In a message dated 02/11/2008 12:45:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: As to Ron Paul, just today it seems his campaign is essentially over. I don't blame him for pulling back. Ahead lies . . . what? Tom: Actually, Ron Paul is taking a break to focus on a re-election to his congressional seat. He will be back on board for the Convention. As for the gold standard, what his stance is built on is to get away from the fiat currency and counterfeiting out of thin air that is the policy of the Federal Reserve System that was illegally fostered on us by the 16th Amendment, which in itself is unconstitutional. Ron Paul wants our money to be backed up by something of value like gold or silver and to reduce the size of government to keep our expenditures within the means we have available to us. In 2004 our DAILY interest payment on our debt was 1.6 BILLION dollars ! That is what Ezra Pound was talking about when he moaned about usury as a banking practice. It hits the lower economic classes the hardest in order to feed the rich pig. Another major part of his platform to achieve this is his "non-interventionist" foreign policy. That IS NOT isolationist, as John McCain claims. It is the only truly Constitutional foreign policy. The founding fathers warned us against entangling alliances, but have commerce with all nations. That is a friendly foreign policy that will prevent a lot of "blowback" actions by other governments that have resented our intervention into their lives. We send close to one trillion dollars a year feeding that overseas empire, so bring all of our military home and take care of our borders with a strong defense, and then take care of OUR people and have commerce with all nations, rather than telling them how to run their lives. --Bob Bowen **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)