Two weeks from the day we were attacked on September 11, 2001, while rescue crews where still trying to locate survivors in the rubble of the twin towers, Ron Paul took to the floor of the House to explain why we had just been attacked, pointing his finger squarely at American policies for bringing about what had occurred just two weeks before, almost justifying the attacks that had just killed almost 3,000 Americans:
Osama bin Laden, a wealthy man, left Saudi Arabia in 1979 to join American-sponsored so-called freedom fighters in Afghanistan. He received financial assistance, weapons and training from our CIA, just as his allies in Kosovo continue to receive the same from us today.
It is during this time that bin Laden learned to practice terror tragically, with money from the US taxpayers. But it wasnt until 1991, during what we refer to as the Persian Gulf War, that he turned fully against the United States. It was this war, said to protect our oil, that brought out the worst in him.
Of course, it isnt our oil. The oil, in fact, belongs to the Arabs and other Muslim nations of the Persian Gulf. Our military presence in Saudi Arabia is what most Muslims believe to be a sacred violation of holy land. The continuous bombing and embargo of Iraq has intensified the hatred and contributed to more than 1,000,000 deaths in Iraq. It is clear that protecting certain oil interests and our presence in the Persian Gulf help drive the holy war.
Muslims see this as an invasion and domination by a foreign enemy, which inspires radicalism. This is not new. This war, from their viewpoint, has been going on since the Crusades 1000 years ago. We ignore this history at our own peril.
The radicals react as some Americans might react if China dominated the Gulf of Mexico and had air bases in Texas and Florida. Dominating the Persian Gulf is not a benign activity. It has consequences. The attack on the USS Cole was a warning we ignored.
The hatred has been suppressed because we are a powerful economic and military force and wield a lot of influence. But this suppressed hatred is now becoming more visible and we as Americans, for the most part, are not even aware of how this could be. Americans have no animosity toward a people they hardly even know. Instead, our policies have been driven by the commercial interests of a few and now the innocent suffer.
Heres the full clip and transcript:
Following the September 11th disasters, a militant Islamic group in Pakistan held up a sign for all the world to see. It said: AMERICANS, THINK! WHY YOU ARE HATED ALL OVER THE WORLD. We abhor the messenger, but we should not ignore the message.
Here at home we are told that the only reasons for the suicidal mass killing we experienced on September 11th is hatred engendered because we are free and prosperous. If these two conflicting views are not reconciled, we cannot wisely fight or win the war in which we now find ourselves. We must understand why the hatred is directed toward Americans and not other western countries.
In studying history, I, as many others, have come to the conclusion that war is most often fought for economic reasons. But economic wars are driven by moral and emotional overtones. Our own revolution was fought to escape from excessive taxation but was inspired and driven by our desire to protect our God-given right to liberty.
The War between the States, fought primarily over tariffs, was nonetheless inspired by the abhorrence of slavery. It is this moral inspiration that drives people to suicidally fight to the death as so many Americans did between 1861 and 1865.
Both economic and moral causes of war must be understood. Ignoring the importance of either is dangerous. We should not casually ignore the root causes of our current fight nor pursue this fight by merely accepting the explanation that they terrorize us out of jealously.
It has already been written that Islamic militants are fighting a holy war a jihad. This drives them to commit acts that to us are beyond comprehension. It seems that they have no concern for economic issues since they have no regard even for their own lives. But an economic issue does exist in this war: OIL!
When the conflict broke out between Iraq and Iran in the early 1980s and we helped to finance and arm Iraq, Anwar Sadat of Egypt profoundly stated: This is the beginning of the war for oil. Our crisis today is part of this long-lasting war over oil.
Osama bin Laden, a wealthy man, left Saudi Arabia in 1979 to join American-sponsored so-called freedom fighters in Afghanistan. He received financial assistance, weapons and training from our CIA, just as his allies in Kosovo continue to receive the same from us today.
Unbelievably, to this day our foreign aid continues to flow into Afghanistan, even as we prepare to go to war against her. My suggestion is that not only should we stop this aid immediately we should never have started it in the first place.
