Libertarians for Ron Paul

“It was one year ago this week that narcotics officers in Atlanta, Georgia broke into the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.”

“They had earlier arrested a man with a long rap sheet on drug charges. That man told the police officers that they’d find a large stash of cocaine in Johnston’s home. When police forced their way into Johnston’s home, she met them holding a rusty old revolver, fearing she was about to be robbed. The police opened fire, and killed her.”

“Shortly after the shooting, the police alleged that they had paid an informant to buy drugs from Ms. Johnston’s home. They said she fired at them first, and wounded two officers. And they alleged they found marijuana in her home.”

“We now know that these were all lies. In fact, everything about the Kathryn Johnston murder was corrupt.”

Radley Balko looks at armed  police raids that often result in innocent people being victimized http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312240,00.html 

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 

The Libertarian Party condemns the use of torture by the U.S. government in the War on Terror. This has become an issue during the confirmation hearings for the Attorney-General nominee.

“In a civilized society that values the sanctity of life, torture should not be permitted in any way, shape, or form.  The United States should set the standard for how the world treats captured prisoners.  We should not lower ourselves down to the depraved levels of the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. Torture is disgusting, abhorrent and beyond every moral standard of Western civilization.”

full statement http://www.lp.org/media/article_531.shtml 

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 

“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

“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