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| The Revolution: A Manifesto (Unabridged) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ron Paul
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  709 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B001B2MY1O
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| Customer Reviews:
Ron Paul + Jesse Ventura = Critical Mass April 21, 2008
129 out of 172 found this review helpful
Ron Paul excels at the Constitutional fundamentals: individual liberty, sound money, and non-interventionist foreign policies. Although I am dismayed by his unwillingess to play well with others (Ralph Nader has the same problem, Jesse Ventura does not), and he does not have a strategy for governance as much as a laundry list of non-negotiable starting points, he is still, for me as an estranged moderate Republican, an inspiration for breaking with the two-party spoils system.
This is an eloquent book in which he draws with extreme care from the thoughts of others, always attributed in the text, and provides a series of arguments that do not call for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, but certainly do call for the impeachment of the complicit Congress. Three books in particular support his angry denunciation of how Congress--both Republican and Democratic--has allowed the Executive to attack our civil liberties, sustain executive warmaking never intended by the Founding Fathers, and precipitated an unprecedented financial crisis. Congress standing still for "signing statements" [and I would add, for morons like Gonzalez that give all Latinos a bad name], is the last straw.
See:
Running On Empty: How The Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy)
Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders
He cites Michael Scheuer with admiration, and as I am one of the very few to notice this in my reviews of Scheuer's books, I am delighted that he validates Scheuer's basic view, to wit, Bin Laden and terrorism against America are motivated by *our* presence in Saudi Arabia, our foreign behavior, our unilateral militarism, virtual colonialism, and so on.
He suggests that it was the Clinton Administration that first set the course on Iraq, being too willing to listen to lobbyists for Israel. Of course it was Cheney and Rumsfeld that gave Sadaam Hussein the WMD as--as the joke goes--kept the receipts.
He is very specific on Iran not being a nuclear threat to the USA (and in other writing, e.g. our weekly GLOBAL CHALLENGES report from the Earth Intelligence Network, we note that all the oil states are going nuclear as fast as they can).
He labels the neoconservatives as false conservatives.
At this point in my notes I have written "This is an original work rife with learned quotations from other scholars and practitioners."
He is starkly upset by how the Bush-Cheney regime has destroyed the US dollar, not just with Iraq, the The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict but with our global presence that Chalmers Johnson has addressed so ably in The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project).
Halfway through the volume he takes issue with those who call for a "living" Constitution, and pointedly says that this would equate to a dead and worthless Constitution. Later in the book, but it goes beautifully here, he writes that the Constitution was intended to restrain government, not citizens.
He is also against the draft and income taxes, both of which suggest people are property of government and can therefore be forced into labor. As he states, "young people are not raw material" for the government to play with.
He cites former Comptroller General David Walker with admiration. Walker told Congress in the summer of 2007 that the USA is insolvent, and they ignored him. Today Walker runs the Peter Peterson Foundation and his mission is to educate citizens on their own governments high crimes and misdemeanors in the economic and financial arena.
He shares my view that the Federal Reserve should not exist and manufactures credit out of thin air, one reason we will see more credit bubbles.
He ends by pointing out that the Patriot Act not only violates all our liberties, but was unnecessary because the USG had all the information it needed in advance of 9-11 was was in his words, inept. I disagree. I am fairly certain Dick Cheney received nine different warnings, including from Pakistan and Israel, and he arranged an exercise so he could control the government and let it happen. I think Larry Silverstein, with Bush family assistance, planted controlled demolitions to get rid of his asbestos problem at tax payer expense, and I think Rudy Guliani should be indicted for his role in "scooping and dumping" fire fighter bodies in his rush to destroy the crime scene. See, among many other excellent books and videos, 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, First Edition
He favors the legalization of marijuana and is opposed to attention deficit and other drugs being prescribed to children without adequate testing. I put the book down wishing that Gary Hart, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, Michael Bloomberg, Jesse Ventura, and Ron Paul could have formed a new party, the Constitutional Party, and cleaned house. I have lost all respect for Bill Bradley--he sold out to the Trilateral Commission and greed (as did Al Gore). See Obama - The Postmodern Coup: Making of a Manchurian Candidate
John McCain is walking a tightrope. In my view, if McCain can form a Transpartisan Cabinet now--even if only a transitional one--and get David Walker and Ron Paul to lead the group in creating a balanced budget that wipes out the national debt and begins pulling back from all our overseas bases, especially the secret ones that are not worth the outrageous $60 billion a year we pay for the 4% we can steal and not process), then I think it is possible some good may come from this election. Otherwise, it is just four more years, and we MUST create a new political party.
