9/11 ... have Libertarians forgotten?

It only takes one generation, it appears, to forget the dangers that face this nation and the devastation of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Many of today's Libertarians who are college students or twenty-somethings, were very young children when the worst attack ever on American soil took place. Protecting our country and her people became job #1 for President George W. Bush. Enjoying continued peace almost twelve years later, it is obvious that vigilance paid off .

Senator Rand Paul, son of that famous Libertarian Ron Paul, filibustered in Washington on Wednesday while a nor'easter dropped snow on much of Virginia, and senators who have worked to keep America safe were not impressed yet they were criticized by the Ron Paul wing.

The Washington Times wrote:

The fight over the Obama administration’s use of drones exposed deepening divisions within Republican ranks between the libertarian-leaning and defense-minded wings of the party over national security.

The long-simmering battle exploded onto the Senate floor this week when Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham bashed fellow Sen. Rand Paul for filibustering the nomination of John O. Brennen to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency until the Obama administration assured the Kentucky Republican that it would not use drones to kill American citizens on U.S. soil.

“You are starting to see a bit of a split between the libertarian-leaning lawmakers and essentially what you see as defense hawks,” said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. “We are a war-weary nation. While the GOP is still seen as the national defense party, what you are seeing is a rising trend of libertarianism.

“You are also seeing the Republican Party reset on where it is on national security. Essentially what the libertarians are saying is, ‘Hey, we have to be more careful about the future because we’ve just been through 10 years of war here.’ The defense hawks are saying, ‘National security trumps all and we have to be ready at all times.’”

Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, said Mr. Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to the drone program and suggested that he has done a “disservice to some Americans by making them believe that somehow they’re in danger from their government.”

“The country needs more senators that care about liberty, but if Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarians in their college dorms,” Mr. McCain said.

Criticism by the young Libertarians of this elder statesman, a war hero who was a prisoner of war during Vietnam, was seen on Facebook and elsewhere. It brought to mind the saying that a nation that forgets its history is doomed to repeat it.