Friday, June 19, 2009
Not Hard to See Why Kids Don't Know History
Last week I spent eight hours a day in Louisville, Kentucky grading Advanced Placement exams. Even when you count the fact that the test takers are no longer mostly a hand picked elite, the results are stunningly bad. I am pretty sure that I am bound by some confidentiality arrangement to not discuss specific numbers, but many, many times, the people at my table saw essays where students believed American blacks were still enslaved at the time of World War II. That was only one example. Another repeated mistake was confusing the Vietnam War and World War II's Pacific Theatre. All too many, I would say I saw almost a hundred myself, believed that FDR interned the Japanese because they were Communists.
No, the teachers are not teaching it this way. The kids are tuning out. And in some cases you cannot blame them.
Another overriding issue was the self-hatred that came out of too many essays. Not individually, but hatred of their country, hatred of Caucasians, belittlement of national leaders such as Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. On a question about Japanese internments during World War II, FDR is portrayed by some students as equal to Hitler in brutality. Jefferson is described as having raped his female slaves in another (even his worst detractors and rumor mongers say his one affair was consensual, if it even happened at all which David McCullough among others finds very debatable.) Why would students want to learn history if all they hear is how horrible their ancestors and national heroes were? Even if the teachers do not present it this way, the textbooks do. Meanwhile they showed little understanding of the fundamentals of the American ideal except in cases where it was violated.
I will say this, one of the questions that we did not grade did invite the students to say positive things about the early formation of the Republican Party. I glanced at some of those and of course saw mass confusion. The Republican Party was formed in the 1850s, some of them said, to fight slavery at home and Communism abroad.
Newt Gingrich last week at a GOP fundraiser issued a call to reemphasize American History. I would go farther and say we must get back to teaching American values from the start. If nothing else replace one grade of elementary school with Schoolhouse Rock videos. As you have seen on here each Monday, kids could learn more about history, capitalism, and other necessary things from these well-produced videos than they can from almost any other source. Seriously though, we must return to old style history. Put Washington and Lincoln's portraits back on the wall. I mean prints, not some goofy cartoon looking thing. Teach about our heroes, including the people who led, the people who fought, the people who innovated, and the people who risked. We must teach that Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and others were not these horrible oppressors but men who did the best they could with the material God gave them. Without the legacy of Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and others we do not defeat fascism in World War II, simple as that.
I agree with Newt Gingrich's call to restore American History. But we cannot let the left wing masochists control it.
Our Judeo-Christian Nation
Congressman Forbes asks the questions "Did America ever consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation?" and "If America was once a Judeo-Christian nation, when did it cease to be?" on the floor of the US House.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
McKinney says WVGOP laying groundwork for 2010 victories
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Doug McKinney
Thursday, June 18, 2009 304-641-1205
McKinney says WVGOP laying groundwork for 2010 victories
Summer state committee meeting affirmed independent primary participation; search for new E.D. underway
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – State GOP Chairman Doug McKinney said today that the search for a new executive director for the West Virginia Republican Party is well underway and will be one of several developments leading to election victories in 2010 and beyond.
“Last weekend’s state committee meeting in Martinsburg featured two days of motivational presentations, an enthusiastic outlook, a focus on the next generation of Republican leaders, and an air of excitement and anticipation about the future of the GOP,” said McKinney.
State committee members approved, by voice vote, the recommendation of a subcommittee to continue the practice of allowing non-affiliated voters to cast ballots in the Republican primary. Begun in the 1980s, the practice was reexamined by the subcommittee, but most committee members agreed on the need to continue keeping the primary election open to non-affiliated voters.
McKinney said he has already received six applications for the executive director position, and he intends to interview them and others and eventually select an individual with the experience, knowledge and skills to oversee the day to day operation of the party in the crucial months and years to come.
Last weekend’s GOP meeting was chockfull of exciting events and presentations, from the Friday night Berkeley County reception featuring Grover Norquist, longtime anti-tax advocate, to former Sen. John Sununu, who addressed Saturday’s luncheon event. Among the VIP attendees were Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and former Secretary of State Betty Ireland.
