Disqus Doodlings: Ol' Spudhead vs Big Ben (And Rand Paul) - Granite Grok

Disqus Doodlings: Ol’ Spudhead vs Big Ben (And Rand Paul)

Ol' Spudhead
Ol’ Spudhead
Liberty vs Safety?
Liberty vs Safety?
ConservativeByte.com quoted Senator John McCain as saying that the Boston Bombing proves that Rand Paul was wrong, and we need all the protection of the Patriot Act and the surveillance state to keep us safe.

Many readers disagreed with his premise, some vociferously, and I added my own mini-rant, in which I posited:

We need good intelligence, but we don’t use what we have:
The Sudanese handed us Bin Laden on a plate, and Clinton demurred.
The Nigerians handed us the underwear bomber on a plate, and we ignored the warning.
The Russians handed us the Boston Bombers on a plate, and we gave them a pass (and welfare).

Instead of scarfing up everything that every citizen does, in the hope of having enough computing power to catch the important clues, and enough morality to prevent abuse, we should use good old-fashioned human intelligence, seeking warrants, with just cause, when we really need to tap or search.

Rand Paul echoes Ben Franklin – those that will sacrifice essential liberty for a little temporary safety, deserve NEITHER. We are there, and McCain is on the wrong side.

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