This week, Rep. Ron Paul introduced HR 3835 – the American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007. This bill, if passed, would go a long way towards restoring liberty and the constitution in this country, and eliminate a number of “laws” that were enacted beyond the Constitution’s limit on federal power.
More specifically, The American Freedom Agenda Act would
- bar the use of evidence obtained through torture
- require that federal intelligence gathering is conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
- create a mechanism for challenging presidential signing statements
- repeal the Military Commissions Act, which, among other things, denies habeas corpus to certain detainees
- prohibit kidnapping, detentions, and torture abroad
- protect journalists who publish information received from the executive branch
- ensure that secret evidence is not used to designate individuals or organizations with a presence in the U.S. as foreign terrorists.
None of these were constitutional in the first place, and all are morally repugnant to the ideals of a free society. There is evidence of strong support for ending each of these individually, but no one in government seems to have the courage to do anything about it.
Ron Paul, on the other hand, had the courage to introduce legislation to end all of it. No one on either side of the aisle has done anything close.
I was browsing around the net looking for people who were writing about this big news, and came across an article on DailyKos.com (the hotbed of Democratic bloggers online) – which simply gave the text of the legislation and asked people to support it:
Please contact your Rep and ask for them to support this Resolution that has been introduced in the House today. The details of the Act are under the fold.
This didn’t get much traction on Kos – which I thought was odd, because it was a call to repeal so much of what the Bush administration had instituted over the last 6 years.
In fact, reading the comments was even worse – of the few posted, there were two that were downright hostile to the bill – not because it was a bad bill – but because it was introduced by Ron Paul, a Republican.
Here’s a comment by “Marcus Tullius”
Instead of supporting Ron Paul’s bill, I’d like to see the Dems propose their own.
And another:
I do not plan to help Ron Paul make political points. Imo, the Majority needs to put forward a bill proposing essentially the same thing. Couple of reasons why.
First, it denies R’s the ability to say that they are the party advocating a restoration of the rule of law. I aim to kill their party, and helping R sponsored bills pass is not on my list of shit to do right now.
Second, it requires any R that would support to vote against his/her party, and his/her president. That’s helpful because it further splinters their party, and it weakens the president.
So, to my mind, the only solution is a Dem sponsored bill. And they need to propose one, imo.
Although no one in his party has introduced legislation that’s even remotely similar – and although he supports the repeal of these awful laws, he won’t support it unless it’s been done by a Democrat.
It’s just this kind of attitude that, in my opinion, has gotten us to where we are now, and people like Marcus make me sick.
Marcus has no problem with torture, kidnapping, ending habeas corpus, and the like – and refuses to support the end of such activities, unless ended by a democrat.
I wonder how pervasive this kind of attitude is.
Party vs Freedom?
People like Marcus are happy to throw away your liberty, as long as it serves his party.
Now that’s a traitor if I ever saw one.
This is a great article! It calls to question something rather important other than the obvious topic too. the definition of “traitor” just might be a more important aspect of what we have been experiencing as Americans for some time now.
We have been “betrayed” top to bottom by just about every politician and big business entity of the last 40 years in my view. I suppose we could include ‘stockholders’ as a sub-set of traitors to the majority of people in the US as well. Elements of our society have always lobbied for their own special interests and in most cases this has led to depredation of our society as a whole.
We are supposed to have people in Washington who speak for the majority of people in their designated districts and states. I believe the Constitution called for a much lager and more ‘connected” and accessible group, but heaven forbid we need no greater number of these ‘car salesmen’ up there.
I think we need to connect one of these machines to every house in America and have these bozos ask us about every vote they take. The first one to suggest this and get it passed should be elected President. Just because most Americans are either covered up with problems or down right stupid – does not negate their right to have a vote (and I am not talking about the dog and pony show of the current election/popularity contest).
Traitor – a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country – WE are the country aren’t we?
Could you post the text of the bill and not perpetrate the rift further, please?
We all need to get together on this, or soon none of us will even be allowed to argue.
All good patriots – Dem, Repub, Green, LIb or IND love our constitution.
Chris Dodd would also like support for his fillibuster to keep the president and telcoms liable for the FISA laws they may have broken.
