Thursday, November 8, 2007

Ron Paul's original defense to his racist comments.

CAMPAIGN '96/U.S. HOUSE/Newsletter excerpts offer ammunition to Paul's opponent/GOP hopeful quoted on race, crime






By ALAN BERNSTEIN, Houston Chronicle Political Writer
Staff



Texas congressional candidate Ron Paul's 1992 political newsletter highlighted portrayals of blacks as inclined toward crime and lacking sense about top political issues.

Under the headline of ""Terrorist Update," for instance, Paul reported on gang crime in Los Angeles and commented, ""If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."

Paul, a Republican obstetrician from Surfside, said Wednesday he opposes racism and that his written commentaries about blacks came in the context of ""current events and statistical reports of the time."

Selected writings by Paul were distributed Wednesday by the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Austin lawyer Charles ""Lefty" Morris.

Morris said many of Paul's views are ""out there on the fringe" and that his commentaries will be judged by voters in the November general elections.

Paul said allegations about his writings amounted to name-calling by the Democrats and that his opponents should focus instead on how to shrink government spending and reform welfare.

Morris and Paul are seeking the 14th Congressional District seat held by Greg Laughlin of West Columbia. Laughlin lost the Republican primary to Paul, a former congressman and the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential candidate.

Paul, writing in his independent political newsletter in 1992, reported about unspecified surveys of blacks.

""Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action," Paul wrote.

Paul continued that politically sensible blacks are outnumbered ""as decent people." Citing reports that 85 percent of all black men in the District of Columbia are arrested, Paul wrote:

""Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the `criminal justice system,' I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal," Paul said.

Paul also wrote that although ""we are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers."

A campaign spokesman for Paul said statements about the fear of black males mirror pronouncements by black leaders such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has decried the spread of urban crime.

Paul continues to write the newsletter for an undisclosed number of subscribers, the spokesman said.

Writing in the same 1992 edition, Paul expressed the popular idea that government should lower the age at which accused juvenile criminals can be prosecuted as adults.

He added, ""We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such."

Paul also asserted that ""complex embezzling" is conducted exclusively by non-blacks.

""What else do we need to know about the political establishment than that it refuses to discuss the crimes that terrify Americans on grounds that doing so is racist? Why isn't that true of complex embezzling, which is 100 percent white and Asian?" he wrote.

In later newsletters, Paul aimed criticism at the Israeli government's U.S. lobbying efforts and reported allegations that President Clinton used cocaine and fathered illegitimate children.

Stating that lobbying groups who seek special favors and handouts are evil, Paul wrote, ""By far the most powerful lobby in Washington of the bad sort is the Israeli government" and that the goal of the Zionist movement is to stifle criticism.

Relaying a rumor that Clinton was a longtime cocaine user, Paul wrote in 1994 that the speculation ""would explain certain mysteries" about the president's scratchy voice and insomnia.

""None of this is conclusive, of course, but it sure is interesting," he said.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

C-SPAN caller asks “arrogant right-wing Republican” apologist [David Rivkin, former Reagan Justice Dept. official] to try waterboarding VIDEO

Mookie said...

Ron Paul is a scary TX libertarian. The worst kind.

Gerald said...

Comments about Ron Paul may be a swiftboating effort but I cannot say. Even before these comment were made, I had concerns about Ron Paul and some of his voting patterns in previous years. Specific details are lost in my memory.

My dream ticket for 2008, if we even vote, would be Kucinich versus Paul. I would vote for Kucinich.

Gerald said...

Another great homily by Bishop Gumbleton

He has been at the forefront of justice and peace movements for 40 years.

Gerald said...

Parents Beware

Dear Posters:

Here is a must read article. It truly is a great article. The article is a short one but it is filled with great information for your thought processes.

When we vote, we really must know the candidate. We need information on the health and mental histories. A crazy president, like the current one, is creating havoc in our world and in the United States of Evil. Hitler Bush is truly a loony bird. Only God can help us in straightening out the total mess that Hitler Bush has created.

Sincerely,
Gerald

P.S. I am unable to link the article so I will try another way.

Gerald said...

Parents Beware

I have to link the article this way.

