Ron Paul is no compassionate conservative when it comes to Myanmar

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is proud of what he sees as his truly conservative credentials. He's for smaller government, much smaller. He's for foreign trade but not foreign military involvement. He wants to spend that money wasted on empire-building right back here in these United States of America. He'd also get rid of the Education Department and the Federal Reserve.

His followers, who reverently call him Dr. Paul, like the way he would strictly adhere to the Constitution as he sees it and return more freedoms to the little guy in the face of big government.

Paul fans -- regularly called Paulites, Paultards or Paulunteers -- also see a gentle humility in the weathered but wise hands of the 72-year-old OB/GYN, who reputedly has delivered about 4,000 infants into life in this wondrous world.

But there seems to be another side to Paul. A mean, vicious, cruel and uncaring side. A side that sees millions of humans -- albeit Myanmarese who are not registered to vote in Texas -- afflicted with a historic cyclone, countless thousands of lives lost, devastation everywhere, and that could care less.

This week when a Congressional resolution came up for a vote merely offering "condolences and sympathy" to the people of Myanmar affected by the recent deadly cyclone, Ron Paul, the doting grandfather, the millionaire, was the only member of the entire House of Representatives to vote "No."

The Myanmar resolution, like all those goofy pieces of symbolic legislation, would...

... have done absolutely nothing for the stricken millions. Not even provided one paper towel. It's a cheap publicity trick that elected legislators waste countless hours on each session.

Such worthless resolutions don't even get much publicity anymore. And, to put it in blunt political terms, exactly how strong is the Myanmarese vote around here anyway?

So Paul's symbolic stand against symbolic silliness looks good.

But then along come the sharp-eyed folks over at Radaronline.com, specifically Nick Curran, who finds out Paul's stand against symbolic silliness when it comes to Asians whose huts and hovels were erased by a cyclone is not quite so principled, and that Paul is a whole lot more enthused about dumb statements of sentiment when the silliness is closer to home.

Come to find out that Paul has voted in favor of similar empty resolutions to congratulate the University of Kansas football team for a swell season and winning the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl, to laud the Louisiana State football team for, golly, winning the 2007 Bowl Championship Series and to celebrate the New York Giants for their come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl XLII.

Seriously, what Texas congressman near Houston wouldn't want to get on the official Congressional record wishing all the best to every one of the good folks up in New York City?

Wait till the Houston Texans find out about that one. Or, worse for Paul, some Dallas fans.

By the way, here's the latest update on the situation in Burma.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[newagegop]

The reason thousands upon hundreds of thousands of people die in other countries isn't because those natural disasters were worse, it's because the people live without freedom. The God given freedom and liberty that the western world allows and that Ron Paul understands lays the foundation for everything that has kept us safe from all sorts of calamity. It's allowed for the innovation and invention that builds better weapons and better buildings. Dictatorships that repress freedom killed all those people not the disaster.

No pity letter from us will help. We are standing on the beach watching someone drown and saying we feel bad for them. Should we invade to save them? Would that make you feel even better?

[Gary]

Congressmen are paid big $ to make decisions on spending YOUR money not theirs... so charity is easy for us all. All we gotta do is have $ taken from us and Mt Olympus will use up more time and $ to decide how much of YOUR $ to give away... esp to foriegn regimes that would take the credit for the aid anyway. Ron Paul is right!! Stop meddling, bring everyone home, stop spending, regroup, start addressing the fundamentals of the Constitution... let the U.S. get rich again so that it will have many more years to regress and be stupid once again in the future.

[Stickler]

The phrase is "Could not care less." "Could care less" is meaningless in the context in which many people use it.

[Mark]

Malcolm,

The principle being applied is clear and consistent - "do not meddle in the affairs of other countries." The principle being applied is not "do not pass legislation that makes symbolic statements." As such, Paul's position makes perfect sense - he approves legislation that makes statements about domestic issues, opposes those that lead to meddling in the affairs of other countries.

I am shocked at your inability to understand this and how it lead you to such a vicious, undeserving attack. Very disappointing.

[Rusty Shackleford]

This article is just trying to hurt Ron Paul. If you want to talk about hypocrisy then you should write a whole book on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain.

[paul a'barge]

You can't differentiate between an American football team and a country in Asia?

[althusius]

Another reason for another war. You liberals are just as bad as the neo-cons. I despise globalists!

[Not A Pualtard]

Vote for Ron Paul! Because White Supremacists just don't have enough representation.

[Paulite]

I have one word for you....

K A T R I N A

We can't even handle our own disasters, what makes you think we can handle someone else's?
Now really, what was your point again?

[MM]

Wow. I sure hope none of you Paulites consider yourself Christians. These are 100s of thousands of helpless people in desperate need of help. I never thought I would see so many heartless, selfish people who are Americans. Can you really be that self-absorbed? I am not a practicing Christian but the church I grew up in taught me to "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" and "love they neighbor as thyself." Our government, at its best, acts on our behalf and if you can't see that these people are in desperate need of whatever help they can get you have lost all sense of humanity.

[swansend]

I believe and trust in Ron Paul! He has not deviated from the US Constitution in all his time in public office. When politicians take an oath to office they swear on a bible reciting an oath to this "piece of paper". I feel that paper is the only thing that binds us together as Americans. What would America be like without it to stand by? I just finished his book "The Revolution, A Manifesto" A great read! Thanks Dr Paul!

[Don]

No elected official will be able to please everyone all the time but Dr. Paul's stand against getting involved in foreign entanglements is clear. No doubt there is precident where a silly piece of legislation such as this led to even more legislation that got us fiscally entangled with some country's foreign affairs and Dr. Paul knows how the capital hill gang operates and he's not leaving a single back door open for them. According to this foolish logic then we must conclude that Paul's desire to do away with the Dept. of education means he could care less about our kids education right? No he simply wants education to be administered at the state level in accordance with the constitution.

