The Founding Fathers clearly understood that liberty cannot exist without morality and responsibility. It is not my intent to justify this statement - it has been done by more educated writers than I. Read, for example, The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen. The absence of these qualities necessitates the growth of government, at all levels, to protect the law abiding from the unscrupulous.
I had a brief conversation yesterday with a moderately left-leaning friend who recently returned from a trip to Great Britain. He noted that the police there do not carry guns - and that the murder rate is very low. He said that he had heard of only one murder during the entire two weeks he was there, but that he hears of shootings in the Kansas City area almost every day. The unspoken implication, of course, was that guns cause murders. I suggested to him that immorality coupled with freedom was the more likely cause.
Several months ago, Glenn Beck put out a call for what he termed "Refounders." He sought members of Congress who would put principle ahead of party and speak out against the corruption and graft that is eating away at our nation. Drawing on the number of signatories to the Declaration of Independence, he sought 56 such leaders - just 56, out of 535, barely more than 10% - who would take a stand for all that is good and just about America, and help root out the corrupt and unscrupulous. After several months, he has found eleven. Only eleven!
A little over a year ago, when I first stood in a field at Johnson County Community College, shoulder to shoulder with 10,000 of my city's finest, most concerned and informed citizens, I believed that we were different. There were many little signs: the absolute void of trash left behind indicated responsibility; the warmth and welcoming nature of everyone I met indicated morality, trust and respect.
When I stood with 1.7 million such people on Capitol Hill on September 12th, 2009, the feeling was greatly intensified. I spent much of that day in tears - so great was my delight at being reminded that good people do still exist. Again, it was little things. Despite the fact that the wait to use one of the hundreds of Porta-Potties was around a half an hour, all day long, the elderly, disabled and pregnant women were immediately moved to the front of the line, with unanimous consent of all they bypassed. There was no access to food or drink to speak of, but there were no complaints. The trains were jammed beyond belief, but everyone did their best to allow more to board, and seats were gladly given up for those more in need of them. Yes, these are all small things, but they were small things which, in aggregate, indicated character. They were things which were noticeable because of their absence at most other large gatherings I have attended, where people jockey for position in queues, look with suspicion on the person next to them, expect the worst from their fellow man and frequently receive it. I couldn't help thinking of our Tea Partiers as "throwbacks" to a kinder, gentler, simpler time. A time of ice cream socials and town squares. A time when no one felt a need to lock their door at night. A time when being an American was something special, because we shared the common bond of liberty cherished. These feelings gave me hope, and a belief that, as long as these people still exist, there is still potential for real greatness in our country.
The last couple of weeks have shaken that faith. I have found far too many signs that the rot that is permeating our society has taken hold within those I thought to be untouched by the greed and corruption. Individuals I know personally and previously respected have revealed themselves to be little better than those we seek to subdue.
I am part of an organization called the Independence Caucus. It's sole mission is to "take back politics from 'Big Money' interest groups." In theory, this goal is to be accomplished by a rigorous vetting process of candidates for public office and an endorsement vote by principled, informed members. An eighty question questionnaire is the first step of the process - and they are not softball questions. They deal with complex Constitutional issues, objectionable Supreme Court precedents and a broad spectrum of other topics. Only if a candidate receives a score of at least 70% can they proceed to the next step of the process, the interview. Our interview panel in Kansas is pretty tough. They invest two hours in each candidate, probing deeper than even the questionnaire, making every effort to expose weaknesses and hypocrisy. In the Kansas 3rd Congressional District race, they did an excellent job, producing four recorded interviews for the members to review.
The responsibilities of the members are quite simple and straightforward: agree to remain uncommitted until after all interviews have been heard. Any other vetting that a member is able to do on their own is, of course, fine, and should be taken into account. But there are two points from which members should never stray - neutrality, and giving all candidates a full hearing.
After all interviews for a given race are released, there is a one week discussion period, during which all members are welcome to state their case for, or against, each candidate. This discussion is to be conducted in a respectful manner, toward candidates and fellow members alike. At the conclusion of the discussion period, the members vote on their preferred candidate. If one candidate receives 60% of the vote, they receive the endorsement. If more than two candidates are running, and none receives the required 60%, there is a runoff vote between the top two. It's a fairly simple process, and one which gives the voter a great deal more information about each candidate than has been available during previous elections, where TV commercials were the primary source of information. Never underestimate the value of hearing a candidate put on the spot by a tough question! Their demeanor under pressure speaks volumes.
The discussion period for our 3rd Congressional District race began on April 18th. My own endorsement of Craig McPherson was the opening salvo in this discussion. It has been spirited, to say the least. Sadly, the process as a whole has not been principled.
Since April 18th, I have read dozens of arguments for and against the various candidates. Very few have mentioned objective qualifications for serving as a representative of the people - nearly all have focused on subjective measurements of the candidates. Some have tried to convince others that their chosen candidate will be the best choice for the job because of their "real world" experiences, building relationships and winning people over. I do not seek another "good ole boy" in Congress who will win the Miss Congeniality award! It is a corrupt institution - I seek a candidate whose alliance is with the Constitution and the Founders! I have heard arguments about honesty, compassion, parenthood, and "Mom moments," in which, apparently, maternal instinct reveals the true nature of a candidate's soul. I thought the Tea Partiers were different! I thought we were going to choose our candidates on principles, not a popularity contest or "gut instinct."
Many have argued for a certain candidate based on "electability" aspects - their belief that the candidate has better fundraising abilities, or superior name recognition. No one has better fundraising abilities or name recognition than Barack Obama - would they support him, too? The Republican party and the media have united behind a former Democrat, turned Republican, whose fundraising and name recognition, by comparison to any of our four Tea Party candidates, seem insurmountable. If those factors are to be our standard, we should abandon principle now and throw our support to the frontrunner.
