Faisal Gill draws over 100 supporters

As I said before, there were over 100 people at the Faisal Gill campaign kickoff, and plenty of food. The speeches were excellent.

I had heard there would be protesters. Some people who claim Faisal and his supporters are terrorists were going to show up and picket his event. So, I took pictures of the protesters, as you can see here:

Oh well. Maybe next time.

Bill Bolling noted the impressive size of the crowd, and congratulated Faisal for getting so many people out for his kickoff. He talked briefly about all the candidates for office, and then spoke directly about Faisal. He opened by noting that he was not there to be against the other candidate, and said we had two excellent candidates. I appreciated that, and wish we could all adopt the attitude of speaking FOR our candidates instead of trashing the opponents.

Then he endorsed Faisal. He said why he felt so strongly about Faisal. He noted that Faisal is not a politician, but is a family man. We need people who understand the pressure that families are under, good schools, safe streets, and low taxes - and Faisal understands those concerns.

He called Faisal a Patriot, noting his service both in the Navy and in the department of Homeland Security. He notes that Faisal can reach out to different parts of our community, different ethnic groups, but he is first and foremost a patriot and an American.

He told us Faisal Gill is a true-blue conservative, the kind we need in Richmond. Calling Faisal a fiscal conservative, Bill said Gill understands the need to keep government small and focused, to keep taxes low, and to create a pro-business environment. Faisal understands the importance of individual rights. Bill also called Faisal a social conservative, who is pro-life, and pro-2nd-amendment.

But most importantly, Bill Bolling said Faisal Gill was his friend. He spoke of how Faisal stood by him during his campaign, noting there were only a few people who were with him from the beginning, and Faisal was one of his strongest allies. All the endorsers made this same comment about their friendship with Gill and his hardworking commitment to them when they needed him.

Ken Cuccinelli spoke next, He told of how Faisal worked tirelessly to help Ken win his election, crediting Faisal for his victory. Ken then noted to his common ground with Faisal on smaller government, which means less regulations and less taxes. Ken talked about 2nd amendment issues, the right to bear arms as an individual right. Ken asked us to support Faisal to help Scott and Ken protect our constitutional rights. He spoke of the unborn, and Faisal's strong pro-life credentials. He closed by saying
"those are fights that aren't going away. Fights for the unborn, fights to protect our constitutional rights, and to reign in government. That is a constant battle. It always wants to grow, it always wants to invade your life, and it always will, unless you elect people like Faisal Gill to reign in that monster that is government".

After Ken's speech, Corey introduced Scott Lingamfelter. He good-naturedly questioned why Faisal would choose to follow Scott, calling him a hard act to follow.

Scott gave a great, rousing speech, which I won't excerpt for a while, because I'm taking a break.

But I was most impressed by Faisal Gill himself. I didn't know what to expect, having only heard him in short speeches at the committee meetings. This guy can speak. He is forceful, clear, and speaks with conviction on the issues that are important to our community.

And listening to Gill, it is clear he won't back down when he gets to Richmond and the influence of the "good old boys". It's one thing to be able to voice the correct positions on issues. It's another to have displayed the conviction and determination to fight for what you believe in when others are fighting back, as Gill demonstrated in his debate on the Marriage Amendment in Fairfax last fall. I note Gill stood strong in the face of false allegations of wrongdoing in 2004 as well, when a lesser man might have quit, he stood his ground and cleared his name before he would leave for private practice.

Faisal touched on a broad range of issues during his 20+ minute speech. He did so with few notes. He moved well, he spoke directly and convincingly. His positions on most issues were strongly conservative, and showed a commitment to doing the right thing for the district.

Again, I'll post highlights of the speech at a future date, as I am tired and will be taking a break to get away from the scurrilous charges of people which I feel are dragging me down to their level.

It was informative listening to Bill Bolling, Ken Cucinnelli, and Scott Lingamfelter delivering long and heartfelt endorsements of Faisal Gill, both as people who support his policies and philosophy, but also as friends who vouch for his impeccable character and fine services to our country both in civilian and military capacities.

If you live in this district, I urge you to pay close attention to Faisal, and if you like what you see and hear, to sign up to be a convention delegate for Faisal Gill, a man who would be a fine representative for the 51st district.