[Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
Paul Rumelhart
godshatter at yahoo.com
Sat Dec 31 15:52:58 PST 2011
Does it matter whether or not the allegations are true? Or do we just
call them out anyway?
Here is an article from CBS News about the newsletters:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57345702-503544/ron-paul-disavows-racist-newsletters-under-his-name/
The article contains a quote by Ron Paul on the issue:
"When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a
newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several
writers contributed to the product," he said. "For over a decade, I have
publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to
what went out under my name."
I'd hate to see the man dragged over the coals for something he might
not have deserved solely because (for example) Jon Huntsman is losing to
Ron Paul in New Hampshire and has staked his campaign on a strong
showing there.
I got that last bit from this article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57349712-503544/huntsman-calls-ron-paul-unelectable-because-of-racist-newsletters/
And once again, this is only out there in order to distract us. These
people could care less if it's even true. It's just convenient.
Paul
On 12/31/2011 02:44 PM, keely emerinemix wrote:
> I don't think you're defending racism, racist behavior, or even the
> wrongness of screaming "He's a racist!" at the slightest apparent
> provocation. That said, I think it's imperative that legitimate
> indications that an individual's views on race/gender/class/civil
> rights/culture are bigoted be called out, examined, and condemned --
> and I believe that the text of Ron Paul's newsletters are an example.
>
> Keely
> www.keely-prevailingwinds.com
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
> Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:41:13 -0800
> From: jborden at datawedge.com
> To: kjajmix1 at msn.com; v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm; vision2020 at moscow.com
>
> I’m not **defending** racism, I’m commenting on the mere
> finger-pointing and accusations being so charged that it’s a nuclear
> weapon in a political arsenal.
>
> It’s used as a tool for distraction, and hence, theatrics. (And,
> unless I missed the mark, perhaps Mr. Rumelhart’s point).
>
> Insert story of “crying wolf”.
>
> Jay
>
> *From:*keely emerinemix [mailto:kjajmix1 at msn.com]
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 31, 2011 2:27 PM
> *To:* Jay Borden; v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm; vision2020 at moscow.com
> *Subject:* RE: [Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> Jay, I would rue the day that racist behavior and bigoted views become
> irrelevant in how we choose our leaders. There are issues that truly
> good people can disagree on; racism, however, is never the view of a
> "truly good person," and in fact ought to, by virtue of popular
> outcry, immediately make a pariah out of the one who embraces it.
>
> Keely
> www.keely-prevailingwinds.com
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:17:33 -0800
> From: jborden at datawedge.com
> To: v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> I would agree with Paul’s statement… but I would word it a bit
> differently to deflect some of the immediate hatred I’m sure will be
> heading my way.
>
> I would say that racism, like abortion and gay marriage are **USED**
> as theatrical issues.
>
> It’s interesting as soon as any candidate becomes popular in the
> polls, some wild-card story gets tossed about dealing with one of
> these issues. Then it’s pressed as long as necessary until the
> candidate just “goes away”.
>
> Rick Perry (again, not a fan) was gaining traction… and then suddenly
> a story about “Niggerhead” surfaced. (He has since nearly imploded on
> his own, but that’s a separate issue).
>
> Ron Paul gains even more traction this time around in the polls… and
> suddenly some story connecting HIM to racisim surfaces. (I don’t
> recall anything coming up about this story 4 years ago when he was
> running for President).
>
> The topics themselves are extremely important… but the **USE** of
> these subjects has become nothing more than positioning and theatrical
> tools.
>
> Is your opponent getting too much positive attention? No problem…
> just toss out one of these venomous statements (who cares whether it’s
> true or not… just phrase it in the form of an “objective question”
> like Fox News does to avoid slander/libel)… and then sit back and
> watch the show.
>
> Once some story making any of these accusations hits the public… it’s
> like kryptonite… and it’s used as such.
>
> Jay
>
> *From:*vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Saundra Lund
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 31, 2011 12:03 PM
> *To:* vision2020 at moscow.com
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> In part, Paul wrote:
>
> “Racism, like abortion and gay marriage, are all "theatrical issues".
> They are issues that are tossed out to the American public like scraps
> to hungry dogs for them to fight over. While they are important in
> and of themselves, they are really meant to distract us from realizing
> that we have more power than we think we do.”
