'Conservative' reporter refused entry to lawyers' event
They didn’t refuse me entry because the hall was full. Or claim I was too old to come in. Or too ugly. Or too white, too Southern, or too Christian.
No, they said I couldn’t sit at their lunch counter because I was conservative. They would admit only “unbiased” journalists. The News and Observer, the Star-News, the Associated Press.This was the word sent down to me by whoever was charged with keeping out the undesirables and the unwashed at the N.C. Bar Association’s Senatorial Forum this past week-end in Wilmington.
The debate brought together the three NC candidates for the U.S. Senate, a contest that will be decided in the general election, November 2, 2010.
I presume that the event drew a large crowd because starkly differing viewpoints would be offered. That’s what debates are all about. There’s the drama – thrust and parry, attack and defend. Freedom of expression. The American ideal, and all that, you know.
But they refused entry to a journalist who didn’t pass their litmus test. Conservative – therefore “biased”.
Their response to my request to cover the posh, clubby event was delivered by a press official for Senator Burr’s campaign organization.
She was only the messenger. She delivered the word. No offense there. She was not complicit in any way. But the “word” was plenty offensive.
A conservative journalist for Examiner.com, which is a leading online news and political presence, I had earlier talked with David Ward, press secretary in Senator Burr’s Washington office.
I indicated that I was interested in covering the Senatorial Forum for Examiner.com, where I have often scorched Washington liberals for their hypocrisy, duplicity, and downright old-timey in-your-face arrogance. David was, of course, cordial, helpful, as he always is, and agreed that he might try work out a personal interview with the Senator if time allowed.
I came with some pretty fair credentials. Brought no malice. Ready to work.
So never would I have suspected that the haughty barristers of North Carolina – defenders of the weak, the defenseless, the downtrodden, the falsely accused (and now, in 2010, defenders of liberal news organizations to the exclusion of all others) would pull a bone-headed stunt like this – out in the open, in their proudest moment – at their 2010 annual meeting, which featured an address by David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, plus a televised debate amongst three feisty combatants.
And, lest I forget -- and possibly offend Ms. Elaine Marshall, who won her spurs fighting gangs, “big business”, druggies, scam artists, and other scoundrels as the State’s star crimebuster – all attorneys are not public defenders. And that’s more than a good thing. So much to prosecute these days, so little time to do it.
Of course, this is the age of do it onstage, whether it's Washington politics or a strip show. Look at one-term President Obama, former U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, and many others who more than deserve their own Democratic Party. After all, they made it what it is. And may now live to regret it.
They plunder and pillage America, struggle mightily to dismantle the Constitution, pull back-room deals, lie and cheat, then emerge into the spotlight to announce that they have done what everyone knows they shouldn’t have. They actually seem proud of it
But I profess that I digress. The little incident of political media selectivity I experienced could have easily gone under the radar. Except for the fact that I’m not going to let it. Not because I am somebody important. Far from it. But I am a pretty fair reporter, with 50 years of experience in the media trenches, and I care deeply about the singularly American principle of a free press. It’s worth defending. And it should be defended, even shouted from the rooftops – that the North Carolina Bar Association turned away a conservative journalist at the door because he was “biased”.
The News & Observer, though, and the Star-News, and the Associated Press? They are not biased? Au contraire, me hearties. The old reliable N&O, and the NYT’s beach darling, the Star-News, are notorious for letting their liberal philosophy bleed off the editorial pages and infect their “news” sections. The Associated Press? Less so, for sure.
And by the way, let’s also nominate WRAL-TV to the hall of shame. That’s where conservative hero Jesse Helms held forth with courageous conservative editorials during his years there. That fact is probably not proudly recalled by the current occupants of the studio, nor by the top brass. The news purveyors there seem to have deserted their early roots and gone cynical, citified and liberal
WRAL-TV was cordially admitted to the NCBA ego feeding frenzy. Their representative had a reserved seat on the front row, as a member of the official “media panel”, selected to ask totally unbiased questions. I'm certain that was accomplished handily.
It’s fine that we have liberal news organizations, as long as they don’t deny their bias, then strike from ambush in their news coverage.
