Greetings to everyone, from Boca Raton, Florida. I arrived here late, and I mean late, Monday night and am staying at the Hilton Boca Raton Suites at Glades Road and the Florida Turnpike. I am here to do a presentation about the situation in the Middle East between Israel and Islamic jihadism.

It is great to be back in South Florida, a place where our family lived for a decade. Our daughters graduated from high school and college here while we lived in Plantation and Palm Beach Gardens. As well, it was my honor to serve the people of Florida’s 22nd Congressional district.

One thing I truly loved was the great year-around running weather. No, I don’t mind the humidity; there’s always a nice ocean breeze. So, regardless of my late arrival — I did not get into bed until 12:30am — I was committed to my Tuesday morning run of three miles; the last day of my six-day run cycle.

Well, before hitting the rack late Monday night, I checked out the map and saw a nice road through the adjacent neighborhood, Boca Grove Blvd. I took off Tuesday morning at 0630 (6:30am) for what I thought would be a nice, quiet, three mile run. Boca Grove Blvd is blocked off for traffic at the Glades Rd. entrance, so I was happy to know that there would be little car traffic. I entered and was starting to hit my 10-minute pace stride when I heard a voice,”Hey, stop…stop!” Well, I did so, and turned to see an armed security guard coming my way. Yep, I stopped and allowed him to catch up to me and he informed me that he was alerted that I had been picked up on security camera and reported.

Yes, I stated that I was staying at the adjacent Hilton Boca and I was just going for a three mile run through the neighborhood. He asked me if I lived in Boca Grove, and I responded that I did not. He then instructed me that only residents were allowed to run in Boca Grove. I admit to being let down. In turning back to depart, I did say to the young man, who was doing his job, I found it interesting that a 22-year US Army combat veteran was being told where he couldn’t run, in the country he pledged an oath to support and defend.

Uh, I think y’all know where I am going with this story.

How interesting it is that I was not allowed to enter and run through Boca Grove. The residents there pay to reside in a secure, restricted, community and not even a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and former member of Congress can plod through. As a law abiding citizen, I understood and respected the rules of the “Sovereign State” of Boca Grove. Yes, they have established a sovereignty in creating a border and not allowing illegal persons to enter. They sleep peacefully at night knowing that the young man at his post fulfilled his duty, and was prepared to protect their declared sovereignty.

Now, why is it that we cannot do the exact same on our own national border and protect the sovereignty of these United States of America? We also have an established rule of law, and we have armed individuals who are supposed to uphold, support, defend, and protect our country so we can sleep peacefully at night.

What is the difference?

The people in Boca Grove pay association fees that provide for their security, so do the American taxpayers.

The young man at the gate who ran me down after security cameras caught me entering could have asked me questions and then released me but those are not his orders. I could have tried to evade him, or even continue to run, but I would risk the consequences. With the bright orange running shirt I wore, it would have been hard to evade detection. And in attempting to evade, or continuing to run, I would have been in violation of the rules of the sovereign state of Boca Grove, and that would have been punishable by worse case, being shot, or at minimum, arrested. If I had been shot — ya know, an unarmed Black man running in a predominantly white community — I doubt that BLM would have turned out to protest, since according to Joe Biden, I ain’t Black. Regardless, I do not have, nor have I been granted, the right, nor privilege, to run through the sovereign state of Boca Grove, without invitation to do so.

So, why do we allow illegals into our sovereign United States of America, without invitation to do so, when we do not allow a non-threatening runner to run through a secured community?

I bet there are individuals who reside in the sovereign state of Boca Grove who voted for Joe Biden, and support open borders. They won’t allow a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel to run through their community, but will allow for drug, human, and sex trafficking orchestrated by a transnational narco-criminal terrorist organization into our country. I can almost guarantee that there are those of Jewish heritage residing in the sovereign state of Boca Grove who have been affected by the savage, heinous, and barbaric actions of terrorists who violated the sovereignty of Israel. Yet, in the aftermath of said attack, there was a pro-Hamas rally conducted here in Boca Raton in their beautiful Mizner Park. Heck, I remember when jihadi-supporting students at Florida Atlantic University, located in Boca Raton, went around and put “eviction notices” on the dorm rooms of Jewish students.

Sovereignty is vital to the freedom, liberty, and existence of those who have established such, and it is supposed to be protected, safeguarded, respected, and honored. I applaud the young man who stopped me, in accordance with the security protocols of the sovereign state of Boca Grove. Their border is protected. Sadly, we cannot say the same about America’s, and on that fateful day of October 7th, Israel’s. I would be happy to replace Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas with the young man who stopped me from running through Boca Grove. At least he could report Tuesday morning that the border of Boca Grove was secured.

Yes, I did get in my three miles, I just did three loops in the corporate park where the Hilton Boca Raton Suites is located. I hate running in circles, but it was secure and safe, away from the traffic on Glades Rd. Would I have loved to run through the quiet and beautiful Sovereign State of Boca Grove, along Mandarin Drive and Boca Grove Boulevard? Sure, but I am not authorized to do so, and I respect the sovereignty of the residents of the community.

Americans should demand respect for our sovereignty, and Israel has every right to express the grave consequences of violating its sovereignty, and murdering its citizens who only sought to live peacefully.

Steadfast and Loyal.