Russia Takes Down U.S. DroneThe Washington Times reports that Russia is claiming to have taken down a U.S. armed drone over the Crimea region. The Pentagon has denied the claim, saying that there is "zero truth" to the rumor.

“The drone was flying at about 12,000 feet and was virtually invisible from the ground. It was possible to break the link with U.S. operators with complex radio-electronic” technology, Moscow-based company  Rostec said in a statement.The group said the drone fell “almost intact into the hands of self-defense forces,” AFP reported.“Judging by its identification number, UAV MQ-5B belonged to the 66th American Reconnaissance Brigade, based in Bavaria,” the statement claimed.

How would citizens in the United States government and the people react if Russia was flying drones over the Canadian and Mexican borders of the country? This is a comparable situation to the U.S. flying a drone over Crimea. It can probably safely be stated that an overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens would not take issue with taking down a Russian drone on the northern or southern border.It is impossible to know who to believe in this circumstance, but it is easy to understand why the Russians would be opposed to this surveillance so close to their border.Ron Paul Opposes Rand Paul On CrimeaThe Guardian reports on Dr. Ron Paul's common sense critique of the U.S. involvement in the Crimean conflict.

The former Republican congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul has launched a scathing attack on what he calls a US-backed coup in Ukraine, insisting  the Crimean people have the right to align their territory with Moscow and characterising  sanctions against Russia as “an act of war”.He also said providing economic aid to Ukraine was comparable to giving support to rebels in Syria knowing it would end up in the hands of al-Qaida.The libertarian guru’s remarks in an interview with the Guardian are almost diametrically opposed to those of his son, the Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, who has called for stiff penalties against Russia and declared: “If I were president, I wouldn’t let [Russian president] Vladimir Putin get away with it.”Ron Paul, who retired from his Texas congressional seat in 2012, has always adopted a sceptical view of US foreign interventions. He said that although the US had not been involved in any military overthrow of the government in Kiev, it had facilitated a coup in the sense of “agitating” elements who wanted to usurp Ukraine’s former president,  Victor Yanukovych.“The evidence is pretty clear that the NGOs [non-governmental organisations] financed by our government have been agitating with billions of dollars, trying to get that government changed,” he said. “Our hands are not clean.”

Ron Paul, as per usual, was right on the money with his criticism of the U.S. government's involvement in Ukraine by funding the opposition. Although, I do disagree with how he referenced the U.S. government's role in the situation by saying, "Our hands are not clean." Certainly, the people of the United States have had no involvement in this mess. There is no "our." The government of the United States that has dirty hands resulting from their actions agitating in Ukraine in order to initiate regime change.Earlier in the week, Rand Paul took a Neoconservative stance on the situation and chose to completely ignore the U.S role in creating instability in Ukraine. His criticism is ironic in that he blasts Russia for violating Ukraine's sovereignty, but finds the U.S. involvement initiating regime change and U.S. sponsored sanctions against Russia to not be a violation of either Ukraine or Russia's sovereignty.

“Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a gross violation of that nation’s sovereignty and an affront to the international community,” he wrote. “His continuing occupation of Ukraine is completely unacceptable, and Russia’s president should be isolated for his actions.”He added: “Economic sanctions and visa bans should be imposed and enforced without delay.”

Rand Paul, once again, has neglected to properly view sanctions as an act of war. At this point in time, most libertarians have formed an opinion on Rand Paul. There are those that are completely opposed to Senator Paul because they feel that he is distorting the libertarian message by supporting far too many Statist policies. The other libertarian camp feels that Paul is only supporting big government policies in order to gain acceptance in the establishment, and after winning the Presidential election he will promptly rip off his shirt to reveal a lowercase "l" that will show his libertarian heart for all to see. The latter camp appears to be shrinking.Do not let the growth of Rand Paul's base and his reported lead in the polls fool you. He is not bringing libertarians into the Republican party. His rise can mostly be attributed to his being accepted by the establishment due to his mainstream views. His growth in support is not a result of exposing large numbers of people to the ideas of liberty and bringing new people into the party, but rather he has altered his views to fit into the establishment mold. He is winning over the establishment by conforming to their policies. This is not advancing liberty.

Gary Johnson Calls For Eliminating The IRS DNJ.com provided the following coverage of Gary Johnson's speech in Tennessee, where he called for an end to the IRS:

When it comes to the consumption tax, Johnson said he’d like to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and told the audience that he agrees with the current proposed Fair Tax as a way to get started. The process would include getting rid of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution that allows income taxes and replacing them with a Fair Tax that would act like a 28 percent tax on all sales.The idea is revenue neutral, so there would still be a need to cut spending, said Johnson, noting that 165 members of Congress support the Fair Tax.The country should balance its budgets as a top priority and reform Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, Johnson said.

Gary, you had me at "abolish the Internal Revenue Service" and the you lost me when you said, "consumption tax" and "revenue neutral." Taxation is theft pure and simple. It makes no difference if the money is confiscated from my paycheck or added on to the milk I purchase at the grocery store.Gary Johnson deserves credit for the promoting the cause of liberty during the speech by calling for, ending the Federal Reserve, legalizing marijuana, bringing the military home, and calling Edward Snowden a hero.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!