Editor,
I am not writing to bash Donald “The Bully” Trump, John “Who Is He?” Kasich, Hillary “Jailbird” Clinton or Bernie “Socialist” Sanders. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Rather, I’d like to pose that in all of the political hoopla, Ted Cruz has been underrated and passed over by too many Americans, and more surprisingly — and disappointingly — by too many Christians. I am not saying he is a perfect candidate, but I challenge the reader to come up with anyone who is, or ever was, a perfect candidate.
Ted Cruz is a professed Christian and a constitutionally knowledgeable man to represent our great land. (He memorized the Constitution at the age of 13!) May I remind those who know and read their Bible:
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” — Proverbs 14:34
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” — Proverbs 29:2
From this perspective alone, which candidate should our nation really be supporting? Righteousness transcends party lines. God is not a Democrat or a Republican. He does not favor red or yellow or black or white (since we are all precious in his sight). We should vote on righteousness and principle, not on party lines, emotions, race or our wallets. For those of you who are not convinced by this alone (and this really should be enough), here are some other thoughts.
Many people say that Donald Trump will “get the job done,” which is a familiar sentiment when you talk with Trump supporters. His question is, “What has Cruz accomplished?” with the assumption that he has accomplished nothing in comparison to Donald Trump — a seriously misguided conclusion as voters consider who would be the best choice to serve as the next president of the United States.
So what exactly has Cruz accomplished?
Religious liberty
• Defended Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties against Obamacare’s contraception mandate.
• Led the way on several cases, including a U.S. Supreme Court case that preserved the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the city of Houston to provide the content of their sermons, forcing the city to back down.
• Supported the right of students to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events.
• Successfully defended the constitutionality of Texas’ Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court, setting an important national precedent for the right to display similar monuments.
• Fought to help the Boy Scouts of America to reverse a district court ruling barring them from leasing a public park.
Second Amendment
• Played a crucial role in preventing federal legislation to restrict the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
• Authored legislation to strengthen the Second Amendment rights of Americans by allowing interstate firearms sales.
• Led 31 states in District of Columbia v. Heller, where the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban on firearms in a 5-4 landmark decision.
• Argued against unreasonable and burdensome gun restrictions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
U.S. sovereignty
• Fought and won a landmark ruling for U.S. sovereignty in Medellin v. Texas at the U.S. Supreme Court against 90 foreign nations and the president to ensure the supremacy of U.S. legal system against encroachment by international treaties and rulings of the “World Court.”
• Co-sponsored a resolution urging the president not to sign the U.N. Arms Treaty, which would have subordinated the Second Amendment rights of American citizens to global interests.
It has been reported that many Trump supporters would not support Ted Cruz if he ultimately wins the nomination. However, let me conclude by asking, “What’s wrong with Ted Cruz?”
Ken Scharnagl
Hinesville