Christians and Ron Paul: A counterpoint

In a recent WORLDmag.com column, D.C. Innes argued against Ron Paul’s candidacy. The main reason: The candidate’s “opposition to moral legislation,” which is swiftly interpreted as a “failure to appreciate the government’s divine mandate to punish evil and praise good.”

As tempting as it is to agree uncritically with the idea of “punishing evil,” opposing Paul on these grounds reveals a grave flaw within an influential faction of the conservative evangelical community—a willingness to put secular powers in charge of spiritual wars.

It is one thing to delegate to government the duty to punish crimes against persons and their rightfully acquired property; murder, rape, and theft are some obvious examples. It is quite another matter to advocate the use of the repressive state machinery to punish all kinds of sinful behavior, either the ones that are clearly defined in the Bible (all sexual relationships outside of marriage) or those inferred by the preachers in a particular denomination (such as the drinking of alcoholic beverages). America tried going down that road with Prohibition, and have we forgotten how it ended in multiplying sin and crime?

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Rosco1776

Amen!!

Ron Paul 2012 !!
- Guest
  
  Ron is too soft and he will steal votes, then Obama will win!
  - Dandy
    
    So, if Mitt Romney gets the vote or Neut Gingrich will that be better than Obama Vote for the best man and let God do his will. Don't try to outguess God. Ron Paul is that man.
- daves
  
  Amen to this article! God gave us free choice and we should not use man's laws to take that choice away.
  - keyboardshark
    
    daves says: "God gave us free choice and we should not use man's laws to take that choice away."
    
    If the "choice" you are thinking of is abortion, then God is certainly NOT going to support your choice to kill an innocent baby in it's mother's womb. God has very definite laws of His own, so don't think that free choice means God approves whatever we decide. Even man's laws say that murder is wrong. Sounds like you think we should eliminate all laws and let man do whatever he wants. Good luck with that one, dude. Just don't expect me to help you when someone "decides" to rob you of everything you have at gunpoint.
MARIANO Q. CASILUM

gingrich IS COCKY, ARROGANT AND NO BETTER THAN HUSSEIN-obamA, ALIAS BARRY SOETERO, "THE KENYAN-MUSLIM NATIVE, IMPOSTOR, FRAUD AND ILLEGAL president"…
- Guest
  
  Gingrich no better than Obama????? Are you serious? He is light years ahead of Obama! Give us proof!!!
- Steve
  
  Ron Paul has just dropped out of the race and endorsed Gingrich for president. Want to reassess you convictions?
- bighoss
  
  Stop holding back; give us your true feelings, Mariano. And hey, you forgot to call the president a socialist. Are you losing it?
D Fayette

But doesn't alcohol and drug abuse as a whole harms others, not just the consumer? Families of alcoholics suffer, and the community suffers. The same goes for the drug addicts. Persons under the influence of alcohol and drugs kill, perhaps unintentionally, because they've lost the mental capacity to determine right from wrong. Driving drunk is but one example, that had the person not been drunk, the accident may not have happened. Gambling is another example where others are affected by those addicted to gambling. Is the War on Drugs costing more lives than it is saving? How many more lives would be lost to drug overdoses if all drugs were legal?
- Kevin W.
  
  You are exactly right, I have been arguing this point with Paul supporters until I'm blue in the face! I work with addicts and in fact, used to be addicted to prescription medications after 9 back surgeries. My addiction, all addiction hurts those around them, not just the user. Paul & supporters naively think that only the user is harmed and therefore we should do nothing about it. They couldn't be more wrong. Also, there is the "Legalize Pot" crowd supporting Paul because he plans on ending the war on drugs. These people make false claims that pot is harmless and claim the medical community & science backs them. However they never present evidence to prove that false claim. Pot is very harmful and it is easy to find all kinds of information just by google searching "the dangers of marijuana". Paul makes the typical, non-provable, claim of huge savings if we stop the war on drugs. He ignores the cost of doing nothing. There will be huge health care costs & welfare costs if we stop this war. How much it will cost to stop, no one knows but considering the huge number of addicts in America, it will be significant! Thank you for making sense among the senseless Ron Paul supporters!
  - Guest
    
