G. L. ‘Chip’ Lechner III: The Mississippi First Congressional District Race

Danny Bedwell

G. L. ‘Chip’ Lechner III: The Mississippi First Congressional District Race
Forwarded by Danny Bedwell:

What is actually going on in the Mississippi 1st District Congressional Race? If someone had told this story in a novel, it would be called farcical. The nominees almost sound like the start of an off color joke; A fella with Brain-Damage, A Liar calling himself a War Hero, and a Libertarian walk into a….

First there stands the incumbent Alan Nunnelee who recently underwent brain surgery, for an intracranial mass, which has led to numerous complications and his internment in a rehabilitation facility. Not to make light of his plight since, this is a precise, delicate surgery and the ramifications can be profound. Currently Mr. Nunnelee, is having difficulty speaking and using the left side of his body, resembling a stroke victim. He was recently moved from TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, to the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland to continue radiation and chemotherapy treatments along with rehabilitation therapy to aid him with his motor skills and speech. To say his health is of pronounced concern would not be overstating the obvious.

Next is the challenger from the Democratic Party, Ron Dickey. Mr. Dickey recently embroiled himself in controversy by first making multiple claims to have been a member of the U.S. Army’s prestigious Green Berets (though he never completed the qualification course) and that he was a veteran of the Desert Storm Operation though he never deployed to the theater of operation. He also made the claims that he developed wide-ranging skin problems after returning from the Middle East, yet once again a quick glance over his Army Service Record shows no deployments to the Middle East. His Army service records also fail to show completion of the
Airborne Paratrooper School a prerequisite to apply for the Special Forces Qualification School.

Mr. Dickey served his country and was honorably discharged, it’s somewhat telling that this wasn’t enough for him to be proud of; in one of the nation’s areas with the highest enlistment rates, this doesn’t bode well. Rather than issue an actual apology for his actions he has recently sidestepped, justified and evolved his claims.

Additionally, it would seem Mr. Dickey’s credibility is under fire, with new allegations arising on a regular basis. It has recently revealed that Grand Canyon University has no record of his graduating, he claims to have earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Management. Is this really the best and brightest the Democratic Party of Mississippi can muster for a potential representative for the people of the great state of Mississippi?

The other candidate in the race is also a veteran, a retiree of the U.S. Navy, Danny Bedwell of the Libertarian Party. The proponent of personal responsibility and small government, he might be the only sane choice for the citizens of District 1. The Libertarian Party and the term libertarian have been thrown around by candidates and officeholders alike, claiming to hold ‘libertarian’ values. Then again in reality (as recently seen in the Senate race) the Democrats and Republicans are truly much more alike each other than either is to the Libertarians. Mr. Bedwell makes oodles of crazy campaign promises, such as; repeal the 16th
Amendment and abolish the Internal Revenue Service, repeal the USA PARTIOT ACT and the myriad agencies it established and enlarged, and being against the next program, scheme or quick fix. Maybe the time has finally arrived to break the gridlock in Washington and send someone not beholden to a caucus or national party.

If Mr. Bedwell is serious in his support of less federal government, less foreign intervention and lower taxes for one and all, he may just be what the people of District 1 and Mississippi in general need. Not necessarily what they want, but certainly need. The time of ‘kicking the can down the road’ has to end and what better time than now? Someone that is healthy and hasn’t had the need to create enumerable apologies for slanderous behavior may be just the ticket. If not, will the people of Mississippi once again vote for the party rather than the man, only to be disappointed yet again?