Rand Paul Declares “Big Victory” For Privacy

Steve Watson:  Fresh from his Senate floor battle to let the Patriot Act expire, Rand Paul has declared a major victory for privacy and said that although the government’s spying powers may only be delayed for a few days, it is the start of a huge rebuke of the president’s illegal actions.

I think we’re winning,” Paul noted in a Fox News appearance Monday. “The president will be rebuked and the president will no longer be able to illegally collect our records all the time, so I think it’s a big victory for privacy.” he added.

The Senator will now turn his attentions to campaigning for real reform, rather than allowing the so called USA Freedom Act to pass without alteration. The legislation as it stands would extend powers for the U.S. government to use snooping tactics such as wiretaps.

Paul stood firm, despite being under attack from those within his own party, with some even calling him “the worst” of the GOP.

“Nobody really questions my sincerity with my support and defense of the Fourth Amendment and the Bill of Rights.” Paul stated

“And those who do are just simply, you know, trying to make the debate into a tawdry debate and trying to use personal innuendo, which I think is really beneath all of us and we ought to have a better debate on the facts,” he said.

Paul was lambasted by critics for suggesting on the Senate floor that some of his colleagues secretly wanted a terror attack to occur so they could blame him for standing up against The Patriot Act.

“People here in town think I’m making a huge mistake. Some of them, I think, secretly want there to be an attack on the United States so they can blame it on me.” Paul said on the floor.

“One of the people in the media the other day came up to me and said, ‘Oh, when there’s a great attack, aren’t you going to feel guilty that you caused this great attack?’ ” Paul also stated.

When asked about those remarks, the Senator took a measured stance, suggesting that there is an abundance of fear and propaganda being used to sway the American public on the matter.

“I think sometimes going after people’s motives and impugning people’s motives is a mistake and in the heat of battle I think sometimes hyperbole can get the better of all of us,” he said.

“I think the general idea that people use fear, and I think they do use fear — they act as if we can’t collect any records. … I think we need to have an intelligent debate, and sometimes hyperbole gets the better of us, I think’s the best way to put it.”

Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke many of the Edward Snowden leaks, reiterated Paul’s sentiments, noting that the mainstream media is as much to blame for spreading fear.

“American media outlets should really be ashamed of themselves the way they do that. I mean, supposedly the lesson that large American media outlets learned from their role in selling the Iraq war to the public was, ‘Oh, we’re not going to allow government officials to prop propagandize the public anymore. we’re going to put their names on things and have them be held accountable.’ Yet this all turned out to be a complete scam.” Greenwald noted in an interview.

“If you turn on any major cable network, including the one we’re on unfortunately, or read any large American newspaper you constantly see reporters giving anonymity to the people they’re supposedly serving as watchdogs over in order to scare the public.” Greenwald added.

Meanwhile, CIA Director John Brennan ramped up the fear factor by telling CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that “terrorist elements” are watching what the U.S. does regarding the Patriot Act. Brennan added the claim that most Americans expect protection from the government.

“I think terrorist elements have watched very carefully what has happened here in the United States. Whether or not it’s disclosures of classified information, or whether it’s changes in the law and policies, they’re looking for the seams to operate within,” Brennan warned.
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