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Rep. Ron Paul's Idea for Hiring Private Mercenaries- H.R. 3076
Newsmax.com ^ | 12 Oct, 2001 | Newsmax.com Staff

Posted on 10/12/2001 7:24:39 PM PDT by ovrtaxt

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001

Rep. Paul Proposes Way to Get bin Laden

Rep. Ron Paul thinks Congress can do more to fulfill its constitutional obligation to defend America - namely, help get terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Paul, R-Texas, has offered H.R. 3076 - September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. If passed, the legislation would give President Bush "a surgical and precise weapon that can help capture or kill Osama bin Laden and the other persons responsible" for the Sept. 11 attacks.

"The founders and authors of our Constitution provided an answer for the difficult tasks that we now face," Paul says. "When a precise declaration of war was impossible due to the vagueness of our enemy, the Congress was expected to take it upon themselves to direct the reprisal against an enemy not recognized as a government."

Paul says that the weapon our country's founders crafted in the Constitution to defend our nation against terrorism on the high seas was for Congress to grant letters of marque and reprisal. This gives Congress the power to offer a bounty and appoint stealth warriors, private companies and individuals, in this case to seize bin Laden and his fellow terrorists as well as their property.

The bill would allow the president to appoint such forces. The appointees could be coordinated with government attacks and have access to U.S. intelligence to augment their own well-established networks.

"This would not preclude the president's other efforts to resolve the crisis, but supply him with an additional weapon," says the congressman.

Paul urges citizens to speed the capture of bin Laden by telling their representatives to get this legislation moving now.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
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Never even knew they could do this. Private competition for the government run military. What's next, G.I. Bill vouchers? It couldn't hurt!
1 posted on 10/12/2001 7:24:39 PM PDT by ovrtaxt
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To: ovrtaxt
It would be more effective to drop left wing hollywood radicals in their country. They would be DESTROYED in six months
2 posted on 10/12/2001 7:29:42 PM PDT by outpost44
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To: outpost44
It would be more effective to drop left wing hollywood radicals in their country. They would be DESTROYED in six months

Sounds like a wonderful idea.

3 posted on 10/12/2001 7:32:22 PM PDT by He Rides A White Horse
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To: ovrtaxt
Some of my co-workers have discussed the closed borders & the impact on drug cartels.........We agreed that mercenaries are already on the job....
4 posted on 10/12/2001 7:32:59 PM PDT by loulou
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To: ovrtaxt
Sounds like some of our hard core militiamen could get involved.
5 posted on 10/12/2001 7:39:01 PM PDT by In veno, veritas
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: In veno, veritas
You know, Im thinking bailbondsmen might be a good resource to tap. Of course, central Asia is a lot different than the local projects, but Ive met some of those dudes and theyre all about serious business.
7 posted on 10/12/2001 7:43:12 PM PDT by ovrtaxt
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To: Plan B
Yo ... what makes you think private mercenaries wouldn't be able to get their hands on any type of weaponry they wanted?
8 posted on 10/12/2001 7:44:48 PM PDT by AngrySpud
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To: Plan B
Yeah, realistically, I dont expect the Congress to go for this. It would undermine their powerbase, much like school vouchers. The similarities between the issues is compelling. Private competition for the government in any way is a threat to them.
9 posted on 10/12/2001 7:45:49 PM PDT by ovrtaxt
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To: ovrtaxt
It worked with the barbary pirates. Havn't seen any of those in a coons age!
10 posted on 10/12/2001 7:46:18 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
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To: Plan B
Private mercenaries are not going to accomplish anything when they are not allowed to buy suitable tools.

There's a big difference between what weapons and tactics are legal in the United States and what's legal overseas. As long as they keep the more "controversial elements" off shore, there's little that the libs can complain about.

11 posted on 10/12/2001 7:47:51 PM PDT by Skibane
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To: loulou
I thought of that earlier too. The heat the terrorists turned up can't be good for business in the underground economy. Several somebodys are losing big dollars every day this goes on.

I can imagine the prices on terrorists hides is enough incentive to get the pros into the hunt without further action. They're on it.

12 posted on 10/12/2001 7:50:04 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult
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To: outpost44
It would be more effective to drop left wing hollywood radicals in their country. They would be DESTROYED in six months

How about dropping these guys and see what happens?
Robert Shapiro
F. Lee Bailey
Alan Dershowitz
Barry Scheck
Johnnie Cochran

13 posted on 10/12/2001 7:50:38 PM PDT by mc5cents
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To: Skibane
Could you imagine if some mercenary got ahold of one of those 'missing' Russian tactical nukes? They wouldn't be constrained by any of the UN's crap. They would be free to act as a private entity pursuing self interests.

The possibilities are astounding here! What would the UN do?

It would be akin to a vigilante taking action against a criminal that a corrupt police department refused to pursue! Oh, this is getting fun....

14 posted on 10/12/2001 7:52:55 PM PDT by ovrtaxt
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Hey, it works with the Brits. They still have their Gurkhas.
15 posted on 10/12/2001 7:58:46 PM PDT by The Piltdown Man
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To: Plan B
I doubt American mercenaries would sign up. It would be foreigners in all probability, but I doubt even if they were well armed that they could achieve much. Perhaps nock off Bin Laden, but take out 3000 troops? Heck naw. More that liekly they'ld just get killed real quick. IMHO Ron Paul's been watching to many movies. If we were dealing with a handful of guys in a friendly country, sure, but as it is, it seems quite unlikely that a band of mercenaries could do anything important.
16 posted on 10/12/2001 7:59:57 PM PDT by Cleburne
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: ovrtaxt
It's a wondeful idea and it has already been done by putting millions of dollars of bounty money on Osama bin Laden's head.

To the average Afghani, that is equivalent to all the virgins in the world.

Let's face facts. If someone is going to track down Osama bin Laden to some remote gorge in central Afghanistan, it is not going to be some Rambo-wannabe from the Upper Michigan Militia.

The man who can track bin Laden down, betray his position and bring down a 5,000 pound bunker-busting bomb on him will be an illiterate Afghani tribesman.

Theme Song of the Beverly Afghanis.

" Let me tell ya a story 'bout a man named Fez,
Poor Afghani mountaineer barely keep his family fed.
Then one day he was shootin' at some food,
When up through the pass came his life dreams come true.

Osama! bin Laden, that is.

Well, the next thing you know ol' Fez's a millionaire.
The American B-2's blew bin Ladin straight to H*ll.
The kin folk said "Fez move away from here!"
So he packed up his bags and moved to Beverly...

Hills, that is.

Swimmin' pools. Movie stars."

18 posted on 10/12/2001 8:06:03 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: Cleburne
Realistically, this is stupid beyond belief. It would also violate international treaties we've signed, and I sincerely doubt that President Bush is going to share intelligence information with "legalized" pirates.

Marque and Reprisal is an archaic concept which had its place in the 18th century.

Ron Paul first said that the WTC attacks are the result of our foreign policy, and now he wants to commission pirates.

Both statements are flatly irresponsible and I expected far better from him.

19 posted on 10/12/2001 8:07:37 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: ovrtaxt
How about this:

Afghanistan and Taliban receive the majority of their income from the heroin trade.

Countermeasure 1: give the Mob and the Colombian cartels the hint that the extermination of heroin dealers may just not receive a lot of police attention...

Countermeasure 2: make heroin dealing punishable by death, carried out ON THE SPOT by law enforcement

LET'S ROLL!

20 posted on 10/12/2001 8:11:50 PM PDT by ArmoredCav
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