by Ron Paul
Orginally published on Texas Straight Talk, Dr. Paul's Weekly Column

A few months back, I wrote back-to-back weekly messages regarding globalism and isolationism. In writing those columns, I focused on the fact that our nation’s interventionist foreign policy was precisely what was isolating us from other countries.

Turkey’s recall of their U.S. ambassador in the wake of last week’s resolution, passed in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in condemnation of Turkey, is a perfect example of what I wrote in those columns, as well as what I have been saying for years.

The House has passed similar resolutions for years, praising some foreign countries or political groups while chastising others. It is my policy to vote against resolutions of this sort whenever they have the impact of placing our country in the middle of an internal political problem of some other nation, or involving us in some regional conflict. In fact, this is almost always the specific intent of resolutions of this sort. Often, I am the only Member of Congress to vote against these resolutions.

Some have questioned these votes, arguing that they are meaningless statements of opinion. However, I have always been more skeptical, and careful, about voting for these measures. Last week’s reaction by Turkey , a long term ally and NATO member, shows that Congress should be a lot more restrained in sticking our government’s nose into the affairs of other nations.

HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS - BEFORE THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Health Freedom Protection Act. This bill restores the First Amendment rights of consumers to receive truthful information regarding the benefits of foods and dietary supplements by codifying the First Amendment standards used by federal courts to strike down the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) efforts to censor truthful health claims. The Health Freedom Protection Act also stops the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) from censoring truthful health care claims.

The American people have made it clear they do not want the federal government to interfere with their access to dietary supplements, yet the FDA and the FTC continue to engage in heavy-handed attempts to restrict such access. The FDA continues to frustrate consumers’ efforts to learn how they can improve their health even after Congress, responding to a record number of constituents’ comments, passed the Dietary Supplement and Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). FDA bureaucrats are so determined to frustrate consumer access to truthful information that they are even evading their duty to comply with four federal court decisions vindicating consumers’ First Amendment rights to discover the health benefits of foods and dietary supplements.

Thank you to Jon, who sends along the following note and videos:

Here are both parts of the Ron Paul post-debate speech in downtown Orlando on October 21st. This was by far the most exciting Ron Paul event from last weekend! The speech and audience participation were amazing. This was the only film taken from above the crowd. The feedback problem only lasts a minute and a half, thankfully, and I worked pretty hard to remove the majority of the feedback noise during editing.

Part II below:

I've heard some noise that the website Red State (I won't do them the favor of linking into their site) has banned Ron Paul supporters.

Fine - leave them be. If they chose to be closed, exclusive and insular like the Republican party itself, that is their choice. Like the GOP itself, they are declining in popularity and relevance, as this Alexa data shows:

Daily Paul vs. Red State over the past year.

You'll note that a year ago, Redstate was decently popular, and the Daily Paul didn't even exist!

Brent Dwyer writes: Great site, I'm glad I found it. This is a picture of my daughter with Ron Paul. We would be honored if you decided you want to use the picture. Her name is Karena Dwyer.

Great picture, Brent!

The Ron Paul campaign has exploded in Oregon and now, with a new web site: OregoniansForRonPaul.com, it's official- Ron Paul is Oregon's choice for President in 2008.

The Portland Meetup group (now almost 300 members strong) have "visi-blasted" Oregon freeways with "Banner Brigades" on a daily basis for months.

This coming Saturday, October 27, people from all walks of life will gather in 11 cities around the country in a national expression of the breadth and depth of antiwar sentiment in this nation. For many people, it will be their first step in transforming their antiwar feelings into antiwar action. Regional actions will enable much larger numbers of people to participate.

People everywhere want the war to end, but Washington has failed to take decisive action. With each passing month, the Iraq disaster claims the lives of nearly 100 service people and countless Iraqis as it drains 12 billion of our tax-dollars. Our communities are neglected and suffer the consequences.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Just take a look at the stands. Packed to the gills with people who were waiting for the race to start, then looking up to see...

Read the entire update from Martinsville VA
(Note: The above picture is a Photoshop composite of two different images. Please click the link above to see all the pictures.)

Keep the momentum going...donate today! https://www.ronpaul2008.c...

Here's an update from Ron Paul 2008 headquarters:

Events

• Today Ron Paul is in New Hampshire to officially file his candidacy papers with the Secretary of State.
• Dr. Paul also will be making crucial visits to Iowa and Wyoming this coming weekend.

Media and Press

• Thanks in part to your e-mails, we've confirmed that Ron Paul will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on the evening of Tuesday, October 30th. Be sure to mark your calendar.

From Nate Jones at the the RonPaulDVD.com Project:

Problem: Many good people out there in Non-Internet Land don't even have a clue Ron Paul exists. They may feel they're informed because they read the local paper, and/or watch the local news. However, neither (including the national media) are offering enough coverage on our favorite hero, the one we love to love, Ron Paul. As well, there are many who DO have access to the Internet... even broadband access, but perhaps are "search-challenged", or too lazy to use it to get information about the Good Doctor. Well, it's time to help those poor unfortunate souls out! ;-)

Solution:

Nate just released a new DVD last week. For full details, including the clips that are on the DVD and how to download and/or order it, Click here: RonPaulDVD.com

As thousands of Americans take to the streets this week, they will face a rising right-wing offensive to discredit and derail the antiwar movement. The cry of "troops home now" will echo in 11 cities as an intense year-long battle begins to sharpen. Not since 2002 will the antiwar movement – and dovish Democrats – face as virulent and lavishly funded a backlash as this one.

Consider the gathering storm: (keep reading at Antiwar.com)