October was a great month for honoring our veterans, with two very special events right here in Mount Pleasant. The first was a special presentation of "Last One Out," a personal recap of both the evacuation of Saigon and Kabul. The second was the first major fundraiser for building the National Medal of Honor Leadership Center here at Patriots Point. Of course, with Veterans Day coming up soon, there will be more great events to honor those who are willing to sacrifice their all to protect our freedoms.

In the month of November, I will be leading two discussions/workshops regarding my bill to protect our critical infrastructure throughout the state from an Electromagnetic Pulse, solar flare, or other major power outage so that we will have better resiliency for the future to preserve our way of life. Last but certainly not least, we celebrate Thanksgiving this month on the 28th.

Election Day Can't Get Here Fast Enough:

By now, it is hard to believe anyone has not made up his or her mind about their voting choices, and as we all know, many have already voted. My purpose in bringing up the topic at this late date is twofold. First, as I mentioned in my last update, thank goodness for all of us that we don't live in a swing state! From what I have heard from friends and clients in North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan, the ads have been non-stop and over the top this year. All of the viewers say unequivocally that they have to turn the TV off, or at least the news channels. Although I am not for limiting free speech, I do believe the amount of money spent on ads is a tremendous waste, especially when so much of it represents either outright lies or major misstatements of fact. If we could show a way in South Carolina to stop the lying attack ads and require advertisers to be held accountable for what they say, I would be happy to propose that bill. If an ad campaign has to rely on falsehoods as the basis for their content, that says a lot about their own lack of achievements and/or sound policy ideas. One last thought about the Election on Tuesday is that if you have not already voted, please be sure to remember all the down ballot candidates, as well as the "non-partisan" seats including Charleston County School Board. As we all recognize, especially in the last several years, no one is truly non-partisan, and their values and votes affect important policies for our children and grandchildren.

Update on Protecting our Critical Infrastructure from a Major Power Outage:

On Wednesday evening, November 20th at 6:30PM, I will be the Keynote Speaker for the Lowcountry Conservatives monthly meeting. Speaking on the topic above, I will present facts and insights about where we are now regarding this subject, and offer ideas that will be part of my new bill to be submitted for the 126th Session. The meeting will be held at the Pinnacle Financial Building, 850 Morrison Drive, Suite 900. If you would like to attend, please register here.

The very next day, I am hosting a statewide workshop regarding this same topic at the SC State House Blatt Office Building, which will feature experts from around the country attending in person or virtually. We are inviting SC House and Senate Members who are interested to attend. We are opening this up to Emergency Management Divisions from counties all over the state, as well as major infrastructure entities such as Mount Pleasant Waterworks. The purpose is to enlighten attendees on the most up-to-date concepts for both protection and resiliency for our power sources and end users, and to solidify the language for the bill.

Resolution Naming November 11th as Mayflower Compact Day in South Carolina:

This year in the State House, I proposed a resolution naming November 21st as Mayflower Compact Day in South Carolina. It passed, so this November 21st, let's remember our Founding Fathers who risked their lives for freedom of religion in the New World, and created a document that is considered the precursor to the US Constitution. Here is H.5441. I presented the framed Resolution to Melana Maxie, the Governor of the South Carolina Society of Mayflower Descendants at their Annual Spring Luncheon. 

Around the District and the Lowcountry:

"Last One Out" Presented Live On Board the USS Yorktown

The USS Yorktown was the site of a tremendous presentation held early in October entitled, "Last One Out," a recap of the evacuation of both Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, and Kabul at the end of the Afghanistan War. Maj. General Jim Livingston, MOH, USMC (Ret.) was the presenter for the evacuation of Saigon, and served as the Commanding Officer for that entire mission. We saw numerous pictures of some of the most critical aspects of that incredibly challenging effort, plus heard numerous first-hand stories. Colonel Alex Pelbath, USAF, (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer for the evacuation of Kabul, and shared video footage as well as numerous pictures from this extremely difficult and heartbreaking event. It is unbelievably coincidental that both of these gentlemen live right here in Mount Pleasant, and the contrast of these two missions was very eye-opening. They both shared a strong message of the courage, tenacity and teamwork displayed by their troops. In both operations, these tremendous military leaders expressed that the failures of politicians in Washington, D.C. were are the heart of what went wrong.