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Sunday, December 31, 2006

NRA-ILA 2006 in Review

 Join the NRA online at http://www.secondamendment.info/
 

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NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 51 12/29/06

States with updates this issue:  Michigan.


2006--THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Here are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA ILA Grassroots Alert in 2006.  With the new challenges we will inevitably face next year in Congress and the states, we must re-double our efforts to ensure we are prepared to effectively defend the Second Amendment. To that end, we will continue to provide you with information in future Alerts to ensure our success.
 
Please help us share this information with others by seeing that your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners receive the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert.  To sign them up to receive NRA-ILA free e-mail alerts (including the Grassroots Alert), have them visit www.NRAILA.org, and choose "Sign-up for Email," or they may call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

JANUARY:  The Wisconsin State Assembly, by a vote of 64-34, fails to override Governor Jim Doyle's (D) veto of Senate Bill 403, the "Personal Protection Act" (PPA).  The vote was two short of the 66 required for an override. 

Canada's anti-gun Prime Minister Paul Martin and the ruling Liberal Party are ousted in the country's federal elections, bringing an end to the Liberal Party's 12-year reign.  Outgoing Prime Minister Martin's scandal-plagued administration gained notoriety for its ill-advised gun registration program that has cost the country more than two billion dollars and, of course, did nothing to reduce Canada's escalating crime rate.

FEBRUARY:  The U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security hears testimony from individuals affected by heavy-handed enforcement tactics of the BATFE at gun shows in Richmond, Virginia.  Testimony outlines instances where dozens of BATFE and local law enforcement officers intrusively question dealers and customers, trying to discourage people from buying guns, and stopping show attendees on the roads after they left.  In some cases, customers' lawfully purchased guns were confiscated, and returned only when the owners visited BATFE's office for more questioning.  In other cases, local police officers visited gun buyers' homes to conduct "residency checks"--intrusive questioning of family members and even neighbors. 

MARCH:  NRA files a motion for contempt against the City of New Orleans, its mayor, Ray Nagin (D), and the acting chief of police for failure to comply with a temporary restraining order mandating an end to all illegal gun confiscations that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Shortly thereafter, an agreement is reached in which the city of New Orleans admits it holds a number of firearms, and sets up a mechanism for owners of these firearms to begin retrieving their property. 

In Kansas, Governor Sebelius' (D) veto of NRA-backed Right-to-Carry legislation, Senate Bill 418, "The Personal and Family Protection Act," is overridden. 

The Nebraska legislature gives final approval to a measure granting law-abiding Nebraska citizens the right to carry a firearm for personal protection. 

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (R) signs two NRA-backed, high-priority bills into law-SB 2426, a "Castle Doctrine" self-defense bill, and HB 1141, a bill containing two pro-gun, and one pro-hunting provision, for law-abiding gun owners and hunters in the state.

APRIL:  Anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) convenes a meeting with a cadre of like-minded mayors to discuss "reducing gun violence." Among the attendees is Anthony Williams (D), Mayor of Washington, D.C., where handguns have been banned for decades, but where the violent crime rate remains stratospheric.  Predictably, the outcome of the meeting is a call for more restrictive gun laws.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman (R) signs Legislative Bill 454 into law, making Right-to-Carry the law of the land in Nebraska. 

Alabama Governor Bob Riley (R) signs NRA-backed "Castle Doctrine" bill SB 283 into law. 

MAY:   NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox announce a two-part initiative to ensure that the forcible confiscation of lawfully owned firearms--such as occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina--never happens again.  The first part of this important initiative consists of the nation's mayors and police chiefs signing a pledge promising the citizens for whom they work they will never forcibly disarm them. The second part outlines NRA-ILA's commitment to pass state and federal legislation to make it a crime to forcibly disarm law-abiding citizens. 

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (D) signs HB 2615, the NRA-backed "Castle Doctrine" self-defense bill, into law. 