Worse still, I have learned of many instances of gaming the process. I have been told that the interviews and discussions were irrelevant, and that members did not need to listen to them to make up their minds. I have heard of members who joined iCaucus with no intention of listening to the interviews or wasting their time debating - they knew who they supported when they joined, and are only there to support their candidate. I know of people who have donated hundreds of dollars to a particular campaign, prior to the completion of the vetting process, who cast their vote for that candidate with flagrant disregard for the intended process.
I have been deeply disappointed by my fellow Tea Partiers during this ordeal. I thought they were different, I thought they stood for principle and would resist, to the end, the old ways of choosing our representatives. I have been proven wrong.
Are there no people of character left in this country? Has our indoctrination been so complete that we are unable to break free from its grip? Is America doomed to failure for want of a few good men?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
NOT just doodlin'
Normally, I just blog about things that just cross my mind, but today is different. I an concerned. I"m concerned about the path our local 3rd district has taken about replacing Dennis Moore as our representative in congress. April and I, mostly April, have devoted a lot of time to seeing to it that the process is honest, open, and fair. April has spent hour after hour, after being on her computer all day for work, on her computer at night trying to elicit fairness to a campaign that has suddenly become ugly.
One of the campaigns has taken an unfortunate turn to the ugly, attacking another's children. Others, who have contributed to the early running as supporters, have failed to follow the simple guidelines submitted and agreed to by Icaucus have decided the rules do NOT apply to them. We find this to be politics as usual instead of what we thought would be a clean and honest campaign. NOT SO!!!
We have several people running that would be a huge improvement over the sitting congressman, who wouldn't be? One, a sitting Kansas congressman is nothing more than a RINO and has as much backbone as a jelly fish, and would be no better than Dennis. Others have some experience in the state congress, but are not very knowledgeable about our Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers. Still others have NO experience in government. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but not having a basis upon which to evaluate bills and other methods of determining the real meaning of proposals in the House could become detrimental to an informed vote.
One of the candidates is young and extremely intelligent. He is well versed in the Constitution and the founder's philosophy. His work experience is primarily based on a family business in which he worked from the time he was old enough to do that. He is articulate and well founded in the process of government and, in my opinion, would be a tremendous leader. His age is judged by some to be a point against him. I don't think that's a viable reason to excuse him from consideration.
That having been said, let's take a look at what happens to a freshman congress person when they arrive in DC. They are welcomed by the leader of their party and shown to an office. They must assemble a staff. They are questioned to see what they feel and what they believe, and then they are appointed to a committee. (Not usually one that will give them any kind of voice to determine anything.) Next, housing is a factor. Where will they live while in DC? Housing is very expensive in the area. They will be introduced to other party members and those of the opposing party in order to be indoctrinated in the ways of the sitting experts who will try to lead them along the path they'd like to see them travel. They will be instructed on the ways of Washington and will be expected to vote the way the party wants them to vote. They will not be expected to have any ideas of their own.
All of the above takes several months to accomplish. The next step is to be certain they get home frequently enough to ensure election for the next term. Suddenly, they turn around and their first term is gone. They accomplish very little. They have been lead down the primrose path to mediocrity. They didn't even see it coming.
Someone who has had experience in DC, gone to school there, and is familiar with the freshman hustle can avoid this. It is vital to the 3rd District that the person we elect to face the democrat combatant have this kind of experience. Only one of our candidates has this experience.
One of the candidates has military experience and is, without a doubt, a true American Hero. I admire him greatly... But... His lack of knowledge of the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers is obvious. In a perfect world with all things being equal, one accustomed to taking orders from a superior officer is conditioned to do that forever. I'm afraid that could continue in DC.
These musings are only one man's opinion and certainly not those of other family members. As a senior citizen, I guess I'm allowed some latitude about voicing my opinion. I hope I have not stepped on any one's toes with my blog. I just want to see a fair and honest approach to selecting, by secret ballot, a candidate that can and will fulfill the intent of the founding fathers and the Constitution. Someone with the backbone to stand up to long term politicians and point out the meaning of the Constitution and where the proposed bill falls short of the original intent. Age has little or nothing to do with it. A young man from Wisconsin named Paul Ryan is a shining example of what a young man with knowledge can bring to a bunch of old, set in their ways, politicians.
I've gone on far too long already, but I needed to express my feelings. And I need to be truthful. I have been a professional salesman for 50 years. I have been the number one salesman for a Fortune 500 company, the salesman of the year for a company who, with 9 salesman nationwide, had sales of 9.5 million and I did 4.7 million of that. I have not aways been completely candid with my selling. I have never lied to the best of my knowledge, but I have said what the client wanted to hear if it fit within the scope of my sales pitch. Salesmen do that. If a salesman will do that with people he expects to establish a long term relationship, will he do that with his constituency? Probably.
All in all, my friends, we have a limited time to determine who we should support as the candidate for the conservative 3rd district runner. True conservatives, not RINOs must be presented as our representative. We can do this... My fellow Americans, we can do this. jc
One of the campaigns has taken an unfortunate turn to the ugly, attacking another's children. Others, who have contributed to the early running as supporters, have failed to follow the simple guidelines submitted and agreed to by Icaucus have decided the rules do NOT apply to them. We find this to be politics as usual instead of what we thought would be a clean and honest campaign. NOT SO!!!
We have several people running that would be a huge improvement over the sitting congressman, who wouldn't be? One, a sitting Kansas congressman is nothing more than a RINO and has as much backbone as a jelly fish, and would be no better than Dennis. Others have some experience in the state congress, but are not very knowledgeable about our Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers. Still others have NO experience in government. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but not having a basis upon which to evaluate bills and other methods of determining the real meaning of proposals in the House could become detrimental to an informed vote.
One of the candidates is young and extremely intelligent. He is well versed in the Constitution and the founder's philosophy. His work experience is primarily based on a family business in which he worked from the time he was old enough to do that. He is articulate and well founded in the process of government and, in my opinion, would be a tremendous leader. His age is judged by some to be a point against him. I don't think that's a viable reason to excuse him from consideration.
