A New Constitutional Convention?

The Texas House of Representatives approved a resolution (SJR 2) on Thursday requesting that the United States Congress call a new constitutional convention — the first since the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that resulted in the drafting of the current US Constitution to replace the then-in-operation Articles of Confederation. The state Senate had already approved a constitutional convention resolution, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in a Thursday statement, indicated his support.

It is not just the Texas government that is requesting a new constitutional convention. Jonathan Tilove reported Thursday at the Austin American-Statesman that ten other states have made requests similar to the Texas request that Congress call a constitutional convention to propose an amendment or amendments related to a few particular listed goals. The number is higher for state legislatures requesting a constitutional convention to propose a US balanced budget amendment.

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Iraq Agreement, Mass Surveillance, Paul Snooping, Afghan Presence, Distrust Government

A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted on Saturday. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Listen to the new episode here:

Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:

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Welcome to the White House, President Duterte

Part of noninterventionism in foreign affairs is refraining from using threats, sanctions, foreign aid, or military attacks to make the governments of other countries change their actions in their own countries. The United States government has drifted so far from adherence to this standard that much media coverage expresses distress and amazement, due to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal domestic actions, that US President Donald Trump cordially spoke Saturday with Duterte in a phone call and invited Duterte to visit Trump at the White House.

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Lethal Tasers, Trump’s Wall, Berkeley Speech, School Friskings, War Power

A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted on Friday. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Listen to the new episode here:

Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity welcomes you to Five Minutes Five Issues.

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Robert Wenzel and Tom Woods Defend Ron Paul Against Absurd Attack

Last week, someone posted at Twitter comments attacking Ron Paul. The comments absurdly labeled Paul — who has spent decades arguing for peace, free markets, and liberty — as adhering to “xenophobia” and promoting both “anti-trade conspiracy theories” and “a hideous corruption of libertarian ideas.”

“So what?” you may ask. After all, ignorant or spiteful comments are posted on the internet all the time. An important difference is that the someone who posted the comment on Twitter in this case has the title of Vice President For Research at the Cato Institute, a large Washington, DC-based think tank that presents itself as “dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.” Coming from a person with such an affiliation, the absurd comments may lead people not well informed about Paul to shut off considering Paul’s educational efforts.

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Five Minutes Five Issues: US v. Assange, Trump Fan, Macedonia Money, Lincoln’s War, FBI Investigation

A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted on Saturday. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Listen to the new episode here:

Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity welcomes you to Five Minutes Five Issues.

Starting in five four three two one.

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Examining the Drug War and Trump Administration: Adam Dick on Liberty Talk Radio

On Tuesday, I was a guest for the second time on Joe Cristiano’s Liberty Talk Radio show. Cristiano is a well-informed and thoughtful talk show host. He adeptly handles interviews, ensuring they are both entertaining and educational. The Tuesday interview begins with an in-depth discussion of the war on drugs before shifting to a discussion of Donald Trump’s performance as president. Spoiler alert, Cristiano and I are not very pleased with Trump’s actions so far, though I do point to a couple bright spots.

Watch the complete interview here:

You can find my previous Liberty Talk Radio interview here.

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Ron Paul: Neocons in Trump Administration are Pushing US Conflict with Russia

Libertarian communicator and former presidential candidate Ron Paul examined President Donald Trump’s foreign policy regarding Russia in an in-depth discussion last week with host Sophie Shevardnadze on the RT show SophieCo. Paul says in the interview that he had been pleased with Trump’s campaign statements supporting improving United States relations with Russia and expresses concern about the Trump administration’s sudden shift away from this objective.

Seeking to explain the reason for the shift in policy toward Russia, Paul points to Trump’s lack of a “firm set of principles” regarding foreign policy and the presence of neoconservatives who “have a great deal of influence” in the Trump administration and who oppose being “more open and friendly with Russia.”

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Trump Intervention, Will Grigg, Border Searches, World Policeman, Symposium

A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted on Saturday. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Listen to the new episode here:

Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity welcomes you to Five Minutes Five Issues.

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Ron Paul Warns of Dangers in America from Accelerated Middle East Intervention

Ron Paul, in a new interview with host Anand Naidoo at CGTN, discussed what Paul calls the “accelerated” and “dangerous” United States military actions in the Middle East. Pointing to the fact that there was no Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria until the US began intervening there in support of the ouster of the Syria government, Paul warns “there are a lot of unintended consequences, a lot of blowback” that comes when the US government carelessly intervenes overseas based on a loose “national security” justification.

Paul, who served in the US House of Representatives as a Republican from Texas and is now the chairman of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, further discusses in the interview harm in America that accompanies US military intervention overseas. Included is “detriment to our personal liberties here at home,” such as via increasing disrespect for privacy. Also, Paul warns of “the great burden” financially of foreign intervention. This financial burden, Paul declares, is particularly worrisome considering that, as Paul puts it, “we are insolvent right now.”

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