All of the liberal media in the District, and in the nation for that matter, want to make sure you know that Congressman Goodlatte’s son, Bobby, decided to support Ben Cline’s Democratic opponent and asked his friends in San Francisco, the city where he now lives, to donate as much money as they legally can. That’s what happens when you move to the “left coast” and fall prey to liberal ideology.

And other prominent families in this election cycle have shown their differing political preferences. Levi Sanders is running for Congress in the 1^stDistrict in New Hampshire, but his father Bernie is not supporting him even though he has supported many other candidates. And former Michigan Democratic Congressman John Conyers, who resigned last year due to a sexual harassment scandal, wanted his son John, III, to replace him. But the former Congressman’s great nephew, Ian, also ran and complained that John, III, didn’t collect enough signatures. In the end, John, III, never got on the ballot, and Ian Conyers lost out in a crowded primary.

But Michigan and New Hampshire are not our current concern. Our focus is on the Sixth District. You can be sure that the Democrats will try to score political points with the news unless we take a proactive stance. This means that we need to ask voters if they want to elect a woman who is beholden to San Francisco liberals who live in Nancy Pelosi’s district or to elect a man who answers only to people from the district he will represent. You can tell everyone you know that Ben Cline will never sell out to left coast Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, or anyone else who opposes the values and principles of the conservative citizens of the Sixth Congressional District of VIRGINIA. Remind them that this is VIRGINIA, not bankrupt and poorly governed California.

And then you can ask them if they think Democrats are smarter than a four-year-old. However they answer, refer them to the new study published by the “Association for Psychological Science.” In the study the researchers confirmed something that we conservatives have known for a long time. “Our findings demonstrate that from early in life, children both hold and enforce a normative expectation that individuals are intrinsically obligated to contribute to the common good.” In other words, even a four-year-old knows that there are no “free rides” in life and that everyone must contribute to the well being of the community.

Let’s focus on the races we have to win by planning our work, but more importantly doing our work. You might not have much time to give, but if you contact even five people, you might have made a five vote difference. Often, people will vote for a particular candidate for no other reason than that someone asked them to do so.

Everyone doing what they can is the key to getting Ben and Corey elected. And even if you don’t do any “official” campaigning, you can carry some literature in your purse or pocket. Then at appropriate times, bring up the topic of the election and hand a piece of literature to the person with whom you are speaking. The literature is important because it helps the voter remember whom they promised you they would support. A lot of people don’t stay as involved as we do so we need to help them remember the important things.

Let’s all do our part, spite the Dems, and elect a good, conservative Congressman from the Sixth and a good, pro-Trump Senator from Virginia.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. While then candidate Trump was campaigning in 2016, he promised that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would reach 4.0% during his presidency. Of course the nay-sayers declared that to be impossible. So now that the GDP has hit 4.1% in the second quarter, those same so-called “experts” claim it is unsustainable. And the Dow Jones average has risen 5000 points since President Trump’s inauguration. Since the negative Democrats have said, in effect, that they don’t know how to improve the economy, we need to make sure that they don’t get back in control of it.

 

This country was founded on Christian principles by, for the most part, Christians – despite what the revisionists say. Some influential individuals from other faiths were part of the process, but the speeches and writings of our early leaders made it very clear that we were founded as a Christian nation, and we had a common morality based on the Bible.

We Republicans believe that we are the Party who will preserve those original freedoms, which are based on our Christian principles. But I have difficulty justifying those claims when the actions of some Republicans so blatantly contradict the principles that God has set before us. I am thinking in particular of the 6th and 9th Commandments.

The 6th Commandment says, “You shall not commit murder.” And before you start wondering who died, let me refer you to Matthew 5:21-22a. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Jesus says that murder and unprovoked anger are both worthy of judgment. And the beloved Disciple, John, says (1John 3:15), “Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

I have seen unbridled hatred posted on social media from some of those who disagree with the majority of us on the 6th District Committee. Those who spew that vitriol are not Christian. And I’m not the one judging. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-17) Your eternal destiny is between you and God, but if you are a Christian in more than just the label you paste on your religion, then you won’t be writing the kinds of things that have been written about a lot of good people who also happen to be Republican.

