Ron Paul Criticizes Lindsey Graham, NDAA Detention Clause On House Floor (VIDEO)

On Wednesday, GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) urged his congressional colleagues to support legislation that would repeal a clause of the National Defense Authorization Act that could allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens, simultaneously criticizing Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for his past comments on detainees.

In a break from his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Paul took to the House floor to speak out against the NDAA's Section 1021, which allows the government to detain without trial individuals who have "substantially supported al Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States." Paul and other opponents of the section's language fear that the legislation could lead to Americans being detained without due process.

Section 1021, Paul said Wednesday, "provides for the possibility of the U.S. military acting as a kind of police force on U.S. soil, apprehending terror suspects, including Americans, and whisking them off to an undisclosed location indefinitely."

Paul continued, "Sadly, too many of my colleagues are too willing to undermine our constitution to support such outrageous legislation. One senator even said, about American citizens being picked up under this section of the NDAA, 'When they say 'I want my lawyer,' you tell them, 'Shut up. You don't get a lawyer.'"

The unnamed senator was Graham, who made the remarks on the Senate floor in December before voting on the legislation.

"Is this acceptable in someone who has taken an oath to uphold the constitution?" Paul asked on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama signed the bill into law late last year, but specified in a signing statement that he would not detain Americans without trial.

However, Paul, who has previously called the section a "slip into tyranny," worries that the language is too vague and could be used to detain Americans. According to the Texas congressman, the section is "precisely the kind of egregious distortion of justice that Americans have always ridiculed in so many dictatorships overseas."

Paul's appearance in Congress comes just three days before the GOP primary in Graham's home state. Although the South Carolina senator has remained mum on an endorsement in this election cycle, he said on NBC's "Meet the Press" in December that he hopes Paul "does well" in the primaries.

Comments

[JstDarla]

06:43 PM on 03/20/2012

Hey of subject, but how is everyone feeling about the National Defense Resources Preparedness order signed on March 16?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

[gwbsucs1]

12:26 PM on 03/06/2012

Paul has no clue on how to govern a nation - i hope he finally givs it all up and goes back to delivering babies

[nohopepope2187]

11:24 PM on 03/17/2012

Why, because he wasn't groomed his whole life to view the American People as peons and cash cows?

[gwbsucs1]

11:37 AM on 03/18/2012

geez - i posted that over two weeks ago - and as for the peons and cash cows - apparently you din't pay any attention to what his son did in the airport and the outcome of the whole incident - moral = Pauls no different than the rest of em - he jus talks a talk that many such as yourself fall for - its a typical republican rant to get your vote - am administration that Paul would produce would destroy this nation once and for all - first off ya jus can't start cuttin government agencies - Reagan tried this and ended up with the third worse unemployment rate in american history

[ehjay]

01:16 AM on 02/10/2012

Is America ready to resurrect those old East German and Russian policies that Americans proudly decried decades ago? That's what happens when you give Republicans prolonged control, a paramilitary state and gradual infringement of everyone's Constitutional rights. It makes the 1% feel much safer.

[charisma1227]

03:34 PM on 02/10/2012

Take the blinders off the skullduggery is quite bipartisan.

[gwbsucs1]

12:28 PM on 03/06/2012

blinders - your livin in a bubble

[gwbsucs1]

12:27 PM on 03/06/2012

whats happenin in Virginia is a fine example of that !!

[madisonhack]

11:09 AM on 02/02/2012

In the posted clip, Paul never mentioned Graham by name. That's what's wrong with American politics. C'mon Ron, I know he's a Republican, but you could have said his name.

[mindimension]

06:12 PM on 01/27/2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDjbXygsHqY&feature=player_embedded

[Hwt123]

07:42 PM on 01/26/2012

Obama , Newt and Romney all support more wars , NDAA , patriot act and the further destruction of the constitution and a road to AmeriKa the police state. All of them support borrowing money from China to defend us from China. All of them support bribing dictators and big government spending of fiat currency print out of thin air.None of these candidates offer any hope with the debt as wars drains the economy. we are doomed...the media is corrupt and both parties are corrupt.
Ron Paul is our only hope...

