In my inaugural blog, I responded to editorial writer David Horowitz who was complaining about conservatives who insist that President-elect Barack Obama produce a valid official birth certificate documenting that he was, indeed, born in the United States of America (Hawaii) and is constitutionally authorized to hold the office for which he campaigned and was subsequently elected November 4, 2008.  Horowitz complained these individuals were “…Birth Certificate zealots…arguing that 64 million voters should be disenfranchised because of a contested technicality as to whether Obama was born on U.S. soil” (emphasis mine) rather than Kenya (his fathers home).  You may have already read my blog.  If not, you should find it included in the “Combatsoldier” blog dated 13 December.

The final portion of my blog article included the letter that I had sent to my own congressional representative, Kay Granger, of the 12^th Congressional District of Texas.  I also noted that similar letters were mailed to Senators John Cornyn, (R) Texas, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, (R) Texas.

Because I invited you to similarly call upon your own U.S. Representatives and Senators to honor their oath of office and insist that the United States Constitution be upheld in the matter of this “technicality” concerning the constitutional requirements to fill the office of the president, I thought that you deserved to know how my own congressional representatives responded to my letters, and my subsequent response to them.  Their responses to me are contained below.  A copy of my response to each of them follows at the end.

Email response from Congresswoman Kay Granger to me:

Dear Terry:

            Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about the 2008 election.  I appreciated hearing from you.

Now that the election is over and the campaigns have ended, I think it is important that the politicians and the citizens of our nation put the fierce partisan rhetoric aside so that we can work together to come up with real solutions to our country’s challenges.

We in the Congress have a long list of important issues that we must deal with in the coming year.  The unemployment rate is rising, too many Americans don’t have health care, our military is fighting two wars abroad, the federal deficit is growing exponentially, and we rely too heavily on foreign countries for our energy supply.  You can be sure that I will always fight for the residents of the 12^th District as legislation makes its way through the House of Representatives.

The people of our nation have a strong tradition of banding together to overcome whatever hurdles we may find in our path, and I believe that we will rise to the challenge once again.

Thank you again for contacting me.  I hope you will continue to keep me informed on the issues that are important to you.  For more information on my work in Congress or to sign up for weekly updates, please visit the 12^th District’s website, http://kaygranger.house.gov.

Sincerely,

[with typed name of Kay Granger, Member of Congress].

Email response of Senator John Cornyn to me:

Dear Mr. Hestilow:

Thank you for contacting me regarding President-elect Barack Obama. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this matter.

As you know, on January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the forty-fourth President of the United States of America. As we enter the 111th Congress, our nation faces many challenges. We are in the midst of tough economic times, and the federal government must stand on the side of taxpayers and small businesses. Now more than ever, we need fiscal discipline in Washington. I welcome President-elect Obama’s commitment to reform the federal budget process and rein in wasteful government spending, and I will hold the President-elect accountable as Congress works to quickly identify and eliminate inefficient, ineffective, and outdated federal programs.

Families across Texas and the nation are forced to make tough financial decisions each day—the federal government should be no different. But year after year too many government programs are funded because there are small—but vocal—special interest groups backing them with little Congressional oversight to determine when ideas have run their course. The American people have a right to know how their hard earned dollars are being spent, and I will continue to support making our government more transparent, accountable, and efficient.

While strengthening the economy must remain a priority, we must also find bipartisan solutions to address other critical issues facing our nation while continuing to advance conservative principles such as limited government, lower taxes, family values, and fighting against those who seek to destroy the American way of life. The consequences of continued inaction are too great. It is imperative that Congress act quickly to secure our borders, reform our country’s immigration laws, modernize healthcare, and promote energy independence. You may be certain that I will continue to pursue conservative initiatives that reinforce the principles upon which our country was founded while holding the new Administration accountable to the American people.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

[Virtual copy from email to Microsoft Word]

   Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is seeking election as Governor of the State of Texas in the next gubernatorial election has not responded to my letter in any way.

