Pursuing Status Over Service, Has Ruined Many A Person

I have supported Gunner DeLay in several of his campaigns, with both finances and as a volunteer. For over a decade now I have counted him as a personal friend. I guess I was wrong.

Gunner has always claimed to be a constitutionalist and a strict constructionist so I thought an obvious error on his website was just that, an error. Again, I guess I was wrong.

While visiting with Gunner at his Fort Smith Campaign Headquarters’ open house, I was trying, as a friend and supporter, to discreetly point out a glaring Constitutional contradiction on his campaign website.

Gunner was saying in his ISSUES section under Job Creation:

“We must continue to fully fund higher education. If are children are to compete in a global environment, they must have access to a world class education. If we cut FEDERAL FUNDING for higher education, tuition will increase and some students will be forced to drop out.” (typo preserved - bold/caps are my emphasis)

At the same time he was saying in Return to Constitutional Principles:

“We need a congressman that has a fundamental understanding of the U.S. Constitution. I do not believe that the Constitution is not a document that should evolve with the times in which we live, but should be strictly construed based on the intent of the framers.

I believe in the Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights. That Amendment provides that all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states. Yet, politicians in Washington continue to “nationalize’ more and more areas that have traditionally been state’s rights issues. This is especially true in the area of education. Decisions about education policy are best made at the state and local level. Abandoning this principle has led to national education programs that have been abysmal failures.” (bold/caps are my emphasis, double negative preserved – possibly there by intent???)

I said to him that if he wanted the support of constitutionalists, independents and conservatives that he needed to recognize that education is not found in the U.S. Constitution and therefore needs to be under State and Local control, not Federal as recognized in his Return to Constitutional Principles section. I pointed out that his position paper would likely, and rightly, cause alarms to sound with those groups.

In offering a defense of his written opinion Gunner laughed and said that if I should ever find a candidate that would stand against federal involvement in higher education that he would welcome that debate and welcomed that issue in the campaign. He said "Bring it on!" federal funds were necessary and appropriate. He repeated his defense a couple of times, with minor variations, in a condescending tone, laughing as he did so. His manner was dismissive and smacked of contempt… Not at all what I expected from the man I thought I had known for years.

My repeated response to Gunner was simply “What about the Constitution? Education is not specifically listed in the Constitution and therefore it remains with the States and/or the People. What about the Constitution?”

Evidently being frustrated with my response, I was rudely and loudly interrupted and mocked by a highly animated Gunner who threw his arms up in the air, laughed loudly and with a much raised voice said things like “WELL, YOU GOT ME DALE! YOU’RE RIGHT AS USUAL… AND I’M WRONG! I’M JUST A LOW DOWN LIE’N SO’N SO! I’M JUST A HYPOCRITE!”

I tried to return the conversation to a private and polite one but Gunner’s body language, words, rising volume and timing (said just as a large number of people were arriving to the open house) all clearly indicated Gunner was not going to be… reasonable.

As I departed I looked at Gunner one last time and asked “So, this is how it’s going to be?” Gunner just smirked and looked away.

In Gunner’s campaign advertising he makes it a point that a lot has happened and changed since he last ran for congress. I agree. Gunner has changed to where I (and others) no longer recognize him and can no longer support his election. If seeking election will cause a man to betray and publicly try to humiliate his friends, solely to appear more moderate, compassionate and electable… What will he do if actually elected… or what would he be willing to do to someone he does not consider as a friend? Political ambition, and the pursuit of status over service, has ruined many a person.

"He who is void of virtuous attachments in his private life is, or very soon will be, void of all regard of his country. There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country who had not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections...Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of unexceptionable character. The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men." - Samuel Adams (Father of the American Revolution)

Like Gunner himself says on his campaign website: “We need a congressman that has a fundamental understanding of the U.S. Constitution.” I agree… and I do NOT believe Gunner has that fundamental understanding. Gunner’s progressive approach to the Constitution, his willingness to make exceptions in it’s application, is precisely what has gotten the United States into the financial crisis we now find ourselves.

At our meeting Gunner did appear to have developed, and displayed, a politicians’ skill of handling inconvenient “situations”. One can only guess what the reaction will be to this.

BTW:

The material that caused this incident… was removed the next day from Gunner’s website… without comment, without contact… or apology. Gunner has also refused to talk about removing the material when asked by others if he did remove something.

Covering up... is that the conduct we want with our Representative...?

SKOCH... so far

After searching out information on those seeking to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives here in the 3rd District, my initial screening process has revealed only one candidate that qualifies – retired Brigadier General Bernie Skoch.

I want a person of proven ability... which is possessed by several of the candidates.

What I did NOT want is someone with a sense of entitlement or a political opportunist... or politicians that have been too long on the wrong side of important issues. That eliminated better than half of the field.

I definitely do NOT want a lawyer... someone who is trained to live in shades of grey, can speak out of both sides of their mouth at the same time and who is schooled in the principle of the law being a “game”. Lawyers have long since lost sight of the pursuit of Justice and Truth... while playing their “games”. Lawyers have also wrongly embraced a system of “precedent”... which basically says that if a legal mistake is made, it should be made over, and over, and over again.

Don't get me wrong... I like lawyers... some of my friends are lawyers... but lawyers need to be employed only for a specific legal task at hand, not governing those of us who still believe in and understand justice and truth... and a few other absolutes beyond lawyers comprehension.

What I really want... is a candidate who is capable of handling the position... someone who is willing and able to stand toe-to-toe with domestic enemies of the Constitution... and beat them... without compromising principle. Someone who will maintain his or her integrity... and who understands and lives according to honor.

I also want someone who is running… reluctantly… out of a sense of necessity and duty, rather than just wanting to move up the political ladder or for status improvement.

So far... it's retired Brig. Gen. Bernie Skoch."

Check him out:

http://skoch2010.com/

Don't Tread On Me!

After shouting from the rooftops for decades that our government is out of control and repeatedly being ignored, many are now finally realizing that the reason they were not being listened to is that those responsible are devious and duplicitous lawbreakers, not dutiful lawmakers – Democrats and Republicans alike!

Lawbreaking lawmakers, domestic enemies of the Constitution, oath breakers, must be stopped! America's survival depends on it. They have taxed, spent, coerced, confiscated, oppressed, abused and burdened the American people for far too long.

Constitutional rights need to be exercised. It's the old “If you don't use it, you lose it” principle. In the original spirit and intent of the 2nd Amendment we need to remind the lawbreaking lawmakers that our bite, if continued to be provoked, may indeed exceed our bark. To quote an American patriot - "Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms.... The right of citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America but which historically has proven to be always possible." -- Hubert H. Humphrey (1911-1978) US Vice-President, US Senator (D-MN)

Many of us have sworn to protect the Constitution against ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic. We will, within our specifically enumerated Constitutional rights. Under no circumstances are we going to passively or cowardly surrender our Country of liberty, freedom and opportunity, or Constitution to the lawless, elitist usurpers... without a fight. It's time to choose sides.

For the sake of our children, our grandchildren and their childrens children, let the cry once again be heard throughout our Land: “Don't Tread On Me!” Take action! Get involved! (before it's too late.)