From my earliest memories, I was taught there was something special and exceptional about America: a heritage of individual liberty, self-reliance, and limitless opportunity, and being a force for moral good that has repeatedly spilled its blood and treasure to defend freedom not only for ourselves, but "to set other men free."

I was taught that from the founding of our nation, we have put our trust in God, from Jefferson's acknowledgement that our rights as human beings are inalienably "endowed by our Creator" to DeTocqueville's witness that "America is great because America is good."

I can trace my family's heritage to a Continental soldier from North Carolina, a Confederate surgeon from Alabama who was captured and operated thereafter in Union field hospitals, perhaps saving the lives of soldiers from Michigan, and a grandfather who lost an arm while serving as an Army cook. My father was a U.S. Marine who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, who taught me a deep love and willingness to fight for my country and all that it stands for.

And I believe that all that it stands for -- limited Constitutional government and limitless opportunity, individual freedom tempered by commonly shared values -- is at a tipping point, at risk of being lost and perhaps never recovered if the socialist, big government, "redistribution of wealth" ideology and redefinition of our culture being pushed by Debbie Stabenow and Barak Obama isn't stopped.

To do our part to help stop their radical reformation of the America we've known and loved, Michigan must elect a U.S. senator who puts our country and Constitution before the political interests of either party, who joins those in the Senate demanding dramatic change and restoration of Constitutional principles from the political elite of both parties.

I have a passion for all the things that make America and Americans exceptional in the history of the world, plus a track record of standing firmly on conviction for what I believe, putting principle before party, taking on the tough issues others avoid and pushing them through to victory despite overwhelming odds and the hostility of opposition.

At this time of imminent peril to our founding principles, a critical tipping point which will determine the future course of our nation, I believe that with God's help, I could help save our country by adding to the ranks of those rare few in the United States Senate -- such as Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, and Ron Johnson -- who are standing against the status quo in both parties and demanding real change we can all believe in: the "change" spelled out over two hundred years ago by an earlier generation of patriots in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Subjecting my family and myself to the gauntlet of public attacks that will certainly come, the hard work of miles and time away from my family, even the prospect of winning and having to uproot my family to serve in Washington, D.C. -- all are daunting challenges and sacrifices that don't come easy and that we as a family don't take lightly.

But the heritage and birthright of freedom that we inherited from the sacrifices of our parents, and their parents before them, I believe you and I have a duty to preserve and pass on to our children.

Plus, I gave my word. On my honor as an Eagle Scout, I swore an oath at age 13 to "do my best to do my duty to God and my country." In the buildup to the Persian Gulf War 20 years later, I swore another oath, to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic (and to) bear true faith and allegiance to the same…so help me God."

I feel that same call of duty now. And because I love my country and my own children, for the sake of their birthright and future, I'm willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do my duty. So help me God.

That's why I'm running for the United States Senate. Please keep my family in your prayers in the coming months, and please let me know if I can count on your support.

One way you can let me know is by clicking the "Make a Contribution" tab at the top of my website to make a financial contribution to my campaign, or by clicking the "Join the Supporter List." Thank you for either.

God bless you and your family, and God bless, heal, strengthen, and preserve the United States of America.