So what else is new, Rand?

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COMMENTS: 
*  isnt this what we used to say the Russians were doing in to their citizens? Now we have no privacy. The US government should NOT look at our private emails, phones call or anything else without a warrant to do so.
   *  Oh, but, but, but 9/11, national security, war on terror...etc, etc.  Even if it's the "good guys" who are doing bad things, it makes them the bad guys. Perhaps even more so.
*  Rand Paul was being heroic in standing up for civil liberties. Too bad he spent most of his presidential campaign trying to triangulate between libertarians and neo-cons, and playing the "Who's more conservative" game. That was neither morally courageous, nor politically successful. I hope he's moving back towards the pro-freedom firebrand that might do some good.
*  Want a nightmare? Imagine Richard Nixon having today's technology...
*  Our Republican controlled Senate and House renewed NSA's spying program on all Americans in the Spring or early Summer as I recall. Media barely covered the renewal.
*  The Gov has been monitoring US citizens since the 1950's. Hoover's FBI was all over it 60 years ago. Why is everyone acting like this is a new thing? Is this a GOP candidates idea of "being on top of things"?
*  It seems silly the way we pick our Presidents. In theory, you could have 10 of the most stupid, ignorant people living in the US run for President, and the voters would be forced to chose one of them as their next President. Meanwhile, 10 of the most intelligent individuals with lots of political experience, and great leadership abilities are out there, but they don't want the job
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Rand Paul ‘lacks trust’ that the government hasn’t tapped his phone
By Hunter Walker, November 12, 2015

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., thinks the government might be listening to Americans’ phone conversations and reading private emails — including his.

The presidential candidate shared his thoughts on government surveillance in an interview with Yahoo News’ Chief White House Correspondent Olivier Knox on Thursday. Their conversation took place onstage at Yahoo’s Digital Democracy conference on technology and politics at Drake University.

Paul argued that people have no reason to believe the government isn’t monitoring their private communications because Director of National Intelligence James Clapper “lied” to Congress about surveillance.

“There is a huge trust gap. The head of our intelligence — the intelligence director James Clapper — came to the Senate, and when he was asked, “Are you collecting all of Americans’ phone records?,” he said no. He lied to us,” Paul said, adding, “That’s perjury. You can actually go to jail for what he did. He should have at the very least been fired, and he’s still in that position.”

In his March 2013 testimony before Congress, Clapper incorrectly said the government doesn’t collect any type of data on millions of Americans. A few months later, former government contractor Edward Snowden leaked files that revealed that the National Security Agency had a bulk data collection program.

Paul went on to suggest that he personally doesn’t “trust” that the government isn’t monitoring him. However, he did not say he has any evidence they are.

“So, do I lack some trust when they tell me they’re not reading my phone conversations — or listening to my phone conversations or reading my email?” Paul asked. “Do I lack trust from the same people who told me they weren’t collecting any of my information at all? There’s a huge trust gap.”
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