March
7th 2013
Posted under Interventionism & Obama & Rand Paul
The White House has blinked.
See this from the Capitalism Institute.
See this from the Washington Examiner.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney quoted from the letter that Holder sent to Paul today. “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on an American soil?” Holder wrote, per Carney. “The answer is no.”
This is progress. A straight “no” is better than evasion. Paul indicates he is “quiet happy” with the answer. But the key issue, IMO, is the word “combat” which I will try to explain in a longer post when I have time.
Hawthorne on 07 Mar 2013 at 9:48 pm #
Signs Senator Paul got beyond Left and Right…
Kirt Higdon on 08 Mar 2013 at 5:38 am #
Rand Paul’s filibuster was impressive, but not sufficient to win back my trust following his servility to the Israeli regime. It’s a start but he has a long way to go. His father is a very consistent man of principle. With Rand, you so far don’t know what you’ll get from one day to the next. I’ll see what his performance is over the next couple of years.
C Bowen on 09 Mar 2013 at 1:03 am #
It’s always about you, Kirt, isn’t it?
Even Raimondo called it the paleo moment–as a skeptic, I thought Raimondo went way over the top in his column today, but that doesn’t bother me.
Just clap for the performance.
Kirt Higdon on 09 Mar 2013 at 6:05 am #
My standards as to whether or not I will support a politician with my time, energy, funds and vote are always about me. Who else would they be about? Do you let someone else determine your standards for you? I’m not jumping on Rand’s bandwagon just because of one good performance; you can if you want to. I’ll wait and see what else he does.
Savrola on 09 Mar 2013 at 6:17 pm #
More I’s than an 30-year old woman’s okcupid profile.
Hawthorne on 10 Mar 2013 at 1:07 am #
Mr. Higdon;
Did you read this post and think it was a good time to tell us how you feel about whether you will “support” Rand Paul?
I am at a loss to understand this style of internet commenting.
Kirt Higdon on 10 Mar 2013 at 2:54 am #
What?! I was supposed to “just clap for the performance” because that’s what C Bowen told me to do? I’d be at a loss to understand that style of internet commenting.
C Bowen on 10 Mar 2013 at 10:30 am #
Do you read your own posts? You already clapped : “Rand Paul’s filibuster was impressive” and then you gave us a facebook status update about how “you feel.”
Kirt Higdon on 10 Mar 2013 at 12:28 pm #
I said nothing about my feelings; I stated my opinion and what I intended to do over the next couple of years. Apparently my wait and see what else he does offended your tender feelings. I generally go beyond applause and make qualifications, so get used to it.
RedPhillips on 10 Mar 2013 at 5:33 pm #
I’m not sure I understand what the problem is with Kirt expressing his reservations in the comments section.
Savrola on 11 Mar 2013 at 1:26 am #
I is for faux-individualism and Kirt’s faux-individualism is particularly egregious because like all libertarians he considers himself a sovereign party of one.
That is why libertarianism is strictly socioeconomic, and not de facto political
Kirt Higdon on 11 Mar 2013 at 10:35 am #
Savvy, I may be a party of one but I have no illusions of being sovereign; I’m just not quite ready yet to cede sovereignty even over my own opinions to you, C Bowen, and Hawthorne. I’m libertarian basically in the negative sense – against concentrations of political power and distrustful of politicians. Hence, I’m hesitant about following all of you in jumping on the Rand Paul bandwagon. And yes, I am more interested in social and economic arrangements than political ones because with the former I’m free to a large degree to make arrangements which I find satisfactory. My influence in law-making and law enforcement (politics) is close to zero. I obey rather than go to prison. My influence in economics (earning, investing, buying selling) and in socializing is much broader as it affects both me and others. Why wouldn’t I therefore commit more discretionary resources to these areas?
Savrola on 11 Mar 2013 at 4:48 pm #
No one is jumping on any bandwagon, because the era of bandwagons is over.
And again, this mistaking opinions for feelings. Americanity. Rand has to woo you as he would a woman.
You’re apolitical like most Americans.
Individuals who engage in politics have opinions. Passive spectators like you have feelings.
Kirt Higdon on 11 Mar 2013 at 7:06 pm #
I’m not mistaking my opinions for feelings, Savvy; you and your colleagues are the ones making that mistake. My vote or my withholding of it is based on a politician’s record over all, not just on one performance. On what do you base your own vote? And yes I am apolitical in the sense that politics is far from the most important thing in my life. Family, Church, friends, aid to others, learning, enjoyment of life are all far more important. What are your priorities? Do politics come first?
C Bowen on 11 Mar 2013 at 10:10 pm #
Kirt;
You still vote?
Here we have the largest, if flawed, advertising for the paleo position in quite some time, where most of the popular support is simply that someone stood up and said no to Obama (they don’t care, don’t understand, couldn’t explain the issue), and yet the beautiful losers still show up to talk about how they might vote.
Paleos should be working on how to get Paul to do the act, in his own interest, on the forthcoming Amnesty Bill–a 2013 showdown with Rubio right now. I bet Rubio will blink and vote against his own bill, if Rand is willing to push it that far.
Or forthcoming gun legislation. Who knows–what we did learn is that Rand can pull off a stunt that relates to our interest.
I am at a loss to understand how this translates into a discussion on how one might vote.
C Bowen on 11 Mar 2013 at 10:18 pm #
Mr. Higdon;
Sidebar: I am Hawthorne. I have a PC logged into the site, and on other devices (I am a degenerate with 4 devices) I use c bowen, but I point to this site on other comment boards, usually as local_ale, but also c bowen.
When we manage to get someone like our friend aware to click over, that is the purpose. I do not mean to appear as a sock puppet.
Kirt Higdon on 12 Mar 2013 at 3:27 pm #
I sometimes vote. I voted for Ron Paul in both the primary and general election in 2012.