Ron Paul on Sniper's Death: Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword

Reaction to the comment has been swift and negative

Ron Paul has shocked some by commenting negatively on Chris Kyle, the US Navy SEAL and record-holding sniper who was shot dead at a gun range by a fellow-veteran with PTSD.

Paul tweeted, "Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense."

As some on Twitter pointed out, Paul is wrong about PTSD treatments. One of the most effective treatments, called Prolonged Exposure Therapy, involves exposing PTSD sufferers to their trauma's triggers.

Others on Twitter simply responded with anger, calling Paul's tweet "disgusting" and "disrespectful." Another user speculated that the tweet didn't come from Paul at all, but from a shortly-to-be-fired intern.

Via Fox News Nation.

What's your take on Paul's comments?

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

I knew there was something I didn't like about Ron Paul. He does not believe in self defense just like he doesn't believe in national defense. Too bad too, because he had the best fiscal policies of any of the Republican presidential candidates.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

Ron Paul's statement was very crass. Even liberals should feel offended. Liberals only love you when you're dead, so they should be upset that Paul disrespected the dead.

[NTBFW]

This was totally wrong Chris deserves better no matter what party you support.

[thejimbo]

WOMP WOMP!

[thejimbo]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Never thought I'd say this about Ron Paul, but he just needs to shut the f*ck up!

[PNWest]

Whatever you fell about whether the rightness of these foreign wars or about gun control the fact remains that Chris Kyle served his country well and performed the duties that were assigned to him. In his case he did his job very, very well. He is to be honored and his death was as much tragedy as the deaths of those kids in Newtown were. Ron Paul's comments were crass and in poor taste as befitting the kook that he is.

[Knightkore]

I know he can be out there on his comments but I don't think it was him....probably an intern....

[NTBFW]

I have no more use for this guy. Ever.

[Knightkore]

@NTBFW Completely understandable....I don't think it was him....but whether it was or not this would not be a good way to run the white house if he were president....

I like his son Rand Paul a lot better....

[NTBFW]

@Knightmare I get your point. But this was over the line. I hope we can find someone to support.

[Knightkore]

@NTBFW So do I....

[GmanGSW]

@Knightmare & @NTBFW I am upset about what happened to Chris, too. He was a good guy, great sniper! I thought it might've been an intern, too No matter what, Ron Paul is the one "in charge" of what he "supposedly" said. In any case, I don't want to see friends fight friends! I think the 3 of us are friends here & we definitely need someone other than Ron Paul anymore...

[Speedieg]

This is ridiculous, the mans a hero and his work with guns had nothing to do with his death. It was the unfortunate result once again of a mental health issues. If he made any mistake it was in failing to recognize the issues this man had.

[kathyparsell]

Whoever made the comment was insensitive but that seems to be the standard in today's society. Anything for your few minutes of coverage.

[DARSB]

Dr Paul has not been in the same frame of reference as the rest of us for some time. Judging from son Rand's mystical belief in an arms trade between Libya and Syria, it's a hereditary condition.

[fistv]

Mythical ?? Go spend a deployment in the sand box and then come back and tell us that.

[DARSB]

@fistv The word is "mystical." Go spend some time with a dictionary and then come back. ;)

[jessejaymes]

Ron Paul is DEAD ON THE MONEY actually. There is no reason to be putting a gun in the hands of the mentally ill. Ron Paul is absolutely correct.

[Gunny68]

"One of the most effective treatments, called Prolonged Exposure Therapy, involves exposing PTSD sufferers to their trauma's triggers."

and your medical background in what discipline exactly contradicts the therapy Chris was using...

[Libertyiskey]

While I do agree with you and the message of the tweet, I don't believe he tweeted that, it's not in his character to say something like that as he always defends his statements much better and wouldn't make a comment like that which he knows people would find offensive. I believe it was an intern or staffer, but if he comes out and says it was him I would expect him to deliver that message more gracefully and not so soon after that event happened.

[jessejaymes]

@Gunny68 And the dead sniper is what discipline that qualified him to make the determination in what was clearly a non controlled situation? I may not be right but he' still dead.

[NTBFW]

I'm sorry but you are dead wrong on this. Chris was a friend and he deserves better.

[stepped_in_it]

What I find curious, seems the ones who don't want gun control....it's not the gun....it's mentally ill people....are defending this man putting a gun in the hands of the mentally ill. Freud would have said "interesting, very interesting"

[LGRepublican]

This is the reason why Dr. Paul never won any primary elections and certainly wouldn't have won the presidency. He can say something rational and logical one minute and turn around and sound like someone from the tinfoil hat crowd the next.......

[HooverNiebold]

Well it's clear who the bigger man is. Obviously Ron Paul would serve his country.

[AceLuby]

It was an inappropriate comment and probably shouldn't have been said... but it's far from offensive.

[Denizen_Kate]

Twitter is a limited medium. It's easy to be misunderstood. Politicians should probably avoid it and leave it to celebrities.

[AceLuby]

@Denizen_Kate Totally agree

[Real4WheelDrv]

@Denizen_Kate It's not easy to misunderstand at all. If you want to explain something, do it over multiple tweets, or stop worrying about being hip and don't use something that only allows messages that short to begin with.

