Ron Paul Wants to Abolish the CIA; His Largest Donor Builds Toys for It

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From The Nation:

If there’s one thing that distinguishes Ron Paul from the rest of the GOP field, it’s his principled stand against American empire and his ardent defense of individual liberties. Paul’s opposition to wars, bloated defense budgets and government espionage of US citizens has made him a hero among some young conservatives. His seemingly rock-solid principles and radicalism has even drawn some on the left; unlike even left-wing Democrats, Paul has said he wants to abolish both the CIA and the FBI to protect individual “liberty.”

So it should come as a shock and disappointment to his followers that Ron Paul’s single largest donor—his Sheldon Adelson, as it were—founded a controversial defense contractor, Palantir Technologies, that profits from government espionage work for the CIA, FBI and other agencies, and which last year was caught organizing an illegal spy ring targeting American political opponents of the US Chamber of Commerce, including journalists, progressive activists and union leaders. (Palantir takes its name from the mystic stones used by characters in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to spy one another.)

According to recently filed FEC disclosure documents, Ron Paul’s Super PAC has received nearly all of its money from a single source, billionaire Peter Thiel. So far, Thiel has contributed $2.6 million to Ron Paul’s Super PAC, Endorse Liberty, providing 76 percent of the Super PAC’s total intake.

Thiel, a self-described libertarian and opponent of democracy who made his fortune as the founder of PayPal, launched Palantir in 2004 to profit from what the Wall Street Journal described as “the government spy-services marketplace.” The CIA’s venture capital firm, In-Q-Tel, was brought in to back up Thiel as one of Palantir’s first outside investors. Today, Palantir’s valuation is reported to be in the billions.

See also: 10 Shocking Quotes From Ron Paul’s Newsletter

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  • KayWhitlock

    So many reasons to oppose Ron Paul – and to put to rest the horrific idea proposed by some “progressives” that a Paul presidency would do such good things. 
     
    In addition to that, there’s Paul’s belief that we should repeal the 14th Amendment:
     
    http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/ron-paul-versus-the-fourteenth-amendment/
     
    And let’s not forget all those racist remarks in his old newsletters.
     
    http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/10-shocking-quotes-from-ron-pauls-newsletters.php?ref=fpblg
     

  • And this is disturbing? Thiel actually said that his donations were for building a base for the next election. And on top of that, Ron Paul hasn’t changed his view because of donations.

    • getaclue

       @Above Ground Pools This sort of political naivete or willful blindness really doesn’t warrant a substantive response. 

    • KayWhitlock

       @Above Ground Pools Yes, this is disturbing.  Only one of many things that are profoundly disturbing about the prospect of a Paul presidency.

    •  @Above Ground Pools Ron Paul is an egomaniacal demogague whose rhetoric doesn’t match his past actions/conduct.  He’s trying to ingratiate himself to R-money b/c he’s gunning for VP since he knows he doesn’t have a shot in hell of winning the GOP nomination, much less the presidency.  
       
      This is a man who spews rhetoric not grounded in reality and who did not support the Civil Rights Act.  Ron Paul is a sideshow fraud.  The fact that his biggest donor is Sheldon Adelson demonstrates his hypocrisy. He is willing to be bought and sold.  To ignore these facts is tacit acceptance of his conduct, past and present, in its totality.