Thread: NATION'S COPS APPLAUD PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RON PAUL

NATION'S COPS APPLAUD PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RON PAUL
By Jim Kouri
Posted 1:00 AM Eastern
November 14, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

While most of the politicians vying for their party's nomination for President of the United States pay lip service to the nation's law enforcement officers, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is actually doing something to earn the respect and gratitude of America's cops, according to many police officers and organizations.

For example, the American Federation of Police -- with well over 100,000 members -- recently praised Ron Paul for introducing a bill that would help cops obtain topnotch body armor that would withstand rounds fired from most firearms. Rep. Paul's bill -- HR 3304 -- would amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a tax credit to law enforcement officers who purchase their own body armor.

"I urge all police officers and concerned citizens to contact their congressmen and ask them to support Rep. Paul's bill," said Deputy Sheriff Dennis Wise, president of the American Federation of Police.

"I would also like to applaud Congressman Ron Paul for his support and forward thinking in trying to help make law enforcement officers across our nation safer each day," said Wise.

Rep. Ron Paul appears to be popular with many US cops. "He's never found it necessary to force police officers to stand with him for photo opportunities the way other presidential candidates such as Hillary Clinton do," said New York Police Officer Edna Aguayo.

One police officer claims cops in New York and other states are forced to pose with the likes of Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain. If an officer refuses, he or she is charged with insubordination by their superiors.

"It's a joke how these cops are used as props during election campaigns. But Ron Paul doesn't pay cops lip service -- he actually works to help them enforce the law," said another cop forced to pose with Sen. Clinton during one of her staged "rallies."

Public opinion service Rasmussen Reports recently released data from its October 12-14 polling that indicates that Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul leads his GOP opponents against Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton among likely voters ages 30-49. He is the leading White House contender for the key demographic, polling higher than Clinton among baby boomers. Congressman Paul polls in at 47%, compared with Clinton's 44%, among likely voters aged 40-49.

The 30-49 demographic has been a key indicator in recent elections, and one in which Republicans tend to fare well in hotly-contested elections. In 2004, exit polls reveal that George Bush beat John Kerry 53% to 46% among 30-44 year olds, and all accounts indicate that this will be the most instrumental demographic in the 2008 presidential election as well.

"Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton," claims political strategist Kent Snyder.

More than 3,000 police officers' lives have been saved by body armor since the mid-1970s when the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) began testing and developing body armor and performance standards for ballistic and stab resistance. Recognition and acceptance of the NIJ standard has grown worldwide, making it the performance benchmark for ballistic-resistant body armor.

Body armor can provide protection against a significant number of types of handgun ammunition, but law enforcement personnel must keep in mind that armor is categorized and rated for different threat levels. Additional protection should be worn for SWAT team operations, hostage rescues, or Special Operations assignments, when officers may be exposed to a weapon threat greater than the protection provided by regular duty armor, according to the National Institute of Justice.

Rank-and-file police officers also applaud Rep. Paul for his pro-sovereignty stance. "The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked," said the Texas congressman during a campaign rally.

In addition, Congressman Ron Paul believes that the Second Amendment is "not about duck hunting." It is an individual right that is guaranteed. He stated that he believes it is about the citizenry having the ability to restrain tyrannical governments and would be dictators.

He believes the Second Amendment is about self-defense from criminal attack and from governments that break away from the chains of the Constitution. According to a poll conducted by the National Association of Chiefs of Police, more than 75% of the nation's police officers agree with Rep. Paul's stance on gun ownership including private citizens carrying concealed weapons for personal protection.

Just recently Congressman Paul opposed the reauthorization of the Clinton-Feinstein semi-auto gun ban. He opposes gun and gunowner registration. And Paul opposes government permission systems that force law-abiding citizens "prove" their innocence before buying or owning firearms.

AFP president Dennis Wise agrees with Rep. Paul's stance on gun control. "When our founding fathers assembled to write one of the greatest papers ever written -- our Constitution -- they put down the amendments ... in the order of their importance," said Wise.
http://www.newswithviews.com:80/NWV-News/news17.htm

Paul: Supporters buying into stance on Iraq
Published: Thursday, November 8, 2007
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN
Telegraph Staff

NASHUA – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said his opposition to the Iraq war, his strict adherence to the Constitution and calls to change the monetary standard all fueled his GOP fundraising record via the Internet.

"I think the attention-getter is the war because it's a big issue, but I think that prompts a lot of people to go look at our Web site and say, 'Oh, I agree with these other issues,' " Paul said during an interview with The Telegraph editorial board on Wednesday.

The 72-year-old, soft-spoken Texas congressman already had a legendary individual donor base, the third largest in Congress as far back as 1994.

"I have always done my fundraising by direct mail. I have never been able to call people up and say, 'hey, send me some money,' and I don't deal with the special interests," Paul said.

"Do you realize how many mailings you would have to send out to get 20,000 new people? Many, many pieces of mail, hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet, this money all came in for free. All of the sudden they found us, sent money and are on our list. It's sort of like on autopilot now."

