reply to post by FredT
The math of this situation is not as simple as you make it sound. However, I do understand where you are coming from. You raise the question of
whether Ron Paul is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Whether he is the anti-Christ posing as the Messiah; beautiful, courageous, persuasive, ready to
save America and all Americans. Your doubts and your questions that illustrate these issues are completely valid. But what you have to realize is
that the United States of America is not an equation of simple mathematics. Though some of its citizens might be. What you require would be that the
Ron Paul campaign return a campaign contribution to Don Black in order to make an example out of him and the ideals that he stands for, thus creating
the reflection that Ron Paul is against those things. As others have mentioned, the Ron Paul campaign can send the same message by accepting the
donation, and that it is a much better response because Ron Paul sends the message that he doesn't discriminate against anybody. The fact is
that we cannot have it both ways. We cannot, for any reason, say that we are for everybody and then discriminate against some of those people.
Either one practices discrimination or one does not. When we refer to the United States of America, we refer to all of its citizens, not just some of
them.
Perhaps Ron Paul should receive more scrutiny than he already has received? Maybe. All politicians are questionable. All of them have to lie from
time to time, or at the very least be deceptive. Given their business this is highly understandable. No one trusts leaders who do not give the
appearance of being firm and decisive. The point is that if the Ron Paul campaign had decided to return Black's donation, then that would have
conveyed weakness rather than strength. It would have illustrated that Ron Paul is afraid to get his hands dirty dealing with some of the dirtiest
people that humanity has to offer. And it is true, as you have in so many words said, that one can get so dirty as to be indistinguishable from those
that he is against. Well, that's the risk that all politicians accept, at least the better ones. Some politicians are dirty to begin with and so
for them there is no risk at all.
Ron Paul's campaign accepted a donation from a known racist and neo-Nazi supporter. However, Ron Paul did not himself donate to the campaign of a
known racist and neo-Nazi supporter. One should stop to recognize that distinction. Ron Paul did the best thing. He kept the donation, and as a
person who aspires to be the chief representative of all the American people, he vowed to use it towards to benefit of all Americans. A politician
cannot make a better promise than that.
I think that you, FredT, are absolutely correct in your questioning and suspicion of Ron Paul and his political motives. All Americans should display
this disposition with reference to all of our leaders and their policies. Under our intense and unwavering glare they would endeavor to do right by
us, the American people, rather than doing right just for themselves and their corporate lobbying special interests. We can never be too sure what
disguise the wolves would be wearing, or if who that announces that he or she is here to save us is indeed our savior and not the destroyer of us all.
Under the circumstances, that is, the circumstances of the United States of America, Ron Paul's campaign did the best thing. Only time will tell if
the decision to keep the donation matters and if it was the right thing. Only time will tell if Ron Paul is the best choice and the right choice; the
same can be said of all politicians. When one considers that we the people and what each of us stands for are a part of the equation in addition to
our political leaders and their policies, one understands that the math of our nation is quite complex. The same can be said for any nation.


