“We don’t pass suggestions. We don’t pass ideas. We pass laws, and we expect them to be obeyed.”
Always a man of unminced and unfailing words of wisdom, Congressman Trey Gowdy spoke to a crowd of 1600 attendees at the Fort Smith Convention Center on Thursday, April 20, 2017. While that date was the annual celebration for those who patronize cannabis, Mr. Gowdy was busy highlighting other forms of growth. The brilliant legal scholar was the keynote speaker at a Fort Smith, Arkansas gathering to usher in the United States Marshals Museum, set to open in September 2019.
A hallmark moment during Mr. Gowdy’s speech was when he uttered the phrase “sword and shield” and explained that the sword represents accessing rights and the shield symbolizes protecting rights from citizen or government infringement. He put it how only Trey Gowdy can: succinctly and unambiguously. And to the sword and shield apparatus carried by Lady Justice, he has dedicated his entire existence.
I suspect Mr. Gowdy is idolized and seen as an intellectual mentor, especially for those pondering a career in government or a public service role. In the Fort Smith audience, young eyes focused on a silver-haired character endowed with wisdom, legal brilliance, integrity, and nobility who is a dedicated practitioner of jurisprudence. Wielding the rule of law—that sword and shield—Rep. Gowdy does his part to stem the tide of corruption among some misguided folks.
Sounds much like a law enforcement officer, minus the duty belt.
From Rep. Gowdy, high school-age folks gleaned the distinction between right and wrong and how gray areas are meted out with finesse and intelligence-based efficiency. I wonder where he got those attributes from.
Influences of Justice Antonin Scalia
No stranger to the scales carried by Lady Justice, Mr. Gowdy epitomizes the iconic balance of justice. Synonymous with his “sword and shield” analogy, Rep. Gowdy espouses how he works “for a blind-folded woman who holds scales in one hand and carries a sword in the other.”
Excerpted at the US Marshals Museum site in Fort Smith, Rep. Gowdy intimated how US Supreme Court Justice Scalia was “very pointed in his perspective about constitutional equilibrium.” Congressman Gowdy once asked Justice Scalia to opine on the court’s position regarding “executive overreach” and was served a smorgasbord to digest.
“Justice Scalia said our framers gave you powerful tools and punishments. The legislative branch can stick up for itself and you should. Do not expect the judicial branch to come in and referee fights between you and the executive branch because you will not exercise the powers the framers gave you,” Rep. Gowdy said.
Justice Scalia once told Mr. Gowdy, “Do not expect the judicial branch to do what the legislative branch is unwilling to do.” And that is how legal minds interpret the labyrinth of political underpinnings while using checks and balances to ensure the scales of justice are not tipped unequally.
The responses, in my opinion, are reminiscent of Rep. Gowdy’s method of critical thinking and heartfelt speeches.
“We Make Law!”
Rep. Gowdy’s impassioned speech on the House floor, in which he lambasted then-president Obama’s audacious nose-thumbing, clarified the gentleman from South Carolina’s convictions and ardent passion regarding upholding our Constitution.
“We don’t pass suggestions. We don’t pass ideas. We pass laws, and we expect them to be obeyed,” said Congressman Gowdy in reference to former-President Barack Obama’s randomness and whim to oblige legislation written and passed by the US Congress. No wonder Mr. Gowdy received a standing ovation after calling out the former president for his sidestepping behavior.
His carefully composed statements and rebuttals are riveting and captivating, to say the least.
Then Came Comey
For his so-called influential role in the 2016 presidential election, FBI Director James Comey sat before members of Congress and fielded (skirted) questions. Poring over the legal dynamics of “false exculpatory statements” and seemingly sparring with Mr. Comey in a respectful manner, Mr. Gowdy concluded by stating, “This is not the FBI that I used to work with.” He was emphasizing the unorthodox stance of the FBI and how the Hillary Clinton email investigation played out, implying bias.
Unglued, Mr. Comey retorted with a rapid-fire litany of support for his agents. Both men agreed to disagree. Other than reputational blemishes, Hillary walked away unscathed. Most notably, she also walked away without the US presidency, perhaps decided by a fusion of American voters and karma.
Congressman Trey Gowdy deems himself more fit to his professional passion than his political election: “I am a prosecutor, not a politician.” Nevertheless, who can argue against the perfect hybrid of those two imperative roles and how consistently he excels at both?
In the pseudo-militarized zone of the House of Representatives trading verbal blows with seemingly corrupted individuals, the tactician skills of Mr. Gowdy would make General George Patton blush with adoration. And I believe that is what makes him so very likeable. Words backed by the actions of a man who purports to be on your side is the ultimate distinction.
It is fitting for a person like Trey Gowdy to speak as a keynote at a law enforcement museum. After all, his entire legal career was spent as a prosecutor trying criminals. He never lost a case. Of the myriad videos of Mr. Gowdy espousing the nobility, bravery, and courage of our country’s cops, many depict him fighting back tears and speaking from the heart. To that caliber of authenticity, I offer my utmost respect.
At the US Marshals Museum project site, Congressman Gowdy’s closing remarks contained the following words:
“What wires people toward danger as opposed to away from it? It’s a special quality, and I want to say thank you to Arkansas and thank you to any of you helping to build this monument.”
The “sword and shield” is truly representative of some highly valued virtues and cherished rights of Americans. A modern-day gladiator like Congressman Trey “The Bull” Gowdy is the best combatant to fight back against wrongs while setting things right. In a corner of South Carolina is a great man doing great things in efforts to make America great again, and he is not even the US president…yet.