My response to Congresswoman Granger, Senator Cornyn, and Senator Hutchison follows:

Dear Congresswoman Granger, Senator Cornyn, and Senator Hutchison:

On December 3, 2008, I wrote to each of you concerning matters of national security and constitutional consequence regarding the refusal of President-elect Barack Obama to produce a valid birth certificate verifying that he meets each of the minimal requirements under the U.S. Constitution for him to serve in that office.  My request was not partisan in nature; it was not mean in spirit; and it did not ask any one of you, nor anyone else, to do anything not already required by the United States Constitution.  My request to each of you was that you honor the oath of office that you took when you were sworn to duty in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate respectively.

Only two of you had the courtesy to respond to my letter.  I expect that the rigors of getting ready to run for office as Governor of the State of Texas kept Senator Hutchison from writing.

What is most significant of any of your responses (or non-responses) is that none of you made any mention of the issue about which I had communicated to you in the first place.  Of course, I know that none of you actually read or respond to letters sent to your office; but rather, have aides who tend to such matters.  However, I must conclude that your aides communicate to your constituents what you, yourself, think and how you intend to deal with the subject of the letter!  Apparently, none of you have aides that can respond “on subject”!

Congresswoman Granger, after thanking me for writing to you, you began to piously chide, “Now that the election is over and the campaigns have ended, I think it is important that the politicians and the citizens of our nation put the fierce partisan rhetoric aside so that we can work together to come up with real solutions to our country’s challenges.”

You went on to inform me, a retired Army Vietnam veteran who returned from duty in Afghanistan in April of 2008 (82^nd Airborne), “We in the Congress have a long list of important issues that we must deal with in the coming year.  The unemployment rate is rising, too many Americans don’t have health care, our military is fighting two wars abroad, the federal deficit is growing exponentially, and we rely too heavily on foreign countries for our energy supply.  You can be sure that I will always fight for the residents of the 12^th District as legislation makes its way through the House of Representatives.”

While I am well aware of the importance of each of these issues, and feel their impact personally and deeply, and also, since I have presented my own body as a target for the enemy in Afghanistan in the defense of this nation, I must protest that none of that is what I wrote to you about!  I didn’t write out of “fierce partisan rhetoric”!  I wrote about public officials and their responsibility to ensure that even the most powerful, especially the most powerful, in our nation, those called to enforce the U.S. Constitution, would ensure that the person elected to be the leader of this nation, Barack Obama, would do the simple act of providing proof that he is qualified for office by producing his official birth certificate!  None of you were willing to do that!  None of you showed the strength of character, the courage, to stand for the rule of law and demand that the United States Constitution be enforced!

It probably does not matter to any of you that I have lost respect for you.  It does not matter to me who runs against you in the future, no one can be a poorer candidate for office than one who has sworn to uphold the Constitution, and then, in the heat of politics, to abandon your commitment to our founding document, the rule of law, and integrity with those who have paid with the last full measure to defend this nation and our way of life.  It probably does not matter, but it should.  I probably represent more of your core constituencies than you would like to believe!

No, I have always honored my commitment to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution.  I will never support a political office holder who has demonstrated a lack of integrity with that principle.  You have received my last vote.  Unless you find the courage to stand for the Constitution and demand that Barack Obama produce his official birth certificate, proving he is qualified to serve as president, I shall never support any of you again.

And, oh by the way, Representative Granger, to your guarantee that you “will always fight for the residents of the 12^th District as legislation makes its way through the House of Representatives”; and Senator Cornyn, when you assure that you “will continue to pursue conservative initiatives that reinforce the principles upon which our country was founded while holding the new Administration accountable to the American people”; I say that I will believe it when I see that you are willing to fight for the uncomfortable “technicalities” of the United States Constitution.  As of today none of you have shown that kind of courage and character.

Sincerely,

Terry M. Hestilow

Fort Worth, Texas

Your friend and fellow laborer in Christ,

Foundations for Faith and Fellowship in Farah

A devotional publication for Christians serving in Farah, Afghanistan

Published weekly in support of the chapel program at

Heaven’s Outpost Chapel

Forward Operating Base, Farah, Afghanistan

Captain Terry M. Hestilow, Publisher      Sunday, December 23, 2007

Scripture Reference Text:

Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBILE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

For at least a month now I have been fascinated by the brilliant beauty of the planet Mars as it dominates the night sky in intensity with the singular exception of the moon.  Nearing the point in space where it is nearest to our own planet, Mars announces itself with a brightness that cannot be ignored and identifies itself with its unique hint of red tinge.  Indeed, when the moon is playing companion to the sun and unavailable for night viewing, on the darkened landscape of western Afghanistan the planet performs its solo act attracting nearly every eye to embrace it on its nightly traverse of the star filled sky.