Despite the newfound largesse, Paul is mired in single digits in New Hampshire and national polls. But he insists a surprise showing in the first-in-the-nation primary is possible even though he's campaigned here less than better-known candidates.

He shrugs off criticism that his Iraq war opposition is a losing issue with a GOP base who, by a clear majority, want to finish the job of helping that country form a power-sharing government among secular factions.

"They say I'm anti-military, but who has the most contributors of any candidate, Democrat or Republican, from our fighting men and women? I do," said Paul, an Air Force surgeon during the Vietnam War era.

Paul was the only Republican in Congress to oppose the Iraq war in 2002.

If elected, Paul would withdraw all American troops from Iraq and opposes spending any more foreign or domestic aid to rebuild the country.

"They are a rich country, they have oil, and that's how it should be paid for," Paul said.

"We have to give up the principle of blowing things up around the world, as well as rebuilding. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get back to fiscal sanity."

The threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon has been overblown, and their chances of using one are "slim to none," he said.

"We either subsidize people or we bomb them. Why not try another option?" Paul asked. "We shouldn't get hysterical that in 10 years or more they might have a nuclear weapon."

Paul voted to authorize force against the Taliban in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but said Bush turned it into a nation-building exercise.

To confront terrorists bent on violence against the U.S., Paul would pursue a "marque and reprisal" provision used by the Founding Fathers to empower private individuals to bring pirates to justice using legal means.

"I would place a lot more confidence in a Ross Perot approach to going after a band of individuals who orchestrated that against us," Paul said.

At least $200 billion a year would be saved by getting out of Iraq and cutting back on U.S. foreign intervention in 130 countries, Paul said.

Even taxpayer-paid humanitarian aid to treat the genocide in Darfur is not a wise course, he added.

"There is not much evidence that much of this is successful, some of it has been, but we are also broke," Paul said.

"If the government got out of it, private individuals would come forward. The American people are very generous."

Paul claims he's voted against any increase in taxes during his 19 years in Congress and against more than 90 percent of federal spending bills.

He would focus first on cutting foreign aid before pursuing a desire to get rid of wholesale, federal agencies like the Departments of Education, Internal Revenue Service and Federal Reserve.

"In spite of the fact philosophically I don't support the programs, they should never have been started and it is part of the problem, but it is not part of the early answer," Paul said.

A gynecologist who's delivered 4,000 babies, Paul opposes legal abortions, but believes states should be left to make restrictions on the procedure and is against a constitutional ban.

Paul said anti-abortion leaders ignored his call to claim federal courts have no jurisdiction as when the Supreme Court overturned a congressional ban on late-term abortions.

And Paul said the practice of printing more money has made the U.S. a record debtor nation, and he would reinstitute gold and silver as alternatives to paper currency.

"History shows that paper never lasts. It ends terribly," Paul said.

RON PAUL
PARTY: Republican.
BIRTH DATE: Aug. 20, 1935.
RESIDENCE: Surfside Beach, Texas.
EXPERIENCE: U.S. House of Representatives, 1997-present, 1979-1985 and 1976-1977; current member of House Committee on Financial Services and House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
EDUCATION: M.D. from Duke University; bachelor’s degree, Gettysburg College.
MILITARY: Flight Surgeon, U.S. Air Force, 1963-1965; Air National Guard, 1965-1968.
PERSONAL: Wife, Carol; five children; 17 grandchildren.
CANDIDATE WEB SITE: www.ronpaul2008.com.

PAUL ON THE ISSUES

Here are opinions of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas on major issues.

IRAQ WAR: Only Republican member of Congress to vote against war in 2002 and would withdraw all U.S. troops in three to six months.

IMMIGRATION REFORM: Supports strengthening borders with more federal patrols and enforcing laws against employers who hire illegal aliens. Opposes guest worker or any form of amnesty to the 12 million people who got here illegally.

HEALTH CARE: Supports free market solutions such as health savings accounts and transitioning a refundable tax credit so more families can afford health-care coverage; voted to let citizens buy and bring cheaper drugs from Canada into the U.S.

EDUCATION: Voted against No Child Left Behind; supports $3,000 tax credit for families who participate in school choice. Opposes school vouchers as philosophically that means other taxpayers are subsidizing another family’s schooling. He supports home schooling.

FEDERAL BUDGET/TAXES: During 19-year congressional career, Paul said he’s never voted for a bill to raise taxes and voted against most federal budget spending bills. Would dismantle the Internal Revenue Service, repeal the federal income tax and is open to a national sales tax in its place, but only if the Congress made deep cuts in federal spending first.

ABORTION: Has an anti-abortion voting record, but opposes a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and instead favors letting states restrict the procedure as they see fit. Urges supporters to contend the federal judiciary that outlaws abortion restrictions lacks jurisdiction to take up the issue.

GLOBAL WARMING: Restrictions on pollution should be done at the state rather than federal level. He favors federal tax credits for research of alternative energy sources and says expansion of nuclear power is a “safe, cleanâ€