Sen. Rand Paul, after a 13 hour filibuster, has yielded the floor for the nomination process to begin on the next CIA director. His filibuster, as he said himself, was less to do with the nomination but much more to about where this nation is headed as far as treating American citizens with the rights they should be afforded under the Constitution. American citizens should not live in fear that if their government does not like what they are doing that the same government they should be protected by can kill them out in the street, in a coffee house, or in their own home without due process of law.
There are a lot of people out there that do not like Rand Paul. There are many different reasons and I get that. I am not here to push this man for some higher office or even legitimize some of the opinions that he has. But at the end of the day, this day, it was never about a war in another country or how he felt about fiscal policy, but more about the direction that this Administration and other Administrations have taken this country and the power they have assumed. It is not right for one man to be judge, jury, and executioner of legal American citizens in the United States. I do not care if the Attorney General says that it may not happen or that it would be an extreme circumstance, the fact that they would not say no that it would never happen shows me that it actually could. If you are willing to demonize a man because you do not agree with him 100% even though his points are valid, then maybe you are part of the problem and not part of the solution. This is not a game, a joke, or a conspiracy. It is talked about openly in Senate hearings and in memos that all of us can read. In fact, the Attorney General, on the same day as the filibuster, testified in front of a Senate Committee and was asked about this situation. His answer was not one I would agree with, and frankly left open the chance the President could order a hit on an American citizen.
It is about time we swept whatever it is we have against people that will stand up for right under the rug for a bit and actually championed people who will say and do the right thing. Paul did not have to stand up there all day to prove a point, but he did so and more and more people got to see him and hear him because of it. His points are valid points, and if you are ready to give THAT much control over to one man you have already become a lost cause in a society yearning to be free once again. This is about our BASIC freedoms. Our freedom to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is about our right to a fair trial, or a trial PERIOD! This is about our right to face our accuser in open court and have a jury of our peers decide our fate (or a judge in some instances). This is more than just one man and a filibuster, this is about telling the Executive branch of our government that there is a line you do NOT cross, and that line is killing your own for twisted reasons. If you give the power to one man to make that decision, there is no doubt in my mind that we will no longer be afforded the same rights we enjoy today 50 years from now.
AT the end of the day, everyone, not many people will remember that Rand Paul did this but the conversation of unmanned drones in the skies will live on. Not because of Rand Paul, but because he took the time to repeat over and over again what officials have said and others who did not know before will now know and question. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a topic that transcends political parties and political ideologies...at least for the most part. NO ONE wants their government to hold that kind of power over the people, and our Founder's would be rolling over in their graves if they knew that someone like Rand Paul even had to bring this to the people's attention. This should not even be an issue, and our Executive branch should NEVER think they are above the people who put them in their positions of power.
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