Thank you Randy Forbes! You are the best!

Constitution Day


By Congressman Randy Forbes

September 17, 2013



We often envision the nation's Founding Fathers as brilliant and inspired minds gathered together in a room, signing the Constitution with quill and ink, and celebrating the pivotal moment for our nation. Yet, I often find myself thinking of the weeks and months leading up to the signing. Our Constitution was birthed in chaos and uncertainty. Our developing nation was, in many ways, divided. The Constitutional Convention wasn't a friendly gathering over tea and inspirational talks. In the late, hot summer months in Philadelphia, delegates quarreled. They pounded fists on desks. Tempers flared and men stormed out. Negotiation was tough.



Toil and sweat went into these words. Our Founding Fathers put great care and thought into the original articles, and they established the Constitution in such a way that required just as much care and collaboration to amend it. In the midst of reflection, choice, and debate, they struck a balance between practical and principled. They built the Constitution of the United States.



I use this document daily to guide my decisions in Congress. This Tuesday, September 17, we will recognize Constitution Day to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution by thirty-nine brave men. As we look to this important day in the story of our nation, I offer some reflections on some of America's current challenges, viewed through the lens of the U.S. Constitution:



"The Congress shall have Power ...To declare War..." ARTICLE I, SECTION 8

When America goes to war, the American people go to war. I think it was this understanding that guided the Founders in requiring that the power to declare war lies with Congress. I've stood against military intervention in Libya and Syria, and I'm proud to be the voice of the people in these weighty decisions.



"The Congress shall have Power...To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization..." ARTICLE I, Section 8

Few powers are more fundamental to sovereignty than the control over immigration. I have steadfastly maintained that those that break our laws and illegally enter the United States must not be rewarded with blanket amnesty.



"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..." AMENDMENT 4

Americans deserve privacy as much as they deserve protection. Our Constitution demands that these rights cannot and must not be mutually exclusive. I am working to stop NSA overreach, as well as to protect Americans from those who seek to do our nation harm.



"[T]he right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." AMENDMENT 2

Period.



"[The President] shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed..." ARTICLE II, SECTION 3

The executive branch exists to enforce the law, not to determine what laws they believe are worthy of defense. I will continue to hold the President's feet to the fire when it comes to adhering to existing laws, including immigration policy and national defense.



"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government..." ARTICLE 4, Section 4

The state derives its power from the people. My office works hard to promote the exchanging of ideas, sharing weekly email updates and daily information through our website and Facebook, and asking for input via email, blogs, and our instaPolls.



"The Congress shall have Power...To raise and support Armies...To provide and maintain a Navy..." ARTICLE I, SECTION 8

Our national defense and our national security is a constitutionally mandated priority. I do not take for granted the constitutional gravity of my work as Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee or my previous work as the former Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee. It is a priority every day to protect and defend the United States of America.



"The Congress...shall propose Amendments to this Constitution..." ARTICLE V

The Founding Fathers made the amendment process lengthy and cumbersome. They wanted to ensure that only grave situations could provide impetus to alter the guiding document of our nation. Today, I believe our fiscal situation to be one of them, which is why I have continued to support and advocate for a Balanced Budget Amendment.



"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." AMENDMENT 1

The First Amendment is a promise that we are free to live according to the dictates of our conscience. It provides us the freedom to live every aspect of our lives according to our faith. As the founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, I am committed to protecting religious freedom in this country. Last Monday, I led members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus in a special order hour for Constitution Day honoring our First Freedom, religious freedom. You can see the video here.



"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." AMENDMENT 10

It's as simple as that.



This list highlights only a few provisions that guide and inform how our nation should meet the challenges before us, but make no mistake - our Constitution in its entirety is important. I believe every American should read the Constitution and become familiar with the powerful principles within this foundational document. Whether you once read it in seventh grade, specialize in constitutional law as an attorney, or have never read the document at all, I hope that in observation of Constitution Day, you will take time to read through the United States Constitution or to memorize the Preamble. 

Our thoughts and prayers for those in D.C.

I look at what happened today at the Navy Yard and so much comes to mind:

• First and above all, pray for the families who lost loved ones.

• Then hug your kids tonight.

• And be grateful to the Washington first responder and brave US Navy personnel and civilians who so professionally responded to this tragedy.

When I see senseless and despicable violence of this nature, I wonder how long it will take for political and community leaders to see that there is a cost to the demise of families in this country. And sadly, families of precious people murdered today are feeling that cost tonight. Heart breaking….

-Delegate Scott Lingamfelter

Cha, Cha, Cha, Changes.....