But censorship at the door by a professional organization with a State charter is way out of bounds. From a moral standpoint, and probably from a legal standpoint as well.
Should I sue?
NOTE: The North Carolina Bar Association is registered through the office of the Secretary of State (Elaine Marshall) with status listed as “active”. The organization was founded and chartered in 1899, and enjoys special tax privileges as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation with “perpetual duration”.
Does the N.C. Secretary of State know where her 501(c)3 chilren are? And what they’re doing?
http://www.ncbar.org/
http://www.sosnc.com/
http://www.elainemarshall.com/page/home
http://burr.senate.gov/public/
http://www.burrforsenate.org/
FOR MORE POSTS LIKE THIS FROM CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL WRITER VERNE STRICKLAND, VISIT:
http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
BULLETIN: Obama fumbles ball again. NC Coast may suffer.
Wilmington, NC: Ilario Pantano, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, calls on the Obama Administration to immediately reinstate the charter for the Minerals Management Services’ (now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy Committee and to immediately appoint a representative from North Carolina to the committee.
“It is frightening to me that in the midst of the worst oil spill on record in U.S. history, and during the middle of a review and potential revision of offshore energy regulations and policies, that the OCS Policy committee, the group of experts whose job it is to advise the Secretary of the Interior on such issues, no longer exists because President Obama let their charter expire,” Pantano said.
The Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee’s charter expired on June 5th effectively disbanding the committee. The Committee had been in existence since 1975, and its expired charter stated that the purpose of the committee was to advise the Secretary of the Interior by reviewing and commenting on all aspects of the leasing, exploration, development, and protection of OCS resources. North Carolina has not had representation on the committee, despite the fact that North Carolina has the largest OCS acreage on the east coast (64 million acres) and the fourth largest in the nation.
"This is another example that President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar are asleep at the wheel,” Pantano said. "They are not focused on solving the problem. Instead, they are busy trying to politicize this crisis in order to pass their potentially disastrous cap-and-tax energy policy. This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our nation. It deserves our full focus. We must bring every asset to bear from the US Navy on down to plug this leak now.”
Pantano also noted that while other North Carolina leaders including Senator Burr, Senator Hagan, Congresswoman Myrick, and Congressman Butterfield have advocated for North Carolina representation on the OCS, Congressman McIntyre appears to have remained silent.
“While the odds are slim that oil from this disaster will reach the North Carolina coast, we must be proactive and we must be prepared. As a former Marine, I know that the best defense is to take charge and attack the problem before it gets to us. We must do what is necessary to mitigate the damage that would be done to both our environment and our economy if the oil does reach our shores,” Pantano concluded. “It is imperative that the OCS be re-chartered with North Carolina representation.”
www.pantanoforcongress.com
UNCW RESEARCHER: GULF SLICK COULD HAVE DEVASTATING EFFECT ON NC COAST
UNC Wilmington's Steve Ross is among researchers who have studied a deep-sea coral reef, called the Viosca Knoll, that is near the Gulf oil slick. Pristine, deep-water coral reefs also lie off the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida.
A thick blanket of oil could smother the living coral, Ross said. Oil droplets that attach to debris sinking to the bottom could also rain onto sensitive bottom-dwelling creatures. Researchers aren't sure what to expect.
"We have serious concerns that are difficult to answer because the appropriate studies have not been funded," Ross said. "Both we and (government) agencies have been remiss" in not assessing such risks sooner.
The ocean currents that could sweep Gulf of Mexico oil up the Atlantic coast might also become a contaminated highway for billions of young sea creatures, some of which will grow to maturity off the Carolinas.
Commercially valuable seafood species such as snappers and groupers sometimes spawn in the Gulf, their larvae riding currents to settle onto N.C. reefs. Coveted Atlantic bluefin tuna, which brought N.C. fishermen $1.4 million last year, are spawning now within miles of the oil leak.
Rare turtles are also swimming onto beaches in the Gulf and Carolinas to lay their eggs.
Scientists say oil could stunt the animals' growth, cause breathing problems or kill them outright. Fish larvae and eggs are especially sensitive to toxic substances.
