GOP Going Beyond Big Brother

Easy to see why libertarians have real troubles with Republicans — the GOP's chief pols, POTUS candidates, and party officials seem to have no concept about the American rights and freedoms in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution or its Bill of Rights and Amendments, let alone case law.

How do the wingers self-identified as Republican try to pass themselves off as American, as patriotic?

Underneath the policy statements of GOP members of Congress as well as the candidates for President is the same dreadful concept. That is, Republican lawmakers, Presidents and cabinet members will tell each American and all Americans how to behave, what is forbidden and which rights, if any, are allowed.

In the past few days, it's been Rick Santorum's turn to promise intrusion into and control over our lives. One expression is that were he elected to the highest office, he'd jail people for what he deemed unacceptable sexual material. Regardless of case law and actual statute, he'd see that his (if you pardon the expression) commonsense judgment of pornography would trump due process.

Likewise, with the exception of the Libertarian Ron Paul, the GOP candidates still standing and braying are eager to permit any employer to force employees to divulge their sexual behavior. Starting with their use of birth control, employees would lose the long-established right to privacy and could be denied health-care benefits selectively on the whim of management.

How can anyone in Congress or hoping to be President even form such absurd thoughts or utter such inane words?

Truth is, we've seen this spreading, invasive intrusion theme for decades. As a nation, we got past McCarthyism, red scares, yellow peril, institutionalized segregation and dreadful abuses of humanity and human rights. Yet, since the Nixon Presidency, we have experienced unceasing attempts to have government control over our lives and liberties...some of them successful.

There have been wiretaps, FBI, CIA and other spooks in warrantless searches, photography and more. Of course, after 9/11, we've had severe and widespread abuses in the name of Homeland Security. That includes random nonsensical physical searches by undertrained, underpaid, often thuggish airport pseudo-police. (Better we should be smart and respectful like Israel in handling travelers.)

The oddment is that all the while, the GOP party leaders, lawmakers and candidates collectively, as well as the winger media, accuse lefties and even the centrist President Obama of wanting big government. What the devil do they think big government is?

Not only have Republican Administrations consistently increased the number of federal employees, plus all those contractors, more than Dems have. More to the point, what the wingers want and often get is a larger government devoted to stripping rights Americans have struggled to attain and retain for centuries.

As a bunch, they seem to relish ceding control to some Big Daddy figure, bigger than Big Brother. Freedom of speech? They'll tell you what you can say or publish. Freedom of assembly? Only where, when and in how large a group as they say. Freedom to travel? There's kind of a war on, so you have to expect a lot of restrictions. Right to due process and trial by jury? Well, not really, we have special rules about who gets a speedy, public trial or any trial at all.

It goes on and on.

Thus, it's no surprise that Santorum, Romney and Gingrich feel empowered to suggest going far beyond restricting and aiming to abolish a woman's right to choose whether to take a fetus to term and viability. They openly speak of laws limiting contraception, as well as allowing each employer to decide what health-care benefits are permitted.

Back in the real world, let's keep making everyone aware. These people are anti-American rights. They don't understand our liberties. They are anti-American.