My Reply to Typical Conservative News listener:

Something just got a hold of me this morning and I couldn't hold back!

On the Smart Girl Politics site:

First, the post The Right Scoop.com (a Conservative web site) reported today that Ron Paul recently said that America is provoking Iran in a speech recently. Hot Air.com (a Conservative web site) showed Ron Paul's newsletters from the 1980s and 1990s which contained race-baiting comments such as describing black men as criminals as well as theories about Zionist conspiracies. It read like something out of Occupy Wal Street. Many of Paul's high profile supporters are Confederates and do not like Abraham Lincoln because he held the country together. It is easy to google. This stuff is to the left of Obama. Whith friends like that who needs enemies?

My reply:

The white dots indicate US military bases. All Ron Paul is saying is that Iran is acting logically given what is going on around them. Also to quote Murray Rothbard, WAR is the HEALTH of the STATE. It is what grows government by leaps and bounds. It has absolutely nothing to do with keeping us safe, it has everything to do with growing contracts via the Iron Triangle Our current military budget is 25% of the entire Federal budget, dwarfing welfare. 

Some brief Iranian history (because you have to understand your opponent if you wish to truly

deal with them and understand where they are coming from.:

Early 20th century - what was British Petroleum develops oil in Iran

1951- Mohammad Mosaddegh is elected Prime Minister of Iran. The is the first democratic election in Iran and a big breakthrough to Westernizing the country

Mosaddegh sees that the multinational oil companies are taking oil at below market prices and he nationalizes oil so that Iranians may make benefit from their own resources.

The oil companies don't like this and ask for help.

1953 - Operation Ajax - the CIA overthrows Mosaddegh in favor of the Shah, who's secret police SAVAK tortured and killed pro-democracy elements in the country, along with any who would oppose him.

After 20 years of this, the Islamic Revolution happened. It was an Islamic Revolution because the pro-western democratic forces had already fled or been executed, leaving a violent jihadi group as the only one that could oppose the Shah.

1979 - The hostage crisis at the US embassy, the captors' note specifically outlines the things I've mentioned so far as to why they were doing what they were doing.

1980s - The United States arms Saddam Hussein to the hilt to fight a proxy war with Iran wherein an entire generation of Iranians died, many to mustard gas and chemical weapons, leaving that country demographically skewed to this day. When Iraq starts to loose, Iran is given some weapons secretly (Iran Contra). 

1988 - an Iranian CIVILIAN jet plane was shot down by a US aircraft carrier. All 290 on board are killed. oops.

So you see, the whole story is not told about what our history with Iran is so that you can put these issues in context. This is a deliberate manipulation of information. I'm not saying that Iran is an awesome country and am booking a vacation. I'm not saying that they're not living in spiritual darkness. What I am saying is that going to war with any country should not be done without reviewing all the facts, because real people are involved  - our servicemen!

That's why Ron Paul gets more donations from active duty military (those who have recently been in this part of the world) than ANY OTHER GROUP!!  They know the score. 

Are you calling these men Left of Obama? Seriously?

Let's address some of the current claims about the need to "deal with Iran".

Nukes

The only group that has stated that Iran might be close to obtaining nukes is the IAEA. Your first question should be who are they and what is their agenda? The IAEA is just a branch of the

United Nations, the same group that pushes climate change, insist on American troops "peacekeeping", and has those "peacekeepers" that wind up raping people in the Third World. Rush Limbaugh has called for us to get out of the UN, but when they tell us to do something that falls in line with a certain agenda, all that is forgotten and full speed ahead?

Let's talk about Israel,

The biggest problem for the United States is not Iran getting a nuclear weapon and testing it, it's Iran getting a nuclear weapon and not using it. Because the second that they have one and they don't do anything bad, all of the naysayers are going to come back and say, "See, we told you Iran is a responsible power. We told you that Iran wasn't getting nuclear weapons in order to use them immediately..." And they will eventually define Iran with nuclear weapons as not a problem.

--Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Insititute a Conservative Think Tank

Meir Dagan, the recently retired head of Mossad called bombing Iran "the stupidest thing he had ever heard of". 

Benjamin Netanyahu has publically stated that Israel can take care of itself.

Quotes Uri Seguy, a former Israeli general:

The rioters who attacked IDF soldiers resorted to terror, and terror should be addressed firmly. However, the prime minister declared that these people are not a terrorist organization, thereby showing a leadership failure, to my regret.

 In the absence of leadership, we may have to facilitate a confrontation and win it. As the people who ruin us hail from our midst, we must take action. I fear these domestic threats more than I fear the Iranian threat. At this time, we are in the midst of a messianic, delusional process that is violent, belligerent, intolerant, and also un-Jewish.

So not is all as it seems in Israel or how the conservative media would portray it.

As far as Ron Paul's newsletter goes, it old news and gets brought out every election he's ever in. Here is his statement:

When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publically taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.

Ron Paul has gotten backup from the NAACP, Austin Chapter on this. His stance on the drug war affecting African American community has brought him some niche black support.

Please take this information as a way of "iron sharpening iron", as war is a way to use fear to get people to accept what they would not ordinarily accept. Remember that according to some estimate that 500 Iranians a month are coming to faith in Christ and I don't want them to get hurt, like what happened to the Christians in Iraq. The current regime in Iran is very shaky and if trade were opened up in Iran, evangelistic opportunities would present themselves. Historically, the Gospel travels among trade routes. Every Christian should be burdened for those in spiritual darkness. The Lord Jesus said you don't love God if you don't love your brother. Jesus Christ is not naive and told us how to overcome evil. It's up to us to do His will.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Update: War is the health of the state is actually attributed to Randolph Bourne - this was a spur of the minute reply!