How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed - and Imprisoned by the Feds

If you want to learn the truth about government abuses and about how government agencies treat small businessmen, this is the book for you.

If you want to sleep well at night and learn to become more trusting and less suspicious, this is not for you.

A very good and interesting read................VERY REFRESHING the truth always is.. It was an easy read--flowed well and kept my interest, well worthwhile... http://www.the store.com/gp/product/1455522759/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

This book is an expose of criminal activity enacted upon law abiding American citizens by gov't bureaucracies run amok. It is chilling and motivating. Read it and you'll never be able to view justice the same.

Become more aware of how out of control and intrusive the government has become. We are so far off track and away from the Constitution it's frightening. Information given in the book can be researched on your own if you find it hard to believe. Believe..and take back control of our country!!

You would think the book was written in Russia not the USA. I like the way Rand Paul thinks. He doesn't believe the government should be in our business. I have been paying more attention to his political career since reading this book. It will change the minds of most people trusting our government.

A good introduction to soft tyranny evolving to something much, much worse. The Tales within this book are of ordinary, hard working Americans trying to live the American dream until the hand of the federal government turns it into a nighmare. The need for Congress to do their job instead of surrendering their authority to bureacrats is clear.

Basically after the first two examples it got really boring because the whole book was about the welands. I did not
do my due diligence on book prior and thought it would be a variety of stories about government abuse.

Rand Paul's book should be required reading in all high schools across the country. It might help counter, somewhat, the extreme liberal, left-wing political thinking that most college students will get indoctrinated with in our nation's schools of higher learning. The book clearly shows with its many actual case examples the absurdity and lack of common sense that agencies such as the EPA demonstrate when they've been granted excessive regulatory power. Unfortunately, there is no citizen advocacy group to counter the excesses and stop the government's unauthorized, heavy-handed intrusion into our private lives and property. The average citizen can not fight such governmental harrassment and most elected politicians won't take the time to listen to and defend the rights of their constituents.

Every American should read this book. Basically it makes it obvious that our elected politicians are a slow-moving parade of clowns whose primary function is to re-direct our focus away from these monstrous bureaucracies which they created and now can't control.

The book points out what the government bullies are doing and the methods used but there are no ways given to combat the horrible problem it is!! Thus disappointing! The book arrived in a timely manner etc. but the author gives NO solutions--not even any ideas for solutions!!

Did not get much from this that is not
knowledge we who follow the news
So I WASTED my time and money on this one.
I SAY OK now that we know what are we to do??
AND CAN THOSE who are so smart & arrogrant
ever accept one another and come into unity.

Senator Rand Paul is an honest man which is amazing for someone in Washington circles. Not only can you trust what he says, you can tell he genuinely cares about the American people and is willing to take a stand for what he believes is right. He is not just a big talker, but a doer with workable solutions to the economic and other problems facing Americans. His book details the numerous ways American's freedoms are being stolen from us by the government bullies. Everything from the ability to drink raw milk to the kind of toilet we use is being regulated. I receive his Rand PAC newsletter which details the constant stream of legislation coming out of Washington designed to rob us of evermore of our freedom. The book is an eye opening read. Read Paul's most interesting and informative book to find out the whole story.

"How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and imprisoned by the Feds"

"Government regulations are out of control. They dictate how much water goes into your commode, and how much water comes out of your shower head. They determine how hot the water needs to be in your washing machine, and how many miles to the gallon your car must achieve. Since the Patriot Act, your banking records, your gun registration, and your phone bill are easily accessible by government snoops. Mothers are arrested for buying raw milk. Families are fined for selling bunny rabbits without a license. Home and property owners are strapped with obscene fines, entangled in costly legal messes, and sent to federal prison, all for moving dirt from one end of their land to another. Unelected bureaucrats, armed with arbitrary rules and no need to back them up, stonewall and attack American citizens at every turn. The damage can be overwhelmingly taxing---financially, emotionally and even physically.

