Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Quote Of The GOP Debate: Rep. Ron Paul Defends Heroin As ‘An Exercise Of Liberty’
Mediaite.com ^ | 05/06/2011 | Frances Martel

Posted on 05/05/2011 10:01:32 PM PDT by OldDeckHand

While it took a little while for the Republican candidates attending tonight’s debate to get going, the sheer diversity on the panel guaranteed some spirited answers, paramount among them Rep. Ron Paul’s steadfast adherence to civil liberties, which somehow concluded with him supporting legalization of heroin to raucous applause– highlighting the thick tension between conservatives and libertarians on the GOP.

During a “lightning round” where candidates were asked to answer questions about the issues that would give them the most problems during the primaries, both libertarian candidates– Paul and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson– were asked to defend their liberal stances on drugs. First was Rep. Paul, who Fox’s Chris Wallace confronted with his controversial position that drugs and prostitution should be legalized. His unapologetic response elicited cheers from the crowd, as he argues that, just as “you don’t have the First Amendment so you could talk about the weather,” civil liberties do not exist to protect personal rights upon which most agree. He later likened private freedoms like this to religious freedoms, prompting Wallace’s follow-up: “Are you suggesting that heroin and prostitution are an exercise of liberty?”

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; dopertarians; drugs; heroin; paul; paulkucinich12; rlc; ronpaul; whytheycallitdope
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 201-202 next last
To: OldDeckHand

How many posters here would use heroin if the govt. made it legal?


21 posted on 05/05/2011 10:23:12 PM PDT by Rudder (The Main Stream Media is Our Enemy---get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Antoninus

Libertarians are just cute and fuzzy anarchists. They don’t have the foresight to realize their form of liberty will only liberate themselves from this mortal coil, because they have no one’s back and no one has theirs. Easily picked off.


22 posted on 05/05/2011 10:23:20 PM PDT by TwoSwords (The Lord is a man of war, Exodus 15:3)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Prokopton
"Government has to point out some provision in the Constitution where it is given the specific authority to prevent you from doing what you want. "

Where in the Constitution does it say the Federal Government has the right to keep me from enriching my own uranium, or constructing my own nuclear reactor.

Libertarian absolutist argument bore the hell out of me.

23 posted on 05/05/2011 10:23:52 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: I see my hands

I’m 25 and a nobody in this world, so yeah, somebody else will do it.


24 posted on 05/05/2011 10:28:34 PM PDT by wastedyears (SEAL SIX makes me proud to have been playing SOCOM since 2003.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Antoninus
I should have said,

human catastrophe is what we have now. Have you been shot at yet over this stupid war? I am living proof you don't need to have anything to do with the drugs to get shot at in this war.

Personally I am at the point if drug addicts want to kill themselves let them.

25 posted on 05/05/2011 10:28:44 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: OldDeckHand

Perhaps a Freeper can read this and then reconsider. http://www.rand.org/multi/dprc/projects/legalization_debate.html


26 posted on 05/05/2011 10:29:21 PM PDT by Bronzy (We Remembered In November.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rudder

Not me


27 posted on 05/05/2011 10:29:49 PM PDT by wastedyears (SEAL SIX makes me proud to have been playing SOCOM since 2003.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: TwoSwords
I am an Ayn Rand Libertarian NOT the hippie idiots that call themselves Libertarians such as Ron Paul

I just agree with this point.

28 posted on 05/05/2011 10:33:27 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Rudder
How many posters here would use heroin if the govt. made it legal?

None. That's why the audience applauded.

Paul just hit $1 million dollars in his 'money bomb' today.

29 posted on 05/05/2011 10:34:55 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Iron Munro; everyone

GAME ON! RUN SARAH RUN! LOOK HERE!


30 posted on 05/05/2011 10:35:58 PM PDT by onyx (If you truly support Sarah Palin and want to be on her busy ping list, let me know!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: OldDeckHand

Then why did you use an absolutist argument to prove another absolutist argument wrong?


31 posted on 05/05/2011 10:37:09 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

Paul is definitely not a statist, and I respect his trust of the individual.


32 posted on 05/05/2011 10:39:55 PM PDT by Gene Eric (*** Jesus ***)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mnehring
An exercise in Liberty brought to you by the Taliban?

Ha ha! Yah, right!

Go search and find the last time the U.S. military burned an opium field in Afganistan.

If you studied your history, you'd know that the Taliban forbade the growing of opium. By 2001, they had nearly wiped out all Afghan opium production.

Since we've been in Afghanistan, opium production has skyrocketed with 93% of the world's opium coming from Afghanistan, all guarded by the U.S. military.

33 posted on 05/05/2011 10:40:38 PM PDT by Ol' Dan Tucker (People should not be afraid of the government. Governement should be afraid of the people)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Steve Van Doorn
"Then why did you use an absolutist argument to prove another absolutist argument wrong?"

Reductio Ad Absurdum.

The only way to counter an absurd argument is with another absurd argument.

34 posted on 05/05/2011 10:40:52 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Ol' Dan Tucker

Well, you’re about half right.

The Taliban started letting people grow again when it became a net benefit to them to do so. It helped their war effort...see an article in one of the last few months of National Geographic for details.


35 posted on 05/05/2011 10:50:06 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Anyone who says we need illegals to do the jobs Americans won't do has never watched "Dirty Jobs.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: OldDeckHand
highlighting the thick tension between conservatives and libertarians on the GOP.

Some guy once said that libertarianism is the heart of conservatism. I believe it was Reagan.

36 posted on 05/05/2011 10:51:25 PM PDT by oldbrowser (Blaming the prince of fools shouldn't blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that elected him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Silverback
The Taliban started letting people grow again when it became a net benefit to them to do so. It helped their war effort...see an article in one of the last few months of National Geographic for details.

How many fields have the U.S. military destroyed since we've been there?

What percentage of the world's opium production comes from Afghanistan?

37 posted on 05/05/2011 10:52:39 PM PDT by Ol' Dan Tucker (People should not be afraid of the government. Governement should be afraid of the people)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: wastedyears

Heroin junkies affect everyone around them. There is no such thing as a moderate user of heroin. They can’t hold jobs because they spend all of their time shooting up. They’ll rob, steal, and kill to finance their addiction. The only way to protect society from them is by putting them behind bars.


38 posted on 05/05/2011 10:55:35 PM PDT by death2tyrants
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: OldDeckHand

We’re on the verge of a dollar collapse, and we’re talking about poppies....


39 posted on 05/05/2011 10:56:37 PM PDT by kevao
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lazlo in PA

“I am watching the replay now. I just saw a message from the Chair of the SC GOP. She is a smokin’ hot chick. We have pasty fat guys running the GOP in PA. It’s not fair.”

That’s cause PA is (culturally) the East. SC is the South.

Women are hotter in the South. And not afraid to be women.

They’re also tougher, will kick someone’s rear if messed with (after whcih their Dad/brother/male friend will, or all three.)

But you treat them like a lady, they’ll treat you like a man.

Frankly, that terrifies and horrifies libs.

If that sounds good to you, then may I suggest a move?

/a Texan

PS Yes, these are generalizations. There are women (and men) of similar quality in the East and even CA. I know, have lived both places. They’re just far rarer...


40 posted on 05/05/2011 10:57:06 PM PDT by piytar (The Four Horsemen: War, Pestilence, Famine, and Bob. Be not proud, Bob! (ht to Gen.Blather))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 201-202 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson