As my family and friends already know, I have had a very eventful last few weeks. I haven't had the chance to tell everyone about everything that has happened, so I thought I'd put it all down in writing.
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| Mission Accomplished |
About two years ago I decided I wanted former United States Senator Rick Santorum to come and speak at my school, Benedictine College. This was shortly after he withdrew from the 2012 Presidential race, after winning 11 states and over 4 million votes. I have long been an admirer of the Senator. As a Catholic and as an aspiring politician myself, I have been inspired by his dedication to his faith and to his country. In particular, I appreciated his unwavering defense of the unborn. During his four years in the House of Representatives and twelve years in the Senate, Rick Santorum became known as the foremost defender of life in Congress. Thanks to his tireless efforts Congress passed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. He boldly stood up against the likes of Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, who were and are bent on preserving the so-called "right to choose." In addition to his principled pro-life stances, Sen. Santorum proved himself as a friend of the American worker. He styled himself as a "Blue Collar Conservative" and he has lived up to that title. Pennsylvanians evidently agreed, as they elected him to two terms in the Senate, despite Pennsylvania being a mostly liberal state. His fellow Republicans could learn a lot from his common-sense economic views and from his ability to reach out to blue-collar Democratic voters. Anyway, after briefly meeting him at the March for Life in 2013, I thought I'd make an effort to get him to speak at Benedictine, and in particular speak to the Benedictine College Republicans. I started emailing his staff without much success at first. However, several months ago I was contacted by a regional director of Patriot Voices (Santorum's organization) who asked me if I'd like to volunteer. After agreeing to do so I mentioned my desire to bring the Senator to BC. Within a few days the wheels had been set in motion and soon a visit had been set up. Needless to say, I was stunned. After all, how often is it that a Presidential candidate visits a tiny private college, at the request of a student, no less? I am extremely grateful to everyone at Patriot Voices who were so willing to help; his visit would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of his staff (who incidentally had to put up with me bugging them on and off for a year and a half).
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| The Future Leaders of America |
February 21, 2015 was the day set for Senator Santorum's visit to Benedictine College. The rest of the Republican club and myself were lucky enough to have the full cooperation of President Minnis and the college administration to help make the event a success. And a success it was! Over 200 students and faculty showed up to hear the Senator's impassioned talk on religious liberty in America. Members of the Republican club had the exclusive opportunity to meet and speak with him before his talk, and he even signed a copy of his book for me. It was almost surreal that he was finally here.
As the Benedictine's newspaper, The Circuit, noted, Santorum "urged BC students to 'wake up' and fight or religious liberty in America before it is too late." And it really was a wake-up call. He pleaded with us to not take our freedom for granted, and pointed to the German Christians who remained silent in the face of Nazism in the early 1930s as an example of just what can happen when good people don't stand up for what is right. He said, "You could say, 'Well, that can't happen here.' Oh really? How many thought Jews would be leaving France after the holocaust? How many thought Jews would have to leave France today because of anti-Semitism? Disabuse yourself of that! That it can’t
happen in America, or it can’t happen in this day and age. People are being
crucified [by ISIS]! People are being beheaded! Wake up! It can only
happen here if you let it happen here.” Santorum's talk was a breath of fresh air. I am constantly frustrated by my generation's lack of interest in politics and the governing of our country, and in particular, the lack of interest among young Catholics and Christians. If the younger generations have no interest in these things, who is going to be running the country in twenty years? Not conservatives, that's for sure. And definitely not Christians. As the Senator said, the other side is winning because they "want it more." "The other side wins because they don't give up. They fight. They fight every inch--they don't back away. They have the passion, and we’re complacent, because we’re defending turf—they want to take it. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says the gates of hell will not prevail against us. That means we’re on offense, not defense." Well, we have to want it more than they do. We have to go on the offensive; on the attack. Our religious liberties are being torn down not by a majority of Americans. No, most Americans want the freedom to worship as they please. They are being destroyed by a very vocal and active minority. A minority that is hell-bent on the complete erosion of religious liberty in America. It is up to you and me to stop them. And stop them we can. But it has to start with each individual. You can't just think someone else will do the dirty work for you. No, that someone is you and me. We have to wake up, and get to work!
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| Pretty cool, right? |
Later that night, I was privileged to be invited to a private event with the Senator for Patriot Voices' volunteers. I got to sit in a room with 10 to 15 other people and listen to Rick Santorum talk all about the 2012 election and about what the GOP needs to do to win in 2016. And this, most definitely, was a surreal experience. Here I was, sitting in a chair right next to a man I had spent the last 3 years watching on TV and admiring from afar. Now, he was literally two feet away from me giving us an inside glimpse of his campaign. I'd like to say it was a dream come true, but I can't say that I'd ever thought something like this would ever happen.
I have been incredibly blessed in my life, and especially in this last year. I am beyond thankful to everyone who has contributed in any way to my successes. My family, friends, and professors have been nothing but supportive and for that I owe them my thanks. Obviously, the greatest gratitude goes to God. It has become increasingly clear to me that someone is looking out for me. God has blessed me far more than I deserve and I can only hope to live up to his expectations. Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
God bless you all, and God bless the United States of America.
P.S. Hopefully I will get a chance to write a post about my trip to CPAC soon!!!
