"Governor DeSantis Sworn in on the Bible of the Revolution"
“Florida is proof positive that ‘We
the People’ are not destined for failure. Decline is a choice. Success is
attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.” And “fight we must.” This words set the tone for Governor
Ron DeSantis’s inauguration speech.
A lot has changed over the past four years, especially in
the political landscape of the Sunshine State. Four years ago, Congressman Ron
DeSantis pulled out a narrow margin of victory over his opponent (less than
one-half of one percent). Four years later, he won a landslide victory of epic
proportions, with many Americans referring to him as “America’s Governor.”
January 3, 2023, marked the beginning of his second term as
Governor as he and his cabinet took their oaths of office. The cabinet members included:
Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez , Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney
General Ashley Moody, and newly-elected Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
The ceremony took place on the steps of the iconic Old Capitol in front of an
enthusiastic crowd of thousands. Unlike the narrow margin of victory four years
earlier, Governor DeSantis won by over 20 percentage points (receiving 1.5
million more votes than Charlie Crist).
The location and the DeSantis victory were historic, as was
the Bible used to swear in Governor DeSantis and Lt. Governor Nunez. They were
sworn in using the Bible of the Revolution, which the Founding Fathers in the
U.S. Congress commissioned over 240 years ago. They placed their hands upon the
King James Bible, published by Richard Aitken in 1782, shortly after America
won the War of Independence. The “Aitken Bible” was the first and only English
edition ever commissioned by the United States.
The overcast day looked ominous, but the good Lord provided
clouds for shade, and a wonderful breeze for comfort instead of the rain
forecasted. Everyone in the audience enthusiastically hung onto his every word realizing
the significance and magnitude. The Governor covered a wide range of topics,
none more important than his support of traditional family values.
“Florida must always be a great
place to raise a family—we will enact more family-friendly policies to make it
easier to raise children, and we will defend our children against those who
seek to rob them of their innocence.”
These words hardly left his lips before the crowd erupted while jumping to
their feet for the first of many standing ovations.
Governor DeSantis promised to continue his fight against
the Woke ideology, attempting to gain a foothold in Florida. “We reject this woke ideology…We will never surrender to the
woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die!” In these regards, he also invoked God and appropriately quoted
the Bible: “As the Book of Psalms reminds us, ‘I will not fear though tens
of thousands assail me on every side.’” He also reminded us, “We embrace
our founding creed that our rights are NOT granted by the courtesy of the
State, but are endowed by the hand of the Almighty.”
As I have traveled around the United States and outside the
continent, people from every corner of the globe applaud Governor DeSantis for
standing against the coronavirus-related restrictions and hysteria. His
comments reflected this mindset: “Freedom
lives here, in our great Sunshine State of Florida! When other states consigned
their people’s freedom to the dustbin, Florida stood strongly as freedom’s
linchpin. When the world lost its mind–when common sense suddenly became an
uncommon virtue–Florida was a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom for our
fellow Americans and even for people around the world.”
Governor DeSantis also blasted
politicians in Washington, calling the Federal government a “sprawling,
unaccountable bureaucracy” that “looms over us and imposes its will upon
us.”
Governor DeSantis’s
first campaign promised to pursue bold agenda items that ensured taxing
lightly, regulated reasonably, and spending conservatively. During his first
term, he enacted significant education reforms, attempted to reign in judicial
activism, ushered in a new era of stewardship for Florida’s natural resources,
stood for law and order and remedied deficiencies in Florida’s election
administration.
Although far from finished, Governor
DeSantis pointed out that Florida is leading the nation in many areas,
including net in-migration as the fastest-growing state. We are number one in business
formations, tourism, economic freedom, education
freedom, parental involvement in education, and public higher education.
He pointed out, “The policies
pursued by these states have sparked a mass exodus of productive Americans from
these jurisdictions—with Florida serving as the most desired destination, a
promised land of sanity.” He pointed out that other states have embraced
faddish ideologies and harmed public safety by coddling criminals and attacking
law enforcement. They have imposed unreasonable burdens on taxpayers to finance
unfathomable levels of public spending, harmed education by subordinating the
interests of students and parents to partisan interest groups, and imposed
medical authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions
lacking scientific basis.
Governor DeSantis’ concluded just as powerfully as he began:“It is our responsibility here in Florida to carry this torch. We do not run from this responsibility; we welcome it. We will be on our guard. We will stand firm in the faith. We will be courageous. We will be strong! And we thank God and are proud to be citizens of the great Free State of Florida!” This speech was about Florida’s past and future, but one could sense that the horizon looks very bright for America’s Governor! I am blessed to call myself a Floridian living in the Free State of Florida.
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