At a town hall in Commerce, Ga., last week, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a "domestic enem[y] of the Constitution."
"When I was sworn into the Marine Corps, I was sworn to uphold the Constitution against every enemy, foreign and domestic," he said. "We've got a lot of domestic enemies of the Constitution and one of those sits in the speaker's chair of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi."
Athens Banner-Herald reporter Blake Aued was at the Sept. 28 town hall and forwarded his transcript to TPM. He had liveblogged the event, but the liveblog didn't remain on the Banner-Herald's site afterward.
He also said the Second Amendment is "critical to prevent treason in America."
Broun was responding to a woman who asked, "What would our founding fathers say about the mess that we have?"
"We've lost a lot of freedom in America," he began, adding that the First and Second amendments are the "cornerstones of freedom."
"I'm chairman of the Second Amendment Task Force fighting for Second Amendment rights. Those gun rights are actually critical to prevent treason in America," he said. "These First Amendment rights, our freedom of speech and all the other things that are going on are just absolutely awful."
In the past, Broun has compared President Obama to Hitler and said Obama, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are part of a "socialistic elite" who may use a flu pandemic to declare martial law.
(H/T Beyond The Trestle)
Late update: The reporter posted on this at his blog, pointing out that Broun has also accused Democrats "of wanting to ban Twinkies and bicycles." He also unearthed his liveblog of the event.

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CT Voter
October 8, 2009 12:27 PM
"These First Amendment rights, our freedom of speech and all the other things that are going on are just absolutely awful
This isn't even marginally coherent.
Was Rep. Broun horrified when Ari Fleischer suggested that everyone had better watch their language? Given these statements, I would imagine he must have collapsed in shock over the possibility of a government wanting to censor citizens? Right???
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 5:42 PM in reply to CT Voter
"These First Amendment rights, our freedom of speech and all the other things that are going on are just absolutely awful
This isn't even marginally coherent.
_____
It is as a Freudian slip.
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redclaydem
October 8, 2009 12:27 PM
If only Rep. Broun had instilled his fervent belief in abiding by the law in his (18 year old) son who was busted for pot possession earlier this year:
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/041509/bre_429540822.shtml
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 5:43 PM in reply to redclaydem
Wher does he stand on torture?
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hunter
October 8, 2009 5:45 PM in reply to redclaydem
Hey now. This guy is evil, and we should attack him for it. But let's leave his son's conviction for doing what every college kid in America is doing out of it.
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 6:06 PM in reply to hunter
Can we attack his self-righteous law-and-order hypocrisy?
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Peter Principle
October 8, 2009 12:34 PM
Basically, for these people "the Constitution" has become a synonym for "every crazy wing nut thing I believe".
Kinda reminds me of the old Mad magazine definition of a superpatriot: Someone who loves his/her country -- while hating 80% of the people in it.
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sbv
October 8, 2009 12:46 PM
Paul Broun needs to read the second amendment which clearly states "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Why is it all these faux patriots always forget the "WELL REGULATED MILITIA" part of the amendment. As far as calling the Speaker of the House an enemy of the state he needs to contemplate the stupidity of that statement.
The only enemies of the state I see are the people like Broun who think the government of our country is the enemy.
If he thinks helping one another is wrong I suggest he read up on the meaning of anarchy and compare it to mutual cooperation.
I think we all need to revisit the movie "Z" and understand the concept of "burning down the barn." Perhaps Broun wants to save America by executing everyone who disagrees with him probably 95% of the country. It would eliminate the population problem.
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jeffgee
October 8, 2009 1:20 PM in reply to sbv
Does anyone think a wingnut militia would be well-regulated?
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sagesource
October 8, 2009 2:05 PM in reply to jeffgee
Only when it was in the graveyard. Which, judging from these blowhards, would be very quickly.
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eastvan
October 8, 2009 5:18 PM in reply to jeffgee
Some days I wish these fantasy " well regulated militias" would actually
rise up. Just so they could be put in their place.......
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 5:53 PM in reply to jeffgee
Their notion of "well regulated" -- it's obviously a dirt-stupid transparent rationalization intended to get around law and reality -- is that they are trained in how to march in a straight line.
Those who cite the Second Amendment as establishing a "right" to oppose gov't are the ENEMY of the Constitution. They tend to be dirt-stupid -- conflators of "Declaration of Independence" -- which has never been law -- with Constitution, which happens to be ignorant of the fact that between "Declaration" and Constitution came Articles of Confederation.
Which doesn't surprise: these are the same fools and or liars who insist the Civil War was a "war between the states" -- wholly leaving out the Federal gov't and Union army, as if Lincoln sat on the sidelines and watched while doing nothing.
By contrast with these America-hating traitors is US Con. Art. I., s. 8, c. 15:
"Congress shall have the Power To provide for calling forth the Militia to Execute the laws of the Union, [and] SUPPRESS INSURRECTIONS."
The Second Amendment not only has nothing whatever to do with "individual" anything; the militia has always been UNDER the rule of law, as its purpose is to defend the community -- and, push come to shove, gov't/rule of law. Precedents for those facts, aside from law per se, are the Founders/Framers' use of the Militia to suppress Shays' and Whiskey rebellions.
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DB55
October 8, 2009 5:14 PM in reply to sbv
Well, the Supreme Court recently ruled that bearing arms is an individual right under the 2nd amendment (not just for militias), and Obama has said he agrees with that interpretation.
The real issue here are a**holes like Braun using veiled threats of violence when they lose national elections. They did it under Clinton, they're doing it now. It shows nothing but contempt for the very Constitution they supposedly love.
