Ron Paul on Jay Leno

Ron Paul 2008

He's sounding better and better every time I hear him!
I don't think he's perfect, but I think he's the best we've got, and, as far as I can tell, he's the closest to my value's of any of the candidates.

(CBS) Political Players is a weekly conversation with the leaders, consultants, and activists who are shaping American politics. This week, CBS News' Brian Goldsmith talked with Texas Rep. Ron Paul about his candidacy for president, his competitors for the Republican nomination, and the agenda driving his long-shot campaign.

CBSNews.com: The L.A. Times poll came out this week and showed that nationally you are at two percent. Are you running to actually win the Republican nomination? Or are you running to make a statement about the war and other issues?

Ron Paul: Well, I do not think you ever run not to win. I think there are statistics that contradict some of the polls that we are looking at that makes us a lot more optimistic. When we look at the number of people who are joining the campaign, the money raised. So, in that regard, we are seen as a much more viable candidate than some of the national polls say. But it is still early. We are just starting to spend our money. I think the campaign is still yet to be won.

CBSNews.com: The vast majority of Republicans, at least at this point, support President Bush's foreign policy, which you've railed against. Has the Republican Party changed?

Ron Paul: Well, I think I support Bush's foreign policy in the year 2000. He was pretty clear on the criticism of what was going on under Clinton. He criticized nation building and policing the world. And he thought we should have a more humble foreign policy.

I am, in many ways, supporting the Bush policy of the year 2000. And many of the Republican traditions, in the past, always advocated a lot more caution in foreign policy. But I think you are right. I think, right now--although the party shifted from their traditions--yes, there are still a lot of Republicans who support this policy.

But you cannot win an election with a very, very narrow base of the Republican Party when 70 percent of the American people are sick and tired of the war and they want out of it. So, if the Republican Party wants to win next year, they have to have a candidate that is willing to change the foreign policy and not just keep digging a deeper hole for ourselves.

CBSNews.com: But why do you think the vast majority of Republican voters, and Republican candidates, seem to support the Bush foreign policy of 2007?

Ron Paul: I think they get trapped, you know--this whole idea that if somebody dies and you do not keep fighting and a lot more people die, then somebody has died in vain. And they are not willing to make a mistake, or admit that they have made a mistake.

In doing this, they continue to make the same mistake over and over again. They do not have the courage to change course when it needs to be done. And the American people want a change in course. I did not like the course that we went on. I did not like the change when we left our policies of the year 2000.

And I have been arguing the case that we should not have done it. Now, I am arguing the case that we ought to change our ways. And yet, they're digging in their heels and digging a deeper hole for themselves. And also, the harder they fight for this foreign policy, the worse they are doing. And the members of Congress I talked to up here behind the scenes are very, very concerned. They think that we are going to lose even more Congressional seats next year and that we do not have a plan, with this foreign policy, to win next year.

So I am much more with the American people than with maybe some of the Republican leadership that are sticking with Bush on this war.

CBSNews.com: Now you’ve said a number of times that Republicans behind the scenes are uncomfortable with his foreign policy. Can you name names and tell us which Republicans have said that they're uncomfortable?

Ron Paul: No. I would not do that. Because it was said in confidence. And, you know, they were just expressing themselves. But I think a lot of people know--and there are a lot of other outsiders who are assessing things who are saying the same thing--that nobody is predicting the Republicans are going to gain seats or come close to regaining control of Congress.

CBSNews.com: The other dark horse candidate who has gotten a lot of press attention recently is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. But he only raised about one-fifth the money that you got last quarter.

Where is all this money you are raising coming from? Do you think it is mostly from Republicans who are disillusioned with the current policies? Or is it from people who ordinarily would not participate in the political process?

Ron Paul: I think there is a little bit of each, so some Democrats, some Independents, and some disgruntled Republicans that saw that we did not stick to our principles of limited government and balanced budgets and joined the entitlement crowd.

But, interestingly enough, it is our campaign that gets the most money from the military. And that is something that the other candidates do not want to admit.

CBSNews.com: Your position on Iraq polls is popular but your other libertarian positions on issues like privatizing Social Security, privatizing Medicare, privatizing a whole host of government functions, that does not seem to be a majority position in the country at all. How do you persuade people to change their minds about that?

Ron Paul: Well, it is also true that that has not been the most important issue in my campaign. Philosophically, I think those programs are doomed to fail. And most young people know that they are not going to get any Social Security. And that is why they are joining me when I said, "I would let you get out." And they love that.

Because all they are going to do is pay into it, and not get anything. But I really take a pretty soft stand on that. One thing that can be said is, I have never voted to spend one nickel out of Social Security funds. If I had my way, all that money would have been there. Because I do not spend it on this militarism and all the other wasteful programs. So, I am a true protector of the Social Security fund.