    Alcohol has been here since the beginning of time and prohibition which I beleive was started by women not wanting men to drink created a monster. Silly women as the Bible says I think were involved in this. The Bible does not say it is wrong to drink wine but it is wrong to be drunk! There is the difference and to make alcohol illegal will not work as we have seen in the past. It only feed the gangsters and got a lot of people killed. So alcohol should be used in moderation and can be good for you but if you abuse it like anything else it can be bad. It is also very bad for those who have a genetic predisposition towards being an alcoholic. Those people must stay away from it totally. We are all different. I have mixed feelings about POT I do not use Pot but I do think it has some medical value and our prisons are full of people on Pot charges. Out country is turning into a prison state. It cost money to keep people in prison, who pays the bill? We do! We need better rehabilitation programs to get people out of prison and working so they can pay their taxes. However I do not support Ron Paul he is like a wet noodle with no backbone. I do not think he would make a good president! He appears to be too liberal. We dont have much to pick from, I think Newt is the best man we have. God knows we cannot take another 4 years of insane Obama!
  - TomW
    
    You said so yourself, you were addicted to LEGAL DRUGS. Just think about the logic implied.
    - TomW
      
      That was meant for Kevin W
- daves
  
  Far more harm is done to others when the drugs are kept illegal. This is the reason we have drug cartels and so much violence. Also – marijuana is far less harmful to others than alcohol is.
- Dean
  
  Prohibition worked wonders for liquor profits and it has worked wonders for drug profits! If the temptation was legal, the addicts could bum enough for a fix in short period of time! At these inflated prices they either have to rob or kill someone for the amount needed. If you think a life in prison for a drug addict is saving them, then you have a strange definition of salvation! Look at the Netherlands, stigma alone has proven effective with them and I certainly don't think they are a bit more righteous than the American public!
- Poorman
  
  Actually the real story of the success of Prohibition is never told. See some exciting news from an older paper back by Jack Van Impe (the walking Bible they used to call him) and his book, "Alcohol, the beloved enemy". Also presents a treatise on whether wine was alcoholic when mentioned in the Bible.
- DP Thinker
  
  "But doesn't alcohol and drug abuse as a whole harms others, not just the consumer? Families of alcoholics suffer, and the community suffers."
  
  Doesn't the community suffer when I move out of it? Doesn't the country suffer when I buy a foreign car, or don't purchase insurance? Under your flawed logic, Obamacare is legitimate, and so is every action I take. Are your feelings hurt if two males are making out with each other? So we should outlaw everything that causes any kind of subjective suffering? Social cost is not an issue when it comes to freedom and law, unless you are a Marxist??
  
  "Is the War on Drugs costing more lives than it is saving? How many more lives would be lost to drug overdoses if all drugs were legal?"
  
  Look at what Portugal just did, legalized all drugs. Drug use declined, and if you knew your history you would know that during alcohol prohibition is when we came up with the modern cocktails we have. That happened because the alcohol was so poorly made and tasted bad you had to mix it in. In other words the quality of drugs would go way up if they were legal and produced legitimately. Also, more people died alcohol related deaths from crime related to alcohol in prohibition than have since. So yes, we are definitely killing more people due to the drug war than if they were legal. The drug war also allows for the incentive of harder drugs, because they sell for more money by weight than marijuana for instance. This leads dealers to bring about items like Meth.
  
  The unintended consequences of your morality enforcement actually do much more harm than good, and when a moral choice is not a choice, it can't be moral…
  - keyboardshark
    
    I have to agree with you both on this one, DP and daves. Although I am definitely not in favor of drug use, I believe we should stop passing laws that attempt to protect us from ourselves. If someone wants to drink alcohol (which of course IS legal, BTW) or smoke a joint, then they should be able to do so.
    
    BUT, and this is a big BUT (no pun intended), an individual who chooses to partake of those things must do it in way that does not harm others, for example, by not driving while intoxicated or high. If they DO harm someone else, then they must be held fully accountable and legally responsible for their actions and suffer the consequences thereof.
    
