Home > Work > Swords into Plowshares: A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity
61 " We now have a president who draws up kill lists of those individuals he believes should be assassinated—and the killings are carried out around the world by drones and other means. Snowden’s life is endangered but much less so now that public opinion has swung in his favor. But that’s a far cry from believing it’s safe for him to return to United States or that he would have a fair trial in America. Sadly, truth comes with great cost and risk. The more authoritarian the government, the greater its hostility toward truth telling. "
― Ron Paul , Swords into Plowshares: A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity
62 " But the war proponents tried desperately to continue the glorification of war by praising anyone who had been sent off to war or even just put on a uniform. Troops and veterans were placed on pedestals as great heroes—warriors who had saved us from some imagined modern-day Hitler. "
63 " There will always be individuals who give enthusiastic support for the use of force to solve all the problems of the world. The neoconservatives, though less influential today than a decade ago, will not give up on their faith in violence. Let us take advantage of this new attitude among the people and help build the momentum away from the persistent effort to control the world through war and bribery. That destructive effort has been undertaken at the expense of those who are forced to fight in and pay for the wars benefiting the privileged few. "
64 " My indirect exposure to war for most of my life constantly pushed me toward seeking, and becoming comfortable with, a pro-peace philosophy, as well as refusing to be intimidated by the false charges that such a position is unpatriotic, un-American, and expresses a lack of concern for military personnel. "
65 " Giving up on the ancient tradition of trusting in the god-kings for protection and sustenance is the real challenge. "
66 " We could have done with a lot less of the militarism of the 20th century. We’ll have a lot less militarism as the 21st century progresses because there will be no money to pay for it. "
67 " Governments are determined to dehumanize the enemy. Yet it is difficult for soldiers to forget their own humanity once they look into the eyes of the enemy they’re directed to fight. "
68 " war. This is true whether it’s a Republican or Democratic-leaning entity. Both sides spout the lies delivered by government officials to encourage public support for wars. Whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat, the media will be supportive. It just may be that the owners of the large media entities are closely connected to the military-industrial complex. Our economic policy, and in particular the Federal Reserve, is intertwined in global finance and our foreign policy. Without the power over the creation of money and credit employed by the politicians and central bankers working in secret, most wars could not be fought. The people would never tolerate the taxation and borrowing required to pay for the wars. Inflating the currency is more convenient and less noticeable. To the benefit of those who promote war, the cost of war is hidden and the payment delayed. "
69 " The US military is the most powerful in all of history, yet Americans continue to die in a series of wars, the treasury is bare, and the US is the most hated nation in the world. "
70 " In the last 13 years, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when compared to our two world wars, Korea, and Vietnam, have not resulted in staggering numbers of Americans killed. But the deaths of non-Americans as a consequence of our sanctions, invasions, and bombings are numbered in the hundreds of thousands. We may not be counting, but the Muslim world is. Recipients of such violence and their families have long memories. "