On Saturday morning, special guest Jan Larimer, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, offered a recap of RNC activities and future plans of the national party.
McKinney said the weekend focused on the next generation of Republican leaders, with state Young Republican Chairman Mike Howerton offering a presentation during Saturday morning’s county chairs meeting, and Shane Wilson updating committee members on the activities of the five interns currently serving the party through the Cecil H. Underwood Intern Institute.
McKinney said he was also excited about a fundraising drive headed by Delegates Craig Blair and Jonathan Miller. Blair addressed committee members on Saturday, describing plans to increase the party’s monthly credit card contribution program and generate more support from elected officials.
McKinney also named South Charleston businessmen John Burdette II and Denver McCallister as finance chairmen for the state party.
“We’re bringing new blood into the party to continue building our financial coffers, while setting the stage for a strong, vibrant party organization for years to come,” said McKinney.
Also during the weekend, committee members and guests heard presentations from:
· Treasurer Marti Riggall, who reported that the party saw a net gain of $12,000 from January through May of this year, compared to a net loss of $200 during the same period last year.
· Summers County Chairman Joe Garcia, who serves as chairman of the county chairs, and who discussed election changes and challenges in the coming months.
· Outgoing executive director Gary Abernathy, who thanked the committee for the privilege of serving the party over the years.
McKinney also expressed his thanks to Berkeley Chairman Mick Staton and his wife, Lynn, for handling onsite arrangements for the state meeting.
“Traveling to the Eastern Panhandle is always a beautiful drive and a great experience,” said McKinney. “The Statons made sure we had a great event both Friday and Saturday, and we deeply appreciate their efforts in working to ensure a quality meeting and a motivational gathering of Republicans from around the state.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Doug McKinney
Thursday, June 18, 2009 304-641-1205
McKinney says WVGOP laying groundwork for 2010 victories
Summer state committee meeting affirmed independent primary participation; search for new E.D. underway
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – State GOP Chairman Doug McKinney said today that the search for a new executive director for the West Virginia Republican Party is well underway and will be one of several developments leading to election victories in 2010 and beyond.
“Last weekend’s state committee meeting in Martinsburg featured two days of motivational presentations, an enthusiastic outlook, a focus on the next generation of Republican leaders, and an air of excitement and anticipation about the future of the GOP,” said McKinney.
State committee members approved, by voice vote, the recommendation of a subcommittee to continue the practice of allowing non-affiliated voters to cast ballots in the Republican primary. Begun in the 1980s, the practice was reexamined by the subcommittee, but most committee members agreed on the need to continue keeping the primary election open to non-affiliated voters.
McKinney said he has already received six applications for the executive director position, and he intends to interview them and others and eventually select an individual with the experience, knowledge and skills to oversee the day to day operation of the party in the crucial months and years to come.
Last weekend’s GOP meeting was chockfull of exciting events and presentations, from the Friday night Berkeley County reception featuring Grover Norquist, longtime anti-tax advocate, to former Sen. John Sununu, who addressed Saturday’s luncheon event. Among the VIP attendees were Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and former Secretary of State Betty Ireland.
On Saturday morning, special guest Jan Larimer, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, offered a recap of RNC activities and future plans of the national party.
McKinney said the weekend focused on the next generation of Republican leaders, with state Young Republican Chairman Mike Howerton offering a presentation during Saturday morning’s county chairs meeting, and Shane Wilson updating committee members on the activities of the five interns currently serving the party through the Cecil H. Underwood Intern Institute.
McKinney said he was also excited about a fundraising drive headed by Delegates Craig Blair and Jonathan Miller. Blair addressed committee members on Saturday, describing plans to increase the party’s monthly credit card contribution program and generate more support from elected officials.
McKinney also named South Charleston businessmen John Burdette II and Denver McCallister as finance chairmen for the state party.
“We’re bringing new blood into the party to continue building our financial coffers, while setting the stage for a strong, vibrant party organization for years to come,” said McKinney.
