Libertarians for Ron Paul

On Tuesday, March 11, the US House of Representatives voted for the version of the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2008 that banned waterboarding and other forms of torture. The measure, previously passed by Congress, was vetoed by President Bush. This vote was an attempt to override the veto. It passed 225-188, but failed to get the 2/3 requirement to override the veto.

Only five Republicans voted to support the torture ban over the veto. Here is the speech Rep. Ron Paul gave before the vote: http://www.antiwar.com/paul/index.php?articleid=12509

Judge Andrew Napolitano is one of American media’s most tenacious defenders of Americans’ rights. His official title at Fox News, where he appears regularly on Fox and Friends and The Big Story, is “Senior Judicial Analyst.” But at the often Bush-besotted network, the decidedly skeptical Napolitano thinks of himself more as “House Civil Libertarian.”

Brian Doherty interviews Judge Napolitano for Reason Magazine.

Judge Napolitano says “Congressman Paul has rejuvenated almost single-handedly the Goldwater wing of the GOP. Now Reagan tried, before [James] Baker and his boys advised him on how to behave. Now, I loved the man, but if you look at his record and rhetoric, they are two different things. But Ron Paul had made it legitimate again for small government, maximum individual liberty, Goldwater Republicans to come forth and complain about big government, and I am the recipient of lots of those complaints.”

Full interview http://reason.com/news/show/123496.html 

In response to the expansion of Presidential power in the War on Terror, Congressman Ron Paul has introduced a bill to restore constitutional liberties which have been lost.

John McManus takes a look at H.R. 3835, the American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007. It was introduced in the House of Representatives by Texas Republican Ron Paul on October 15, 2007.

If enacted, H.R. 3835 would:

• repeal the 2006 Military Commissions Act that denies habeas corpus (the right to face criminal accusations in a court of law);
• ban confessions gained through torture or coercion;
• insist on adherence to the provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to gain intelligence;
• challenge the president’s practice of disregarding portions of laws with presidential “signing statements”;
• ban torture and arbitrary kidnapping or imprisonment;
• protect journalists who receive information from the executive branch from prosecution for airing it “unless the publication would cause direct, immediate, and irreparable harm” to our national security; and
• put a stop to any use of secret evidence against any individual or organization.

In short, the act would cancel numerous executive branch attacks on the types of civil liberties that have uniquely marked our nation.

Complete article @ http://www.thenewamerican.com/node/6152 

“This legislation seeks to restore the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers to prevent abuse of Americans by their government. This proposed legislation would repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and re-establish the traditional practice that military commissions may be used to try war crimes in places of active hostility where a rapid trial is necessary to preserve evidence or prevent chaos. ”

Rep. Ron Paul details his bill to restore constitutional liberties http://antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=11790 

At the Huffington Post, Naomi Wolf looks at the expansion of Presidential power since George W. Bush took office, and the threat this poses to our freedom. She outlines the proposals of conservative and liberal groups to limit the power of the President, and then notes that Rep. Ron Paul has introduced the legislative proposals of the American Freedom Agenda. Full column http://tinyurl.com/2g26rs 

“On September 19, Congressman Ron Paul introduced a bill, outlawing restrictive ballot access laws for minor party and independent candidates for the U.S. House. He had previously introduced this bill in past sessions of Congress. Before he had done so, a somewhat more comprehensive bill had been introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan), in 1985, 1987 and 1989. Also during the early 1990’s, the bill had been introduced by Congressman Tim Penny (D-Minnesota, no longer in Congress).”

“Article One of the U.S. Constitution explicitly gives Congress the authority to override state election laws pertaining to Congressional elections. Ron Paul’s bill does not yet have a bill number.”

From Ballot Access News http://www.ballot-access.org/ 

Dr. Paul’s 1988 book, Freedom Under Siege: The US Constitution After 200 Years, is now available free online from Mises.org. 

Thanks to Lew Rockwell.

“Recently, the General Accounting Office studied nineteen instances where the president issued so-called “signing statements.” In such statements, the president essentially begins the process of interpreting legislation – up to and including declaring provisions unconstitutional, hence often refusing to enforce them.The GAO study found that in nearly 1/3 of the cases studied, the administration failed to enforce the law as enacted. This approach is especially worrisome for several reasons.

First, these signing statements tend to move authority from the legislative branch to the executive, upsetting our delicate system of checks and balances. Next, these statements grant the president power not given by the Constitution, allowing him to usurp powers of the judicial branch. Finally, the idea of agencies refusing to enforce the law as enacted sets precedent for the type of run away administrative actions our constitution was expressly enacted in order to avoid.”

Rep. Ron Paul explains the new tactic of the Imperial President http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=11272