This reminds me of all the campaign speeches Obama made about openness and transparency in government, and how we should protect government whistleblowers. He didn’t change in order to get elected, but he sure changed after he got elected.
Yes, Obama did sign a law protecting whistleblowers last year, I’ll give him credit for that. But he has run an administration that is hardly transparent at all, and has prosecuted whistleblowers much more aggressively than his predecessors.
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I liked Ron Paul very much (not that I agreed on everything he said, but for his intellectual and ideological consistency and ability to defend sometimes indefensible because of ideological purity).
Rand Paul is typical politician and perhaps has learned from his father failures to break into mainstream. One day Rand is doing 13 hour filibuster on drone (to satisfy his father’s base), and next day he is saying he is ok for drone to be used to kill a shop breaker (to satisfy idiots of republican base). One day he is anti-war and against intervention in Syria, and then few days he is ok to intervene in Syria.
Rand Paul is too ambitious with no wisdom. I mean at his age, I would assume a person is mature enough to speak carefully and craft his positions keeping his aims in mind. His gestures towards blacks are appreciated, but he is clueless how to talk to them without being an asshole.
I just read that only 11% of Republican and independent women would consider voting for Rand Paul. So his assholery is not helping him with women or blacks. Two groups he probably needs to have a chance of winning.
Always get a kick out of complaints about the NSA “Spying against Americans.” As if the NSA is better at it than… Google, for instance, or even the much smaller marketing organizations. Anybody want a cookie?
Redjon, while I certainly mistrust corporations, I think the difference here is that the NSA is doing it without your consent, while using Google is more or less giving your consent that they have whatever information you provide through it. Though I suppose you could argue that we consent to the NSA doing this stuff by not repudiating the PATRIOT Act immediately or similarly voting out any politicians who don’t promise to get rid of that sort of domestic spying.
At least Google allows you to change your settings so they do not collect any information on you.
Hassan – agreed about Ron Paul, he is a narcissistic bully and a charlatan.
“According to an amusing story in… the Kentucky Republican Senate candidate bills himself as a “board-certified” physician even though he is not actually certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology — the only recognized body that certifies doctors in his specialty. Paul’s only certification was provided instead by something called the National Board of Ophthalmology, which is very convenient because he operates that organization himself… The National Board of Ophthalmology has existed since 1999, when Paul “founded” it, lists no more than seven doctors, and its address is a post-office box in Bowling Green, Ky.” http://www.salon.com/2010/06/14/rand_2/
Thatguy – good point, plus I’d assume the NSA also packs heat, has friends in high places and dark corners, and stocks all the latest in Medieval tools of persuasion. (NSA – if you’re listening, guys…just kidding!)
Ralph, you meant to say Rand Paul?
Oops. Meant to say Rand, of course. Thanks, Hassan.