The Conservative View: Freedom and Brick Walls

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Freedom and Brick Walls

Like many people in this country I enjoy watching good movies. Whether they are westerns or modern day police shows the premise is essentially the same. Usually it involves a person or a group of persons that will do anything to gain power or wealth, usually those people are willing to use any means at their disposal to achieve those results. Then the heroes of the movie will have to use all of the courage that they can muster to put things back the way that they should be. Often the heroes will face all kinds of obstacles to do the right thing, far too often the biggest obstacle is apathy. Most of the characters would rather just go about their daily routine and not be bothered with the problems around them.

Many things can change in the world but human nature seems to evolve very little. The same desire that caused the ancient peoples to dominate other cultures such as the Roman Empire is still alive and well today. The 20th century experienced many examples of such behavior. Individuals such as Adolph Hitler, Mao Se Tung, Joseph Stalin, etc. were responsible for much of the suffering of that century. Whenever we read the history books it seems like these dictators came into power overnight, but very rarely does that happen. Usually the transformation comes about over an extended time. Most humans will rebel if their life is disrupted all of a sudden, but we have a bad habit of accepting the disruption if it happens gradually over a long period of time. When the Nazis came into power they would target one element of society at a time, while they were destroying that one element the other groups would say nothing and hope that they would be left alone. As the Nazis executed their plan, less and less groups were left to oppose them. The process is very simple; they simply divided and conquered.

In America today we are seeing more and more division and stratification of our people. Whenever you see people with political agendas using things such as race or class envy to divide our country, they are not doing us any good. We need to remember that freedom is like a brick wall. If we allow someone to nibble away at the foundation of those bricks the entire wall will fall. May we all learn the importance of protecting the foundation of our freedoms.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.

Muskogee Tea Party - Veterans Day Parade

The Muskogee Tea Party group will be participating in the upcoming Muskogee Veterans Parade on November 7th.

If you would be interested in marching with the Muskogee Tea Party patriots, please contact organizer Jamison Faught (email: teapartymuskogee@gmail.com) for more details.

Tom Cole Endorses Doug Hoffman in NY-23 Race

The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol is reporting that Oklahoma Congressman and former NRCC Chairman Tom Cole will be endorsing Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 special election.

Kristol: Former NRCC Chair Tom Cole Endorses Hoffman in NY-23

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that veteran and widely-respected Rep. Tom Cole (R, Okla.), former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and a member of the GOP Steering Committee and a Deputy GOP House Whip, will be endorsing Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 race.

This is significant. Cole is a conservative, but not a fire-breathing and bomb-throwing one. He's a shrewd political operative, and indeed made a living as one before becoming a congressman. He'll say in his statement that one reason he's endorsing Hoffman is that he's the one Republican who can win next Tuesday.

The GOP establishment's united front behind Dede Scozzafava is crumbling--along, apparently, with her campaign.

This certainly is an unexpected surprise. Tom Cole, as Kristol observed, is not the most conservative congressman around, much less in Oklahoma. The tide is rising for Doug Hoffman, in a race that has become quite an anomaly.

The NY-23 incumbent, a Republican, was appointed to a post in the Obama administration, causing a special election. Dede Scozzafava is the Republican nominee (picked by party officials), Bill Owens is the Democrat pick, and Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party ticket (New York has an interesting background with third parties).

Scozzafava (a state assembly member) is an extremely liberal Republican, who has won awards from Planned Parenthood and was endorsed by various Republican Party leaders (such as Minority Leader John Boehner and Newt Gingrich), and ironically, the founder of the ultra-left Daily Kos website.

Hoffman, on the other hand, has been endorsed by the Club for Growth, Fred Thompson, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, talk show hosts Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck, Dick Armey, and many others.

NY-23 is a traditionally Republican district, and rarely does the GOP nominee receive less than 60% of the vote. However, due to the three strong candidates in the race, the election is a toss-up. In the latest poll, Hoffman held a narrow lead with 31%, Owens at 27% and Scozzafava at 20%. Previously, Owens and Scozzafava had been trading the lead around 30%, with Hoffman at 20-25%, but that was before Sarah Palin and several other conservative heavyweights endorsed the Conservative Party candidate.

UPDATE: Here's the text from Tom Cole's email announcement sent out earlier today.

Due to the vagaries of local politics two Republicans are on the ballot in the special election in NY-23. Doug Hoffman, the conservative, clearly represents the main stream values and positions of the Republican Party. He opposes the stimulus, cap and trade, card check, the Democratic health care bill and the Obama Administration's reckless spending binge. He is a pro-life fiscal conservative who is committed to restraining the growth of government. And Hoffman is committed to fighting and winning the war in Afghanistan.

Doug Hoffman is right on the critical issues facing America -- and he is the only Republican who can win this special election. For those reasons I have chosen to endorse Mr. Hoffman and my leadership PAC has contributed to his campaign. I look forward to working with Doug in Congress and welcoming him into the Republican Conference.

Sincerely,

Tom Cole

And there you have it.

Bradford To Have Surgery, Enter NFL Draft

OU Sooners Quarterback Sam Bradford has elected to receive season-ending surgery on his injured shoulder, and plans to enter the 2010 NFL Draft, according to a press release from OU this afternoon.

According to OKBlitz.com, Bradford will be holding a press conference on Monday at 6pm to talk about his decision.

The Conservative View: What a Tangled Web

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

What a Tangled Web

I have always believed that the price of anything is based upon demand and what the American public is willing to pay for it. Whether it is goods, services or labor, the law of supply and demand will find a balance of the proper value and price. What I am describing is the economic system of capitalism. Capitalism is the best system of economics that has ever been devised by man. Over the past few days there has been a huge debate on the proper pay for CEOs in some of the largest companies in America.

Our government has taken upon itself to be the entity that decides the proper salary for the people running our largest companies. I do feel that at times some of the CEOs are paid an exorbitant salary. If I am not a stock holder in that company it is really not my business. Businesses must entice people to invest in their stock for their company to grow. If they use bad judgment with the company’s money, they run the risk of people selling the stock they might have in the company and new investors taking their investment dollars elsewhere.

Our government is using the justification in setting salaries because of the bailout monies that were funneled to those companies in order to keep them open. Like a spider web that we might walk into, the more we try to get it off of us the more tangled it will get. When the government started deciding to give money to certain companies that were not run properly, they kept other companies from moving up to take the place of those that were run poorly. Now unelected bureaucrats who have never run a business or made a payroll are in charge of deciding what the proper pay scale will be for the people running those businesses.

Over the past year there have been several positions created for more bureaucrats, now they are called CZARS. Sadly some of these czars have expressed an admiration of the former leader of China “Mao Se Tung”. Even the manufacturing Czar was quoted in a speech as saying that the free market system is nonsense. He kind of agreed with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun. We Americans should be alarmed when the people that are supposed to promote our economic system express admiration for a mass murdering dictator and his economic beliefs.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.

American Majority Candidate/Activist Training Seminar

(click to enlarge)

American Majority will be conducting a candidate/activist training seminar here in Muskogee on Saturday, November 14th. I highly encourage anyone interested in politics, whether as an activist or a candidate, to attend. You can email Trait Thompson (trait@americanmajority.com) for more information.

NewsFifty Unveils New Design

The team at NewsFifty.com has unveiled a new design for the news page, that really spruces it up. It still retains all of the feature that make it a great site, while adding some new ones. I blogged about this site recently, but had to let everyone know about the update.

NewsFifty now has a scrolling ticker with the top headline from each state. At the bottom of the page, they list "Helpful Sources", which is comprised of conservative think tanks and groups, as well as weather, hurricane, and earthquake links. They also list their blogroll and various news links.

On the state pages, the same changes were applied. On the state "Helpful Sources" are listed websites for the various state departments (legislative links, ODOT, DHS, etc.), as well as political parties sites.

All in all, a great resource has been turned into something even better! Don't forget to add NewsFifty.com to your bookmarks!

