Effective and Practical Counter-Terrorism Measures (Ron Paul 10/15/2001)

RON PAUL LIBRARY (ARCHIVES) ^ | 21 OCTOBER 2001 | CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

TEXAS STRAIGHT TALK BY RON PAUL

Over the past month I have introduced several bills designed to address terrorism and make Americans feel more secure. While many counter-terrorism proposals were considered in Congress last week, my belief is that the most effective steps we can take do not infringe upon the civil liberties of American citizens. In fact, I believe only a free society can ever be truly secure. The goal should be to make terrorists feel threatened, not the American people.

Here are some concrete steps Congress can take immediately to make our borders, our cities, and our skies more secure:

• Arm Pilots: It is unthinkable to leave pilots defenseless in the cockpit after the events of September 11th. We trust pilots to operate multimillion dollar machines filled with human cargo, yet incredibly we do not trust them with firearms. While airport security certainly can be strengthened, pilots must have the choice to carry weapons as a last line of defense against future hijacking attempts.

• Immigration Restrictions: Common sense tells us that we should not currently be admitting aliens from nations that sponsor or harbor terrorists. Remember, only U.S. citizens have constitutional rights; non-citizens are in the country at the discretion of the State department. While we should generally welcome people from around the world whenever possible, we cannot allow potential enemies or terrorists to enter the country now under any circumstances. My legislation would restrict immigration, including the granting of student visas, by individuals from nations listed as terrorist threats by the State department.

• Better intelligence gathering: Burdensome regulations and bureaucratic turf wars hamper the ability of federal law enforcement personnel to share information about terrorists. My proposal would slash regulations and make sure the CIA, FBI, State department, Justice department, and military work together to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts.

• Harsher criminal penalties for terrorists: The federal statute of limitations for terrorist offenses should be eliminated, so that suspects can never breathe easy even 10 or 20 years from now. Jail sentences and penalties should be increased, and the death penalty should be possible for many offenses. Terrorist attempts and conspiracies should be treated as harshly as completed acts.

• Letters of marque and reprisal: This constitutional tool can be used to give President Bush another weapon in the war on terrorism. Congress can issue letters of marque against terrorists and their property that authorize the President to name private sources who can capture or kill our enemies. This method works in conjunction with our military efforts, creating an incentive for people on the ground close to Bin Laden to kill or capture him and his associates. Letters of marque are especially suited to the current war on terrorism, which will be fought against individuals who can melt into the civilian population or hide in remote areas. The goal is to avail ourselves of the intelligence of private parties, who may stand a better chance of finding Bin Laden than we do through a conventional military invasion. Letters of marque also may help us avoid a wider war with Afghanistan or other Middle Eastern nations.

• End legal preferences for terrorist suspects: Congress should clarify all federal criminal statutes to insure that so-called "extralegal" preferences for criminal terrorist suspects are eliminated. In some past terrorist investigations, federal rules have been interpreted to require law enforcement to show something more than standard probable cause to obtain warrants. Law enforcement officials should never have to demonstrate anything more than standard probable cause when seeking a warrant in the war on terrorism.

[takenoprisoner]

Ron Paul is making sense using common sense.

And he's winning straw polls in NH

[End Times Crusader]

Yet he can’t rise above 5% in national polls.

[dcwusmc]

Anything useful to say about the actual TOPIC of this thread or is it gonna just be your usual insipid, inane and meaningless comments?

[Wolfie]

I would have expected all of these (especially the first two) to have been passed on 9/12. The fact that they weren’t is why I don’t really pay any attention to the “War on Terrorism”. Its obviously just another tool of the elite ruling class, used to scare the sheep into submission. And of course, the Kool-Aid drinkers lap it up.

[lormand]

Stenchhippy Cameltoes for Paul - Ping!

[mnehring]

Immigration Restrictions: Common sense tells us that we should not currently be admitting aliens from nations that sponsor or harbor terrorists....

Nice words, too bad he voted against putting the military and national guard on the border.

[ejonesie22]

Ok, TrippE, I’ll play...

“Letters of marque and reprisal”

Please explain to me why this would work in this day and age.

I ask this in light of the fact that no merry band of mercenaries as taken up our government's offer of 50 Million Dollars for Osama’s head. That’s pretty good scratch for a solider of fortune and his men.

[ejonesie22]

Ah details...

[SnakeDoctor]

Many of his proposals sound reasonable to enhance the current War on Terrorism. A couple of problems ...

>>> Burdensome regulations and bureaucratic turf wars hamper the ability of federal law enforcement personnel to share information about terrorists. My proposal would slash regulations and make sure the CIA, FBI, State department, Justice department, and military work together to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts.

First of all - did Ron Paul not say that he wanted to disband the CIA ... now he wants to strengthen the CIA? Which is it? Inconsistency, or backpedaling?

Secondly, this is precisely what the PATRIOT Act does - an act that has drawn some derision from Rep. Paul.

Overall - I like most of the proposals he’s given here ... they seem reasonable additions to the current counterterrorist playbook. These proposals, however, are not a comprehensive counterterriorist plan, cannot replace the current (relatively effective) counterterrorist measures implemented by the Bush Administration, and are not a reasonable substitute for an international, offensive counterterrorist strategy.

However, he implies (or perhaps states outright) that we’re currently infringing on the civil liberties of American citizens, and that the American people can and should feel threatened by the current counterterrorism measures that have been adopted. What a bunch of ACLU nonsense. The rights of the American people have not been abridged in the current War on Terrorism.

Ron Paul has some reasonably good ideas here and there ... unfortunately, he’s also got some monumentally stupid ideas as well. The reasonableness of these proposals cannot make up for previous nonsense spouted by the congressman.

H

[mnehring]

Paul falls into the same problem as many democrats. On one hand, he wants to eliminate the Patriot Act- the very act designed to meet the the problems identified by the 9.11 commission, but on the other hand, he complains that the President isn’t implementing the recommendations by the 9.11 commission. Add on top of that what you’ve pointed out, Paul wanting to eliminate the CIA and you’ll find what we have here is a populist opportunist.

[Lurker]

Exactly which of his ideas do you disagree with and why do you disagree with them?

L

[mnehring]

..more like:

[elhombrelibre]

I suspect she looks like most Run Paul supporters and is every bit as bright.

[JTN]

Oh, yeah? Do you have that "on good authority"?

[JTN]

On one hand, he wants to eliminate the Patriot Act- the very act designed to meet the the problems identified by the 9.11 commission, but on the other hand, he complains that the President isn’t implementing the recommendations by the 9.11 commission.

Allow me to point out the obvious. The USA PATRIOT act was not among the recommendations of the 9/11 commission report, because the 9/11 commission report didn't exist yet.

[lormand]

ejonesie22, don't be silly.

Ron Paul will hire a Janet Reno type and do an early morning minivan raid using special Letter of Marque clerks to issue the letter.

< /rolling my eyes in disappointment >

[ejonesie22]

Pirates aren’t what they used to be...

Arrgh...

[383rr]

LOL

[JTN]

I have to give credit for that graphic where it belongs. I don’t know it it’s CJ Wolf’s work, but that’s the first person I saw post it. Thanks, CJ!

[CJ Wolf]

“I have to give credit for that graphic where it belongs. I don’t know it it’s CJ Wolf’s work, but that’s the first person I saw post it. Thanks, CJ!”

I put it together and feel free to use it. Actually where credit is due is to lormand who supplied the first graphic frame over and over and then 5th. We had a dueling static graphical arguments for a while.