BiGWand is very happy to announce that our dear friend, colleague and core conservative, Sandy Brindley, has taken on new and exciting projects. While it saddens us that she will no longer be part of the Wand Experience, we want to wish her the very best of luck in all she accomplishes in the future and we hope to have her join us again either on the road or in the kitchen for more fun and political antics. Sandy, you will missed dearly.

 

Live Long and Prosper.

 

Jean and Karen

 

 

Elections Count

Let me suggest what we saw tonight in President Obama’s presentation on Syria. Our policy is episodic and incoherent.

To be sure he made a case that chemical weapons are abhorrent and were used on innocent civilians by the Assad regime. He laid out the case that Bashar Assad is a very bad man. Indeed, a war criminal (in my judgment) and someone who has violated international law.

But what was lacking in the presentation was a coherent approach to deal with all of this that can win the support of the American people and Congress.

To date, the Obama approach has been episodic, that is, one random step after another without a hint of unity of purpose. First there was his “red line” comment a year ago. This was followed by his more bellicose stance in the wake of the 21 August news that Syria used chemical agents on innocent civilians. Then came Secretary of State John Kerry’s thoughtless remarks characterizing future military operation as “a two-day operation, tinny winnie, whatever” all of which is an incomprehensible exposé of operational options that telegraphed to Syria and the rest of the world that even if Congress and our people supported a military response (which we don’t) we are not serious about it. And while he was in Sweden, we were treated to the President’s revisionism that HIS red line and HIS credibility weren’t at stake, it was YOU and ME. Then there was all the discussion around whether Congress would be involved, should be involved. And most recently there was Kerry’s inadvertent invitation to Russia, (otherwise known as blabber-mouth diplomacy) to broker a handover of Syria’s chemical weapons to some unidentified group (read Russia who will give them back when the “coast if clear”). This looks like the “Armature Hour” to me. 

All of this adds up to an episodic and incoherent approach and the President's presentation tonight corrected none of that. Frankly, I see no way the President can recover from this debacle. His credibility has been irreparably damaged at home and abroad. If there was ever a time for Congress to step up and get this mess back on a diplomatic track, it’s now. Sadly, I am not convinced they can either.

Bottom-line: Elections matter folks, they do.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/syria-tells-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-barack-obama-20130910?mrefid=site_search

By:  Delegate Scott Lingamfelter

Where was I on 9/11?

I was in a large meeting room at Coca Cola when I heard the news of the second tower being hit. There was a small tv in the corner and several of us were gathered around it. The folks that were from NY or had family up there were desperately trying to get in touch with loved ones, but could not get through because of everyone trying to so the same. I remember seeing the pentagon being hit and thought, we are so close to DC and we are under attack. Everyone was scared, in shock and didn't know what to make of what they were seeing. I remember my parents being on vacation in Las Vegas and they we planning to fly back that day. I called them, woke my mother up at a ungodly hour due to time zone differences and told her to turn on the tv and that they were not flying home that day as they had grounded all commercial flights in the US. Everyone at work was told they could go home because no one had their mind on anything but their families and that we could be going to war. I went home and stayed glued to the tv like most folks that day, astonished at the craziness of it all. My parents finally made it home four days later. I think our country is still suffering from 9/11 today; loss of life, the cost of war, the security measures we take. Bin Laden did what he set out to do that day, but one thing he did not take away was the American spirit.

Karen Wooten


I opened the office that day,as usual, and turned on the TV as my boss liked to watch Good Morning America in the a.m. I watched with horror as we saw the first tower hit and we all assumed it was an accident. When I watched the second tower hit we realized this was more than an accident.  Then we got word on the pentagon and the flight crashing in Pa. I just couldn't wrap my head around it all and rushed home to alert my dad. I bumped into a neighbor who was tending her garden at the time. She asked how I was, like most do, and I said "oh it's terrible, just horrible."  She said "I know, it's hard when our parents live with us. My mother lived with me for a long time." It took me a couple of seconds and I told her what had happened. She'd been in her garden all morning and didn't know anything about the attack. My next memory is watching President Bush telling the nation we may not hear about all that gets done but his team will be watching out for us and our lost souls. I never felt more secure. His leadership was awesome. 

Jean Gannon


Honestly, most of that morning is a little fuzzy. We had a three and a half year old and a four month old. I know Lane always took them to preschool. I do remember waking up, probably from a morning nap, and laying in the bed watching the news as one tower had smoke billowing out of it. I was in shock, like most Americans. Then, the unthinkable. A second plane crashed into the second tower. It was clear this was an attack on our nation. I went to the computer and emailed our aunt whose daughter lived in NYC near the towers. She responded that she had heard from her, but her boyfriend was in the stairwell of one of the towers trying to get out of the building. They had lost cell contact with him. I made it to my stairs and fell to the bottom step in tears. I prayed for this sweet young couple who had plans to marry and build a life together. For it to be destroyed because of the hatred of freedom was just not right. Our family was lucky. J.D. made it out of the tower, and he became a part of our family. 



