McDonnell takes oath as Va. governor - Washington Times

McDonnell takes oath as Va. governor - Washington Times

A historic event, to be sure, was yesterday's swearing in of the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia and a beautiful January day as well. I sat there in the bleachers thinking about the reaction among Democrats nationwide when Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie (Governor, NJ) were elected in November and how it sent a signal to them that they--the Democrats--were headed in the wrong direction. (A warning, I might add, that the Democrats, liberal-progressive-socialists that they are, have studiously ignored.) I watched as Bob McDonnell took the oath of an office once held by the likes of Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. It was a day for conservatives to remember as it marks the beginning of the battle to return to liberty from the chains of government dependency with which the liberal-progressive-socialists have been trying to enslave the people of the nation. It will be a long fight, but one that we must and shall win to preserve the freedoms envisioned for us by our forefathers.

But back to the inauguration. The first sign that we (I attended with a good friend and fellow conservative, Michael S., who had received two tickets for his tireless work on the campaign) were truly in a state that cherish's freedom was at one of the obligatory security check-points that control entry into any official venue since Islamic Terrorists declared war on the United States. When we approached the check-point a very nice lady looked at our entry tickets and said, "Please put all your metals, cameras and cell phones into one of the dishes before going through the metal detector. And if you're carrying a concealed weapon, please show the State Trooper your permit before passing through the detector."

Now Michael and I both do carry concealed weapons. Michael is a long-time concealed weapon's permit holder who carries religiously since having been shot by a street thug during a time several decades past when he did not carry at all. I have carried weapons in the service of my country my entire adult life and continue to do so now that I am retired under the Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act (LEOSA) which covers retired local, state and federal law enforcement officers as well as currently active, sworn local and state law enforcement officers. But as we were attending an obviously political event, we had decided to store our pistols prior to attending the event, so were unarmed. When the lady said that we looked at each other and had the same thought, "We could have carried! It's good to have liberty and be free." I later contemplated the mindset of those who would deny freemen the possession of arms and concluded that only politicians who had no good intentions towards liberty would oppose honest citizens possessing arms. There are more than sufficient laws on the books which, if enforced--it is astounding how many laws we have that, because of the Attorney General's fiat, are not enforced by prosecutors at every level--would adequately punish criminals who misuse weapons and prevent them, under threat of more dire punishment, from again acquiring weapons. (The key in this matter is "enforcement and prosecution," but I digress.)

We were early so I enjoyed watching the up-beat crowd arrive and they were assisted to their seats by cadets from the Virginia Military Academy. The stands were full by the time the ceremony started and while the applause was merely polite for outgoing Governor Tim Kaine, the ovation, whistles and yells filled the air with the introduction of Bob McDonnell. After the official ceremony and the adjournment of the legislators, the parade began and we had a front row seat. The last, but certainly least, unit in the parade were the cadets from the Virginia Military Academy. Not just a contingent of the cadets, but the entire Corps of Cadets. A truly impressive ending to a great and historic day.