The New Patriots

When one views history through the lens of time you can see certain series of events that lead to the rise of heroes. These are usually ordinary individuals that go above and beyond what is expected of them to do great things. More than two hundred years ago in this very nation we can see the events that led to the ascension of an ordinary man, George Washington, into a great leader that led his countrymen to true freedom. In the 1800’s we can see the circumstances that led Abraham Lincoln to become the great leader that he was. These men were not just great leaders, they were true patriots that placed the nations well being far above their own. If ever there was a time that our nation needed patriots of this caliber it is now.

Enter Dave Funk. At first glance you see nothing more than a man. A former airline pilot who served in our nation’s armed forces. While there he served as a mechanic on a variety of planes, then he moved on to piloting attack helicopters. Upon leaving the service he joined up with Northwest Airlines where he worked with the airline pilots union as a security coordinator. After retirement he just couldn’t shake the urge to serve the community in which he was a part of, so he joined up with the Pleasant Hill Police Department where he currently serves as a reserve police officer. After many years he still could not give up the desire to serve his fellow citizens. Now in 2010 he is campaigning to serve the community even further. He is one of many Republican candidates vying for the opportunity to challenge Democrat incumbent Leonard Boswell for the privilege to represent Iowa’s 3^rd Congressional District in Washington, DC. Recently I had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Funk to discuss his campaign to defeat Leonard Boswell.

The first thing that anyone will learn about Mr. Funk is that he is a patriot. He loves his country. He loves the Constitution upon which it was founded. That is why he is running for Congress. He sees the nation on the fast track toward ruin. He sees our nation’s politico’s continuously ignoring the documents that founded our nation in their never ending quest to continue their political careers. His goal, if elected, is simple. He wants to return our nation to the governance set forth in writing when our nation was born. He wants to return Washington to a more Constitutional form of government. In explaining his position he touched on a couple of issues that illustrated his point.

I am sure most of you can recall the legislation banning the use of regular incandescent light bulbs effectively mandating the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Funk explained that this is an issue that should have been dealt with at the state level, not the federal level. He pointed out that for the most part, solutions that work in one area of our nation may not work in another region. It is for this reason that we need to maintain the balance first set forth by those that drafted our nation’s constitution. They understood this concept where many of those in power today do not.

Our nation is in desperate need of a new breed of patriots. Americans that are willing to put their life on hold for the betterment of their country. American’s that are willing to go the extra mile to the good of their country. I believe the current events unfolding in our nation’s capital is going to be the call to arms, so to speak, that will prompt individuals with a love for their country to step forward and put the interests of their neighbors above their own. I believe that Dave Funk is one of those patriots.