9/11 The Survivors from Brian Sasser on Vimeo.

The remainder of the day was surreal. As did the rest of America, I had a righteous anger in my heart for those who care so little for life, for freedom. 

Sandy Brindley

Today

I am sure we are all fighting back tears as we scroll through Facebook posts of friends memories, pictures of the towers, pictures of the memorial, pictures of the raised flag at ground zero. But we are also fighting back tears, and anger, for what happened in Benghazi a year ago today. Four Americans died. We still need answers for why they died. We still need to see justice served for their deaths. That day will come. Until then, today is a day of remembrance. It is a day to honor the lives lost. It is a day to come together as Americans and realize America is the greatest nation on Earth.

NEVER FORGET 9/11/2001 & 9/11/2012

Kerry Will Always Be For It, Before He Is Against It

Well, at least the man is consistent with his own meme.

John Kerry made a statement that to end the possibility of a US strike in Syria Assad should turn over chemical weapons.



Later, the State Department walked this back, saying it was "rhetorical".

This slip allowed Putin to step in and place a proposal on the table for Syria to submit to inspections and dismantling of chemical weapons. It looks like Syria is buying time and accepting the proposal.

This is definitely good news for the US, and the world. We are all war wary. However, this is not at all what Obama or Kerry had planned. I would compare them to Abbott and Costello or the Three Stooges, but it would be an insult to eight (there were 6 stooges) great Americans who entertained us with good slapstick routines.

Obama was supposed to be the genius President who returned American foreign policy back to a respectable position on the world stage instead of having the appearance of the school yard bully. He has been a mitigated disaster. Unfortunately, he has proven to be, as Charles Krauthammer put it, nothing but an amateur on foreign policy. His incompetence will have lasting effects and it will take years, strength, and a true statesman to undo this mess.

It will be interesting to see how the Administration tries to spin this as a win for Obama. The reputation of America has definitely been damaged, but with the right leadership, it will recover. That is the resilience of the United States of America. I am, however, not so sure Obama will recover from this. Having a lame duck President for three months is difficult, having one for three years will be excruciatingly painful to live through.

By Sandy Brindley

Susan Rice Speaks, Wish It Was About What Happened In Benghazi!

Two days prior to #Benghazi anniv. and WH sending Susan Rice to brief Congress on what is really happening in #Syria #icantmakethisstuffup
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) September 9, 2013

This tweet from Congressman Jason Chaffetz says it all.

It really is unbelievable Obama's arrogance is so great he cannot see how carting out Susan Rice to make a case to strike Syria would come across to those of us who still would like some answers to what happened in Benghazi. But then again, it looks like he will be bringing out Hillary to speak about everything but Benghazi soon too.

We would all much prefer each of these ladies speak about what happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.

By Sandy Brindley

© 2013 BiGWand™. All rights reserved.

The ManChild Speaks Again

I just watched the President's news conference.

Unbelievable!

His argument for asking Congress for approval to strike Syria is because of the use of chemical weapons. There is no threat to the United States. He refers to the international norm against using chemical weapons, and if I understood him correctly, he said this should be the standard bearer for any President when making a decision to act. But, this was not okay for him when President Bush made the argument. What happens if we find ourselves in this position again in the future but a Republican is in the White House? Just asking!

I stated in my post yesterday that as a superpower we do have an obligation to ensure brutal dictators do not rise to power, or oppress a nation if they do happen to get to power. However, in this case, in Syria's case, we do not have clear evidence as to who used these weapons, just that these weapons were used. We do not know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, there are just too many rebel groups involved.

The progressive mind and agenda may work in theory and in fantasy. It does not work in real life. The incompetence of how to function on the world stage when working in the progressive agenda puts us all at risk. We are seeing it play out right before our eyes. 2016 cannot get here fast enough. I HOPE and pray Americans will remember this when they go to the polls and vote for a leader who understands the reality of how to engage on the global arena.

By SB

© 2013 BiGWand™. All rights reserved.

Elections Have Consequences

In 2008 America voted against George W. Bush. They voted against a President who had held America’s hand through the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. They voted against a man who was not in the race, but had led the nation through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – wars waged to find the perpetrators of 9/11 and stop a man who ignored the international communities sanctions time and again.

They did so because they believed in the hope a man named Barack Obama sold them leading up to the election. They believed in his anti-war rhetoric. They believed in his dovish talk of how America needs to quit pushing out its chest and policing the world. They believed he was the smartest man in the room who could sit down with anyone in the world and get them to lay down their weapons.

Well, how has that worked out for us?

