WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – This week’s travel difficulty experienced by Senator Rand Paul has been well-publicized. His destination has not been so widely reported.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, planned to address the annual March for Life in Washington when he was detained with the TSA at the Nashville airport.
In an op-ed for The Washington Times on Monday, Paul wrote, “Today, while en route to Washington to speak to hundreds of thousands of people at the March for Life, I was detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for not agreeing to a patdown after an irregularity was found in my full body scan. Despite removing my belt, glasses, wallet and shoes, the scanner and TSA also wanted my dignity. I refused.”
Authorities eventually let him go back through the scanner, which did not go off the second time, and boarded a later plane.
Although he missed the opportunity to address the event, Paul hosted a reception welcoming marchers from across the country.
The senator posted online the speech he would have given at the Washington march.
“Our Liberty comes from our Creator and our freedoms depend upon a respect for Life,” his prepared remarks say. “It is the government’s duty to protect life, liberty, and property, but primarily and most importantly, a government must protect life.”
“Today, tragically our nation wavers; our moral compass is adrift. Today, I worry about our nation’s future. Together, a brighter tomorrow is possible if we join hands to restore our nation’s virtue, to respect life and to listen to the voice of God that lives and breathes and beckons and yearns for our attention.”
The speech highlighted his support for the Life at Conception Act, the Protect Life Act, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, and the Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“I will never give up fighting for the lives of our unborn children,” it concluded
Both he and his father, presidential candidate Ron Paul, have been outspoken critics of the TSA and the abortion industry.
His father, a Texas obstetrician, described how witnessing a late-term abortion solidified his pro-life views. “They lifted out a small baby that was able to cry and breathe and they put it in a bucket and put it in the corner of the room and pretended it wasn’t there,” he said.
Clay Waters of the Media Research Council pointed out Rand Paul’s detention broke through the annual media blackout of the pro-life event, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters. The only two stories the New York Times ran mentioning the March for Life were about Senator Paul’s detainment.
Related Stories:
* New York Times ignores March for Life for fifth year in a row: WaPo focuses on pro-aborts
* “100% Pro-Life” Rand Paul Wins Kentucky Senate Race: Claims “Tea Party Tidal Wave”
* Newsbytes Jan 1 – Global Warming, Economic Crisis, TSA Abuse
* * NewsBytes July 2 – More TSA abuse (US Transportation Security Administration)