Please give me a second grace. Please give me a second face. I've fallen far down, the first time around, now I just sit on the ground in your way.
Nick Drake

Freewill and anti-choice can be in the same philosophy

I want to preface this by saying I wouldn't vote for Ron Paul with Norm's pencil, but I do think he is a really interesting figure in America right now, definitely one to watch.

He doesn't agree with abortions, but wouldn't ban them either, same with gay marriage. He's a strong proponent of states' rights in matters like those. Returning to the gold standard, and wanting to do away with IRS are all really know about his economic positions, so if you want to clarify what exactly you disagree with him about that would be helpful.

He also wants to end American imperialism by removing our troops from not only Iraq and Afghanistan, but other forward deployed positions as well.

I look at Clinton and Giuliani and I don't see a whole hell of a lot of difference. In both cases I see government getting bigger and bigger, with more control over my day to day life. That doesn't appeal to me at all. I want less big government and more local government, like no bigger than neighborhood associations. At least Paul would give power back to the states, where it could be decided on a smaller level. Spontaneous geographic ideological segregation happens naturally as it is. We're never going to come to a consensus about something like abortion or immigration as an entire nation, so why not let states decide for themselves?

I wouldn't call Paul a "friend of the Nazi's". I would say that his views on immigration give room for Nazi's to spew their hate.

Ron Paul is opposed to women's right to choose as a legal issue.

From Paul's website:

The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is at the heart of the American ideals of liberty. My professional and legislative record demonstrates my strong commitment to this pro-life principle.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, HR 1094.

I am also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn.

By the way, Barry Goldwater was absolutely opposed to the government having any say in women's healthcare choices.  He believed that the government should never intrude on matters of personal privacy.

Interesting this thread was posted today. Matt Drudge is running a large picture of Patrick Buchanan's new book, Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology, and Greed are Tearing America Apart with the headline "Book Declares 'End of America'"

The U.S. Army is breaking and is too small to meet America’s global commitments.

The greatest invasion in history, from the Third World, is swamping the ethno-cultural core of the country, leading to Balkanization and the loss of the Southwest to Mexico.

The culture is collapsing and the nation is being deconstructed along the lines of race and class.

Pax Americana, the era of U.S. global dominance, is over. A struggle for global hegemony has begun among the United States, China, a resurgent Russia and radical Islam

Buchanan's solutions?

A new foreign-defense policy that closes most of the 1000 bases overseas, reviews all alliances, and brings home U.S. troops

To prevent America becoming “a tangle of squabbling nationalities” Buchanan urges: No amnesty for the 12-20 million illegal aliens; a border fence from San Diego to Brownsville; Congressional declarations that children born to illegal aliens are not citizens and English is the language of the United States; and a “timeout” on all immigration.

I think the part about "the nation..being deconstructed along the lines of race and class" is interesting, especially when people taking to the street are declaring that Americans should "fight the rich, not their wars."

Until a couple of months ago ~ I thought it was RuPaul!   Even now when I see the signs for him, for a split second, I see RuPaul for America.

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. ~Ludwig van Beethoven