    We cannot protect every person from every foolish action that they might take, and that's what drug laws and other nanny state legislation keep attempting to do. At some point, a person must take full responsibility for their own actions and be allowed to fail if necessary without the 'help' of legislation that intrudes upon personal, non-criminal actions.
Maxine

Wake up we need Ron Paul
- D rash
  
  Yeah, like a freakin hole in the head. He's totally whacked out, between his desire for legal drugs and Iranian nuclear missles, no thanks. And by the way, 9/11 WAS NOT the fault of America!
  - Mr.Mike
    
    OOOH DID SOME ONE WAKE YOU? Go back sleep little sheep the Government will take care of you. Now take your vaccination shot and be a good little sheep and go back to sleep. Oh thank goodness it was all a big bad dream. Big brother loves me and will make all of my decisions for me.
- bighoss
  
  Yes, like a fish needs a bicycle.
Mary

I wonder, as a devout and mature (over sixty) Paul supporter, just what prompts Dr. Paul's attitude toward legalizing drugs. I have come to the conclusion that it is because he thinks that making them legal will deglamorize them as an anti-establishment activity; that much peripheral crime of serious nature evolves from the drug industry-thieving, prostitution, and mob activity for profit in this area. But, he knows like I think we all know, that there is big money in illegal drugs, and the war on drugs is an absolute joke. Nancy Reagan said to just say 'no', and that's all our govt. has to do, too. Many up high in govt are making fortunes on drug activity, while acting like Pharisees in deriding drugs and saying there's a war on drugs. Dr. Paul sees the truth and wants to end the profit activity. End that, and you'll decrease drug taking. Drug users, like alcohol users, who abuse their children, steal drugs at work and otherwise cause societal problems, will get swift and harsh punishment notwithstanding. What we're doing now isn't working. Is it?
- Mr.Mike
  
  Yeah , ask your Congressman or women; Why are we guarding the poppy fields in Afganastan(and have been for 11 years now) and selling guns to Mexican drug lords in exchained for drugs, while claiming to have war on them. No folks the wars is not on drugs, but on you to suppress you and to have the power and authority to take what they want. And then claim it all legal. Congress shall make no laws that that are in violation of the constitution. It is my right to privacy and the persuit of happiness no matter what it be as long as I do not violate the rights of others.
- Eve
  
  Mary, you should go to Ron Paul's site so that you can see for yourself what he represents. Dr. Paul believes in the constitution and thus in STATES with the people of the states voting for or against issues. That means you and your neighbors would go to the polls and use your vote to decide for or against drugs etc…it puts governing back into the hands of the people as our founders intended instead of an overbloated government whose only purpose is to obtain power. I am amazed at the people who would rather have Big Brother tell them what to do instead of deciding for themselves!
- Bobbie
  
  MAYBE HE THINKS ALL THE DRUGGIES WILL VOTE FOR HIM. TWO WRONGS HAS NEVER MADE A RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Terri
  
  Sorry, but you've obviously never been to countries that have legalized drugs & seen what absolute damage it can do. There are actual dumps where druggies live, with children running around barefoot amongst discarded needles. It's awful. Due to the addictive nature of illegal drugs, it does not solve the problem to legalize them. The reason Paul is for this is because he is a true libertarian which means he believes in little or no government interference. That includes the areas of drugs & pornography. He also does not believe that we should support Israel, or that we should have any presence at all in the Middle East. Those 3 stances are the reasons that I cannot support him.
Nitrobud

The problem guys, is not so much what the government "punishes" but is what the government "protects." The gov protects drug users, alcohol users, all sexual deviants, and many other persons whose acts harm us all. If the gov would quit protecting these abusers of themselves and others we could greatly reduce these behaviours.
- CFM
  
  You are correct on that! We basically "support" them and their addictions. They don't have to pay the consequences of their bad behavior and wrong choices – We Do! Our tax dollars given to the government is handed to them in various ways. All actions have reactions – either good or bad, right or wrong. Stop this nonsense of "what I do only effects me"! No it doesn't!
  - Guest
    
    I have never had a DUI in my life but I know for a fact that the local governments make a Killing on DUI's! It is a racket. Drink a couple of beers, drive home with tail light burned out get pulled over go to jail! Then the whole legal process starts. You have to go to classes which are expensive, loose your drivers license, pay big fines, cant drive to work, you and family suffer a financial crisis while the government makes a lot of money! I know victims of this and it sucks! The limit for alcohol in the blood is very very low. You can drink a beer at the restaurant with a meal and you may be over the limit!!! That is evil! Whatever happened to common sense? Here again I think women or MAD mothers started this crap. Women started prohibition and got a lot of men killed. I think women need to stay out of politics!! Silly women!
    - bighoss
      
      Answer to the "problem" you describe: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! is that too simple for you?
      