The loophole I’m sure you’ve found in the phrase “without a cause” just brings us to the 9th Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness.” Also look at Leviticus 19:16a, “Do not go about spreading slander among your people,” or Exodus 23:7, “Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.” There are a number of false statements – that frequently amount to slander – being passed around as truth. Well let me give you some truth:

• The 20 people who voted in favor of setting aside money to cover legal expenses related to the FEC charges did so to protect the Committee from the Federal Government (and the deep state operatives in the government who would gladly attack a Party organization, if we don’t do everything exactly right).
• We all support Ben Cline for Congress, and many of us are working very hard to get him elected.
• Not one of us is trying to remove Jennifer Brown as chairman. In fact, following her first committee meeting as chair, a couple of very respected members who were car pooling with me worked out a plan to contact her about how we could work together. Unfortunately, by the time we got home after our two-hour trip, she had already declared war on us with some hateful and hate-filled posts that have not slowed down much in the intervening weeks.
• Former Treasurer Hud McWilliams turned the Sixth Districts books over to the new treasurer, as good practice requires, in a timely and professional manner. And as I mentioned in a previous email, they were found to be in good order by an examination committee appointed by Chairman Brown.

So if anyone tells you anything different from those four points, they are “spreading slander among your people.”

And some of the people who deify Ronald Reagan also break his “11^thcommandment:” “Thou shalt not say anything negative about another Republican.” If you read Facebook posts you know how well that one is observed.

So why do they do it? It’s an effort by the GOP Establishment (GOPe) to punish people who want to change the system. The current system has given us a Republican majority in both both houses of Congress, but it means nothing when our national debt goes higher, the Swamp gets deeper, government bureaucracy gets fatter, and our freedoms grow narrower. And many of the GOPe elected officials try to hamstring our Republican President because he is not “one of them.”

They don’t seem to think they can win an honest discussion so, sadly, they resort to breaking commandments.

 

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

 

P.S. Here is one commentator’s perspective on the discord that’s happening in the Sixth District: http://thebullelephant.com/jennie-and-rogers-world/. And this is just part of the problem. These types of behavior are causing issues for our candidates:http://www.roanoketeaparty.com/roanoke-tea-party-calls-for-bob-goodlatte-and-ben-cline-to-denounce-jennifer-brown-and-the-vulgar-abusive-behavior/

 

This week, I came across a Facebook post from a Gold Star mom that has been shared several times, and I agree that it is worth reading. We talk about military personnel “giving the last full measure of devotion,” but the cost is almost as high for a mother who loses a son in the fight for freedom. We can learn a lot when a Gold Star mom speaks.

One such Gold Star mom, Karen Vaughn, is one of those women who help make America truly great because she raised her son to do whatever is necessary to preserve the liberties that we all (should) hold so dear. Her son, Navy SEAL Aaron Carson Vaughn, died in the Tangi River Valley in Afghanistan when his helicopter was shot down on August 6, 2011. Thirty Americans died in the crash. Now, almost seven years later, she gives words of wisdom and warning:

Sometimes God uses the no-nonsense, salty sailor to get the job done. Appreciating what the man is doing doesn’t mean we worship the salty sailor or even desire to be like the salty sailor. It doesn’t even mean God admires the salty sailor. Maybe He just knows he’s necessary for such a time as this.

I believe with all my heart that God placed that salty sailor in the White House and gave this nation one more chance in November 2016. Donald Trump is what he is. He is still the man he was before the election. And without guilt, I very much admire what that salty sailor is accomplishing.

He’s not like me. That’s okay with me. I don’t want to be like him. I will never behave like him. I know we’ve NEVER had a man like him lead our nation. It’s crazy and a little mind blowing at times. But I can’t help admire the ability he has to act with his heart rather than a calculated, PC, think tank-screened, carefully edited script. I still believe that is WHY he became our President and WHY he’s been able to handle a landslide of adversity and STILL pass unprecedented amounts of good legislation for our country AND do great works for MANY other nations, including Israel.

I’m THRILLED with what he’s doing for my nation, for the cause of Christ (whether intentional or unintentional, doesn’t matter to me), and for the concept of rebuilding America and putting her FIRST. I will not be ashamed of my position because others don’t see him through the same lens.

Should it matter to me if a fireman drops an f-bomb while he’s pulling me from a burning building? Would I really care about what came out of his mouth in those moments? Heck no! I’d CARE about what he was DOING. He wasn’t sent there to save my soul, and I’m not looking to him for spiritual guidance. All I’m thinking in those moments is, “Thank you, Jesus, for sending the fireman.”

