Paul: 'Your notification is the buzz of the propellers on the drone as it flies overhead in the seconds before you're killed'

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
3/7/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Senator Rand Paul ends 13-hour filibuster, dubbed '#filiblizzard'

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul ended a day-long filibuster at 12:38 a.m. Thursday, almost 13 hours after he began speaking, in his attempts to stall a confirmation vote on CIA Director Nominee John Brennan. Paul dubbed his hours-long stand-off on Capitol Hill on Twitter as #filiblizzard, in reference to the snow storm swirling outside in the nation's capital.

Above all else, Senator Rand Paul wants to know why the U.S. government believes it has the authority to carry out drone attacks against American citizens on U.S. soil.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Known for his libertarian leanings, Paul has questioned the Obama administration's use of drones against American citizens overseas. Paul vowed to find definite answers on this issue, as nominee Brennan is considered one of the main architects of the drone program.

Above all else, he wants to know why the U.S. government believes it has the authority to carry out drone attacks against American citizens on U.S. soil.

Paul takes issue with Attorney General Eric Holder's admission in which he said he could envision a scenario where a drone strike would be ordered against Americans on U.S. soil. Paul said he's disturbed by the idea that an American citizen would lose his or her rights while within the country's borders.

"I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan's nomination for the CIA," Paul said. "I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes."

In a dark grey suit and a red tie, Paul stared intently at the Senate leaders. The first-term senator rarely looked at his thick binder full of notes.

Paul says he doesn't consider President Barack Obama a "bad person," but he said the president is also "not a judge . He's a politician. He was elected by a majority, but the majority doesn't get to decide who we execute. We have a process for deciding this. We have courts for deciding this, to allow one man to accuse you in secret; you never get notified you have been accused.

"Your notification is the buzz of the propellers on the drone as it flies overhead in the seconds before you're killed."

The comment was perhaps in reference to a comment Holder made before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pressed Holder whether he believed it would be constitutional to target an American terror suspect "sitting at a cafe" if the suspect didn't pose an imminent threat.

After first saying it would be "inappropriate," Holder attempted to clarify his answer by giving a firm "no."

Holder later said that the government has no intention of carrying out drone strikes inside the United States.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Senator Rand Paul, filibuster, Senator, drone attacks, Eric Holder

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

mgm.
2 months ago
Senator Paul made a fool out of himself in public ,as one Senator in Paul's own party pointed out nobody got up and complain when President Bush used drones while in office .Does Paul really believe that President Obama was planning to have drones patrolling American airspace whacking enemies of (the homeland ) on his command.
gerald
2 months ago
It is the Supreme Courts job to define if the executive branch of our government can kill citizens with drones. The Senate was assigned the task of accepting or rejecting Paul Brennan for the position of CIA director. Congress is not accomplishing squat. How long would you be employed if you chose to babble for hours instead of doing your assigned task? Do your job congress.
tony
2 months ago
I wonder where this policy came from? Things are really changing now in a different direction.

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