Election 2012: Supreme Court Hangs in the Balance

I believe freedom is worth fighting for. I am committed to protecting the freedoms our forefathers guaranteed to us in our Constitution. There are many politicians who disagree with me, although they are loath to admit it, but their true colors show in voting records on critical legislation. And part of what makes America great is that every two years, we, too, cast our votes, rendering judgment on whether lawmakers have fulfilled their promises. And every four years, as in 2012, our opportunity extends to the highest office in the land.

 

Less than 60 days remains before Election Day. I don’t need to tell you how important this election is to the future of our country. The stakes are high, and that’s why I proudly serve as honorary chairman of Trigger The Vote, the National Rifle Association‘s nonpartisan campaign to register voters who support the Second Amendment. As a proud gun owner and defender of our Constitution, I am working within the system to make sure my voice is heard in Washington.

 

In the past several years, we have achieved great victories. In two rulings, the Heller decision and the McDonald decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that all American citizens, in every state and municipality, have the right to legally possess a firearm. Those decisions were a tremendous accomplishment, and they finally ratified what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they drafted the Second Amendment.

 

So those who wish to deny our freedoms have been vanquished, and all is settled, right?

 

Wrong. There’s a storm brewing on the horizon. Those who want to restrict our freedom have not surrendered. In truth, they are counting on this election to make their move. They are playing the long game, looking down the road to a day when one or more vacancies on the Supreme Court could upset the current balance.

 

The Heller and McDonald decisions were decided by razor-thin 5-4 votes in the Supreme Court. Those who want to overturn these decisions are betting on at least one of the nine Supreme Court justices to retire or otherwise leave service during the next four years. Some pundits have suggested that the number of Supreme Court vacancies filled by the next president could be as many as three.

 

Like all Supreme Court decisions, Heller and McDonald are not set in stone. If the balance on the court is shifted, a new challenge quickly can be mounted in the lower federal courts, eventually making it to the Supreme Court. Our freedoms hang in the balance by the thin gossamer thread of a single vote. If that vote turns, the victories we worked so hard to solidify could be reversed.

 

The threat is present not only at the Supreme Court but also throughout our federal judiciary. Right now, dozens of cases already are winding their way through federal courts to implement the Supreme Court’s rulings in Heller and McDonald. Those rulings were somewhat general in tone, and now their specific impact on existing gun laws is being defined through these cases.

 

The president also nominates judges for all levels of the federal bench. That is why we need to make sure we have a president whose nominees for any court — including the Supreme Court — will support the original meaning of our Constitution.

 

Every plan needs a backup, and this one is no different. We also need to make sure we have a U.S. Senate that is supportive of our fundamental freedoms, because the Senate votes to confirm new judges and justices. Several of the key Senate races are in highly competitive “battleground” states, and they may tip the balance of power in this country. If you live in these states, it’s important to make your voice heard.

 

And that’s why I am urging Second Amendment supporters nationwide to register to vote. If you’re already registered, you probably know someone who isn’t. Share the stakes of this election with that person, and urge him or her to join the rolls of informed voters. We’ve made it easy on our website; all the tools to register are at http://www.TriggerTheVote.org . After all, when it comes to defending yourself and your family, can we really afford to gamble here?

 

I’ve spent my entire life standing up for what is right and seeking justice. I sleep better at night knowing that I have registered and exercised my right to vote. I urge everyone who is eligible to vote to do so. Let’s make sure that the future of our country is in the hands of those who cherish freedom.

 

(Don’t forget: “Last Ounce of Courage,” the first theatrical motion picture to be awarded with my “Chuck Norris Seal of Approval,” opens nationwide Sept. 14, coinciding with the 9/11 commemoration of Patriot Day. Visit http://www.LastOunceTheMovie.com for more information, including where it is showing in your area.)

Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris is a columnist and impossible to kill.

http://townhall.com/columnists/chucknorris/2012/09/11/election_2012_supreme_court_hangs_in_the_balance/page/full/

U.S. House Candidate Tells Congress to Read the Bible, Not ‘Obama’s Book’ By Anugrah Kumar

A U.S. House candidate in North Carolina, who is also a young Christian businessman, is releasing a campaign ad which asks Congress to get some wisdom from the Bible, and not read “President Barack Obama‘s book,” to help rid America of its problems.

“Congress should stop reading Obama’s book, give up the New York Times, and pick up the Bible,” Ethan Wingfield, a 26-year-old running for the open seat in North Carolina’s District 11, told CBN’s “The Brody File” prior to the release of his ad. “They can start with Proverbs 22:7. ‘The borrower is slave to the lender.’ Washington either hasn’t read that, or doesn’t care. But I do.”

A tech entrepreneur and strategy executive at Capital One, a Fortune 500 company, Wingfield says he is concerned because the United States is borrowing trillions of dollars from countries like China. “Our debt is 100 percent of GDP. And if we don’t act soon to cut spending and get a handle on this immoral debt, things are only going to get worse.”

On his campaign website, Wingfield points out that nearly 25 million Americans are either jobless or underemployed, and a debt crisis is threatening economies around the world as well as at home. “If we do not address these problems and reduce our debt now, mine could be the first generation to leave to our children an America weaker and poorer than the one we were given because we put our wants before our children’s future.”

Wingfield may be young, but he says he is in touch with the reality. “Unlike many of the out-of-touch politicians in Washington, he understands the joys and challenges of growing a small business–making payroll, dealing with government regulations, serving clients, and creating opportunities for hardworking Americans,” he says.

He attributes his accomplishments to the values he learned while growing up in the mountains near Weaverville. Wingfield and his wife, Jacqueline, who live in Arden, N.C., attend Trinity Presbyterian Church in Asheville.

 

While doing his bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Brown University, Wingfield served as the president of a Christian fellowship on campus. He says he has also helped conservative Republicans campaigning for offices ranging from city council to the United States Senate.

Wingfield says America’s economy can get going again if its budget is balanced, wasteful spending is eliminated, Obamacare is repealed, taxes are lowered, 2nd Amendment rights are safeguarded and the sanctity of life is protected.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/u-s-house-candidate-tells-congress-to-read-the-bible-not-obamas-book-73243/