I’m Michael Hampton, author of most of the content on this web site and a Ron Paul supporter. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you read a quote from me in Thursday’s USA TODAY newspaper.
I have been quietly watching and commenting on issues of terrorism and homeland security, as well as other government issues, at this site for three years now. The one common thread I see to everything I look at, when I look at government programs of any type, is that the government spends too much money and is inefficient and often ineffective at accomplishing its stated missions.
The mission of making us “safe” is no exception.
In USA TODAY, I talked about Ron Paul’s foreign policy of freedom, of disengaging the military and engaging in commerce and diplomacy. I said:
“It’s the only thing that will end terrorism,” says Michael Hampton, who runs a website called Homeland Stupidity. “It puts us on a much friendlier footing with other nations.” — USA TODAY
This isn’t merely the advice of Ron Paul. It’s the advice of our founding fathers. President Thomas Jefferson, in his inaugural address, called for “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.” (That they too often failed to follow this advice explains much of early American history.)
In October 2006 I wrote an essay, How to win the war on terror, which explains in more depth how such a foreign policy isn’t “retreat” or “isolationism,” but rather is the only way to achieve victory against the threat of terrorism. Remember that terrorism is a political tactic, employed to achieve political ends. Ron Paul’s (and the founders’) policy strikes at the very root of terrorism, eliminating the political motivations that cause people in other countries to hate the U.S. and become terrorists in the first place.
The other option is the one the Bush administration has pursued since September 11: kill them all and let God sort ‘em out. You can’t kill an idea simply by killing its adherents, since not all of the people who believe in the idea will pop up their heads to get themselves whacked. So this policy accomplishes nothing except to spill blood on both sides. How many lives is it worth to pursue a “long war” on terrorists which is long precisely because it can never be won?
The only way to kill a bad idea is with a better idea. This is why we must lead by example, by making this country as free as we possibly can, rather than locking ourselves down and destroying our freedom from within. This, after all, is what we’re told the terrorists want, and we’re giving it to them on a silver platter.
I’d like to invite new readers to browse through the site’s archives, and if you like what you see, consider subscribing by email or RSS feed. You’re likely to find something of interest, and whether you agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license.
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gwelymernans
Jan 03, 2008
here’s another quote from tom paine that i think expresses the same idea rather eloquently:
‘In this situation, may she (America) never forget that a fair national reputation is of as much importance as independence. That it possesses a charm that wins upon the world, and makes even enemies civil. That it gives a dignity which is often superior to power, and commands reverence where pomp and splendor fail.’
- Thomas Paine from The American Crisis XIII (writen in April 1783 shortly after Britain recognized America’s independence)
onlyonce
Jan 03, 2008
So, explain how you engage in commerce with non-state actors?…as one of the primary politicial ambitions of Islamic Extremists is to remove Western influence from “their lands”…wouldnt your policy backfire by attempting to non-kinetically engage these actors?
ben
Jan 03, 2008
onlyonce:
You fail to recognize that the extremists you speak of are empowered by our current policy and disempowered by a policy of trade and friendship. I don’t deny that there are those who hate us for our freedom or those who would want to wipe us off the map for merely trading with their country. However, the people that have this as a core and inviolable position are very few.
Most people reasonably seek their own happiness and (for most) a prosperous peace serves that purpose better than war. The few radicals you fear can do us little harm by themselves; it is only with the support of followers, aggrieved by the policies of our nation and others, that these radicals become credible threats.
Take the soviet system as an example. While the military buildup of the cold war certainly served to hasten its demise, the true downfall of the USSR lies in human nature. You can’t keep the people in line when they want blue jeans and rock ‘n roll more than a workers utopia. Similarly, the people of the middle east would shout down the terrorist extremists as the lunitics they are if we led the way in peace and freedom. Enough blood has been spilled.
Kudos to you!!