The Conservative View: Wheelbarrows and Money

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Wheelbarrows and Money

For any country to be a world power they first must have a strong economy. Most people would think a strong military is the only requirement, I feel that the economy and the value of any currency has a direct impact upon the stature of a country. For generations the American dollar has been the currency that was welcomed anywhere in the world. Even our enemies admired our strong currency. I believe the dollar was strong because of the conservative values our forefathers lived by.

It is amazing to me how the American people hardly raise an eyebrow when the American dollar loses value to other currencies around the globe. It is especially sad for the people who have retired and are relying upon their savings to take care of themselves in their later years. To put it into perspective, if you buy a radio today from Japan for 10 dollars then in a month the dollar loses half of its value the same radio would cost you 20 dollars. If you have a total collapse of the value of a currency, all of your life’s work would be for nothing. The more fortunate people would be the ones that are still able to work, in such a scenario their wages would be adjusting at a continual rate. There have been countries where the workers would get paid on a daily basis so that they could spend their money quickly while it still had some value. In Germany after WWI, the hyper inflation was so bad that it would have taken a wheelbarrow full of money just to buy a loaf of bread.

One of the main causes of hyper inflation is a country living beyond its means. Whenever a country goes into debt and keeps borrowing money or printing money just to operate is one of the major causes. In our personal lives, if a friend wants to borrow money from you then you find out that he has borrowed from all of his other friends, you are going to be reluctant to loan him anything. More than likely if you do loan him some money you are going to require a higher interest rate to offset the extra risk. Many Americans have fallen in love with all of the government spending; if we keep spending maybe it would be a good idea to save enough to buy everyone a wheelbarrow so that we can haul our cheap money around.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.

2nd District Candidate Ranking: Post 3Q FEC

The Muskogee Politico's 2nd District Candidate Ranking
Post-3rd Quarter FEC Reports

I have decided to periodically issue a ranking of the 2010 Republican candidates for the 2nd District Congressional seat, based on how I see the race shaping up. None of this is to be construed as an endorsement of a specific candidate by this blog, merely my view of the race as it currently stands.

And now, without further ado, I present the very first 2nd District Candidate Ranking from the Muskogee Politico.

1. Howard Houchen

Currently, I see Howard Houchen as the "frontrunner", and the candidate to beat on the Republican side.

FEC reports show that Houchen has raised more money than the other candidates, and currently has around $8000 cash on hand (the next closest candidate has about $2000). Houchen has been in the race the longest, first announcing in early May.

Houchen is a candidate with a very aggressive personality, which can (and will) turn off some voters, but will appeal to others. One specific group that is supporting Houchen is the Ron Paul/libertarian wing of the GOP. Whether he can get enough support from them, financially and/or volunteering, to win remains to be seen.

At this point in the game, I view Howard Houchen as the leader.

2. Daniel Edmonds

I place Daniel Edmonds in second place for a variety of reasons.

Edmonds is the newest of the "big three" candidates, and as such had a fairly low fundraising total in the 3rd Quarter, raising $1990 from individuals (and $4941 in in-kind donations from the candidate).

When it comes to campaign material, Edmonds is definitely in first place, however. His fliers are very professional-looking and high quality, while most of the other candidates' handouts look cheap and home-printed in comparison.

Both Edmonds and Houchen have been getting around to GOP meetings in the district. This next quarter will be very interesting to watch - I see Edmonds having a chance to knock Houchen out of first place if he can have a good fundraising drive and begin to show more support among the party faithful.

3. Dan Arnett

Dan Arnett is in third place, although in some aspects he has had more influence on this race than anyone else.

I see Arnett as being one of the biggest reasons that Congressman Dan Boren actually held town halls. When Arnett announced, and held town hall meetings of his own in front of each of Boren's congressional offices, he essentially called Boren out, and received media coverage in the process.

Arnett has been attending law school in Philadelphia (and working in Oklahoma City), which has greatly hampered his ability to campaign. He will be transferring to the University of Tulsa soon, which will enable him to devote more time to the race. The next few months will be crucial for Arnett, as he will need to show that he can compete with the other candidates.