This man is crass. Okay. He’s not careful with what he says. Okay. You feel offended that he’s not a typical statesman. Okay. But he is rebuilding the nation my son died for…the nation I feared was on a fast track to becoming a hopeless cause. Forgive me if I’m smiling.

Regardless of whom you supported during the presidential primary, Donald Trump became our candidate at the Republican Convention. But he is more than just the Republican President. At his inauguration on January 20, 2017, he became the President of all Americans. We don’t have to like how he does his job. But we do need to be thankful for what he is accomplishing as our President. The results are gratifying against an enemy that has infiltrated our Congress and our media.

I’m not suggesting that the ends justify the means. No, I’m saying that God uses the unlikeliest of men to accomplish His will in this world. God was not surprised when Donald Trump was elected. And I for one am grateful that we have a President that loves this country rather than a President who loves herself so much that she would sell our country to our enemies for the sake of her own glory and satisfaction.

Gold Star mom Karen Vaughn is right. Donald Trump is returning this country to a nation that is worth living in and dying for. Those of us who enjoy the benefit of the sacrifices that Karen Vaughn, her husband Billy, and their son Aaron made in 2011, should, in gratitude, join Karen in smiling.

Cordially
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

I have known Hud McWilliams almost as long as I’ve known his wife, who was one of my students longer ago than we care to admit. I’ve served with Hud on our local unit and on the 6^thDistrict Committee where he served for the past year as our treasurer. In fact, he was on both committees because I asked him to become involved. When the FEC complaints were filed in an effort to damage Scott Sayre, they collected Hud as part of their collateral damage. But our District bylaws require that whenever we change treasurers, an examination committee from the Committee must review the books to make sure that everything is in order. Chairman Brown appointed the examination committee so the committee was not biased in Hud’s favor. After the committee, which included two bankers, examined the books line-by-line, they gave Hud’s records a clean bill of health. (The P.S. below shows the committee’s findings.) Yet Chairman Brown is still making nasty comments about our treasurers.

Hud has posted something on Facebook that I think bears repeating. I present much of his post here (lightly edited for space):

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who ‘knows’ they are right? Did you know there is a difference between knowledge and belief? Someone who ‘knows’ they are right will not have a conversation with you. They will tell you the facts, and woe unto you if you disagree.  Even when presented with a perfectly acceptable alternative, it will not matter because all of the ‘correct’ knowledge is on their side. Does this sound familiar? Know as you are nodding your head [that] you are probably guilty of this as well; you just couch it differently. We are all, in some ways, guilty of this. The difference between someone who ‘knows’ they are right, and someone who ‘believes’ they are right is that the former will not engage in true conversation (generally speaking), and the latter wants to engage in conversation (generally speaking), because there is always more than one side to a story. Yes, even That Story.

The problem lies when someone decides that a story, with two definitive possibilities, can only possibly have one perspective. That can get people in trouble, especially when the person decides that everyone should see only their perspective in a matter. Especially when the story a person is trying to tell is actually someone else’s story to begin with….

I have been dealing with some interesting things over the last few months, stuff that has caused sleepless nights, back issues, anxiety… just to name a few. This has come about because there is a piece of my story that someone else is trying to tell from their perspective without ever engaging me in the narrative….

I am saddened because there are people who ‘know’ they are right but will not listen to the other side of the story. I am saddened because there are people who ‘believe’ they are right and use it as a bully pulpit rather than a chance to engage. I am saddened that people seem to refuse to engage on almost every level….  I am saddened that people seem not to want to grow. I mean I understand that growth hurts, and it is messy, but messy is not a bad thing, and growth will move you out of your ‘knowledge.’

My father once told me, ‘the greatest gift a child can give their parents is to grow up.’  This does not mean ‘to age.’ No, everyone does that. No, growing up means learning to accept the responsibility for and consequences of one’s actions. One name for that is integrity. That is a concept which is in seemingly short supply these days.

How about this: How about we, as the people of this amazing Republic (if this confuses you, I apologize) concentrate on our own stories, because they are as varied and as beautiful as the Country we live in? I think if we concentrate on telling our own stories and actually listening to others tell theirs, we may, just may, see something remarkable happen….