And who is being held accountable? Government regulation and red tape run amok in Washington, and honest, tax-paying citizens are the victims of an administration's misuse and abuse of power. Now, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky takes an in-depth look at the legislation that is trampling the rights of ordinary citizens, strangling their ability to conduct private, everyday activities without egregious government interference. He highlights outrageous searches, seizures and arrests, and points to thousands of regulations that have been added to the books since Obama took office. Most importantly, he charts a direction out of this mess and toward renewed freedom for all Americans.

These stories are of everyday Americans badgered and harassed by their own government---the very institution that is supposed to serve us all. This gross breach of our constitution is as frightening as it is real, and GOVERNMENT BULLIES is a call to action against it." (From the Center Street Books Website)

About the Author: Senator Rand Paul has represented Kentucky in the United States Senate since winning the seat in 2010. When he's not in session in Washington, D.C., he lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his wife and three children. Senator Paul is the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

My thoughts about the book: As an advocate I fight for the rights of citizens whenever their rights have been or are being violated. I have helped parents of children who have been the victim of bullying at their school but I have never been asked by a consumer to help them with a complaint of bullying or harassment by the EPA or any other federal government agency. So when I saw the title of Senator Paul's book and knew something of what it was about it piqued my interest and I had to get my hands on a copy to read.

To say that what I read shocked me would be an understatement. What Senator Rand Paul exposes in his book concerning how some agents or employees of government agencies including the EPA (The Environmental Protection Agency), the TSA (The Transportation Security Agency), the FDA, (The Food and Drug Administration and USDA (The U S Department of Agriculture) treats American business owners as well as private citizens is appalling. What some agents or employees of the above mentioned agencies have done and are doing to American citizens is absolutely outrageous and our legislators should demand that their activities be stopped immediately. Keep in mind that not everyone who is employed by these agencies do the types of things Senator Rand exposes in his book nor do they agree with what the agency they work for is doing. But as the old sayings goes, "You don't bite the hand that feeds you," or "Don't rock the boat" both apply if they want to keep their jobs.

Senator Paul's book consists of 4 different parts: Part 1 "Property Wrongs - EPA Bullies," Part 2 "The Lacey Act - An Open License For Open Bullying," Part 3 "Enemies Foreign and Domestic - The TSA and Bullies Abroad," and Part 4 "Keeping Us Safe? - FDA and USDA Bullies." In each of the 4 Parts of his book Senator Paul exposes the abuse of power and bullying and sometimes almost terroristic tactics employed by some of the agents of the government agencies involved against both individual American citizens as well as American businesses.

In Part 1 of his book he reveals how the EPA has repeatedly violated citizens' rights through their process of declaring lands "wetlands" thus making it virtually impossible for the citizen or business owner to build on their property or do with their property what they desire. When you read the story of Victoria Pozsgai-Khoury's father, John Pozsgai, a Pennsylvania resident, and what the EPA did to him it will make your blood boil. For no good legal reason other than the whim of some EPA officials he was sent to the federal prison in Allenwood PA for no crime having been committed. Or he shares the story of Mike and Chantell Sackett who wanted to build their dream home on their dream location at Priest Lake Idaho. But after the EPA got involved with their building project their dream turned into a nightmare forcing them to take their case all the way to the Supreme Court, where they finally won the right to build a home on their property. And as Senator Paul states regarding the EPA and its actions against citizens and businesses there is "lack of oversight and accountability" making for a most dangerous situation.

In Part 2 and Chapter 9 of his book, you will read about what the Department of Homeland Security did to the world acclaimed guitar manufacturing company, the Gibson Guitar Company. The story is real, the situation is unbelievable (that it would happen in America), and our legislators need to step up and reign the employees of these government agencies in with proper oversight and accountability. In Chapter 13 titled "Touching and Squeezing America" author Paul reveals how rogue employees of the TSA humiliate and abuse American citizens as they pass through security checkpoints in American airports. Even the Senator himself experienced a violation of his dignity as he was "harassed and detained" by TSA agents at the airport in Nashville Tennessee in 2012.

