Our civil liberties are under attack
|
|
|
| | |
|
|
|
| |
Our civil liberties are under attack
Tulsi Gabbard
“Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded.”
These prophetic words were spoken...
|
|
|
“Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded.”
These prophetic words were spoken by none other than the Father of the
Constitution, James Madison. America’s fourth President had the wisdom to see
beyond the litany of challenges facing our founders and innately understood how
the power of fear could be weaponized against future generations to erode the
very freedoms they had fought so hard to obtain. Madison was fully aware of the
primal human need for safety, and that perceived threats to this safety could
be used one day to justify attacks on our fundamental liberties.
| | | |
| |
|
| Open in app or online |
|
| |
Our civil liberties are under attack
|
|
| Tulsi Gabbard |
|
|
| Oct 29 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
| ▷ Listen |
| |
| Save |
|
|
|
| |
“Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded.”
These prophetic words were spoken by none other than the Father of the
Constitution, James Madison. America’s fourth President had the wisdom to see
beyond the litany of challenges facing our founders and innately understood how
the power of fear could be weaponized against future generations to erode the
very freedoms they had fought so hard to obtain. Madison was fully aware of the
primal human need for safety, and that perceived threats to this safety could
be used one day to justify attacks on our fundamental liberties.
Unfortunately, just one century later, our country’s leaders would begin to
ignore his warning. At the pinnacle of World War I, the United States
government would make its first such betrayal, passing the ill-conceived
Espionage Act in 1917 to purportedly safeguard against spying and bolster our
national security at a time when Americans felt especially vulnerable. However,
it was used to silence and target the free speech of those who spoke out
against the war.
Tulsi Gabbard is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and
support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Upgrade to paid
Our founders declared certain rights to be self-evident and inalienable
because they understood the corrupting influence of power. They could envision
how legislation like the Espionage Act would be antithetical to freedom. But
politicians disregarded their foresight, and it passed under the auspices of
security.
Those in power immediately used the newly passed legislation to begin jailing
dissidents of the war, like Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer, charging them
with violating the Espionage Act for handing out pamphlets that opposed the
draft. These were not spies for our adversaries leaking sensitive intelligence
that endangered our servicemembers. No - they were merely anti-war protesters
exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. Yet, even with our
system of checks and balances, the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of
Schenck and Baer, ruling that Congress has more latitude in limiting speech
during times of war. A dangerous precedent was set that has continued to
undermine liberty to this day.
The Espionage Act remains law today, and in recent years, it has been used as a
blunt instrument to attack a free press and critics of those in power. During
the Obama presidency, eight people were charged with leaking security details
to the media under the Espionage Act — more than all previous administrations
combined and most notably included Edward Snowden. This whistleblower bravely
exposed the unconstitutional mass surveillance and human rights abuses being
carried out by the NSA. Instead of receiving the whistleblower protections we
were told are essential for democracy, Snowden faces 30 years in prison if
extradited from Russia.
Upgrade to paid
The unconstitutional mass surveillance he exposed was only made possible due to
another dreadful example of wartime legislation known as the Patriot Act. Our
country was still on edge following the jihadi terrorist attack on 9/11 and the
American people were being encouraged by those in the media and in Washington
to constantly be suspicious. Remember “if you see something, say something?” We
were repeatedly told that the next terrorist attack was imminent and that
everyone was a suspect. The Bush administration and Congress leveraged this
fear to drastically expand the scope of executive power.
Bush, Cheney and the warmongers of both parties who enabled them normalized
this idea that as long as a president claims to be acting in the interest of
national security, they can trample all over our God-given freedoms. The Bush
administration insisted that a president has the power to designate American
citizens suspected of being terrorists as “enemy combatants.” This
classification means they can be imprisoned indefinitely and denied all of
their constitutional rights without even a conviction — mere suspicion will
suffice. The Bush administration established a precedent that the principles of
due process could be suspended in the name of national security. And it was in
this climate of extreme fear, that the Patriot Act was passed.
The Patriot Act allowed law enforcement agencies to conduct warrantless
surveillance of Americans in direct violation of our Fourth Amendment rights to
privacy. Any American can now be wiretapped, and the rights of Habeas Corpus
are no longer guaranteed. The Patriot Act allows our government to operate deep
in the shadows of secrecy as the American people sacrifice their liberty.
Naturally, one would expect this highly intrusive, anti-constitutional piece of
legislation to have barely found the votes to pass, if at all, and then surely
get phased out quickly. Not the case. It passed the Senate with a vote of 98-1,
very little debate, has been easily and blindly reauthorized numerous times,
and remains in effect to this day.
While serving in Congress, I introduced legislation that would repeal many of
the Patriot Act’s most egregious violations to the Constitution and end the
secret FISA courts. Speaker Pelosi refused to even allow for a vote. There was
no room for debate, and any attempt to siphon away power from the party elites
and restore it to the people was seen as a betrayal of the Washington
establishment. Members of Congress take an oath to defend and uphold the
Constitution, but with limited exceptions like Senator Rand Paul, those on
Capitol Hill seem to ignore how legislation like the Espionage Act and Patriot
Act run counter to this promise. The time to repeal is now.
Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to
purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Upgrade to paid
As the Biden administration continues to escalate tensions with Russia, what
freedoms will they demand we sacrifice in the name of national security? What
will we sacrifice under the threat of nuclear war?
We’ve already seen this administration attempt to deploy a ‘Ministry of Truth’
to censor voices it doesn’t like – but the American people stood together, and
we did not allow it. I hope and pray that we find this same courage under the
threat of WWIII and nuclear annihilation.
Ready for an ever deeper dive on this critical issue?
In Episode 3 of The Tulsi Gabbard Show, Dr. Ron Paul and I discuss the greatest
threats to our civil liberties and what we must do to defend them. We don't
hold anything back, and I think you'll enjoy our frank discussion on this
timely issue.
Listen Now (You can also find it on YouTube, Rumble, or anywhere you listen to
podcasts.)
If you found this post to be informative and of value, please subscribe to my
Substack, where at least once per week, I’ll get into the issues that impact
our everyday lives, and share things that are important to me. My hope is that
what we talk about here on Substack will help bridge the divide, increase
understanding, and remind us of how important it is that we uphold our
God-given rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
Upgrade to paid
You’re a free subscriber to Tulsi Gabbard. For the full experience, become a
paid subscriber.
Upgrade to paid
| |
|
|
|
| Like |
| |
| Comment |
| |
| Share |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
© 2022 Tulsi Gabbard
P.O. Box 1401 Honolulu, Hawaii 96807
Unsubscribe
| |