Also during the weekend, committee members and guests heard presentations from:
· Treasurer Marti Riggall, who reported that the party saw a net gain of $12,000 from January through May of this year, compared to a net loss of $200 during the same period last year.
· Summers County Chairman Joe Garcia, who serves as chairman of the county chairs, and who discussed election changes and challenges in the coming months.
· Outgoing executive director Gary Abernathy, who thanked the committee for the privilege of serving the party over the years.
McKinney also expressed his thanks to Berkeley Chairman Mick Staton and his wife, Lynn, for handling onsite arrangements for the state meeting.
“Traveling to the Eastern Panhandle is always a beautiful drive and a great experience,” said McKinney. “The Statons made sure we had a great event both Friday and Saturday, and we deeply appreciate their efforts in working to ensure a quality meeting and a motivational gathering of Republicans from around the state.”
WVGOP matches neighboring states in cash position
A few people within the West Virginia Republican party have been talking about the cash position of the state GOP. I have been hearing from people that we are in great shape and some that we are in horrible shape. Interestingly one of the people that told me just how bad things said, “You should check out the FEC reports for all the states surrounding us... like Ohio.” I did just that and was pleasantly surprised at what I found.
Since cash on hand it what people seemed to be most concerned with, that is what I compared so their question could be addressed directly. Since all off the surrounding states are much larger in population I broke it down as compared to cash per proportion for each state resident. That way we are comparing things on an equal footing.
| | Cash On
Hand * | State
Population ** | Cash per Person |
| | $165,662.00† | 4,041,769 | $0.04 |
| | $1,609.00 | 5,296,486 | $0.00√ |
| | $1,536,155.00 | 11,353,140 | $0.14 |
| | $1,570,548.00 | 12,281,054 | $0.13 |
| | $211,198.00 | 7,078,515 | $0.03 |
| | $106,946.00‡ | 1,808,344 | $0.06 |
Source of Data: * Federal Election Commission Filings, ** US Census Bureau, † 2008 data, 2009 unavailable, ‡ Data provided by WVGOP dated 6/12/2009, √ Less than one cent.
This is where we rank when compared to our neighboring states:
#1 Ohio
#2 Pennsylvania
#3 West Virginia
#4 Kentucky
#5 Virginia
#6 Maryland
Another interesting bit of information you can look at. In 2006 the WVGOP was in debt $141,485. Had we started with no debt in 2006 and raised the same amount of money and maintained the same fiscal discipline we would have $248,431.89 in the state account. On a cash per person basis that would give us $0.14, the same as Ohio. We would be tied for first place.
We must remember we are a small state and strive to be the best. Our fundraising efforts are on par with our bigger neighbors when we compare things on an equal footing, but we can always strive to do better. Let’s all give what we can to the state GOP to make it easier to win seats in the 2010 election.
Gingrich Sounds Like a Man Running For President
While out of town last week, I did something that I almost never do. As I flipped through the channels I saw Newt Gingrich giving a speech in some GOP fundraiser somewhere. I decided to watch for a few minutes to see what he said.
This was not old school Newt. Ten and fifteen years ago Gingrich used a two fisted, in your face style to hammer his point into your brain. He relished confrontation because the Speaker seemed to truly dislike his opposition from time to time. This made him a beloved personality among conservatives, but even those who truly liked and agreed with him saw little in the way of electability.
Two things happened. The Democrats nominated and elected a Marxist. Suddenly a middle of the road candidate seemed much less palatable. Besides, George W. Bush was a middle of the road president and the Democrats hated him anyway. Bush's instinct to act combined with options limited by a left wing Congress laid the groundwork for our current problems with Obama. Republicans more than ever look to a man of strength, experience, and free market principles.
Second, Gingrich mellowed, at least personally. His speech was firey, funny, and to the point. Significantly it lacked the element of anger that at some points in his past characterized him. Gingrich speaks like a statesman, clearly, concisely, forcefully, and at times directly from his mind and heart without even reference to notes. His Teleprompterness, the Maximum Duce could never compete face to face with that.
