Republican for Congress, Maryland's 3rd
District
National Defense, Security, and Intelligence
The federal government must secure the nation. The concepts of economic security, energy security, and even environmental security have developed in recent years--these are secondary to physical security of U.S. persons and assets. Preventing attacks; deterring attacks; defending while under attack; defeating aggressors--these are the actions needed to defend our nation from foreign enemies.
The nation needs superior aircraft, ships, armor, and warriors. We need leaders with the wisdom to apply the full spectrum of diplomacy and military force in defense of the nation. I am not a hawk, nor am I a chicken-hawk; I am a father. I want my children's nation to be secure. I consider that a legacy all Americans owe the next generation.
Intelligence has been the bane of national defense since the inception of our country. The intelligence community has constantly played catch-up with our adversaries and enemies, consistently surprised in each generation. This must stop. We have the technical means, the financial means, and the academic ability to obtain and maintain the intelligence sources necessary to defend the U.S. As a representative in Congress I will ensure we have the fortitude to obtain and exploit intelligence. This can be done while ensuring the rights of Americans are protected. Refer to the section on privacy rights under Issues and Solutions .
While I am
generally a traditionalist, I am not an isolationist. The U.S.
cannot withdraw from the international stage, nor can we deny the
leadership role our economic strength and tradition of freedom thrust upon
us. If the U.S.
cannot repel and defeat its enemies, free republics across the
globe will fall under the pressure of repressive forces.
Congressman John SarbanesCongressman John Sarbanes wants to emphasize defense. Defense does not win, nor does it deter an aggressor. Defenses are what an aggressor defeats to prosecute an attack. Homeland Security is not the same as National Security. Our nation cannot afford "humility" when defeating aggressors. Why am I so committed? Why do I sound so belligerent? Why am I different than John Sarbanes? I know the evil that exists internationally. It is difficult for most Americans to imagine the level of inhumanity exercised by leaders of other nations. We "know of", as in "have heard of", the Armenian and Greek genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the Jewish Holocaust by the Nazis, the purges under Stalin and Mao, and the Cambodian Khmer Rouge killing fields, but these are not real to most of us. I have met foreign military officers and know the hate they can hold for others. As an adolescent I saw Nazi footage of bodies stacked like cord wood, executions of those who did not succumb to starvation, and bulldozers moving bodies into trenches. I recommend reading Mein Kampf to experience first hand the true evil that can riddle and pervert a human psyche. I know that fear can motivate people to inhuman measures. Congressman Sarbanes' defensive policies are actually motivated out of fear; one installs bars on windows and home alarms out of fear of an incursion or to thwart a perpetrator. An effective protector removes the threat and the aggressor before fear becomes a factor. I support a strong national security posture so the U.S. never has to act out of fear. I don't expect Congressman Sarbanes can make such an assertion; his concept of humility in international affairs does not turn enemies into allies--history proves my concepts of strength and victory do that. |