Anonymous said...

{"Selected writings by Paul were distributed Wednesday by the campaign of his (1996) Democratic opponent, Austin lawyer Charles "Lefty" Morris.
Morris said many of Paul's views are "out there on the fringe" and that his commentaries will be judged by voters in the November general elections.}

I guess they were, 5 times over.

Anonymous said...

Wikipedia tells us (with supporting citations and references):

Paul's Democratic opponent in the fall election, trial lawyer Charles "Lefty" Morris, lost in a close margin, despite assistance from the AFL-CIO. Paul's large contributor base outraised Morris two-to-one...[51]
It became the third time Paul had been elected to Congress as a non-incumbent.[10]

Morris ran numerous attacks, including publicizing issues of the Ron Paul Survival Report (published by Paul since 1985) that included derogatory comments concerning race and other politicians.[52][53]...

In 2001, Paul took "moral responsibility" for the comments printed in his newsletter under his name, telling Texas Monthly magazine that the comments were written by a ghostwriter and did not represent his views. He said newsletter remarks referring to U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan (calling her a "fraud" and a "half-educated victimologist") were "the saddest thing, because Barbara and I served together and actually she was a delightful lady."[58] The magazine defended Paul's decision to protect the writer's confidence in 1996, concluding, "In four terms as a U.S. congressman and one presidential race, Paul had never uttered anything remotely like this."[33] In 2007, with the quotes resurfacing, the New York Times Magazine concurred that Paul denied the allegations "quite believably, since the style diverges widely from his own."[10]

Ron Paul - Wikipedia

Anonymous said...

No reason to bold a whole post. It is not any more convincing.

Paul, a Republican obstetrician from Surfside, said Wednesday he opposes racism and that his written commentaries about blacks came in the context of ""current events and statistical reports of the time."


Just doesn't sound like a staff or ghost writer wrote it - those are his words not mine.

If you believe him - good for you - I do not.

He is a republican politiciam and all the matinee idol worship you can muster only repels other. You are not doing Ron or yourself any favors trolling for RP comments.

Anonymous said...

'Anonymous' writes:
"No reason to bold a whole post. It is not any more convincing."


Nor is Redundent, Repetitive Repetition.

You are not doing Ron or yourself any favors trolling for RP comments.

Oh..., like this blog is loaded with potential Ron Paul converts anyway...

Curious though, that a quote from one time contender for the Libertarian presidential nomination and champion of Libertarian views, Frank Zappa, tops the main page.

In Frank's own words, "I'm a Conservative, and you may not like that but I am."

capt said...

Thanks for the cooperative spirit and kind words.

What make you think
I am not a conservative?

You know what happens when you assume . . . .

Anonymous said...

Who said anything about you, or your political mindset?
Does it all revolve around you?
Where did 'Anonymous' make any such assumptions?

I am, in fact, a lilly livered white wine swilling, Volvo driving, quiche eating, alternative lifestyle accepting, womans choice supporting and defending fiscal conservative liberal and progressive American patriot and I will defend whomsoever I please with or without any other persons permission or concern.

Personally, I'm at a loss as to how you square "fiscal conservative" with "liberal and progressive", but if you can make the two work together in your own mind, that's all that counts.
I don't require an explanation.

And if there's any confusion on the issue, that's Frank speaking about himself.
Has nothing to do with me.
I just think a great number of people aren't aware of that point about the old Mother...

capt said...

As I have no clue who anonymous is so it is hard to care or find any good reason but:

"I am, in fact, a lilly livered white wine swilling, Volvo driving, quiche eating, alternative lifestyle accepting, womans choice supporting and defending fiscal conservative liberal and progressive American patriot and I will defend whomsoever I please with or without any other persons permission or concern."

Was totally tounge in cheek.

A knock off of an anti-Dean ad.

I am all over the map/spectrum and do not believe any label can contain any person.

I believe that is true for all people.

Do you really believe I would be serious in describing myself as lilly livered?

You lost me, you are either playing games or just not serious enough for me.

Ciao - feel free to post anytyhing you like, not many readers on the old threads.

You might try a sense of humor, it will lighten your load day by day.