Rand Paul: 'No place' for feds 'rounding people up at will' in Portland

[jct74]

Rand Paul: 'No place' for feds 'rounding people up at will' in Portland

BY ZACK BUDRYK
07/20/20

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday spoke out against federal officers “rounding people up at will” in Portland, Ore., saying the handling of unrest there should be left to local law enforcement.

“We cannot give up liberty for security. Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will,” Paul tweeted Monday.

The senator linked to a post on the conservative blog HotAir about reports of protesters in Portland being detained by officers in unmarked vans. The link criticizes the federal officers' presence as attempting to convey "to vandals, protesters, whoever, that there’ll be no accountability for anything these guys end up doing to them."

The Department of Homeland Security has deployed the forces to the city over the objections of local and state officials, with both President Trump and Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli saying they could take similar steps in other U.S. cities in coming weeks.

...

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate...r-feds-rounding-people-up-at-will-in-portland

 

[CCTelander]

Good for Rand. Tyranny is tyranny regardless of whose "guy" is implimenting it.

 

[Valli6]

I hope Rand immediately writes up a bill repealing the Patriot Act which made this action possible.
Will be so interesting to see how the rest of congress responds.

 

[RJB]

I hope Rand immediately writes up a bill repealing the Patriot Act which made this action possible.
Will be so interesting to see how the rest of congress responds.

Lol. That would be brilliant!

 

[Swordsmyth]

Rand is wrong, when the local government refuses to protect the rights, property and lives of their citizens the feds have every right and duty to step in.

 

[Swordsmyth]

I hope Rand immediately writes up a bill repealing the Patriot Act which made this action possible.
Will be so interesting to see how the rest of congress responds.

When life gives you lemons you should squeeze them and make your enemy drink the juice.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

...
The main Constitutional issue is that this is not the jurisdiction of a Federal Police, it is a state/local issue. Federal Police in cities is very bad. That is the major issue.

Some may say that they are defending a Federal building. Still not their job unless they stay in the building or are right on the front steps. And as Thomas Massie said, why are there Federal Buildings there anyway?

One caveat to standing around the building. If rioters attack or throw things, they would have every right to hot pursuit of the criminals. It's a practicality.

 

[trey4sports]

Portland is rotting.... so let it rot

 

[nikcers]

I really don't want to see cities ruined because of local level leadership. This happened to Michigan and it never recovered. They don't learn their lesson. You dont sit back while your neighbor commits slow suicide. You try to help them. I dont agree with Rand on this issue.

 

[Mr.NoSmile]

“We cannot give up liberty for security. Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will,” Paul tweeted Monday.

Well sure, but they're not. Or the ones above their pay grades aren't allowing them to do so.

 

[jkr]

rand
your CONSTITUENTS need you.

 

[Valli6]

Since local and state government swear to oaths - is there no legal framework (other than waiting to vote them out) for dealing with these very unusual and extremely damaging circumstances?

If they are refusing to protect their own citizens, their property and any taxpayer funded public properties - at what point can the officials who are siding with the rioters, be declared an enemy and removed from office so local law enforcement can take control? And if local law enforcement still refuses to, or can't, take control - is there not some point where the feds should step in to protect the innocent citizens who are suffering within and around the riot zone?

 

[familydog]

Theoretically, I can understand the outrage expressed by Rand. However, I can't help but just shrug indifferently when bad things happen to bad people.

Two gangs of thieves, looters and murderers battling over power is of no interest to me.

I also am indifferent to any peaceful protesters caught in the middle. If you want to avoid fleas, don't lie down with dogs.

 

[CCTelander]

///

 

[RonZeplin]

When life gives you lemons you should squeeze them and make your enemy drink the juice.

When the MIC gives you Donnell Lemon Trump, RESIST drinking the Kool-Aid.

 

[Valli6]

///

Ordinarily a good point, but what about when your enemy is actively oppressing citizens and destroying their property without compunction? And they're doing it with the aid of elected officials who had previously sworn to protect those citizens?

I feel like we're missing something in this equation.

Instead of using their power to protect all citizens, elected officials are using it to protect the violent ones, while ignoring the un-involved ones (who I would guess are the majority that live/work there?) and who have been deprived of their liberties by the occupation of a violent mob.

Destroying a city is not protesting or expressing free speech - it's something only an enemy does. At what point shall the invaders be recognized as "enemies"... and attacked? Face it, if they refuse to stop their violence, what choice exists other than attacking and physically removing them... and no, it wont be pretty!

Unfortunately, there are evil people who want this to reach a point where some people are shot and killed - because they honestly don't care about peoples' lives, just the martyrdom their deaths can bring to their political propaganda. Consider the words of that former BLM protestor - who said democrats are setting up young blacks to get slaughtered for them (his video is in a thread somewhere on this forum).

Not sure the founders could've envisioned something like this ever being permitted to happen and reach this point. It's way too abnormal for them to have anticipated happening in a country created by extremely intelligent men.

 

[sam1952]

 

[Swordsmyth]

When the MIC gives you Donnell Lemon Trump, RESIST drinking the Kool-Aid.

This is what RonZ is supporting:

 

[Swordsmyth]

///

Arresting criminals is not oppression.

 

[revgen]

Rand is wrong, when the local government refuses to protect the rights, property and lives of their citizens the feds have every right and duty to step in.

But only after Trump declares a group to be insurrectionists or terrorists. Trump said he was going to declare ANTIFA a terrorist organization almost 2 months ago, but hasn't officially done it yet. Federal troops can't be making these decisions on their own.