JUNE:  U.S. Senator George Allen (R-Va.) introduces S. 3275--the Senate version of  H.R. 4547--a national Right-to-Carry (RTC) reciprocity bill that would provide national reciprocity for state carry licensees.  This legislation would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if he or she meets certain criteria.  The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other's carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Warren strikes down San Francisco's Prop. H handgun ban, asserting that under California law local officials do not have the authority to ban firearms from law-abiding citizens.  NRA-ILA opposed the ban from its inception, both at the ballot box and in court.

JULY:  The  "U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects" ends in deadlock with no recommendations on ammunition, civilian possession, or future U.N. meetings. The failure of this five-year program to impact the legitimate firearm industry, and the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens, is a great victory.  However, anti-gun Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and liberal governments serve notice they would not give up and would present all of their issues to the U.N. General Assembly in the future.

The U. S. Senate overwhelmingly passes (84-16) an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5441), offered by Senator David Vitter (R-La.), that prohibits the use of funds appropriated under H.R. 5441 for the confiscation of lawfully possessed firearms during an emergency or major disaster. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 5013, the NRA-backed "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act."  This legislation, sponsored by Representative Bobby Jindal (R-La.), will amend federal emergency laws to prohibit federal, state, and local authorities from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during emergencies or disasters.  HR 5013 passed by a broad bi-partisan margin of 322-99. 

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) signs into law a package of six self-defense bills backed by NRA, bringing "Castle Doctrine" protections to law-abiding Michigan citizens.  The six-bill "Castle Doctrine" Package passes with bi-partisan, supermajority support in both houses of the Michigan legislature. 

AUGUST:  In a landmark victory for NRA and law-abiding gun owners, Judge Carl J. Barbier of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana denies the City of New Orleans' motion to dismiss NRA's lawsuit against the city.  Judge Barbier holds that the Second Amendment does apply to law-abiding residents in the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans.  The City of New Orleans argued just the opposite--claiming that the Second Amendment does not apply to residents in the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans.   

SEPTEMBER:  The U.S. House of Representatives passes NRA-backed H.R. 5092, the "BATFE Modernization and Reform Act of 2006," by an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 277-131.

This legislation was drafted in large part to address BATFE abuses at the Richmond, Virginia area gun shows last year. H.R. 5092 will help curb BATFE's efforts to revoke dealers' licenses for minor paperwork errors, establish new guidelines for BATFE investigations, and improve the appeals process for dealers.

OCTOBER:  President George W. Bush signs legislation that includes language to prohibit the confiscation of legal firearms from law-abiding citizens during states of emergency!  Passage of this legislation becomes a top priority of NRA following confiscations of lawfully-owned firearms by local officials in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Prior to the President's recent action, NRA led the charge in passing "emergency powers" laws in 10 states.  This new law is part of the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.

More than 140 attorneys, law students, and members of the public attend this year's "Firearms Law & The Second Amendment" symposium.  Guests hear presentations from leading scholars on key issues affecting firearms ownership. 

NOVEMBER:  The American electorate takes out its frustration and anger on the Republican Party and turns over control of Congress, not to mention governors' mansions and majorities in several state legislatures, to the Democrats.  On a day that sees voters expressing dissatisfaction over conduct of the war, over political corruption, and over competency to govern, Americans cast their votes for record numbers of pro-gun candidates, both Democrat and Republican.  Many of the newly elected office holders pledged their support of the Second Amendment while on the campaign trail.  They got elected when voters took them at their word.  Unfortunately extreme opponents of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms have been elevated to seats of power, especially in the House of Representatives, where Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker and John Conyers is set to take over the powerful Judiciary Committee.  Anti-gunners will also assume the chairs of important sub-committees.  There will be battles ahead, and, with the 2008 elections on the ever-nearing horizon, NRA members and their fellow gun owners remain ever vigilant.  We must let our representatives, both Democrat and Republican, know one thing:  we expect our Second Amendment rights to be respected.

