This past Wednesday former Congressman and current Champion of Liberty Ron Paul unveiled his Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, an offshoot of his non-profit education organization Foundation for Rational Economics & Education (FREE). Within this new institution he has assembled a team of peace-lovin’ super friends to help him battle the evil Neoconservatives and their warmongering ways. The arena is the battlefield of ideas, and boy did Dr. Paul ever come prepared with a team of intellectual superheroes chock-full of peace credentials!

I am also a big fan of the decision to include “Prosperity” in the name of the Institute, stationed right up there with “Peace” where it belongs. This is a recognition that with war comes the destruction of wealth and poverty for the people; while with peace comes free trade and prosperity.

The Ron Paul Peace and Prosperity Institute will focus on education and getting information to the public in a fast-paced manner appropriate for the information age. Features will include a “NeoCon Watch” and a Congressional ranking system based on a “Peace and Prosperity Index”. To say that I’m bristling with excitement is like saying John McCain “sorta” likes war. Can. Not. Wait!

To get everyone acquainted with Ron Paul’s Peace Posse, let’s go through some of the big players on the advisory board. You can find all of the standard biographical information for each one of these guys over at the Institute’s “About Us” page, so in this space I will do something different, and find a quote or video from each member of the advisory board that best demonstrates their super powerful intellect when it comes to the issues of war and peace.

For those that are even vaguely familiar with this website or the libertarian movement, you are already well aware of Dr. Paul’s credentials advocating for a peaceful foreign policy (and if you’re not, maybe you should check out the new Ron Paul illustrated biography!) That being the case, we begin with…

Daniel McAdams, Executive Director

McAdams served as Dr. Paul’s foreign policy adviser during his time in Congress. When asked what the goals of the Institute are, he stated to some laughter “When we have no more wars, we’ll have been successful”.

As most of his work over recent years was done within the confines of Ron Paul’s Congressional Office, there don’t seem to be many recent speeches or short-form quotes out there from McAdams, but here is a recent interview conducted by Economic Policy Journal’s Robert Wenzel, and another one with our next Peace Posse member. Give them a listen and you will understand how deeply knowledgeable he is on foreign affairs, which along with Ron Paul’s endorsement should leave no doubt that he is well equipped to head this endeavor.

Lew Rockwell, Chairman & CEO of the Ludwig von Mises Institute

Another former employee of Paul, having served as his chief of staff during his early years in Congress, Rockwell has been a longtime friend and trusted adviser to the former congressman. He is best known for founding the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and runs the most popular libertarian website in the world – at least by one ranking system – at LewRockwell.com.

From a speech given by Rockwell in February 1998, regarding the looming Iraq war:

No one knows whether in the short run, the peacekeepers or the warmongers will prevail. But as bumpy as this road to war has been, it is more likely to harm the empire than beef it up. For the sake of American liberty, we must do everything in our power to stop this war, to oppose it now and even when the bombs start falling and the troops hit the Iraqi sands. Not for us this line that there shall be no criticism of the president once the shooting starts. There’s no more important a time to denounce war than in its midst. Empire is contrary to the American ethos. The American people have made exceptions in this century: the Hitler threat and the Communist threat. But there is no threat on the world scene to our families and property greater than that posed by the U.S. government itself. In order to beat back the real threat, it will be necessary to expose the phony ones and put obstacles in the way of the empire’s global ambitions. Every voice raised in opposition contributes to a more peaceful world in the future, contributes to bringing down the U.S. empire, and, therefore, contributes to the restoring of the liberty from government oppression that is our inheritance.

This is a fascinating quote from five years before the “official” launch of the Iraq war. It’s true that in the case of Iraq, it was indeed the warmongers who won in the short run. They got their war. They got their photo-ops. They got Saddam Hussein. But as Rockwell correctly predicted when he said the war was “more likely to harm the empire than beef it up”, the disaster of the Iraq war has certainly paved the way for the non-interventionist sentiments associated with Ron Paul and the liberty movement. You can hardly a find a Republican to say a nice thing about the Iraq war out loud nowadays. This sentiment may have even prevented a war with Iran from already occurring.

Lew foresaw this and continues to see the importance of having as many voices as possible, speaking loudly, thoughtfully and clearly against the designs of the warmongers. Looking at his history, there is no question of Lew Rockwell’s credentials when it comes to being anti-war, anti-state, and pro-market.