That having been said, let's take a look at what happens to a freshman congress person when they arrive in DC. They are welcomed by the leader of their party and shown to an office. They must assemble a staff. They are questioned to see what they feel and what they believe, and then they are appointed to a committee. (Not usually one that will give them any kind of voice to determine anything.) Next, housing is a factor. Where will they live while in DC? Housing is very expensive in the area. They will be introduced to other party members and those of the opposing party in order to be indoctrinated in the ways of the sitting experts who will try to lead them along the path they'd like to see them travel. They will be instructed on the ways of Washington and will be expected to vote the way the party wants them to vote. They will not be expected to have any ideas of their own.
All of the above takes several months to accomplish. The next step is to be certain they get home frequently enough to ensure election for the next term. Suddenly, they turn around and their first term is gone. They accomplish very little. They have been lead down the primrose path to mediocrity. They didn't even see it coming.
Someone who has had experience in DC, gone to school there, and is familiar with the freshman hustle can avoid this. It is vital to the 3rd District that the person we elect to face the democrat combatant have this kind of experience. Only one of our candidates has this experience.
One of the candidates has military experience and is, without a doubt, a true American Hero. I admire him greatly... But... His lack of knowledge of the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers is obvious. In a perfect world with all things being equal, one accustomed to taking orders from a superior officer is conditioned to do that forever. I'm afraid that could continue in DC.
These musings are only one man's opinion and certainly not those of other family members. As a senior citizen, I guess I'm allowed some latitude about voicing my opinion. I hope I have not stepped on any one's toes with my blog. I just want to see a fair and honest approach to selecting, by secret ballot, a candidate that can and will fulfill the intent of the founding fathers and the Constitution. Someone with the backbone to stand up to long term politicians and point out the meaning of the Constitution and where the proposed bill falls short of the original intent. Age has little or nothing to do with it. A young man from Wisconsin named Paul Ryan is a shining example of what a young man with knowledge can bring to a bunch of old, set in their ways, politicians.
I've gone on far too long already, but I needed to express my feelings. And I need to be truthful. I have been a professional salesman for 50 years. I have been the number one salesman for a Fortune 500 company, the salesman of the year for a company who, with 9 salesman nationwide, had sales of 9.5 million and I did 4.7 million of that. I have not aways been completely candid with my selling. I have never lied to the best of my knowledge, but I have said what the client wanted to hear if it fit within the scope of my sales pitch. Salesmen do that. If a salesman will do that with people he expects to establish a long term relationship, will he do that with his constituency? Probably.
All in all, my friends, we have a limited time to determine who we should support as the candidate for the conservative 3rd district runner. True conservatives, not RINOs must be presented as our representative. We can do this... My fellow Americans, we can do this. jc
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Guilty of thinkin' about it...
Back in August of 1968, a mob of radicals raised a ruckus at the Democrat National Convention in Chicago. Seven were singled out, arrested and charged with conspiracy to cross state lines to incite a riot. After a circus of a trial laced with profanity and other outrageous antics, all were acquitted.
Later, I attended a rally held at Kansas Wesleyan University to hear Abbie Hoffman, a leader of the "Chicago Seven", speak. Hoffman was vulgar. Pointing to a young woman who sat cross-legged on the floor as he spoke, he told the mixed crowd "We came out here to ball on Ike's grave". (The Eisenhower Memorial and burial spot is at nearby Abilene, Kansas.) The point of Hoffman's speech was to rail against his having been arrested for, what he called, "thinking about inciting a riot". Such an outrage!
Well, perhaps he was right. They were charged with "conspiracy", "to cross state lines", "to incite a riot". Were they charged for just thinking about something?
I find it interesting that the Left is so disturbed when such a charge is levied against their kind... but quick to levy the identical charge against others, even when they are wrong.
In Arizona, overrun with nearly a half million illegal immigrants, law enforcement officers encountering what they believe to be an illegal activity - are prohibited by Federal law from asking the perpetrator about their citizenship. After repeatedly seeking help from the Federal Government, and being repeatedly ignored by same, Arizona passed a state law permitting local and state law enforcement officers to ask about citizenship.
One of the Arizona legislators sponsoring the bill, now law, explained that police could not engage a person for the purpose of discussing citizenship, but if stopped for suspicion of criminal activity, the officer could ask for proof of citizenship.
Now The Left, led by perennial troublemaker Al Sharpton, are screaming about Civil Rights violations, charging that Arizona policemen will apprehend citizens because they appear to be a Mexican citizen, not a U.S. citizen.
Worse, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says he may challenge the Arizona law because he fears civil rights violations may occur. Imagine! Those Arizona police officers may be thinkin' about it!
I live about 45 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. I cannot leave my city by highway without passing through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. When I reach one of the checkpoints, the officer asks, "Are you a U.S. citizen?". I answer affirmatively and he passes me on. I've done it a hundred times. It delays me for a moment, but I certainly do not feel deprived of my rights
If an Arizona police officer were to ask the same citizenship question, he would be violating my civil rights! Insane!
So, let's repeal the Arizona law. Not because anyone's rights have been violated, but because those nasty police officers may be thinkin' about it!
Back in August of 1968, a mob of radicals raised a ruckus at the Democrat National Convention in Chicago. Seven were singled out, arrested and charged with conspiracy to cross state lines to incite a riot. After a circus of a trial laced with profanity and other outrageous antics, all were acquitted.
Later, I attended a rally held at Kansas Wesleyan University to hear Abbie Hoffman, a leader of the "Chicago Seven", speak. Hoffman was vulgar. Pointing to a young woman who sat cross-legged on the floor as he spoke, he told the mixed crowd "We came out here to ball on Ike's grave". (The Eisenhower Memorial and burial spot is at nearby Abilene, Kansas.) The point of Hoffman's speech was to rail against his having been arrested for, what he called, "thinking about inciting a riot". Such an outrage!
