Rick Stanley supports efforts to defend American territory and encourages the adoption of policies that require the eventual removal of American troops from foreign lands. He supports substantially cutting the defense budget as American troops are removed from foreign lands, and the targeting of funds to support the defense of American soil.

Rick does not support the implementation of a missile defense system. Such a system does not make financial sense and is not needed. Our current deterrence system is adequate to prevent a missile attack upon the United States. Terrorists would smuggle a bomb to U.S. soil, not launch a missile attack. A Missile Defense System would just line the pockets of the defense contractors.

Any country that has nuclear missiles in their arsenal should be identified and preparation for targeting through our National Defense Computer System should be completed and notification to each of those countries, that if the U.S. is attacked for any reason by them, our arsenal would be unleashed upon their country. Deterrence has worked for 56 years, and will continue to work in the future.

Tax dollars should never be spent as gifts to other countries. Our tax dollars are not theirs to give. The U.S. government continues to violate its trust with the American people regarding their tax dollars.

Links to more information about
Foreign Policy Issues

Libertarian Foreign Policy:
Ending Welfare for Nations -- foreign aid
From the National Libertarian Party web site
http://www.lp.org/issues/foreign-policy.html

"Isolationism" as the Denial of Intervention:
What Foreign Policy Is and Isn't
From Cato Institute's Foreign Policy Briefing Papers.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/fpbriefs/fpb-057es.html

Corporate Welfare for Weapons Makers:
The Hidden Costs of Spending on Defense and Foreign Aid
From Cato Institute's Policy Analysis Papers.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-350es.html

Quotes about Foreign Policy:

"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations--entangling alliances with none, I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one of] those which ought to shape its administration."

--Thomas Jefferson:
1st Inaugural Address, 1801. ME 3:321

"I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”

-- Mark Twain