[George Clive Hook]

09:28 PM on 01/26/2012

I agree, although I hope he is not our only hope. At least there are the two of us.

[Kristin Currier]

12:55 PM on 01/28/2012

That just made me smile. Now there are 3 of us. And more on the way. Paul might not end up as president, but I'm encouraged by the people who are finally listening to him....and a LOT of them are young. A lot of these young people are educating themselves about the Constitution and getting passionate about liberty and American history. They are refusing the status quo. I hope some of them start thinking about running for offices later in life.

[gwbsucs1]

12:31 PM on 03/06/2012

ohhhh pleeezzz - no one supports war - we jus won't walk away like cowards either !!

[Carl Martin]

10:28 PM on 04/21/2012

"No one supports war?" Could that be a bit naive? Would the military-industrial complex support war? Hey, more profits. The "War on Terror" is a money-making operation -- an unending war which is helping to plummet us into greater and greater debt ($15.5 TRILLION and accelerating).

Could it be that the Rockefellers knew about 9/11 before it happened, even supporting it, salivating over the opportunity to take over Iraq and Afghanistan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGAaPjqdbgQ

"No one supports war?" Such generalities are so comforting! (Not!)

So many are letting normalcy bias blind them. A few million Germans were trapped in normalcy bias in Nazi Germany until it was too late to do anything about it. "Oh, it'll all blow over. Our government won't let anything bad happen to us. Those rumors of Jews being rounded up are only rumors."

9/11 was our "night of the long knives." Goldman-Sachs got its reprieve when the evidence was taken out when WTC7 came down. And Donald Rumsfeld on 9/10/2001 admitted to $2.3 TRILLION missing! And apparently center of the Pentagon damage was the budget analysis office which was investigating the missing $2.3 trillion. That got Donald Rumsfeld off the hook.

Motive, means and opportunity. Yeah, I think someone supports war and doesn't care who they kill for their money and power.

[onlyonecandor]

05:45 PM on 01/26/2012

The American people are a big liability for the political and corporate elite who are openly hostile towards the constitution and Bill of Rights.

[Jerry Watkins]

05:56 PM on 01/24/2012

I think Ron Paul needs to start showing him self in contrast with Obama if he wants to win. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAKsxfDMYAA

[George Clive Hook]

09:33 PM on 01/26/2012

What do you suggest, Jerry? His views are diametrically opposed to Obama. He is a Constitutionalist. Obama, who taught Constututional Law at my Old Alma Mater, accepts the pap of the Supreme Court, which long ago abandoned the Constitution. It is one thing to teach what the "living Constitution" has become. It is quite another to live it as the President of the United States. What say you, Jerry? Do you agree or disagree. If you disagree, please offer some suggestions for Ron Paul.

[BRAINS4USA]

10:38 PM on 01/26/2012

Obama is a Harvard law expert on the Constitution. Dr Paul knows NOTHING about the Constitution. That is fact.
A President does not have the power to overrule the SCOTUS - Congress and the President could - but hey, there is only a do nothing congress - that will not work with the President.
SCOTUS NEVER abandoned the Constitution. They applied it to the times we live in - which they must considering the impact of new sciences on society and ensuing legislation. Ron Paul not liking it does not make it unconstitutional.
What Ron Paul does is like his spoilt little son does at the Airport. Not accept the law of the land and looking for pathetic excuses to back it up. That is fact.
Those are facts. Enjoy your day.

