Rand Paul poses in front of NSA data center that he pledges to shut down

[presence]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/30/9228879/rand-paul-nsa-utah

Rand Paul poses in front of NSA data center that he pledges to shut down

• By T.C. Sottek
• on August 30, 2015 04:23 pm

On Saturday, presidential hopeful and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) made an unusual campaign stop. Wearing his usual shades and messy curls, Paul posed with arms crossed in front of a controversial Utah data center belonging to the NSA. Alongside the photo, posted on Facebook, Paul made a bold campaign pledge: to essentially tear that data center down.

"I'm on my way to the airport, but we decided to stop by the NSA facility in Utah," the caption on Paul's Facebook page says. "When I become president, we'll convert it into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment! Bulk data collection must end!"

"Bulk data collection must end!"

Senator Paul already succeeded in pushing to end bulk collection of telephone data — a practice that was famously revealed in 2013 by Edward Snowden, who remains in exile. While the remedy to that program came in a legislative reform bill, it was attacked from several angles; one of the lawsuits challenging it was launched by Paul, who called it a "clear and continuing violation of the Fourth Amendment." His Republican competition, including Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, have openly said they want to expand NSA spying.


So if you're looking for a hero to end the surveillance state in the current crop of presidential candidates, your options are very limited. In fact, the only ardent critic among more than 19 Democratic and Republican hopefuls is Senator Paul. Paul is well-known for cheesy bumper sticker lines and public stunts, like his impressive 12-hour drone filibuster, but when it comes to fighting mass government surveillance he's actually one of the only people who has put earnest work into reform. But it's unclear what Paul brings to the table beyond fighting the now-defeated phone records program, which he still rails against on his campaign website as if it were the chief ongoing threat from the NSA.

Paul needs to start talking about more than phone records

Paul says that as president he will "immediately end the NSA's illegal bulk data collection and domestic spying programs and protect the Fourth Amendment rights of all Americans." Unfortunately, that could be a loophole depending on Paul's own interpretation of what's legal; last week, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a ruling that said the NSA's bulk phone spying program was unconstitutional.

Completely shutting down a huge NSA data center seems like just another silly campaign promise bordering on a stunt, unless Paul believes that all of the NSA's other bulk collection programs — and there are many of those — are just as illegal as the phone records program. Even though he may be the only vociferous candidate when it comes to surveillance reform, Paul will need to start talking about more than phone records if he wants his reformer credentials to remain convincing.

 

[acptulsa]

God, the Propaganda Machine is getting so weird it's verging on surreal.

Why, yes, Rand Paul is running for president, and against domestic spying, and if you actually care about that you really don't have another choice. Yes, he's actually fighting this, and doing it effectively, with a lawsuit and an impressive filibuster, among other things. But his curly hair is messy, filibusters are stunts, Snowden remains in exile, he says things that would fit on a bumper sticker and we consider them cheesy (as if no other competent candidate ever said anything that could be put on a bumper sticker), he still has complaints about stuff the government did that he already put a stop to on his website, it's all silly and unconvincing and it might not matter if he's head of the executive branch and shuts down these executive branch agencies because the courts overturned something, and that means the courts can force the president to keep these executive branch agencies doing what the president doesn't want done, right? No? Separation of powers? Well, it's still silly and not worth electing a guy with funny hair over.

As the British would say, Christ on a bike!

 

[Jan2017]

Rand : " . . . we'll convert it into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment! "

In the 1990's, the Feds opened the floodgates of military supplies for local police. Bill Clinton's "1033" program authorized the Department of Defense
to allocate to local police Blackhawk and Huey helicopters, grenade launchers, and other military equipment. in 1994, the Justice Department
began funding surveillance technology and other military-level security systems for local police. By 1997, 1.2 million pieces of military equipment
had been transferred to local police departments. By 1999, that number had jumped to 3.4 million. All of it was in direct opposition to the Third Amendment.

Then came September 11, 2001.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack, George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act and with a stroke of his pen brought back the no-knock warrant.
If Bill Clinton stomped on the Third Amendment, George Bush trampled the Fourth.

The Patriot Act also authorized wide use of "sneak and peek" and "sneak and steal" warrants. Officialy called Delayed-Notice Search Warrants, . . .

excerpt from "Taking A Stand", Dr. Rand Paul - Chapter 11 The War on Liberty

 

[acptulsa]

Rand : " . . . we'll convert it into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment! "

Meanwhile, verge thinks repurposing something to study the Fourth Amendment is tantamount to tearing it down. I guess they think the Fourth is a dead issue, or at least it will be when they get through with it.

 

[Jan2017]

Of course the police state seeks the Bill of Rights abolished . . .



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[Sola_Fide]

Now this is AWESOME! This gets me fired up.

 

[Mr.NoSmile]

Big promise and that's nice...become President, first.

 

[Jan2017]

Big promise and that's nice...become President, first.

But as Senator do filibuster and do all you can as a Senator until elected to the executive slot . . .









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[Jan2017]

Rand : " . . . we'll convert it into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment! "

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