He continues on in his book in Chapter 16 which is titled "Foreign Bullies" sharing how American citizens have been imprisoned and harassed by the Egyptian government - a government we support with $1.8 billion dollars of taxpayer's hard earned money. The Senator and I both agree there is definitely more than one thing wrong with that picture. And then in Part 4 of his book and in Chapters 17-20 he writes about how some agents of the FDA and USDA misused their powers with tactics that become "bullying in the worst sense: when farms are raided, lemonade stands are shut down, and teenagers selling bunnies are fined $3.9 million." And I would add one more to his list how certain agents of the FDA went to great lengths over the past years to regulate dietary supplements and stop doctors, companies and individuals from selling and promoting them. Agents of the FDA have raided doctor's offices, had healing herbs removed from the market while allowing potentially deadly medications to be sold like candy to millions of people in our country, harassed supplement manufacturers and levied large fines for those who violated their rules and regulations.

He concludes his book by offering solutions for the problems that exist in our country today by combining "into one argument our fight for food freedom, health freedom, and freedom from the tyranny of overzealous federal agencies with SWAT teams." He tried to get an amendment passed in the Senate to provide more protection for citizens and business owners but the amendment failed. Why doesn't that surprise me? Read this book at your own peril as it just might open your mind to learn things you would rather not learn and your eyes to see things you would rather not see. Because once we learn truth we ARE responsible as to what we do with that truth. I believe after you finish reading this book you as a citizen or business owner just might be more attentive to what is happening in DC and express your voice concerning how our government ought to be run as well as vote for individuals that hold our freedoms to be as precious as they are and inviolable as they must forever be.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book free from Center Street Books (A division of the Hachette Book Group) for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

rand paul sure isn't the smartest dude in washington, but he sure likes to think he is. in this book
he presents racist and fantastical ideas surrounding government policy that demonstrate a narrow minded
and unrealistic set of priorities which often put a warped perception of "personal freedom" way too far ahead of
national security and common sense regulation. i would have more respect for this book and this politician if he
was able to support his ideas with a well articulated and organized argument including specific evidence rather than
almost dogmatic and vague absolutions. Within this book he criticizes the EPA very broadly and vaguely, yet at the same time
viscerally and angrily, a combination which is almost comical coming from a political figure of such high status. Albeit he has some interesting points on foreign policy, as did his father, the overall ideology of the book is elitist, xenophobic, narcissistic, racist, and often times completely inaccurate. not to mention he was proven to have plagiarized a significant portion of it. i would recommend this book to anyone who is a conservative\libertarian idealogue who just wants their ignorant and unchanging ideas to be reinforced, but if you are a thinking person who questions and actually cares about the facts rather than nothing but satisfying sounding opinions, this book will only frustrate and annoy you.

I received Senator Rand Paul's new book, Government Bullies, yesterday and read the whole thing today while, ironically enough, travelling all day and being greeted by the friendly neighborhood government agents of the TSA, those stalwart folks making travel not at all safer and immeasurably more unpleasant for all Americans. Senator Paul is on the list for potential candidates for President in 2016 if Romney loses in this election and this book is obviously his opening salvo.

First, the negatives. Senator Paul tends to be pretty repetitive in many places. I felt as though I was reading the same thing over and over in places and in a few I am sure I read the same thing more than once. The editing is not great. Most annoying Senator Paul spends a lot of time referencing the various legislation that he has put forth. After all he is a politician and he clearly has aspirations beyond the Senate seat from Kentucky. All in all this is not a great work of literature but it really isn't intended to be.

The gist of Government Bullies is a recounting of a litany of simply outrageous abuses of government power by unelected and unaccountable government bureaucrats, many armed to the teeth with guns and all armed with the nearly limitless power to make life miserable for average citizens for any or no reason at all. Each successive event that he records is more egregious than the last. A co-worker travelling with me couldn't even finish one chapter before he became so upset that he had to put the book down.

From groping airline passengers who have given no indication of being a threat to arresting and imprisoning citizens for moving dirt on their own property to early morning armed raids on Amish famers for selling milk, Government Bullies paints a picture of a government out of control. Certainly the examples he gives are the most extreme but the fact is that I read this book while traveling today and was required to remove my belt, my suit coat and my shoes before the TSA would permit me to fly on the plan that I had purchased a rather expensive ticket to fly on, a transaction between me and a corporation. We have our own cow that produces milk but that milk is viewed as a dangerous substance that can lead to my arrest if I sell it, as if milk is analogous to meth.

