Rand Paul Is Wrong On Guantanamo

Today the following press release was issued from the Rand Paul U.S. Senate campaign:

“Foreign terrorists do not deserve the protections of our Constitution,” said Dr. Paul. “These thugs should stand before military tribunals and be kept off American soil. I will always fight to keep Kentucky safe and that starts with cracking down on our enemies.”

There are several things wrong with this press release and Rand Paul should apologize immediately for his mistake if he wishes to be a leader in the liberty movement. If he wishes to be a leader in the Tea Party movement, well, he probably struck the right chord. The difference between a Paulian and a Tea Partier might be slim-to-none to some, but for those who have followed Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, Peter Schiff, Tom Woods, Thomas DiLorenzo, James Ostrowski, and Karen De Coster, it is understood that while some perspectives between the two groups on the role of government are similar, the difference in intellectual ability of a typical tea-partier and typical Paulian to support their argument is monstrous. Why? Because a Paulian is on a non-stop search for truth, no matter how inconvenient, while a tea-partier would rather make ignorant slogans that serve no constructive end while ignoring inconvenient truths. Rand Paul's quote is more the latter than the former.

Over the past 8 years the use of the word "terrorist" has been pounded into our heads by so many propagandistic politicians simply looking to get a head in the polls; it is hard to take seriously anyone who uses it, especially when the terrorist is someone who was taken away from his home, without charge, possibly tortured, and imprisoned for years against his will. I've been following Rand's senate campaign daily from up here in Nova Scotia and it has been very encouraging. Even if he loses, he will have won simply because he is continuing in his father's footsteps and educating his peers. The amount of work he appears to be doing has been substantial; all the more reason I felt like I was punched in the face when I read this quote.

All men are created equal. All men deserve protection from those who wish to do them harm and violate his inalienable rights. Therefore, these thugs deserve a fair trial, under the constitution the founding fathers wrote, even in its most weakest state. If they cannot be proven guilty, then they should be given the choice as to whether or not they can stay in the United States and live free (if you consider it free) or go back home where they were kidnapped from.

The lives of these men are not worth a few points in the polls. We cannot make the choice to sacrifice their freedom simply to elect someone that supposedly shares our principles.

The U.S. is suffering a huge divide in ideology right now and the liberty movement has a fantastic opportunity to grow because its principles are clear, consistent, and honest. Lets keep it that way and not muddy up our message with the use of neo-con speaking points.