Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

 

 

Create your own review

For one who wants to see Ron Paul win the 2012 Republican nomination, the congressman's latest book is a bit of a let down. In contrast to a hard-charging campaign book like Harry Browne's The Great Libertarian Offer, or a memoir, it offers little of the kind of material media people look for. If Dr. Paul decides to enter the 2012 presidential race, it will do little to garner mainstream media coverage in the crucial early months of the campaign.

But Ron Paul is more interested in being right than he is in being president. Perhaps the only truly reluctant presidential candidate since George Washington, his primary aim is to educate. And he does it in the way of the Ancient Greek teacher; by challenging the untested points of his students' preconceptions, so that they come to the answers themselves.

One of the most interesting chapters in Liberty Defined relates to the obstacle Paul confronts in his aim to educate: demagogues who "manipulate a political issue in a manner to obscure or distort truth with emotionalism and prejudice...to take a principled stand by the proponents of liberty and reason and turn it into support for something ugly and mean."

As one illustration, Paul indirectly addresses the uproar his son, Senator Rand Paul, faced during his 2010 campaign when he suggested that business owners had the right to pick and choose their customers. "What liberal authoritarians don't quite understand," Paul writes "is that, if government has the power to control business establishments and all their decisions, they have justified the intrusion of government in every social aspect of our lives."

Though leaving specifics alone with respect to the Rand Paul controversy, there are enough personal anecdotes in Liberty Defined to satiate those waiting for a Ron Paul autobiography. In "Democracy," he discusses his experience with a stolen election. In "Evolution versus Creation" he recounts how he felt in a debate moderated by Chris Matthews and John Harris when asked to raise his hand if he believed in evolution. And in "Empire" we learn what quote is contained on a laminated card Paul carries with him and the story behind it.

If there is one thing in Liberty Defined that could put Paul at the center of a debate at the start of the 2012 presidential campaign, it is his remarks on civil disobedience. Though he has chosen political action over civil disobedience, he has great respect for those who, understanding what is at stake, challenge laws non-violently, and envisions a day when civil disobedience is the only option.

But to really compete in the Republican primary, Ron Paul needs to present a comprehensive agenda. The majority of journalists and political pundits view libertarian ideas as impractical. For those with a textbook to test paper view of history, libertarianism is a great unknown. Paul would do well, therefore, should he make the decision to run, to go beyond what other candidates offer in the way of details.

Ron Paul's greatest trait is his authenticity. When he sounds optimistic it is because he is feeling so. When he questions whether politics can change things, he does not hide it. You can trust what he says. For this, many philosophical differences are forgiven. His admission that civil disobedience might be the only option suggests a growing pessimism.

In perhaps the most revealing part of the book, Paul tells the story of Cicero, who "heroically refused to join Julius Caesar's betrayal of the Roman constitution and the rule of law." When Caesar was crowned dictator, Cicero wrote a series of books on history and politics and war. "Cicero," Paul writes, "would have been remembered for what he did to save the Roman constitution and the Republic. But his legacy was sealed for more than 2000 years by his philosophic dissertations that, once it was clear to him that the Roman Republic was dead, sprang from his effort to reflect on it."

But Liberty Defined was penned before the recent uprising in Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations. These pro-freedom movements demonstrate that the poorer people grow the more likely they are to revolt.

The price increases that ignited rebellion overseas are starting to be seen in the United States. While prices are rising, wages remain flat. Economists, meanwhile, are using nominal percentage gains in GDP to say that the U.S. economy is growing. Americans are growing poorer and they are being lied to. They are ready to hear a real libertarian agenda. Ron Paul is the person to offer it.

Ron Paul continues the noble tradition of founders and thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Burke, James Burnham and Patrick Buchanan in social-political conditions of the 21st Century. The book is written in lucid, vital and free flowing style without any convoluted jargon. I purchased the kindle edition and finished the book in 3 hours with several re-readings of some chapters/paragraphs.

The stage is set in contemporary America, and the intended audiences are likely the young indoctrinated subservient Americans, victims of Washington DC. This book could be the conservative bible for next two decades to effect political renewal of a tired, beaten and declining America. It deals with Paul's unique approach as a practicing Christian, a conservative libertarian and a citizen statesman. The amoral and utopian aspects of left-libertarianism are absent in this book.