[Jerry Watkins]

12:07 AM on 01/27/2012

All though on the internet the out spoken and some times intelligen­t person is more of a majority. At least when it comes to content creation. Like questions offered by the original post . As well as the Comments by your self and even the poster below. If I agree or not there's no doubt thought, has been used to compose the opinions and questions.
Constituti­onal lawyers in the political system are every where. I believe a good majority of these individual­s do not want you to create an original thought. They would rather you spend your time interpreti­ng they're thoughts and opinions. If you are with them then they love you if you present opposition you are demonized.
I am not a fan of the Supreme court. The Idea of it seems to go against the people that a few selected individual­s can continue to interpret law for the majority. I do agree with you.
"It is one thing to teach what the "living Constituti­­on" has become. It is quite another to live it as the President"
So that is the way it is for any one who takes the office. I had a conversati­on the other day with some one that was a Republican­. I told them there were things Ron Paul had positions on that I was not a fan of.
Then I asked which candidate she trusted. Typical answer she gave good and bad things about each candidate as a response.

[Paul Kearney]

10:03 PM on 01/23/2012

This just may be the only sane idea he has.

[madisonhack]

11:18 AM on 02/02/2012

If I was a one-issue voter, he'd get me. That's probably why so many young people back him; few of them have the experience or the intellectual depth to see the madness of embracing the rest of his ideology. I asked a young person recently about Paul and why he supported Paul. I was told about his anti-war stance and then he went into platitudes about "freedom" and "liberty", taxes and such. Then I reminded my young friend about Paul's position on government backed student loans. He said, "well, I'm not worried about that". I said, "well, that's nice, but your parents told me that they've been paying down your $80,000 law school loans because you don't have a job yet and so I guess taxes aren't your problem yet, either?" End of story.

[gwbsucs1]

12:42 PM on 03/06/2012

you think this is a "sane " idea ? i'd like to know what the percentage of those released are back on the killin fields killin american soldiers - before i make this assumption !! and i think Paul needs to look at that as well - something I"m sure he's ignorin , because the facts may embarrass him

[JoeQPublic for President]

01:26 AM on 01/23/2012

NDAA is a threat to all Americans.
What problem do I have with the Taliban? Not any more than I have with idiots from the South who still fly a Confederate flag! So what if the Taliban sheltered al Qaeda? Now, neither of them pose a direct threat to the USA- any more than the Imperial Japanese (but we're still in Okinawa, raping two women a month since 1945... and those are only the numbers that go to court martial). I'm a Wyoming Republican and I know Dick Cheney. That sick _____'s Project for the New American Century is what's going on now- not legitimate "war". This country's SOLE AUTHORITY TO WAGE WAR (the Congress) hasn't declared a war since 1942 (Blugaria, Romania and Hungary)
http://www.JustBelieve2012.com

[BRAINS4USA]

02:33 AM on 01/21/2012

06:29 AM on 01/19/2012
Can you say "ZIEG HIEL!"?

Moderators I have asked many times to remove this post by mbjork63?
I cannot believe this is ok. I have asked the moderator many times to remove this.
If it is Ok your rules for posts to not be approved or removed have been just about nullified
Disgusting that I have to ask for removal so many times - I hope this moderator gets canned

[debekniss]

04:15 AM on 01/21/2012

BRAINS4USA

they've been busy removing yours :)

RonPaul 2012

[gwbsucs1]

12:46 PM on 03/06/2012

we should start flaggin you for havin that RP bull in yur post

[gwbsucs1]

12:45 PM on 03/06/2012

better watch it brains - they do own the site and reserve the right to pick and choose

[BRAINS4USA]

09:51 PM on 01/20/2012

NDAA - to those who continue to spread falsehoods about this: this is the text of the legislation. INDEFINITE DETENTION DOES NOT APPLY TO USA CITIZENS. PERIOD.

(b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens-

(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.

(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States.

And for the other falsehoods on Obama and NDAA:http://videocafe.update.crooksandliars.com/karoli/confused-about-ndaa-and-detention-provision

Do no be surprised if you find a lot of schoolkids posting that our President is a traitor and/or committed treason. I have easy question for those buffoons: you really think this GOP House would not do something about that if there were any truth to it? Really? And if they do - what does that make them - and YOUR Party? Remember, Ron Paul is a part of that party... And if you know it is not true - man do you make Ron Paul look stupid....