The odds remain low that the spill will reach N.C. beaches. But oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon well has reached the Gulf's Loop Current, which flows south around the tip of Florida and then northward up the Atlantic coast on the Gulf Stream.
"The Gulf Stream stitches us all together," said Duke University marine biologist Larry Crowder.
The key questions, he added, are how much oil the Gulf Stream will deliver, for how long and in what form?
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/22/1451078/oil-spill-a-threat-to-sea-life.html
FOR MORE POSTS LIKE THIS FROM CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL WRITER VERNE STRICKLAND, VISIT:
http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner
“It is frightening to me that in the midst of the worst oil spill on record in U.S. history, and during the middle of a review and potential revision of offshore energy regulations and policies, that the OCS Policy committee, the group of experts whose job it is to advise the Secretary of the Interior on such issues, no longer exists because President Obama let their charter expire,” Pantano said.
The Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee’s charter expired on June 5th effectively disbanding the committee. The Committee had been in existence since 1975, and its expired charter stated that the purpose of the committee was to advise the Secretary of the Interior by reviewing and commenting on all aspects of the leasing, exploration, development, and protection of OCS resources. North Carolina has not had representation on the committee, despite the fact that North Carolina has the largest OCS acreage on the east coast (64 million acres) and the fourth largest in the nation.
"This is another example that President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar are asleep at the wheel,” Pantano said. "They are not focused on solving the problem. Instead, they are busy trying to politicize this crisis in order to pass their potentially disastrous cap-and-tax energy policy. This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our nation. It deserves our full focus. We must bring every asset to bear from the US Navy on down to plug this leak now.”
Pantano also noted that while other North Carolina leaders including Senator Burr, Senator Hagan, Congresswoman Myrick, and Congressman Butterfield have advocated for North Carolina representation on the OCS, Congressman McIntyre appears to have remained silent.
“While the odds are slim that oil from this disaster will reach the North Carolina coast, we must be proactive and we must be prepared. As a former Marine, I know that the best defense is to take charge and attack the problem before it gets to us. We must do what is necessary to mitigate the damage that would be done to both our environment and our economy if the oil does reach our shores,” Pantano concluded. “It is imperative that the OCS be re-chartered with North Carolina representation.”
www.pantanoforcongress.com
UNCW RESEARCHER: GULF SLICK COULD HAVE DEVASTATING EFFECT ON NC COAST
UNC Wilmington's Steve Ross is among researchers who have studied a deep-sea coral reef, called the Viosca Knoll, that is near the Gulf oil slick. Pristine, deep-water coral reefs also lie off the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida.
A thick blanket of oil could smother the living coral, Ross said. Oil droplets that attach to debris sinking to the bottom could also rain onto sensitive bottom-dwelling creatures. Researchers aren't sure what to expect.
"We have serious concerns that are difficult to answer because the appropriate studies have not been funded," Ross said. "Both we and (government) agencies have been remiss" in not assessing such risks sooner.
The ocean currents that could sweep Gulf of Mexico oil up the Atlantic coast might also become a contaminated highway for billions of young sea creatures, some of which will grow to maturity off the Carolinas.
Commercially valuable seafood species such as snappers and groupers sometimes spawn in the Gulf, their larvae riding currents to settle onto N.C. reefs. Coveted Atlantic bluefin tuna, which brought N.C. fishermen $1.4 million last year, are spawning now within miles of the oil leak.
Rare turtles are also swimming onto beaches in the Gulf and Carolinas to lay their eggs.
Scientists say oil could stunt the animals' growth, cause breathing problems or kill them outright. Fish larvae and eggs are especially sensitive to toxic substances.
The odds remain low that the spill will reach N.C. beaches. But oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon well has reached the Gulf's Loop Current, which flows south around the tip of Florida and then northward up the Atlantic coast on the Gulf Stream.
"The Gulf Stream stitches us all together," said Duke University marine biologist Larry Crowder.
The key questions, he added, are how much oil the Gulf Stream will deliver, for how long and in what form?
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/22/1451078/oil-spill-a-threat-to-sea-life.html
FOR MORE POSTS LIKE THIS FROM CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL WRITER VERNE STRICKLAND, VISIT:
http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tim D'Annunzio shines bright, stands tall while losing in NC-8 GOP runoff.
