Rand Paul (1 Viewer)

[Rayderr]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

Agreed. He needs to keep this as an issue so that he can attract young and naive voters.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records. He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not sure what's dooshy about that.

he voted against it to stay aligned with the republican party. no other reason.

Ah. Someday I hope to be able to read the minds of people hundreds and thousands of miles away like you.

 

[SacramentoBob]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

Agreed. He needs to keep this as an issue so that he can attract young and naive voters.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records. He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not sure what's dooshy about that.

He needs to take some lessons from Thomas Jefferson.

 

[tom22406]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

Agreed. He needs to keep this as an issue so that he can attract young and naive voters.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records. He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not sure what's dooshy about that.

he voted against it to stay aligned with the republican party. no other reason.

Ah. Someday I hope to be able to read the minds of people hundreds and thousands of miles away like you.

Rand has always been against the NSA and the Patriot Act(certain parts of it) so this vote was no surprise at all for those that follow him.

 

[Psychopav]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

Agreed. He needs to keep this as an issue so that he can attract young and naive voters.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records. He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not sure what's dooshy about that.

he voted against it to stay aligned with the republican party. no other reason.

Based on the article, it sounds to me like he's playing the longer game and forcing the debate on the whole Patriot Act, not just the NSA. Good for him imo.

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

The Patriot Act is a joke.

 

[Psychopav]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

Agreed. He needs to keep this as an issue so that he can attract young and naive voters.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it would have extended the Patriot Act provision that allows the NSA to search Americans’ phone records. He has consistently opposed the Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not sure what's dooshy about that.

he voted against it to stay aligned with the republican party. no other reason.

I will say that, assuming he doesn't let his mouth get in his own way (which has happened to plenty of others in their time), the republican party is his biggest obstacle. Despite the success of what I'll call ideological candidates in presidential elections for as far back as I can recall, there are going to be tons of votes for the competition because he's "not electable" enough. Rubbish, of course, but there are a LOT of well meaning conservatives who think just that way, and the result is running up a John McCain, a Mitt Romney, a Bob Dole instead of someone truly visionary and charismatic enough to win.Paul's got "it", but let's see if he can navigate the primary...

 

[Psychopav]

The Patriot Act is a joke.

But it's a joke that did and still does have the support of many politicians on both sides of the aisle. Sometimes I think it should be called the Aristocracy Act.

 

[Fennis]

Mitch McConnell: USA FREEDOM Act Would Be 'Tying Our Hands Behind Our Back.' Yes, That's Actually the Point of It.

U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this evening on a watered down version of the USA FREEDOM Act that aims to rein in some of the worst domestic surveillance abuses of the National Security Agency (NSA). The Guardian reports:

“This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our back,” said McConnell, who will become majority leader in January.
“At the moment, we should not be doing anything to make the situation worse.”
Libertarianish Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said that he won't support the bill because it's too weak. That is a mistake. When NSA-enabler McConnell and his minions take over the leadership of the Senate in January, they will certainly do nothing to prevent further unconstitutional NSA violations of the privacy and liberty protections afforded Americans by the Fourth Amendment.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation notes:

The new Senate version of the USA FREEDOM Act would:
-Rein in the NSA's illegal collection of millions of Americans' telephone records by amending one of the worst provisions of the PATRIOT Act, Section 215.
-Create a special advocate position that will serve as an amicus in the secret surveillance court, arguing for civil liberties and privacy.
-Provide new reporting requirements about surveillance, so that the NSA is forced to tell us how many people are actually being surveilled under its programs, including the program that allows the NSA to see the contents of Americans' communications without a warrant.
The bill is far from what is needed, but it's better than nothing.

 

[timschochet]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

 

[Todd Andrews]

Anonymous has been revealing the identities of KKK members in connection with the Ferguson situation, and not surprisingly tons of them are Tea Party Rand Paul supporters.