It is during this time that bin Laden learned to practice terror tragically, with money from the US taxpayers. But it wasnt until 1991, during what we refer to as the Persian Gulf War, that he turned fully against the United States. It was this war, said to protect our oil, that brought out the worst in him.
Of course, it isnt our oil. The oil, in fact, belongs to the Arabs and other Muslim nations of the Persian Gulf. Our military presence in Saudi Arabia is what most Muslims believe to be a sacred violation of holy land. The continuous bombing and embargo of Iraq has intensified the hatred and contributed to more than 1,000,000 deaths in Iraq. It is clear that protecting certain oil interests and our presence in the Persian Gulf help drive the holy war.
Muslims see this as an invasion and domination by a foreign enemy, which inspires radicalism. This is not new. This war, from their viewpoint, has been going on since the Crusades 1000 years ago. We ignore this history at our own peril.
The radicals react as some Americans might react if China dominated the Gulf of Mexico and had air bases in Texas and Florida. Dominating the Persian Gulf is not a benign activity. It has consequences. The attack on the USS Cole was a warning we ignored.
Furthermore, our support for secular governments in the moderate Arab countries is interpreted by the radicals as more American control than they want over their region. There is no doubt that our policies, which are seen by the radicals as favoring one faction over another in the long-lasting Middle East conflict, add to the distrust and hatred of America.
The hatred has been suppressed because we are a powerful economic and military force and wield a lot of influence. But this suppressed hatred is now becoming more visible and we as Americans, for the most part, are not even aware of how this could be. Americans have no animosity toward a people they hardly even know. Instead, our policies have been driven by the commercial interests of a few and now the innocent suffer.
Why you folks want to dredge this all up again is almost beyond me.
On Every Level, NORAD/SS/cheney/Mossad are all over this.
"The price of scrap steel for export in 2001-2003 was at its lowest level in 50 years, between $70-80 per ton. Why would a steel trader in New Jersey spend $25 per ton to ship the WTC steel to distant Asian smelters when it could have been shipped for a fraction of the cost to U.S. steel companies? "
After gold pulled out Giuli calls off Search&Rescue.
Fire burns what for over 100 days....How?
6 planes over DC at 9:30, not counting the Three Fighters from Langely. All Federal.
"The crucial Pennsylvania primary was coming up and the Carter people (their chief fundraiser was Morris Dees) needed a big wad of cash for the final push against Henry Scoop Jackson of Washington, known as the senator from Boeing, also running for the Democratic nomination and favored by powerful labor chieftains in Pennsylvania. Joel was told the go-to guy for untraceable campaign cash was Hank Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun was a notoriously tough egg, former gun-runner for the Haganah, the man who, in the midst of the Cold War witch hunts, outed Senator Joe McCarthy in the Sun as a homosexual. Joel was told to act manly.
Greenspun duly received him in his office. Why the hell should I get money for Jimmy Carter? he asked. Because Jimmy Carter is going to be president, Joel answered boldly, and if you dont support his campaign hell fuck you. Greenspun told Joel to come back in two hours. He returned to find Greenspan sitting at a table surrounded by other toughs.
In the middle of the table was a paper bag. So the Baptist fuck wants money, Greenspun growled, as he pushed the bag over to Joel. Remember, this comes from the state of Israel. Dont you ever forget it"
Dominating the Persian Gulf is not a benign activity. It has consequences. The attack on the USS Cole was a warning we ignored.
Nobody's dominating squat, we pay (what used to be) good $$$ for A-rab oil, & we saved ingrate Kuwait's sorry ass in Gulf War I in an o-fficial alliance w/ the rag heads. We're not the bad guys here that you, Ron Paul, Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan, bin Laden, Mullah Omar, the Democratic Party & the rest of Blame Amerika First libtards say we are.
We're not the bad guys here that you, Ron Paul, Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan, bin Laden, Mullah Omar, the Democratic Party & the rest of Blame Amerika First libtards say we are.
That's right, we're supposed to believe they hate us for no reason.