Show your support here – http://action.chrisdodd.com/signUp.jsp?key=1570
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And check my movie – http://thetorturer.com
Great article, but seriously, will you liberals get past your false left/right paradigm? Will you understand that both sides are bought off, & do some serious research about Ron Paul??? He’s the only Republican presidential candidate to vote against the Patriot Act & against the war. Oh, by the way, he’s also the only presidential candidate (out of either party) to have a plan to get us out of Iraq immediately?! He’s introduced legislation to abolish the Federal Reserve System, among other patriotic bills & now he introduced this beautiful piece of legislation, and you won’t even support him??? So if this bill doesn’t go anywhere, why do you expect that your Democratic congressman will write the same law? Seriously, Ron Paul is the champion of the Constitution, do some research on him & think again! He doesn’t have any corporations behind his wallet, all his money ($5 million) came & from private contributors, not Rupert Murdock, like say, Hillary Clinton.
I am traditionally a die hard Democrat.I support Ron Paul. I am NOT an extremist. Hating someone because they are a different ‘party’ than you is a another form of ‘hate-ism’. It is dehumanizing someone because they have a differing opinion. That is what is wrong, DIVISIVENESS! United we stand, divided we fall.
I support getting out of Iraq. Our ‘leading’ Democratic candidate isn’t even planning on doing that anytime soon. I support taxation for getting us out of this predicament. If RP has an idea, I am willing to try it…because I want what is BEST for our country. Right now, things are a mess. I want to fix them, and vote for someone who is willing to get us back to basics to do it. Regardless of what labels are used.
There is NO difference in the parties. If you want corruption, vote for a politician.
The partisanship is what is ruining this country. We can trace that quickly back to the last round of “Campaign Finance Reform” It essentially gives the party leadership of either party the ‘purse strings’ to control all elected officials if they want money for re-election.
Cheerily
IJK
If Ron Paul is so dead against what the President and his Republican enablers have done to this country, why does he stay under their tent? I don’t think it is unreasonable to assert that the entire Republican structure is rotten, and for too long they supported the Executive on however far they wanted to expand their power, constitutional or not. The reason things are so partisan in this country is because that was Rove’s entire game plan – divide an conquer. The President threw down the divisive gauntlet and the Republican congress layed down heavy cover fire for him. But now we’re supposed to just forget that labels mean anything, after the way they’ve been used the past 7 years? Yeah, ok.
If Ron Paul can be taken on his image and talk, sure I support everything he is saying and seems to want. But I’ve learned a long time ago not to put too much stock in what a presidental candidate says on the road to Nov 7.
Just checked out Ron Paul 2008 website. I liked his position on lots of issues, but two worried me. 1) He is pro-homeschooling. Why the need to spell that out? Shouldn’t the President’s platform on education be more substantial than, “You have the right to handle this yourself?” I would rather see a President who is concerned with saving public schools rather than saving homeschooling. 2) He is pro-life and anti-Roe. He wants to pass federal legislation protecting lives of “the unborn” starting at conception. He says his time spent as a OB-GYN instilled in him the value of life. I just gave birth to a (wanted) daughter, and I have to say, pregnancy and childbirth was a harrrowing experience. No woman should be forced to undergo that against her will, while carrying a baby she doesn’t want. I can’t imagine carrying and birthing a baby that was foist upon me by a rape, or one that I knew would not survive but for a few minutes due to major defects such as having no brain (it can happen). So until Dr. Paul has carried and birthed a baby (which ain’t gonna happen anytime soon) he should stay the hell out of it. Supporting this legislation is one thing, and it’s high time someone came up with it, but supporting Ron Paul for President is quite a leap.
End Unitary Scumbaggery
Jefferson said: “Ours is not a system based upon trust, but one of suspicion..!”
The Federalist Society and these Tory Traitors such as John Yoo and David Addington, Samuel Alito, Antoni Scalia seek to overthrow our very system of government they are a bigger threat to our Republic than al-Qaeda could ever be..!
Almost all of the candidates Democrats and of course Republicans are saying and doing nothing save for Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich to restore The Constitution which they swear to protect and defend..and uphold..
These Federalist Society and this cabal of corrupt lawyers and Judges are ones who are at their very rotten core unAmerican…!
I agree with Jessica. I too checked out Ron Paul’s website and found it not too different from other Republican candidates, even after admitting that I do like the idea of ending the war quickly and his plan for putting an end to the corrupt tax system and Federal Reserve.