You will hate yourself in the morning. Oh, yeah? Not us – not those of us who supported and cheered on our hero Tim D’Annunzio!
No, we arise with a clear conscience. We fought the good fight. Gained appreciation for an admirable man who, despite being the target of lies and abuse from the new Country Club Republicans of North Carolina, stood tall and did not sink to their level.
Did we lose? Did Tim lose? I don’t think so. There were many positive things that came out of this.
For one thing, the foes of truth in politics and government introduced themselves to us. They showed us not only what they are, but who they are – name, rank and serial number! Now we can zero our mortars. Let’s fire when the time is right.
Also, we will now see, the Lord willing, that losing the battle does not equate to losing the war. All is not lost. Heck no. We have to know that. Loss and tribulation build character. Now, we don’t want to build too much character in this particular way, but we will see that we are stronger and wiser.
Tim? Well, getting to know this guy is a wonderful gift. Through friends like Jonathan Alligood, Scott Manning, and others, who clued me in to the fact that a conservative Christian candidate was being bloodied by smear tactics, then encouraged me to keep on writing about Tim’s candidacy, I got involved, got really charged up, and maybe gave some useful perspectives to the mayhem.
What really hurt was actually not seeing an honorable conservative candidate lose to the new NC Republican machine, but knowing how much it hurt Tim’s family. That is collateral damage that we don’t often think about.
In my last column on election day, I reported what Tim confided to me – that he often found his wife in tears, and that his fourteen-year-old-son was distressed to see his father characterized as a villain – while this young man new of his father’s decency, love for God, country and family, and determination to lead an honorable, and set a good example.
That’s the Tim D’Annunzio I have come to know, and I am certain that there are many out there in the Eighth District and across the Cap Fear Region who agree. Unfortunately, I am disappointed that all who agree did not translate their beliefs into action at the polls.
And that’s something else we need to do better on. That’s where the engine for change is located. That’s where battles are won and lost.
I want to put together a collection of supportive comments addressed to Tim D’Annunzio and his family. I think we owe him this. Please send your comments in response to this column. I’ll use all of them I can. I will not use, and will delete, any comments which are contrary to this request.
That’s it for now. God bless America, and God bless our friend and political mentor, Tim D’Annunzio. Let’s go to work.
SEE ALL VERNE STRICKLAND'S RECENT COLUMNS ON TIM D'ANNUNZIO, AND LEAVE COMMENTS FOR TIM AT http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner. THANKS!
You will hate yourself in the morning. Oh, yeah? Not us – not those of us who supported and cheered on our hero Tim D’Annunzio!
No, we arise with a clear conscience. We fought the good fight. Gained appreciation for an admirable man who, despite being the target of lies and abuse from the new Country Club Republicans of North Carolina, stood tall and did not sink to their level.
Did we lose? Did Tim lose? I don’t think so. There were many positive things that came out of this.
For one thing, the foes of truth in politics and government introduced themselves to us. They showed us not only what they are, but who they are – name, rank and serial number! Now we can zero our mortars. Let’s fire when the time is right.
Also, we will now see, the Lord willing, that losing the battle does not equate to losing the war. All is not lost. Heck no. We have to know that. Loss and tribulation build character. Now, we don’t want to build too much character in this particular way, but we will see that we are stronger and wiser.
Tim? Well, getting to know this guy is a wonderful gift. Through friends like Jonathan Alligood, Scott Manning, and others, who clued me in to the fact that a conservative Christian candidate was being bloodied by smear tactics, then encouraged me to keep on writing about Tim’s candidacy, I got involved, got really charged up, and maybe gave some useful perspectives to the mayhem.
What really hurt was actually not seeing an honorable conservative candidate lose to the new NC Republican machine, but knowing how much it hurt Tim’s family. That is collateral damage that we don’t often think about.
In my last column on election day, I reported what Tim confided to me – that he often found his wife in tears, and that his fourteen-year-old-son was distressed to see his father characterized as a villain – while this young man new of his father’s decency, love for God, country and family, and determination to lead an honorable, and set a good example.