Indeed the word libertarian has been mentioned only 6 times in the text. In comparison, the word moral has been mentioned a good 109 times, and "liberty" occurs 191 times. The book emphasizes the true essence of Christianity and Christ as the prince of peace, not a messenger of aggressive/deceitful secular wars.

The writing is universal in its appeal so that a person from China, India, Africa, Islamic World or Europe will naturally relate to its contents. It defines the true meaning of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, the three principles of humanity. It is applicable to all human societies and aggregates, not just America. It shows the essence of conservatism and social order and extensively deals with liberty's relationship with morality, religion and ethics.

The book is tabulated in 50 chapters and covers 5 principal themes.

1. The Individual and the State: Chapters on Capital Punishment, Civil Disobedience, Public Land, Surveillance and Slavery deal with Washington DC's atrocities on Individual liberty. The State has systematically imposed Slavery, bondage, violations of civil and property rights on American people. These atrocities have been carried out almost since the founding of the Republic against the spirit and letter of the Constitution. The trampling over Individual freedom is at the tipping point so that in near future we might completely lose all remaining freedoms. Our fate will then fall into the hands of monsters in Washington DC. Ownership of all life, liberty and property will be dictated by the Socialist tyrants.

2. Foreign policy: Chapters on Assassinations, CIA, Conscription, Empire, Foreign Aid, Patriotism, Security, Terrorism, Trade Policies and Zionism. These chapters describe how the Federal Marxists are now conducting unspeakable genocides on defenseless states around the world. The worst consequences are being paid both in blood and treasure by the American people. These Washington DC policies are formulated and executed by the bloodthirsty neocon cabal whose intellectual founders were Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol- while its executive roots lie in Wilson's presidency. Paul traces this ideology to Plato and Machiavelli, the ancient and medieval founders of the noble lie. Paul's prescription for Arab-Israeli conflict is love-making and Intermarriage, not war.

3. Welfare Narcotic and Amorality of Tyrannical State Socialism: Chapters on Bipartisanship, Executive Power, Four Freedoms, Gun Control, Immigration, Insurance, Lobbying, Medical Care, Moral Hazard, Morality in Government, Prohibition, Public Land, Statistics and Unions. These chapters deal with the systematic undermining of individuals, families, Towns and States by Washington DC. These corrupt bureaucrats have been coercively and deceptively concentrating all wealth and power in their own hands at the expense of hapless people. The chapters warn the reader on the attempts to crush human initiative, effort and philanthropy in order to replace them with helpless, suffocating and lifeless bondage under the Washington DC tyrants.

4. Monetary/Economic Policy Subversion: Taxes, Monetary Policy, Keynesianism, Business cycle and Austrian Economics deal with the source of all material corruptions, the criminal Federal Reserve and central economic planning/domination. The system of militaristic Keynesianism which confiscates all wealth from the poor, middle class, and the justly rich - to what the book calls the "Goldman Sachs Elite" has been discussed. These hidden monetary actions are far more powerful than the Presidency, the Media and responsible for all American misfortunes.

5. Moral Order and Cultural Decline: Chapters on Abortion, Demagogues, Discrimination, Education Indoctrination, Envy, Evolution, Global warming, hate crimes, marriage, political correctness, racism, religion and liberty deal with the corruption of American society. Freedom is reserved for certain organized special interests and groups at the expense of others. Affirmative action, dishonest cultural and political discourse, an obsession with victimhood and demands for special treatment, privileges and free lunch by robbing the middle-class/working class, racial and ethnic quotas, and blatant use of force, intimidation and naked violence to subjugate people under State controlled institutions, ideas and directives is the subject of these chapters.

The ultimate goal of State Socialism is to transform Americans into helpless, subservient and docile cattle, where forced, regimented and artificial equality will lead to strife, uniformity and slavery, not Liberty, Diversity and Unity. This equality will be ruthlessly enforced on the 99% masses, while the Washington/Wall-Street elite will exempt themselves and enjoy the looted spoils from America.

These provocative and taboo topics which can lead to harsh political/social condemnation and banishment have been written with great force, conviction and masterly command. It is likely that State controlled thought police will virulently attack these ideas as it is the great foe of a free society, free exchange of ideas, expressions and associations.

The book is sprinkled with a few personal anecdotes and the reader gets a glimpse of some events from Paul's life. The chapter on Democracy is well written and concisely lays out the distinctions between a Republic based on rule of law versus a totalitarian mob rule of Majoritarian Democracy.