But I did find the point of making a law against abortion a little too radical for comfort. Roe v. Wade is settled law and established precedent. More than just a woman’s right to choose I see it as a matter of personal privacy, which the government has absolutely no business sticking its nose in.
All in all, I doubt Ron Paul is the answer so many people are so feverishly seeking. And if he’s such a rogue Republican, why is he still a Republican? His party went down the drain a long time ago, and all that’s left is the scum who call themselves “Compassionate Conservatives”. You’re not one of them? Then show it. Run as an independent or go Democratic.
At this point, the GOP has such a stigma that anyone with even a hint of self-respect would be wise to avoid the Republican label.
Yes, Ron Paul is the devil because he thinks the unborn deserve a voce, as do the retarded and the aged. He is so retrograde. I also am alarmed that he is more concerned with kids and education rather that teachers. Kids don’t count – they are like the unborn, just with a few more miles on them. We need to be thinking about how to best use a middle-aged no-talent burnout teacher instead of fressting about kids for pete’s sake!
Ron Paul is an idiot and would have us all blown up by terrorists. Why do liberals have the “why can’t we just all get along” ignorant naieve sentiment?
We need real leadership that only the conservatives can provide. Otherwise, we will be over run by illegal aliens and terrorists.
@above:
Aren’t you forgetting the commies and the jews? Not to mention those shiftless Frenchmen. Why, with all these dire forces out to get us, it’s a wonder any of us are still alive. Thank goodness we have the government to protect us. And wipe our asses for us, too.
Ron Paul, in the tradition of Libertarians and classic Republicans, wants to give everyone enough rope to hang themselves. Which I have to admit is better than Democrats and new Republicans, which want to give government enough rope to hang everyone.
“I liked his position on lots of issues, but two worried me. 1) He is pro-homeschooling. Why the need to spell that out?”
Being home schooled myself I know how difficult it can be to be home schooled. Try showing a homemade high school diploma to a college. Most of the time you get nothing but friction and a shrug off. Homeschooling is difficult, and the government does NOT want you to be home schooled as it currently stands. They would much rather you go to a school they control so that they can stifle any out-of-the box ideas like creationism or Christianity, God forbid! Oops, did I mention God? I apologize there. The government can control and use public schools however they want. They can push kids to be what they want… Say, a soldier. Not to mention the money-laundering that is benefits for ADD-infected children. So I would say that him having a stance against all that is definitely a good thing.
“2) He is pro-life and anti-Roe. He wants to pass federal legislation protecting lives of “the unborn†starting at conception.”
I know! There are much more important things in life than life, right? I mean a woman should have the right to choose whether or not to have a baby, so there’s no use forcing a woman to give up her playtime with all her boy toys!
Guess what, the percentage of unhealthy or product-of-rape babies compared to “oops, the condom broke!” or “oops, i didn’t pull out fast enough!” babies aborted is pretty heavy on the “oops” side. Take away the easy-out for the kids who have sex when they’re not ready for kids, and you take out the problem. Seriously, sex makes kids. That’s it’s main purpose. If you’re not okay with kids, don’t have sex.
This generation has gotten lazy. This day and age is all about the me-me attitude. That’s why we’re in some of the shit we’re in. Let’s think a little more about what’s good than what’s easy.
Why has stumble only just drawn this act to my attention? This would have been worth supporting, and supporting loudly, had i know of it’s existance. It’s now 2008, and a bill put forth in 2007 is calling for attention?
Right there with ya. Sometimes it seems like the really good ideas get voted down before the public ever sees them. I guess the moral of the story is to keep an eye on people like Paul and try to be more active in our government.
I like this site, particularly because now the Republicans are hiding behind the famed Boston Tea Party incident with their very machine that they created The IRS or rathe having to pay exhorbitant taxes. Now they are blaming the new President by calling him Socialist??? etc.. and want to hold on to stolen money given to them and say that they don’t want to pay another persons mortgage etc… Look at the TV protests shown that they say things like this. If Communism didn’t work? then maybe Capitalism doesn’t work either. Something has to be done to restore liberty and civility. These people that elected a pseudo President that damaged our country instead of help it by going ahead and create a war in IRAQ want to continue their status quo and eliminate poor people or even take what little they have.