The Times Examiner 6 Wednesday, March 25, 2015 EDITORIAL and LETTERS Opinion We want to hear from you! to stimulate the mind by Bob Dill Candidate with Brains and a Backbone What do you think about current, national or local events? Send us a letter-to-theeditor. Please keep letters to under 500 words. Letters more than 500 words may be rejected. S enator Ted Cruz was the first Republican presidential candidate to formally announce his candidacy. He made the announcement at Liberty University before a crowd of several thousand people. The location could not have been better for the “born again” Christian son of a Baptist preacher. Typically, Cruz spoke eloquently and with passion without notes or a teleprompter. He was interrupted by enthusiastic applause following almost every statement. The Harvard educated lawyer is obviously very intelligent and has demonstrated exceptional common sense, both in the United States Senate and as Attorney General of Texas. In contrast with other Republican candidates and party leaders, Ted Cruz has a backbone. He has the courage of his convictions and is willing to stand up to both Democrats and the leadership of his own party when necessary. He can articulate proven conservative principles in a manner reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. The early Cruz announcement is causing a stir in both the liberal and conservative camps. Talk Show Host Rush Limbaugh said the Cruz announcement “is either gonna force a whole lot of potential candidates to move to the right,” or they will decide, “there is no way they can get to the right of Ted Cruz.” Limbaugh said the liberal media is very worried about Ted Cruz. “I know for a fact that they don’t think he is a real contender, but because he articulates conservatism irrefutably, because he does it without a teleprompter, because he does it so well, they are going to try to destroy him.” Jim Meyers, writing for Newsmax, listed 12 reasons Ted Cruz is a strong GOP 2016 candidate. 1. “He is off to an early start.” Cruz has quietly built the skeleton of a grassroots organization across the nation. In Greenville, an announcement gathering and a rally were held the day of his announcement. LaDonna Riggs, past Spartanburg County GOP Chairman is the local organizer for the Cruz campaign. 2. “He has strong Tea Party Support.” Cruz is expected to excite the Tea Party base that has been dormant since being attacked by the IRS and other liberals. 3. “He has been one of the party’s most outspoken opponents of Obamacare.” It was Cruz that spoke for more than 21 hours on the floor of the Senate in opposition to the funding of Obamacare. 4. “He has taken a strong stand on immigration.” He is committed to securing the borders with Mexico and Canada. 5. “He is seen as more independent than other potential GOP candidates.” His willingness to stand up to party leaders is appealing to many conservative voters. 6. “He is firmly in the mainstream of Republican voters on nearly every issue.” 7. “Cruz is a strong campaigner.” He connects with the grassroots and scored one of the biggest upsets in the 2012 elections. 8. “Cruz could appeal to Hispanic voters more than most other GOP candidates.” His father was born in Cuba and he was the first Hispanic U. S. Senator elected from Texas. 9. “Past elections confirm Cruz’s contention that the GOP needs a strong conservative to win the General Election.” 10. “Cruz could reach across party lines to appeal to disillusioned voters.” 11. “His wife would be a major asset in the campaign.” She has political, government and private business experience. They have two young daughters. Senator Cruz has a father that will be a great asset during the campaign. He is a dynamic motivational speaker and is a living example of the benefits of both the exceptionalism of the United States and the miraculous power of Jesus Christ to transform the lives of men. There are other potential conservative primary candidates. Most have already tried and failed in the GOP primary arena. Governor Scott Walker has been a remarkable conservative Governor of a liberal state, however he does not have the ability to rally the conservative base that is necessary for a Republican presidential win in 2016. Republicans who attack Cruz during the primary season will only help Jeb Bush who is the obvious choice of the GOP establishment. Ted Cruz could be the only candidate who has the ability to defeat the establishment candidate in the primary and save the GOP from self-destruction. Should Jeb Bush or another “moderate” candidate win the Republican nomination, it will likely spell the demise of the GOP for the foreseeable future and sentence future generations of Americans to life under a socialist dictatorship. Now is the time for conservative voters to come together and work harder than ever to elect the best conservative candidate available, whoever that may be. PUBLICATION POLICY News items, advertisements and announcements must be received prior to 5 p.m. on Friday before the date of publication to be considered for the next issue. Letters to the editor are requested by the Wednesday prior to publication. They should include a legible signature, address and phone number. Photographs and other submitted material become property of The Times Examiner unless prior arrangements are agreed on in writing. Articles, columns and letters reflect the views of the writers, and not necessarily those of The Times Examiner. Letters to the Editor... Dear Editor, Liberty at Stake Over Supreme Court Confederate Flag Case! Monday, March 23, was an important and historic day at the Supreme Court of the United. Lawyers for the State of Texas argued that Americans deserve less freedom, less freedom of speech, and the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) argued that Americans deserve more. Simplistic? Yes. But on target. The fight is over the State of Texas' insistence that the SCV's proposed specialty license