Posted on 03/15/2008 9:13:01 AM PDT by pissant
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), he of the quixotic GOP presidential campaign and unique policy positions, is never one to be shy about his opinions. Take the case of fallen New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), whose political career fell apart this week after his liaisons with high-priced call girls became public. Spitzer resigned his office effective Monday.
Most politicians from both sides of the aisle publicly (at least) offered condolences for Spitzer and his poor family, including his three daughters, but didn't — of course — defend Spitzer's atrocious behavior.
But for Paul, Spitzer's downfall at the hands of a Justice Dept. investigation shows government at its worst. Yes, Spitzer climbed to power on the backs of political enemies he destroyed, making him not a swell guy, but he didn't deserve what happened to him. The FBI should have never been allowed to listen in to his phone call in the first place, according to the Texas Republican.
Here's the statement Paul made on the House floor last night. It's worth reading, at least for the enlightenment it gives into Paul's view of the world, which basically comes down to who controls the money:
"Madam Speaker, it has been said that 'he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.' And in the case of Eliot Spitzer, this couldn't be more true. In his case it's the political sword, as his enemies rejoice in his downfall. Most people, it seems, believe he got exactly what he deserved.
"The illegal tools of the state brought Spitzer down, but think of all the harm done by Spitzer in using the same tools against so many other innocent people. He practiced what could be termed 'economic McCarthyism,' using illegitimate government power to build his political career on the ruined lives of others.
"No matter how morally justified his comeuppance may be, his downfall demonstrates the worst of our society. The possibility of uncovering personal moral wrongdoing is never a justification for the government to spy on our every move and to participate in sting operations.
"For government to entice a citizen to break a law with a sting operation — that is, engaging in activities that a private citizen is prohibited by law from doing — is unconscionable and should clearly be illegal.
"Though Spitzer used the same tools to destroy individuals charged with economic crimes that ended up being used against him, gloating over his downfall should not divert our attention from the fact that the government spying on American citizens is unworthy of a country claiming respect for liberty and the Fourth Amendment.
"Two wrongs do not make a right. Two wrongs make it doubly wrong.
"Sacrifice of our personal privacy has been ongoing for decades but has rapidly accelerated since 9/11. Before 9/11, the unstated goal of collecting revenue was the real reason for the erosion of our financial privacy. When 19 suicidal maniacs attacked us on 9/11, our country became convinced that further sacrifice of personal and financial privacy was required for our security.
"The driving force behind this ongoing sacrifice of our privacy has been fear and the emotional effect of war rhetoric — war on drugs, war against terrorism and the war against Third World nations in the Middle East who are claimed to be the equivalent to Hitler and Nazi Germany.
"But the real reason for all this surveillance is to build the power of the state. It arises from a virulent dislike of free people running their own lives and spending their own money. Statists always demand control of the people and their money.
"Recently we've been told that this increase in the already intolerable invasion of our privacy was justified because the purpose was to apprehend terrorists. We were told that the massive amounts of information being collected on Americans would only be used to root out terrorists. But as we can see today, this monitoring of private activities can also be used for political reasons. We should always be concerned when the government accumulates information on innocent citizens.
"Spitzer was brought down because he legally withdrew cash from a bank — not because he committed a crime. This should prompt us to reassess and hopefully reverse this trend of pervasive government intrusion in our private lives.
"We need no more Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act! No more Violent Radicalization & Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Acts! No more torture! No more Military Commissions Act! No more secret prisons and extraordinary rendition! No more abuse of habeas corpus! No more Patriot Acts!
"What we need is more government transparency and more privacy for the individual!"
Paul may be correct in these allegations against the federal government or he may not be. There is too little info currently available for an informed opinion on that. Perhaps Paul is premature in making such an allegation or perhaps he knows more than the media has told us.
Well put, Allegra.
I don’t give a rat’s patootie what the oh-so-not-uptight-about-sex eurotwits think of our attitude on this.
