By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--June 1, 2015
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
FBI agents can’t point to any major terrorism cases they’ve cracked thanks to the key snooping powers in the Patriot Act, the Justice Department’s inspector general said in a report Thursday that could complicate efforts to keep key parts of the law operating.
But for those of us who still think the federal government has to play an important role in preventing terrorist attacks before they happen, Rand Paul's actions here are little more than the grandstanding performance of a guy who's finally arrived at his big moment in the spotlight and is going to milk it for all he can. Here's how it is: The terrorists' job is to kill us. The government's job is to protect us.First of all, calling terrorism a "job" is a little weird. Second, if Rand Paul's "big moment" is successfully fighting an unconstitutional law and limiting the scope of federal abuse? More power to him. We should all have his back. It makes absolutely no sense for conservatives to attack him for doing precisely what we all advocate on a daily basis. Finally, Dan's correct about one thing. The government's most important function is to protect the lives and property of its citizens. And, yes, it has a vital role to play in stopping attacks before they happen. But that's not a justification for large-scale, ongoing, civil rights abuses. If the law in question is an obvious rights violation that has failed to protect us, how is Rand Paul's stance wrong? Is it not also the government's "job" to limit its activities in accordance with the Constitution? Why are the very same people who constantly make salient arguments about the government's propensity for "corruption, ineptitude, and the destruction of liberty" not doing so here? Why is this big-government boondoggle the one we can't live without? Are Republicans really ready to make the argument that there is no other way? Conservatives have levied brutal attacks against the left for the Democrats' ongoing transgressions in terms of the 1st, 2nd, and 10th Amendments. They're right to do so. But why are so many unwilling to apply the same standard to themselves when it comes to the 4th? Sorry, but you don't get to pick and choose which pieces of the Bill of Rights you'll defend. The Patriot Act was a poorly-conceived and reactionary law. It carried a potential for abuse that, as I've written before, even a child should have been able to foresee. The faster we get rid of it, the better off we'll be. Yes, we want our government to fight terrorism - but we shouldn't destroy our own freedom to facilitate the effort.
View Comments
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.