First District News/First District GOP Chairman to Appear on TV

I got one of these email blasts from the First District Chairman Joel Westrom.  There was quite a bit of news regarding the First District.  I figured that one of these items that may be of importance to my “Firsters” readers is that an interview with Joel will be televised.  Here are the details.

TV-11 (Alpena) Interview –Talking Politics in the First Congressional District

“Insight” with Ann Bulszewicz on WBKP TV 11 will be airing this Sunday at 11:00am with myself (Joel Westrom) as her special guest.  Tune in for the ½ hour program dedicated to the Politics and the First Congressional District.  Hear about the 105th, 106th and 107th House Races, the big Congressional run, the Presidential race and how the Obama/Rev. Wright issue could play out in the First as well as numerous other political topics.

Start Drilling

Washington Post, 05.01.2008

What to do about oil? First it went from $60 to $80 a barrel, then from $80 to $100 and now to $120. Perhaps we can persuade OPEC to raise production, as some senators suggest; but this seems unlikely. The truth is that we’re almost powerless to influence today’s prices. We are because we didn’t take sensible actions 10 or 20 years ago. If we persist, we will be even worse off in a decade or two. The first thing to do: Start drilling. It may surprise Americans to discover that the United States is the third-largest oil producer, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. We could be producing more, but Congress has put large areas of potential supply off-limits. These include the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and parts of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. By government estimates, these areas may contain 25 billion to 30 billion barrels of oil (against about 30 billion barrels of proven U.S. reserves today) and 80 trillion cubic feet or more of natural gas (compared with about 200 tcf of proven reserves). What keeps these areas closed are exaggerated environmental fears, strong prejudice against oil companies and sheer stupidity. Americans favor both “energy independence” and cheap fuel. They deplore imports — who wants to pay foreigners? — but oppose more production in the United States. Got it? The result is a “no-pain energy agenda that sounds appealing but has no basis in reality,” writes Robert Bryce in “Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of ‘Energy Independence.’ “ More here at Senator Jim Inhofe’s (R-OK) website.  If you are from Oklahoma, click on and navigate around the website.  If you are not, click on anyways to read this worthwhile article in entirety.

Tell Congress: Don’t Blow the Tanker Deal for Taxpayers!

The U.S. Air Force recently announced that it would award the contract for its next generation of aerial refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman Corp.  The competitive vetting process used by the Air Force is a vast improvement over the originally proposed tanker lease deal with Boeing, which was crafted by members of Congress behind closed doors without any competitive review or debate in order to subsidize Boeing’s 767 production line.

The original tanker deal was nothing more than a corporate welfare giveaway to one well-heeled, politically influential company at the expense of American taxpayers.  Then-Senator Phil Gramm (R-Texas) called it the worst pork-barrel handout he had seen in his 22 years on Capitol Hill.

The proposed deal also proved to be a prime example of cronyism and corruption.  An Air Force procurement official received a nine-month prison sentence for negotiating the deal while seeking employment at Boeing; top Boeing officials were forced to resign; and the company had to pay the federal government a fine of more than $600 million.

By contrast, the latest tanker decision was based on an open and transparent bidding process.  The Air Force ranked each bid on five criteria and Northrop Grumman won over Boeing on four out of the five and tied in one category.  According to published reports, both sides praised the fairness of the competition before the award was announced and agreed that this was the most rigorous acquisition process in the Department of Defense’s history.

At Boeing’s request, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is now reviewing the contract award, with a ruling on its propriety expected in mid-June.  Yet, some members of Congress have publicly threatened to try to preempt the GAO ruling and steer the tanker contract from Northrop Grumman to Boeing.

Any attempt by Congress to overturn or block the tanker award out of political or parochial motives would smack of the special-interest politics condemned by the public and federal investigators the first time around.

Please tell your Senators and Representative to uphold the merit-based procurement process by standing behind GAO’s review and its ultimate findings!

[source]

Tony Sarrecchia understands what makes Sean Hannity angry

Here is a post from the Bob Barr website blog.

