(Reuters) - A direct-mail solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters two decades ago warned of a "coming race war in our big cities" and of a "federal-homosexual cover-up" to play down the impact of AIDS.
The eight-page letter, which appears to carry Paul's signature at the end, also warns that the U.S. government's redesign of currency to include different colors - a move aimed at thwarting counterfeiters - actually was part of a plot to allow the government to track Americans using the "new money."
This is very old news yet the media seems to like to pretend it is new. These letters (etc) actually became an issue in 2007/2008 and was one of the reasons I stopped supporting Ron Paul.
==The newsletter had his name in the title and his signature on the bottom. He should have known what was in the letters. Also the letters are written in the first person. Whether or not Ron Paul wrote the actual letter is really not the issue for me. The issue for me is that he allowed these letters to go out under his name without looking at what was being said.
==While these are old letters they have not been "thoroughly dealt with". There is still very good questions that need to be answered.
==Let's put the ad hominem attacks (Ron Paul haters) away and deal with the actual issue. These letter present a major problem for Ron Paul. If Barak Obama had written such letters about white people and Christians I wonder if you (and others) would be so quick to dismiss them as important. This is one time when I believe the hard questions must be asked and answered.
==Newt's money issues have been all over the news in the past week or so. Newt's need to "come clean" is no less real than Ron Paul's. Both men have serious questions they need to deal with.
==Romney's "change" of positions is well documented (from 2008 and 2011). This is one reason I find it very difficult to support Romney. However Romney's "flip flops" do not change the fact that Ron Paul has some serious explaining to do.
==Again, let's put away the ad hominem attacks. These letters are not "lies" and those who are asking questions about what was put out under Ron Paul's name are not "nut-jobs". Again, I have to wonder if the shoe was on Obama's foot if you would be so willing to let it go.
Anybody with the ability to read at the 3rd grade level or above knows this was thoroughly dealt with 10 years ago. Paul did not write the articles in question. He did not read the articles in question until long after they were published. When he did read them he repudiated them. There are a lot of newsletters that bear the name of a candidate that do not belong to nor are they overseen by the candidate. The liars are those who try to say this is a current issue and has not been dealt with.
==That is clearly not true. I have a bachelors degree and two graduate degrees and I don't believe this was "thoroughly dealt with 10 years ago". I did not believe it in 2008 and I don't believe it now.
==And for me that is the problem. If he has that little control over what is going out in his name how can he be President of the United States? It also raises very serious questions about the company he keeps.
==Wait. These newsletters (The Ron Paul Investment Letter, etc) were put out under his name with his signature at the bottom. He should at least be reading the letters to make sure they support his views. These letters were put out before the information age of the internet (blogs, etc) where so much information can fall through the cracks.
There were too many of these statements in newsletters over a period of several years. If he was not aware of them he was not reading what was being put out under his name IN THE FIRST PERSON. If he was reading them...well, that is an even bigger problem.
==That is not true either. When one runs for president everything in their adult life/career is on the table. That was true for Clinton, Bush, Obama, and the others. If Paul, and his supporters, can't take the heat than maybe he is not Presidential material. These newsletters raise serious questions about Ron Paul as a manager and as a candidate for President. Calling those who raise these questions "liars" is an unproductive dodge.
For me in '08, and now, I have not heard/read Ron Paul give an answer that satisfies my questions. So it remains an issue (at least for me). Again, this issue is why I stopped supporting him in 2007/2008.
Yes, they do tend to be serious idealogs. But he is very popular in his home district in Texas (south west of Houston and Galveston). His district is huge, larger than some eastern states. Of course some of his popularity may be due to the fact he delivered most of the babies in his district. :)
He also refused to take payment if the mother could not afford his services, and he refused to take any medicaid from the US government. He also gives back his congressional salary, and has refused his congressional pension.
Love him or hate him, you have to admit he lives by what he preaches (not to mention he is a baptist). :)
Many of his followers come close to idolatry but the same can be said of his detractors. As I said he is a "love him or hate him" kind of guy. Very little middle ground.
I think he as moderated many of those conspiracy theories, but I agree, he does seem to see a conspiracy under every bed.
However, look at Martin's comments in the other thread. Something Paul did not say 20 years ago and which he unquestionably repudiated is still held against him, but Martin says Newt's issues are in the past and we should just forget about them. Typical double standard. :)
This is the problem as I see it as well. He allowed someone to use his name and his signature. I wouldn't be surprised if they used his photograph as well.
He collected money from these newsletters and he claims he didn't read or exert any control over the content of the newsletters? That's dumb.
I see that at least one of the newsletters did use his image. So his name, his image and his signature were used. He received compensation from the newsletters. In effect, he was licensing out his image for others to use and he didn't think to check up on how his reputation was being handled? That's stupid. I don't think I'd want him negotiating any treaties for my country.
I never claimed he disavowed it. I am claiming he never held it. I saw him on Glenn Beck, in 2006, or 2007, that the idea the American Gov't was behind 9/11 was "preposterous".