 2008 it is still necessary to say that we should Stop thinking in terms of race—and recognize that freedom and prosperity benefit all Americans.”

For more information on Paul’s stances against bigotry throughout his tenure as a representative, one can go to www.dailypaul.com/195717/breaking-even-more-racially-charged-writings-by-ron-paul-uncovered and watch videos and read his writings.

Brent Daggett is a Ron Paul supporter in Toledo Ohio. You can follow his blog at http://thirdwaystreet.myblogsite.com/