On The Front Lines

Starting a Brush Fire for Freedom! Exclusive Interview with Texas Congressman Ron Paul

Washington's 'Lone Wolf' Critic of Big Government Sounds Off in OldSpeak Interview About Republican Leadership, War in Iraq and USA Patriot Act

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--OldSpeak, an online publication of The Rutherford Institute, hosts this week an exclusive interview with Texas Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), an outspoken advocate for smaller government and a return to constitutional principles. In his interview with Institute President John W. Whitehead, Rep. Paul speaks frankly about his lone wolf status in Congress, the USA Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and the rise of big government under Republican leadership. To read the interview, click here.

Since the 9/11 tragedy, Rep. Paul has been one of the few politicians in Washington to speak out against the USA Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, which he believes are a threat to liberty and a sign that our country is becoming more like a police state. "The idea that search warrants could be granted so easily under the Patriot Act ... with sneak and peak searches and going into libraries and other places to find out what people are doing is wrong," says Rep. Paul. "It's total surveillance." Rep. Paul has also been a strong critic of the war in Iraq, going so far as to call it "unconstitutional" because there was no formal declaration of war and "immoral" because there was no direct attack on our country.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Penn., Ron Paul graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine before serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County as a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology. While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rep. Paul's limited government ideals were not popular in Washington. While serving on the House Banking Committee, he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve's inflationary measures. Rep. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending and regulation, and used his House seat to actively preserve, protect and defend our constitutional principles of government. In 1984, Rep. Paul voluntarily relinquished his House seat and returned to his medical practice in Texas. However, in 1997 he returned to Congress, where he is referred to as "Dr. No" for his staunch refusal to approve any legislation that does not pass strict constitutional muster.

When asked what advice he would give to Americans concerned about the growing power of the federal government and the various threats to our civil liberties, Rep. Paul quotes Samuel Adams: "Every individual has a responsibility to be informed, to know what is going on and to know the issues. As Samuel Adams once said, 'Go out and start a brush fire.' And you can do that with one individual or many. You can become a teacher or a writer or help somebody in politics. But you can only start a brush fire for freedom if you feel confident that you understand the issues and really can defend liberty as being the best system for all of us."