Gingrich has a vision for this century on a wide variety of fronts. Americans over and over have shown that they believe in his ideas. It only remains to sell himself. His words sound like Reagan's. Now he needs to continue to work that same sense of humor into his speaking to accompany the strong sense of purpose and clear ideas.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Solution to North Korea Is All Too Simple: Send In the B 52s
Yup. Have them sing "Loveshack" for two weeks straight. Much more effective than UN sanctions, but could be criticized by Amnesty International as torture.
No, honestly this is a no brainer. North Korea has launch facilities, missiles that can hit Alaska, and nuclear weapons. All of this stuff is extremely expensive and takes a lot out of North Korea's budget.
First, send the 7th Fleet to thirteen miles off of the coast of the Korean Peninsula and move some of our strategic air fleet to Guam. In flight refueling makes this unnecessary, but the action should have an impact on North Korea's thinking. They play brinkmanship diplomacy, but also have a survival instinct. IF and only IF they believe that the United States is serious with these moves, then they will start to play ball. Raise the stakes, threaten their survival, but leave them a way out of the corner, and they will come to you.
Playing nicey nice with enemies only works when they respect and fear you. They feared George W. Bush because they knew that with him, the military option always remained on the table. As former Secretary of State George Schultz said, war should never be the last resort. If it is, do not let your enemies know that. Nations feared Bush, and in turn respected the US. No one fears Obama.
The next to last resort would be a massive bombing campaign to wipe out North Korea's launch facilities. If their military moves a muscle, annihilate it, too. If they launch an invasion, bring back the draft, have the automakers build hundreds of tanks, and call it an old school stimulus plan.
We remain the same darned country that beat Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the resources of millions of square miles of conquered territory. When North Korea has the ability to strike Alaska, we need to start acting like Americans. Otherwise we risk destabilization of the Far East and a catastrophic chain of events.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Young Republicans come Together in Logan
Press Release
304-768-0493
Paid for by the
Time to Pull Together
Friends, Roman, partymen (and women), lend me your ears . . .
It's tough to be a Republican in 2009. It's even tougher in some ways to be a West Virginia Republican. When the specter of an incompetent Caesar threatens to ruin the land, helped by a compliant and cowed Senate, Republicans must work together to save our nation. While we argue, Obama and Congress just decided that they know better than individuals whether or not people ought to smoke. Their "soft totalitarianism" as an Australian political scientist called it, is downright chilling.
Nothing is more discouraging than the constant low level guerrilla warfare waged against the chairman, especially as his term winds down. It's like living in a house with a married couple that bursts into angry fights every so often with much of the rest of the time spent in sullen tension. You do not want to go anywhere, you just wish they'd stop.
It's not that I want to force anyone to remain silent instead of speaking their mind. I do hope that we can put differences aside and help candidates win next year, though. Sure that sounds naive to some, but Republican candidates need the considerable talents of everyone behind our races. That includes the party leadership as well as everyone who signed their name under the petition on West Virginia Red.
In all honesty, were I the chair, I would have been tempted to leave long ago and paraphrase the loser of the 1960 presidential election by saying "You won't have Doug McKinney to kick around anymore!" Then you watch the successor try to wrestle with the same issues and get the same kind of reactions from some other quarter. The basic problem is lack of money leading to a lack of success. No one will change that situation overnight outside of a massive Powerball prize.
Other folks have defended Dr. McKinney very ably so I won't rehash that. I will say that last week when I spoke with Republicans from other states, they were astounded at something about us that is true now, but was also true when Robin Capehart and Kris Warner administered the party. Speaking for myself, I have found West Virginia's GOP more often than not very approachable and willing to listen.
I talked to an old friend from Pennsylvania last week about how hard workers in our party are assigned more responsibilities, about how our chair and party executive committee leadership were generally very accessible. He was flabbergasted. He claimed that in Pennsylvania that if a person was not connected, they more often than not never hear back from the party chair or most members of the state committee. Other states have those same issues. Most that are active and interested are shuttled to a lifetime of phonebanking with little recognition or advancement.
