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Rep. Paul says defense bill assures ‘descent into totalitarianism’
thehill.com/ ^ | 12/26/11 09:25 | Jonathan Easley

Posted on 12/27/2011 7:25:47 AM PST by VU4G10

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warned that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress this month, will accelerate the country’s “slip into tyranny” and virtually assures “our descent into totalitarianism.”

“The founders wanted to set a high bar for the government to overcome in order to deprive an individual of life or liberty,” Paul, the libertarian congressman, said Monday in a weekly phone message to supporters. “To lower that bar is to endanger everyone. When the bar is low enough to include political enemies, our descent into totalitarianism is virtually assured. The Patriot Act, as bad as its violations against the Fourth Amendment was, was just one step down the slippery slope. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act continues that slip into tyranny, and in fact, accelerates it significantly.”

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 4th; amendment; detained; fourth; gagdadbob; kook; onecosmosblog; paul; privacy; ron; tyranny
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To: TheBigIf
It never happened in the past when PAUL and the left claimed these things and I call BS this time as well.

Actually it did happen to Joseph Padilla. As a writ of habeas corpus got close to the Supreme Court, Bush knew he would get his head handed to him so he turned Padilla over to the Justice Department. This law is just trying to further codify the Patriot Act.

However, when they try this again, if it makes it to the Supreme Court, this law will be struck down just like major pieces of the Patriot Act already have, and it will not be close (8-1 or 9-0) so they will have to use extrreme care to keep this law on the books.

On the other hand, that does not excuse the traitors that voted for it. May they rot in hell.
41 posted on 12/27/2011 8:35:58 AM PST by microgood
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To: Raider Sam
.....Pretty soon, people will agree with him 100%, and still say that.

Oh yeah? Do you think that traitor Bradley Manning is a hero? Do you think there is any chance most conservatives will ever think that? The list of Ron Paul quackery is very long and the vast majority of conservatives will never agree or go along with him on any of it.

Like all libertarians, Ron Paul has many good points to make on economic issues and is profoundly wrong on foreign and defense policy - so wrong he falls into kook territory. Most conservatives, including myself, will agree with him on a lot of economic issues. Most conservatives, including myself, will never, ever agree with him on his leftist foreign and defense policy views. When it comes to libertarians like Ron Paul, this dynamic is simply not going to change.

42 posted on 12/27/2011 8:38:57 AM PST by Longbow1969
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To: microgood

Yes I know of Padilla and agree that his case should have been handled differently but this is why we have a Judicial system.

I am not sure of what major pieces of the Patriot Act have been struck down. I have only seen it upheld by the Courts as being Constitutional.


43 posted on 12/27/2011 8:41:40 AM PST by TheBigIf
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To: TheBigIf

For God’s sake would you please forget Ron Paul and read the legislation in question. It is real and very dangerous.


44 posted on 12/27/2011 8:42:07 AM PST by JGT
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To: TheBigIf; An.American.Expatriate

When do gangs become terrorists? If a Blood or Crip is trying to kill Americans, are they not terrorists? Do they lose their rights? If the battlefield includes America, then who becomes a combatant? How about the anti-government militias?

Although, we have already seen the US government kill innocent people while trying to kill someone they thought was a radical militiaman after trying to frame him for a non-violent crime. So it is not all that unreasonable that the FBI would be fine firing on citizens, and if the US is classified a battlefield, then citizens can become combatants.

To me, the deplorable security views are the ones that send troops in to fight a quick war, then leave them there for a decade to build infrastructure and get shot at. Either go in to win or dont go, but half-assing a war is truly deplorable. And that is what the majority of both parties has done since WWII.


45 posted on 12/27/2011 8:42:58 AM PST by Raider Sam (They're on our left, right, front, and back. They aint gettin away this time!)
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To: microgood

Also one case does not make Paul right at all. The claims by Paul and others like him is that these laws would result in a loss of our liberty and not just the random single case that is to be disputed of the law being improperly applied.

Again that is why we have Courts and other checks and balances. Any law can be abused even if they are Constitutional or not.


46 posted on 12/27/2011 8:44:34 AM PST by TheBigIf
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To: Raider Sam
If a Blood or Crip is trying to kill Americans, are they not terrorists?

I have been preaching this since the mid 80's - terrorists use violence, or the threat of the use of violence, to further a political cause. [Official DoD Definition].