>
> Yes, I do suppose it’s a lot easier to look at issues like racism,
> abortion, and gay marriage as “theatrical issues” when you’re *not*
> the minority family unable to rent a home due to racism, and you’re
> *not* the 17-year-old incest victim forced to carry your granddaddy’s
> baby or risk death from a backdoor abortion, and you’re *not* the
> lesbian at risk of losing custody of your children born via IVF to
> your now-deceased 15 year partner because her family never “approved”
> of the non-marriage.
>
> Yuppers – I guess for some, it is a lot easier to take the position
> that those issues, while “important,” really are just “theatrical
> issues” when one isn’t the target, when one lacks of empathy . . . or
> when one lacks the sense God gave a billy goat.
>
> Not in *my* America. I agree with Sue’s comment, “All rights and even
> some privileges should belong to all citizens” and shouldn’t depend on
> where in the US one lives.
>
> Paul also wrote:
>
> “In my opinion we should concentrate on our civil liberties . . .”
>
> I guess I’m unclear as to how you define “civil liberties,” but
> reproductive freedom & gay marriage both fit into my definition of the
> right of privacy, which is an important US civil liberty.
>
> Saundra Lund
>
> Moscow, ID
>
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to
> do nothing.
>
> ~ Edmund Burke
>
> *From:*vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Paul Rumelhart
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 31, 2011 9:37 AM
> *To:* vision2020 at moscow.com
> *Subject:* [Vision2020] Fw: On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> I sent this only to Sue, when I meant to send it to the list.
>
> Paul
>
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
> *From:* Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com
> <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com>>
> *To:* Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com <mailto:suehovey at moscow.com>>
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 31, 2011 9:32 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> It doesn't negate the evidence. For what it's worth, he claims that
> he didn't write those newsletters that were put out in his name. Like
> you've shown, a person can be compassionate and still be racist.
> Being racist is not a black and white thing, no pun intended. It's
> something that can change over a period of years. I grew up in a
> casually racist household, and had to unlearn much of that over the
> years, as did my parents. It's easy to fall into that trap when you
> grow up with it and everyone around you thinks the same thing. As
> society changed, so did those around me, and so did I.
>
> I've said this many times on the Viz: I'm not looking for Jesus
> Christ or Gandhi when I'm looking for a Presidential candidate to vote
> for. I want someone who will perform well in the job.
>
> So the question is, assuming he is some kind of die-hard racist from
> the sixties like he's being portrayed, is he going to deny blacks the
> right to vote or serve on juries?
>
> Racism, like abortion and gay marriage, are all "theatrical issues".
> They are issues that are tossed out to the American public like scraps
> to hungry dogs for them to fight over. While they are important in
> and of themselves, they are really meant to distract us from realizing
> that we have more power than we think we do. In my opinion we should
> concentrate on our civil liberties, and in stopping the steady power
> buildup for the Executive branch that's been going on for years.
> That's far more dangerous to us in the short term than any of these
> hot button issues are. Like Sunil said in another post, it's all
> about priorities.
>
> Paul
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:*Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com <mailto:suehovey at moscow.com>>
> *To:* Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com>>
> *Sent:* Friday, December 30, 2011 10:34 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> It’s a lovely story, Paul. And a powerful instance of Ron Paul’s
> compassion, but how does it negate the evidence of his racism in those
> published reports? My Texas grandfather was a racist through and
> through, yet he performed kind and generous acts to the people he
> belittled, and to whom he would have denied the vote, the right to
> serve on juries (along with women) and most especially the right to
> sit up front in public transportation.
>
> Sue H.
>
> *From:*Paul Rumelhart <mailto:godshatter at yahoo.com>
>
> *Sent:*Friday, December 30, 2011 10:18 PM
>
> *To:*vision2020 at moscow.com <mailto:vision2020 at moscow.com>
>
> *Subject:*[Vision2020] On Ron Paul and Racism
>
> Here is a video in response to allegations of racism being leveled at
> Ron Paul. It was made by "Revolution PAC", a "superPAC" whose sole
> purpose is to get Ron Paul elected. It's entitled "The Compassion of
> Dr. Ron Paul":
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rv0Z5SNrF4
>
> If we're going to attack Ron Paul with allegations of racism on the
> list, I thought it might be nice to see what his side has to say.
>
> Paul
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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