      The limit on blood alcohol content is a limit based on how much it takes to IMPAIR the driver. Impaired drivers have no business behind the wheel.
      - Travis
        
        Obviously we need an iq test for driving,
        The legal level is based on the minimum amount required to impair the least tolerant person known.
        Meaning the vast majority of drivers are not impaired at the legal limit.
        It's a scam.
        Everyone with an iq over 80 knows it.
Jim R.

To D Fayette & Kevin W I say, of course alcohol and drug abuse harms the individual and others he comes in contact with. Here's the problem. When you make an addicting substance illegal, it automatically drives the price up, thereby creating new, very profitable markets for the substance. Criminals will chance getting caught for the profit. We saw this during prohibition.

The government's war on drugs has failed miserably. End the war; decriminalize drug use in general. (You can still make it illegal to drive a car or shoot a gun while under the influence of drugs, just as we rightly do for alcohol.) Governments are never very good at ensuring morality. In fact, big government as we now have it is the antithesis of morality. Ron Paul knows this. Ron Paul is our only hope to reverse the course in this country.
Singer

I'm an undecided voter right now but I've been taking an honest look at Ron Paul lately because of information I read about him by someone I really respected. I would encourage everyone to research this guy but refine your research to actual quotes in their context and video of his own words. I'm finding that many news outlets, conservative too, spin the words of this man as well as other candidates. Unbiased reporting is a hard thing to master and most journalist are biased so we must go to the source. I am guilty of blindly believing things I have read from what I thought was a trusted source only to find out I was wrong and feel foolish.
- Guest
  
  Another bad thing about Ron is I dont think he can win and he will steal votes. We have to have a winning candidate and we must get Obama out! God help us if Obama gets another 4 years.
  - Travis
    
    All the other repubs are as bad as obama.
    I will be voting for Ron Paul if I have to write him in !!
- Eve
  
  Singer, they either ignore him or out and out lie about him, twisting what he says. It is the usual brainwashing by the media and you see people posting who have fallen for it and wonder what is going on because it is so far fetched! Well, I suppose the liberal media is a tad bit afraid of a man who has a record such as Ron Paul and they know he means it when he says he will follow our Constitution. I would love to see Dr. Paul with his beloved Constitution vs Obama and his teleprompter..now that would open some eyes!!
  - Steve
    
    Good one, Eve. I would love the professed professor of Constitutional Law debate the man who has committed his career to protecting and defending the Constitution.
    - Steve
      
      This is not me! Or is it?
      Has Zionica been hacked? Or have I?
      Or is it the Voices?
      Is a puzzlement!
Kalev

Jim R. is absolutely correct that the war on drugs has failed but a 76 yo Ron Paul is not the answer. We need to put God first in every aspect of our lives and leave the secular world to destroy itself.
- Guest
  
  You have a point, it seems the world is going down the tubes. We have sodomites trying to take over and also wanting to teach our grade school kids about the wonderful life of being a queer. We have liberals, left wingers, atheists, and such destroying our country and our morals. We have Muslims coming to our country and trying to get shariah law here. Obama and his cohorts are as evil as they come. God help us all!
JDH

The more I read about the founding fathers and the writing of the Constitution, the less admiration I have for Ron Paul. If he had served under Washington in the revolutionary army, Washington probably would have cashiered him. He has the same attitude towards the Constitution as a revisionalist fundamentalist minister has towards the Bible. He hs the same tolerance twoards those who disagree with him. Many of the economic ideas he has are good, but the tyranny of the far right is just as immical to the practice of liberty and freedom as the far left. I almost fear a government run by Ron Paul as much as the one we have run by Obama. Sort of like trading Stalin for Franco.
- Eve
  