IMHO.
See also:
Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
The Conscience of a Constitutionalist April 20, 2008
119 out of 126 found this review helpful
THE REVOLUTION: A MANIFESTO
by Dr. Ron Paul
If you've been following Ron Paul's candidacy, you probably already own some of his books. You may have donated money or time to his campaigns, or even had a chance to see him speak in person. But since he's not the "presumptive nominee", you may be wondering, "is it necessary to read more of this man's ideas"? The answer is yes.
The reason for this is simple: Ron Paul is the most visible proponent of authentic constitutionalism in the U.S. political arena at this moment. The book contains chapters on the issues that Paul is well known for, including noninterventionist foreign policy, "sound money" and the defense of civil liberties. The core of these positions is a deep understanding of the U.S. Constitution. As Dr. Paul correctly notes, the debate about the role of government has mutated over the years into a squabble between various groups for government favors. This pits all the groups against each other, but what's even worse about it is that it weakens our own sense of individualism and expands the role of government into our lives. The Presidential race doesn't dominate the content, and this book will certainly be read and recommended by pro-freedom Americans long after the November 2008.
The concepts that Dr. Paul advocates have been called "radical". Certainly they stand in bold contrast to D.C. conventional wisdom of all the administrations during my lifetime. Therefore one would expect a book like 'The Revolution' to be emotionally charged and aggressive or cranky. Fortunately this is not the case. The words in this book are written in a style that is informative but easy to understand. Dr. Paul demonstrates that he is considered an outsider for holding ideas that used to be held as conventional wisdom by freedom-loving Americans. As such, they aren't his own ideas, but those of a great tradition in U.S. political thought. You will read decades-old quotes from economists that seem just as timely today as when they were first spoken. You will also encounter some of Dr. Paul's inspirations, and hear anecdotes about his time in congress and his medical career. Although he isn't afraid to criticize negative tendencies in the political class, the book is refreshing in it's optimism and appeals to human dignity. What has been done with this book is very difficult, especially considering some of the ridiculous accusations leveled at the Paul campaign.
During the course of the presidential race, Dr. Paul has been criticized by some Republicans for "not being conservative enough". In particular, these issues are NAFTA-style trade, the drug war, foreign policy, "pork spending" and his states' rights position on abortion. He addresses these debates in this book, and makes it clear that his positions are more in step with the Founders than any of his critics. But even in these segments, Dr. Paul rarely mentions his opponents by name, and the tone isn't hostile or bitter. I believe that this is because his priority isn't in making people tear each other down, but instead to return our focus back to the values of respect for life, liberty and private property. The reality is that Ron Paul has talked about all these issues for years, and has been principled and consistent in his political career. This book contains the words of a man that we should listen to, partly because he is better informed than most, but especially because he speaks truth to power.
"During my public life, I have earned the nickname Dr. No, a reference to my previous occupation as a physician combined with my willingness to stand against the entire Congress if necessary to vote no on some proposed measure. As a matter of fact, I don't especially care for this nickname, since it may give people the impression that I am a contrarian for its own sake, and for some reason I simply relish saying no. In those no votes, as in all my congressional votes, I have thought of myself as saying yes to the Constitution and to freedom."
-Dr. Ron Paul
Manifesto of the Revolution April 19, 2008
117 out of 122 found this review helpful
This book is a must-read.
I truly believe that historians will one day write of THE REVOLUTION as the book that inspired a national movement to reverse America's decline.
It begins with a reality check. Our entitlement programs are insolvent. The dollar is collapsing yet we continue to borrow billions from China every day. National bankruptcy looms while we play empire games abroad, weakening our national defense and stirring up hostility against us. And the political class offers no alternative. Artificial limitations on free debate ensure that the right questions are never asked, let alone answered.