plate cannot contain the SCV's logo, the iconic Confederate Battle flag. The Department of Motor Vehicle Board which oversees the specialty license plate approval process held a public hearing in 2011 on the Confederate flag plate and after what can only be termed an orchestrated hate-a-nanny against all Confederate symbolism, the Board voted unanimously to disapprove the SCV plate because of the "offensiveness" of the Confederate flag. Rightly believing the DMV Board's denial constituted a violation of their free speech rights, the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans sued in an Austin, Texas federal court to rescind the DMV Bd's ban. The federal court ruled that the SCV plate, if issued, would constitute "government sponsored speech" and therefore if denied would not violate the SCV's first Amendment rights. The SCV legal team countered that by bowing to the orchestrated outcry, the State DMV Board was picking & choosing what speech was acceptable or unacceptable and therefore discriminated against the SCV, violating their free speech rights. The SCV appealed the court's decision to the 5th Circuit United States Court of Appeal in New Orleans. In July 2014 in a 2-1 decision the Court ruled in favor of the SCV, ordering the State of Texas to give them their plate. But then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, running for Governor and going against the settled law of at least 4 federal circuits, appealed the 5th Circuit decision to the United States Supreme Court which accepted the case for consideration. And now the final showdown. If the court should reverse the 5th Circuit's constitutionally correct decision, all Confederate themed SCV license plates currently available in AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, VA, & MD could end up on the chopping block of state sponsored political correctness. Logos of other organizations considered "offen- H.K. Edgerton, a lifelong civil rights advocate and former Asheville NAACP President, and nationally known Confederate Heritage advocate No Respect for Wimps Dear Editor, In June 1975, I was recruited to be the teacher of a junior-high boys Sunday School class. My pastor said every time we got a neighborhood boy to visit my class he always came back and became a regular member. We decided it would be smart to entice more visitors. We advertised throughout the community that the first Sunday in September would be "Ice Cream Sunday." Everyone attending our Sunday school would receive a free cup of chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry ice cream. WOW! Did it work! I had more visitors than regulars on that fateful day. Please indulge me for a moment, let your imagination run, and play the “What If" game with me. This DID NOT happen, but what ifI had announced, "Boys, I can see you all want to eat ice cream. Let's skip the Bible lesson today and hold a one-hour ice cream social. Eat all the ice cream you want, until we run out. Never mind that your parents will be disappointed that you did not get a Bible lesson. Never mind that all the other classes will get no ice cream because we ate it all. What is important is you want to eat ice cream and I saw to it that you got what you want.” What kind of a teacher, indeed, what kind of a man, would I be if I had done that? Let me offer a suggestion: wouldn't it be appropriate to call me an immature, irresponsible, undisciplined, popularity—seeking wimp? I would deserve no respect from you, the boys, or their parents. Tuesday 3/17/15, Megan Kelly asked Mark Hannah why President Obama pulled all of the American troops out of Iraq when he did, immediately after the tyrannical dictatorship was vanquished. Never mind that his military and Published Weekly on Wednesday www.timesexaminer.com Office located at: 44 Pine Knoll Dr. Suite E-2 Greenville, SC 29609 Ph: (864) 268-0576 Fax: (864) 292-1013 Office Hours: 9:30 - 12 and 1-5 Closed Wednesdays Publisher and Editor in Chief Bobby M. Dill Managing Editor James M. Spurck, Jr. Office Manager La Verle G. Dill Copy Editor Violette Scott Ad Sales Kenneth MacCallum Subscription Rates: $20 per year for web subscription Printed on Recycled Paper $40 per year in South Carolina $45 per year out-of-state Postage paid at Greenville, South Carolina This publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without written permission. political strategists were advocating staying until the new Iraqi government got stabilized. Never mind that experts predicted that creating a leadership void would invite new tyrannical dictatorships to step in and take over. Mr. Hannah replied that he did it because that is what the American people wanted him to do. He saw to it that the people got what they wanted. To me, Mr. Hannah was saying, “Because he is an immature, irresponsible, undisciplined, popularity—one seeking wimp." Do you agree? Frank Hall - Greenville, SC © COPYRIGHT 2015 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Times Examiner sive" by self-appointed thought police could be axed as well. Ominously besides the Appellant State of Texas, 12 other states: NC, AR, MO, IN, IL, MI, NM, NH, CO, HI, OH, WA, 3 of whom have Confederate flag specialty plates, have filed friend of the Court briefs seeking to reverse the 5th Circuits constitutionally correct decision. Hearteningly, the Texas and North Carolina ACLUs, the Rutherford Institute and other pro-Bill of Rights groups have filed briefs in support of the Texas Division SCV. Whether you love or hate the Confederate Battle flag, should the SCV lose, a little more freedom, a little more liberty, dies for us all. Thank you Texas Division Sons of Confederate for standing up for the free speech rights of ALL Americans! We ALL have a stake in the outcome! FAMOUS QUOTES ... “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” ~ President Ronal Reagan w w w . t i m e s e x a m i n e r. c o m
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