  What on earth are you saying? Ron Paul would follow the Constitution that made this country great! It is those who have given power to this over bloated government and expect it to take care of them from crib to grave that must be stopped! Ron Paul stands for all the things we need to get our country back on it's feet and governing by the Constitution as it was intended! I would suggest you check out Ron Pauls' site because you obviously don't know what you are talking about!
tom s

This sounds like what happened when Israel rejected God's laws. Which part of the bible do we reject. The Ten Commandments maybe. Maybe the bible doesn't really mean what it says! Don't be fooled people. You are accountable for choices, decisions, and yes votes. You are saying you agree with what this person stands for and you can't carve out little parts of your life and say this doesn't count. Leaders are suppose to be held to a higher level. No where does it say to condone sin are compromise your values. You will be known by your fruit. No wonder our youth are confused. Our church's are a mess. Many look for a church that lines up with their values. GOD HATES RELIGION!
- msjallen
  
  Finally, a voice of reason. Our number one priority in this life should be God and the learning of His Word so we can grow spiritually and glorify Jesus Christ. As goes the believer so goes the nation. When more believers are following His way of life then the nation will be blessed. Only God can change this Nation; man does not have the power to undo what has been happening for many many years in this country. More people are waking up but not enough!
  Luke 18:27 But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God."
  Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Steve

Breaking news, guys: Ron Paul has dropped out of the race and endorsed Gingrich.
- Steve2
  
  It was PERRY who dropped out of the race. You either need to adjust your lens prescription or find a more accurate site to find breaking news stories. Lol.
  - Steve
    
    I wondered if anyone would notice . . . It only took 5 hours! All them Texicants look alike to me, and the fact that they all use the same initials doesn't help, either. Echos, not choices.
    - Vladimir
      
      Nice recovery.
      - chuck
        
        Texicant? Brother are you misinformed. Try reading about Ron Paul, his life and what he has done. There is no other candidate that addresses all the issues with the correct perspective, except Ron Paul. The hot button issues are right there to read about. The war on drugs being fought is a joke and always has been. He's totally against abortion! YES! He's totally for the 2nd ammendment. He wants us out of the war on terror. We did what we set out to do sorta which was to punish those that hurt us. Picked on some of the WRONG people though. That's enough of that! Nation building is no where to be found in the Constitution. Fund the govern't through fees, fines and tariffs and get rid of the IRS. Abolishment of a whole bunch of wasteful, do nothing bureaus. Abolishment of bureaus that actually hurt us rather than help us. EPA, FDA, ATF and others. Rein in the Justice dept, the FBI, the CIA and the pentagon. Make America's defense the priority and quit "testing" on real made up wars.
Byron Potter

Christains think they are so DAM rightous & perfect. I drink hard booze, whether I'm a christain or not, so -what?? You judge me, christain's, I'll judge you right back. ONLY JESUS was perfect, nobodyelse wasa or is, so ………….
- Steve2
  
  Get over yourself, Byron. You actually think Christians are judging you? The true Christians are too busy dealing with the log in their eye to criticize the splinter in yours.
tod

Dr.Ron Paul 2012 for the ONLY PROVEN HONEST(for Well Over 30 Years) PATRIOT running for President,PERIOD !!!
- Vladimir
  
  This campaign ad is endorsed by Barack Obama 2012.
http://www.orovalleychristianreader.com John J Flanagan

We have an imperfect government. Please tell me where there is a perfect government in the world? We have to work hard to keep a government on the right track. Like a marriage relationship, it takes work, some self denial, and some consensus. Christian principles and the faith of millions of Americans has guided us in the past to fight evil, whether slavery or other issues, and changes have been brought about, but it takes dedication, sweat, blood, and tears. That is the way we can make our government do the right thing. Today, many of our countrymen have become lethargic about making our democracy work, especially Christians, who are beginning to give up because of the unrelenting wickedness of the American media, an arm of the Democratic party in many respects. Our entertainment now consists of mostly gross immorality on display, violence as entertainment, expression of sexual perversions, homosexuality, anti-Christian sentiments, all driven by some very wicked and evil forces in both Hollywood and in government. Ron Paul is not a candidate Christians should support. He stands only on a libertarian platform, and would legalize drugs among other things. He does not take the moral high ground as a leader. Without solid Christian leadership in the years ahead, our nation will surely decline further and ultimately receive the chastizement and discipline of God, something due to all nations that fall into evil.
- msjallen
  