I must say that I applaud Doug McKinney and also Kris Warner (I didn't really get to know Robin Capehart too well) for fostering this atmosphere. Republicans here have opportunities to engage with the party leadership in ways that people in most states would envy. Whenever I had a question or an idea I heard back promptly from both of those guys and quickly learned to not be amazed at that because they consider it part of their unpaid job. Yup, unpaid and uncompensated for the time and travel.
I love being a Republican. I love being on the right side of history in so many ways. I appreciate our state party and am thankful for everyone that works for the Republican cause regardless of their opinions. They have more time than I do to devote to the tasks of keeping their counties, clubs, blogs, or whatever else they do going strong. The constant fighting is discouraging though. I hope that it can be put to bed before next year.
2010 and 2012 offer strong possibilities because the Democrats overplayed their hand at the national level. With Nancy Pelosi as a Godzilla sized human target for congressional candidates, we could even make the first and third district races very interesting (especially since the NRCC is aggressively pushing into nontraditional areas.) A united effort on the national, state, and local level can achieve great goals. We will win by selling our people and vision. We have the right ideas and the right people to make them work. But it is a vision that must be sold to the people. How can the Republican Party sell a vision in West Virginia when it cannot escape turmoil?
This isn't a join hands and sing cum-by-yah request. Ripping apart the party eighteen months before the next major election cycle only hurts candidates. What is torn asunder cannot be easily stitched back together. Believe it or not, the state GOP did this twice a little over a century ago and undermined their control of West Virginia government. The factions never accomplished anything when they divided, only when they worked together.
All I propose here is let us mend fences until November 2010. If the different parties are not satisfied, then start hollering again. Why would good candidates in competitive districts want to take on the Democrats when their state party is fractured?
To take advantage of the window opened for us, we need one party. United.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and miseries
On such a full sea are we now afloat
And we must take the current where it serves
Or lose our ventures.
We have lost far too many ventures recently. However we will only win in 2010 if we work as a single party. We lose these next couple of ventures, we lose our America, maybe forever.
It's tough to be a Republican in 2009. It's even tougher in some ways to be a West Virginia Republican. When the specter of an incompetent Caesar threatens to ruin the land, helped by a compliant and cowed Senate, Republicans must work together to save our nation. While we argue, Obama and Congress just decided that they know better than individuals whether or not people ought to smoke. Their "soft totalitarianism" as an Australian political scientist called it, is downright chilling.
Nothing is more discouraging than the constant low level guerrilla warfare waged against the chairman, especially as his term winds down. It's like living in a house with a married couple that bursts into angry fights every so often with much of the rest of the time spent in sullen tension. You do not want to go anywhere, you just wish they'd stop.
It's not that I want to force anyone to remain silent instead of speaking their mind. I do hope that we can put differences aside and help candidates win next year, though. Sure that sounds naive to some, but Republican candidates need the considerable talents of everyone behind our races. That includes the party leadership as well as everyone who signed their name under the petition on West Virginia Red.
In all honesty, were I the chair, I would have been tempted to leave long ago and paraphrase the loser of the 1960 presidential election by saying "You won't have Doug McKinney to kick around anymore!" Then you watch the successor try to wrestle with the same issues and get the same kind of reactions from some other quarter. The basic problem is lack of money leading to a lack of success. No one will change that situation overnight outside of a massive Powerball prize.
Other folks have defended Dr. McKinney very ably so I won't rehash that. I will say that last week when I spoke with Republicans from other states, they were astounded at something about us that is true now, but was also true when Robin Capehart and Kris Warner administered the party. Speaking for myself, I have found West Virginia's GOP more often than not very approachable and willing to listen.
I talked to an old friend from Pennsylvania last week about how hard workers in our party are assigned more responsibilities, about how our chair and party executive committee leadership were generally very accessible. He was flabbergasted. He claimed that in Pennsylvania that if a person was not connected, they more often than not never hear back from the party chair or most members of the state committee. Other states have those same issues. Most that are active and interested are shuttled to a lifetime of phonebanking with little recognition or advancement.