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 5:57 PM in reply to DB55
And the opinion by extremist/activist Scalia holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual right is a perfect example of reasoning from conclusion to the manufacture of justification for the conclusion. I've posted a number of thimes the essentails which refute Scalia's KNOWING LIE on the point. All one need do is read the DEBATES by those who WROTE the Second Amendment to determine that it has nothing whatever to do with "individual" anything, as the sole concern was establishing the structure and control of militia as ALTERNATIVE to standing army.
At the same time, he got it right that gun control law IS CONSTITUTIONAL.
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 6:04 PM in reply to DB55
The REAL issue here is the distortion and falsiffication of Constitution and law as justification for anti-Constitutional threats of violence.
Smarten up: it isn't smart to feed these anti-Americans what they want in the form of falsifications of Constitution and law.
Keep in mind that the person who intervened in the 2000 election, stopping the vote-counting before it was completed, and authoring Bush v. Gore, was Scalia. That was sufficent treason by him to wholly demolish any credibility that might have been associated with him. What he did with Heller was eliminate the bright red line established by Founders/Framers (actually the tradition continued by them) between authorized military, on one hand, and on the other, illegal private/standing armies/fake "militia" by means of which to attack the gov't.
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traitorjoe
October 8, 2009 12:52 PM
Far be it from me to call name-callers a bad name, but is this guy the son of Eva Braun?
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Matt Jones
October 8, 2009 12:56 PM
Just another "military coup" dog-whistler. Note that he didn't actually *say* that the military should take over the government, but it's clear that's what he means.
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 6:05 PM in reply to Matt Jones
He's another pushing for civil war.
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jeffgee
October 8, 2009 1:18 PM
We've got a lot of domestic enemies"
translated- "the Democrats won in '06 and '08 and we don't like it one bit."
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Ann Arbor
October 8, 2009 2:01 PM
Democrats want to ban Twinkies and bicycles? Sounds like Broun got into his son's stash.
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sagesource
October 8, 2009 2:04 PM
Gibbering idiocy. Weaponry has always been regulated in the United States, despite whatever the 2nd Amendment was supposed to mean.
If you don't believe me, I'm thinking it would be nice to have a howitzer and ammunition. Where do I buy them?
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nova voter
October 8, 2009 2:41 PM in reply to sagesource
pshaw, cute little popgun, the howitzer. where can i buy some nuclear ARMS? i mean, the 2d amendment refers to ARMS, right?
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eastvan
October 8, 2009 5:22 PM in reply to sagesource
I have a Howitzer! And bullets for it! Well, actually, it belongs to
the Guv'mint.....I just use it when they tell me to. It's, ahem, very
regulated......( I'm a Redleg )
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JNagarya
October 8, 2009 6:10 PM in reply to sagesource
"Weaponry has always been regulated in the United States,"
Weaponry, regardless kind, has always been regulated, regardless society or era, in defense of public safety:
No sane society leaves dangerous substances and objects lying around unregulated.
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psyclone
October 8, 2009 2:07 PM
This is good - we're getting all these rightwing types to publically declare themselves, which will make it all the easier when it comes time to round them up with our ACORN stormtroopers and put them in our re-educ---
OOPS! Did I just tip them off?
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Rich in NJ
October 8, 2009 2:13 PM
What a moronic subversive fool.
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jeffs
October 8, 2009 2:14 PM
I believe Broun also said, "I'll give you my twinkie when you take it from my cold, dead hands!"
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Clavis
October 8, 2009 2:22 PM
I think we have a new nickname for the man: Paul "Twinkie" Broun.
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Virginia
October 8, 2009 2:23 PM
And what's his worry about the First Amendment?
Let me guess: it's that you can't have organized prayer and teach creationism in public schools.
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nova voter
October 8, 2009 2:39 PM
hey, maybe we should open an investigation to ferret out the anti-american members of congress.
whoa, deja vu there for a second.
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bigbee
October 8, 2009 3:19 PM
Did this guy really say that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the body in which he serves, is a domestic enemy from which the U.S. military should protect us? Is he advocating the capture or murder of his Speaker?
This should be a major story, and he deserves to receive the strongest punishment available in the House. It's time for the Democrats to grow a pair and nip this violent, traitorous, secessionist rhetoric in the bud.
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Armageddon T. Thunderbird
October 8, 2009 3:52 PM
There is psychology at play here. Republicans first project that they are nuts. Then they can say anything. Finally - normalcy is applauded - regardless of it's content.
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pakaal
October 8, 2009 4:09 PM
To the courts with all seditionists! Try this man and throw him in jail!
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fsudirectory
October 8, 2009 4:40 PM
"We've got a lot of domestic enemies of the Constitution and one of those sits in the speaker's chair of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi."
He also said the Second Amendment is "critical to prevent treason in America."
So is Mr Broun advocating on the murder of the Leader of the House?
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ariveria
October 8, 2009 5:01 PM
good somebody who will fight for the right to bear arms. as he says this is "critical to prevent treason in America." for that type of fight we dont need saturday night specials or hunting rifles.
we need RPGs SAMs IEDs having WMDs wont be bad either. lets save the 2nd amendment
"a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth"
glenn beck
information czar fox news
the view 5/20/09
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Cal Damage
October 8, 2009 10:07 PM
When will one of these clowns step up and take "shall not be infringed" literally, declaring Georgia or South Carolina an open ownership state? Allow any and all arms, by any and all citizens, concealed or not, carried or not, sawed-off, semi- or full-auto...hell, hood-mounted, roof-mounted, or depleted-uranium-tipped....
It'd certainly rid America of these yahoos, after they all swarmed to that state and killed one another, while the rational flee...
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screaminmeme
October 8, 2009 11:47 PM
Funny, he doesn't really look all that crazy.
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slb
October 9, 2009 3:20 AM
Funny, I always thought the Fifth Amendment was a pretty critical one, too, but Bush and his fan club seemed content to feed it into the shredder.
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