Rebel of the Week: Rand Paul and His 7-Hour Filibuster for our Civil Liberties
May 25th, 2011Imagine if this Friday at 12:01 a.m. all law enforcement officials had to cease their “patriotic” behavior adopted since 9/11. No monitoring your bank account, no sifting through your bag without reasonable suspicion at the subway stop, and your phone would be free from the tapmaster. Due to the persistence of Senator Rand Paul over the past two days we might experience a taste of real liberty…even for just a moment’s time the Patriot Act could be suspended.
Let’s start with a recap: The Patriot Act, signed into law by George W. Bush, was created as a reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Bush administration put together the legislation as a way to better track down terrorists, foreign and domestic, to protect our country from future terrorist attacks. Critics have grown in numbers over the past 5 or so years because the “War on Terror” seemed to turn into the “War on American’s Civil Liberties”.
The law expired in February, but was immediately extended by 90 days. That 90-day buffer has brought us to this week and Congress is now facing the Patriot Act’s renewal but one man stands in their way, Silver Underground’s Rebel of the Week. Rand Paul has stood firmly on amending parts of the Patriot Act: 4th amendment violations and gun ownership restrictions. Many would argue we should repeal the Patriot Act entirely, yet Rand Paul’s steps towards watering the bill down have thrown shock waves through the Senate and have the potential to return some old freedoms to Americans that have been missed since 2001.
He’s standing against serious opposition, who are setting his filibuster up for failure:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday evening tabled a motion to proceed to an extension of the Patriot Act in a complicated maneuver to circumvent Paul.
The purpose of the maneuver was to save time in the face of Paul’s staunch resistance to an extension of the homeland security law, which expires at 12:01 am Friday.
The tactic will save time by denying Paul votes on several amendments he was pushing. It will also allow the Senate to vote on ending his filibuster on Thursday instead of Friday, according to Senate aides.
However, if Paul insists on using all 30 hours of post-cloture debate he is entitled to under Senate rules, he could force the Patriot Act to lapse for a day.
Even if Paul waives the 30 hours of post-cloture debate, lawmakers will have to scramble to get the extension signed into law by Thursday because President Obama is in Europe.
Real Rebels believe you can’t have security and protection provided by your government without losing freedom in some way. Real Rebels would stand out all day fighting to preserve the life, liberty, and justice that they are entitled to. Rand Paul has already proven himself in the past to stand tall in the face of opposition but his tactics this week on the Senate floor have shown he is more than worthy for the Rebel of the Week medal today. Keep fighting Rand! Looks like they are right on your tail as I type this…
