MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.— Speaking to conservatives at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson talked about the billion dollar Powerball jackpot and how fortunate he feels for being an American.

‘I already won the lottery,” Ben Carson said. “I was born in America and know the Lord.”

Carson told the crowd that, “we need to stop being afraid of who we are and our identity.” He explained America is a nation based on Judaeo-Christian values and that President Obama, “doesn’t get to dictate to us what kind of a nation we are.”

The retired neurosurgeon also went after President Obama over his support of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). He explained that CAIR has extensive ties to foreign terrorist groups, including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. He told the crowd that we should investigate them, but, “what do we do? Invite them to the State of the Union Address.”

“They need to be investigated” he said. He added that America must, “declare war on the Islamic State” and that we need to recognize that, “we are at war right now.”

Last week two members of Congress, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Alcee Hastings (D-FL) invited two officials from CAIR as their guests to President Obama’s last State of the Union Address.