I have listened for the last several hours to the articulate, logical, and courageous filibuster speech by Senator Rand Paul. Behind all the complexity of argument concerning the use of drones at home and abroad, the laws of war, and the absurdity of combat unlimited in both geographic scope and temporal extension, there is a more fundamental issue. Rand is calling our attention to the inherent limits on executive power as laid out in the Constitution.
For too long we have allowed presidents and their administrations to determine the very rules which will govern their policies and actions in matters of war. This is, in turn, part of a larger pattern of allowing the same in every area of our national life. This contradicts a basic principle of the constitutional order. One needn't be a strict contructionist in these matters to see that our overarching structure of law not only *allows* oversight of the Executive by the Legislative, but even *mandates* that oversight. This is what gives Senator Paul’s actions today such force and meaning.
For this reason I urge you to support publicly Senator Paul's initiative here to force the current administration to yield to congressional authority and bow to the rule of law. Whatever particular agreements or disagreements we may have with any of his particular assertions, I hope we can all agree that further unraveling our legal framework will only erode liberty even further, and jeopardize the very security and prosperity our overreaching president claims to defend.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Thomas Hall
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