Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General

Virginia State Senator Ken Cuccinelli is my choice for State Attorney General. In fact I put a yard sign out showing my support for him many months ago. This man is the real deal, and we need him at the helm protecting our Constitutional rights. I trust this man's character, I approve of his record, and I whole-heartily support him for AG.

Here are a few highlights:
-Pro-Life
-Pro-Traditional Marriage
-Pro-Parental Rights
-Pro-2nd Amendment
-Anti-Illegal Immigration
-Pro-Transparency in Government
-Strict Constitutionalist

While there are several people on the ballot in my district this year in Virginia, there are only a few that I feel so strongly about campaigning for: Doug Johnson for School Board (he's my father), Rob Bell for State Delegate, & Ken Cuccinelli for State Attorney General. While I have every intention to cast my vote for the other positions available this term, I want all those who know me to know I personally endorse these individuals for office.

Rob Bell Gets Results in Fluvanna County

Rob Bell is my current delegate in the VA State Legislature and he is up for re-election next month. Several years ago when I was experiencing difficulty with the DMV, my father suggested I call Rob Bell. I had never called an elected official's office before and wasn't sure what to expect. Well a member of his staff helped me get in touch with someone at the Richmond DMV who helped me right away. I couldn't believe how quickly my problem was resolved.



Also, I have seen Rob on many, many occasions at local events (when he was not campaigning for re-election), and he has always been open to talk about any concerns I might have, and he has thoughtfully replied to every letter/email I have every sent him over the years. For example, I was concerned about State Sovereignty and exercising our 10th amendment. I brought this up in an email to him during the last session. He responded rather quickly...and then again several weeks later when something new happened concerning the bill that was in the legislature concerning this issue. He remembered my concern and made a point to keep me abreast of what was happening with that issue in Richmond. I so appreciate this in a public servant.

If you live in the 58th district, I encourage you to check him out.

While there are not many incumbents I'm happy about these days, Rob Bell is one I'd like to keep in office. He's attentive, accessible and is more in line with my values and concerns than his opponent. As for me and my household, we are voting for Delegate Rob Bell.

Affordable Health Care: Not a Moral Right

In the 9/24/09 issue of the Fluvanna Review someone stated, "Affordable health care is every American's moral right" and proceeded to reference the popular parable of "The Good Samaritan" and a quote from Christ. She asked if Jesus walked our streets today, teaching His parables, would He be branded as a socialist and jeered.

The problem I see with correlations such as these between Christ's teachings and social justice is the assumption that Christ was teaching these lessons to governmental institutions, but He wasn't. He was speaking to individuals, specifically His followers. It is not the Federal Government's role to "love their neighbor", but rather it is the role of Christians.

None of us are due bandaged wounds, continued care and a comfy bed all at the expense of another. Parables such as "The Good Samaritan" are talking about the voluntary expression of love and mercy toward one another.

While God has created all men equal and given us the inalienable rights to life and liberty as recognized by our founding fathers, He did not give us the "right" to affordable health care, and the US Constitution does not give the power to our government to bestow "affordable health care" on all Americans. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.

As for Christ being a socialist, absolutely not. He never taught to "steal from the rich to give to the poor".

Our federal government should not be taking money from select portions of society to redistribute to others in order to "make things fair". America is a free market economy and the only way for us to thrive as a nation is to minimize governmental regulations and let the market do its thing.

Affordable health care is not every American's moral right.

Fluvanna BOS: Public Prayer vs Moment of Silence

I spoke during the initial public comments section of this afternoon's (9/2/09) BOS meeting. Here's what I had to say:

My name is Carrie Wigal. I live at [edited for privacy purposes].

About a month or so ago there was an article in the Central Virginian that featured my plea to you to put prayer back into your public meetings. To be honest it surprised me that it received media coverage that long after my comments were made. But I read that piece and could hardly believe Attorney Tom Paine’s response. It was reported that he advised you a moment of silence would be more appropriate than prayer because he was afraid of litigation that might come as a result of public prayer in your meetings.

I have to tell you, I laughed out loud when I read this. Because as you know, my father, Doug Johnson is currently suing you for your failure to order a referendum over the formation of the Joint Water Authority. Your very own Mr. Ott warned you all at the public hearing in March that litigation might ensue if you didn’t act on the petitions of the people. Your attorney obviously didn’t fear that litigation when he advised you to disregard the two sets of petitions. So, needless to say, that particular statement struck me as rather funny.

But after my chuckle subsided, I thought to myself why does this man fear men over God? Wouldn’t God’s wrath cause more harm than some disgruntled citizen? Why are we more concerned about offending people than we are of offending the Almighty? Where are the priorities here?

Shortly after this article hit the newsstands I discovered that you all voted unanimously to include a moment of silence in your public agendas – and some thought I should be proud of my participation in getting this issue to the forefront. But I have to tell you, I was more proud of getting my concerns on the front page of the paper.

A moment of silence? My initial response…You all actually voted to have a moment of silence in your meetings? You already have a multitude of moments of silence in your meetings – everybody just needs to stop talking for a minute at the same time, and voila! There’s your moment of silence – you didn’t have to vote on it! This is crazy.

What purpose does this moment serve? Are you honoring fallen soldiers or mourning the loss of a loved one? – Or are you just trying to gather your thoughts for the next subject at hand? Maybe your honest intention was to allow individuals to pray if they chose to do so before you proceeded with your agendas. And I believe it was your honest intention. But, individuals can pray whenever they want – they don’t need a public “moment of silence” to permit that.

So many thoughts raced through my mind upon my hearing this news, but the most significant one was how much of a slap in the face to God this was.

Who do you think you’re fooling? Why are you afraid to talk to Him in public? Oh, it’s okay to publicly pledge allegiance to our nation – under God…and tender money publicly claiming we put our trust in God, but we just can’t publicly talk to Him. Can you see the lunacy in this?

He is the Creator of the Universe! When the sun goes down and you gaze up into the sky, marveling at the blanket of lights visible to the naked eye, know that he breathed them into existence…and the size of this little planet here pales in comparison to many of the stars flying around out there. Yet he knows each and every one of us. He knows the number of hairs on our head at any given moment of the day, and He knows our innermost thoughts, desires and fears. He designed us – and He loves us – even when we screw up!

God wants good things for us – He wants to help us. We have so much evidence in our nation’s history of his divine intervention. The Revolutionary War was won because He stepped in as a result of prayer. The huge success in the birth and life of our nation is a direct result of His providence and our recognition of Him and obedience to His laws. The Abolition of Slavery was realized because He intervened on the hearts of men.

God is real – He is all-knowing, all-powerful and willing to give wisdom to those who ask Him. He sees the big picture. He knows what goes on in the homes and hearts of every citizen in this county, and He not only knows what’s best for us, He wants it.

Quit ignoring Him. Quit dismissing Him. Quit offending Him.

Please, throw away your “moment of silence” – get a backbone when it comes to standing up for God in this county and exercise some humility by calling on His wisdom and direction through public prayer.

Thank you.