To the Editor:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading James Hopkins's recent article, "Paul brings message of personal liberties to Nashville." Paul is indeed an exceptional individual. He is certainly one of the few politicians left who actually respects and abides by the constitution. Most prefer to ignore it or twist it to say whatever they want.

I was also happy to see that Hopkins noted something that the media, when it mentions Paul at all, always seems to ignore: his strong commitment to securing our borders. While emphasizing his support for legal immigration, Paul has also made it clear illegal immigration should not be tolerated. He opposes amnesty and also supports changing the law to prevent the children of illegal aliens from becoming United States citizens.

Although Paul is a libertarian and many libertarians support open borders, he has never taken that position. He believes in defending our national sovereignty, and he knows that cannot be done without defending our borders. His view is Ronald Reagan's view: "A nation without borders is not a nation."

Chad Burchard
Vanderbilt School of Law