Former Leadership Reelected for another 4 year term - Congratulations due!

Mike Baker - Chairman (reelected)
Kirk Atwood - Vice Chairman (formerly Secretary, an appointed position)
Randy Cloak - Treasurer (formerly Vice Chairman)
And, new committee woman, Tiffany Harkleroad, was appointed Secretary

Our slate running against them -
Ron Davis - for Chairman (with a substantial resume in Republican politics in Allegheny County, including Bethel Park Chairman and a good run for County Chairman)
Myself, for Vice Chair - member PA Precinct Activists
Andy Evans - for Treasurer (CPA, Tax Collector in Kiski, and a long resume in his field)

The loss for us was not crushing personally but for righteousness and  principled leadership, it was, in my opinion.  More on this to come.

You definetely have to congratulate the winners though; they truly know what they are doing.  And, at the end of the meeting, Chairman Mike Baker announced he would be hiring an Executive Director for the Armstrong Republican Party!  How cool is that?

Congratulations to all the newly elected committee people also.  I believe between 60 and 70 came out to vote! 

Kicking People off the GOP Committee

I was just reading an interview of a young Republican author in the Pittsburgh-Trib back in 2009 and was struck by her talking about people being thrown out of the Party. Reminded me of the unpleasant email I received from the Armstrong GOP Committee's Secretary, Kirk Atwood, 30 hours after the end of the May 18th Primary. Our correspondence to that point had revolved around my request to obtain a copy of the committee's bylaws. Kirk digressed with a slam against Sam Rohrer, calling him a "pay jacker" and questioning how he could call himself a constitutionalist, but ended with informing me that I could and would be removed from the Committee if I did not support all the Republican candidates. 

I was not happy that Sam Rohrer lost in the primary, and I think that he still has an important message that should be heard, but that hardly makes me a renegade Republican, does it?

PA Senators May Be Willing to Oppose Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

6-11-10 Contact Senators Casey and Specter - Ask Them to Protect Religious Liberty of Military Please forward this email to family and friends! Congress is contemplating the repeal of the Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell policy that has been in place in our military since 1993. The so-called Murphy amendment attached to the National Defense Authorization Act passed the House on May 27. It has passed out the Senate Armed Services committee and could be brought up for a floor vote before the full senate at anytime. President Obama has been pushing this legislation and will certainly sign it into law if it is passed. We have been informed that Senators Bob Casey, Jr and Arlen Specter may hold pivotal votes and may be persuaded to vote against this measure – or better – they may work to prevent the bill from reaching the floor. The Alliance Defense Fund developed the below bullet points that you can use to contact your senators to educate them on why this bill is not just about homosexuality but about basic religious freedoms that will be undermined if the bill is passed and signed into law. The rush to promote the homosexual agenda should not trump sound reasoning nor compromise military strength at the expense of individual religious liberties and fundamental constitutional rights. Casey, Robert P., Jr.- (D - PA) 393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6324 Email through our Citizen Action Center. Specter, Arlen - (D - PA) 711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-4254 Email through our Citizen Action Center. Talking Points: The small group of activists who are pushing to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ are conveniently ignoring the dramatic legal impact of the legislation upon the religious liberties of thousands of chaplains and service members. The legislation that Congress is considering puts at risk fundamental, constitutionally protected liberties, treating those rights as limited ‘privileges’ that can be taken away at any time. Passing a law that elevates homosexual behavior to a protected class sets the military’s policy at direct odds with the moral teachings and beliefs of a significant group of military chaplains and service members. This conflict will likely have the effect of both pressuring service members and chaplains to alter their beliefs to accommodate military policy and marginalizing those whose religious beliefs will become equated with racism or sexism. Second, while religious exemptions are a standard feature of non-discrimination laws protecting homosexual behavior--so standard a feature, in fact, that their absence from the pending repeal legislation before the House and Senate is conspicuous--they are often only partially helpful in guarding religious liberty. The impact of repeal will force chaplains to change their preaching, teaching, counseling, religious services, religious programs, hiring practices for ministry positions to obey the military’s new policy normalizing homosexual behavior. Forcing chaplains to reject their religious beliefs on sexual morality and adopt the military’s new policy of normalized homosexuality will undermine the constitutionally-guaranteed free exercise rights of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines by preventing chaplains from bringing the whole counsel of God to those individuals.  Further, it will establish an official government religion, where only religious teaching that meets government standards is allowed, eventually resulting in a chaplaincy that only represents liberal religious denominations. Bible-believing chaplains and Service members will find themselves marginalized and even discharged from military service for simply trying to live their faith. The First Amendment rights of troops who defend those rights for the rest of us should be non-negotiable--not an afterthought. The nature of the proposed repeal is an alarming signal that religious liberty, free speech, and even national security have taken a back seat to the homosexual legal agenda. Pennsylvania Family Council is a non-profit organization made possible through financial donations from our supporters. To donate to Pennsylvania Family Council, click here. 23 N. Front St. Harrisburg, PA 17101 ~ Phone: 717-545-0600 ~ Fax: 717-545-8107 ~ www.pafamily.org