And the older people in my district have always, overwhelmingly, supported me. But my approach is toward a transition. I'm not calling for closing down any of these programs. Matter of fact, I do the opposite. I save hundreds of billions of dollars in rejecting this notion that we can run a world empire, cut the deficit, and then actually use some of those funds to tide people over who have become dependent. And this offers a way of helping people who are dependent without putting anybody out in the street.

CBSNews.com: In 1988, you were the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party. Are you open to running on an independent ticket this time?

Ron Paul: No, I have no plans to do that.

CBSNews.com: But do you completely rule it out?

Ron Paul: Well, about as close as you can get, I really, really cannot conceive of that happening.

CBSNews.com: You and Rudy Giuliani, in particular, seem to get into these tussles in Republican debates. Is there any chance you could support him if he were the Republican nominee based on the policy positions he has taken thus far?

Ron Paul: Well, if he became a civil libertarian and rejected the Patriot Act and decided that we ought to bring the troops home from Iraq, yeah, I would consider it.

CBSNews.com: And do you think there is any chance of that happening?

Ron Paul: Not much.

CBSNews.com: And so, is there a potential that you could support the Democratic nominee if the Republican is so opposed to your positions on these issues?

Ron Paul: No, I cannot conceive of supporting a Democratic candidate.

CBSNews.com: But if the Democrat is for ending the war and the Republican is not, and you are not going to support a third-party candidacy, where do you go from there?

Ron Paul: Well, that I will have to deal with when the time comes, after we find out how we do in these primaries. My main job right now is to appeal to that 50 percent of the people in New Hampshire who are independent who are very interested in my campaign.

Besides, the Democrats are all neo-cons to a large degree. None of them are saying the troops ought to be home before 2013. They are not willing to take these options off the table. And I do not think they offer an alternative one bit. I think foreign policy will not change with the top three or four or even five of the Democratic candidates.

CBSNews.com: You don't think the Democrats are at all closer to your position on the war than the Republicans?

Ron Paul: Well, Dennis Kucinich would be, and Mike Gravel. But they have not done anything to slow this war up. They have not responded to the election of last year. And that is why the Democratic base now is very frustrated, and why I am getting more Democrats to my rallies than ever before.

CBSNews.com: It’s not because President Bush keeps vetoing their plans to set a timetable for ending the war?

Ron Paul: No. I do not think they are very earnest to do it. Why was it that the Democratic leadership removed from the supplemental bill early this year, the admonition that Bush could not start another war in Iran without getting permission from the Congress?

That was in the bill. And it was deliberately removed in almost saying, "Yeah, we are not going to hold you to the line here and go and do what you want. If you have to bomb Iran, we will not say a whole lot." So, that is what they were subtly saying. But I do not know why the Democratic leadership deliberately removed that. And that was supported by a coalition of antiwar Republicans and Democrats.

CBSNews.com: On the lighter side, you are on Jay Leno next week. Can you give us any preview of what you plan to say?

Ron Paul: No. I have to wait for the questions, I guess.

CBSNews.com: You’re not working out any bits in advance?

Ron Paul: No. I think what I ought to do is watch his show and find out how it runs.


Ron Paul served in Congress first in the late 1970's and early 1980's and then again since 1997. Born in Pittsburgh, Paul graduated from the Duke School of Medicine and became an obstetrics/gynecology specialist who has delivered over 4000 babies. He was the 1988 Libertarian nominee for president and garnered 0.5% of the vote. Paul was one of only four congressman to endorse Ronald Reagan for president in 1976, and he has consistently voted against most taxes and government spending, and opposed the Patriot Act and the Iraq war. Paul is married with five children and 17 grandchildren.

see original story from CBS here.

Word Puzzle 2

Here's part two of the Word Puzzle Challenge. I'm not 100% satisfied with all my answers on this one, so let's see what you guys can do.

Word Puzzle♦

I thought these were fun. This is the easier one of two. You can click the image to enlarge it. Feel free to leave your answers in the comments.

Weird Math Proof

According to a website I found this morning, 0.999… is the same as 1. Not just very close, but precisely identical:a = 0.999…
10a = 9.999…
10a - a = 9.999… - 0.999…
9a = 9
a = 1

There's no trick here. It's just a mathematical fact that most people find deeply counterintuitive.I'm definitely one of those people who find it deeply counterintuitive. Can anyone explain this in layman's terms?

*edit: upon further examination, it seems the only reason this holds up is because when you multiply by 10 to get 9.999..., you effectively have just added one more 9 to the already infinite number you had before... That's hard to wrap your mind around. If you place a limit on infinity then this proof wouldn't work.

'round and 'round

The following sentence is true. The preceding sentence is false.

Or how about, "This statement is false".

Or, "Everything I say is a lie."

The Battle

This video is a poignant expression of the battle that rages for an unbelievers heart. It especially brought to mind friends of mine who have battled with drugs and alcohol. It's a wonderful visual of how hard the world can grip us, and how much Christ wants a relationship with us.