DECEMBER:  Governor Bob Taft's (R) veto of crucial statewide preemption legislation is overridden by the state legislature, marking the first time in 29 years that the Ohio legislature overturns a Governor's veto.  Championed by Representative Jim Aslanides (R-94), HB 347 creates statewide preemption ensuring that firearm laws are uniform throughout the state. Passing statewide preemption eliminates problems for gun owners who have been unduly burdened by local ordinances, such as the Columbus "assault weapons" ban.  In addition, this legislation corrects a number of problems that have surfaced during the past year for Right-to-Carry permit holders. The most common complaint for license holders has been the "plain sight" requirement in a motor vehicle. HB 347 will eliminate this requirement. 

Michigan's State Legislature passes a two-bill, NRA-backed package, to create the state's "Emergency Powers Protection Act" (HB 6363 and HB 6364).  The new laws prevent local governments from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during a declared state of emergency.  Michigan's bills pass overwhelmingly in the State Senate, 37-1, and unanimously in the State House, 105-0. 

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli declares Jersey City's one-gun-a-month handgun rationing law null and void, holding that it violates state preemption, equal protection, and was "arbitrary and capricious."


FOREST SERVICE PLAN NEEDS CRUCIAL INPUT FROM SPORTSMEN

The Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado are developing a management plan to shape the kinds of uses allowed on these Forests for the next 15 years.  Seven public meetings are scheduled in January and February to give the public an opportunity to state how they want the Forests to be managed.  The last time the management plan was updated was in 1984, so it is likely that the new plan will incorporate some significant changes.  It is vital that sportsmen and women participate in the process to ensure that access and opportunities for hunting and recreational shooting are provided.

In its announcement, the Forest Service said that the principle issues will be recreation, ranching, oil and gas development, logging, forest thinning and off-road vehicle use.  The meetings will be from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., in the following locations:

January 17 - Leadville, National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, 120 West 9th Street

January 18 - Salida, Chaffee County Fairgrounds, 10165 County Road 120

January 30 - Denver, Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street

January 31 - Colorado Springs, La Foret Conference Center, 6145 Shoup Road

February 14 -Westcliffe, Ranchera's Roost Cafe & Bowling Alley, 25 Main Street

February 15 - Pueblo, El Pueblo Museum, 302 N. Santa Fe Avenue

February 21 - Fairplay, Fairplay Fairbarn, 880 Bogue Street


A LOOK AT THE STATES

(***For all of the action items below, you can find contact information for your legislators by visiting http://www.nraila.org/, clicking the "Take Action" icon, and then clicking the "Write Your Representatives" icon.  As always, thank you for your support.***)

States with updates this issue:  Michigan.

MICHIGAN:  The Emergency Powers Protection Act (HB6363 & HB6364), sponsored by State Representative Scott Hummel (R-93), would establish new laws preventing local governments from confiscating lawfully owned firearms during a declared state of emergency, as witnessed in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.  The bills passed overwhelmingly in the State Senate, 37-1, and unanimously in the State House, 105-0.  This vital Second Amendment legislation is currently on the desk of Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) awaiting her signature.  Please contact Governor Granholm today by phone at (517) 373-3400, or (517) 335-7858; by fax at (517) 335-6863; or by e-mail at http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21992_21995-65331--,00.html and respectfully urge her to defend your Second Amendment rights by signing HB6363 and HB6364.


NRA will close today at Noon, and will be closed on Monday, January 2,
for the New Year's Holiday.  Please have a safe and Happy New Year!

 

 Join the NRA online at http://www.secondamendment.info

Ohio Christian Alliance Year-End Report to Supporters and Volunteers

TO: Friends of Ohio Christian Alliance
FROM: Chris Long, President
DATE: December 30, 2006

Year-End Report to Supporters and Volunteers

Let me take a few minutes to share with you some of the successful projects that OCA conducted during 2006.

Ohio Christian Alliance:

· Conducted three successful candidate forums that were aired over the radio, Internet, and television broadcast.

· Printed and distributed nearly a million voter guides to churches, individuals, and civic organizations throughout Ohio. The Ohio Christian Alliance voter guide was commended by Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, and by the American Family Association, as an excellent educational resource to inform voters on where candidates stand on key moral issues. OCA expresses our gratitude to these two fine organizations for their support of our educational material.

