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the Senator from Kentucky, I would note that we agree on a great many issues
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although we don't agree entirely on this issue
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but i wanna take the opportunity to thank the senator from Kentucky
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for his passionate defense of liberty
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his is a voice that this body needs to listen to I would note the senator from
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spent decades in the house of representatives
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as a passionate advocate for liberty
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and both his father's voice
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and the senator from kentucky is bliss has
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altered the debate in this chamber and has helped refocused
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the United States Congress and the American people on
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the critical importance of defending our liberty
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I think protecting the Bill of Rights is a fundamental responsibility in the
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and it is heartbreaking over the last six years that we have seen a federal
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that not only fails to protect the bill a bright
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but that routinely violates the constitutional liberties
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American citizens routinely violates the Bill of Rights
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to learn it remarks questions from the senator from Utah
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where he noted that under the justifications
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for the current ball collection a meta-data
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that it is the position at the federal government that they have the full
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constitutional authority not only collect meta-data
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but to collect the positional location every American
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if any of us carry our cell phone
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wherever we go it is the position of the Obama administration that the federal
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has the full constitutional authority to track the location every American
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no matter where we walk has a
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breathtaking assertion about and I would note
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Joe we don't nearly need to speculate that that's the Obama administration's
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position indeed in recent case before the United States Supreme Court
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the Obama administration argued
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that law enforcement could place a GPS locator
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on the automobile and any and every law-abiding citizen in this country
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and track the location have your automobile in my automobile
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with no probable cause no articulable suspicion no nothing the Obama
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administration argued that the fourth amendment in the bill a bright
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say nothing about the federal government placing a GPS locator
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on the automobile a private law-abiding citizens
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now thankfully the United States Supreme Court rejected that position it didn't
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reject that position
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or 630 or seven to the United States Supreme Court
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rejected that radical anti privacy position
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up the Obama administration unanimously
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nine did nothing now I'm entirely in agreement with my friend the senator
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that the right resolution of the issue before this body
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is for the United States Senate to pass the USA freedom act
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an original sponsor that bipartisan legislation
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the USA freedom act does two things number one
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it ends the federal government's ball collection of Allah meta-data
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for law-abiding citizens I'm entirely in agreement with my friend the senator
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that the federal government should not be collecting the data
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millions of law-abiding citizens with no evidentiary basis to do so
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it is long past time to
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and this program in the USA freedom act does
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at the same time the USA freedom act maintains the tools
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to target terrorists poor living in a dangerous world
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with the rise in I sis and how should bob
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and baccarat not to mention al Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorism across
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the globe the threat to the American homeland has never been greater
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and it is critical that law enforcement national security maintain the tools
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so that if there is a credible basis to believe that a particular
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individual is planning a terrorist attack that we can intercept their
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communications we can prevent
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that terrorist attack before god forbid they murder innocent Americans on
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now the critical words there
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our particular individual cuz what the fourth amendment invasions
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is not that Lord law enforcement's hands are tied
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law enforcement has tools to stop crimes
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but as my friend the senator from kentucky is so powerfully observe
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the fourth member was designed to prevent general warrants it was designed
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to prevent the government
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from assuming that everyone in the country is automatically guilty and we
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will see Jer information
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rather the tools have law enforcement a national security should be pick
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based on the facts and the evidence that's why I support the USA freedom act
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accomplishes both goals it protects our privacy rights
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and the Bill of Rights a blog biting citizens but insurers we have the tools
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to prevent AXA terrorist now I would note
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two points that are important their number of members of this body
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including a number of members of my party in the party in this
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senator from Kentucky who argue the Patriot Act should be reauthorized with
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and they are going to do anything else would jeopardize our national security
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well there to facts that are critical to assess to responding to that argument
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members at this body have received confidential classified briefings
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from the national security officers in this administration
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we are not at liberty to convey the specific details
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others prefix but the members of this body had been told number one that the
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would provide effective tools
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so that we could prevent AXA terrorism and indeed they've gone further to say
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that it is entirely possible that under the USA freedom act
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the national security teeny
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would have more effective tools
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to stop actual terrorists than they do today
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under the ball meta data collection a blog by adding citizens
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that's worth underscoring the national security professionals advising this
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the USA freedom act could well be more
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effective in providing the tools to stop terrorist
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the current status quo that argument needs to set Syrian
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for everyone arguing we've got to maintain the status quo to stop