That’s the Tim D’Annunzio I have come to know, and I am certain that there are many out there in the Eighth District and across the Cap Fear Region who agree. Unfortunately, I am disappointed that all who agree did not translate their beliefs into action at the polls.
And that’s something else we need to do better on. That’s where the engine for change is located. That’s where battles are won and lost.
I want to put together a collection of supportive comments addressed to Tim D’Annunzio and his family. I think we owe him this. Please send your comments in response to this column. I’ll use all of them I can. I will not use, and will delete, any comments which are contrary to this request.
That’s it for now. God bless America, and God bless our friend and political mentor, Tim D’Annunzio. Let’s go to work.
SEE ALL VERNE STRICKLAND'S RECENT COLUMNS ON TIM D'ANNUNZIO, AND LEAVE COMMENTS FOR TIM AT http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner. THANKS!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The D'Annunzio Perspective: A letter to Harold Johnson from the Eighth District Tea Party of North Carolina.
To Mr. Harold Johnson: June 19, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Since the North Carolina 8th district Republican congressional race entered a runoff it has become one of the most contentious races in the nation. One candidate claims support from the Republican Party establishment and the Tea Party and the other candidate is being attacked by the Republican Party and attacking back while also claiming support from the Tea Party. Along with the runoff candidates espousing very different ideas of how to fix our country there abounds concerned conversations with Republican Party interference and Tea Party endorsements.
Not to be lost in all this is the real reasons we are faced with this unlikely and volatile mix to start with. It boils down to this; we have been ruled by two political parties that have financially bankrupt or nation. Their mismanagement provoked a reaction in the people who assembled en-mass to protest and form Tea Party Groups who have set out to do something about it. The result of all this is a very nasty political runoff in the 8th district.
All of this has come about because of the failure of both parties to govern with sound fiscal and moral principles and then, after seeing the response of the people they continued to turn a deaf ear. Setting the Democrats aside it is clear that the Republican establishment has failed miserably to recognize why the Tea Party exists. Early on they began damage control and sought to capitalize on the Tea Revolution by pulling the Tea Partiers under the big tent. They wooed many by saying we share the same values while laughing at us behind closed doors. This is not just the spirit of our time; it is the result of many years of poor management of our nation’s resources and the Party that is supposed to represent conservatism bears the larger part of the blame. I ask you, has the party that gave us McCain shown they have changed? What Next?
First, everyone should already know but just in case, the “Tea Party” is not a political party and doesn’t intend to be. (This should put you political operatives at ease….at least on this one issue). Anyway this is why I call it the Tea Revolution. Additionally it will be necessary to give some history of the groups in the 8th district in order to clarify which candidate has the support of the Tea Revolution in the 8th district runoff and why.
For now it is necessary to digress so that we may set the stage before the runoff.
Last year when the Tea Revolution started it appeared to be a sudden reaction to the new Obama administrations massive bailouts and spending. I would like to point out that this was only a spark that ignited the Revolution. It is what lies beneath and what came before that provided the fuel for the revolution. The Tea Revolution is a visible, public display of something that has been fomenting for years.
Here are two examples.
1. For all of my adult life I have heard, “The Republicans are taking us over the same cliff, only slower”. We would laugh as if it were a joke but the truth is this statement came out of an underlying knowledge that we were headed for a disaster and both parties were complicit in creating it. We have felt this way for more than 30 years.
2. In 2007 congress decided they wanted to push amnesty which was in effect a pool of cheap labor for industry (Republicans), and more voters (Democrats). Citizens barraged congress to voice their opinion and “burning up the phones” became a household term used to describe how conservatives of all stripes stopped Amnesty. Being a year before Barak Obama was on the radar and two years before the bailouts, what caused this sudden move to stop congress?
Revolutions are never a sudden change in the attitude of the populace. They are a public manifestation of an attitude that was in the making for some time before. It is an underlying social discontent. Some historians refer to “massive social discontent” as the term used to describe what precedes a revolution.
In this nation, unlike any other in history we are we are faced with a rare opportunity to change our government peacefully because our Forefathers – and the churches - were wise enough to pen the Bill of Rights that secures our freedom to respond to this problem. I might add that this is no small entry into the annals of mankind. Consider this transcending quote by William Cobbett, "Tyranny has no enemy so formidable as the pen”. Our First amendment guarantees that we will never have to use the Second as a defense against tyranny.
