SPEECH OF
HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
2010 Ron Paul 32:1
Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives
recently considered H. Res. 1422,
honoring the 140th anniversary of the Department
of Justice. I voted against this resolution
because of the Justice Departmentís history of
violating individual rights.
2010 Ron Paul 32:2
It is the Justice Department that leads the
ongoing violations of the fourth, fifth, ninth,
and tenth amendments in the name of the
“war on drugs.” It is Justice Department
agents who perform warrantless wiretap, and
“sneak-and-peak” searches under the misnamed
PATRIOT Act. It is the Justice Department
that prosecutes American citizens for
violating unconstitutional federal regulations
even in cases where no reasonable person
could have known their actions violated federal
law.
2010 Ron Paul 32:3
Some like to pretend that the Justice Departmentís
assault on liberties is a modern
phenomenon, or that abuses of liberties are
only carried out by one political party. However,
history shows that the unconstitutional
usurpations of power and abuse of rights goes
back at least almost a hundred years to the
“Progressive” era and that Justice Departments
of both parties have disregarded the
Constitution and violated individual liberties.
2010 Ron Paul 32:4
During World War I, President Woodrow
Wilsonís Justice Department imprisoned people
who dared to speak out against the war.
Following the war, the progressive assault on
the first amendment continued with the infamous
“Palmer raids,” named for Wilsonís Attorney
General, A. Mitchell Palmer. Just as
President Wilsonís policies of foreign interventionism
and domestic welfare served as a
model for future presidents, Attorney General
Palmerís assaults on civil liberties served as a
model for future attorneys general of both parties.
Think of Robert Kennedy authorizing the
wiretapping of Martin Luther King, Jr., John
Mitchellís role in the abuses of civil liberties by
the Nixon administration, Ed Meeseís assault
on the first amendment with his “pornography
commission,” Janet Renoís role in the murder
of innocent men, women and children at
Waco, and the steady erosion of our rights
over the past decade. In addition, it is the attorney
general and the Justice Department
that defend and justify violations of constitutional
liberties by the President and the other
federal bureaucracies.
2010 Ron Paul 32:5
Many civil libertarians were hopeful the new
administration would be more sympathetic to
civil liberties than was the prior administration.
But the current administration has disregarded
campaign promises to restore respect for civil
liberties and has continued, and in many
cases expanded, the anti-freedom policies of
its predecessors. For instance, the current administration
is supporting renewal of the policies
of warrantless wiretapping and other PATRIOT
Act provisions. The administration, despite
promising to be more open and transparent,
is also continuing to use the claim of
“state secrets” to shield potentially embarrassing
information from Americans. According
to the New York Times, the current administration
is even outdoing its predecessors in the
prosecution of government whistleblowers. It is
little wonder that the head of the American
Civil Liberties Union recently said he is disgusted
with the administrationís record on civil
liberties.
2010 Ron Paul 32:6
Of course, Mr. Speaker, Congress bears ultimate
responsibility for the Justice Departmentís
actions, as it is Congress that passes
the unconstitutional laws the Justice Department
enforces. Congress also fails to perform
effective oversight of the Justice Department.
Instead of honoring the Justice Department,
Congress should begin to repeal unconstitutional
laws and start exercising congressional
oversight of executive branch agencies that
menace our freedoms.