  Another solid voice of reason.
- Deep_Thinker
  
  I would like you to tell me how legalizing drugs is bad? First off, alcohol is a drug so if you want to be consistent we should go back to prohibition. Secondly, you can't put morality into law and expect people to be acting in a moral manner when all they are doing is avoiding the punishment of violence for doing so. Thirdly, I suggest you do your research on what a crime is vs. what a vice is. A crime is something that does harm to anothers person or property. A vice is something one does that although might not be moral, is not a crime. Using drugs is not a crime. You have no right to use government coercion and violence to impose your moral viewpoint on others. Using violence as a Christian is obviously wrong.
- Deep_Thinker
  
  Also you fail to understand the consequences of the drug war. In the years of alcohol prohibition there were more alcohol related deaths from crime than have been since. We kill more people in the drug war than ever would be if drugs were legal. The modern cocktail comes from prohibition because alcohol was so poorly made and tasted so bad they had to learn how to drink it and make it taste good. The drugs today are much more dangerous than if they were produced in a secure manner rather than on the street or the basement. Also, meth wouldn't exist today if the government wouldn't have forced cocaine and marijuana (which used to be legal) to southern nations leaving those in our nation out of business and looking for another way to profit. Also there is an incentive to make more potent drugs per weight so it is easier to smuggle them in the country. The amount of marijuana it would take to make the same amount of money on say heroin is 20 fold.
- Deep_Thinker
  
  If you really want to be a christian and cause the least damage to our society, you would be in favor of legalization. Ron Paul does not advocate drug use, but he is right in saying it is up to the people to choose their morality so long as property rights are respected. Your view of the government as an enforcer of morality on an individual is astounding considering you understand that good works come from the heart and not from a dictator, and call yourself a christian. Shame on you for further advocating for thousands of deaths and gangs to kill people in our world so you can believe you are making people reside within your set of morals.. Amazing
J Brown

If the U S A would out source the penal system to china for criminals getting 3 years or more or for repeat offenders this would most likely curtail criminal activity more than anything else.
- Vladimir
  
  Okay, now a solid sensible proposal.
- bighoss
  
  Repeat violent offenders should be outsourced to Uganda!
daledor

While I agree with the posture that government should not legislate morality, true Biblical morality is the fibre that will make or break this and any nation. One French philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, said in the 1800's, "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Greatness is in what one does – if it is in what one says then only is if what they do is in line with what they say. Far too many politicians have a habit of contradicting themselves – they call it spin but I call it lies. For example, if it is election time they posture as moral but once elected then they act like devils – even defying the wish and desires of the people who elected them.

Observing ones past is important to choosing a person for leadership. A socialist, communist, marxist, atheist, etc will choose the leader that will sponsor government control of all lives (except theirs) and give them money and power. Whereas, a true American loves freedom and the quest for excellence. The former group makes people dependent upon them and demotivates their quest for excellence. The latter group, even though dependent upon the providence of God, pursues not only excellence but has great generosity. The socialist—etc declares, "you can not live without government and without me." The patriotic American believes in helping people help themselves and are the most generous people on earth. While, the socialist—- etc is greedy, self centered and lusts to have what they do not earn.

Thus, America is at a crossroads – do we accept gifts from a government that wants to rule over us or do we stand on our own feet and depend upon ourselves and God?

When we look at these candidates we need to be wise – not vote for them because media promotes them (degredating others) but to look for those who truly promote our values – values they have lived – like Herman Cain and Sarah Palin – easily on display and clearly sounding their moral values. Color can't make the choice for us, even though some put color above patriotism – not just white folk , race can't be the governing factor either, sound bytes on the TV nor handsome and 'presidential' look can govern a good decision. We must go past politics and who – whoever says is the best candidate- and be wise and prayerful about our choices.

Too many politicians today are life chocolate coated manure. They look good on the outside while they stink inside. Let us pray and look for what a person's character is first – what they have done and will do – not just what they say to tickle our ears. And, by all means, we must not be so ignorant of people's past as we were of our current president – who talks Christian and sponsors the most diabolical government controlling evils since Stalin and Hitler. As Reagan said,"Big Government is not the answer, it is the PROBLEM.