Economics is a social phenomenon and in no way a science, no matter how desperately its high priests would like to have it believed otherwise. It is, instead, a branch of anthropology and the sooner that is recognized and accepted, the better off human-kind in general and the world of academic economics, in particular, shall be proximity1
We probably will see widespread civil disorder in the 1980s, as a direct result of our faltering economic system. Ron Paul
The nastier spread of Judaism which is guaranteed to create dissension wherever it goes makes Islam look like a piker. How many Moslems are in charge of US foreign policy at this time?
Almost every country in the Middle East is awash in oil, and we have to side with the one that has nothing but joos. Goddamn, that was good thinkin'. Esso posted on 2012-01-13 7:37:56 ET
There's one in the White House, and his Secretary of State is a dhimmi dyke.
I see you have nothing to offer in the way of serious discussion - later days dud.
Economics is a social phenomenon and in no way a science, no matter how desperately its high priests would like to have it believed otherwise. It is, instead, a branch of anthropology and the sooner that is recognized and accepted, the better off human-kind in general and the world of academic economics, in particular, shall be proximity1
We probably will see widespread civil disorder in the 1980s, as a direct result of our faltering economic system. Ron Paul
There's one in the White House, and his Secretary of State is a dhimmi dyke.
Yet they put your Jewish Zionist buds everywhere in their administration. But surely you should be able to name one Moslem in a foreign polioy decision making position in the Obama administration.
Almost every country in the Middle East is awash in oil, and we have to side with the one that has nothing but joos. Goddamn, that was good thinkin'. Esso posted on 2012-01-13 7:37:56 ET
I haven't seen anything that Ron Paul said, that was the least bit wrong.
Your posting of his observations actually confirms he understands reality far better than you...
And your responses? "Vacuous" would be a kind description.
Let me guess: you're gonna' vote for Newt Gingrich?
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! -- Samuel Adams --
I'm going to vote for whoever is running against Barack Hussein Obama.
Aha. So your position is "Party over principles."
Do you understand that the two-party system is a scam, designed to control fools who vote party over principles...?
With the exception of Ron Paul, every GOP candidate is a clone of Obama.
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! -- Samuel Adams --
"We can now remove almost all of our forces from Saudi Arabia. Their presence there over the last 12 years has been a source of enormous difficulty for a friendly government. It's been a huge recruiting device for al Qaeda. In fact if you look at bin Laden, one of his principle grievances was the presence of so- called crusader forces on the holy land, Mecca and Medina. I think just lifting that burden from the Saudis is itself going to open the door to other positive things." -- Paul Wolfowitz, United States Deputy Secretary of Defense 2001 - 2005
Irans main drive for acquiring atomic weapons is not for use against Israel but as a deterrent against U.S. intervention -- Major General Zeevi Farkash, head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate
So another Marxist would be more preferable? Mitt Romney would be an improvement? If so, HOW? Is there anything in his track-record, that indicates he actually believes anything he currently says?
Perhaps you'd prefer a Fascist, like Newt Gingrich? How is a fascist different from a marxist (and it could be argued that Newt is actually a "progressive" in conservative clothes)...?
How exactly are any of the other "electable" candidates substantially different from Obama?
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! -- Samuel Adams --
No, my position is "GET THE FUCKING MARXIST OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!!!"
...No, your position is to NOT think. Tell me...other that Paul, which of the three "chosen" for us to pick between, has ANY policy stance that is significantly different than the current Marxist in the WH. Which one wants to abolish the TSA, the IRS, Obama care, the patriot act, the NDAA, the Federal reserve...(not counting Paul). Give me 4 MAJOR policy differences between Obama and _______________________...just 4. It's ALL about GLOBALISM and the destruction of our freedoms...the sooner you figure that out, the more educated you will appear. The enemies to our way of life ARE NOT in the ME...they are on the Potomac.
Say, Mexico made a deal with the Chinese, and the Chinese dominated the Gulf of Mexico, attacked US cities and had military bases from Texas to Florida.
Don't just Gomer your way through this, stop and think about it for a second, or in your case, 6 or 8 months.
I would be doing anything that I could do to expel those foreign soldiers on MY soil and to get a little payback against Mexico AND the Chinese.
Why would you expect that we can do these things around the planet and not expect the same?
That's what the CIA calls 'blowback'. It's unintended consequences for our foreign interventions, JUST LIKE is explained in the article above.