 

[RCon]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Right. No amount of "safeguards" that aspire to prevent use of data that was collected illegally are good enough. It's only good enough to prevent illegally and unconstitutionally collecting the data in the first place. This shouldn't be a difficult concept.

Edit: And yes, I'm sure your standard appeal-to-authority answer will be "but look at these constitutional scholars who don't think mass collection is unconstitutional", but that's not the point. The point is that for those of us who are certain that this type of data collection is a clear violation of the 4th, why would you think that half-assed measures that don't prevent the fundamental illegal act in the first place would be good enough?

 

[tom22406]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Is this the portion of the program where you call those people crazy? Oh wait,you just did,nevermind.

 

[timschochet]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Is this the portion of the program where you call those people crazy? Oh wait,you just did,nevermind.

No I didn't. However, your avatar makes me wonder...

 

[tom22406]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Is this the portion of the program where you call those people crazy? Oh wait,you just did,nevermind.

No I didn't. However, your avatar makes me wonder...

How unreasonable where those people in the NSA thread here out of curiousity?

And I'm glad you approve of the avatar,you seem to have the gift of spotting the crazy.

 

[timschochet]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/rand-paul-nsa-reform-bill_n_6182204.html

what a doosh

 

[SacramentoBob]

Half a loaf is better than no bread. If we cannot secure all our rights, let us secure what we can.

 

[Bojang0301]

Mitch McConnell: USA FREEDOM Act Would Be 'Tying Our Hands Behind Our Back.' Yes, That's Actually the Point of It.

U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this evening on a watered down version of the USA FREEDOM Act that aims to rein in some of the worst domestic surveillance abuses of the National Security Agency (NSA). The Guardian reports:

Libertarianish Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said that he won't support the bill because it's too weak. That is a mistake. When NSA-enabler McConnell and his minions take over the leadership of the Senate in January, they will certainly do nothing to prevent further unconstitutional NSA violations of the privacy and liberty protections afforded Americans by the Fourth Amendment.

“This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our back,” said McConnell, who will become majority leader in January.

“At the moment, we should not be doing anything to make the situation worse.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation notes:

The bill is far from what is needed, but it's better than nothing.

The new Senate version of the USA FREEDOM Act would:

-Rein in the NSA's illegal collection of millions of Americans' telephone records by amending one of the worst provisions of the PATRIOT Act, Section 215.

-Create a special advocate position that will serve as an amicus in the secret surveillance court, arguing for civil liberties and privacy.

-Provide new reporting requirements about surveillance, so that the NSA is forced to tell us how many people are actually being surveilled under its programs, including the program that allows the NSA to see the contents of Americans' communications without a warrant.

It extends the Patriot Act. I hardly believe it is better than nothing. This piece of legislation (Patriot Act) single handedly removed 300 years of the founding principles of this country in one shot. It alienates everyone. Continuous operation under the guise that some random person somewhere knows the endless amounts of people being monitored and it being in writing vs. some random person somewhere knowing the endless amounts of people being monitored and it not being in writing is hardly a solution. This (amongst most issues) is not a democrat v. republican problem it is an exposure that both our political parties are faulty and, generally, close to useless. They defraud our checks and balances and submit to profiteers and war mongers on the drop of a dime.

 

[Fennis]

Half a loaf is better than no bread. If we cannot secure all our rights, let us secure what we can.

"unless it interferes with your presidential bid"

 

[Fennis]

Mitch McConnell: USA FREEDOM Act Would Be 'Tying Our Hands Behind Our Back.' Yes, That's Actually the Point of It.

U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this evening on a watered down version of the USA FREEDOM Act that aims to rein in some of the worst domestic surveillance abuses of the National Security Agency (NSA). The Guardian reports:

Libertarianish Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said that he won't support the bill because it's too weak. That is a mistake. When NSA-enabler McConnell and his minions take over the leadership of the Senate in January, they will certainly do nothing to prevent further unconstitutional NSA violations of the privacy and liberty protections afforded Americans by the Fourth Amendment.