[FastPlastic]

11:15 PM on 01/20/2012

So here is the problem I have with the bill, so far there is a whole hell of a lot of controversy if it does apply to US citizens, so much so the National Lawyers Guild condemns it because they believe it does. If there is so much controversy as to those regards clearly the bill never should have been passed by congress or signed by Obama. It should have been re-written and received a unanimous vote that it didn't in fact apply to US citizens.

Right now there are those on both side spreading their messages, as it is something that is subject to interpretation, instead of being clear cut like it should be. I for one stand on the side that no one should be held indefinitely without a trial, American citizen or Not. We must set the example for the world that we treat those we accuse fairly, and giving them the chance to prove their innocence is a good place to start.

http://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/nlg-condemns-ndaa-provisions/

[BRAINS4USA]

11:38 PM on 01/20/2012

Ok. Lets agree that NLG also specifically states that it applies to terrorists, US citizen or not. I believe they are wrong. Dont forget these are extremely complicated pieces of legislation and I found this a very clarifying and satisfying read.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/16/1046030/-I-Must-Conclude-That-The-NDAA-2012-Bill-Is-Not-The-Constitution-Destroying-Measure-Claimed-By-Many

[debekniss]

04:06 AM on 01/21/2012

FastPlastic
What BRAINS4USA has yet to explain is why has 600 plus REX 84 camps/FEMA camps been in the works since 1984? Why are there 72 DHS fusion centers now with little statements of who is a National security threat? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Homeland_Security#Fusion_centers Also if one googles this information one clearly sees that the governments story about why these camps were built and for what reason keeps changing. Now Obama has to be getting word people are concerned why hasn't he gone on TV to explain all of this openly so if they were not going to detain Americans ? Reason might be because they are? Might not be military who gets americans in the night could it be one of the MIC we have contracts with? Some sources say the national gaurd.I think most people find the thought of anyone in such camps disgusting ... well unless your in denial.

[trueamericans]

01:10 AM on 01/21/2012

What was it that JOE said YOU LIE.... FACT...

[BRAINS4USA]

02:26 AM on 01/21/2012

How do I lie - these are facts and the real text?? But I guess if you have nothing it is one way of trying to discredit me...bit pathetic though

[BRAINS4USA]

09:23 PM on 01/20/2012

Doing a Ron Paul. Ron Paul was a politician who for no apparent reason than his ego ran for President. Since the late 1960s a frequent publisher of disturbing rags, Paul still managed to delude his "religious" following to believe he was the pillar of righteousness they were looking for. Of course nothing could be farther from the truth. The message of Paul was a very simple one. You take care of yourself and if you want to take care of someone else thats your choice. It was also his view of world politics. Splendid Isolationism. Let the world take care of itself - and we will take care of ourselves too. It was in his rags where he wrote the most vile articles on African Americans. He never owned up to these writings but they were clearly his. To his following that all never made a difference. They revered him for principles. Principles that made him the most useless and ineffective politician ever in American History. Principles that could only work if you leave out one principle: the truth. Many times he lied to his followers about consequences of legislation passed, and /or the "unconstitutional" nature thereof. Mr Paul was never a scholar on the subject - just convinced of HIS views - which had very little to do with the Constitution. Doing a Ron Paul is living in denial under a smokescreen of paranoid delusions.

[rctiger2004]

02:19 AM on 01/21/2012

You should see this
www.youtube.com/watch?v=npJ0CUT8d_Y&list=FL_l9DDZh5A908MCD-53ENpA&index=1&feature=plpp_video

[debekniss]

04:13 AM on 01/21/2012

BRAINS4USA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
back to propaganda 101 on a story which has been debunked
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THkz9btU0zY
http://www.fox19.com/story/16449477/reality-check-the-story-behind-the-ron-paul-newsletters

yet in propaganda 101 they don't teach you how to deal with your President betraying a country like Obama did when he signed the NDAA., So sad to watch someone grasp at straws isn't it?