Jan 04, 2008
Great going but, can you get the word out to others about this sight?? It has helped so many people. The more that know about it, the better educated they become. You can educate them how to stay out of jail. The more people there are in jail, the more taxes we pay to have them put and kept there. Peace and Freedom is the way!!!
t3soro
Jan 04, 2008
George Washington, in his farewell address, said, “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all.” The speech is a great read for anyone, and highlights the ideology behind preserving liberty in our republic.
Ray
Jan 04, 2008
do find it interesting and a bit scary that most of the other candidates on both sides have on their web sites large amounts of information about them and what they claim they believe in. It is a bit troubling that Ron Paul’s site seems to be dedicated to the biographies of his supporters, and a statement that you can IMAGINE what he would do as president. Nothing seems to be there on what he is saying that he will actually do as president.
If he can’t figure out yet what he would do as president yet then why in the world would one want to even consider him. By the time one is running for president one should have a pretty good idea what what is wanting to accomplish. If you don’t you are definitely not the man/woman for the job. If you know and just don’t want to admit it, which I suspect is the actual case, then there is less than zero reasons to support such a person.
Michael Hampton
Jan 04, 2008
Ray, all of that stuff is on Ron Paul’s site, if you click on the navigation links across the top you should be able to find whatever you need to know.
Jon
Jan 04, 2008
Michael,
Thanks for your website. I first learned of HS from an article I read on Jeff Rense. Your exposure in USA Today brings a different type of reader to your forum. Let’s hope that they will see the use of idea sharing here rather then demeaning someone for their point of view. I will not quote past philisophers, pundits nor Presidents as all are subject to criticism but rather encourage others to see the current bureacracy to be inept and deceiptful in it’s embarring attempt to represent the American people.
While I am not a Ron Paul supporter (yet); He does offer a fresh perspective to the “promise them anything” style of business-as-usual government!
Ray
Jan 05, 2008
Michael:
That was my point I did click the links.
All of the information I could find was on how many and nifty his supporters are, and what they imagine he would do as president. There also was a bunch of statements that you should “imagine” what he would do as president. It is all third party material about what these third parties say they imagine or believe that he stands for. There didn’t seem to be anything on what he says he stands for other than a little of the general better world, greater nation, freedom, and etc stuff.
Michael Hampton
Jan 05, 2008
Well, Ray, you have to click the links and then read what’s written there. What Ron Paul would do is no mystery to him, and no mystery to anyone who reads his statements and watches his videos on the issues on his campaign Web site.
I’m quite surprised you weren’t able to find this, since it’s very prominently displayed at the top of the site. Of course, there’s so much information there, just in that one section, that you could spend days reading and watching it all. Particularly if you watch the videos in this section, Ron Paul will tell you in his own words exactly what he would do and why.
Ray
Jan 06, 2008
The video thing might be a point. My system will not do them. Then again there are a bunch of other videos it won’t do. I got it used from a school where it was in student use, and have been suspected that the school did something so that the students couldn’t watch videos.
But if you start clicking around the site, I certainly have had a great deal of trouble finding any text that says that He says he will do things. There is a great deal of material where it quotes others in saying what he will do. Usually this is them saying that they are “imagining” what he will do and how this will help the country. Nothing wrong with recommendations from others, but if that is all you have and then it is all imagination this is troubling.
Certainly the entire theme of the main home page is “Imagine what he will do”. We should never be left to imagining what our leaders are or are going to be up to.
GlenGary
Jan 07, 2008
Here is a prime example of our policies gone mad. Bush and Cheney want to send troops to Pakistan while Hillary has her own ideas.
“Military spokesman Arshad also dismissed comments from White House hopeful Hillary Clinton that she would propose a joint US-British team to oversee the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal if she was elected president.
“We do not require anybody’s assistance. We are fully capable of doing it on our own,” he said. Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq late Sunday described the New York Times report as “speculative” but said any suggestion of US forces on its territory was “unacceptable”.