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if it is the case is we have been told that the USA freedom act could be more
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effective that argument
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suddenly falls to the ground and secondly
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I dress my friends in the republican party would prefer to reauthorize the
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Patriot Act even if that is their preference
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it is abundantly abundantly clear
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that clean reauthorization of the Patriot Act
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and it's certainly a passing the house representatives
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I would note that the USA freedom act passed that passed the House
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338 to 88 it wasn't a narrow victory
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it was overwhelming so even if
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members that this body would prefer to reauthorize the Patriot Act in its
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the boat sank there so the choice they face is letting it expire altogether
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losing the tools we have to prevent real terrorists
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from carrying out active terrorism or accepting a common-sense middle-ground
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that vigorously protect the bill a bright
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while maintaining the tools to target the bad guys I will say this:
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with my friend the senator from Kentucky
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I entirely agree that he is fully entitled
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to introduce his amendments that bill that this body should engage in a full
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considering amendments and a senator from Kentucky should be able to propose
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reasonable common-sense improvements to the USA freedom act
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we ought to debate them on the merits in a full and open
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process there was a time not too long ago when this body was called the
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world's greatest deliberative body
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debate is what we're supposed to do
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rameriz and if the defenders at the Patriot Act
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right now are so confident up their position they should be prepared
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to debate the senator from Kentucky on the merits a debate
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each of the members of this body on the merits
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can to arrive at the right policy that
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both protects our constitutional rights
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and insures we have all the tools we need
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to protect the safety of American citizens against active terrorist
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standing here but the senator from Kentucky
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with the senator from Utah at 11
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40 p.m. I'm reminded
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the movie The Blues Brothers
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say and Jake we gotta get the band back together again I'm reminded the previous
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standing here with the same band The Brothers
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in the wee hours of the morn and I'll make a couple final observations in this
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the first is the very first time I ever spoke on the Senate floor
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when I was a brand new freshman senator
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was during the last time
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the senator from Kentucky was filibustered
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Senator Rand Paul was filibustering
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against the Obama administration's policy oven control drone strikes
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and the refusal at the Obama administration to acknowledge
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that the Constitution prohibits the federal government from using a drone to
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target a United States citizen with lethal force
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if that citizen does not pose an imminent threat
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on US soil when the senator from Kentucky began that
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filibuster that morning he asked if I might come out and support a man I told
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him at the time as a Newbie in this body
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that I wanted to respect the institutions that the senate
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the tradition that freshman senator should stay quiet for a number of months
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so initially I said now I'm not gonna come down it's not
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yet time for me to speak on the senate floor and yet he see stood there
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and one hour into our past I could not stand back
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without joining him in that support in that epic fight
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that time I'm reminded it was an anniversary
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at the Battle of the Alamo so I had the opportunity to read to my friend
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William Barret Travis is letter from the Aluma
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and a given the encouragement of Texans who gave their lives in defensive
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and eat at the time to read tweets
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that were sent in support at the senator from Kentucky and I said many times
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I will go to my grave in debt the Senator Rand Paul that the first
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to speak on the senate floor wasn't supported his epic filibuster I would
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that following that filibuster
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senator paul give me gave me two pieces of advice
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both of which prove very helpful
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for a filibuster I was to do have my own several months later
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advice number one he said was wear comfortable shoes
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and I would note senator paul observed that the last time he did that
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he didn't follow this advice he hadn't planned to speak as long as he had he
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told me his feet hurt
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for two weeks and I will confess it was to my great shame I'm wearing today my
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argument boats which I wear every day on the senate floor but when I filibustered
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I shamefully left my boots in the closet and went and purchased
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black tennis shoes and as the hours wore on I was very very grateful that I had
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abided by senator Paul's good advice and where the 10 issues and I would note
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as I'm sitting here today that the good senator is wearing tennis shoes today so
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that he's follows his own advice and I have no doubt that his calves and thighs
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will thank him tonight in the
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the second benefit by senator paul gave me
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put strength very very little water
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now that was advice he had knowledge likewise he had not followed in his own
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and I will note not too long ago I was sitting in the president's chair
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and the entire hour I was there there was a glass of water and senator Paul's
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desk and he did not drink a separate
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I would note that was advice I endeavor to follow it was good advice
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and i'm glad to see my friend is following it as well
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this is an exceptionally important issue
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that this body should be focused on the responsibility to protect the Bill of
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and a constitutional right to every american and so the question I would ask
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my friend the senator from kentucky is there any excuse
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for this body not taking seriously
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our obligation to protect the Bill of Rights and a constitutional right to
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privacy every American
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