The following speech by Ron Paul (May 25, 2011) on the floor of the House has been brought to our attention by Revere’s Ride and is a must watch for any American concerned with the direction of our country.

Congressman Paul sees what the end result will be. The political and businesses leaders of our country are, whether by design or ignorance, leading us down a path reminiscent of the former Soviet Union and one Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin:

The last nail is being driven into the coffin of the American Republic. Yet, Congress remains in total denial as our liberties are rapidly fading before our eyes. The process is propelled by unwarranted fear and ignorance as to the true meaning of liberty. It is driven by economic myths, fallacies and irrational good intentions. The rule of law is constantly rejected and authoritarian answers are offered as panaceas for all our problems. Runaway welfarism is used to benefit the rich at the expense of the middle class. Who would have ever thought that the current generation and Congress would stand idly by and watch such a rapid disintegration of the American Republic? Characteristic of this epic event is the casual acceptance by the people and political leaders of the unitary presidency, which is equivalent to granting dictatorial powers to the President.

…

In my view, it appears that the fate of the American Republic is now sealed—unless these recent trends are quickly reversed.

The saddest part of this tragedy is that all these horrible changes are being done in the name of patriotism and protecting freedom. They are justified by good intentions while believing the sacrifice of liberty is required for our safety. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Listening to Ron Paul’s speech from the House floor should scare every American and Congressional representative. Unfortunately, most will never hear his words, and many of those who do will dismiss them as ramblings of a right-wing extremist. The majority of Congressional leaders, for their part, were probably out to lunch and those who were in the chamber were likely sleeping or texting on their blackberries.

As Dr. Paul points out, the President of the United States now has the power to do anything he so desires without consequence. Decentralizing power out of the hands of a single individual or close-knit aristocracy was the very reason our Founders chartered the United States as a Republic.

Rule of law stemming from the protection of property rights is the most critical element of a free nation. With respect to “property,” we refer not just to the land you own, but your person – your body. When the President of the United States and others like Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of Texas can justify the usurpation of our 4th amendment with no recourse, the imminent decline of our Union becomes frighteningly clear.

Take a look at the Amendments to the US Constitution and the Constitution itself and you’ll no doubt realize that the entire document is designed to protect the individual and his or her person. The Federal government (and most State government) believes, and Federal and State courts have upheld, that safety, security and privacy of an individual in their home or person is no longer important. They can enter your home without a warrant, grope you like an animal, torture if you are deemed to have important information and imprison you without trial or evidence. Allowing the government to act in this manner, without regard to the fourth amendment, then means that all other Constitutional  protections collapse like a house of cards.

Government activities being engaged in under the Patriot Act and Interstate commerce, among others, while seemingly innocent to most Americans today, are rapidly and irreversibly leading These United States of America into tyranny. Most Americans assume that since this is law, it must be the right way to go about things.

Recall that Mr. Stalin also passed laws as leader of one of the most violent and brutal regimes in the history of the world. The end result was a nation that was impoverished for decades (even today, 60 years later) and one where an individual and their family could have their land seized by the state and be sentenced to life in prison, torture or death without an open trial and without ever seeing the evidence against him.

Scary considerations, indeed.