It’s 2:15 am, and I can’t sleep. Why? I am too jazzed. I have had two opportunities in the last week to spend time with Les Phillip and some of his staff, and I feel like this is what it must have been like to hang with Patrick Henry or Nathan Hale back in the day when the Constitution was just a gleam in our forefathers’ eyes. To be clear, one must pay money in order to have an advertorial on the front page of Athens Now, and it is my job to make someone look good without selling my soul. This piece however, is not my job, it’s my joy, and my soul is safely rejoicing.

I was in Iraq from ’04 to ’07, sixteen months of which were spent on a restricted access Navy SEALS/Delta/Iraqi Special Forces base. It was there that I was taught about the difference between a soldier and a warrior. Now, I honor anyone who has worn a military uniform and put themselves in harm’s way to keep me free. However, a soldier can be all about the signing bonus and a free ride to college, and a warrior is a warrior forever, in or out of the uniform. I am satisfied that Les Phillip is a true warrior.

Les embodies the American Dream. His people are from Trinidad, and the family moved to the US in 1971, when he was eight years old. He graduated from the Naval Academy, served at sea and in the sky as a Navy aviator in Desert Storm, and went on to get his MBA in Global Logistics Management. He has been the senior operations/project manager for a Fortune 500 company, and has a true entrepreneurial spirit. He is unashamedly passionate regarding the need for strong national defense and the defense based jobs that are a crucial part of our 5th Congressional District economy.

While in the Naval Academy, Les began carrying around and consuming the contents of a pocket sized edition of the Constitution-long before the Heritage Foundation made it trendy. That was when he began to realize that the nation for which our forebearers both dreamed and died was herself quietly dying. The chances that his own wife and three daughters would be able to continue to "live the dream" and hand off an uninterrupted legacy of freedom, prosperity and divine purpose were rapidly diminishing. In that hour he began to say, (as only a warrior can,) "Not on my watch."

I first heard Les speak last summer at a Town Hall meeting held on the Limestone County Courthouse square, and at the time I thought, "Either this guy is the real deal, or he’s a genius at working the crowd, and nothing in between." He pulled the Constitution out of his pocket, but didn’t need to consult it. He knows it, gets it, and most importantly, loves it. He also knows the history of our country to a level that would put most of us to shame. He understands the free market system and economics, and understands that if we continue to punish manufacturers we’ll destroy ourselves in more ways than just fiscally. He is pro-family, marriage and life, not ashamed of God or guns, wants to cut taxes, empower education through vouchers and charter schools, and believes that energy independence and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive. As a legal immigrant himself he wants to strengthen other legal immigrants by enforcing existing immigration laws.

"Why should I vote for you, Les? The other guys say basically the same thing, and you have no political experience." Without missing a beat he said, "You’re right. I have no experience in spending tax dollars, but I have created wealth and signed the resulting paychecks. I am the only candidate with the qualifications and experience in creating jobs with the defense sector and the global economy." Les Phillip feels that Parker Griffith changed parties to "save his hide," and is disturbed by the fact that Commissioner Mo Brooks bloated a 35K budget to something approaching 700K, with not much discernable return on the huge increase in investment.

"How do you plan on not becoming sucked into, corrupted by and made ineffective by the Washington DC political scene?" While his answer was quick, I did not find it shallow: "Simple. I am not interested in a career. I am a warrior, and we are at war. I have a responsibility to fulfill the oath I took to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Not a man, not a party, but a cause. The people will either vote me in or out, and either way, I’ll continue to fight."

The fire in his eyes reminded me of the SEALS before they went out from our base on a mission. They had done their "gut check," had the plan, the equipment, the resolve, and were joyously ready to engage. I believe this is a scrap for which the 5th District has been longing, and right now if I were a betting woman, my money would be on the son of the immigrant whose campaign battle cry is "Defend. Promote. Restore." His name is Les Phillip, and he approves of the content of this message.