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As a progressive, I have conflicts with some of Rand Paul (and his father Ron) policies and positions. However, you have to admit they're beginning to sound lik

As a progressive, I have conflicts with some of Rand Paul (and his father Ron) policies and positions. However, you have to admit they're beginning to sound like profits. Like it or not, they adhere to a fairly strict view of the constitution and that's admirable in the current poll-based world of politics. That said, Paul (and father) were never good communicators. Both vocally and even prosaically. I'm surprised he is not using the IRS scandal and tie it to the NSA's potential abuse of power. As we know the metadata can be used to see if a person had an abortion, may have sought mental health (calling suicide hotlines, etc.) may have feared STDs (calling aids hotline) may have had cosmetic surgery or slew of other things. Any of these information, can for example, be misused against a political contender running against the current administration. Comparisons to IRS' supposed targeting of certain political entity would have been tangible and palpable example of the unchecked power of NSA and would have been farm more visceral than the heady, "Big Brother" argument.

greenyoda 13y ago
"I'm surprised he is not using the IRS scandal and tie it to the NSA's potential abuse of power." Actually, he does mention the IRS scandal: "The president assures us that the government is simply monitoring the origin and length of phone calls, not eavesdropping on their contents. Is this administration seriously asking us to trust the same government that admittedly targets political dissidents through the Internal Revenue Service and journalists through the Justice Department?"
- salimmadjd 13y ago
  > Actually, he does mention the IRS scandal I saw that. However, it's made in passing and the core of his argument and the title of his article is about "Big Brother". Which sounds heady and usually associated with the conspiracy types.
kbd 13y ago
> However, you have to admit they're beginning to sound like profits.[sic] Here's a video I came across the other day of Ron Paul in 1984: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWmKpBeEz0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWmKpBeEz0
- dnautics 13y ago
  little observed fact - he's criticizing Ronald Reagan directly.
dnautics 13y ago
Actually I liked this: "We fought a revolution over issues like generalized warrants, where soldiers would go from house to house, searching anything they liked." The traditional narrative that youngsters in the US are taught is that the revolution was fought over taxes, but if you closely read the declaration of independence, that's not really the bulk of the argument. Historically speaking, it was violations of personal freedoms and the "home is a man's castle" principles that rankled the colonists the most.
- wavesounds 13y ago
  this is one of the reason why the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making us less safe. We barge into peoples houses and search through their stuff all the time. People seem to forget how important Respect is to people, people will fight revolutions for it. We did, the arab spring is doing it, a persons personal space and thoughts and communications are their most sacred human rights.
rpgmaker 13y ago
The son doesn't have the spine of the father. I'm noticing that Rand is very sneaky too, why doesn't he just mount his legal challenge against this programs without asking for signatures or anything? Does he care about the principles his espousing or about making some headlines (for example, he could've really filibustered Brennan's nomination following his standing filibuster with a modern one)? Lately it seems to be the latter. Still, this op-eds do inform the general public but I don't think he has the spine or principle to walk the talk.
ignostic 13y ago
I have similar conflicts as a Libertarian! To add another point: for one election I was deeply involved with the party. I found that many Libertarians went overboard in conspiracy theories: vaccines with trackers, 9/11 truthers, anti-GMO nonsense, etc. I have a really hard time calling myself a Libertarian along with these people.
- eru 13y ago
  Paleo-liberal, then?
flyinRyan 13y ago
My position all through the last Republican primaries was "yes, I realize many of Ron's policies (e.g. gold standard) are down-right dangerous. But those policies could never be passed in any case so we should vote on the things he can change like no new wars, etc.". I don't know that I got downvoted every time but I was always shot down with more "hope and change".

greenyoda 13y ago

"I'm surprised he is not using the IRS scandal and tie it to the NSA's potential abuse of power." Actually, he does mention the IRS scandal: "The president assures us that the government is simply monitoring the origin and length of phone calls, not eavesdropping on their contents. Is this administration seriously asking us to trust the same government that admittedly targets political dissidents through the Internal Revenue Service and journalists through the Justice Department?"

salimmadjd 13y ago
> Actually, he does mention the IRS scandal I saw that. However, it's made in passing and the core of his argument and the title of his article is about "Big Brother". Which sounds heady and usually associated with the conspiracy types.

kbd 13y ago

> However, you have to admit they're beginning to sound like profits.[sic] Here's a video I came across the other day of Ron Paul in 1984: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWmKpBeEz0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWmKpBeEz0

dnautics 13y ago
little observed fact - he's criticizing Ronald Reagan directly.

dnautics 13y ago

Actually I liked this: "We fought a revolution over issues like generalized warrants, where soldiers would go from house to house, searching anything they liked." The traditional narrative that youngsters in the US are taught is that the revolution was fought over taxes, but if you closely read the declaration of independence, that's not really the bulk of the argument. Historically speaking, it was violations of personal freedoms and the "home is a man's castle" principles that rankled the colonists the most.

wavesounds 13y ago
this is one of the reason why the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making us less safe. We barge into peoples houses and search through their stuff all the time. People seem to forget how important Respect is to people, people will fight revolutions for it. We did, the arab spring is doing it, a persons personal space and thoughts and communications are their most sacred human rights.

rpgmaker 13y ago

The son doesn't have the spine of the father. I'm noticing that Rand is very sneaky too, why doesn't he just mount his legal challenge against this programs without asking for signatures or anything? Does he care about the principles his espousing or about making some headlines (for example, he could've really filibustered Brennan's nomination following his standing filibuster with a modern one)? Lately it seems to be the latter. Still, this op-eds do inform the general public but I don't think he has the spine or principle to walk the talk.

ignostic 13y ago

I have similar conflicts as a Libertarian! To add another point: for one election I was deeply involved with the party. I found that many Libertarians went overboard in conspiracy theories: vaccines with trackers, 9/11 truthers, anti-GMO nonsense, etc. I have a really hard time calling myself a Libertarian along with these people.

eru 13y ago
Paleo-liberal, then?

flyinRyan 13y ago

My position all through the last Republican primaries was "yes, I realize many of Ron's policies (e.g. gold standard) are down-right dangerous. But those policies could never be passed in any case so we should vote on the things he can change like no new wars, etc.". I don't know that I got downvoted every time but I was always shot down with more "hope and change".