Rand Paul Will Oppose PATRIOT Act Reauthorization In The Senate

Doug Mataconis · · 11 comments

Picking up the torch from the 29 Tea Party Republicans who broke with their party and voted against the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act earlier this week, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul released a statement last night that he would oppose reauthorization when it comes up in the Senate:

PAUL: Jefferson wrote that if we had a government of angels, we would need no Constitution to protect us. But men are not always angels, and I for one do not wish to unchain government from the bindings of the Constitution. If we do not protect the First Amendment we cannot protest the First or Second either. […] I intend to oppose extending the expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act in the coming weeks. But more importantly, I want to spark a discussion of who we want to be as a people and as a nation. Are we a nation whose laws that are in place to protect the rights of the people? Or are we willing to give those rights up to more expeditiously capture criminals? […] I think it is about time we in Congress took a serious look at our obligations to stand up for the rights of those we are supposed to represent, rather than casting the politically easy votes.