Friday, September 13, 2013

Rand Paul: Putin is Wrong, America Is Exceptional

Rand Paul takes the view that the U.S. empire is exceptional, though as per usual he muddies his view by referencing individual effort, which has nothing to do with the empire-loving exceptionalists. Rand writes in TIME:
I begin with Mr. Putin’s disagreement regarding the exceptionalism of the United States of America. I could not more strongly disagree with him. While he is correct that God created every human being as an equal in His eyes, clearly the results of each of our efforts on this earth, individually and collectively, are not equal.
Then he goes on to lie. Rand  attacks Putin's NYT op-ed andwrites:
The United States until now has resisted arming one side of the Syrian civil war – all the while the other side has been armed by Russia.
Perhaps the phrase "until now" is a typical Rand word dance so he can claim he is not lying, but the fact of the matter is, as WaPo reports, the US is arming Syrian rebels.

And while in the U.S., spying, taxing and regulating of its people continues to expand and foreign military adventures continue, Rand ignores all this and states:
American is indeed exceptional. Our history has proved it so. While we all share the same Creator, we do not all share the same richness of history regarding human rights, freedom and democracy. There has been in the past 200 years a city on the hill that has shone brighter than all others. We will not be ashamed of that. May God allow us to continue to model this example to the world in these difficult times.

Rand is quite simply one popular war away from being an out an out jingoist.


16 comments:

  1. "American is indeed exceptional. Our history has proved it so. While we all share the same Creator, we do not all share the same richness of history regarding human rights, freedom and democracy. There has been in the past 200 years a city on the hill that has shone brighter than all others. We will not be ashamed of that. May God allow us to continue to model this example to the world in these difficult times."

    Rand, don't make me puke. You're talking like a neocon not a libertarian. Oh, forgot, you're not a libertarian.

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  2. America: 27th in education, number 1 in confidence. A dangerous combination.

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  3. I agree with Rand. America is exceptionally spied upon. America is exceptionally overweight. America is exceptionally incarcerated. America is exceptionally _______. Help fill in the blank.

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    1. A friend just sent me this. To me, Rand is obviously exceptionally interested in campaign contributions, but here are my friend's words: "Yak, Yak, Yak... Completely forgetting about the dedicated, serious undermining and certain destruction of the constitution. Almost guaranteed by the actions of the Supreme Court and the actions: allowing Corporations to become a vote with all their money. Of the Homeland security: dictating to us what we can do and what not, making rules up as they go. And the militarization of the police forces: Banging down doors at the slightest provocation, using brutal, or lethal force whenever they feel the least bit “threatened.” He should listen to and take note of his father’s wisdom. But I guess he wants to make points for himself. Not very good at it yet." All I can say is "too bad Rand! You sound just like all of them after all. For awhile there, I was hoping...!"

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  4. Tornados are exceptional too. I think America is in the roping out phase.

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  5. The idea of "American Exceptionalism" does NOT mean that you believe your country is always the best. This is a gross misrepresentation.

    "American Exceptionalism" is the belief that America was founded upon, and basically continues to adhere to (regardless of how true it is, today), the belief in individual liberty - AS CONTRASTED AGAINST the belief of most of the rest of the world, which believes that the collective is more important than the individual.

    As a Neocon, it always frustrated me that my view was always being misrepresented.

    Other countries COULD, in my view then, be just as exceptional IF they adopted the belief that the individual is necessarily prior to any "collective", and that therefore individual rights supercede the collective; BUT THAT SIMPLY ISN'T THE CASE, in my view then.

    But, as I've learned, we're not free. In fact, it is our very own central bank that is the crux of the global communist movement. We only THINK we're free because the USD's reserve currency status for the rest of the world masks the destruction caused by the socialist policies that have been implemented since 1913 (and prior, since the Constitution, itself, was a move away from liberty).

    Stop using fiat money to begin taking back your own personal liberties - not as a country or a community, but as an individual:

    War and the Fed | Lew Rockwell
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl9lS5k7H5M

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  6. You misunderstand. America is indeed exceptional, in the fact that throughout human history, theres only been a few thats been free. US success is built on freedom, while most countries are ruled by dictators. The exception is NOT from blood, origin, skin, talent, religion, god playing favourites, its from a system of individual liberty. America lost that for the past decades or so, but it used to be the only country in the world with the most freedom

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    1. Only because it took time for the parasite to grow.

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    2. Oh, and taxes tripled after the revolution.

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    3. Taxes tripled after the constitution was ratified. Those taxes were the reason that document was created.

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    4. "it used to be the only country in the world with the most freedom" because that is what they told you in school, or have you traveled to every country and studied their freedom?

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  7. Rand Paul has been spending too much time at CATO and listened to a little too much Glenn Beck.

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  8. Sounds like it, doesn't it? Too bad. He could have been more, or at least I hoped so.

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