RonPaul 2012 Restore America Now

[blindsquirl]

06:25 PM on 01/20/2012

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse than NDAA....get a load of THIS.

"Legislation by "our representatives" in Congress. This is Senate bill S. 1698, entitled as the "Enemy Expatriation Act." This bill is two pages, a novelty in the age of 1,000+ page bills."
(re. article courtesy of "Oathkeepers")
This bill will allow authorities to NEGATE YOUR CITIZENSHIP for activities "they consider" terrorist or in support of terrorism.
The ultimate "justification" for DENIAL of any and ALL Constitutional rights. (ANOTHER violation of the CONSTITUTION by these traitors in congress)

Uphold and defend YOUR Constitution...vote for Rep. Ron Paul....vote for YOUR best interest.

[BRAINS4USA]

07:40 PM on 01/20/2012

Thanks for this baseless and clueless post. Take your pills please before you start posting. Thank you. And by the way - fear mongering and nonsense posts don't work here. But they love it at faux news...

[Agentbarto]

03:09 PM on 01/21/2012

Why is your name BRAINS(4USA)? Because evidently you don't have one as you are in denial of the fact that EEA directly relates to the NDAA and would only serve to secure a police state status in America, in which any mere criticism of the administration could land you in Guantanamo. It's not fear mongering, it's just a fact of the arbitrary language of the bill/law.

[debekniss]

08:59 PM on 01/21/2012

BRAINS4USA
Baseless post?????? The post is to let others know whatother nasty bills are ready to be voted on and this one is the nasty one as it does go after Americans. You should read up on it before you make such statements. http://open.salon.com/blog/watchingfrogsboil/2012/01/10/the_enemy_expatriation_act_s1698hr3166_-_anonymous
I noted a few of your post to me were removed by the mods for going against the terms of service here. You wild child you must obey therules please so we can maintain a open freindly place for people to visit. Name calling shows your losing an arguement so might still to speaking like adults with people and tone down insults please. Huffington post does its best to make this a place people enjoy and feel safe in.

Ron Paul 2012

[debekniss]

04:23 AM on 01/21/2012

blindsquirl
I am so glad to see people are getting the word out about this. Thanks so much for posting it.
F&F

[blindsquirl]

01:41 PM on 01/23/2012

Thank YOU for being a CONCERNED citizen and PATRIOT.

[Sayeed Salahdeen]

03:04 AM on 01/20/2012

Ron Paul’s smaller but Constitutional government negates “The Inquisitorial Impulse”.

“A 2010 Washington Post report found that in the United States...1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies now exist to deal with national-security concerns—amounting to an “alternative geography” of America that is “hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight.”

“Today, the basic elements that contain an inquisition—bureaucracy, communications, the tools of surveillance and censorship—are more prevalent and entrenched, by many orders of magnitude, than they were in the days of Gregory IX or Tomas de Torquemada.”

“One rule of thumb about bureaucracies, is that they tend to expand: their mission becomes broader, their personnel become more numerous, and their reason for existence becomes the fact that the already exist.”

“Advances in surveillance are rarely walked back...powers granted by acts of Congress in the period after 9/11—the Authorization of the Use of Military Force of 2001, the Patriot Act of 2001, the Military Commission Act of 2006, the Protect America Acto of 2007, the 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—have taken together, “created a basic framework for the National Surveillance State,”... National-security cases...state and federal requests for wiretap authorization...reached a record high of 3,194 in 2010, up by a third over the previous year. Of that number, a single request for authorization was denied by a judge.”

“GOD’S JURY – The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World” (2012)

[BRAINS4USA]

07:44 PM on 01/20/2012

Ron Paul is a clown

[George Clive Hook]

10:17 PM on 01/26/2012

"The Inquisition Impulse!" Well put! Comparison with the Inquisition and the Torquemada! Insipient of both, I agree! Maybe more. You must spread your message.