LIE:

Ron Paul protects pedophiles.

TRUTH:

Ron Paul was forced to vote against a bill to protect children because of an added amendment.

In 2003, House bill S. 151 was introduced. It was known as the Amber Alert, and drafted to protect children from pedophiles, by utilizing the resources of national law enforcement and media to notify the public when a child is kidnapped. It was given its name after the horrible kidnapping/murder of a 9 year old girl named Amber Hagerman. Ron Paul was an early supporter of the bill, but in the end voted against it. The question then arises how Ron Paul or anyone could vote against such a bill. The reason has nothing to do with Ron Paul “protecting pedophiles,” or any wild accusations like that.

Originally introduced by Sen. Joe Biden (a current Democratic presidential candidate), there was an unrelated bill known as the “RAVE Act” (or “Reducing Americans' Vunerability to Ecstacy”), The RAVE Act was designed to help fight “the war on drugs”. The Senate’s own website describes the RAVE Act this way:

The Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act

This measure will help deter illicit drug use and protect kids by providing federal prosecutors with tools needed to combat the manufacturing, distribution and use of controlled substances. The bill also provides funding to educate parents and kids on the dangers of Ecstasy and other so-called “club drugs,” and encourages the Sentencing Commission to raise criminal penalties for trafficking the “date rape drug” gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB).

According to AlterNet, “The RAVE Act threatens free speech and musical expression while placing at risk any hotel/motel owner, concert promoter, event organizer, nightclub owner or arena/stadium owner for the drug violations of third parties -- real or alleged -- even if the event promoter and/or property owner made a good-faith effort to keep their event drug-free." This bill was considered extremely controversial, and had been reworked multiple times in Congress. Because of its lack of success, Biden (the original sponsor of the bill), amended it to the Amber Alert (renamed as the “The Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act”), at the last minute, guaranteeing its success.

Thus, a well-liked bill to protect children from pedophiles also became a bill about free speech and the rights of venue owners. For this reason, Ron Paul, a constitutionalist, was forced to vote against it. The Amber Alert passed regardless, and with it, the RAVE Act, winning 400-25 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate.