Posted on 12/18/2020 8:26:03 AM PST by RandFan
As this term ends, and I look back on the record of Donald Trump as president, one thing stands out: he has been far more libertarian and done more on foreign policy and civil liberties than has any recent president.
First, as in my previous profession as a physician, my first yardstick for a politician is to “do no harm.” President Trump has started no new wars, has kept us out of conflicts like Syria, and has been actively attempting to wind down the wars he inherited in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also inherited another reaction to the war on terror — the so-called Patriot Act. The Patriot Act has been used to spy on Americans since 2001, and many parts of it should never have been passed and should not be allowed to continue. This past year, when some of the worst parts of the Patriot Act were up for renewal, President Trump stopped its renewal with a veto threat.
The Deep State and the War Caucus were in a frenzy when that happened — “How will we survive? The terrorists will surely overrun us!” When I filibustered the renewal of the Patriot Act, a senior Republican senator warned me, “We’ll have no way to fight the terrorists!” I replied, “We could try something novel and simply follow the Constitution!”
Well, we’ve done that for months now, and all is well. We should keep doing that in the new administration.
Lovers of liberty have President Trump to thank for his foreign policy and opposition to Patriot Act renewal — but there is one more important symbolic step he needs to take now. He should pardon Edward Snowden for revealing the unconstitutional spying that was going on, even beyond what was envisioned from the Patriot Act.
Itis important to remember that Snowden leaked information about unconstitutional spying and was motivated to do so after watching Obama Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lie about it under oath. Clapper lied to Congress multiple times, along with participating in many unconstitutional endeavors, including spying on Americans and participating in the Russia Hoax. He lied in 2013, and he lied again during the Russia probe.
He and others like him in the Deep State abused power and shredded the Constitution. And Snowden exposed them.
Contrary to the media narrative, Snowden was attempting to expose this type of anti-American behavior from the Deep State, not damage our security. In his own words, he said,
I would say the breaking point was seeing the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, directly lie under oath to Congress. There’s no saving an intelligence community that believes it can lie to the public and the legislators who need to be able to trust it and regulate its actions. Seeing that really meant for me that there was no going back. Beyond that, it was the creeping realization that no one else was going to do this. The public had a right to know about these programs. The public had a right to know that which the government is doing in its name, and that which the government is doing against the public.
Barack Obama, trying to protect the Deep State liars, tried to imprison Snowden for being a “traitor.” Joe Biden — an ally of the Deep State and self-proclaimed author of parts of the Patriot Act — would continue the wrongful prosecution.
But Snowden is no traitor. He is a true whistleblower who was trying to expose those like Clapper who used Deep State powers in secret to go after Americans. Snowden should be pardoned. And this president, who distinguished himself as an opponent of the Deep State on issues of war and spying on Americans, should be the one to do it.
Rand Paul, MD, is a U.S. senator from Kentucky.
Agree.
And Julian Assange.
I’d like to see President Trump pardon Snowden, Assange, and declassify all those documents he’s teased us about doing over the years but I have a sneaking suspicion that when it’s all over, I’m going to be disappointed on all three.
Me: Rand Paul should announce he’s rejecting any Fake Biden electors, with the courageous Rep Mo Brooks.
When those he exposed are far worse than anything he did - especially when the rules allow them, to hide behind them and make “whistleblowers” the criminals, I tend to agree.
Even if he gets a pardon he will be scheduled for an Arkancide if he ever returns.
And former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-TX
If Rand chickens out because of McC, maybe Cruz or Tuberville will step up.
Yes, but if Snowden gets a pardon, he is stark raving insane if he ever comes back here. All it would take is for a democrat AG to charge him despite the pardon, and for the Roberts treason court to “find” a limit on the pardon power just the way they found a right to abortion or sodomy.
We are no longer living under rule of law and they WILL imprison him, pardoned or not. Our government is now a close imitation of the Soviet government.
Dominated by the elderly? Check
Fake elections? Check
Pervasive domestic surveillance? Check
The path to comfort and power is association with government? Check
Aggressive foreign policy fomenting unrest around the world? Check
All TV and Movies support the socialist government. Check
Willfully ignoring sane economics? Check.
Loss of job over political “crimes”. Check.
Censorship and persecution of dissidents? Check
Spying on any domestic opponent? Check
Constant and pervasive propaganda? Check
Better consumer goods (So far) but DC is no different than the old Soviet government.
But in the end, it’s the right thing to do for one simple reason. Look at the people it enrages. Lindsey Graham, Feinstein, Boehner, Liz and Daddy Cheney, Obama, Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, McConnell, Bush, Comey, Haspel, etc.
If it makes them mad, it’s the right thing to do.
Assange and Snowden both should be pardoned.
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