[DogLady_1]

I don't think Paul wrote that tweet... and Prolonged Exposure does not work well on everyone... it is only one of several therapies for PTSS. PE has a very high drop out rate because it actually re-traumatizes many people... and others are sent right back into war through PE.... so it is very possible that the man who killed Kyle was not responding well to the therapy... so tragic that a brother in arms had to lose his life over it...

[Raptor]

I feel nothing but contempt for both Pauls, Ron and Rand as both are out of touch with reality and act like they are Gods gift to man. They are republicans and everything that they represent.

[Trijun]

And yet ANOTHER good reason not to vote for Ron Paul even though I share many of his Libertarian beliefs.

[Yank]

What is really odd is that I have seen those exact same comments this morning on this site.

[NTBFW]

And every one of them pissed me off. Chris deserves better.

[WilliamWallace]

@NTBFW The "people" here can not understand in order for them to have their rights there are those of us that have to live by the gun.

I would rather live and die by the gun than to be thought a coward!!

He was a real Hero unlike the sports stars, musicians, and so forth.

[NTBFW]

@WilliamWallace exactly!! He was the real deal.

[Yank]

@WilliamWallace is this really a case of living and dying by the sword? It's like saying that about a pizza delivery man who gets hit by a car while helping an old lady across the street. He did a job as asked by his country and then volunteered to help those in need.

[DogLady_1]

@WilliamWallace - Chris Kyle was definitely a war hero... but he did not fight for any of our rights since our rights were not at risk of being taken by those whom he fought against. Not all wars are about our rights, and not all wars are noble, but I deeply respect each and every serviceperson who was willing to take up arms in case we needed such defense of our rights. And I too can't think of a single pop star or sports figure that I would consider a hero. Playing games is not really heroic...

[stepped_in_it]

HMMM....a little torn here. Chris Kyle is/was a hero in the fact that he did more than likely save many of our boys lives in his duty as a sniper! For that, I deeply respect the man as I respect all our men fighting abroad. BUT, when you constantly put yourself close to the fire, it will one day burn you. PTSD is a serious, sometimes crippling mental illness that can cause the afflicted to snap....at any time. Placing yourself around both a person/people afflicted by PTSD and firearms increases your chances of this type of "accident". Now, Ron Paul (or your intern).....have we not learned that services like tweet, facebook....etc are NOT the places to express your feelings.....

[jessejaymes]

Yeah it was the wrong place to say it but the truth in that clearly this sniper and his buddy had no medical expertise to take a PTSD out for "therapy" and it's proven by the fact that both are dead today. Paul/someone went about it in the wrong medium but the message is spot on.

[stepped_in_it]

Bahaha....just read your statement you made.....like we had the same thoughts! Too funny!

[mtkopf]

@jessejaymes @stepped_in_it You know, you two tend to agree on a lot of subjects...is
there any way you wwere separated at birth?

[stepped_in_it]

@mtkopf I dunno.....could be a L.A. thing....but it is funny!

[Denizen_Kate]

Kyle was a veteran and should be respected for that. His methods for dealing with PTSD may have been questionable, but his heart was in the right place and he was trying to do something to help other vets.

[seedtick]

Well, we were asked by Politix a while back which politician we would miss the most. I quickly posted....Ron Paul. Now, see what I mean? Don't you just miss this stuff on a daily basis?

[thatgirl]

Looks like Pauls slide into irrelevancy is now complete.

[NTBFW]

Ron Paul was over the line on this. Chris was a true hero. He deserves our respect. What he was doing is a common way to help PTSD. He was trying to help the guy.

[BelinKS]

What an idiot!! He is old enough to think before he tweets! If the government were getting the help needed to soldiers coming back from a war they placed the soldier in with PTSD, a good man would not have had to take matters into his own hands. His method has proven time and again to help with triggers in soldiers with PTSD. You can lay this sad loss of life on the gonernments laps for not treating soldiers with PTSD!

[CanadianIndy]

Haha! This actually cracks me up. I mean, obviously, Dr. Paul should've probably picked a more sensitive way of putting it. But seriously folks. That line is from the Bible!

[Fishbone345]

Probably one of those chapters that we don't talk about. There are verses that we discuss and then the rest is outdated and irrelevant remember? But only certain verses can stand the test of time.

[CanadianIndy]

@Fishbone345 I have a whole family of Christians at home that would vehemently argue the opposite. I don't get it. Not very Christ-like to be a hypocrite. But then again, not many Christians are like Christ.

[Fishbone345]

@CanadianIndy Considering that Christ looked more like Osama Bin Laden than Dubyah, yah you are right "Not many Christians are like Christ".
In fact I'd daresay there isn't one in this country anything remotely like him.

[CanadianIndy]

@Fishbone345 I wouldn't quite go that far, but I'd go pretty close. I've known some truly Christ-like Christians in my life, though to be honest, most are agnostics or atheists now. But there are some good folks. It's kind of like Islam: most are ok, but the vocal right ruins it all for everyone.

[Fishbone345]

@CanadianIndy I was referring to the fact that he was Middle Eastern and spoke Aramaic. Not too many of those in the good ol US of A. Most bitch when they have to hear Spanish for longer than 5 minutes.
But, I can see your point on his methods of treating other people. I've seen some truly "Christ Like" behavior out of people before.