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Position Statement: I am honored to serve the people of West Virginia as Elector.
Description of Position:
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12/04/2008
Today I made a very difficult decision.
I have been chosen by the Republican Party in West Virginia during the Summer convention to be an elector. Being an elector is normally a rubber stamp formality. If the Republican candidate wins West Virginia the Republican electors submit their votes in the Electoral College representing the will of the people. Our election system for president uses the Electoral College to try to keep voting fair to everyone. While that may be in question, it is in fact written into the Constitution and has been upheld for centuries. The majority of people in West Virginia voted for Senator John McCain to be president. So the elector’s job is to vote the majority’s will of the people in the Electoral College. This has been done for every presidential election. And while there have been a few instances where electors have varied from their intended purpose these have been minor.
The election of 2008 is remarkably different. This election had not one but two nominated candidates who were born in questionable circumanstances. Senator McCain was born in Panama while Senator Obama was born in Hawaii. Both lived part of their lives out of the country. Senator Obama had a father who was not an American citizen. During his childhood he traveled and lived in Indonesia. The actual birth certificate along with other documents that can establish citizenship have not been provided for public view. Any question of citizenship could be taken care of easily with these documents. Unfortunately, they have not been provided. Instead, there is a cloud of questions that still remain. Legal action has been taken during the election but the judicial courts have ruled that individuals as citizens and/or as voters do not have standing to bring suit. That means, as Americans we do not have the right to question the eligibility of our candidates and soon to be elected leaders. Unless we have specifically been harmed we have no legal recourse to ask for our candidates to prove they are eligible to hold the highest office in America, the presidency.
“..a voter does not have standing to challenge the qualifications of a presidential candidate under the Constitution.”
Why?
“Standing requires an injury in fact that is concrete and particularized. It is well established that a ‘voter fails to present an injury in fact when the alleged harm is abstract and widely shared’….” --Case No. 08-4340 United States Court of Appeals for the Third District.
Electing and having a president who is not legally eligible to hold the office per the United States Constitution is not considered harm because it is shared by all Americans!
Americans would think that the government that oversees the elections and piles on regulations after regulations to the citizens would be very methodical in their evaluation of presidential candidates. That is not the case. In fact, the Federal Election Commission states
“the Commission has no jurisdiction to enforce whether candidates meet the Constitutional criteria for presidential eligibility” --Civil Action No. 08-cv-4083, United States District Court, Eastern District Pennsylvania.
So, the Commission to oversee the election of our president has no authority to enforce eligibility. Who does? Most likely, no one on this Earth. Only God above will decide his fate. But there is a small chance the judicial system will uphold a standing by ‘electors’. Since electors have the opportunity to vote in the Electoral College there is some small hope that IF reasonable doubt is found that president-elect Obama is not eligible to hold office the Constitution can be upheld. Once Americans realize that their choice for president is not legally eligible they may want him to step down. Of course, considering the other questionable activity they have ignored I would be surprised. If the documents are legit then the question has been answered. Senator Obama was not the only candidate singled out to be questioned. A lawsuit had the SAME RESULT against Senator McCain. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue. Is the Constitution valid for every American or not? Are foreigners allowed to serve our nation in the highest office? Is the economic crisis so severe we are willing to abandon the Constitution for a perceived savior?
Why did I decide to join the lawsuit to have president-elect Obama provide birth documents and other citizenry documents to settle this question once and for all?
As an elector I have the opportunity to serve the people of America and do what is right. Protect the Constitution of the United States of America. As per Article II of the Constitution it states “No person except a natural born citizen…….” And you must be 35 years old or older. And have been “fourteen Years a Resident with the United States.” No one is questioning the last two. But it is reasonable to ask for president-elect Obama to provide proof that he is a natural born citizen. Apparently, it is more difficult to get a drivers license then it is to become president. The Electoral College system is designed to protect the people of America and I am obligated to do what is right for my country. If a question remains it must be answered.
We must safeguard our citizens. The Constitution was designed by and for “We the People…” not for one person who wants to be president. Citizens have the Constitution to protect our rights to bear arms, to worship and to vote for eligible candidates for our government. The government is enabled to defend our country. We must not compromise our national security. Once the national security has been compromised we are at the mercy of our enemies around the globe. As an elector, I have the last opportunity to ensure our government is viable.
Am I doing this because I wanted Senator John McCain to win? No. While I admit I voted for Senator McCain, candidate Mike Huckabee was my first choice. Am I doing this because I am a Republican? No. Most Republicans are willing to accept the political mandate of the election results and work to solve our problems with a new administration. In fact, this decision could very well be political suicide. But I am reminded of the words of Senator McCain when he supported the surge in Iraq when no one else did. He did it because it was the right thing to do, and winning the presidency did not overshadow the moral right. Partisanship is not important in this decision. The lawsuit brought forth earlier this year came from a registered democrat. This is not a Republican attack on the chosen leader of our country. This is an American request for the truth to protect the Constitution and the very fabric of our great nation. Without the Constitution being upheld all is lost in America. If the president can not be held accountable to the Constitution what can I say to my children? Can anyone uphold any law in the land if the highest office is exempt? That is the very reason the United States Constitution was written. The colonials had been repressed by the King of England. They wanted a better society. They wanted America to be a better nation. Do we now want to give that away and join the other societies of this world?