On Clinton’s remarks about nuclear weapons, Sadiq added: “It must be clearly understood that Pakistan alone is and will be responsible for the security of its nuclear assets.”
Another case of the American foreign nanny pushing others around.
GlenGary
Mike
Jan 27, 2008
This is a little OT but did you see this website??
susan28
Feb 16, 2008
great article Michael.
GG: Hillary’s a total neiocon. they’re lefties anyway. fascism and socialism are kissing cousins. genuine right wing is small government, so when a “conservative” starts talking about rallying behind the “President’s vision for America” (or another country or heaven forbid the world), look out. it means “vision for how to live your life”. so no matter what the idea is, “conservative” or otherwise, it’s liberalism if you try to force it on people.
every candidate but Paul is a leftist by my lights, they just have different pet “identities” they wanna impose on us: supercop, superpreacher, supernanny, whatever. ‘s all superleft.
GlenGary
Feb 17, 2008
It don’t mean noth’in. It don’t mean noth’in at all. It’s all crap Susan. People and institutions are over-rated.
I see it coming… soon, my divorce from civilization me from it, it from me. A new country maybe, but more probably just more rural than I am instead of five miles from even a gas station, I’ll go to 40 acres or so deep in nowhere.
Bob is right in a way I can relate to in my older age. Life, take what you need, what you can use, what gives you peace and flush the rest-all of it down the toilet.
I”ve found I could go months without outside human interaction and be fine-happy with that-not touch a phone either. Hell, I don’t even have a cell phone. Hate teathers or doggie leashes. Screw that. I rarely answer my own phone. I figure I pay my bills the day they come in-out they go. So who do I need to talk to.. for what?
Why swim upstream? Why fight anything? Go where you need to go on your own terms and simply live. The Easy Button.
This man gets tired of fighting things that aint gonna change. Funny, never had any fear of being alone like I guess most folks do. My fears are centered around living WITH people. There’s the twist. I have few uses for people.
Rambling… Looked at my life. I’m healthy. Haven’t seen a doctor in near 20 years and have no need of toxic meds. I have money enough and don’t need to work.
I can do things. Heck today I waterproofed my basement with a drill bit and some tubing to a sump. I do near everything myself even appliance repair. Cut trees, split wood with a maul. Hunt-Fish liking near free food and sport. Low maint man. So it comes down to what do I need to be happy and that comes down to left alone to my own devices and only surface when I want to. The Easy Button. A pair of jeans, hiking boots a sweat shirt and I’m good to go. Maybe a side arm because I dislike coyotes.
So with that, what is left to debate? I like doing more than talking. I like to see that I’ve done something-made something better. Politics just spins wheels. Worthless bickering. Builds nothing.
Nature just is. Trees, meadows, flowers, birds, animals, flowing water,,, there is no problem in that or fight in it… it just is, no wrong, no argument, no mechanical noises, no threat if you use instincts, no incorrectness about it. Near perfect really.
I hike a lot alone to soak it all up, drink it all in and savor the whole body feeling of smell, texture if you will, sun and breeze on me, fresh snow, the quiet and see glimpses of animals, nothing to fear, no worries in that, like I said it just is. It is reality and the rest of this man-made stuff seems so very foreign in too many ways for me. I don’t crave it. It’s like being in a slow-mo train wreck. Pain is not my thing.
I think I’ve made my choice. Thanks Bob, Susan… Don.
GG
PS-What any one of us thinks just is as well. No threat
no sweat, just talking probably won’t change any core
beliefs one to the other. But it has been fun. Take Care.
Bob
Feb 18, 2008
Have a good one Glen.
Bob
Feb 18, 2008
Sounds like he’s leaving the nest. Gonna miss him around here.
susan28
Feb 18, 2008
as will i, Bob.. ::raising a glass, downing the stuff, flinging the glass into the fireplace:: au vitizen, GG!!