Libertarians for Ron Paul

“In the start of what could be a major setback for the Bush administration, a Federal judge ruled yesterday that portions of the Patriot Act were unconstitutional.  U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled the government had violated Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield’s constitutional rights after conducting warrantless surveillance using powers granted in the controversial 2001 USA Patriot Act. ”

Full release http://www.lp.org/media/article_521.shtml

 The Libertarian Party rejects President Bush’s claims that the “Protect America Act” needs to be made permanent, citing that the bill fails to live up to its name and only limits American civil liberties.  The controversial Act that was passed by Congress last August altered the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and legalized the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretap program, which many civil liberties organizations had strongly protested.  “Every American should be fundamentally opposed to the ‘Protect America Act,’” says Shane Cory, executive director of the Libertarian Party. “Despite its catchy name, the Act does nothing of the sort.”  

Full release http://www.lp.org/media/article_520.shtml

By Roy Shivers & King Solomon.

If elected president, Texas congressman Ron Paul said he would change drug laws to free non-violent offenders from prison.

“Mandated lifetime sentences are insane,” he said during an interview Friday with the Free Press editorial board. “I’d release them. I’d pardon them.”

The Republican presidential candidate, who used to be a Libertarian, also would work to extract the federal government from the medical marijuana debate by allowing state laws to stand unfettered.

By freeing up law enforcement from chasing down drug users and non-violent drug dealers, Paul said they could spend more time looking for rapists, murderers and child molesters.

“And look at how much money we spend on paying police to sit in toilet stalls,” he said, referring to the sting operation that snagged U.S. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho in a Minneapolis Airport men’s room.
Profile of Ron Paul in Detroit Free Press continues http://tinyurl.com/2u7o4r

The latest Harris Poll has Ron Paul at 3% overall, but 10% among 18-29 year-olds, leading Fred Thompson among this group.

This is very heartening for the future.

The poll breakdown has some other interesting data.

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s recent healthcare plan is a flawed strategy that “fails to meet the basic requirements of pragmatic reform” says the Libertarian Party after Clinton announced her second attempt at universal healthcare policy. “Clinton’s healthcare plan is the wrong approach to healthcare reform both on a logistical and moral level,” says Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, Shane Cory. “Clinton’s plan is simply a new prescription for ‘Hillary Care’ that she prescribed more than a decade ago.  It wasn’t good then, and it isn’t good now.”
full release @ http://www.lp.org/media/article_519.shtml 

“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/ 

Interesting profile on the Ron Paul Movement:

“The message of liberty is the driving force behind this developing Ron Paul juggernaut. It seems that Americans are just starting to respond to this wake up call from a 72 year old doctor that is also a congressman from Texas. ”

“Ron Paul voted against the patriot act and has been a critic of expanding the federal government’s ability to use wiretaps without judicial oversight and of search warrants non-specific to any given location, nor subject to any local judicial oversight. ”

“He has also opposed so called “sneak and peek” warrants enabling federal authorities to search a person’s home, office, or personal property without that person’s knowledge.”

“Paul voted against forced vaccinations of American citizens against small pox. ‘The government should never have the power to require immunizations or vaccinations.’ ”

“Unlike his likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Paul also opposed the war in Iraq and said that it was not constitutional to go to war without a Declaration of War from congress. A proponent of what he calls a non interventionist responsible foreign policy, Paul says if elected that he will bring the troops home from Iraq.”

Complete article @ http://usadaily.com/Article.cfm?articleID=92295