Here at Biiwii.com, we stick mostly to financial and market analysis and while noting a personal shift from a liberal to a conservative orientation over the years, I have been relatively disengaged politically. Enter Dr. Ron Paul, who I became aware of several years ago as I was beginning a journey into understanding the global financial system and its workings.
What does this have to do with the man who most people think of as "some guy Ron Paul who got beat up by Rudy Giuliani after an insensitive comment about 9/11"? It has everything to do with the man. Congressman Paul has been the lone voice in the House holding Alan Greenspan's (and now Ben Bernanke's) feet to the fire for what many in the financial community view as irresponsible monetary policy which has resulted - through inflation - in an unsustainable cycle of Wall Street and other major asset owners getting richer and the lower and middle classes increasingly coming under pressure. It has also resulted in mind boggling levels of consumer and government debt. This is where Ron Paul got my attention. Dr. Paul has been consistent in his questioning of such policies just as he was being consistent in his opinions about the origins of the 9/11 disaster during the recent Republican debate.
Pat Buchanan wrote "By all means, throw out of the debate the only man who was right from the beginning on Iraq" in his must-read article But Who Was Right - Rudy or Ron? It can be painful when someone speaks the truth or at least the truth as he sees it. It also takes honesty and courage. Have we become so brittle, so fearful that we must silence someone's views simply because they are painful or inconvenient? The answer is yes, if "we" is defined as Fox News and other Republican outlets and commentators fearful of this perceived threat to their establishment. The answer is a resounding no if "we" is defined as the people - ordinary people with opinions quite different than those of many of the "opinion makers"; People who have been consistently giving high marks to Paul's debate performances thus far. The sound of a "politician" telling what he believes, clearly and consistently is resonating. Compare this to the shall we say wide net cast by Mr. Giuliani for example.
At Biiwii.com, we are biased. We are for Ron Paul in 2008. This was born of respect for his fiscal and economic viewpoints. But our opinion has only grown more favorable because of his honesty and courage. At the very least, Ron Paul should be heard, not silenced. After all, if he is so wrong what is there to be afraid of?
Post Script:
For those interested, there is a petition online here: Barring Ron Paul Violates Free Speech and the Electoral Process. I am sure there are others. If you care, please let your voice be heard.
Also, see this five minute video: Educating Rudy.
