Jim Bridenstine
Jim Inhofe
John R. Houk
© May 14, 2014
I sign a lot of petitions pertaining to Conservative issues (usually meaning anti-Leftist) and Counterjihad issues. Sometimes I get a response form my Congressman and one or both of my Senators. Typically the response runs something like, “Thanks for your concern, if you are ever in Washington DC don’t hesitate to contact my office.” I live in Oklahoma. I won’t being showing up anytime soon in our nation’s capital.
I actually received a response that was a bit more detailed from my Congressman Rep. Jim Bridenstine and one of my Senators in Jim Inhofe. Now I’d like to think these two Republican gentlemen actually took the time to compose the email with their own hand on their keyboard. That is probably wishful thinking, but I’ll pretend anyway. It was probably one of their staff that drew the short straw to answer email one day.
The Bridenstine email came yesterday and the Inhofe email came today. Both emails were canned enough that I can’t be exactly sure to which canned petition-email I signed. By the tone of Bridenstine’s email his was probably a response to an ‘Impeach Obama’ petition. And Senator Inhofe’s email was probably a response to either a Benghazigate petition or a ‘ban the Quran’ canned petition. In the case of Senator Inhofe I am thinking it was probably the ‘ban the Quran’ petition for I believe that was the latest petition I electronically signed.
I got to tell ya, if Senator Inhofe or a staff member responded to ‘ban the Quran’ I am a bit surprised. That is a bit of a radical petition in this day of political correctness. So if it was Inhofe then kudos to him. If it was an Inhofe staff member then kudos to him as well and I am praying that staffer doesn’t get reprimanded for addressing ‘ban the Quran’.
At any rate I am going to post both the Bridenstine and Inhofe responses. It was smart politics on their part because at the very least there is the impression of listening to their constituents back home in Oklahoma.
JRH 5/14/14
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From the Desk of Jim Bridenstine
By (or attributed to) Jim Bridenstine
Sent: 5/13/2014 5:48 PM
1st District, Oklahoma
Dear Mr. Houk,
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding President Obama and the many recent government scandals casting serious doubt on the administration's integrity. I appreciate your opinion and value your input on these important issues.
I understand your frustrations with President Obama. As you may know, I recently gave a one-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives challenging his leadership. I encourage you to view it by clicking on this link:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding President Obama and the many recent government scandals casting serious doubt on the administration's integrity. I appreciate your opinion and value your input on these important issues.
I understand your frustrations with President Obama. As you may know, I recently gave a one-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives challenging his leadership. I encourage you to view it by clicking on this link:
On March 12, 2014, the House passed, with my support, H.R. 4138, the Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments of the Law (ENFORCE) Act [Blog Editor: Text to H.R. 4138]. If enacted, H.R. 4138 will authorize either chamber of Congress, upon adoption of a resolution, to bring civil action, when the President or any other federal officer has established or implemented a policy in violation of the constitutional requirement that the President faithfully execute the law.
I am also a cosponsor of H. Res. 442, the Stop This Overreaching Presidency Act [Blog Editor: Message from original sponsor Rep. Tom Rice and text]. This legislation directs the House of Representatives to bring civil action to challenge certain policies and actions taken by the Executive Branch in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It was subsequently referred to both the House Committee on Rules and the House Committee on Administration, where it currently awaits consideration.
With regards to impeachment, at this time I believe there are more constructive and effective means to challenge the President's conduct and hold him accountable. Given the present composition of the Senate, impeachment would likely be an exercise in futility; at worst, it could allow the President and his supporters in Congress to distract the public from the very real and serious scandals the administration is facing. However, please know that I will continue to hold President Obama and his administration accountable and promise to keep your thoughts on this matter in mind at all times.
Thank you again for writing and expressing your thoughts on this important issue. Please visit my website at http://bridenstine.house.gov to send me another message with your thoughts and opinions, read my positions on major issues, or sign up for my E-Newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links below. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Sincerely,
Jim Bridenstine
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. House of Representatives
_________________________________
Responding to your message
By (or attributed to) Jim Inhofe
Sent: 5/14/2014 3:20 PM
U.S. Senator from Oklahoma
Dear Mr. Houk:
Thank you for your correspondence regarding Islamic extremism in the United States. This is a critical issue, and as your voice in Washington, D.C., I appreciate being made aware of your concerns.
Our ongoing war on terrorism is being fought both at home and abroad. It is complex and interwoven as there are many different individuals and organizations who make it difficult to differentiate the extremists from the law abiding citizens. However, we must be diligent to assess the true internal and external threats of any extremists, whatever their ideology may be. Extremists have made it clear that they do not respect individual life, and we must remain committed to fight this battle against radical ideology.
On the homeland security front, the United States has focused on law enforcement, prosecution, and improving the training and preparedness of first responders. The Department of Homeland Security, established in November 2002, focuses on guarding our border and infrastructure, analyzing terror threats, and coordinating our nation's response to future emergencies. An important policy initiative was the enactment of the USA Patriot Act in 2001. This law bolsters the government's abilities to investigate, to bar and expel foreign terrorists from the United States, and to punish acts of terrorism.
In response to the increased focus on homeland security, there have also been efforts to involve the Department of Defense (DOD) more closely with federal, state and local agencies in their homeland security activities. On October 1, 2002, DOD activated a new combatant command, Northern Command (NORTHCOM), to combat terrorism abroad and to protect American citizens at home. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, these efforts have made it more difficult for terrorists to operate and to succeed in their attacks.
In combating extremists abroad, the post-September 11 battle against Al Qaeda is worldwide and multifaceted, involving diplomatic and financial, as well as military actions. On the law enforcement and intelligence front, the United States is working closely with its counterparts around the world to share information and arrest Al Qaeda operatives worldwide, with some successes.
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood is also of great concern to me. Unfortunately, as you may know, on June 24, 2012 the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won Egypt's first democratic presidential election. Morsi had been the previous leader of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), and a member of parliament. Although the election seemed to be free and fair, Morsi's election is further evidence to me that Egypt will face further destabilizing times in the months and potentially years ahead. Please be assured that I consider any threat by the Muslim Brotherhood internationally or here domestically as a supremely serious threat to our national security, and will investigate any allegations of their involvement in terrorist activities thoroughly.
We are facing an enemy that has the weapons, skills, and mentality to strike at innocent civilians within our own borders. I believe it is vital that we decisively end the chronic under-funding of our defense needs. We also need to continue to invest in enhancing our intelligence capabilities, particularly in the area of human intelligence. Moreover, we must push ahead with the development and deployment of a missile defense system. The ultimate terror weapon would be a ballistic missile armed with a chemical, biological or a nuclear warhead. The greatest trust placed upon Congress by the American people is to provide for their security by maintaining a strong national defense. The U.S. must build and sustain military capabilities required to respond to possible future threats across the spectrum.
I will continue to do everything in my power to protect our nation and its citizens from domestic and foreign threats. We must continuously strive to protect the freedoms our servicemen and women fight for everyday. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me again on this or any other important issue.
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Blog Editor John R. Houk
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