Well, perhaps he was right. They were charged with "conspiracy", "to cross state lines", "to incite a riot". Were they charged for just thinking about something?
I find it interesting that the Left is so disturbed when such a charge is levied against their kind... but quick to levy the identical charge against others, even when they are wrong.
In Arizona, overrun with nearly a half million illegal immigrants, law enforcement officers encountering what they believe to be an illegal activity - are prohibited by Federal law from asking the perpetrator about their citizenship. After repeatedly seeking help from the Federal Government, and being repeatedly ignored by same, Arizona passed a state law permitting local and state law enforcement officers to ask about citizenship.
One of the Arizona legislators sponsoring the bill, now law, explained that police could not engage a person for the purpose of discussing citizenship, but if stopped for suspicion of criminal activity, the officer could ask for proof of citizenship.
Now The Left, led by perennial troublemaker Al Sharpton, are screaming about Civil Rights violations, charging that Arizona policemen will apprehend citizens because they appear to be a Mexican citizen, not a U.S. citizen.
Worse, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says he may challenge the Arizona law because he fears civil rights violations may occur. Imagine! Those Arizona police officers may be thinkin' about it!
I live about 45 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. I cannot leave my city by highway without passing through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. When I reach one of the checkpoints, the officer asks, "Are you a U.S. citizen?". I answer affirmatively and he passes me on. I've done it a hundred times. It delays me for a moment, but I certainly do not feel deprived of my rights
If an Arizona police officer were to ask the same citizenship question, he would be violating my civil rights! Insane!
So, let's repeal the Arizona law. Not because anyone's rights have been violated, but because those nasty police officers may be thinkin' about it!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The State of the Kansas 3rd Congressional District Race
Those of you who know me well know that I have agonized over this race for months. You also know that, while I am very outspoken about politics and political theory, I am not ordinarily inclined to make strong statements about any individual candidate. I believe that a review of my public writings on the various political sites to which I belong would show that I have tried, very hard, to be fair and objective in my comments, and have not once stated strong support for any candidate...until now.
I serve as the Kansas Director of Education and Strategic Planning for ResistNet. In that capacty, I felt it was my solemn responsibility to learn everything I possibly could about each of the three potential Tea Party candidates in the race so that I could intelligently respond to any questions sent my way. Over the months, I have attended nearly every public event where these candidates were present, listened carefully, observed their interactions with others, studied their websites and listened to their recorded interviews with the Independence Caucus group. I got to know them on a personal level - I knew none of them, even slightly, prior to the beginning of the election process - and found that they are all good people, with honorable intentions. Making my decision on who to personally support proved almost impossible.
At the end of January, I received an email from Kelly Wymer, ResistNet's Assistant Regional Coordinator for the North Central Region, asking me to please check out a new candidate who had entered the race, Craig McPherson, and let the group know what I found out. I had never heard of Mr. McPherson, Dennis Moore had recently announced his intent to retire, and I felt that the new candidates were coming out of the woodwork. I did a few searches, turned up little of interest, and this was the text of my response to Kelly's request:
I was dismissive, to say the least, of Mr. McPherson's candidacy.
In the ensuing months, I heard little of Craig McPherson. I read the pieces he had posted online and found them to be well-written and on target. I wanted to know more about this candidate, but did not anticipate him being a game changer.
Then, on March 20th, I attended the 3rd District Candidate Forum, held at Blue Valley NW High School, the first such forum that had included Mr. McPherson. Even in the restricted format, where answers must, necessarily, be very brief, I was surprised and impressed with Mr. McPherson's responses. I was not the only one - he was declared the "unofficial" winner of the forum by Political Chips. This was the first time I really gave him any serious consideration. He had not yet completed the Independence Caucus vetting process, which includes an in-depth, two hour interview loaded with difficult, probing questions and long, detailed answers. I urged Mr. McPherson to please complete the vetting process so that we could all learn more about him. He did so on April 11th (whether in response to my urging or not, I have no idea), the interview was posted online on the 12th, and I listened to it within a few hours. I was impressed beyond words!
Never before have I heard any political candidate with such an incredible grasp of the Constitution and Founding principles. I listened as Mr. McPherson, in a casual, conversational manner, tied several of the major issues of today to debates and discussions held by the Founders over 200 years ago. His justification for his positions was rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers and other writings of the Founding Fathers. He was not looking to popular sentiment to form his positions, he was looking to Washington, Franklin, Hamilton - and obviously knew them extemely well, no reference materials required. For the first time, I was excited about the 3rd Congressional District race.
Since listening to the interview, I have been doing my homework. Mr. McPherson mentioned having attended Claremont McKenna College, calling it "one of the few colleges out there that still has a good number of conservative faculty members." A quick Google search revealed that Claremont McKenna is ranked as one of the 10 most selective colleges in the United States, with an acceptance rate of only 16%. Numerous organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and U.S. News and World Report, have ranked Claremont McKenna among the best and/or "happiest" colleges in America. These days, happiness in an educational setting must surely be conservative! Wikipedia lists its most famous dropout as Robin Williams - knowing something of Mr. Williams' political views, I thought this a strong endorsement of the school.
Mr. McPherson also mentioned working with the Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World. Their website defines their mission as follows:
Obviously, Mr. McPherson was selected at one of the "best of the best" among Claremont McKenna's already elite student body. Equally obviously from listening to him speak, he took full advantage of this opportunity. Interestingly, Chuck DeVore, the darling of the California Tea Party that is fighting to unseat Barbara Boxer, is also a Claremont McKenna alumnus.
After CMC, Mr. McPherson attended the George Mason University School of Law. Quoting from Wikipedia:
What Mr. McPherson did not mention was that he was the Managing Editor of GMU's Civil Rights Law Journal and a member of the school's Honor Committee, tasked with upholding George Mason's Honor Code.
