Paul won’t protect our liberties

THERE HAS been a welcomed recent emphasis by those on the left speaking out against the misconceptions and ill-placed support many have put on Ron Paul.

I think one element--the idea that Ron Paul is the "civil liberties" candidate--has not been stressed enough, especially given the fact that such a claim has been given credence by journalists like Glenn Greenwald and some of those in the American Civil Liberties Union.

It is not simply false in the cases that many accept, but find less important than his opposition to the wars--women's rights, gay rights, workers' rights, civil rights and immigrant rights, etc.

Ron Paul is the candidate of total tyranny and thus the candidate for the total loss of civil liberties for those ruled under this tyranny.

This is the myth of "libertarian" civil liberties. The tyranny supported by libertarians (or at least the perverse definition of "libertarian" that is used in the United States) is that of the owners of property over those without. But if you remove the laws that restrict owners, you will ensure that the public sphere dissolves the ability for non-owners to express their liberties. In that case, do they truly have such liberties at all?

Serfs, slaves and workers have long fought harsh battles to win gains against the tyranny of their owners and landlords. In today's republics, such few gains are enforced by the central government. Ron Paul and "libertarians" want to dissolve all of these protections against tyranny and hand the power in society over to those unelected "bastions of freedom"--the capitalists.

Paul has made clear his total adherence to these ideals. When asked about federal laws protecting against sexual harassment, he argued that if one is made uncomfortable by sexual harassment, it is up to the individual to switch jobs.

With real unemployment in double digits (and far higher for minorities) this is hardly an option available or favorable to the working class. This forces men and women to accept the conditions of their workplaces, no matter how insulting, demeaning and perverse. If you are lucky enough to even get a job under Ron Paul, bosses will have the freedom to hire and fire based on anything they dislike about you.

In Paul's world, if the tyrant abuses you, move to a new tyrant--for you are free!
Tristan Sloughter, Chicago