I was exited to see Ron Paul tonight at Duke University. There was a sold out crowd of 600 in attendance. They spanned all ages and races. The message of freedom and the thirst for liberty truly is universal. Dr. Paul laid out very plainly what a Constitutional Federal Government would and should look like. We are so far from having one today! Foreign Policy would be reasonable, we would not the policemen of the world, we would not prop up dictators, we would not start wars. Economic Policy would be one where the market determines interest rates and the value of the currency. There would be a limited federal government. Organizations such as the Dept. of Education and the FDA would not be in place (since they aren’t Constitutional). There would be no income tax. In fact, the 1 Trillion dollars a year we spend on our foreign policy would shrink. The savings from that alone would more than replace the revenue form the income tax.
The Constitution does not give us any rights. Our Founders understood that our rights come from our Creator. The Constitution limits the role of the federal government by allowing men and women to live in a free society. It was a bold and risky move by those men and women a couple of centuries ago. This type of government would be a radical shift from the status quo.
If you are interested in learning more about Ron Paul’s message of freedom and liberty, get a copy of his latest book, The Revolution: A Manifesto.
Some memorable quotes…”The government does not regulate what we put into our brains or our souls…why should it regulate what we put into our stomachs?”
“With freedom comes much responsibility”
“If a Federal Politician makes a mistake, it hurts the whole country, if a state politician makes a mistake, it hurts the whole state, if a local politican makes a mistake, it hurts the county, if you make a mistake it hurts you. The closer government is to home, the safer we all are.”
“A worker should be able to keep all of the fruits of his labor.”
There was also a book signing afterward. They did not have time to allow each person to pose with Dr. Paul, so I got a shot of someone else getting their book signed. I did tell the good Dr. that I was a Pastor and after teaching on the Just War Theory, I realized that we haven’t been following that. He shared with me that he is troubled by so many Evangelicals who say that our current war is “God’s Will” I have to agree with him.
A Pastor's Thoughts 
There is so much to consider here…I appreciate your posting. When I think of the vision our forefathers had for this country, and see where we are now, I shudder. I wonder how it got this way, and realize it happened over time, incident by incident. We need vision now. I think most people feel they are only “one person” and are helpless to do anything positive, but just look at the damage “one person” can do – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, her son and succesor John,come to mind. Each incident began with one person. I wonder when we as Christians will arise with the same amount of fervor. On the day of National Prayer, I invited most of our entire agency to come along. There were no takers.
On a lighter note, I do like the new look of the website. Thank you for all you do.