“This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our back,” said McConnell, who will become majority leader in January.

“At the moment, we should not be doing anything to make the situation worse.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation notes:

The bill is far from what is needed, but it's better than nothing.

The new Senate version of the USA FREEDOM Act would:

-Rein in the NSA's illegal collection of millions of Americans' telephone records by amending one of the worst provisions of the PATRIOT Act, Section 215.

-Create a special advocate position that will serve as an amicus in the secret surveillance court, arguing for civil liberties and privacy.

-Provide new reporting requirements about surveillance, so that the NSA is forced to tell us how many people are actually being surveilled under its programs, including the program that allows the NSA to see the contents of Americans' communications without a warrant.

It extends the Patriot Act. I hardly believe it is better than nothing. This piece of legislation (Patriot Act) single handedly removed 300 years of the founding principles of this country in one shot. It alienates everyone. Continuous operation under the guise that some random person somewhere knows the endless amounts of people being monitored and it being in writing vs. some random person somewhere knowing the endless amounts of people being monitored and it not being in writing is hardly a solution. This (amongst most issues) is not a democrat v. republican problem it is an exposure that both our political parties are faulty and, generally, close to useless. They defraud our checks and balances and submit to profiteers and war mongers on the drop of a dime.

glad you enjoy the status quo.

 

[Slapdash]

This is ridiculous.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Have fun with Hillary.

 

[Slapdash]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Oh, OK. Better keep collecting and abusing everyone's electronic information then. What a good, useful idiot you are.

 

[SacramentoBob]

This is ridiculous.

Which part?

 

[Slapdash]

This is ridiculous.

Which part?

The part where Rand doesn't vote for this bill. Repealing the Patriot Act is a pipedream at this point.

 

[tom22406]

The Patriot Act doesn't expire until the end of next year and I fully expect it to pass once it comes up again for a vote and even if Rand did get his wish and get stronger limits on the spying being done I don't see anyway Obama would sign it to begin with so this is really much ado about nothing IMO.

NSA will continue doing what it does and the Patriot Act will stick around for as long as we are alive and long after.

 

[Gary Coal Man]

Rand Paul meets with Al Sharpton on crime issues

Politico; 11/20/14 12:51 PM EST
Sen. Rand Paul and the Rev. Al Sharpton met for a “candid” breakfast date on Thursday.

“We talked about his position on dealing with some criminal justice issues that I am concerned about,” Sharpton said in a statement from the National Action Network, where he serves as president.

“We also discussed mandatory sentencing that he and Senator Cory Booker are proposing,” the statement continued. “It was a very candid and courteous conversation.”
Sharpton and Paul tweeted that they “don’t agree on much,” but both were in the Senate Dining Room to discuss working toward reforms that would benefit the African-American community.

“Sen. Paul and Rev. Sharpton discussed criminal justice reform, demilitarization of police, and the senator’s recent trip to Ferguson,” Paul’s spokesperson Eleanor May said in an email.

Sharpton has taken the lead in combating police violence in places such as New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, and has been a leading civil rights activist. Paul recently met with African-American groups in Ferguson, spoke at the National Urban League convention in July and has moved forward with the REDEEM Act, a bill proposed in conjunction with Booker to reform the criminal justice system.

Paul, who has talked about broadening the GOP’s outreach, has also set a goal to boost the African-American vote for Republicans from 6 percent in 2012 to 33 percent in 2016. “Until the Republican Party becomes more diverse, we are going to struggle,” Paul recently told POLITICO’s Mike Allen.

“This meeting is another example of Sen. Paul’s willingness to work across the aisle to solve our nation’s problems,” May said.

According to Sharpton, he and Paul “pledged to continue to have such conversations where conservatives and progressives can have dialogue and break the logjam in American discussion.”

Alright, now I'm on board with you guys who think that Rand may be crazy or delusional.