It is difficult for me to imagine an educational background better suited to shaping our loose definition of a "Tea Party Candidate." Obviously intelligent and hard-working, this man has been immersed in studies of the founding documents and their relationship to the modern world for, at least, his entire adult life. The depth and breadth of his comprehension of the founding of this country borders on unbelievable, and is exactly the kind of understanding that I believe we need to lead us as we struggle to return to those principles we all hold so dear.
While I would certainly never expect anyone to support a candidate based on my, or anyone else's, opinion, I beg you to please do your homework on this race. Do not repeat my mistake of dismissing Mr. McPherson from consideration because of his relatively late entrance to the race. Visit Mr. McPherson's website and learn about him. Read the statements he has posted since entering the race. I believe you will find them to be completely in line with our positions as proponents of supporting the Constitution. Most importantly, please join the Independence Caucus and listen to the in-depth interviews that were conducted with all four of the candidates in this race before making your final decision. Larry Halloran and his candidate vetting panel invested considerable time and effort into conducting and posting these interviews, and they should be an extemely important part of your overall vetting process. The interviews can be found in discussions titled with each candidate's name in this iCaucus group. Also, if you can give of your time to any degree, please consider contacting Larry about how you can help achieve the iCaucus mission - many more volunteers are urgently needed to help with vetting candidates on the state and local levels.
Many of us have invested an enormous amount of time in this race. I know that a great many of you have announced support for one of the original three candidates. If I did not feel extremely strongly about this race and its potential to impact our country's future, I would not be this outspoken in my support of Mr. McPherson. Making electoral decisions on the basis of reading the candidates' websites and attending a forum or two, or, even worse, on the basis of a personality contest or 30-second TV ads, has brought us to where we are today. We must go deeper than that to ascertain not only our candidates' beliefs, but their ability to support those beliefs with the words of the Founders and the precedent of our nation's founding. While I have only met Mr. McPherson in person once, at last Thursday's Tea Party, for a total of about two minutes, I have absolute confidence in his ability to do just that. The 3rd District is very fortunate to have such an exceptional young man willing to serve our interests. I strongly urge you to give Mr. McPherson a chance to earn your support. Thank you for your time and your tireless work to preserve our great nation.
In liberty...
April Clark
I serve as the Kansas Director of Education and Strategic Planning for ResistNet. In that capacty, I felt it was my solemn responsibility to learn everything I possibly could about each of the three potential Tea Party candidates in the race so that I could intelligently respond to any questions sent my way. Over the months, I have attended nearly every public event where these candidates were present, listened carefully, observed their interactions with others, studied their websites and listened to their recorded interviews with the Independence Caucus group. I got to know them on a personal level - I knew none of them, even slightly, prior to the beginning of the election process - and found that they are all good people, with honorable intentions. Making my decision on who to personally support proved almost impossible.
At the end of January, I received an email from Kelly Wymer, ResistNet's Assistant Regional Coordinator for the North Central Region, asking me to please check out a new candidate who had entered the race, Craig McPherson, and let the group know what I found out. I had never heard of Mr. McPherson, Dennis Moore had recently announced his intent to retire, and I felt that the new candidates were coming out of the woodwork. I did a few searches, turned up little of interest, and this was the text of my response to Kelly's request:
So far, this guy is as much of an unknown as I am! There's an artist by the same name who turns up in all the searches....but I can't find anything beyond the article you linked below on this guy. Personally, I am inclined to have little interest in the opportunists who have thrown their hats in the ring since Moore announced his retirement. Time will tell, I suppose!
April
I was dismissive, to say the least, of Mr. McPherson's candidacy.
In the ensuing months, I heard little of Craig McPherson. I read the pieces he had posted online and found them to be well-written and on target. I wanted to know more about this candidate, but did not anticipate him being a game changer.
Then, on March 20th, I attended the 3rd District Candidate Forum, held at Blue Valley NW High School, the first such forum that had included Mr. McPherson. Even in the restricted format, where answers must, necessarily, be very brief, I was surprised and impressed with Mr. McPherson's responses. I was not the only one - he was declared the "unofficial" winner of the forum by Political Chips. This was the first time I really gave him any serious consideration. He had not yet completed the Independence Caucus vetting process, which includes an in-depth, two hour interview loaded with difficult, probing questions and long, detailed answers. I urged Mr. McPherson to please complete the vetting process so that we could all learn more about him. He did so on April 11th (whether in response to my urging or not, I have no idea), the interview was posted online on the 12th, and I listened to it within a few hours. I was impressed beyond words!
Never before have I heard any political candidate with such an incredible grasp of the Constitution and Founding principles. I listened as Mr. McPherson, in a casual, conversational manner, tied several of the major issues of today to debates and discussions held by the Founders over 200 years ago. His justification for his positions was rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers and other writings of the Founding Fathers. He was not looking to popular sentiment to form his positions, he was looking to Washington, Franklin, Hamilton - and obviously knew them extemely well, no reference materials required. For the first time, I was excited about the 3rd Congressional District race.
Since listening to the interview, I have been doing my homework. Mr. McPherson mentioned having attended Claremont McKenna College, calling it "one of the few colleges out there that still has a good number of conservative faculty members." A quick Google search revealed that Claremont McKenna is ranked as one of the 10 most selective colleges in the United States, with an acceptance rate of only 16%. Numerous organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and U.S. News and World Report, have ranked Claremont McKenna among the best and/or "happiest" colleges in America. These days, happiness in an educational setting must surely be conservative! Wikipedia lists its most famous dropout as Robin Williams - knowing something of Mr. Williams' political views, I thought this a strong endorsement of the school.
Mr. McPherson also mentioned working with the Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World. Their website defines their mission as follows:
Founded in 1969, the Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World is CMC's oldest research institute and the first of its kind in the world. The Center's mission is to develop close relationships between students and scholars and to engage in the study of political philosophy and freedom as it relates to American Constitutionalism and the American Founding. It seeks to understand, and, if possible, to hearten, the moral, political and intellectual underpinnings of democracy in America.