Kiva: Loans that Change Lives

Have you ever thought about how unfair it was that you were born into relative wealth?(relative being to the rest of the world)

Have you ever felt the burden to help those in third world poverty but had no idea how?

With all the corruption in third world governments it seems almost impossible for me to actually make a difference in someone's life.

Well, I think it just got a little easier.

I read an article this morning about an amazing idea to change peoples lives. Read this article, and then go to Kiva's website to learn more. I think it's an amazing idea.

imaginary reality

Here's the link to a really interesting article with a very thought provoking conclusion. It's about how our eyes have a blind spot caused by our optic nerve connecting to our retina. It's got some neat experiments you can do to "find" that blind spot.

I've never seen "Lord of War", so this is in no way intended to endorse that movie. It just made me think, so I thought I'd share.

So much for the 30 year laptop battery

Here's a story that's doing the rounds on the blogs - Scientists Invent 30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery.

The story is written in peculiarly convoluted prose, but appears to be saying that a breakthrough in nuclear energy technology means that we'll all be running around with magic batteries in mobile and laptop, in "two to three years". They'll be perfectly safe, will save the world, and will probably last longer than you will.

Sadly, no. As with the best techno-rubbish, there is a story in there, but you'll be pootling around the skies in jetpacks before you're powering your Dell from neutron decay.

That story is betavoltaics. This is a way of generating electricity much as solar cells generate power from photons, only by using high energy electrons generated from the beta decay of certain radio-isotopes. If you pick your isotope well -- the examples given use tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen - the other decay products are inert, and in theory you can generate useful amounts of power for a reasonable length of time. As with every radioactive system, it has a half-life depending on the isotope; tritium's half-life is around twelve years, so every decade or so your battery will halve in power - but that won't change, no matter how little or much power you take out in the duration.

Beats Duracell, right?

Again, sadly, no. There are a few small problems.

Continue story here.

Zimbabwe's last white farmers face final push

Ringed by a clutch of Zimbabwean soldiers clicking automatic weapons, Charles Lock handed over the keys to his farm and drove off his land for the last time.

Scores of white farmers, the last survivors of President Robert Mugabe's land grab, and thousands of their black workers are going through similar agonies.

They now face the final deadline. As from today, any white farmer still on his land will be deemed to be trespassing on state property.

All agricultural land was officially nationalized last year — with the seizure to take effect from Oct 1 this year.

In advance of this deadline, Zimbabwe's army and the Central Intelligence Organization have been tormenting the last handful of white farmers and their workers.

About 50 have been summoned to appear at magistrates' courts. Some have surrendered their farms and homes in despair in the last few weeks.
advertisement

Mr Lock, however, is determined to fight on. "I may have been forced to go but I will continue to fight in the courts," he said. "I have five court orders allowing me to stay."

Continue the article here.

Zimbabwe runs out of Bread

Zimbabwe's bakeries have shut and supermarkets have warned there will be no bread for the foreseeable future as the government admitted that wheat production had collapsed following the seizure of white-owned farms.

The agricultural ministry announcement that the wheat harvest is only about a third of what is required, and that imports are held up by lack of hard currency, came as a deadline passed today for the last white farmers to leave their land or face prosecution for trespass.

The maize harvest is expected to be equally dire and price controls to contain hyperinflation have emptied the stores of most other foodstuffs. The World Food Programme says at least 3 million people - one in four of the population - will need food aid in the coming months. It describes hunger in some parts of the country, which used to be a food exporter, as "acutely serious"

Continue Article

30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery

Your next laptop could have a continuous power battery that lasts for 30 years without a single recharge thanks to work being funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The breakthrough betavoltaic power cells are constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotopes as the energy source. As the radioactive material decays it emits beta particles that transform into electric power capable of fueling an electrical device like a laptop for years.

Although betavoltaic batteries sound Nuclear they’re not, they’re neither use fission/fusion or chemical processes to produce energy and so (do not produce any radioactive or hazardous waste). Betavoltaics generate power when an electron strikes a particular interface between two layers of material. The Process uses beta electron emissions that occur when a neutron decays into a proton which causes a forward bias in the semiconductor. This makes the betavoltaic cell a forward bias diode of sorts, similar in some respects to a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Electrons scatter out of their normal orbits in the semiconductor and into the circuit creating a usable electric current.

The profile of the batteries can be quite small and thin, a porous silicon material is used to collect the hydrogen isotope tritium which is generated in the process. The reaction is non-thermal which means laptops and other small devices like mobile phones will run much cooler than with traditional lithium-ion power batteries. The reason the battery lasts so long is that neutron beta-decay into protons is the world's most concentrated source of electricity, truly demonstrating Einstein’s theory E=MC2.

The best part about these cells are when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic, so environmentalists need not fear these high tech scientific wonder batteries. If all goes well plans are for these cells to reach store shelves in about 2 to 3 years.