PETER SCHIFF On Ron Paul

[hapaboy]

Quote from Mamet:

The old jealousy theory. Yes, there are a few extremists who are committed to a world without music, movies and picnics, but there are many more who simply want to live their life and would rather be a barber than a terrorist.

Terrorism is a problem that will probably continue to exist forever. Extremely powerful weapons and bombs are now available to anyone with enough determination and money to obtain them. Crazy people who want to use them to kill innocent people will always exist, so terrorism - both foreign and domestic, will never cease to exist.

I think the number of people who fit your description of an anti-freedom terrorist is very small, and as a group they don't have much power - unless something happens to galvanize everyone into joining the cause, which is what I believe American foreign policy is doing. As I said before, I think most people simply want to live their lives, they have no interest in altering the world unless they feel their way of life is threatened, and this is what I see the US doing in the middle east.

I do not think that the numbers are small at all. What is being taught by the extremists to millions of youths at madrassas all over the Middle East is anti-American culture, not just anti-American foreign policy.
Furthermore, as groups they have very much power. You can post polls all you want indicating that Arab and Iranian youth don't hate our culture as much as they do our foreign policy - it's the imams and the extremists who DO hate our culture in addition to our foreign policy.

You talked a lot about what you believe are the causes for terrorism, but you didn't say anything about the solution. Ron Paul suggests a total withdrawl from middle-eastern politics, and securing the American borders. If avoiding another 9/11 is the goal, this seems like a good strategy to me. If you don't agree, then I would be curious as to what you think is a better plan. Everyday in the newspaper they have an article "14 Taliban killed in Iraq!", "Al-Quaeda Leader Captured!", and they never end. The numbers never go down. When you kill 14 taliban, 15 pissed off friends and relatives replace them. When you kill an al-Quaeda leader, another one rises up from the ranks to replace him.

We may indeed end up pulling out. I do not think that is the wise course of action because IMO it will truly end up becoming a civil war of monstrous proportions that may indeed pull in neighboring countries. I agree with Gen. Petraueus's assessment that the outcome is not yet decided.

And surely you are not surprised that the Taliban and Al Qaeda aren't giving up, are you?

They gave the kill-em-all strategy a shot, and to me it doesn't seem to be working.

Oh, I assure you, the US has not even come close to employing the "kill-em-all" strategy, my friend. Our restraint IMO is one of the primary reasons the situation is as it is.

Out of curiousity - are you opposed to Ron Paul simply because of his stance on terrorism, or do you disagree with his other views as well?

Actually, I am in agreement with Paul on several issues. I daresay that if his foreign policy stance was not so foolish I would probably vote for him.