For the last few presidential election cycles, Ron Paul was the crazy uncle of the GOP debates. America was under attack by terrorists, but for Ron Paul, that did not matter. He wanted to follow an isolationist foreign policy. It put him far outside the mainstream and made his candidacy a joke.
For 2016, Ron Paul is no longer a candidate. This time we have his son, senator Rand Paul running instead. It seems that the crazy apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In the last week, senator Paul has prevented the renewal of the Patriot Act, so that the various anti-terrorist programs which the act authorize are going to end Saturday.
Let's look at the issue that motivates Paul. He is against the collection of telephone metadata by the National Security Agency. Metadata consists of a few bits of information: 1. what number made the call; 2. what number was called; and 3. how long the call lasted. That's it; nothing more. The content of the call is not included. There are rules governing when the government can look at the metadata which include the need for a warrant from the FISA court, but let's stick just with the metadata for the moment. There's nothing private about it. Phone companies have kept this data since the start of the telephone industry. For years, it was the basis for all telephone bills. That means that no individual in the USA, no matter who, has any expectation of privacy for this data about personal phone calls. Long established law makes clear that without any expectation of privacy, there is no constitutional issue. If this issue ever gets back in front of the Supreme Court, we will undoubtedly have that point reconfirmed.
Paul, however, treats the collection of metadata like it was some major breach of constitutional protections. He gets nearly hysterical on the subject.
The truth is that Paul's reaction to this subject disqualifies him from ever being president. Our president needs to be clear headed and to understand the dangers facing this country. Unlike Paul, he or she needs to appreciate the danger presented by the terrorist threat. Unlike Paul, he or she needs to deal with the reality of things not some hyped and hysterical delusional view.
It's time to write off Paul as a candidate.
For 2016, Ron Paul is no longer a candidate. This time we have his son, senator Rand Paul running instead. It seems that the crazy apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In the last week, senator Paul has prevented the renewal of the Patriot Act, so that the various anti-terrorist programs which the act authorize are going to end Saturday.
Let's look at the issue that motivates Paul. He is against the collection of telephone metadata by the National Security Agency. Metadata consists of a few bits of information: 1. what number made the call; 2. what number was called; and 3. how long the call lasted. That's it; nothing more. The content of the call is not included. There are rules governing when the government can look at the metadata which include the need for a warrant from the FISA court, but let's stick just with the metadata for the moment. There's nothing private about it. Phone companies have kept this data since the start of the telephone industry. For years, it was the basis for all telephone bills. That means that no individual in the USA, no matter who, has any expectation of privacy for this data about personal phone calls. Long established law makes clear that without any expectation of privacy, there is no constitutional issue. If this issue ever gets back in front of the Supreme Court, we will undoubtedly have that point reconfirmed.
Paul, however, treats the collection of metadata like it was some major breach of constitutional protections. He gets nearly hysterical on the subject.
The truth is that Paul's reaction to this subject disqualifies him from ever being president. Our president needs to be clear headed and to understand the dangers facing this country. Unlike Paul, he or she needs to appreciate the danger presented by the terrorist threat. Unlike Paul, he or she needs to deal with the reality of things not some hyped and hysterical delusional view.
It's time to write off Paul as a candidate.
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