Regardless, he is showing the kind of committment to his ideals that is characteristic of strong leaders. Those unable to understand Dr. Paul's ideas are too uneducated and narrow minded to appreciate them but he is correct.

[Frank N Stein]

If you feel the people in Burma require help, YOU can give of YOUR resources to do so. Here's a good story about David Crockett (yes, that Davie Crockett) about the same kind of thing - not yours to give:

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/articles/1111/not-yours-to-give/

[Dr Ward Ciac II]

First of all Malc, the phrase is 'couldn't care less'. If he 'could care less' that means he cares. You are parroting the uneducated masses. The other thing Mal, is that Dr Paul is for no foreign intervention. I am sure he's distressed about problems elsewhere, but that's why we have private assistance societies, Malc.

[EP]

Why do the American people need to be "forced" into financing aid for a country that has already made it perfectly clear that they don't want help? It is very possible that smaller non-official agencies would be welcomed. Every American citizen is fully empowered to donate as much of their money as they choose to send aid to Myanmar and they can choose which agency they believe will accomplish the most in real help for these people. Why does the government have to coerce us into helping people?

[Courtney]

First off:

The reason why Paul voted no, was not because he was some uncaring individual, but because there was a section in the resolution which, in Ron Paul's belief, threatened the sovereignty of the Burmese nation.

Secondly:

The difference between this Resolution and the others mentioned was this: the Burmese Resolution was a resolution, that although offered condolences, also tried to direct the nation at the cost of it's sovereignty. The other resolutions mentioned, such as the one with congratulations to the Giants, do not affect the sovereignty of anyone.

Way to try and spin it. Suckah. :P

[Ben Katz]

Looks like the Paultard robot people are out in force in these comments!

So blindly following a crank isolationist who thankfully never had a chance.

[david a. dudenhoefer]

LOL this guy is concidered a writer????

[fazsha]

Malcolm distorted what the resolution said. It was not MERELY offering sympathy, but also criticized the Myanmar government and insisted on referring to it as Burma. What if Iran insisted on calling Israel Palestine? Quit lying to us, Malcolm, we've had it up to here.

[Steven]

I for one DEMAND a retraction of this article to immediately be replaced with an apology to Ron Paul for completely inadequate reporting.

It reads as though you're completely ignorant, and that you've been teetering on the edge of your seat, waiting for the moment when Ron Paul contradicts himself that you jumped at what you thought was your opportunity without checking any facts first.

Honestly, do you really think that Ron Paul would be as callous as you write him to be? Wouldn't your first thought, knowing what you should know, be "Wow, there must be something in that resolution that goes too far"?

Utterly distasteful. Keep spitting on the America that your immigrant parents came to for a new life. The same America that Ron Paul represents.

[Doug]

MM,

Using tax payer money to pay military dictators in Burma, who keep aid from their people does not help anyone but the dictators.

Im not a christian, but as far as i know chairity comes from the heart and is somthing you choose to do.

It cannot be legislated

When you remove the choice from chairity, it becomes theft.

[Joe]

I don't care about the pettiness of whether someone votes for or against a symbolic gesture by Congress. What I despise is the belief by Paul supporters, and others, is that everything can be best taken care of if we leave everything to market forces. This is absolutely false. Our market system allows excesses to accumulate to "bubble" status, when our regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Reserve system,are FORCED to salvage our economy by bailing out our banking or credit system. Left to the market, we would certainly go into a severe "self correction" mode, which would be an out and out DEPRESSION, destroying millions of families. Paul and his so-called "free market" philosophies are BOGUS and and FRAUD. Not to say I do not agree with him on some things, such as government intrusion into our personal habits. My point is there are no idealist philosophies that match the needs of society. We cannot adhere to pure "free market theory", nor can we assume all problems are best solved with statute, prohibition or other form of government control. We have to use BOTH the market and government regulation together,Its not all one or the other. We tend to be led to believe in PURE philosophies, when no single one can provide solutions to all the problems we face.

[Tara]

Mr. Malcolm, hold yourself to a higher standard. With the kinds of problems in this country, we need journalists who will discuss the real issues. You could begin with, "How can you be a presidential candidate and also a U.S. Senator and have no power to assist bringing an end to this illegal war and an end to the waste of billions of taxpayer dollars?"

[Tess]

I agree 100% with this comment that was written earlier by Ryan:

A bill offering sympathy in congress? How is that an issue for Americans? That shouldn't even be up for voting it's just a waste of time.

Posted by: Ryan | May 16, 2008 at 03:33 AM

I am sure that some sort of funding was included in that sympathy bill, but even if it wasn't, I must agree this is not an issue for our Congress to waste their time on, we have more economical, and financial issues regarding starvation, and poverty in our country that Congress needs to address. We as a country, and as citizens cannot save the world, we are drowning ourselves, and are completely bankrupt. If we start taking care of our own first, then the good citizens of the United States would be more apt to donate, and help other countries, without our government thinking they should foot the bill with taxpayer dollars. I just wish our country would stop meddling in world affairs, and take care of the citizens here at home first. I just love it when someone says a person is mean because they do not believe a bill of sympathy is not required, that is a bunch of BS.

[Jenn]

Neocons are control freaks!
Not only do they want to force their aid on other countries, they want to tell them how it's used..
Americans are perfectly able and willing, if they could afford it, send help on their own! Neocons pry it out of our hands and insist that others take it..
You might expect this from a democrat, but a real republican like Ron Paul you can expect him to be about America, for America. He wants us to have a voice and a choice.