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Old news.

As I wrote last week, Paul said he was concerned that Americans targeted for  suspected terrorist ties would be destroyed in America itself. He revealed in an  editorial in the Washington Times: “The president said, ‘I haven’t killed anyone  yet, and I have no intention of killing Americans. But I might’” (“Rising in  defense of the Constitution,” Rand Paul, washingtontimes.com, March 8).

I have a complete transcript of Paul’s 13-hour speech, including his  follow-up to this presidential contempt for the separation of powers: “What if  the president were to say, ‘I haven’t broken the First Amendment yet; I intend  to follow it, but I might break it.’”

Later, Paul said: “Presidents, Republican and Democrats, believing in some  sort of inherent power that’s not listed anywhere … For a hundred years or so,  power’s been gravitating to the president – and the executive branch.”

And dig this from Rand Paul: “One of the complaints that you hear a lot of  times in the media is about there is no bipartisanship in Congress. (But) if you  look at people who don’t really believe in much restraint of government as far  as civil liberties, it really is on both sides.”

So, “Republicans and Democrats (also) vote overwhelmingly against the  Constitution giving Congress the power to declare war.

“The Constitution gave it to us (the people),” Paul emphasized, “but we are  giving it back.”

Also, on the question of bipartisanship, he adds: “The bipartisanship that we  have now, which many in the media fail to understand, they see us not getting  along on taxes and on spending, but they fail to understand that on something  very important, on whether an individual has a right not to be restrained  indefinitely, there is quite a bit of partisanship, usually in the wrong  direction.”

How about a Citizens’ Teacher of the Year Award to Rand Paul? Or at least  something that gets teachers who know enough about constitutional rule of law to  discuss his illumination of Americanism in their classrooms.

An awful lot keeps getting debated about Obamacare – in bars, restaurants, by  hospital patients and among doctors – but during those 13 hours, Paul added this  very troubling dimension to what is going to affect the health care of more and  more of us, whether young or an octogenarian, as I am:

“When we passed Obamacare, it was 2,000-some-odd pages. There have been 9,000  pages of regulations written since. Obamacare had 1,800 references that the  secretary of health shall decide at a later date. We (the people) gave up that  power. We gave up power that should have been ours, that should have been  written into the legislation. We gave up that power to the executive branch …  many of whom we call bureaucrats, unelected.”

Since some of those bureaucrats, who have never examined us as patients, will  soon be telling us that our doctors’ treatment of us is too expensive, how angry  are we at giving away our power to maybe live longer?

How many voting Americans know and care about this Rand Paul regeneration of  the Constitution, as it can affect our very lives?

He told us: “Your government was given a few defined powers (by the  Constitution), enumerated powers. … But your liberties are many. … When you read  the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, it says that those rights not explicitly given  to government are left to the states and the people. They’re yours, not to be  disparaged.”

How many Americans are familiar with the Ninth and Tenth Amendments – or have  read them at all?

Perhaps you remember this from Paul during his 13-hour speech:

“They say the United States is the battlefield (against terrorism) now. …  This battlefield being here at home means you don’t get due process at home. …  Is that what we’re moving toward?”

Paul got more penetratingly specific: “The question is, if the government is  going to decide who are sympathizers (with terrorists), and people who are  politicians with no checks and balances are to decide who is a sympathizer, is  there a danger really that people who have political dissent could be included  in this?”

The answer is in the database records of the FBI and state and local police  intelligence divisions.

The ACLU and other non-partisan civil-liberties and human-rights  organizations should set up continuing debates around the country that are  rooted in Paul’s revival of the Bill of Rights and other now-somnolent parts of  the Constitution.

But also, the growing number of active civics classes I’ve been reporting on  in schools around the country should bring Paul into the lives and intentions of  these students who are learning to be authentic, informed Americans.

And Rand Paul himself, in addition to now campaigning for the presidency in  2016, should start visiting schools and getting students to learn how this  patriot suddenly regenerated American values that they can continue  strengthening throughout their lives as citizens.