The Salvatori Center examines timeless truths in an effort to understand our civic condition. Through conferences, lectures and publications, the Center draws attention to the relationship between freedom and virtue, liberty and law, and political philosophy and political practice. Past speakers at Salvatori conferences and lectures include political theorist Harvey C. Mansfield, theologian Richard John Neuhaus, author William F. Buckley, Jr., Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman and other prominent scholars and leaders.
In addition to the events the institute sponsors, each year the Center employs student research assistants and fellows. Four to five students are competitively selected and named as research assistants, while two to three others are competitively selected and named as Harrison Fellows, for which they receive a 2,500 stipend to conduct research on a topic related to the Center's mission.
Obviously, Mr. McPherson was selected at one of the "best of the best" among Claremont McKenna's already elite student body. Equally obviously from listening to him speak, he took full advantage of this opportunity. Interestingly, Chuck DeVore, the darling of the California Tea Party that is fighting to unseat Barbara Boxer, is also a Claremont McKenna alumnus.
After CMC, Mr. McPherson attended the George Mason University School of Law. Quoting from Wikipedia:
Because of its advantageous location and growing reputation, George Mason University School of Law is a selective institution. The law school received 5,092 applications for fall 2008 JD admission and made offers of admission to twenty percent of those applicants. George Mason has 717 students in its J.D., LL.M., and J.M. programs. The median LSAT score among those offered admission to the full-time program for the fall 2009 entering J.D. class was 163 and the median GPA was 3.72. Over 15% of the students in the first year class hold graduate degrees including Ph.D.s.
What Mr. McPherson did not mention was that he was the Managing Editor of GMU's Civil Rights Law Journal and a member of the school's Honor Committee, tasked with upholding George Mason's Honor Code.
It is difficult for me to imagine an educational background better suited to shaping our loose definition of a "Tea Party Candidate." Obviously intelligent and hard-working, this man has been immersed in studies of the founding documents and their relationship to the modern world for, at least, his entire adult life. The depth and breadth of his comprehension of the founding of this country borders on unbelievable, and is exactly the kind of understanding that I believe we need to lead us as we struggle to return to those principles we all hold so dear.
While I would certainly never expect anyone to support a candidate based on my, or anyone else's, opinion, I beg you to please do your homework on this race. Do not repeat my mistake of dismissing Mr. McPherson from consideration because of his relatively late entrance to the race. Visit Mr. McPherson's website and learn about him. Read the statements he has posted since entering the race. I believe you will find them to be completely in line with our positions as proponents of supporting the Constitution. Most importantly, please join the Independence Caucus and listen to the in-depth interviews that were conducted with all four of the candidates in this race before making your final decision. Larry Halloran and his candidate vetting panel invested considerable time and effort into conducting and posting these interviews, and they should be an extemely important part of your overall vetting process. The interviews can be found in discussions titled with each candidate's name in this iCaucus group. Also, if you can give of your time to any degree, please consider contacting Larry about how you can help achieve the iCaucus mission - many more volunteers are urgently needed to help with vetting candidates on the state and local levels.
Many of us have invested an enormous amount of time in this race. I know that a great many of you have announced support for one of the original three candidates. If I did not feel extremely strongly about this race and its potential to impact our country's future, I would not be this outspoken in my support of Mr. McPherson. Making electoral decisions on the basis of reading the candidates' websites and attending a forum or two, or, even worse, on the basis of a personality contest or 30-second TV ads, has brought us to where we are today. We must go deeper than that to ascertain not only our candidates' beliefs, but their ability to support those beliefs with the words of the Founders and the precedent of our nation's founding. While I have only met Mr. McPherson in person once, at last Thursday's Tea Party, for a total of about two minutes, I have absolute confidence in his ability to do just that. The 3rd District is very fortunate to have such an exceptional young man willing to serve our interests. I strongly urge you to give Mr. McPherson a chance to earn your support. Thank you for your time and your tireless work to preserve our great nation.
In liberty...
April Clark
Friday, April 16, 2010
Time to give thanks!
It is not thanksgiving, but I want to express my thanks.
First to, President Obama. At a Florida Fund Raiser, he repeated his recent comedy routine of disparaging the Tea Party movement. Thank you, Mr. President! I hope you do that at least every few weeks to keep reminding decent, loyal Americans everywhere, that you are a complete loser.
Second, to former president Clinton! In a newspaper interview, he compared the Tea Party protesters to Timothy McVeigh, a home-grown terrorist who murdered scores of innocent people. I hope you keep up that rhetoric, Bill. Keep reminding us that we must never again elect your likeness to lead our great and noble nation.
Finally, I at last agree with Amadi-Nejad,
or Amadinejad, or "Ah'm a dinner jacket", or whatever he calls himself! He says America is collapsing! This clown was a leader in the blatant violation of civilized behavior when he led the attack on the American embassy in Teheran. Mush mouth Carter was in the White House, and the Iranian felt, instinctively that he could get by with it. He did.
Then, along came a guy named Ronald Reagan, with a more serious bent, and Amadi-nejad's rag heads quickly backed off. Bush 41 kicked Saddam's army out of Kuwait, destroying it in about a week - something Iran was unable to do in eight years of war. A cautionary note.
But, along came slick Willie, who destroyed our intelligence capability and George W. who seemed so determined to achieve the approval of congress. This was followed by Barack Obama, intent upon being nice.
Amadi Nejad said, "They're done. They are afraid of me! Little old me and my little black beard! America is Collapsing!"
He may be right!
It is not thanksgiving, but I want to express my thanks.
First to, President Obama. At a Florida Fund Raiser, he repeated his recent comedy routine of disparaging the Tea Party movement. Thank you, Mr. President! I hope you do that at least every few weeks to keep reminding decent, loyal Americans everywhere, that you are a complete loser.
Second, to former president Clinton! In a newspaper interview, he compared the Tea Party protesters to Timothy McVeigh, a home-grown terrorist who murdered scores of innocent people. I hope you keep up that rhetoric, Bill. Keep reminding us that we must never again elect your likeness to lead our great and noble nation.