· Compiled and distributed Congressional Scorecard.

· Received 300,000 hits to our website, http://www.ohioca.org/, from October 24 through November 7th, leading up to the election. November’s total hits were nearly 500,000.

· Reached thousands of Ohioans through our daily radio program “Crossroads of Faith and Reason” with important information about Issue 3. Ohio Christian Alliance urged Ohioans to vote NO on Issue 3, which would have allowed slot machines at 7 racetracks and 2 gambling parlors in Cuyahoga County and would have opened the door to gambling casinos. Ohioans voted down the initiative 57 to 44 percent.

  • Stopped expansion of embryonic stem cell research and human cloning funding.
  • Sponsored a press conference featuring notable experts in the field of life sciences and bioethics, detailing the benefits of adult stem cell over embryonic stem cell research.
  • Derailed an attempt in the legislature to expand gambling in Ohio through slot machines at racetracks (H.B. 158).
  • Worked for the introduction and sponsorship of Covenant Marriage, introduced in both chambers: H.B. 268 (sponsor Rep. Keith Faber) and S.B. 140 (sponsor Sen. Jay Hottinger).

Ohio Christian Alliance will be busy in 2007, conducting a meet and greet with newly elected officials in Columbus, organizing Family Lobby Day at the Ohio Statehouse with other pro-life, pro-family organizations, also working on the federal level to support pro-family legislation, and keeping you alerted to bad legislation being introduced.

The 2008 Presidential Election primary process has already started in earnest, and Ohio is being forecasted once again as a key battleground state. We are in need of your continued financial support to help us with grassroots county development.

A lot has been said about values voting, but I would like to think that we are Virtue Voters. We vote our virtues, and those virtues are biblically based: Protecting the unborn and all human life, whether that is stopping infanticide or euthanasia, or prohibiting human embryo destruction under the guise of medical experimentation, supporting the traditional family, and the protection of our religious freedoms. It is our virtues as Christians that matter to us most, and we at the Ohio Christian Alliance will continue our mission with your faithful support. Please consider your best year-end gift.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Kwanzaa: Holiday From the FBI

President Bush's Kwanzaa message this year skipped the patently absurd claim of years past that: "African-Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa." Instead, he simply said: "I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa."

More African-Americans spent this season reflecting on the birth of Christ than some phony non-Christian holiday invented a few decades ago by an FBI stooge. Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks.

It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI pawn, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers and a dupe of the FBI.

In what was probably a foolish gamble, during the madness of the '60s the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the organization, the better. Karenga's United Slaves was perfect. In the annals of the American '60s, Karenga was the Father Gapon, stooge of the czarist police.

Despite modern perceptions that blend all the black activists of the '60s, the Black Panthers did not hate whites. They did not seek armed revolution. Those were the precepts of Karenga's United Slaves. United Slaves were proto-fascists, walking around in dashikis, gunning down Black Panthers and adopting invented "African" names. (That was a big help to the black community: How many boys named "Jamal" currently sit on death row?)

Whether Karenga was a willing dupe, or just a dupe, remains unclear. Curiously, in a 1995 interview with Ethnic NewsWatch, Karenga matter-of-factly explained that the forces out to get O.J. Simpson for the "framed" murder of two whites included "the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, Interpol, the Chicago Police Department" and so on. Karenga should know about FBI infiltration. (He further noted that the evidence against O.J. "was not strong enough to prohibit or eliminate unreasonable doubt" -- an interesting standard of proof.)

In the category of the-gentleman-doth-protest-too-much, back in the '70s, Karenga was quick to criticize rumors that black radicals were government-supported. When Nigerian newspapers claimed that some American black radicals were CIA operatives, Karenga publicly denounced the idea, saying, "Africans must stop generalizing about the loyalties and motives of Afro-Americans, including the widespread suspicion of black Americans being CIA agents."

Now we know that the FBI fueled the bloody rivalry between the Panthers and United Slaves. In one barbarous outburst, Karenga's United Slaves shot to death Black Panthers Al "Bunchy" Carter and Deputy Minister John Huggins on the UCLA campus. Karenga himself served time, a useful stepping-stone for his current position as a black studies professor at California State University at Long Beach.

