Yes, I'm considering running for the Texas Legislature. I've been advised that it's 'too late' to enter the race, that I'm 'too naive' to appreciate the rigors of such a campaign, and that it's 'all about raising money'.
Well, Friday is the deadline for filing so technically I'm not too late. There is no doubt that I'm a novice, but does that make me 'naive'? I've done some difficult things in my life, including a year in Viet Nam where I was wounded twice. Rather than focus on specific, nitty gritty issues, I would focus on conservative principles during a campaign and let the chips fall where they may. Money, I am not blessed with any. But, I think I could get my message out using the internet, email, and Facebook as so many others are doing this campaign season. Then I am not afraid to travel the district and speak to the people indi The main reason I am considering entering this race is that those who have already filed are from the urban areas of District 12. We simply don't need any more 'urban legislators'. We need to hold the line on rural representatives, especially conservative ones. Urban legislators go to Austin to address urban problems and issues and often assume that what they come up with will also meet the needs of the rural communities- rarely true. Their solutions often result in unfunded mandates to the towns and communities least able to respond and/or which address problems not found in a rural setting. I saw this most often in my role as a school principal having to keep records and submit reports when I did not have the problems in the first place. You, my new audience, can help me make this decision with your insight and your comments. I treasure your valuable input.
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I am a gun owner, multiple guns, in fact. I am a life member of the NRA. I am a supporter of the Second Amendment "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." I used to casually tell my only daughter's suitors that I was an "EXPERT in every firearm the Army had". This was and is a true statement. I even alternated firing left and right handed in order to be as proficient as possible.
Much of the argument from the left regarding the Second Amendment revolves around the use of the word "militia" and their contention that only wihin the bounds and control of a military organization is this amendment applicable. In my humble opinion, they miss the forest by focusing on the trees. To me the key phrase is "shall not be infringed". To me this tells the government, both state and federal, that the issue of gun ownership is one of those for the people to decide (see the Tenth Amendment). That means each person deciding whether he or she will own a gun. The NRA publications have a column each month titled "The Armed Citizen". In this column are printed several accounts of citizens using their firearms in defense of their lives, families, homes, and property. In addition to my guns, I have several knives, a saber, a machete, a baseball bat, a crowbar, etc. My point is that if someone takes away my guns, they cannot take away my right, my duty and my responsibility to defend my life, family, home, and property. If the left is successful in removing firearms from the citizenry, we can then anticipate subsequent campaigns against knives, swords, and clubs until the people are completely disarmed in the face of those who would threaten their lives, families, homes, and property from criminals who will ALWAYS BE ARMED! My enduring thanks to you who have visited excellenteagle.com in such numbers. This serves as a great encouragement to me as I seek to give voice to my conservative beliefs. It seems like the 2012 Presidential Election has been going on FOREVER! I agree with those who say that we need the primary process to prepare our eventual candidate for the stress and strain of the national election. I think that the primary process can do a good job of forcing potential candidates to sharpen their debate skills and focus their messages on campaign issues. BUT, do we need the 'politics of personal destruction' on our side of the political fence?
These personal attacks are the preferred tactic of the left because they have no ideas, policies, or achievements they can run on! Our candidates should be concentrating on our ideas for defeating ALL Democrats this fall. We don't do ourselves any favors by tearing our candidates apart personally but we do give the left ideas and ammunition for their campaigns after the conventions. I subscribe to the 'Anybody But Obama" approach to this election. I'd love to hear your comments. Our founders were men of faith. If that is news to you its because the left has systematically purged their religious affiliations from our history books. Wallbuilders.com is a project and ministry of historian David Barton. David has painstakingly gathered over 100,000 original documents testifying to the faith of our founders. These documents paint a far different picture of these men then the one found in history books written since 1900.
If we are to understand the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we must endeavor to understand the men who wrote them and defended them back in their home states. Fortunately, due to the efforts of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson the minutes of the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention survive along with much of their personal correspondence. Even a casual reading of this material leads one to conclude that our founders were not only men of faith, they were giants of faith! I saw a statistic the other day, unchallenged by the media, stating that less than 5% of today's mainstream media persons were persons of faith. No wonder Christianity is attacked in the secular press- we're not even represented! I know that many, most, if not all of my readers are people of faith and I thank God for that and for your influence on those around you every day. Enjoy this Lord's Day and God Bless America! People often avoid reading the Constitution because they consider the language archaic and hard to understand, kind of like the King James Bible. Let me interject that I have been teaching from the King James for the past 10 years and it really grows on you. As for the Constitution, reading it printed in modern type, using modern spelling proves to be pretty easy. I will use the 10th Amendment to illustrate. It reads:
" The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Lets break it down by phrases. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution," is pretty clear and easy to understand. It is not hampered by legalese or the use of words whose definition might have changed during the last 220 years. It is inclusive, meaning that ALL POWERS not delegated (given, assigned, specified) to the United States (the federal government) "ARE reserved (given, assigned, specified) to the States...". If the Constitution does not give the federal government a power, then the States have that power! BUT there are two qualifying phrases that modify this basic language. The first declares "nor prohibited by it to the States", an example of a power prohibited to the States by the Constitution, would be the printing and coinage of money. That is a federal function as stated in Article I, Section 8 outlining the powers of the Congress. The second qualifying phrase is "or to the people." This means that if the writers of the Constitution didn't include some power or function specifically assigned to the federal government or the States THEN it is a power or function for the people. It was DELIBERATE not an oversight! This means that our Constitution is a document that LIMITS the reach of the federal government. The powers of the federal government are clearly spelled out, listed, and specified in the Constitution and it was the intention of the founders that anything NOT listed, spelled out, or specified did not, should not, and would not be a federal power. Unfortunately, beginning with the Progressive Movement around 1900, politicians and activist judges have been chipping away at the powers of the States/People and ADDING to the powers of the federal government. That is why we have a Department of Education when education is CLEARLY a state/people responsibility. There are many other examples. By knowing our Constitution we can elect men and women who also know the document and overturn the last 110 years of decay and erosion of the powers that belong exclusively to the states or to the people. I welcome your comments. I especially welcome any defense or rebuttal that might be contributed by liberals/progressives/socialists reading this blog. Welcome to those of you who have come over from Facebook.
I sent out over 500 emails challenging folks to stand up for this president and his policies. No one did! I did get three (3) responses asking to be removed from my email list or otherwise indicating that they did not appreciate my challenge. I really would like to engage the other side in a dialogue about what they believe and why they believe it. Since they decline to participate in the dialogue, I can only conclude that they are not articulate enough to express their reasons, or that they have no reasons. As for being articulate, for years the liberals/progressives/socialists have assured us that they are the smartest people on the planet while those of us who are born-again Christians, NRA members, Republicans, Conservatives, and Tea Party members are bereft of intellect. That leaves the second option. I bought a new book yesterday entitled The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution by Brion McClanahan, Regnery History 2012. I'm 50 pages in and it is an interesting and informative read. He uses quotes from the founders to explain The Constitution article by article. Let me hear from you in the Comments section below. I plan to post daily |
Bill MatthewsI am a 72 year old retired Army officer and retired educational administrator. I am a conservative who usually votes Republican. I am a member of the Tea Party. I am a staunch student of and advocate for the Constitution. I am an active Christian saved by grace. Archives
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