Finally, I at last agree with Amadi-Nejad,
or Amadinejad, or "Ah'm a dinner jacket", or whatever he calls himself! He says America is collapsing! This clown was a leader in the blatant violation of civilized behavior when he led the attack on the American embassy in Teheran. Mush mouth Carter was in the White House, and the Iranian felt, instinctively that he could get by with it. He did.
Then, along came a guy named Ronald Reagan, with a more serious bent, and Amadi-nejad's rag heads quickly backed off. Bush 41 kicked Saddam's army out of Kuwait, destroying it in about a week - something Iran was unable to do in eight years of war. A cautionary note.
But, along came slick Willie, who destroyed our intelligence capability and George W. who seemed so determined to achieve the approval of congress. This was followed by Barack Obama, intent upon being nice.
Amadi Nejad said, "They're done. They are afraid of me! Little old me and my little black beard! America is Collapsing!"
He may be right!
Monday, April 12, 2010
President Roosevelt, RIP
65 years ago today I heard the news while I was pumping gas at a filling station in Kansas City, Kansas. When I was told that President Roosevelt was dead, I said, "Thank God".
Outrageous? Hardly.
I was sixteen years old, had quit high school, and was admittedly not educated. To tell the truth, not very smart. But I had lived through Roosevelt's first, second and third terms. Now we were in his fourth term. The most popular cigarette brand of the day, Lucky Strike, had the slogan "Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco", which they represented with LS/MFT in massive advertising campaigns. On the street, people were interpreting that to mean "Let's Start Mentioning Fifth Term". Oh, God forbid!
We had recently observed Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta, old, senile and sick, nodding and drooling his way through meetings with Churchill and Stalin, stupidly relinquishing America's rights around the world.
Russia had done virtually nothing to help in the war with Japan, yet they were given jurisdiction over the north half of the Korean peninsula... an action which would later cost over 50,000 American lives. Am I the only person alive who today holds FDR personally responsible for those American deaths?
For 60 plus years, I have heard what a great president Roosevelt was. I remember it differently. I remember being raised in a home with no electricity, no running water. I remember when my sisters and I picked weeds - polk and lambsquarter leaves which my mother boiled with a dimes worth of salt pork to feed our family.
I remember going to school with a homemade shirt and bare feet.
I remember Roosevelt's alphabet soup of bureaus (NRA, CCC, WPA, etc.) which he promised would make things better. They always made things worse.
Thankfully, today some others are telling the truth about Roosevelt and his ruinous policies. Glenn Beck, for one, has guts enough to stand up and say Roosevelt was a disaster. In fact, it is largely because of Glenn Beck that I now feel okay to finally admit that, sixty five years ago today, I was happy that Roosevelt was dead.
65 years ago today I heard the news while I was pumping gas at a filling station in Kansas City, Kansas. When I was told that President Roosevelt was dead, I said, "Thank God".
Outrageous? Hardly.
I was sixteen years old, had quit high school, and was admittedly not educated. To tell the truth, not very smart. But I had lived through Roosevelt's first, second and third terms. Now we were in his fourth term. The most popular cigarette brand of the day, Lucky Strike, had the slogan "Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco", which they represented with LS/MFT in massive advertising campaigns. On the street, people were interpreting that to mean "Let's Start Mentioning Fifth Term". Oh, God forbid!
We had recently observed Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta, old, senile and sick, nodding and drooling his way through meetings with Churchill and Stalin, stupidly relinquishing America's rights around the world.
Russia had done virtually nothing to help in the war with Japan, yet they were given jurisdiction over the north half of the Korean peninsula... an action which would later cost over 50,000 American lives. Am I the only person alive who today holds FDR personally responsible for those American deaths?
For 60 plus years, I have heard what a great president Roosevelt was. I remember it differently. I remember being raised in a home with no electricity, no running water. I remember when my sisters and I picked weeds - polk and lambsquarter leaves which my mother boiled with a dimes worth of salt pork to feed our family.
I remember going to school with a homemade shirt and bare feet.
I remember Roosevelt's alphabet soup of bureaus (NRA, CCC, WPA, etc.) which he promised would make things better. They always made things worse.
Thankfully, today some others are telling the truth about Roosevelt and his ruinous policies. Glenn Beck, for one, has guts enough to stand up and say Roosevelt was a disaster. In fact, it is largely because of Glenn Beck that I now feel okay to finally admit that, sixty five years ago today, I was happy that Roosevelt was dead.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A Pleasant Surprise
I wanted to share something with all of you.
Yesterday, my husband, John, and I attended Sean Hannity's "Taking America Back" tour stop at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. As we were leaving, walking back to our car, we passed a black couple, poorly dressed and possibly homeless, standing on the sidewalk. The woman said something to us as we approached - I didn't catch what she said for sure, but thought it was some sort of greeting, so smiled and asked how she was doing today. Both she and her male companion said they were fine, and started walking along with us.
John was carrying a Kris Kobach yard sign, and we were both wearing "Don't Tread On Me" t-shirts. We weren't exactly comfortable with their company...and were uncertain what to expect. As we walked, the man asked what the event was that we had just left. I told him it was a rally of sorts - he asked if it was politicians. I said no, that it was Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Karl Rove. He asked who they were and I told him they were TV and radio personalities. He wanted to know what it was about. I hesitated, and John answered that it was about taking our country back.
To our great surprise, the man launched into a rant about how much he agreed. He spoke at length about the government "screwing" us, said Bush had, too. I agreed, and said they had been for 100 years. He went on to say that he was glad I knew that, but it had never, ever been as bad as it is today. He went on to say that we, regardless of skin color, had to unite, we are all brothers and we need to get back to our principles. We talked briefly about the Constitution and founding principles before parting ways with a smile and a wave.