Government Bullies is like a repetitive punch in the stomach and a rude awakening for those of us with an overly nostalgic view of America as the land of the free. As Senator Paul is careful to point out, things are better in America than they are elsewhere around the world but we have strayed far indeed from the vision of the Founding Fathers and the principles that this land was supposed to be founded on.

If you can read this sort of stuff and not be outraged, you aren't really paying attention. In the name of "security" Americans have been trading liberty and freedom for a false promise for decades and the pace of this surrender is accelerating. From economics to "the war on terror" to knee jerk reactions to any event, we have as a people been far too willing and eager to turn over more and more of our lives to our benevolent overlords in Washington D.C. A chip off the old block and following in his father's distinguished footsteps, Rand Paul is a voice demanding that we stop the madness before it is too late. Of course it might already be too late.

Senator Rand Paul gives very detailed and in depth stories of real Americans, rich and poor, who have been directly singled out and bullied by the Federal government. Some doing hard and long prison time for moving dirt from one end of their property to the other and even a couple of people who were ordered to buy billboards and apologize for disobeying the federal government. All the situations had heavy fines that would put the average person in debt for the rest of their lives. This is not a Conservative, Liberal, or even Libertarian biased book..this is for all Americans. Senator Paul doesn't just nay say and point out problems. He is also gives a clear and coherent way we can fix it. Not just through legislation and who we should vote for but how we, the little guys, can make a difference. Important to all of us to inform us about tyranny that happens in our own front yard and important to get a feel for Senator Paul who is likely to run for President in 2016.

During a conversation with a couple who had just spent a month in China, they made the statement that the people in China have more freedom than we do. After reading this book I can believe it. We have given up so much of our constitution and turned over our rights to the bureaucracy that we are living in a country that closer resembles Russia during Stalin or Germany during Hitler. Both parties deserve blame for growing this fiasco. I hope there are enough people in government like Senator Rand Paul to turn this around and return us to the great country we once were.

This is an excellent book that will open your eyes to the abuses perpetrated against normal citizens by our government, the same government that is supposed to protect us. It is just shameful. I appreciated the fact that the author lists steps that he has taken to attempt to stop these abuses, although he has not had much support in Washington. Nevertheless, Mr. Paul is doing all he can to sound the alarm. I hope it will be widely read so that people who think these things can "never happen in America" will begin to see reality.

This book exposes so many things that many people wouldn't normally know about the federal powers taking advantage and pushing people around. This is one of the top books I read this year. Along with The Liberty Amendments, American Séance, the new common core book from beck and Don't Hurt People & Don't take their stuff by Matt Kibbie. Good read and good price.

wow.. this book has many great points.. the government has everyone running scared.. 9/11 was the tipping point for our liberties to be overrun by government control. This book points out just how intrusive the government is in EVERY aspect of our lives. However I find it a strange thing that this man wants government control over women's bodies. Goes to show.. it is all about whose ox is being gored.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
― Benjamin Franklin, Memoirs of the life & writings of Benjamin Franklin

how true this is even today

This book is spot-on accurate. Unfortunately the bullying doesn't stop with random citizens. Targets are often *inside* government as well: whistleblowers, aging workers, complainers, or anyone who gets on the wrong side of corrupt leadership. "Mobbing" or organized harassment is a favorite tactic of government bullies, with senior leadership either supporting or looking the other way in cases of institutionalized bullying. Retaliation is rampant, with the basic premise being that since the burden of proof lies with the victim, the bullies are better served by weakening the resolve of their targets, with a complete disregard for the law, as the employees' health, finances, reputation, and careers are destroyed. Fortunately, books like this one and social media bloggers and leakers are exposing the systemic evil that crosses into all sectors of government in America today. Do you doubt the validity of my words? Then listen to others who have experienced all of the above and much worse: [...]