The book's core message is that our current path is unsustainable. Either we face the facts and revert gracefully from empire to republic, or financial reality will make itself known in increasingly uncomfortable ways until the system degenerates into chaos.
It seems impossible to me that anyone could read this book from cover to cover and come to a different conclusion. In concise and captivating prose, Ron Paul takes a rhetorical wrecking ball to the conventional wisdom about terrorism, foreign policy, the economy, healthcare, taxes, trade, the war on drugs, foreign aid, international institutions, and much more. He lambasts the media and political establishments for sustaining the illusion of a fantasy world while liberty and prosperity are silently strangled.
When the dust clears, all that remains standing is the legacy of our founding fathers. Ron Paul eloquently defends the original intent of the founders and the continued relevance of the Constitution. He draws for us a beautiful picture of America - the way it was meant to be, the way it still can be.
Forget the campaign-season rhetoric about unity and change. Here, finally, is a message - a manifesto - around which Americans can unite. "In the final analysis," Ron Paul writes, "the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves."
It is that time. The system is compromised. The government is not coming to the rescue. The media will only distract you. The future of our Republic will be decided by you and me. As a first step, let us rouse our neighbors by spreading this book far and wide.
Ron Paul has written a masterpiece that deserves to be read by every American. It enlightens and inspires from the first page to its final sentence:
"Let the revolution begin."
The only campaign book with something to say April 21, 2008
103 out of 108 found this review helpful
Every election cycle, most presidential candidates write (or have ghost-written) a book to be released during the primary contest. These cliche texts are almost always the same; heartfelt anecdotes of formative years, hard work done to overcome obstacles and establish themselves in their adult lives, and finally a series of platitudes and vague commitments to right the wrongs, fight the good fights, and to put in the hard work needed to make the world a Better Place(tm). In short, sophomoric emotional crap that doesn't help in any way to clarify the candidates abilities, positions, or principles. Worse yet, you will almost never find a statement indicating the candidates justification for a policy position, references to materials they base their opinion on, or any sort of historic or scientific facts that support their conclusion.
The best you can usually hope for is a vague sense of "liking" or "respecting" the candidate. Of course, since they control the flavor of the story (I.E. the spin), you usually come away with exactly the impression they want you to have. For some people, perhaps most, this is enough to win their vote. Since all candidates are pretty much the same, they figure, the best you can do is vote for the one you see as likeable, with a strong presence, and a real-enough sounding claim to hold office.
This book shows it doesn't have to be that way. In his 20 years in the U.S. Congress, Ron Paul has written hundreds of position papers regarding our nation's policies. These papers were brief, coherent, and comprehensive statements of his decision making process. They provide insight into what he believes and why he believes it. If you disagreed with one of his stances, you could seek out and contest the very materials it is based on and argue against it using principle and reason.
"The Revolution" is as a distillation of those hundreds of brilliant papers, updated with current events, and interspersed with prescient quotes from the founders and other luminaries like Bastiat, Rothbard, and VonMises. This book is not like the vanity pieces produced by most campaigns. It offers real insight into the principles that Ron Paul has built his economic, social, and political world view upon. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those unsatisfied with the quality (and quantity) of political debate in this country and hoping for something more substantial.
 A Revolutionary Manifesto May 1, 2008
96 out of 111 found this review helpful
I was excited to get this book in mail, but a little worried that due to its small size I would not get any new information than what I had gotten listening to Ron Paul debate and give speeches.
I was wrong! The book, though slim, is quite packed with good information. His argument's are more fully developed and criticisms are answered.
Especially worthy of comment are the chapters on economic matters. His fluency in the economic sphere is a breath of fresh air. A politician is finally being candid about government money, and the overarching system that is destroying the dollar.
The chapter on the constitution was also great. There was a small discussion on executive orders that taught me something I did not know before.
The recommended reading section is also welcome for those who want to get into detail.
So, why 4 instead of 5? There was a guy who said that Ron Paul supporters are having all non-5 star reviews deleted, and that we (supporters of Paul) are like cult-members, unquestioning of his policy, etc. So, I decided I could find a fault with the book. I was disappointed there were no endnotes and no index. But sorry, I happen to agree with his policy. It's not blind, cultish, it's simply that I find his arguments compelling.
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