It is about the hypocrisy of destroying peoples lives and reputations with glee and apparent relish, for the very same thing he was caught doing.
I could give a damn about a politician visiting prostitutes. But when the person in question is held up as some kind of moral crusader by liberals, the most amoral group there is, and he carries the banner with prejudice, that is what this is all about.
Amen. And not necessarily just our forefathers. Some of our contemporaries are still fighting and risking their lives for these liberties right now, or did so sometime in the past.
Actually, the chipping away at individual and private freedom and the growth of government power has been going on for about a century, beginning in the "Progressive Era." It's only the rate of erosion of freedom that has varied from time to time within that century.
follow the money...the rest of your post summed up the plain lazy ego that has been woven into the fabric of our country...
wait til the state starts assigning livelihoods and such, these will be the first ones screaming about the state of the union...
LFOD...
“Live Free or Die !”
BLOAT
She’s not going to be making any donations to a charitable cause, I don’t believe. She’s a greedy, immature, spoiled brat who had better save every penny she makes in the next few months, because she’s going to end up on skid row - a full fledged drug addict, with over 20 std’s.
What a horrible life to choose. (And, she’s just getting started........)
On the grounds that the paleoweasel Ron Paul sides with America’s Islamofascist enemies in time of war. What better reason could there be???
Au contraire. PaleoPaulie IS perfect-—a perfect idiot and a perfect treasonous weasel in time of war as well.
It is probable that a majority of FReepers are going to join in defeating the Demonratic nominee whoever or whatever he, she or it may be. The traditional method is by voting GOP. But you knew that....
We shall be agreeing to disagree. Paul belongs in the menagerie of Her Satanic Majesty and of Hussein Obama and would split their votes not those of the GOP. Nader is back for another go ‘round too! Money is merely money. Nationalism and morality trump mere money every time.
Right up until they nominate a Democrat.
Which, unfortunately, they are fixin' to do.
I know you as a principled guy and respect you, whatever our differences may be. My peevishness is not directed at you personally but at the broad range of spoiled conservatives for whom no candidate capable of nomination and election will ever be sufficiently conservative.
Fortunately, the Demonrats have plenty of problems too. President McCain is how he will be known soon enough. This will be one verrrrrrry nasty election. Those of us old enough to remember, as their contemporaries, Obama's pals William Ayres and Bernardine Doehrn (Bernardine the SDS queen) who killed a prosecutor on the streets of Chicago 35 years ago by kicking him to death will apply our knowledge to Obama not by haranguing and screaming and what not but by quietly demolishing the man with facts. His pastor is the least of his problems now.
Whatever it may please those disconnected from reality to say, McCain may be aggravating at times but he is no Demonrat. All this exaggeration gets the exaggerators nowhere.
May God bless you and yours.
It was libertarians (Ron Paul, Tucker Carlson) who were complaining about how Spitzer got caught, keeping track of his bank withdrawals.
Again, Paul said that Spitzer was the victim of a sting operation, which he manifestly was not. Paul, as usual, was not aware of what happened - he just saw the incident as an excuse for extemporaneous speechifying on his favorite topics.
After seeing you wail about him being “the king of pork” over a shrimp subsidy one day to touting Chris Peden and newspaper articles talking about how Pededen would bring more federal money to the district the next, I’m not inclined to care much about what you have to say about the issues involved. Peddle your New Conservative New Deal uber fedgov answers to somebody else. I ain’t buying it.
Now, I am waiting to hear one of your 4th-grade level rants at these FReepers for voting for socliastcommiepipsqueak Hillary in a time war.
Glory be. Y'all are willing to do that for John McCain? Super.
What a shame the same determination wasn't accorded Alan Keyes four years ago when we started the process of telling the truth on Obama.
Instead, we were rewarded with the state party chairman calling the Republican nominee names, and other indignities.
The guy who's betrayed us at every turn gets the full treatment, and the man who has boldly and courageously applied his considerable gifts to advocating our positions better than anybody gets screwed.
That's the new McCain GOP.
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