Speaking of history, our next member of the Peace Posse has an interesting one…

Rep. Walter Jones, R-North Carolina

On the surface Walter Jones may seem like an odd choice for this effort. Walter Jones is a Republican congressman who not only voted for the Iraq War, but he is also one of the two congressmen who were behind the effort to get french fries in Congressional cafeterias renamed “Freedom Fries” in protest of France not supporting the war effort. So what is this guy doing as part of an institute to promote peace?

Much like one of the founders of this website, it seems that in recent years Walter Jones has awoken from his neoconservative coma. From his talk at the Institute’s press conference:

I am the only one at this table who made a horrible mistake and voted to send our young men and women to die in Iraq. I will go to my grave regretting that vote. The reason that this Ron Paul Institute is critical is that I do not know where the conscience is in Washington anymore….war is something that is just accepted, but never debated. It’s your son that’s dying, not my son.

Jones went on about the horrors or war and how they are no longer recognized by the American public at large, let alone the politicians in D.C. I honestly believe that Walter Jones has had a true change of heart over the years. The sincerity carries in his voice in stark contrast to a typical political speech. As with many of us, I believe Ron Paul and the liberty movement have helped awaken this former neocon to the ideas of liberty, and the importance of peace as an ideological imperative that naturally goes along with it.

Dennis Kucinich, Former U.S. Congressman (D-Ohio)

Quite possibly my favorite Democrat of all time, Kucinich has always been consistent on issues of war and peace. Sure, he may hold faulty Keynesian economic views and nobody is going to confuse him with a libertarian, but the inclusion of Kucinich goes to show Paul’s ability to truly “reach across the aisle” on the issues that matter most. And like Walter Jones, I am certain Ron Paul has influenced some of Kucinich’s views over the years, such as his vocal opposition to the Federal Reserve.

Here is Kucinich from 2010 on the House Floor, passionately demanding the end of wars and the return of the troops from overseas.

R-Tennessee

John Duncan holds a unique distinction. With the departure of Ron Paul from the House of Representatives, John Duncan remains the sole remaining Republican in the U.S. House who voted against the Iraq War, of the original six. Duncan voted against the war despite pressure from the party leaders, as well as a constituency in his home district that was largely in favor of the war. Today, as Dr. Paul describes, most of his supporters in that district now see it as one of his best and most important votes.

John Duncan on the House floor, describing why “Nobody can replace Ron Paul”. He’s right, but at least Congress still has John Duncan who, regardless of disagreements we may find on other issues, does have principle and will not lay down to the will of the Neocons.

Senior Judicial Analyst, Fox News Channel

It is hard to top “the Judge” – as he’s affectionately known in libertarian circles – when it comes to a consistent voice for liberty in the mainstream media. The Judge is not only a true libertarian, but one of the most knowledgeable scholars on Constitutional law and the erosion of civil liberties in recent years thanks to the PATRIOT Act and other equally vile laws.

One of my favorite moments from Judge Napolitano is this monologue from his since-cancelled show, Freedom Watch. The “What If” video has gone viral several times over, and speaks for itself.



, Former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland

Ok Doc, you finally stumped me! I admit that up until right now, I had no idea whatsoever who Faith Whittlesey was. But it sure does seem fitting to have a former ambassador to Switzerland – long known as the “neutral” country – on board, now doesn’t it?

I couldn’t find a tremendous amount of foreign policy material by Whittlesey out there, but I think we can rest assured that if Ron Paul and Daniel McAdams approve of her, she’ll fit right in. And it never hurts to have a former Reagan official around to add that extra “Reagan Sparkle Magic” which seems to lure in the most religious of Republicans.

And hey…what a smile!

This is only the tip of the iceberg, as the Ron Paul Institute has also assembled a group to fill the academic board that reads like a Who’s Who in Libertarian Greatness, including Walter Block, Butler Shaffer, Robert Higgs, Eric Margolis and many, many more.



Neocons, you’ve been warned. Ron Paul’s Peace Posse is fired up and ready to end the Neoconservative Era once and for all!

All photos courtesy of the Ron Paul Peace and Prosperity Institute ( www.RonPaulInstitute.org

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