“The Republican Party was once the party of small government and individual liberty, but it has devolved into a megalith of social conservatism (occasionally boarding on theocratic dogma), a behemoth sized government and an eradicator of civil liberties,” writes Sarrecchia  in the Kennesaw State University newspaper. “Libertarians want a country where, as long as force or fraud is not involved, individuals are free to do as they wish; much like the old Republican Party.  The problem for Libertarians is raising public awareness.  Barr’s name recognition  would go a long way to raising that public awareness–something that would spell disaster for the Republican Party.  And Hannity knows it.”

Sarrecchia hit the nail squarely on the head with his conclusion:

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  • While the democrats will tell you the government programs are the solution to all our problems, and Republicans believe government program growth is necessary in this time of slogan wars, Libertarians believe the only good government program is the one that just ended.  The unalienable rights of the individual to pursue life, liberty and happiness in whatever way that individual defines (barring force or fraud), those terms are paramount to the Libertarian party and most government programs that run counter to that end.  Regardless of Bob Barr winning the election, or even the Libertarian nomination, he can carry the Libertarian message to the people.
• And that is why Sean Hannity is so angry.

Be sure to check out Mr. Sarrecchia’s full article here.

Bob Barr: Gun ownership a freedom under Bill of Rights

I found this article about Bob Barr’s visit to The College of New Jersey, via Bob Barr’s website blog.  In his blog is highlighted the fact that he talks about the second amendment and gun ownership.  But I clicked on the link and found so much more to the original article.  Not that he doesn’t make great points about the second amendment, just saying there are additional things that stood out for me also.

Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr spoke at the College the importance of the Bill of Rights to the freedom of American citizens.

Barr, who is currently seeking the Libertarian nomination for president, was brought by the College Republicans.

I think that is awesome that there are some college Republicans who are will to give Bob Barr a chance and not follow the party line, lock, stock and barrel.  Folks, I have been out of college for quite a while now.  But in my observations of college Republicans, it seems as though they are sheeple to the adults in the party.  Following along with however the adults tell them.

“Any organization that believes in free debate ought to be commended and participated in by everyone,” Barr said. “The point is not if you agree or disagree with the topic or the speaker but if you are interested in hearing a free debate of the issues.”

Love that!

The issues discussed that evening were primarily the current status of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, and the Fourth Amendment, the right of citizens “to be secure in their persons … and effects,” according to the Bill of the Rights.

“The Bill of Rights is probably the most magnificent piece of writing set down by the hands of man,” Barr said. “It has withstood the test of time … It’s very viable and respected, though not by the current administration.”

He continued, “If we do not continue to have, or rediscover, an educated citizenry … this document will be rendered meaningless. (The Bill of Rights) requires an educated citizenry, which is something we do not have nowadays.

He is so right.  Our citizenry does need to be educated.  But our citezenry is more concerned with what is going on with some skanky celebrity or looking up the latest LOL Cat.  I’s donts wants cheezeburger, I want liberty.  Hey, maybe someone can dress up a cat like Uncle Sam and use that phrase in a LOL Cat pic.

“I am of the group of people who have a presumption that the men who wrote these words had a purpose,” he said.

The Second Amendment, according to Barr, is essentially about the right of the people.

As an advocate of the Bill of Rights, it is important to get people to think of the Second Amendment as a reflection of fundamental freedom, according to Barr.

“If we allow ourselves to be drawn into arguing just about guns and ammunition, it’s very easy to lose that argument,” he said.

“If they misuse it, it’s their responsibility,” Barr said, referring to legal gun owners who do not properly and safely handle their guns. “Don’t make it harder for the rest of us.”

When questioned if it would be wise to allow professors to elect to arm themselves on college campuses, Barr replied that “it is nonsense to go on a campus and give up the right to bear arms.”

People have been saved by having firearms, Barr said, and since the Second Amendment is no more and no less important than the others, it should not get more stringent controls added to it. [more here]