Posted on 08/14/2014 9:56:07 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Rand Paul may be gaining measurable traction among young, liberal voters for his clear admonition of the “militarization of local police precincts” in Ferguson, Missouri, and around the nation, but International Business Times has surfaced a video of him at a 2010 rally that tells a different story: one that tempers his scathing criticism of growing, public armies with his fervent support of private ones.
“There’s a fellow in the White House who says you’re clinging to your religion and your guns,” began the Kentucky junior senator to a gathered crowd at an Open Carry rally in Frankfort, Ohio, on March 27, 2010. “How many of you are clinging to your religion and your guns?”
The crowd cheered vociferously. In the spirit of the event, they had brought their guns to celebrate their 2nd Amendment rights, and they weren’t ashamed to let the whole world know.
Among those attending the 2010 Open Carry rally at which Senator Paul was a keynote speaker were the Ohio Valley Freedom Fighters, a militia whose mission statement promises their countrymen that they are ready to “serve [their] country by being prepared to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
On the “Words to Live by” section of the Ohio Valley Freedom Fighters’ website, the OVFF posted “The Defender’s Creed,” a meme amongst the message boards that militias use to communicate with one another, which alarmingly states, “I believe that self-defense is a moral imperative, and that illegitimate force and illegal violence must be met with righteous indignation and superior violence. ... Be it with firearm or blade, empty hand or blunt object, I will hit my enemies hard, fast and true.”
But Rand Paul, a 2016 presidential hopeful, feels safe amongst those who promise to be the jury that determines illegitimate force and the judges that sentences transgressors to superior violence.
“I’m not armed today," the senator boasted, "but I feel pretty safe. I feel like I’ve got a private security detail out there.”
“Yeah, you do!” a man in the crowd yelled just before Paul continued his speech: “Had we had one armed pilot, we might not have had 9/11. Had we had one armed teacher or student at Virginia Tech, we might not have had a massacre.”
But “Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police,” the senator’s Time magazine op-ed on the police riots in Ferguson that went viral Thursday afternoon, paints a strikingly different portrait of the candidate, one distrustful of militarized force as a tool for good. In it, he identifies “the rising militarization of law enforcement” as one of the biggest problems facing the nation. “Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies -- where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement,” Paul argued.
One wonders what Rand Paul would have to say if it had been a private militia -- and not public law enforcement -- that clashed with protestors in Ferguson.
Watch the video of Rand Paul at the 2010 Open Carry rally in Frankfort, Ohio here:
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
The timing of this makes sense.
In 2010 he was much more of a conservative, including Immigration.
Apparently, his principles weren’t actually principles, but more a means to an end.
Really sad, because he had potential of bringing conservatives and libertarians together much like Reagan did at one time.
To bad he sold out.
This is a stretch. They are comparing an armed citizenry to militarized police force.
I am in the middle.
I don’t have the facts yet, but I think due process is required for the cop involved, and the angry mob is trying to deny due process to the cop.
I have also been abused by Federal cops and I know full well that cops lie and cheat and over react.
I also understand that the rioters and looters are NOT from Ferguson, but are opportunists from out of town.
Whats to comment? The Liberal IBT thinks an armed citizenry is the same as militarized police. That stupidity in and of itself makes me shutdown and click next.
It’s what they do. Anything to disarm us, as in the Hunger Games.
Ted Cruz could bridge that gap without being a Paulestinian whacko.
Rand paul says more blacks are in prison than other groups because of their race not their behavior, rand paul says we can’t get rid of Obamacare, Rand paul says we need immigration “reform” (amnesty), Rand Paul says the Republican party is too white, rand paul is pro-abortion...
rand Paul sucks bum balls.
Does Rand Paul ever talk about down-sizing bloated government or reducing the tax burden?
Rand Paul is a nappy headed ho with all the selling out he does.
In 2010, he was running for office. They always find religion in an election year, and just as quickly abandon it once sworn in. I endorsed his GOP primary opponent, regrettably he was a RINO as well, but Paul just had too much “nutty” surrounding him and his supporters (his father’s people) that I just couldn’t get on board with him.
Where’s the contradiction?
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists][Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]
Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul's immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
G’night all.
Rand has been playing in his daddy’s medicine cabinet. There’s some bad joojoo in there.
Agree. I miss the contradiction here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.