June 30th Deadline for PA Balanced Budget - pay no attention?

State Budget Deadline Approaching - same old, same old  It was this time last year that I really started paying attention to State news and writing Harrisburg.  Once you start breaking your own rules consistently, you really lose your moral compass, and I think we see this everywhere.  That's why we need all the new people in the political committees - not to be little worker bees, volunteers, or bystanders, but to become part of the process and readdress policy, re-establish party platforms based on timeless principles, and hold peoples' feet to the ground.. We also need to give a meaningful voice to our fellow Republicans -- the ones who live next door and down the road.  We have to find the right ideas that will lead Pennsylvania back onto solid ground.

Highly recommend watching the McTigue video. We all have to do the hard things sometimes, not continue doing the wrong things over and over thinking something will change! 

Also, development of the Marcellus Shale fields is the hope for PA economic recovery.  Imposing special taxes on its development is like puting a dog collar around its neck that can be tightened a notch or two every year until it can't breathe, dies, or somehow escapes!

Why I am Running for Vice Chairman of the Armstrong GOP Committee

If you've followed my blog posts from the beginning, obviously I have been concerned with the hidden nature of the committee and the number of unfilled seats as well as the reluctance of the Party to promote and educate their constutitents about the committee system.  As a County Coordinator for Sam Rohrer for Governor, I promoted not only Sam but also the county committee's existence and role in the election process. Many eyes were opened and people stepped forward to seek committee seats.  With that accomplished, my next goal is to bring Republicans together within the precincts, starting with my own. If this can be accomplished, what a strong foundation we can build!

In Armstrong County, the election of 108 committee people has almost tripled the membership from the previous year!   As someone who eagerly sought increased participation and representation, I am thrilled by the results.  This is the right kind of change!  Other changes are needed, and the first is to effect a change in leadership. A political machine has been ruining our Parties, Democratic and Republican, the only way to fix this is to remove the machine operators.  I believe there is ample evidence that our present leadership is just that.  The duly elected committemen and women must step up to restore integrity and honesty to the political process, identifying heroic men, dedicated to Constitutional principles to run our State, addressing the General Assembly on issues, and educating the electorate.  Of course, we are approaching the General Election and will want to heartily work to get out the vote for the Republican candidates, but we also want to make sure that they know we will hold them accountable - that their reelection is no longer guaranteed, that we are now ready to step up and lead the party.

I am supporting Ron Davis for Chairman. Ron moved to Armstrong a few years ago and has an enormous amount of experience in Republican Committee work from his years in Allegheny County. He knows how to bring people together and facilitate opposing interests to get real work accomplished with fairness to all. 

My resume is much more limited, but I too have a respect for individuals and want to see the Republican Party be the best it can be - which means being open, principled, and inclusive.  I firmly believe that if we do "the right things," great rewards will be forthcoming.  Manipulation, secretiveness, expediency, and cronyism are some of our enemies.  Our strength will come from the ideas, initiatives, talents, and leadership that each precinct representative will bring to the committee!  Viewing the Committee as a pyramid, the base is where it’s strength lies.  My vision for the Committee is that it is not led, but leads.  The power of the Committee should come from the Republican electors in the precincts, flowing through the Committee system, to impact candidates and incumbents from here to Washington.

