Letters of Marque and Reprisal

[silvestris]

After 911, I like virtually all Americans wanted revenge. I felt we had to go to Afghanistan to kill Bin Laden. When that failed for whatever reasons including the police action in Iraq, I began to realize just how difficult and futile it was to use an army to capture or kill an individual in a land that is foreign in more ways than one. Why not just enlist a group of mercenaries to do the job for us. My thought was not original as it turns out.

In fact, Ron Paul read the Constitution and discovered the right of Congress to issue letters of Marque and Reprisal in Section 8 of Article I and suggested it's use one month after 911.

http://www.house.gov/paul/press/press2001/pr101101.htm

[Misesian]

silvestris,

Yes I recently discovered this part of Ron Paul's foreign policy not too long ago. I am amazed that this is something that actually could have been an option to go after Al Qaeda, is Constitutional, and was never utilized.

I wish he would bring this up during his interviews or the debates to show that he is NOT weak when it comes to responding to attacks from abroad.

[MusoSpuso]

After 911, I like virtually all Americans wanted revenge. I felt we had to go to Afghanistan to kill Bin Laden. When that failed for whatever reasons including the police action in Iraq, I began to realize just how difficult and futile it was to use an army to capture or kill an individual in a land that is foreign in more ways than one. Why not just enlist a group of mercenaries to do the job for us. My thought was not original as it turns out.

In fact, Ron Paul read the Constitution and discovered the right of Congress to issue letters of Marque and Reprisal in Section 8 of Article I and suggested it's use one month after 911.

http://www.house.gov/paul/press/press2001/pr101101.htm

Simply brilliant! Agreed, Ron Paul should really bring this up specifically. It would totally leave his opponents limp in their argument that Ron is unpatriotic or weak. Go Ron!