 

[timschochet]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Oh, OK. Better keep collecting and abusing everyone's electronic information then. What a good, useful idiot you are.

I generally root for the Gamecocks when they're on.

 

[timschochet]

Paul demonstrates why the anti-NSA people are typically so unreasonable. Yes the NSA has committed some excesses and there needs to be more safeguards. But no amount of safeguards will ever satisfy the paranoid among us.

Have fun with Hillary.

We all will.

 

[tom22406]

Sen. Rand Paul: Break Down the Wall That Separates Us From the ‘Other America’


We need to notice and be aware of the injustices embedded in our criminal justice system.

In his 1967 address to Stanford University, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of two Americas. He described them as, “two starkly different American experiences that exist side by side.”


In one America, people experienced “the opportunity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in all its dimensions.” In the other America, people experienced a “daily ugliness” that dashes hope and leaves only “the fatigue of despair.”

The uneasy coexistence of the two Americas is brought to bear by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Although I was born into the America that experiences and believes in opportunity, my trips to Ferguson, Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago have revealed that there is an undercurrent of unease.

Congressman John Lewis, who heroically marched in Selma, still sees two Americas. He writes: “One group of people in this country can expect the institutions of government to bend in their favor, no matter that they are supposedly regulated by impartial law.”

The other group: “[C]hildren, fathers, mothers, uncles, grandfathers . . . are swept up like rubbish by the hard unforgiving hand of the law. They are offered no lenience, even for petty offenses, in a system that seems hell-bent on warehousing them by the millions . . . while others escape the consequences of pervasive malfeasance scot-free.”

We need to notice and be aware of the injustices embedded in our criminal system. However, we shouldn’t be misled to believe that excessive force is the norm, not the exception. I believe that most police are conscientious and want only to provide safety for us.

The blame should be directed to the laws and the politicians who order police into untenable positions, that insist on “taking down” someone for selling a couple of untaxed cigarettes.

Our pursuit of justice should not obscure the fact that on many occasions, good people do step forward to find justice.

This past fall, Helen Johnson was desperate to feed her two daughters and their small children who had gone two days without food. When she got to the store, she discovered that the $1.25 she had was not enough to buy eggs. She was a mere fifty cents short, so she stuffed the eggs in her pocket.

Helen didn’t even make it out of the store before the police were notified.

When Police Officer William Stacy arrived, something special happened. Instead of handcuffing Helen and taking her to jail, he used discretion and compassion to mete out justice. He warned Helen not to steal again and he bought her the eggs himself. Helen saw Officer Stacy again on Thanksgiving Day. He delivered a truckload of groceries to Helen’s home. Her grandchildren were overjoyed and proclaimed that they had never seen so much food in all their lives.

It isn’t hard to find injustice around us, but we must not let injustice smear the good deeds that do occur everyday.

I am optimistic, but peace will only come when those of us who have enjoyed the American Dream become more aware of those who are missing out on the Dream.

The future of our country will be secure when we break down the wall that separates us from “the other America.”

Let’s commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King by uniting the two Americas into one: an America that includes justice for one, and justice for all.

Paul is the junior U.S. Senator for Kentucky.

http://time.com/3671819/sen-rand-paul-eric-garner-and-michael-brown-and-the-uneasy-coexistence-of-two-americas/

 

[SacramentoBob]

He seems to be pushing really hard for the black vote. Kind of odd, actually.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

He seems to be pushing really hard for the black vote. Kind of odd, actually.

I doubt that's his strategy. I see this as Paul trying to appeal to white moderates.

Moderates don't want to vote for somebody who they think might be racist. Fairly or unfairly (grossly unfairly IMO, that's immaterial), Paul has a "might be a racist" cloud hanging over him, and that's going to seriously limit his mainstream appeal. But if Paul can go out there and build a credible case that he has nothing against blacks, that he understands their problems, and that some of his policies will help address those problems -- drug policy being an obvious example -- then moderate whites can vote for him with a clear conscience.