It was an eye-opening experience for me - the most unexpected event of the day - and I wanted you all to know about it. We are making a difference, my fellow patriots. And we have allies in some very unexpected places.
Yesterday, my husband, John, and I attended Sean Hannity's "Taking America Back" tour stop at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. As we were leaving, walking back to our car, we passed a black couple, poorly dressed and possibly homeless, standing on the sidewalk. The woman said something to us as we approached - I didn't catch what she said for sure, but thought it was some sort of greeting, so smiled and asked how she was doing today. Both she and her male companion said they were fine, and started walking along with us.
John was carrying a Kris Kobach yard sign, and we were both wearing "Don't Tread On Me" t-shirts. We weren't exactly comfortable with their company...and were uncertain what to expect. As we walked, the man asked what the event was that we had just left. I told him it was a rally of sorts - he asked if it was politicians. I said no, that it was Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Karl Rove. He asked who they were and I told him they were TV and radio personalities. He wanted to know what it was about. I hesitated, and John answered that it was about taking our country back.
To our great surprise, the man launched into a rant about how much he agreed. He spoke at length about the government "screwing" us, said Bush had, too. I agreed, and said they had been for 100 years. He went on to say that he was glad I knew that, but it had never, ever been as bad as it is today. He went on to say that we, regardless of skin color, had to unite, we are all brothers and we need to get back to our principles. We talked briefly about the Constitution and founding principles before parting ways with a smile and a wave.
It was an eye-opening experience for me - the most unexpected event of the day - and I wanted you all to know about it. We are making a difference, my fellow patriots. And we have allies in some very unexpected places.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
About that I-Pad
Apple introduced I-Pad, their newest technical marvel, this weekend and the response verged on hysteria.
One guy traveled all the way from Australia to buy his I-Pad on the first day of sales. Others camped out ahead of time to be sure they were first in line. Apple says they will sell 350,000 I-Pads this weekend.
What's wrong with that? I wish it were 3.5 million! Personally, with my bad vision, bad hearing and unsteady hands, I wouldn't have one of the things. But millions of people will and I think that is wonderful! This is the perfect example of American ingenuity, American enterprise that makes this nation exceptional. The I-Pad will create (has created) more jobs - create more profit income for the American economy, draw more attention to American creativity than anything that our government could ever hope to equal.
The only thing surprising about this news is that the government has failed to do anything to delay or diminish the magnitude of the event.
Too many people of the world are too dense to understand and appreciate that America has brought freedom and Independence to millions around the world. But they sure can understand cool American gadgets.
Congratulations and thank you to Apple. What American company will be next to step up and demonstrate America's greatness to the world?
Apple introduced I-Pad, their newest technical marvel, this weekend and the response verged on hysteria.
One guy traveled all the way from Australia to buy his I-Pad on the first day of sales. Others camped out ahead of time to be sure they were first in line. Apple says they will sell 350,000 I-Pads this weekend.
What's wrong with that? I wish it were 3.5 million! Personally, with my bad vision, bad hearing and unsteady hands, I wouldn't have one of the things. But millions of people will and I think that is wonderful! This is the perfect example of American ingenuity, American enterprise that makes this nation exceptional. The I-Pad will create (has created) more jobs - create more profit income for the American economy, draw more attention to American creativity than anything that our government could ever hope to equal.
The only thing surprising about this news is that the government has failed to do anything to delay or diminish the magnitude of the event.
Too many people of the world are too dense to understand and appreciate that America has brought freedom and Independence to millions around the world. But they sure can understand cool American gadgets.
Congratulations and thank you to Apple. What American company will be next to step up and demonstrate America's greatness to the world?
Friday, April 2, 2010
Just Doodlin'
April and I got up early, had Brian and his soon to be wife Sheree join us, and drove to Lawrence to pick up Mackenzie. We started toward Topeka and the skies opened and the downpour came. We found a parking place close to the capitol building and got out of the car. We quickly donned jackets, raised umbrellas and strode across the street to await the arrival of the Tea Party Express.
While waiting, one of the volunteers picked up a bull horn and asked us to join her in a short prayer to ask God to end the rain. As the busses arrived with the Tea Party touring members the rain slowed and stopped. The 2 hour presentation, with too numerous to count interuptions for cheering and applause, went on in a dry, if not sunny, atmosphere. It wasn't what we saw in Wichita last fall, but it was every bit as inspiring. I even heard a "rap" performance without any sexual conotation or f bombs. It was a conservative presentation that was spot on.
Despite the rain and dreary weather there were close to one thousand attendees. It was inspiring and helped me to feel that there is a chance to regain our country. If you haven't attended a Tea Party Express presentation, I urge you to do so. Drive for a few hours if necessary but go. You will be inspired and carry that enthusiasm home with you to share with your neighbors. Please do that. Share with your neighbors. The number of people that don't know what is going on with our country is staggering. Spread the word... Pass on the importance of reading and understanding the Constitution. Help the conservatives at the polls in November.
WE NEED TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!! jc
While waiting, one of the volunteers picked up a bull horn and asked us to join her in a short prayer to ask God to end the rain. As the busses arrived with the Tea Party touring members the rain slowed and stopped. The 2 hour presentation, with too numerous to count interuptions for cheering and applause, went on in a dry, if not sunny, atmosphere. It wasn't what we saw in Wichita last fall, but it was every bit as inspiring. I even heard a "rap" performance without any sexual conotation or f bombs. It was a conservative presentation that was spot on.
Despite the rain and dreary weather there were close to one thousand attendees. It was inspiring and helped me to feel that there is a chance to regain our country. If you haven't attended a Tea Party Express presentation, I urge you to do so. Drive for a few hours if necessary but go. You will be inspired and carry that enthusiasm home with you to share with your neighbors. Please do that. Share with your neighbors. The number of people that don't know what is going on with our country is staggering. Spread the word... Pass on the importance of reading and understanding the Constitution. Help the conservatives at the polls in November.
WE NEED TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!! jc
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