I would have preferred this issue have been resolved a long time ago. Investigative reporting should have been able to establish the truth and remove any doubts before the election. The courts are not obviously going to protect the rights of the citizens of the United States. If the citizens do not have ‘standing’ to demand their president follow the Constitution of the United States then who will? No one, unless the court give that ‘standing’ to the electors. If not, then no one will have ‘standing’ for America. What a sad day we face when Americans no longer have the Constitution to protect them. That day may have come and gone by the time you read this. Pray that it does not. Therefore, I along with the other co-signers must take a ‘stand’ for America. Now I know something of what must have gone through the minds of those minutemen who stood side by side for the first time as the ‘shot was heard around the world’.
We face an uphill battle. The Democrats control Congress and soon the presidency. Any action required by Congress will be difficult without an outcry from the citizens of America. Congress will rubberstamp this election no matter what the cost is to the Constitution. I do not expect Congress to intervene on behalf of the citizens or the Constitution. Congress has repeatedly shown it will find loopholes and legal ways to get around the Constitution. Perfect example is the issue with Senator Clinton becoming Secretary of State. The Constitution prohibits it. But as before Congress will find a way around the law. The Democrat controlled Congress will not uphold the Constitution. But that must not stop us from doing what is right.
One of the greatest concerns for me is the will of the people. The majority of people voted for Senator Obama. Any action that I take going against these voters would have to be justified. But in reality I believe this action is not going against their will. Instead this suit only requests birth certificate proof of citizenship. If provided this issue will be resolved very quickly. The real question is what would the will of the people be IF it turns out that he is not really eligible to be president? Will the black voters still want him to be president? Will the democrat straight ticket voters still want him to be president? If he is not eligible then this is his own fault. But an elector’s responsibility is not to the candidate but to the people.
Do we need controversy now? Would it not be better to overlook this small thing and allow president-elect Obama to become president for the good of the country? I do not believe the bail-outs will work. We are already seeing that there is not proper oversight. The government created this mess in the first place along with people including Ben B. and Ed. P. They will not solve the problems we face. Our economy is going to get worse with or without a president Obama. He is not the savior we need. Spending our way to prosperity is not the answer. So while a lawsuit may be perceived as an obstruction to resolution of these crises. It is not. We would only be trading one crisis for another. Electing an ineligible candidate to the highest office of the land will be a major crisis for America. Violating the Constitution will lead to many other violations. That will undermine the foundation of our country. Once violated and tolerated, the Second Amendment will be next. Once it is violated all other rights will not be safe. I am willing to be blamed for worsening the economy to do what is right. For if we do what is right and follow God he will bless us. But if we do not………. Trading controversy today for one later is not the answer.
Will this divide the nation? IF president-elect Obama were to be ruled ineligible according to the Constitution it would have nothing to do with the color of his skin. But some would want to try to make it a racial issue. It is not. Supporting the Constitution should not divide the nation. But it is a real possibility. So should someone do what is right and risk division? Or should we dishonor our Constitution and the many brave men and women who have died to defend it?
God’s chosen king. When the Israelites rejected God’s authority and pronounced to Samuel that they wanted a king like the nations around them. God did what they asked. He gave them a king. God controls everything including the world’s leaders. They are in power according to his will. Some will be good and some will be evil. But one thing is for sure, they are all in power by the grace of God. I struggled with this; thinking to the time of King David. King David could not harm King Saul because he was the anointed king by God. David had already been anointed the new King by the prophet Samuel. David still respected God so much that he could not come to harm the king in any way. We are to respect the chosen ones of God. So as I have already announced on my website, if president-elect Obama becomes president he will be my president too. So I hope he provides the necessary birth records that will establish his rightful place in the history of American presidents. But I also believe the citizens have the right to know for sure that all their elected leaders are legally obliged to hold public office based on the rules set forth by our founding fathers in the Constitution of the United States. The will of God is going to prevail.
This decision is a major one I had not planned on having to make. I had wanted to become an elector because it was a way to serve the West Virginia Republican Party and to learn more about the political process. I did not have any intentions of being in the middle of a discrepancy of this magnitude. A presidential eligibility question that should have been resolved a long time ago. The Federal Election Commission has failed the American people. Now it is up to Congress and the judicial system to make things right. That is a scary thought! Whether you agree with my decision or not I wanted the people of West Virginia to know my reasoning for this decision. I consider myself a Christian first and foremost. I am a servant of my Lord and Savior. So I must do what Jesus would want me to do. Then I must consider what is best for my country and my state. Finally, and least important of all, I am a registered Republican. But my party affiliation has no bearing on this except for the fact it is how I got into this situation. I have no other motives. I have chosen to do what is right during very difficult times. I pray God will bless America.
Submitted for public view,
December 4, 2008
By
Dr. Zane Lawhorn
Elector,
2008 General Election
West Virginia
You may send your comments about my decision to zane08@1dni.com
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 2008-12-16 |
It was an honor to serve the people of West Virginia and cast my ballot for the right candidate for President. This is the saddest time in American history. American voters made the wrong choice. Their trust has been placed in a man that may not even be an American citizen. The liberals are jubilant and feeling triumphant. But it will not last. His lies, corruption and false promises will start to be revealed. The economy will not get worse it will worsen. The Stock market will continue to fall. Jobs will be lost. America will be bankrupt. President Evil is set to take office on January 20th a dark day in the history of America. Our Constitution has been rejected and the principles the founding fathers based this country upon has been lost. We must now work to FIND AMERICA, like I have said in my book. I am glad that my fellow West Virginians do not share the guilt. A depressing time indeed, but there is HOPE. And WE WILL PREVAIL. |
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2008 Presidential Elector