During a conversation with a couple who had just spent a month in China, they made the statement that the people in China have more freedom than we do. After reading this book I can believe it. We have given up so much of our constitution and turned over our rights to the bureaucracy that we are living in a country that closer resembles Russia during Stalin or Germany during Hitler. Both parties deserve blame for growing this fiasco. I hope there are enough people in government like Senator Rand Paul to turn this around and return us to the great country we once were.

This is an excellent book that will open your eyes to the abuses perpetrated against normal citizens by our government, the same government that is supposed to protect us. It is just shameful. I appreciated the fact that the author lists steps that he has taken to attempt to stop these abuses, although he has not had much support in Washington. Nevertheless, Mr. Paul is doing all he can to sound the alarm. I hope it will be widely read so that people who think these things can "never happen in America" will begin to see reality.

This book exposes so many things that many people wouldn't normally know about the federal powers taking advantage and pushing people around. This is one of the top books I read this year. Along with The Liberty Amendments, American Séance, the new common core book from beck and Don't Hurt People & Don't take their stuff by Matt Kibbie. Good read and good price.

wow.. this book has many great points.. the government has everyone running scared.. 9/11 was the tipping point for our liberties to be overrun by government control. This book points out just how intrusive the government is in EVERY aspect of our lives. However I find it a strange thing that this man wants government control over women's bodies. Goes to show.. it is all about whose ox is being gored.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
― Benjamin Franklin, Memoirs of the life & writings of Benjamin Franklin

how true this is even today

This book is spot-on accurate. Unfortunately the bullying doesn't stop with random citizens. Targets are often *inside* government as well: whistleblowers, aging workers, complainers, or anyone who gets on the wrong side of corrupt leadership. "Mobbing" or organized harassment is a favorite tactic of government bullies, with senior leadership either supporting or looking the other way in cases of institutionalized bullying. Retaliation is rampant, with the basic premise being that since the burden of proof lies with the victim, the bullies are better served by weakening the resolve of their targets, with a complete disregard for the law, as the employees' health, finances, reputation, and careers are destroyed. Fortunately, books like this one and social media bloggers and leakers are exposing the systemic evil that crosses into all sectors of government in America today. Do you doubt the validity of my words? Then listen to others who have experienced all of the above and much worse: [...]

This book is a must read for everyone regardless of party affiliation - or no party affiliation. While Rand Paul will never be confused with the great authors of our time, he makes a compeling case as to how we are gradually losing our freedoms in the good old U.S.A. at the hands of government. He accentuates the Federal regulatory intrusions and jailings. There are also local and state intrusions. In Montgomery County, Maryland (where I live) it is not legal to install or retrofit double key door locks (dead bolt locks that require a key to lock and unlock from the inside as well as the outside.). These are the only secure dead bolts if the door has any windows proximate to the lock, which is now required to operate inside with a hand activated lever type device; a device which is readily accessable by an intruder by simply breaking the window and reaching around to the inside lever device. Now that's freedom. Feel safer yet?

If you are not outraged when reading this book then you are part of the problem. The stories told seem like chapters George Orwell left out of 1984 because they would seem to unbelievable.

Read this book. Get informed. Get involved. Help change the system and make this country something great again by putting an end to our out of control government.

After I downloaded the book to my Kindle, the scandal erupted about the fact that the book had some content that had been lifted from different sources other than Rand Paul's mind. That's called plagiarism, and in any High School or college class, it will get you an F grade. As for the content that is there legally, a large part consists of a very long Foreword by his father Ron Paul. Senator Paul's 'bullies,' as he refers to them, are federal regulations and their administrators, which he labels as 'feds.' He gives no credit or blame to the Congress to which he belongs, which is the author of all regulations. Had he made any effort at all to present to the public a comparison between regulations that work and those that don't, I might have given his book two(2) stars. All that is there is his long, whiny rant. Whatever I paid for the book, I consider a waste.

Pray for a Rand Paul presidency in 2016. This book is easy-to-read, fun, entertaining and highly insightful. Great book! Highly recommended.

RECOMMENDED READING FOR SURE!

EXCELLENT CONTENT, OUTSTANDING NONFICTION BOOK!