Cut - a three letter word that Harrisburg can't seem to understand

Just finished listening to Maurice McTigue talk at a Constitutional Foundations breakfast. He was a leader in the New Zealand government when it had to do what PA needs to do.  They cut and chopped at the budget, and stopped all the enticements and entitlements and then watched as the country made a huge turnaround.

Here in PA almost every day, I see a report that Harrisburg continues to try to find ways to add taxes and increase revenues for itself at our expense.   New revenue ultimately comes out of our pockets and our pockets are emptying out, our investments are shrinking.  We must hammer on Harrisburg the message that we expect cutbacks and ride the backs of all candidates heading into the General Election as well.

But, we not only need to quit offering entitlements and special incentives, but also stop drooling in front of the Federal Trough because it's full of garbage.  Just look at money spent on the I-80 tolling project.

Something Else --

I strongly believe that whether it's in our personal, corporate, or political lives, we must do "the right things" and accept the results, which I believe will eventually turn out to be best scenarios.  This comes down to having faith in a God who is all powerful and good and enters into the story to save the day!  The story of the world is a long story; and as with many stories, there are parts where things appear to have gone haywire.  You will, however,  find the happy ending if you don't give up.

Republican Pride - Thought for the Day

I've called myself a Republican since I was in college or for roughly 40 years. More recently, I called myself a conservative to differentiate between moderate Republican and progressive Republican and Republicans who were no longer even prolife.  But the notion of being Republican always made me lift my chin just a little bit higher -- I am proud to be a Republican. I think the Republican principles of limited government, individual liberty, capitalism, etc., are right, based on fundamental principles discoverable in Nature and Nature's God.

Frankly, my first experience on the Armstrong Republican Committee greatly disappointed me. It was not a gathering anyone could be proud to be part of.  This was sort of a big deal for many of us who were new to the committee - running in an election, having our names on a ballot, and being elected. Naive maybe, but I am not embarrassed by it.  On the contrary, I think the three people sitting at the head table in the conference room ran a very sloppy meeting. Everything -- from their attempt to hold an illegal election to their dress, to their posture, to their language, to their rudeness -- was an embarrassment to the Grand Ole' Party!

1874 Harper Magazine Thomas Nash cartoon

Now that I do have the bylaws and have read through them, the bylaws are embarrassing as well. The first thing bylaws do is establish the group's purpose. It is an amazing and embarrassing fact that many of us ran for committee seats without being able to determine the purpose of the committee because we could not see the bylaws and were told ridiculous things, such as "put on a banquet" and "we don't need committee people, we need volunteers."  I didn't even know we were running for four year terms until after I'd turned in my petition signatures.  Surely the bylaws would enlighten me, but no. Not only is the purpose of the committee left undefined but also the rules by which business is to be conducted.  Thus, a sloppy meeting! Meetings without rules seldom go well and a sense of fairness to all members is virtually unobtainable.

Organizational Meeting of the Armstrong Republican Committee

The very first meeting of the newly elected Committee will be held in the County Courthouse Annex Conference Room on Thursday, June 3d, at 7 pm.

I wish I could invite my fellow Republicans to come watch their Party committee in action, but an email from Chairman, Michael T. Baker, indicates the meeting will be only "open to members of the republican committee of Armstrong county, officers thereof, and county wide elected republican officials."

And regarding the bylaws I've been asking to see since early March? Well,..."Copies of the bylaws and other pertinent items shall be distributed at this meeting." Nothing like allowing for a smooth transition. New members. with no information. having the election of officers for 4 year terms immediately thrust upon them at the same time they're receiving the bylaws. I think it's outrageous.

Chairman Baker has made two things plain to me so far - First, that I may look forwarding to helping with the Republican Banquet. Second, that I may serve the Committee by campaigning for every one of the Republican candidates....or else! Is this what I will find in the bylaws?

I rather imagine I could do both of those things w/o running in an election for a committee seat, but what do I know?