Kwanzaa itself is a lunatic blend of schmaltzy '60s rhetoric, black racism and Marxism. Indeed, the seven "principles" of Kwanzaa praise collectivism in every possible arena of life -- economics, work, personality, even litter removal. ("Kuumba: Everyone should strive to improve the community and make it more beautiful.") It takes a village to raise a police snitch.

When Karenga was asked to distinguish Kawaida, the philosophy underlying Kwanzaa, from "classical Marxism," he essentially explained that under Kawaida, we also hate whites. While taking the "best of early Chinese and Cuban socialism" -- which one assumes would exclude the forced abortions, imprisonment for homosexuals and forced labor -- Kawaida practitioners believe one's racial identity "determines life conditions, life chances and self-understanding." There's an inclusive philosophy for you.

(Sing to "Jingle Bells")

Kwanzaa bells, dashikis sell
Whitey has to pay;
Burning, shooting, oh what fun
On this made-up holiday!

Coincidentally, the seven principles of Kwanzaa are the very same seven principles of the Symbionese Liberation Army, another charming invention of the Least-Great Generation. In 1974, Patricia Hearst, kidnap victim-cum-SLA revolutionary, posed next to the banner of her alleged captors, a seven-headed cobra. Each snake head stood for one of the SLA's revolutionary principles: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani -- the same seven "principles" of Kwanzaa.

With his Kwanzaa greetings, President Bush is saluting the intellectual sibling of the Symbionese Liberation Army, killer of housewives and police. He is saluting the founder of United Slaves, who were such lunatics that they shot Panthers for not being sufficiently insane -- all with the FBI as their covert ally.

It's as if David Duke invented a holiday called "Anglika," and the president of the United States issued a presidential proclamation honoring the synthetic holiday. People might well take notice if that happened.

Kwanzaa was the result of a '60s psychosis grafted onto the black community. Liberals have become so mesmerized by multicultural nonsense that they have forgotten the real history of Kwanzaa and Karenga's United Slaves -- the violence, the Marxism, the insanity. Most absurdly, for leftists anyway, is that they have forgotten the FBI's tacit encouragement of this murderous black nationalist cult founded by the father of Kwanzaa.

Now the "holiday" concocted by an FBI dupe is honored in a presidential proclamation and public schools across the nation. The only principle Kwanzaa promotes is liberals' unbounded capacity to respect any faith but Christianity.

A movement that started approximately 2,000 years before Kwanzaa leaps well beyond collectivism and litter removal to proclaim that we are all equal before God. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). It was practitioners of that faith who were at the forefront of the abolitionist and civil rights movements. But that's all been washed down the memory hole, along with the true origins of Kwanzaa.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Union Contributions

Unions Contributions

Senators consider limiting union gifts
From the Plain dealer;

Columbus — Racing to complete the legislative session, Republicans in the Ohio Senate offered changes to a campaign finance reform bill that would limit the contributions labor unions could make to political candidates.

Under the provision offered into House Bill 694, unions would be able to give only $2,000 to any political candidate for statewide or legislative office — down from $20,000 per election cycle they can now give.

The changes to the bill also include a similar provision establishing a $2,000 limit for individuals and companies seeking to do business with the state. As of midnight, the Ohio Senate was still meeting and had yet to officially vote on the language offered by State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican who serves as the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate.

Tim Burga, director of government relations for the Ohio AFL-CIO, called the effort “déjà vu all over again,” referring to similar efforts launched by Republicans that are still tied up in the courts. He said Republicans were “once again trying to silence the voice of common, everyday working people.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans had managed to pass, by a 31-1 vote, a $1.8 billion capital budget bill laden with dozens of community projects and almost $700 million in school facilities money.

Also under consideration was legislation enacting the new voter-approved state minimum wage.


----- This is a HELL of a good idea! I am very PRO-Union and have always been considered a "Friend of Labor". The unions have gotten away from standing up for the common working man.

