The Revolution - A Manifesto

By Tommy Leung
Ron Paul's 2008 Presidential Campaign will not likely be forgotten soon. His supporters are amongst the most dedicated and intense in the political field. I can certainly claim so as I am a supporter of Ron Paul and were amongst those who donated money to his campaign on both record breaking days in November and December of 2007. It is without doubt that I will continue to spread the message of limited government and free markets. I had always believed in these ideas. What Ron Paul brought for many people, like myself, is a name and place of gathering for these ideas.

It is a forgone conclusion that John McCain will be the Republican candidate but, Ron Paul's campaign will continue long after we vote for the lesser of the two evils in November. His latest book, The Revolution: A Manifesto is an excellent beginners resource to the views and ideas that he has been talking about all throughout his campaign. The Revolution is a perfect book to introduce or re-introduce the traditional American ideals to our friends, families, and loved ones.

Paul eloquently puts forth his views on a non-interventionist foreign policy, our Constitution, economic freedom, civil liberties, and money. He also includes a reading list for those who want to get an even deeper understanding of the topics. There are few men or women in politics who are as well read and knowledgeable as Ron Paul; his reading list clearly shows us why that is. In The Revolution, Paul has managed to condense his knowledge of these subjects into 167 pages and made it easily accessible to the masses.

I was already convinced of Paul's message long before I read The Revolution: A Manifestoand with that in mind, I must say that there is still much to take away from this book. Where 30 or 90 second soundbites fail to capture his ideas in debates or television interviews, this book brings together a much more thought out and well prepared argument for a return to the ideals of our Founding Fathers.

The most fitting comparison that can be given is a comparison to Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Our circumstances are not identical and the problems at hand are different but the principle is the same and that is what really matters. Where Paine argued for American independence in a style that ordinary folk could understand, Paul argues for a return to a Constitutional form of government in a style that ordinary people like you and I can understand.

Ron Paul has been called the Thomas Jefferson of our time. I am sure that Jefferson along with Washington, Franklin, Adams, and the rest of our Founding Fathers would be pleased with the ideas brought forth in The Revolution: A Manifesto.