Tim Graney - Ron Paul's Worthy Opponent in Texas CD-14

For those of us fed up with the 9/11 Truther-Anarchist crowd and their blind devotion to a 20-year incumbent whose foreign policy outlook can be summed up by the simple phrase, "Blame America first," there is a wonderful alternative. Social, fiscal and national security conservative, and small businessman Tim Graney is challenging Ron Paul in the Republican Primary in Texas Congressional District 14. Please click here for my full interview with Tim, now posted on Parcbench. Join his Facebook page here.

As I've repeatedly pointed out, the kook fringe on the right is just as bad as the left -- actually, they are even more dangerous because many are avidly trying to usurp the Tea Party Movement to achieve their own ends. In most cases, this involves pushing for third-party candidates who have absolutely zero chance of winning, and whose candidacy would only serve to push the government even further to the left by splitting the vote on the right.

Moreover, when it comes to intelligent, respectful debate, let's just say the far-right is just as incapable as any troll I've encountered on the left. Just last night on Facebook, a Ron Paul supporter called me a CU&*^% because I have the audacity to believe that 9/11 was caused by radical Muslims, and not the US Government. By the way, this person was a female, and probably one of the only US Marines on the planet to buy into the Truther nonsense.

And if you attempt to explain that you are not simply a "blind sheep" but someone who vehemently disagreed with President Bush on a number of issues, yet still supported him in his efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, you are derided as a "neo-con", their favorite pejorative for anyone who disagrees with them.

Forget about explaining the intertwined concepts of freedom and responsibility; these people want nothing to do with that. In their minds, liberty means doing anything you want, whenever you want, and to hell with how your actions affect other people. If they had their way, we'd all live in complete chaos, without the benefit of a criminal justice system, police force or military.

On that last point, these folks conveniently forget that the United States is the only country in the history of the world to use our force in the defense of freedom -- not to plunder land from other countries. Further, we are the only country whose outstanding military conducts humanitarian missions for the benefit of mankind, such as their efforts in Haiti immediately following the devastating earthquake.

And yet, some Ron Paul supporters had the audacity to accuse the United States of occupying Haiti!

If there's any difference in terms of foreign policy between left and far-right, I've yet to discern it based on countless interactions on Facebook and Parcbench. Just look at the comments following my piece on Palin's Tea Party Convention speech -- instead of engaging the arguments, they resort to the kind of petty, nasty name-calling that would make any Daily Kos commenter beam with pride.

But I'm a big girl, and I can take it. My larger concern is for our efforts in 2010 to rid Congress of socialists and communists who want to "remake" America. And Ron Paul's enthusiastic, bordering-on-paranoia followers pose a real obstacle to that worthy goal.

I don't know what part of "Death to America!" these people don't understand; or how they can reconcile the fact that freedom cannot exist without the protection of our men and women in uniform. We can reduce the size of government, uphold states' rights, slash taxes, drill for domestic oil and implement free-market health insurance reforms and meaningful immigration reform. That's all welcome and fantastic. However, none of it will do us any good if we don't remain vigilant against radical Islam for whom the left and the far-right are perpetual, useful idiots.

So be sure to choose your candidates carefully in the primaries. 9/11 Truthers may have a right to free speech and expression, but they have absolutely no place in government.

UPDATE: Via Newsbusters, National Geographic special debunks 9/11 conspiracy theories.