To a lesser extent, this is why Republicans consistently show up at NAACP speaking events only to get blasted when they do. They know they're not going to get any black votes by attending, but they'll pick up some white votes that they would have lost if they had declined to appear.

 

[tom22406]

He seems to be pushing really hard for the black vote. Kind of odd, actually.

I doubt that's his strategy. I see this as Paul trying to appeal to white moderates.

Moderates don't want to vote for somebody who they think might be racist. Fairly or unfairly (grossly unfairly IMO, that's immaterial), Paul has a "might be a racist" cloud hanging over him, and that's going to seriously limit his mainstream appeal. But if Paul can go out there and build a credible case that he has nothing against blacks, that he understands their problems, and that some of his policies will help address those problems -- drug policy being an obvious example -- then moderate whites can vote for him with a clear conscience.

To a lesser extent, this is why Republicans consistently show up at NAACP speaking events only to get blasted when they do. They know they're not going to get any black votes by attending, but they'll pick up some white votes that they would have lost if they had declined to appear.

I agree with most of what you said and would add that I think he is trying to win over the black vote and also do what you suggested here.He has already put aside the "Isolationist" myth and is now working on bringing in more minority votes to his side.

I still think he has very little chance to win the nomination but I do like what he is trying to do here.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

He seems to be pushing really hard for the black vote. Kind of odd, actually.

I doubt that's his strategy. I see this as Paul trying to appeal to white moderates.

Moderates don't want to vote for somebody who they think might be racist. Fairly or unfairly (grossly unfairly IMO, that's immaterial), Paul has a "might be a racist" cloud hanging over him, and that's going to seriously limit his mainstream appeal. But if Paul can go out there and build a credible case that he has nothing against blacks, that he understands their problems, and that some of his policies will help address those problems -- drug policy being an obvious example -- then moderate whites can vote for him with a clear conscience.

To a lesser extent, this is why Republicans consistently show up at NAACP speaking events only to get blasted when they do. They know they're not going to get any black votes by attending, but they'll pick up some white votes that they would have lost if they had declined to appear.

I agree with most of what you said and would add that I think he is trying to win over the black vote and also do what you suggested here.He has already put aside the "Isolationist" myth and is now working on bringing in more minority votes to his side.

I still think he has very little chance to win the nomination but I do like what he is trying to do here.

Unfortunately what civil rights organizations most frequently want to hear is that they and groups like them and religious non-profits will receive funding. Until the GOP does that I don't think it will ever get the support of any black civil rights or community group or religious leader.

Rand will not promise to prosecute Wilson or the Ferguson DA or others like them so that won't help either, and he won't even throw them under the bus rhetorically either.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

 

[dickey moe]

THE worst? Worse than Maxine Waters?

 

[joffer]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

think I could name 50 worse in Congress alone

 

[Eminence]

If he goes against Hilary, we'll have our first female president.

 

[cstu]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

Not as long as Michelle Bachman is in office.

 

[Rayderr]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

Not as long as Michelle Bachman is in office.

She's not, and he's still not the worst.

 

[3C's]

Jon Stewart in response to Rand Paul SOTU response.

"Liberal elites fly over my small town, but they don't understand us," Paul said in his post-SOTU speech. "They simply seek to impose their will on us."

"'Liberal elites?'" Stewart said. "You're a doctor and a senator with a twelve-term congressman father and a first name synonymous with a Russian novelist."

"That's pretty ####### elite," he growled.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

Not as long as Michelle Bachman is in office.

She's not, she didn't run for reelection.

 

[Jack White]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

Now that his father has left office, it's a 535-way tie for worst.

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

He's the worst elected official in these United States. Even Lindsey Graham is appalled by this dooshcanoe.

Now that his father has left office, it's a 535-way tie for worst.

It was a 534-way tie....

 

[Sinn Fein]

Search function down?

Oh wait, yes it is....