Throughout the book a convincing case has been made that America needs a rebirth of moral order based on Liberty, Equality of Spirit and Freedom, and a Universal Fraternity based on Spiritual Love and Golden Rule (Chapter on Religion and Liberty). Only then it will win peace, prosperity and social soundness.

It is laden with wit, humor at the expense of hypocrites and fraudsters such as Cheney, Al Gore, Bush and Obama. Interesting terms such as "evangelical atheists", "thinking like a Black" and "Goldman Sachs Elite" are used to make incisive points. The chapters are engaging and delightfully entertaining. Paul invokes George Orwell's 1984 several times to expose the evil of American elite and Bush-Obama's duplicity.

This book is a testament to Paul's wisdom, character and principled statesmanship, unique in our time. Those who miss the moral authority of Gandhi, Solzhenitsyn and even great spiritual figures, can finally look towards Liberty Defined as the living symbol and text to strive for liberty. Gandhi, Solzhenitsyn, Paul all favored local government, human scale, family, faith and liberty against tyrannical state socialism and aggressive domestic and foreign imperialism.

The book calls for character and action to save the Republic. Not "utter cynicism", "endless policy details" and resignation.

In the age of Lady Gaga, Obama, Bieber, Reality TV, sexual liberation, unfettered greed, gluttonous obesity, and rapaciousness, the capacity to independently think, comprehend and act has been greatly diminished. In such decimated cultural conditions, this book provides a faint glimmer of hope that a misinformed, confused, paralyzed and desensitized Third World America will look towards Liberty, faith and Constitution and find a way to reclaim its destiny. A new manifesto from an iconic statesman.

Whether you agree with Dr. Paul or not is not an issue. This book is about clarity, not persuasion.

What I find most staggering about this new book is that Dr. Paul, a Congressman, surprises everyone by openly and honestly stating his views on 50 separate topics. A lot of these topics are controversial and a representative in the Congress would need strong determination in order to address these topics. By offering his views on these controversial issues, Dr. Paul makes himself incredibly vulnerable to any and all political attacks.

I am consistently impressed by Dr. Paul's resolve, courage and honest dialogs. He initiates a debate that goes well beyond the political punditry and dives straight into the philosophy of the issues.

Well done, Dr. Paul. Well done.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 158 customer reviews...

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!
This is a must read for anyone who cares about our country. Dr Paul, as always, takes the constitutional approach to the most hot button topics of our day. Read more

Published 7 days ago by gstarnes

5.0 out of 5 stars A must see for any brazilian
AS an almost 60 years old brazilian citizen, I may tell that I've never known what liberty really means . Read more

Published 8 days ago by heraldo curti

5.0 out of 5 stars Think
This book is a "Great Read" ,plainly written, giving you something to think about in each chapter.
The author sets forth clearly a number of issues that you will be... Read more

Published 8 days ago by Bertygirl

1.0 out of 5 stars Puerile idealism
Ron Paul is an idealistic dreamer. Does he really think Americans, with a bit of his libertarian education, will simply "embrace liberty" and return the country to some sort of... Read more

Published 10 days ago by GibsonJ45

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the most important book I've ever read
Reading this book is like putting on a pair of xray glasses allowing you to see thru the smokescreen deliberately created to confuse and mislead the American people and understand... Read more

Published 11 days ago by ChristianV

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberty Defined
Its very difficult to argue with the statements in this book. Dr Paul is more Libertarian than conservative. He is too academic for the average person.

Published 11 days ago by DrQuack

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
This book is allsome! I've really been enjoying it. I'm about half way through then I'll check out his other work.

Published 16 days ago by Asa

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberty Define the best Ron Paul book I ever read.
By far the most well written book, thought provoking, very intellectually presented to the common man. I Love It! Read more

Published 17 days ago by Gideon Dominguez Photography

4.0 out of 5 stars It changed my mind about him
I Give it 4 stars for being an honest and well articulated treatise on his position, it falls short of 5 stars for it's lack of dept...each issue is only given a few pages... Read more

Published 18 days ago by M. Pizzullo

5.0 out of 5 stars Smokin'
Liberty Defined encapsulates most of what's the matter with the good ol' USA. It's necessarily light on the background of the topics he touches on because of the volume of... Read more

Published 18 days ago by Agog

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 158 customer reviews...