Filibluster - or - Whose Freedom?

Yesterday was Backwards Day. It must have been. During Rand Paul's filibuster related to Obama administration drone policies to extrajudicially target, strike, and execute US citizens, Congress Democrats - the political wing of the Left, or as close to it as we have in the States - were silent. Meanwhile, the Twitters were abluff - ABLUFF I say! - with unmitigated leftist support for Rand Paul, who was labeled "courageous" for his approach.

It should have been the other way around. Washington is the place to make odd political pals. Washington is the city of pragmatism and political expediency. If political liberals and political conservatives can agree that a specific policy area is immoral - for whatever the reason - this would be a place to do it without equivocation. There is no need for a statement to the effect of: While Congressperson X is vile and decrepit and immoral on 95% of issues and while I distrust X's reasons for standing in agreement with me on this issue...

There is no need for such statements because Washington is a place to get things done. Not a place for testing ideas. Not a place for integrity.

With even the Tea Party decrying military reach and most wars, I don't know what Democrats are afraid of when it comes to drones and the Military Industrial Complex. Who are they now afraid of that they go out of their way to grandstand and advocate anything explosive?

Liz Cheney? Michael Bay?

Democrats do not want to upset their central Autobot/Union demographic

So shame on the Democrats for being shown as the unconcerned loyal politicians they are. Grow some effing balls, dammit! You can't claim to be the Party of the People if you're okay with wars and overlooking the very basic constitutional rights that protect citizens from undue legal judgments - less alone allow them to be executed without a proper judge, jury, or legal defense team.

Instead, we've had to rely on Rand Paul to speak up in this area. And that's troubling not just because he is a Republican, or of the Tea Party. No, it's troubling because Rand Paul is deeply, deeply troubling. And, to be honest, more scary than a flying robot killing machine.

Rand Paul said he'd strike out parts of the Civil Rights Act that have to do with businesses serving people of color. And called his open opposition to key parts of the CRA - which he calls an issue of "controlling property" - an "obscure issue."
Rand Paul tried to distort to discredit the Americans with Disabilities Act
Rand Paul openly opposed the Violence Against Woman Act
Rand Paul attacks not only national environmental regulations - saying that such regulation should be handled by the state governments, which, incidentally are more in line with the dominant industries of their area - but also pretty much all environmental regulation .
Rand Paul's father is an unmitigated Slavery Apologist who had blatant White Supremacist campaign letters coming from his office.
Rand Paul wants to cut spending pretty much everywhere, except for Medicare. Because that would hurt good, honest, hard-working doctors (like himself).
And then there's his and his father's direct connections with campaigners who stomp on female protester's heads and are in charge of directly racist organizations.
Rand Paul is in no way distancing himself from his father, but is - actually without the charm - committed to furthering the very disastrous racist, classist, misogynist, and ableist policies that his father built his reputation on.

So now I'm disturbed by the Prophetic Left who praise Rand Paul for his "bold stance" on drone strikes against American citizens but neglect to mention that Paul seeks to erode if not eradicate what little liberties and protections women, minorities, disabled people, workers, and the poor have from the government. Aren't these the very issues that are sacred to us?

And don't give me the bullocks that the states will be better equipped to deal with their local populations than the central government. It hasn't happened; it won't happen anytime soon. That is why we needed the ADA, the ACA, and the CRA.

He can say that he opposes the War on Drugs that unfairly and disproportionately affects people of color, but that doesn't give him a pass. It doesn't mean he isn't a racist. In fact, we must ask, every single time a Rand Paul decides to speak out on behalf of constitutional rights and liberties: Whose rights are being sought? Whose liberties are we protecting?

It disturbs me because the PL are the very people who do not need to kowtow, who do not need to compromise, who can hold the DNC accountable without hurrahing racists like Rand Paul as some sort of hero. The fact is that I don't trust Rand Paul on anything. And any person of color aware of Rand Paul's positions has every reason to distrust anything embraced or led by him.

After all

When I'm killed in an extrajudicial fashion, I want it to be from a militarized SWAT team with the wrong address, not a GODDAMNED ROBOT.
— norbizness (@norbizness) March 7, 2013

So forgive me if I'm not AS concerned about the remote possibility of American citizens being killed extrajudiciously WHEN IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING. This isn't a mere overreach of federal government - this is institutional racism and classism. This is the protecting of American business interests - same as ever. And if Rand Paul can't seem to understand that, then we have other major issues here.