Rand Paul flip-flops, says drone strikes on U.S. citizens on U.S. soil without charge or trial are okayMadison Ruppert He has completely backed down from his previous position in the wake of the Boston marathon bombing, saying that he never argued against any technology being used when you have an imminent threat, an active crime going on. Paul went on to state that this could even include killing an individual who allegedly committed a robbery. Never does Paul mention a court, a charge, or a trial and hes already received a lot of criticism for his comments. If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash, Paul said, I dont care if a drone kills him or a policeman kills him. This sounds eerily like a signature strike like those carried out in Pakistan where people are killed by drones without their identity being known, based on intelligence indicating patterns of suspicious behavior. Its different, Paul claimed, if they want to come fly over your hot tub or your yard just because they want to do surveillance on everyone and watch your activities. Since Pauls comments were clearly referencing the Boston bombing suspect, it must be pointed out that here were talking about an alleged killer who actually hasnt been convicted of anything. That is quite a dangerous and slippery slope to begin traveling down. Pauls comments in light of the Boston suspects arrest are a far cry from his staunchly anti-drone stance just last month, Mediaite points out. At the beginning of his filibuster that lasted almost 13 hours in total, Paul said, I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court. Apparently our rights to trial by jury are no longer precious and Americans should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime and without first being found to be guilty by a court. Paul clearly contradicted his earlier statements on every single point. During the same interview, Paul said that he did not agree with other Republican senators calling for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to be treated as an enemy combatant, but as Mediaite rightly points out, this is hardly some kind of principled stance for civil liberties. [B]y indicating he would have made the call to kill the suspect with drone if hed had the chance, Paul seems to have betrayed the principles of his filibuster, Matt Wilstein writes for Mediaite. Yet Rand Paul went on the defensive, with his office releasing a statement claiming that his position hasnt actually changed. Armed drones should not be used in normal crime situations, the statement said, according to Reason. They only may only be considered in extraordinary, lethal situations where there is an ongoing, imminent threat. I described that scenario previously during my Senate filibuster. Fighting terrorism and capturing terrorists must be done while preserving our constitutional protections. This was demonstrated last week in Boston. As we all seek to prevent future tragedies, we must continue to bear this in mind, the statement concluded. However, someone leaving a liquor store with a weapon and $50 in cash isnt quite fighting terrorism and capturing terrorists, yet that is exactly a situation where Paul said he wouldnt care if a drone was used to kill an American. Watch the clip below. Did I forget anything or miss any errors? Would you like to make me aware of a story or subject to cover? Or perhaps you want to bring your writing to a wider audience? Feel free to contact me at admin@EndtheLie.com with your concerns, tips, questions, original writings, insults or just about anything that may strike your fancy. Please support our work and help us start to pay contributors by doing your shopping through our Amazon link or check out some must-have products at our store. This article first appeared at End the Lie. Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis databaseEnd The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on UCYTV Monday nights 7 PM 9 PM PT/10 PM 12 AM ET. Show page link here: http://UCY.TV/EndtheLie. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 