4. Charles Thompson

In fourth place we have Charles Thompson. Thompson initially got in the race in June, but dropped out a week later. He decided to get back in sometime in early September.

Thompson has yet to officially file his candidacy with the FEC. He has attended a few meetings in the district, and launched a website.

He hasn't been in the race long enough to attract much support, and it remains to be seen how much he will impact (or how long he will stay in) the race. Some of his ideas are somewhat peculiar, such as this one on constituent contact.

Edmonds: I'm the GOP Front-Runner

Daniel Edmonds, GOP candidate for the 2nd District, issued the following press release this morning.

Edmonds Becomes GOP's front-runner in District 2

Morris, OK – Recent trends for Oklahoma’s U.S. Congressional District 2 seat show candidate Daniel Edmonds leading the way. Reports for the 2009 third quarter have been submitted to the Federal Elections Commission, with three GOP candidates filing. Of the three candidates, Edmonds campaign is the newest, yet is raising money faster than the others. When comparing the number of days since each candidate filed with the FEC to the end of the filing period on September 30, versus the amount of funds raised, Edmonds is raising more dollars per day.

“I’m excited that the Edmonds 2 Congress campaign is earning more on a per day basis than the other campaigns in this GOP primary…we’re raising funds at a faster rate”, Edmonds said. “Our message of liberty, limited government, respect for the Constitution, respect for life, and personal responsibility resonates with individuals who care about our country, our heritage, and our legacy. We continue to raise funds and ask individuals to make an investment in this campaign and in the future of our State and Nation.”

To view FEC reports, visit http://fec.gov. To learn more about Daniel Edmonds and his current campaign for Oklahoma’s U.S. Congressional District 2 Seat, visit http://danieledmonds.org.

Edmonds officially filed his Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission on August 8th. His two other official opponents, Dan Arnett and Howard Houchen, filed on May 11th and May 26th, respectively. Charles Thompson has not yet officially filed.

I asked for, and received, the following responses from the other candidates.

Dan Arnett - "Although fund raising is important, there is still a year before the election and anything can and will happen. The Arnett campaign has been very busy. For those that were excited when I announced and hosted four town halls, forcing Boren to return to the District and do what he was elected to do in August, get ready because the best is yet to come. I am in this for the long haul, I am in this for you."

Howard Houchen disputed the claim. "I don't see how the math works out. It's hard to see how he [Edmonds] sees himself as the frontrunner. I find it 'thought-provoking', let's put it that way." He also pointed out that he has raised substantially more money than Edmonds. "I've raised over $13000 from individuals, compared to Edmonds' $1900."

I will be releasing my first ranking of the candidates soon, hopefully tomorrow.

Was 'Balloon Boy' a Publicity Stunt?

Most of the nation was glued to news reports yesterday after a six year-old Colorado boy allegedly was inside a compartment on a runaway hot-air balloon made by his parents.

Now, a different side to the story is coming out; the family has been featured on the ABC TV show Wife Swap two times, and is up for voting to return

During a live interview with CNN, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name.

"You did?" the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene, said.

"Why didn't you come out?" Richard Heene said.

Falcon answered, "You had said that we did this for a show."

Later, Richard Heene bristled when the family was asked to clarify and said he didn't know what his son meant. He didn't ask his son what he meant by "a show."

Was this just a publicity stunt? Did the kid accidentally spill the beans, as children are apt to do with secrets? What do you think?

Todd Russ Wins Special Election

Representative-elect Todd Russ

Republican Todd Russ has won the special election for State House District 55 with just under 56% of the vote, according to the unofficial election results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. The seat was open due to the recent appointment of sitting Representative Ryan McMullen to a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Democrats now hold just 39 of the 101 seats in the State House, a record low. Until 2004, the Democrat Party had controlled the House ever since statehood, minus one term in the 1920s.

Update: I was very pleased to see the State Election Board tweeting the results. If you are on Twitter, follow them at @OKelections.