Either go in to win or dont go, but half-assing a war is truly deplorable.

QFT.

47 posted on 12/27/2011 8:49:01 AM PST by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: VU4G10

Heading out. Doctors appointment.


48 posted on 12/27/2011 8:49:15 AM PST by TheBigIf
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To: TheBigIf

You are such a drama queen. I never said you were wrong or right about something, I asked you to clarify your statement. You said “in each and every case they have lied...” So I asked you to back it up.


49 posted on 12/27/2011 8:49:43 AM PST by Raider Sam (They're on our left, right, front, and back. They aint gettin away this time!)
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To: TheBigIf
As to this specific piece of legisaltion I will admit I need to study it more...

Yep.

50 posted on 12/27/2011 8:50:00 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing)
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To: TheBigIf

You are wrong about this bill and because you haven’t studied it you should just keep quite until you know what you’re talking about.


51 posted on 12/27/2011 8:51:31 AM PST by stockpirate (Romney and Ann Coulture are Big Government socialists, just like other republican elites.)
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To: TheBigIf

“I say BS. This is the same type of garbage that was claimed about the Patriot Act and the survellience of enemy communications across our borders.”

How do full-body xrays and having my luggage pawed square with the 4th Amendment, the one that says “The right of the people to be secure in their PERSONS, HOUSES, PAPERS, AND EFFECTS, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Maybe you just like being felt up by TSA?


52 posted on 12/27/2011 8:51:31 AM PST by spaced
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To: pingman
Throwing out the baby with the bath water, or did you forget the sarcasm tag?
53 posted on 12/27/2011 8:51:31 AM PST by semaj
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To: TheBigIf

Spoken like a true statist shill.


54 posted on 12/27/2011 8:53:44 AM PST by semaj
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To: Longbow1969

No, it was kinda a joke. But there is a lot of truth to it. Everyone seems to want anyone who will talk “conservative,” whatever that means, but they run from the one guy who wants to change the scope of government because of one issue here or there.


55 posted on 12/27/2011 8:53:49 AM PST by Raider Sam (They're on our left, right, front, and back. They aint gettin away this time!)
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To: TheBigIf
Again that is why we have Courts and other checks and balances.

You convienently forget that, in the case of Padilla, he was denied access to the courts based on the Patriot Act. There was no abuse of the law.

You also ignore the fact that the current legislation further codifies this into the law. A detainee (i.e. a person the President has determined is a threat) has NO recourse to the judicial system whatsoever!

56 posted on 12/27/2011 8:54:53 AM PST by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: TheBigIf
I am not sure of what major pieces of the Patriot Act have been struck down. I have only seen it upheld by the Courts as being Constitutional.

I think it has been invalidated in a couple of places but here is one:

Judge rules part of Patriot Act Unconstitutional
57 posted on 12/27/2011 8:54:59 AM PST by microgood
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To: muddler

No, no due process for americans, that’s the problem, no court or judge oversight, no rights whatsoever.


58 posted on 12/27/2011 8:55:19 AM PST by stockpirate (Romney and Ann Coulture are Big Government socialists, just like other republican elites.)
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To: TheBigIf
"In the past the lie has been to pretend that we are talking about American citizens when in reality we are talking about foreigners for one.

The language contained in this law is vague to the point that it can and will be abused. You can't seriously trust the government to govern itself and respect the Constitution do you? What agency do you work for?

59 posted on 12/27/2011 8:56:54 AM PST by semaj
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To: pingman

>>>Sorry, Rep. Paul, but I can’t listen to you, no matter how prescient your words are. After all, you’re a nut!<<<

Get your head out of the sand. The NDAA is the most serious violation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights since the Alien & Sedition acts of the John Adams administration. The NDAA essentially provides for back door “Bills of Attainder” by removing the protection of a jury trial. Bills of Attainder are specifically prohibited by the Constitution for both the federal and state governments. Additionally, the 5th Amendment specifically prohibits a citizen being “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”.

The NDAA also provides for the back door violations of the 1st Amendment in that it keep citizens from exercising their rights to free speech and to petition government for redress of grievences for fear of being labeled a “terrorist” and becoming a political prisoner.

Again, get you head out of the sand.


60 posted on 12/27/2011 8:58:06 AM PST by PhilipFreneau
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