As we near the celebration of Christmas in this Middle Eastern nation, the western mind is naturally stirred to question what the world of Christ must have been like over two-thousand years ago.  So, too, our observation of this bright planet naturally and logically calls to mind the exceptionally bright star that alerted and guided the Magi to Christ’s presence on that first Christmas.

“What was the nature of that star?” we ask. Could it have been such a planet coming so close to the earth and traveling on a trajectory that, following it over time, would have led the religious astronomers (note: not “astrologers!”), the “wise” men of their time, to the very manger in which Jesus had been lain?  Perhaps it was not just one planet?  Some have suggested it was the apparent intersection of two or more celestial bodies occupying a point in the night sky combining their corporate illumination to produce a phenomenon so bright that prophecy students of that day would have known this was the star spoken of by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).  Could it have been of such a natural character; or must it have been a miracle of God, known only to Him and the angels of Glory?

Problematic in such a natural theory is the fact that Herod’s own wise men did not have a clue that the sky had changed its appearance at all.  Perhaps that is because, to them, there was nothing observed in the night sky that was of any new significance?  To them, perhaps, there was no star!

Finally, Scripture tells us, “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was” [Matthew 2:9 (NIV)].

Planets may appear to stop, and even reverse course; but not in a night.  Clearly, the “star they had seen in the east” was a personal guide sent from Heaven to guide them to Jesus’ location so that they might behold God’s Savior.

Mars is beautiful and brilliant in the Christmas sky this year.  Combined with Jupiter, Venus and perhaps Regulus, the illumination value would be incredible; but, the evidence of Scripture indicates that the star of the Magi was both supernatural and personal in nature.

You don’t need a celestial object to lead you to the Christ child this Christmas.  Turn to the pages of Scripture and by the supernatural illumination of God’s Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that inspired the Magi to follow a star, you too can know his loving presence and receive his gift of salvation.  God bless you, and have a Merry Christmas.

Copyright © Terry M. Hestilow, 2007

Poor "Professor" Horowitz!  He is so angry and "embarrassed" because, as he prefers to calls them while condescending from his lofty perch on high, a "fringe group of conservatives" keep insisting that the question of President-Elect Barack Obama's Constitutional qualification to serve as president of the United States needs to be answered legally and clearly for all the people of the United States.  He claims that it is "destructive."

Relying upon the linguistic and literary device of suggesting ad hominem attacks upon his opponents, Horowitz seeks to divert attention away from the merits of the question, while pretending to defend the system and honor the “results” of the election.  He blasts those he disagrees with as "zealots" seeking to "deny Obama his victory and to lay the basis for the claim that he is not a legitimate president...."

In this knee jerk venomous attack upon those he disagrees with, Horowitz conveniently misses the point.  Sixty-four million voters cannot exercise their preferences in the United States of America, even in the election of president, if it violates the "law of the land" (the U.S. Constitution).  If Horowitz, and the rest of the sixty-four million Obama supporters, disagrees with a part of the Constitution, they may pursue efforts to have it legally changed through the amendment process; but to tell those who protest that Barack Obama’s election may not be legal to "shut up" reveals his own arrogance and, may I submit, boasts of his ignorance.

Indeed, Horowitz’s raising the question of John McCain’s qualification to serve bears out my point.  Had McCain been born of Panamanian parents in Panama, he would not have been qualified under the U.S. Constitution to run for the U.S. presidency.  He would have been of foreign descent and even naturalization would not have qualified him to serve as president of the United States.  He wasn't!  He was born of US parentage.  His father was a United States Naval officer serving abroad.  John McCain was born in US facilities on a US military installation.  There is nothing of question here; and, oh by the way, John McCain was not afraid to produce his birth certificate as evidence of his qualification to serve in office.

If Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii, and if he genuinely has the evidence to prove it, he meets Constitutional qualification.  If he was born outside of the United States by a father who is Kenyan, well, the simple truth is that he does not meet Constitutional muster (no matter how many may have mistakenly voted for a possibly unqualified candidate).  Pretty darn simple!  If he is qualified under the US Constitution, all of the people of the United States ought to be able to have confidence that the question of legitimacy is laid to rest. 

So, what is President-Elect Obama afraid of?  Why does he resolutely refuse to produce the legal evidence of his qualification to serve?  What is he trying to hide?  I would think that he would gladly and promptly produce the evidence!  Why is Mr. Horowitz defending such obfuscation by Obama?

Call me what you want Mr. Horowitz (even though you are not good enough, nor have you defended America sufficiently to tell me to shut up and call me names).  As a military officer (whose career is bracketed by duty in Vietnam and Afghanistan), and also as commissioned law enforcement officer, I swore an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.”  I have been cursed and spit upon, and I have been called all kinds of names by better men and women than you, Mr. Horowitz.  I stand by the Constitution even if you think it is "destructive."

You say, "Respect for election results is one of the most durable bulwarks of our unity as a nation."  Many of us rightly question the legitimacy of the election with organizations like "Acorn" and the Democrat Party conducting highly suspicious, if not outright fraudulent, election efforts while raising millions in campaign funds through financing that certainly seemed to have come from abroad through terrorist organizations like "Hamas" and other radical foreign Islamic groups that have consistently voiced strong support for the election of Barack Hussein Obama and contempt for the United States.

Congresswoman Granger,

Merry Christmas and congratulations again on your reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I am a retired U.S. Army officer, and every day of my professional military career I had a legal requirement to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.  It is also noteworthy that producing an official birth certificate was never an option for me to serve in office!

Congresswoman Granger, I do not suggest that you, nor your fellow representatives have failed your duty to likewise uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; however, I do want to know what is being done to resolve the issue of the qualification of President-Elect Barack Obama to serve as president on January 20, 2009.  This question must be resolved openly and finally if the people of the United States are to have any real confidence that the Constitution has true meaning and is being applied without regard to political affiliation!  No matter where a person stands on the direction of the nation, if we lose faith that our elected officials live by the Constitution the national regard for the founding document begins to erode.  This is a national security issue!

Madam, the American people should not be denied by lawyers the simple proof that the person elected to be president of the United States is constitutionally qualified to assume the office.  If President-Elect Obama is truly qualified to serve, let us resolve the issue immediately within the requirements of the U.S. Constitution!  If not, even if it is painful and angers many in the population, let that be determined so that we can know that the Constitution is still the law of the land and we can move forward with the legally qualified candidate!

I can produce my birth certificate today!  I assume that you can, too!  There is no reason that the person elected to be the president of the United States should be exempt from producing documentation that proves he is qualified constitutionally to serve!  If not, let no other office holder be forced to produce a birth certificate and do not demand such documentation for any other worker in the nation for any job in the United States.  President-Elect Obama should enjoy no exemption!

With regard to this issue, as my Representative, I ask you to take this matter to the floor of the House of Representatives and demand that the Judiciary resolve this legal question immediately or face legislation to limit the time lawyers may delay such questions.  Indeed, please initiate new legislation [Election Reform] to require any and all candidates for office, elective or otherwise, to prove as a part of their filing and having their name placed upon a ballot that they are truly qualified to serve in the office in advance of such election.

There are a significant number of your constituents who have doubts about President-Elect Obama's qualification to serve as president of the United States.  That is a fact!  You have an obligation to us to demand immediate verification without legal stalling or Supreme Court justice’s delays on this issue.

Is the office of the president subject to the Constitution?  As of today, the answer may be “no.”  If so, we have a true Constitutional crisis on our hands.

I look forward to hearing from you on this issue.

Thank you for your service.  You are in my prayers.

Very Respectfully,

Terry M. Hestilow
United States Army, Retired
Fort Worth, Texas
December 3, 2008