US Destabilizes Iraq for Decades, US House of Representatives Has New Plan for Stabilization

The United States attacked Iraq in the Gulf War in 1990, followed by years of US bombing of Iraq. Then, in 2003, the US invaded and conquered Iraq in the Iraq War. Since then, many US troops have been stationed in Iraq, along with a huge contingent of US government employees and contractors from a variety of agencies, seeking to mold the country to US wishes. Still, 28 years since all this began (and longer since the previous US assistance for the Iraq government it later overthrew), the US House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a bill titled the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act (HR 4591).

The only way this bill title would make sense given the long history of massive US intervention failing to improve the situation in Iraq is if the bill required the end of US intervention. Instead, the bill seeks more intervention.

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Lew Rockwell Challenges President Trump’s ‘Sickening’ Support for Saudi Arabia

In a brief appearance at the conclusion of an RT news segment regarding President Donald Trump’s Tuesday written declaration of support for the government of Saudi Arabia, libertarian communicator and Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board Member Lew Rockwell presented a succinct summary of reasons for Trump’s “sickening” support.

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President Trump’s Support of Saudi Arabia is Par for the Course in US Foreign Policy

Many people are condemning President Donald Trump’s continuing support for the Saudi Arabia government and its Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Critics note the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the Saudi-led war on Yemen, and widespread rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as reasons to oppose the Trump administration’s support for the Saudi government and bin Salman.

Yet, as Glenn Greenwald explains in an intriguing Wednesday The Intercept editorial, Trump’s commitment to Saudi Arabia is in line with a long history of United States presidential administrations, both Republican and Democrat, supporting governments around the world — including the Saudi Arabia government — that have been doing horrible things, while basing that support, including the providing of military and intelligence assistance, on nebulous claims of “national security.”

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Sen. Lindsey Graham May Play Important Part in Rolling Back Marijuana Prohibition

Many articles at the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity (RPI) website — often in the “Neocon Watch” section — have subjected Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to criticism for his support for uber-interventionist foreign policy. This is not surprising given that, as RPI Executive Director Daniel McAdams wrote in one of those articles in April of 2016, Graham is “a steadfast member of Washington’s neocon warhawk faction.”

Still, that does not mean that Graham can do no good in the Senate. Indeed, Graham’s apparently likely ascension to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee could help lead to pro-liberty changes in United States marijuana laws occurring soon. While Graham is not an advocate for full marijuana legalization, his legislative record and past statements suggest that, as chairman of the committee with jurisdiction over much of the US government’s marijuana policy, Graham would be significantly more supportive of rollbacks in US marijuana prohibition than has been outgoing Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Bolton Speech, Warmonger Medal, Roadside Surveillance, Marijuana Tax, School Security

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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The Return of Marijuana Amendments

In January, when Democrats assume the majority at the United States House of Representatives, we should witness the return of something that has been absent from the legislative body for years — House floor debates and votes on amendments to roll back the US government’s war on marijuana.

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Three Ways the New Democratic House Majority May Investigate President Trump

After Democrats attain the majority in the United States House of Representatives in January, their rivalry with President Donald Trump can be expected to extend beyond disagreements about legislation. In a new Fox News video commentary, Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Andrew Napolitano details three areas where Democrats who will move into majority leadership positions in January may seek to investigate Trump in efforts that could lead to impeachment proceedings.

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Marijuana Votes, Voting Libertarian, US Election, Marijuana Laws, Important Election

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.

Starting in five four three two one.

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Countering Technology Companies’ Crackdown on Alternative Voices

There was bound to be a major pushback. Widespread use of the internet has helped make all sorts of information much cheaper to create and easier to access. That has been a boon for people seeking to communicate and receive information that would not have been readily available in the days when radio, TV, and newspapers were the overwhelming means of mass distribution of information about current events. At the same time, the internet-facilitated alternative voices boom threatens the interests of people who benefit from limiting the availability of information and commentary about current events to within a much narrower range.

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Five Minutes Five Issues: Blackface, Julian Assange, Mexico Marijuana, GDP, Big Tech Companies

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 StitcheriTunesYouTube, 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.

Continue reading