Drug addict finds Ron Paul book lying on the ground, changes his life

[green73]

Ryan Tracy writes [to Tom Woods]:

Four years ago I was a twenty-one-year-old heroin addict living on the streets of Portland, Oregon. I was walking to my job and I noticed a dollar bill lying in the grass along the sidewalk next to a book. For whatever reason I picked that book up, along with the dollar, and read it. The book was The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul. I could not put it down. I read every page as many times as it took for me to understand the content. I finished the book two weeks later in inpatient drug rehabilitation. I had never felt anything so incredible as the liberation that I got from the principles outlined in that book. Near the end Dr. Paul recommended Mises’ book Human Action with an added note about the difficulty. I bought it two days out of rehab. It took me three months of non-stop reading and re-reading to get through all four volumes.

I will not bore you with the story of my life between then and now. To make a long story short I ended up hearing about your website through a friend right when I began devouring literature on Austrian economics. Your blog and archives changed my life and gave me clarification as I read through well over one hundred books by nearly every prominent Austrian scholar and libertarian philosopher, including several of your books. I wish that I could convey to you just how grateful I am for your work and the impact that you have had on my life, but any words that I would write now would be futile in explaining my deep and sincere appreciation.

(Mr. Tracy, who now works with addicts, told me there was no reason not to use his name.)

http://www.tomwoods.com/blog/ron-paul-changes-another-life/

 

[Anti Federalist]

Freedom is good for your health.

 

[V3n]

My mind skipped the word "book" in the title and I thought this was some near smear article!

 

[dannno]

The Mayans had several calendars, not just one, and one of them was used to name their children after the day that they were born on. This gave them two independent names, a first and last, that they believed translated into what one's purpose or function in life is.

So within that philosophy, people who are drug addicts, very depressed or who have a very difficult time in life are only that way because they are being prevented by society from performing their function in life.

This guy was either shown his function in life or at least came to the realization that there is an artificial mechanism within society, specifically government, which is holding back individuals in society from performing their life purpose or function. This in and of itself can be a very important realization for a person in these types of circumstances because often times people feel like the world that rejects them is very static and cold and not made for them, while the freedom philosophy shows that many individuals are chained to a large extent and that we should strive to create a society where everybody's talents can thrive instead of those merely endowed by authority.

Interestingly, my Mayan name translates into 'planter of seeds'

 

[green73]

My mind skipped the word "book" in the title and I thought this was some near smear article!

ha

 

[green73]

The Mayans had several calendars, not just one, and one of them was used to name their children after the day that they were born on. This gave them two independent names, a first and last, that they believed translated into what one's purpose or function in life is.

So within that philosophy, people who are drug addicts, very depressed or who have a very difficult time in life are only that way because they are being prevented by society from performing their function in life.

This guy was either shown his function in life or at least came to the realization that there is an artificial mechanism within society, specifically government, which is holding back individuals in society from performing their life purpose or function. This in and of itself can be a very important realization for a person in these types of circumstances because often times people feel like the world that rejects them is very static and cold and not made for them, while the freedom philosophy shows that many individuals are chained to a large extend and that we should strive to create a society where everybody's talents can thrive instead of those merely endowed by authority.

Interestingly, my Mayan name translates into 'planter of seeds'

Very interesting.

 

[TonySutton]

He traded one addiction for another. Not all addictions are bad

 

[Lucille]

Ron is going to love this story!

 

[sailingaway]

This story reminds me of this video for some reason (I couldn't find the original which was a project by the guy in the video. I'll replace this with that if I find it.)

 

[nobody's_hero]

I was wondering where my book went.

(just kidding, I do donate my Ron Paul books to the library when I finish them, so maybe I've helped some addicts in my own area, if they go to libraries I mean)

 

[sailingaway]

I was wondering where my book went.

(just kidding, I do donate my Ron Paul books to the library when I finish them, so maybe I've helped some addicts in my own area, if they go to libraries I mean)

That's a great idea! I have given some away, but I bought them on purpose for that -- I keep my own....

 

[jj-]

I wonder if Tom Woods made up the story, just like he pretended not being the ghostwriter of that book when he wrote an over-the-top review of it.

 

[malkusm]

I wonder if Tom Woods made up the story, just like he pretended not being the ghostwriter of that book when he wrote an over-the-top review of it.

Trolololololololo

 

[green73]

I wonder if Tom Woods made up the story, just like he pretended not being the ghostwriter of that book when he wrote an over-the-top review of it.

Can we please have lowpreferencegirl banned again?

 

[sailingaway]

He wrote it from Ron's speech notes using Ron's words, unless you think Ron is a liar, so while it definitely is edited to his style, which I like, I don't see how it really matters.

 

[jj-]

He wrote it from Ron's speech notes using Ron's words, unless you think Ron is a liar, so while it definitely is edited to his style, which I like, I don't see how it really matters.

That just means that Woods is a really good ghostwriter. The part I don't like is when he misleads people by giving a way over-the-top review to the book, without revealing important information: he wrote it. That makes him less impartial, and he gave another impression. That is extremely deceptive, so anything that Tom Woods says when it comes to promoting his own book should be examined very carefully.

 

[malkusm]

That just means that Woods is a really good ghostwriter. The part I don't like is when he misleads people by giving a way over-the-top review to the book, without revealing important information: he wrote it. That makes him less impartial, and he gave another impression. That is extremely deceptive, so anything that Tom Woods says when it comes to promoting his own book should be examined very carefully.

Dude, do you think that anyone picked up Ron's book, flipped over to the back, and said "Wow, look at what great things Tom Woods has to say! I hated Ron Paul before, but if Tom Woods says this book is great, count me in!"

It would have been more surprising actually if Woods hadn't put something on the back of the book, being one of the most prominent libertarian authors of the last 10 years.

 

[jj-]

It would have been more surprising actually if Woods hadn't put something on the back of the book, being one of the most prominent libertarian authors of the last 10 years.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my point.

 

[sailingaway]

This has absolutely nothing to do with my point.

I can see that he might have included in his statement how great it was to work with Ron and review his years of speech notes in putting them into shape for the book, to kind of flesh out the whole picture.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

I don't know what it is but this Ron Paul forum is more addictive than anything else I know.