by Jacob G. Hornberger, Future of Freedom Foundation

The Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that “no Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”

Obviously, the Third Amendment has little relevance today. But what is relevant for us today is the mindset that underlay the passage of that amendment – a mindset of deep antipathy toward militarism and standing armies. Our ancestors’ fierce opposition to a powerful military force was consistent with their overall philosophy that guided the formation of the Constitution and the passage of the Bill of Rights. Continue Reading

by Rep Ron Paul

Last week I discussed our worsening economic situation and the fact that there are very few options for the new administration to improve things in the long run.  The same is not true on the foreign policy front.  Our interventionist foreign policy stands ready to be put on a new course with the new administration.  Unfortunately, it seems the new administration is likely to continue the mistakes of the past.

I’ve often discussed interventionist foreign policy and the resulting blowback.  The current administration’s foreign policy, I’m afraid, has created a huge impetus for blowback against the United States.  However, I truly believe much of the world stands ready to look beyond our nation’s recent blunders if the new administration proves to be heading in a more reasonable direction. Continue Reading

Laurence Vance at the Mises institute has an excellent post on the immorality of forced government-to-government foreign aid - with a focus on the tragedy in Myanmar.

Here’s an excerpt: Continue Reading

by Rep Ron Paul

Congress is poised to pass the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) authorizing up to $50 million in unconstitutional foreign aid.  The bill passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee with a bipartisan agreement to nearly double the President’s requested amount.

It is always distressing to see officials in our government reach across the aisle to disregard Constitutional limitations. Continue Reading

by Rep Ron Paul

It has been over 6 years since the atrocities of September 11 were committed and there are still some very basic measures that need to be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and make America  safer.  I have proposed legislation to help with these efforts and will continue to fight in Congress for the safety and security of the American people. Continue Reading

The big news of the day has clearly been the US Intelligence report that’s come out detailing how Iran halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003.

As reported by CNN:

Iran halted work toward a nuclear weapon under international scrutiny in 2003 and is unlikely to be able to produce enough enriched uranium for a bomb until 2010 to 2015, a U.S. intelligence report says.

A declassified summary of the latest National Intelligence Estimate found with “high confidence” that the Islamic republic stopped an effort to develop nuclear weapons in the fall of 2003.

But, of course, the debate has heightened - some state that this is just more proof that action is needed, because Iran has (and could again) have the intention to build a nuclear program. On the other side, some state that this is a slam dunk - since Iran isn’t building nuclear weapons, and thus, there’s no need to get aggressive with that country’s leadership.

So who’s right? Continue Reading

I recently received a promotional email from the so-called “right-wing” RedState.com.  In it was a plea to support the troops - by promoting a “national expression of thanks to our military men and women during the Thanksgiving Day holiday.”

More striking than this, though, was one small sentence near the end of the email - which highlighted, with a sense of pride, that American troops are based…everywhere. Continue Reading

Yesterday, as the Senate overwhelmingly voted for the Lieberman-Kyl Amendment on Iran, I couldn’t stop my amazement at the absolute arrogance of the US federal government.

The amendment states: “The United State should designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization . . . and place the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”

Continue Reading

Don’t be fooled by all the hype surrounding testimony from General David Petraeus. In my opinion, this is little more than drama - a political soap opera - distracting us all from the real issue.

The interviews and discussions have involved some heated rhetoric about whether or not the “surge” is “working” in Iraq, but at the end of the day, this is just theater, and almost nothing will change.

US Senators are not generally inclined to stand up and oppose the opinions of a General - even if that general is little more than a politicians, like Dave Petreaus is. Continue Reading

Reports from the UK are talking about a British General lambasting US policy failures in Iraq. From the Guardian:

The bitter transatlantic row over Iraq intensified as another key British general lambasted the US for bungling the aftermath of the invasion.

Major General Tim Cross, the most senior UK officer involved in the post-war planning, said Washington’s policy had been “fatally flawed”. He also insisted he had raised serious concerns about the possibility of the country sliding into chaos with Donald Rumsfeld - but the then-US defence secretary “dismissed” the warnings.

Once again, the personalities and the media are concerned with the symptoms of our problems in Iraq - rather than the cause. Continue Reading