There’s a notion I’ve encountered out there in the big wide world, a notion that the rise of our Big Brother surveillance state is thanks to the personal evil of George W. Bush. Get rid of Bush, the story goes, and you get rid of the assaults on our constitutional liberties, and you stop the erosion of our privacy, and everybody can breathe a deep sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that notion is wrong. This year’s GOP presidential contenders (with the notable exception of Ron Paul) are scrambling over each other to describe ever-more draconian measures they promise they’ll institute in order to make sure no American gets a so much as a boo-boo ever again.
Take, for instance, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback. In the Republican Party debate on September 5, 2007, Senator Brownback described his vision for the scale of a U.S. surveillance program under his administration:
We need this because we’re not talking about just a needle in a haystack. We’re talking about a needle in a hayfield of millions of people that we have to, we need to, watch, and we need to find with good intelligence who it is that seeks to do us harm.
Yes, Virginia. Senator Brownback believes that the U.S. government has to, needs to watch millions of people in its surveillance program. Nobody in the Republican field of candidates (again with the notable exception of Ron Paul) stepped out to correct, chastize or in any way disagree with Senator Brownback’s contention.
Are you comfortable with that vision for America? Millions of people under surveillance? If the answer is no, then you have no business voting Republican in 2008.
Jim – Only someone that abides by and respects the Consitution can our civil liberties be protected. Hillary and Obama do not fit that bill. Forget your partisan politics and join American citizens in this movement to restore the Republic, the checks and balances on government and individual liberty. Ron Paul is the only candidate not bought by special interests and the only candidate with enough grass roots support and money to make that dream come true. Just look at his voting record on Wikipedia and you’ll understand.
John – what makes you think I’m a partisan? You clearly haven’t read much here, because you’d see pretty quickly I and others here give a critical eye to plenty of Democrats.
Dennis Kucinich is bought by special interests? Mike Gravel is bought by special interests? They certainly have special interests, but you’d have to be koo-koo to think they were bought — no moneyed interests would buy what they’re selling.
I tell you what. I promise to keep an open mind if you promise to keep an open mind, too. Can you do that?
Ron Paul is against separation of church and state. He is not a pro-liberty candidate.