Ben Carson has come under fire for his recent assertion that a Muslim should not be President of the United States and, to some extent, he's still not backing down .

On September 23, someone forwarded me a blast email that the Carson campaign had sent out that morning. The subject line of message was: "I will not back down." Evidently, Carson isn't rethinking his position because he's just that patriotic and fearless. He's cares that much about the future direction of the country. He's that committed to the principles outlined in the U.S. Constitution and we all should be so very thankful for his candidacy.

Here's part of Carson's message:

If you've been following the latest "controversy" over my comments about Islam, you know the arrows are out for me.

I will need your help to push back, but I want you to know exactly where I stand. These are my beliefs and I will not back down:

Many parts of Sharia Law are not compatible with the U.S. Constitution. Under Sharia, homosexuals -- men and women alike -- must be killed. Women must be subservient. And people following other religions must be killed as well.

There are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenets are fully renounced I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President.

I also can't advocate supporting Hillary Clinton for President by the way.

Because I shared my honest opinion, I've come under intense fire from the media, nearly every leading Democrat, and even some of my Republican peers.

Carson goes on to explain that he's fed up with political correctness and that he believes "deeply in every word of the U.S. Constitution." Unsurprisingly, at the end of his note readers are asked to make a donation . Carson wants to have it both ways. On the one hand, he repeatedly emphasizes that he stands by his original remarks and has not apologized. Yet, he's also trying to walk back his initial statement.

Many presidential candidates, Republican and Democrat, have now criticized Carson's offensive, absurd remarks. Other groups and individuals have said he needs to drop out of the race.

The latest Fox News poll has Carson in second place with 18 percent. Donald Trump leads with 26 percent. Tied for third, Carly Fiorina and Sen. Marco Rubio are each brining in 9 percent.

Some commentators have mentioned that with Gov. Scott Walker out of the picture, the GOP may finally get serious about selecting a candidate who could actually win a general election. During Walker's press conference on Monday, he even suggested that other contenders should step aside to ensure Trump's demise.

Yet Trump and Carson are still way ahead. From the looks of it, the GOP circus -- exemplified by the candidacies these two men -- will continue for some time yet. With the Pope in America, some thoughtful Republicans (and there are many) might be praying that independent voters eventually forgive and forget.