Posted on 03/09/2013 9:12:59 AM PST by Kaslin
In the spirit of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Senator Rand Paul delivered the filibuster speech that was trending worldwide on Twitter on Wednesday. He wanted a direct answer from the White House to this simple question: does the U.S. government have the authority to kill an American citizen with a drone on U.S. soil?
The question may seem a bit strange at first. However, with the federal government greatly expanding their use of unmanned drones in U.S. skies, it is a legitimate question that deserves an answer. The U.S. government has already killed an American citizen with a drone.
Sixteen year old Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki who was born in Denver, Colorado was killed by an armed drone while eating at an outside restaurant in Yemen back in 2011.
He was never convicted of any crime, much less charged and tried for any wrongdoings. It appears that he was not even the intended target of the drone strike—possibly just at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
The federal government has never released any statements and Obama has never answered any questions about the killing of this American-born teenager.
So the U.S. government has killed an American citizen with a drone outside of the country’s borders. Could it happen within U.S. borders?
For many months, Senator Paul tried to get a real answer from Attorney General Eric Holder to no avail. Rand Paul did receive a wishy-washy letter from the Attorney General that tapped danced around the question.
Eric Holder basically said: Yes, the U.S. government can technically kill anyone we want, but it’s a highly unlikely that it will happen on U.S. soil.
Isn’t that reassuring?
Rand Paul wouldn’t take “we can kill you, but probably won’t” for an answer. He began filibustering the nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director just before noon on Wednesday, saying that he would be speaking for the “next few of hours.” A few hours turned into nearly 13 hours, as 14 brave senators joined him throughout the day and tons of supportive tweets kept rolling in.
People from all different political backgrounds united behind Rand Paul on social media. CODE PINK on the far left, FreedomWorks on the right, and millions of Americans united in solitary over our constitutional right to due process.
The possibility of getting assassinated by a remote-controlled flying robot in the sky, if the government just suspects you’re doing something wrong, is unpopular. Who knew?
Not everyone was pleased with Rand Paul’s courageous stand, though. GOP establishment Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain who instead spent the night schmoozing with President Obama mocked Rand Paul for standing up for our constitutional rights.
Senator Graham called Rand Paul’s filibuster “ill-informed.” Senator McCain said “calm down, Senator.”
Senator McCain took it a step further to mock young people that were inspired by Senator Paul’s efforts, saying that “if Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids."
You mean to tell me that there are college students getting fired up by a Republican senator speaking about the Constitution on C-SPAN? And this is somehow bad, why?
Everyone knows that the Republican Party has a problem attracting young people. Obama captured 66 percent of the youth vote, compared with McCain's 31 percent in 2008. The same thing happened in 2012: young people overwhelmingly voted for Democrats.
The Republican Party desperately needs young energy and enthusiasm. Young libertarian-minded people are passionate about limiting the size and scope of government—and the GOP would be foolish to turn them away.
Perhaps John McCain should listen to his now former colleague Jim DeMint who said, “I’d like to see a Republican Party that embraces a lot of the libertarian ideas.” He added that if the Republican Party does not embrace more libertarian views, “we won’t be able to exist as a party, certainly not a majority party.”
Many young people are rightfully concerned with the loss of our civil liberties. The GOP must embrace this next generation of liberty-minded activists, or it will die. It’s as simple as that.
Despite his 2007 campaign promises, Obama has a horrible civil liberties record that should be condemned. He reauthorized the Patriot Act that allows for warrantless wiretapping of American citizens and signed the National Defense Authorization that allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens without a trial.
When you add up all of Obama’s civil liberties abuses, the questions raised by Rand Paul and millions of Americans on the use of drones are necessary and relevant.
Rand Paul should be applauded for drawing attention to President Obama’s drone program. Wednesday night proved that there is a wing of the GOP that respects the Constitution and promotes policies that are in deep contrast to Obama’s. And there is an establishment GOP wing that would rather wine and dine with Obama.
Isn't this (part in bold) what liberals do?
Mr. McCain played footsie i.e., allowed himself to be used by a Marxist president bound to disrupt the American economy and security for his, Barack H.Obama, for his own angry agenda. Shame on Senator McCain for not backing an American who dared to call out this president and his AG for abusing the Constitution with lawlessness....America is applauding Senator Paul, Mr. McCain....your pettiness is very telling.
That “My dinner with Barry” day should be the MOST shameful day in the life of McCain.
So McCain doesn't want to go after the votes of young people.
I don’t think he can top the day he endorsed Obama from President in October, 2008. Even this.
Wait a minute. Didn’t he run in 2008 against that arrogant pos and yet he endorsed him? No wonder he lost
AMEN.
It is the only defense against creeping socialism of the welfare state.
Thanks, now I remember
If the august senator McCain calls standing up for the U.S. Constitution a political stunt that senator reveals his own shallowness.
THEY HAVE ALLOWED THE MULSIM IN THE WH TO TURN THE DOMESTIC WAR ON TERROR AGAINST INNOCENT US CITIZENS WHILE PROTECTING, EMPOWERING AND FUNDING RADICAL ISLAMISTS!
They need to be sidelined until they can be removed from office. Marxists and global fascists don’t belong in the GOP.
Next election, Miss Lindsey is going to be eating some over the top, fascist sentiment it expressed, loud and proud on the Senate floor. She thinks the more anti-constitutional and anti-freedom she is, the more patriotic to the global elitists she is.
Now filed...THANKS!
I resent the implication that with age comes wisdom and love of drones. Youth is prone to emotion and intellectual extremes. But sometimes the status quot itself is rather extreme. Wise old men of yore, back when we were a Republic, would’ve been aghast to learn that the president could unilaterally dispatch a robot to kill US citizens and whoever happened to be standing next to them on the other side of the globe, and not even bother justifying himself. And yes, this is taking into consideration such things as Jefferson’s war on the Barbary pirates and the lower esteem for human life.
It so happens McCain came of age after we became World Police, had established the National Security State, and were accustomed to Death from Above, as long as it was other people dying. So robot assassination of US citizens, zero oversight, and the concept of the entire planet being one, big battlefield seems perfectly normal to him. Questioning it is only something one of them wacky teenaged libertarian would stoop to.
The older I get, though maybe not the wiser, the less comfortable am I with McCainian perpetual and global war. Drones are just more Big Government. Like federal gun control or campaign finance reform, only people, sometimes innocent, die.
Oh, I’m sure he has many days far more shameful. For example, I’d love to mine the memories of his fellow POWs.
McCain’s stunts are for truth, beauty, big governmentism, and the personal benefit of Barrack Obama. There’s a difference.
McShame is the second biggest POS in America. His dad must be turning over in his grave over this misfit. I worked for Admiral McCain when his bastard son visited him in London before heading out to Nam. Such a disappointment.
The tragedy on the USS Forrestal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chuiyXQKw3I
began when somebody fired a missile into McCain's plane. They allegedly found a technical reason for it, but more and more I wonder if living in close quarters with that jerk became too much for one of his comrades. I hate to say it, but I sure wonder ...
OK, Rand Paul is giving us what we like. Instead of just complaining about what we don’t like, let’s show them our gratitude. Let’s show him our support. Where do we donate? Where do we write? Some Tea Party organizers must have information on this?
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