Category: Rand Paul

Making America Great Again–Just Not Escambia County

republican-sweep-cagle-nov-10-2014-jpg-600x488-clipularThe country has spoken. They are tired of the Clinton-Bush America and need something better. While I will readily admit Rand Paul would have been my choice, the fact of the matter was that was not an option. Albert Einstein said, ““Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.”

The protests and demonstrations on the left seems nonsensical.  A segment of society that wants to be heard as equal & be able to express their legitimacy as individuals and as segments within society, have the the inability or unwillingness to accept that some people might choose, for morally legitimate reasons, to have the freedom to do just that–choose–to opt out of that line of thought. That is not prejudice that is agreeing to disagree. I don’t have to share your political ideology or your religious dogma to appreciate you as a person. Please afford me that same respect. By trying to control the American voice, is like trying to herd cats.

America has many voices and yours is just one of many.  These voices elected Carter. These voices elected Reagan. These voices elected Bush…Clinton….W. and Obama. America ebbs and flows. The one thing that should be said is that as Americans we are unique. The uniqueness is what keeps us exceptional. We are all Americans and the factions and groups we split ourselves into only weaken us as a whole. Friggin’ be American and that will make America great.

Now to address the elephant in the room: the election of David Morgan for a third term.

Mr. Morgan,

As hard as it is to say, I am glad you got re-elected. I know you must be as surprised as most people are by this statement. Please allow me to explain.  For the last 4 years, I have learned so much about Escambia County. I have learned about your constiuents, your employees, your former friends, colleagues and more importantly the people you have immolated. Those are the people who will be the most influential in seeing you get your due.

By indiscriminantly marring so many people, you have made my allies diverse and their experiences form a distinctive pattern of how you “conduct” yourself and your self-interests. You are consistent and live up to even the worst of  the statements about your character. You excel at hubris. In fact, you are literature worthy. Some of the best written novels could not develop antagonists as impetuous and so resolutely undisciplined. That is your legacy.  Your continuing to be sheriff gives me an opportunity to be the end of your story in Escambia County.

Our destinies are inextricably intertwined. Your legacy will be part of my story. My story is bigger than yours in the long run. Trust me on this. As surely as the sun comes up, this is so. Your re-election was fortuituous for me as it gives me more time to show what is so evident to so many already. It also gives you time for the hubris you cultivated to expand exponentially.  The voters did not vote you in as much as they voted for the Republican ticket or even the alliance you made with Chip Simmons,b9316385517z-1_20150227173236_000_ghha3406a-1-0-jpg-1200x630-clipular whose public persona is largely less tarnished than yours. Hold on to those coattails. We are going on a hell of a ride.  Your legacy awaits.  The ivory tower can get as tall as the heavens, making an enormous fall from that tower.  That is the consolation that these next 4 years will provide for me, as with so many other people.

Defeated? No.  Secondwind? Damn Straight!

Truly,

JL

 

 

A Victory for the American People

Rand Paul quote #7

Last night NSA scare tactics finally stopped working

Updated by on May 23, 2015, 10:50 a.m. ET

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

There was drama in the Senate last night, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell struggled to extend a Patriot Act provision that supporters say allows the government to conduct mass surveillance of Americans’ calling records. (Opponents think the program is illegal regardless, but the legislative provision has become a focal point for the fight over the larger issue.) But his fellow Kentucky Republican senator, Rand Paul, led the charge to stop him. Wrote the Hill:

The battle between the two Kentucky Republicans spilled over on the Senate floor, with Paul using procedural tactics to force the chamber into an early Saturday vote. He then used his leverage to kill off McConnell’s repeated attempts to reauthorize the expiring National Security Agency (NSA) programs — first for two months, then for eight days, then for five, then three, then two.

It’s a tactic advocates of mass surveillance have used repeatedly in recent years:

  • They drag their feet on legislation to curtail NSA spying authority until the last possible minute.
  • They argue that it would be reckless to let old spying authority expire without an alternative to put in its place.
  • Terrified of appearing soft on terrorism, members of Congress have repeatedly extended current authority without changes.

But it didn’t work this time, and for good reason.

The NSA program the Senate was debating last night, which collects phone records of every American, was never authorized by Congress in the first place. At least that’s the view of the Second Circuit Appeals Court, which ruled the program was illegal earlier this month. While the secretive FISA court disagrees with the Second Circuit, the latter’s ruling has stiffened the spines of those who believe the program was illegal from the outset.

And two years after the phone records program was revealed by NSA whistleblower Ed Snowden, the program’s advocates still haven’t produced any convincing evidence that the program makes us safer.

There’s broad agreement that the government should have access to the calling records of suspected terrorists, of course. But there’s no reason to think it’s helpful to collect the calling records of millions of innocent Americans just in case one of them happens to be a terrorist. And in particular, there’s no reason to think that a few days or weeks without bulk collection of telephone records will lead to a rash of terrorist attacks. The US government still has a number of ways to get the calling records of terrorism suspects — these mechanisms just involve more court oversight.

Finally, after years of repeating this tactic, it’s become clear that it’s just that — a tactic. Mass surveillance advocates are going to use it over and over to keep current law in place indefinitely. Only by saying no to short-term extensions and being willing to actually let the program lapse will reformers have the leverage to insist on serious reforms of the spying agency.

http://www.vox.com/2015/5/23/8648463/nsa-scare-tactics