The unions will go protest at three steel workers homes, who HAD to cross the picket line to support their families, but not support the workers being forced out of work at Topp's.

Here is where we can insert the questions - Who do the unions care for more, dues paying members or politicians? Who do the union care for more, due paying members putting on Anti-War Rallys and paying for Cindy Sheehan to come to Cleveland?

As a young kid, I remember loading buses for the steel workers to go to Washington, DC during the Cleveland Bar Mill issue. When the unions "Fought for the dues paying members"!

Tom Burga needs to concentrate on the unions supporting the members and stop crying that they won't be allowed to give away dues money to candidates, while they allow workers to be kicked around.

I find it very ironic and sad that, here in the Cleveland area the unions have backed non "labor friendly" candidates. Will endorse an incumbent who does not support labor. And has backed candidates who did not even use union printers for their campaigns. So much for standing strong for union members!

The labor movement and labor was a very important period in our country. The unions are a very important institution and integral part of the strength of our country. They need to stand proud and get back to their roots and stop trying to be a political arm of the Democrat Party.

King

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Words of Wisdom

Everyone should read these Words of Wisdom. -- If only voters would truly understand the powers and responsibility that comes with our DUTY to vote!


From John Palmer on; Cleveland Town Hall



I came across this quote attributed to Noah Webster, best known for his 1806 “A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language”. This speaks volumes about elections and leaders.

“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.”

The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.

If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws.”
Hear, hear.

Tri-County Holiday Party

Tri-County Holiday Party

The Tri-County Holiday Party for Cuyahoga, Geauga & Lake County Republican Parties, was a smashing success!!! The volunteers and organizers for this event must of had some help from Santa Claus! They did a great job overcoming unexpected obstacles. Unfortunately, due to an illness in the family, Senator Hagel had to cancel at the last minute. Well, what a Christmas present we got - State Auditor elect Mary Taylor!

State Auditor elect Mary Taylor is going to be a rising and shining star in our party for many years to come. After listening to her speak, shows she truly understands how to make our party strong once again. Then of course we can't forgot our "Rock Star" in the Cuyahoga County GOP, State Representitive elect Josh Mandel. These two individuals will become the new face needed for our party and will proudly lead us successfully into the future.

After short speeches by CCRP Chairman Rob Frost, LCRP Chairmen Dale Fellows and GCRP Chairmen Lou Mucci, the festivities began. As always the food at
Villa Di Borally was excellent. Along with the usual appetizers, there was roast turkey and/or roast pork with a pork gravy on the side for the main dinner. With salad, pasta, garlic bread and a WHOLE bunch of other great food.

The holiday spirit was all through the room, with music playing, people laughing, drinking and dancing. Since I do not want to offend anybody by forgetting them, I can't even begin to name all the smiling faces. We can be sure there were old friendships renewed and new ones created. In all corners of the room people were having a great time.

This is what the holiday spirit is all about!Again, this was all possible because of the tireless efforts of a few on the behalf of many. To the volunteers and organizers of the Tri-County Holiday Party - Thank You!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah & Happy New Year
TO ALL!!!

527's & FEC Rulings

Having worked with the Swift Boat Veterans and POW's for truth during the '04 elections, this is very upsetting to me. I was introduced to these groups by Paul Schiffer of The Schiffer Report and my friend, Ron Lisy. For the record, it was Paul Schiffer, who was instrumental in getting these groups thier initial exposure.

We worked together putting on several showings of the famously censored movie "Stolon Honor" here in the Cuyahoga County area. Never once at these showings did any of these veterans tell anybody to "Vote for George Bush". These groups simply existed to make sure the American public was aware of the truth about John Kerry's traitorous actions against our soldiers and country during the Vietnam War. Evidence of this is the disgusting and fabricated lies of the "Winter Soldier Meeting" hosted by John Kerry in 1971.

Once again, these Swift Boat Veterans, Steve Gardner (PCF-44 Gunner / Sampan Incident), Dick Pease (PCF-3 Driver/ Rassmenn Incident - Bronze Star & Purple Heart No. 3), Mike Salburg (PCF-99 & PCF-57) and Ken Cordier (POW 12/2/66 - 3/4/73) from POW's for Truth, served thier country proudly! Thanks for coming to Cleveland!