Since taking office, Obama has done everything in his power to deplete our military power. His arrogance has leaders around the world realizing he is a joke. He went off the teleprompter and drew a “red line” about Syria last year. This week he tried to pass this off as “the world drew a red line”.  Vomit!

Now, he and another buffoon, John Kerry, who spewed anti-war rhetoric when running for President in 2004, are visiting Capitol Hill begging members of Congress and America to stand behind them as they ask for permission for a possible military strike on Syria. Why? Now that they have the visibility of the real world, they see the reality. There are just some people who refuse to play nicely in the sandbox no matter how sweet you are to them. There are people in the world who have no appreciation for the sanctity of another life. For them, power, money, and land are all that matters. You can give up all of your nuclear weapons, but they will retain, if not increase theirs.

The foolishness of this President, and his Administration, to ignore the realities of the world we live in has led us down a very dangerous path. I do not envy the leaders in Congress this week. Yes, there is a responsibility for the nations of the world to make sure crazy loons like Hitler and Saddam Hussein never come to power, or if they do, are removed. However, Obama's foreign policy has helped lead to the debacle we see in the Middle East today. He miscalculated. Unlike the campaign trail here in the states, you cannot say something to the world and then act like it didn't come from your mouth. At some point we must quit digging him out of the hole his foreign policy dug. It is time to regroup, rebuild, and live to fight another day. While Obama's credibility may not recover, America's can. The American people can see to that in 2016. We did in 1980.

I agree with Congressman Randy Forbes, whose opinion on this issue can be found here.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Congressman Forbes last spring. He had interesting information to share about the depletion of our military. It is one of those moments in life I will never forget. As I listened to his answer, I became frozen in fear. I could not believe what I was hearing. Go to the 3:00 minute mark. I am grateful to live in his district and know I am represented with integrity and honesty in Washington. I am comforted knowing we have men like Congressman Forbes fighting for our military in Washington, when they are on the battlefield or at the ready around the world.

By SB

© 2013 BiGWand™. All rights reserved.

Sunday with Scott...on Monday

We had to share this one too. We just could not have said this better.

Ok, for those of you who may think on this Labor Day 2013 that things are better under the Obama administration, consider this in the Richmond Times Dispatch this morning about part time work.

“The rise in the number of temporary workers is being driven by two factors — uncertainty about the economy, and companies cutting employee hours because of costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, workforce experts say.” http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/economy/hiring-explodes-in-part-time-and-contract-work/article_f653f2bb-291b-524b-84bc-dd94d20d2c61.html

Yes, yes, I know “It’s ALL Bush’s fault!”, the now familiar if not worn our refrain from liberals who support the economic policies of this administration....

FACT: This economy is in a mess. We need to unleash the private sector so they can grow and hire. That means lower, not higher, taxes and far less bureaucratic meddling in the business of business.

FACT: Obamacare has had a direct impact on the increase in part time work as businesses maneuver to avoid the penalties under Obamacare. Repeal it Congress—now—and offer in its place a clear and better reform package to actually improve healthcare in America. GOP members are offering ideas but the leadership is asleep at the switch. The 173-member strong Republican Study Committee is on track to roll out legislation this fall and it should be seriously considered.

The bottom line is we need a new crew in the White House and Congress and we need them now.

Hiring explodes in part-time and contract work - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Economy

BiGWand™ is honored to have Virginia State Delegate Scott Lingamfelter as regular guest with our blog. Delegate Lingamfelter is a true patriot who has served our nation on the battlefield and in the legislature and we are so thankful to him for allowing us to share his thoughts with our readers. Check back every Sunday to hear what Delegate Lingamfelter has to say.

Sunday With Scott

This is, of course, Labor Day weekend, the last weekend of what we consider to be the summer vacation season. School will be in full swing next week and Shelley will be back at it with her Kindergarten class and I will continue my campaign effort from then until the November 5th General Election. But this weekend is a time for relaxation from our labors, except for those who want to work but still don’t have a job in this sluggish, government-knows-best, debt-ridden, tax-and-spend Obama economy. (Elections matter, folks).

So one final thought. Please remember the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who are deployed and away from their families. I remember being away myself and have experienced what it's like to have an adult child deployed also. So when you have your celebration this weekend, say a word of prayer for the best among us, our troops in harm’s way. 

The USO is a wonderful organization that helps entertain our troops when they are serving our nation. For more information about the USO click here.

BiGWand™ is honored to have Virginia State Delegate Scott Lingamfelter as regular guest with our blog. Delegate Lingamfelter is a true patriot who has served our nation on the battlefield and in the legislature and we are so thankful to him for allowing us to share his thoughts with our readers. Check back every Sunday to hear what Delegate Lingamfelter has to say.