Chairman West's Monday Message for 12.21.20

"Nuts"

If you are a serious student of American military history you will immediately recognize the title of this week's missive. As well, you have probably ascertained the thesis of this Monday message. If you do not recognize this simple word, let me give you a short reminder.

As we enter into this Christmas week, I think it is appropriate to remember Christmas 1944. The US Army had landed on the beaches of Normandy to liberate the continent of Europe from the stranglehold of Nazi Germany. However, the German Army had devised one last strategy. It was a daring harsh winter assault through the Ardennes forest across Belgium to seize the port of Antwerp, and sue for a peace negotiation. The Germans had caught the American forces by surprise, as it was one of the worst winters, and Christmas was coming.

It was the brave men of the 101st Airborne Division, who had combat parachute operations of D-Day and Market Garden under their belts, who were called into action to a town called Bastogne. There in that Belgian city, these American paratroopers found themselves surrounded, cut off, from 20-27 December 1944. The "Screaming Eagles" were commanded by Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. He encouraged his paratroopers with these words: "Men, we are surrounded by the enemy. We have the greatest opportunity ever presented an Army. We can attack in any direction."

When the Germans sent a message to BG McAuliffe asking his surrender, he responded with one word: "Nuts."

That is the measure of the American spirit, when all seems dire, lost, we find that single ingredient that steels our resolve, courage.

It was just six years later, at a place called Chosin Reservoir, November 26 - December 13, 1950, that the 1st Marine Division found itself surrounded by the Chinese Army in the first year of the Korean War. The 1stMarDiv had a commander named "Chesty" Puller. His famous words were, "They are in front of us, behind us, we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can't get away from us now? Great. Now we can shoot at them from every direction."

I have had the honor to stand with two men who were at these impeccable moments in American history. One was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne and the other a Marine in the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir.

Courage.

It is that word which is truly indicative of the American story. I could tell of Lexington Green, Ft. McHenry, Little Round Top, the Ia Drang Valley, all the way to the exploits of our warriors today in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Courage.

We here in Texas know very well the story of The Alamo, how a young 26-year-old, William Barrett Travis and the other 182 stood, for 13 glorious days. Travis' letter talked about never surrendering, not retreating; it spoke of honor, and ended with those immortal words, "Victory or Death."

Courage.

Today, it appears that the progressive socialist left has us surrounded. They control our media, academia, the courts, and they drive their ideological agenda through our culture. Heck, we even have a Democrat running for Senate in Georgia, claiming to be a Pastor, stating that the Bible approves of murdering unborn children. The foundation of our Constitutional Republic is our democracy, the means by which our elected officials are selected.

There can truly be no debate that in this election cycle, America experienced voting irregularities, fraud, and unconstitutional actions by certain players, in certain States.

Courts, Secretaries of States, and Governors do not possess the enumerated power to make our change law, especially election law. A so-called declared "emergency pandemic" -- that has a 99.96 percent recovery rate -- does not suspend the rule of law. We cannot have dead individuals voting. We cannot have universal mail-in ballots that do not have signature verifications, or listing addresses that are to empty lots, RV parks, and other questionable issues.

But, who has the courage to stand up?

The US Supreme Court abdicated its constitutional duty. State legislatures are being stymied from taking action due to governors who deem themselves as unilateral tyrants. So, it comes down to a joint session of Congress on January 6th. And, please, Democrats, leftists, spare me the delusional diatribe about this being unprecedented. Y'all did this in 2005. What am I referring to? It is easy: the certification of the Electoral College by our US Congress. It only takes one member from each body, the US House of Representatives and Senate, to find their courage, and reject the slate of electors. Namely, reject the slate of electors from the States of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. In those aforementioned states, the selection of the electors should have been done, according to Article II, Section 1 of our Constitution, "the electors clause," by the State legislatures due to the known voting irregularities and unconstitutional actions in those States.

Sir Edmund Burke once asserted, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing." And, to do something, well, it just takes courage.

If I were still in Congress, honoring my oath to the constitution, I would stand in opposition to the Electoral College slate, especially from those mentioned States. I would demand that we debate, and vote on this within our respective legislative bodies. Today, I am asking myself, who will find the courage to do exactly that? The history of America is replete with examples of those, with their lives on the line, standing defiantly in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, relentlessly fighting against tyranny to preserve liberty. Are we to believe that that measure of being an American is less viable in this age?

Thomas Paine wrote on December 23, 1776 in his essay "The Crisis" that, "These are the times that try men's souls, when the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service to their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

The progressive socialist left is telling us to surrender our Constitutional Republic, these United States of America. We the People respond by saying, "Nuts."

Who stands with us?

Steadfast and Loyal,