I must say that I applaud Doug McKinney and also Kris Warner (I didn't really get to know Robin Capehart too well) for fostering this atmosphere. Republicans here have opportunities to engage with the party leadership in ways that people in most states would envy. Whenever I had a question or an idea I heard back promptly from both of those guys and quickly learned to not be amazed at that because they consider it part of their unpaid job. Yup, unpaid and uncompensated for the time and travel.
I love being a Republican. I love being on the right side of history in so many ways. I appreciate our state party and am thankful for everyone that works for the Republican cause regardless of their opinions. They have more time than I do to devote to the tasks of keeping their counties, clubs, blogs, or whatever else they do going strong. The constant fighting is discouraging though. I hope that it can be put to bed before next year.
2010 and 2012 offer strong possibilities because the Democrats overplayed their hand at the national level. With Nancy Pelosi as a Godzilla sized human target for congressional candidates, we could even make the first and third district races very interesting (especially since the NRCC is aggressively pushing into nontraditional areas.) A united effort on the national, state, and local level can achieve great goals. We will win by selling our people and vision. We have the right ideas and the right people to make them work. But it is a vision that must be sold to the people. How can the Republican Party sell a vision in West Virginia when it cannot escape turmoil?
This isn't a join hands and sing cum-by-yah request. Ripping apart the party eighteen months before the next major election cycle only hurts candidates. What is torn asunder cannot be easily stitched back together. Believe it or not, the state GOP did this twice a little over a century ago and undermined their control of West Virginia government. The factions never accomplished anything when they divided, only when they worked together.
All I propose here is let us mend fences until November 2010. If the different parties are not satisfied, then start hollering again. Why would good candidates in competitive districts want to take on the Democrats when their state party is fractured?
To take advantage of the window opened for us, we need one party. United.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and miseries
On such a full sea are we now afloat
And we must take the current where it serves
Or lose our ventures.
We have lost far too many ventures recently. However we will only win in 2010 if we work as a single party. We lose these next couple of ventures, we lose our America, maybe forever.
So Easy A Cave Republican Can Do It.
Finding Contributors to the West Virginia Republican Party, it is posted every month by the 20th.
Use a Search Engine and type: Federal Elections Commission or just go to www.fec.gov
On the left of the screen move your curser over “Campaign Finance Reports and Date, the Search the Disclosure Database, then Candidate and PAC/Party Summaries.
In the Summary Reports Search for name type “Republican” then selected the state “
On the next screen click “West Virginia Republican Party, Inc.”
That will bring up a screen were you can see the Individual contributions and who gave them. You can click on any number of reports. The data is easy to find. So easy a Cave Republican can do it.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bald Eagle attends Flag Day Tea Party
Sunday at Grand Central Business Center a Tea Party was held. Turn out was good with over 118 counted in attendance from 2 states and 11 counties, not including a Bald Eagle that circled the group several times. No doubt to give his approval of those gathered to support the Constitution and liberty. The meeting was opened with, "Welcome Patriots, by attending your now on the Department of Homeland Security terrorist watch list." There was a big cheer from the crowd!Matt Ryan, co-editor of "Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border," gave an excellent speech on Capitalism and how the current steps Congress is taking is hurting our county.
Also Bob Adams said this is a non-political event, but when the President is making mistakes they need to be pointed out. His talk was themed, "If the shoe fits," and when talking about President Obama the shoe fits on a lot of things that are socialism. Dr. Doug McKinney of Clarksburg talked about the military and how there budget is being cut in time of war. We can not do enough for our military.The microphone was opened up to people in the audience. They were told this is your Tea Party and your time to exercise your right to free speech. Even an Obama supporter took the mic and quoted some scripture. He later told me he disagreed with everything we said and did. I told him, "That's OK, we are supporting your freedom of speech to disagree."
At the end after a benediction given by R. Scott Smith of Terra
Alta, WV a Liberty Tree was planted. During the planting it was stated, "While the Founding Fathers hid their meetings from the British Government by holding them at the Liberty Trees, we proudly notify our government this is our Liberty Tree and we disagree with what you are doing and want you to follow the Constitution."
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