If we let Big Brother govern us then our freedom is gone…
KnowTheTruthToday

Ron Paul is much more dangerous to the USA than what we have. His motives are right, he wants to straighten things out, but he is certainly radical in some of his beliefs.
Chuck

Ron Paul is the guy. Before judging him (btw, that's called predjudice) go on the web and read the facts about who he is and what he has DONE in his life. Do the comparison test on ALL issues, both personal and political. You will find out quickly that this guy is for REAL.
- http://www.kidon.com/media-link MalikTous
  
  I can only grade the current presentation for presidency in terms of degree of disgust each inspires in me. Ron Paul and Herman Cain are only the two least disgusting of the offerings from the Republican party; the Democrats are even more disgusting with their offer of a Kenyan village idiot or a Communist whore in the running. Third parties are becoming more appealing every time these idiot candidates open their mouths.
48kindagal

And eating six or eight chocolates and getting behind the wheel is as dangerous as if it was booze instead of Halloween candy? Are you serious? This article is stupid. prescriptin drugs are controlled but you want no control of "recreation" (illicit) drugs. All American adults are mature, sensible, and responsible enough to decide for themselves whether or not to use herion and it will not affect their family, their job, their health, their life, or the safety of the public at large if we all decide to become crack heads? No deformed babies, right? No more auto accidents than there already are, no more families without a working adult, no more children having to raise themselves because Mom and Dad are laying out in the gutter somewhere? Ah, yes, it sounds like Utopia to me. Are you nuts?
- Travis
  
  So you think what we're doing now works ? I believe you should look in the mirror to find your nuts !
48kindagal

God created human government because He knew that mankind, left alone, will do the wrong thing. Period. There are some things that have to be against the law. Check out the countries where drugs are not restricted. How's that working out for them? Read up on it a bit. This is what you want for America? This is your dream? Go eat a bag of candy. Then belt down half a dozen glasses of wine. See the difference? Good Grief. People can be so stupid.
- Deep_Thinker
  
  Actually Portugal is a great example of where it is working out great! Maybe you should read up a bit: http://mises.org/daily/5392
http://www.kidon.com/media-link MalikTous

Government shouldn't try to legislate the morality based on any specific faith. Government should enforce general cross-faith rules like prohibitting theft, murder, rape, mate-stealing, and similar real 'sins'. The differing legitimate faiths have somewhat differing core moralities; I won't support 'blue laws' or other similar nonsense because I don't belong to the faiths for which they are significant. Faiths should only be able to promote the morals inherent to that faith among their own constituents.
J. Hunter

A complete Christ centered family with the father as the spiritual head, is where morality teaching begins. The Church completes the cycle and government need to just stay out of the way!
Diogenes

Jan. 12, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ — Today, Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul received a major endorsement from Evangelical leader Dr. James Linzey, president and founder of the Military Bible Association.

In a statement to Congressman Paul, Rev. Linzey stated: "Having thoroughly examined your political philosophy and finding that your platform is 100% in line with the Constitution of the United States of America, and examining your political record to find that you have consistently upheld the Constitution and thereby faithfully represented your constituency, and studying your statement of faith to find that your faith and religious experience is 100% compatible with Evangelical Christianity and Orthodox Christianity, I hereby endorse you for the Office of the President of the United States of America. I wish you Godspeed!"

Dr. Linzey later stated, "Among the six remaining GOP hopefuls, two are evangelical — Ron Paul and Rick Perry. But the tell-tale sign of being qualified for the presidency is not faith, but loyalty to the Constitution which defends the open expression of faith. Ron Paul seems to be the candidate most loyal to the Constitution according to the records. So when other evangelical leaders endorse GOP contenders of other faiths and traditions, some of whom have received funds from special interest groups, and are not as loyal to the Constitution as is Dr. Paul, one must necessarily ask, 'What is their agenda?' because they certainly are not endorsing the most qualified nor the most evangelical. If evangelicals wish to make faith an issue, then they should take a closer look at Dr. Paul's statement on his web site, 'Let me be very clear here: I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate.'"
Maxine

I am for Ron Paul all the way