We talk about building unity in the Party and, if not that, at least harmony – and not just in the Party, maybe even in the entire country. I think Hud gives us a path that will take us a long way in that direction – if we can comprehend the wisdom of what he has said.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. Here is the text of the letter sent by the Examination Committee:

 

July 20, 2018

To: The Sixth Congressional District of Virginia Republican Committee

This letter is to certify that the financial records for the period May 6, 2017 through June 23, 2018, during which time Hud McWilliams was Committee Treasurer, have been reviewed by the Examinations Committee per Article IX, Section C of the District Committee bylaws. The members of this committee were Dan Cullers, Donald Helms, Jonathan Comer and Nancy Dye.

On Thursday, July 19, we reviewed the financial records for this period comparing bank statements from Union Bank against the receipts and the Excel record of transactions maintained by Hud McWilliams. Mr. McWilliams was present for the examination.

The committee found all records in good order, and the books in balance. The committee agreed that the transactions reviewed for this period were either authorized or normal and customary to the conduct of the business of the District Committee.

Respectfully,

Dan Cullers
Chairman, Examinations Committee, 2018
Sixth Congressional District of Virginia

Brett Kavanaugh would have been the topic of this email had I not been a guest at a meeting this week at which one of the individuals who filed an FEC complaint stood up to address the other members of the group and made some inaccurate statements. Because I was only a guest, I was not afforded an opportunity to correct her statements. But another member of the group leaned over toward me later during the meeting to ask me if a statement made by the chairman of the group was correct. Because the meeting was still in progress, I gave her a very brief and quiet answer.

After the meeting I gave her a more thorough answer. I explained that the 6^thDistrict Committee has insurance to cover accidents at our meeting venues, but we do not have Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance to cover actions of the members. With 32 voting members on the Committee, the cost would be prohibitive. So contrary to rumor, we don’t have insurance to fight the FEC complaints.

Then I told her the truth about some of the inaccurate statements made earlier in the meeting. For example, one statement claimed that the outgoing treasurer refused to give the financial records to the new Chairman. I know the outgoing treasurer, Hud McWilliams, very well. He was required to hold onto the records until our new treasurer was elected. At our April meeting, we scheduled our June meeting for the 16^th, but our new chair changed it to the 23^rd. Hud was out of state on vacation from the 16^thuntil the 30^thof June. He wasn’t where he could hand the books over. And because of fiduciary protocols, he was required to hand the books over to the incoming treasurer, who wasn’t elected until June 23^rd, not to the chairman. After he got back from vacation, he was prompt about getting the new treasurer signed onto the accounts, but she did not want the books until the examination committee had finished with them. Our bylaws require that when we have a change in treasurer an examination committee made up of members of the 6^thDistrict Committee must examine the books and see that everything is in order. Once the new chair appointed the Examination Committee, Hud took the books to the new treasurer, who promptly handed them over to the Examination Committee. This is all according to protocol. [And the Examination Committee met this week, and, according to my sources, went through the records line by line and found a couple of minor clerical errors, but no irregularities.]

Then the lady to whom I was speaking, complained that this was what she meant about transparency. I didn’t follow her meaning so I asked her to tell me specifically what she would want us to do to be more transparent. She said, “Tell us these things.” I told her that we tried to do so, but whenever someone would post an inaccurate statement on the Sixth District Facebook page, we would post a comment with correct information. But then within a matter of minutes, our comments would be deleted. And I have seen posts from people who don’t like it that my transparency does not agree with their dogma. So the issue with transparency is not one we are perpetuating.

The person who filed the FEC complaint also complained that she couldn’t attend the convention because we held it on the day of Liberty University’s graduation. So? Two years ago, we held the convention on the day of JMU’s graduation. No matter which Saturday during the window of time the state gives us to hold our convention, we were going to step on someone’s event. This year, it happened to be LU. And if anyone wants to know about why we didn’t have the convention at LU, they need to contact me, because I was the person handling the LU negotiations. For starters, I called LU the first week of December and called them every week thereafter until someone finally got back to me 44 hours before our meeting on January 6^that which we had to decide the date and venue. If you want to know about our negotiations with LU, just ask me. Most of the stories I hear floating around about it just aren’t so. I know the real story better than anyone, and I would be happy to be transparent about it.

Someone else complained at the meeting that the Chairman of their local unit had certified the delegate list to the convention, but their bylaws said that their secretary should do it. The call from the Sixth District for the convention required that each unit chair must certify the delegate list. The RPV Party Plan says District bylaws and convention calls supersede unit bylaws, so the chair had to certify the delegate list regardless of what the unit bylaws say.

So if your issue is transparency, just ask. I would love to give you the details – now that I know that what you want is what I’ve been castigated for trying to provide all along.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.