Few are paying serious attention to Sen. Rand Paul, based on the polls, but he can be compelling when you get to hear him.
At last night’s CNN Republican debate in Las Vegas, Paul called out Donald Trump on another of his oddball proposals, this one specifically involving having the U,S. closing down parts of the Internet to prevent ISIS from using it as a recruiting tool.
Yes, this is a serious proposal.
“Well, look, this is so easy to answer,” Trump said, explaining his mania. “ISIS is recruiting through the internet. ISIS is using the Internet better than we are using the Internet and it was our idea.What I wanted to do is I wanted to get our brilliant people from Silicon Valley and other places and figure out a way that ISIS cannot do what they’re doing. You talked freedom of speech. You talked freedom of anything you want. I don’t want them using our Internet to take our young impressionable youth and watching the media talking about how they’re masterminds.”
So Trump wants to shut down parts of the Internet, and trust him, it will work.
Which gets us to Paul.
“Is Donald Trump a serious candidate?” Paul asked rhetorically. “The reason I ask this is, if you are going to close the internet, realize America what that entails. That entails getting rid of the First Amendment. Okay. No small feat. If you are going to kill the families of terrorists, realize that there is something called the Geneva Convention we’re going to have to pull out of. It would defy every norm that is America.
“So, when you ask yourself whoever you are that think you’re going to support Donald Trump. Think, do you believe in the Constitution? Are you going to change the Constitution?”
Trump had a chance to respond.
“We’re not talking about closing the Internet,” Trump said, moments after talking openly about closing down parts of the Internet. “I’m talking about parts of Syria, parts of Iraq. Where ISIS is. Spotting it. Now, you could close it. What I like even better than that is getting our smartest and getting our best to infiltrate their internet. So, that we know exactly where they’re going. Exactly where they’re going to be. I like that better.”
Trump’s comments were met with boos from the audience.
“I just can’t imagine somebody booing,” Trump said. “These are people that want to kill us, folks. And you’re objecting to us infiltrating their conversations? I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”
The crowd thought so.
– Story by Chris Graham
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