FEC fines Swift Boat, MoveOn groups
- UPI
Dec. 14, 2006 at 1:00PM

The Swift Boat Veterans and the MoveOn.org Voter Fund have settled with the Federal Election Commission for political activities during the 2004 U.S. elections. In its ruling that the two organizations failed to register as political committees -- which have stricter fundraising rules -- the FEC fined the Swift Boat group $299,500 and MoveOn.org Voter Fund $150,000. The commission, in a release Wednesday, said the organizations violated election finance rules because they advocated the defeat of Democratic challenger John Kerry and Republican incumbent U.S. President George Bush, respectively. The organizations had 527 tax status, which limits contributions directed to political parties but allows unlimited contributions to groups that advocated issues. Campaign finance watchdog organizations said the FEC's actions were not enough. "Effective enforcement of the campaign finance laws cannot be established through a case-by-case approach that resolves massive violations of campaign finance laws more than two years after a presidential election," officials of Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement. The commission also fined two groups affiliated with the League of Conservation Voters for failing to register as political committees. Those fines totaled $180,000.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Justice Dewine?

From the Evans-Novak Political Report

Bush AdministrationSupreme Court: President Bush, now officially a lame duck and stuck with a Democratic Congress, is expected to be forced into several compromises over the next two years. Already there are rumblings that he will reluctantly accept Democratic proposals for tax increases to save Social Security, for example. But there is one area in which he will not be forced, at any rate, to compromise too far -- and that is in his decision to replace a Supreme Court justice with a conservative, should a vacancy arise in the next two years.The rumor around Washington -- originating from undetermined sources some time around the beginning of 2006 -- is that Justice John Paul Stevens wants to be replaced by a Republican President, just as he was appointed by one, Gerald Ford. Stevens, a consistent liberal voice and vote on the high court, was also rumored to have wanted to step down after the 2006 election, so as to avoid making his replacement into a political issue. Although there is no way to determine whether Stevens actually intends to retire, it is not unlikely that one of the nine justices will in the next two years.President Bush may appear hamstrung by the 51-member majority that Democrats will enjoy in the new Senate, but if he wishes, he can take his cue from incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Reid, himself a former trial lawyer, gave Bush an opening in June of 2005 when he discussed with reporters the possibility of replacing a justice with a sitting or retired senator. Reid mentioned three senators who come from the trial-lawyer industry. "We have had approximately 10 members of the Supreme Court that come from the United States Senate over the years," Reid said in June 2005. "There are people who serve in the Senate now, who are Republicans, who I think would be outstanding Supreme Court members." Reid named three Republican senators: Mike DeWine (Ohio), Mel Martinez (Fla.) and Mike Crapo (Idaho). A South Carolina newspaper reported that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also received his imprimatur.Another senator then on Bush's short-list -- and still on it -- is Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.). A member of the Judiciary Committee, Cornyn once served as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court and was also elected attorney general of that state. When asked about Cornyn in 2005, Reid pointedly refused to endorse him along with the trial lawyers. Martinez's stock as a judicial nominee goes down with the fact that he has been picked by Bush to head the RNC. But DeWine, who was defeated for re-election last month, is certainly available, as is Crapo. Both could expect opposition from the liberal left, but neither would be assailed by the powerful, well-moneyed trial lawyer lobby. DeWine's moderate record in the Senate could upset some conservatives, but his adherence to the pro-life line would still probably prevent another Harriet Miers situation. Miers' nomination was withdrawn in 2005 after conservatives went into rebellion against Bush over her lack of a record and qualifications, and over fears about her position on abortion.Liberals would likely put up an enormous fight to stop Atty. Gen. Al Gonzales, once a Bush favorite and another former Texas justice. As White House counsel and then attorney general, Gonzales has outraged the left with advice he gave Bush on issues of "torture" and the application of the Geneva Conventions to captured al Qaeda terrorists.