Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Ron Paul speaks truth about why they hate us
By Sam Kenyon
The Communicator (Spokane Falls Community College)
05/25/2007

(U-WIRE) Spokane, Washington — The second Republican presidential debate happened on May 15, in South Carolina, and for a political junkie, it produced some exciting moments. The debates aired on Fox News and it was moderated by Brit Hume, but most of the questions were asked by Chris Wallace and Wendell Goler. The focus of the debate was on the top tier candidates, as usual, while the fringe candidates were asked more diffi cult questions and received less air time. But I don't want to talk about the front runners, because they said what they were expected to say; nothing specific and lots of smiles.

What I want to talk about is the most conservative candidate in the debate, Ron Paul. The biggest sound bite of the night was because of Ron Paul, unfortunately it was used against him. He answered a question about the terrorist situation, and he said the reason so many Middle Eastern countries hate us is because we have implemented a foreign policy of intervention and nation building. Ron Paul, on a nationally televised debate, alluded to the dirty secret that no body will talk about.

The way America has treated the rest of the world is what led to 9/11. At this point Rudy Giuliani sensed a moment to once again plug the fact the he was mayor of New York when we were attacked. He called out Ron Paul's explanation and asked the congressmen to apologize and take back what he said. Ron Paul did not, nor should he, because he is absolutely right. The CIA uses the term "Blowback" and even they say that 9/11 was blowback for U.S. intervention in the Middle East. The 9/11 Commission report says the same thing, and even Osama Bin Laden himself has said that he and his followers don't hate America because we are free, they hate us because of the way our military has ruined their lives.

When Ron Paul didn't back down to Giuliani, the other candidates started trying to respond, Mitt Romney said, "We all want 30 seconds to talk about this." Then Chris Wallace decided to do the most prudent thing when ten candidates want to debate an issue; change the subject. The audience actually started to boo him. When all the candidates want to talk about it, and the audience wants to see them talk about it, maybe the moderator should let them talk about it. Regardless, Ron Paul spoke the truth, even though it could be used politically against him. He had the spine to reject this bogus idea that America never does anything wrong.

If we truly want to deal with fanatics who want to destroy us, perhaps it would be benefi cial to know why they hate us. And if their reasons for hatred are illegal, unconstitutional, and criminally expensive military intervention in other countries, then that is what needs to be debated. Giuliani said what too many Americans think; that these Muslim fanatics want to destroy us because of our freedoms. That is dangerously not true, and what's more is Rudy Giuliani knows it. He is intentionally saying things that are not true because he can gain support from it. Meanwhile Ron Paul says what even CIA agrees is true, and he is ostracized for it.

Pundits on TV say that he done and should just drop out, for speaking the truth. There were threats of banning Ron Paul from future Republican debates because he doesn't tow the party line. Thank God that he has such tremendous support online and the networks were fl ooded with emails demanding that he be allowed to speak. What kind of country do we live in where a candidate will be shunned and ridiculed for telling the truth? After the debate Fox News had a text message poll to determine the winner. The only redeeming moment of the entire night was when Ron Paul beat Giuliani in that poll.

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