Seeing that a peaceful revolution was occurring it was my intent to build a member organization capable of channeling that discontent into productive and meaningful actions that would challenge our politicians and/or replace them. After all, is there anybody that would disagree that this would be the ultimate aim of the Tea Revolution? Yes, all of us who identify with the principles will act accordingly on their own but it is just as true that without organization you will accomplish little. Imagine if no one had taken the time to organize the Obama/Celgard protest in Charlotte. So more than anything it is how much organization is needed and in this case I am asking you; how much organization is needed to save our nation from despotic dysfunctional Parties and tyranny?
Now who are those who we call Tea Revolutionaries and who are those groups in the 8th district that both candidates are referring to when they claim they are the Tea Party candidate?
The Tea Revolution is primarily made up of fiscal conservatives and those who recognize that expansion of government is directly tied to shrinking individual freedom. With this said the core values of most “Tea” groups in our nation are fiscal sanity (which includes principles of free market economy), less government, and individual liberty. In addition there are many people who identify with the principles the Tea Revolution but have never attended a meeting of any sort. Although these people believe the same, they are not a “member” as the term implies.
Throughout the 8th district there are four tea groups. One is ours, We The People NC (WTPNC) and from ours came one, We the People Stanly (WTPS). Separately a group was born in Cumberland County called We The People of the Sandhills (SWTP) and another called Tea Party Patriots (TPP) which resides in Richmond County. The Richmond county group has a philosophy that is a mix between conservatism and socialism. It is a small group of about a dozen and because their core philosophy does not concur with that of other Tea groups they have alienated themselves from the mainstream of the Tea Revolution in the 8th. The Sandhills We The People started as a tea party in the spring of ’09 with around 350 patriots. Since, they have become more formally organized and have joined forces on several occasions with WTPNC. We The People Stanly, as mentioned earlier, began when a group of Stanly residence who were attending the events held by WTPNC decided to start their own organization in Stanly County. They comprise of around 250 and are currently somewhat inactive. WTPNC is comprised of a list of around 700 and holds meetings in the range of 300 – 500 which makes us the largest and most active in the 8th district.
Because we are at the center of the controversy it is necessary to elaborate some on who we are. The mission of WTPNC is “To Unite and Equip People to Preserve, Protect and Defend the U. S. Constitution”. (You can find our statement of beliefs at (http://wethepeoplenc.org/mission.htm) Dedicated to the principles of free market economy, less government and individual liberty we have worked hard to grow an organization capable of managing the activities that we see are necessary to fulfill our mission.
We were started as an organization; not as a “Tea Party” but we fully espouse the spirit of the Tea Revolution. Our meetings in 2009 were designed to reach others who were concerned about where our country was headed. Our monthly meetings grew in size very rapidly until we were meeting at 500+.
We are governed by a CEO, President and a board of directors that preside over the many activities we are engaged in. Most all activity is governed by parliamentary procedure. In addition our weekly board meetings are attended by many members who are invited to be part of the “round table”. These members are able to have as much input with their ideas as any board member. The only qualification for this participation is that they adhere to our mission, values and beliefs. This we believe has formed a successful model where there is solid management coupled with grass roots participation of the many different types of people who make up the Tea Revolution.
Our organizational structure is based on the goal to educate, organize and engage. It is made up of two legs; education and activism. Our education ranges from economic literacy and constitutional studies to training candidates and volunteers for future races. Our activism ranges from open protests to letter writing and organizing events for mass meetings.
Following our mission, vision and values it is necessary that in order to affect change we also needed a committee that can legally speak with a political voice and raise money for the candidates that we feel will advance our mission. Therefore we established a Political Action Committee (PAC). (More on this later.)
Now, which candidate and why:
Several weeks ago a controversy started when an article came out in the Independent Tribune with a title that originally said, “Local Tea Party Members Endorse Johnson”. The article tried to paint a picture that these people mentioned were all in the 8th district when in fact most were in the 9th and 12th. Since it is now proven that only one of those mentioned is a leader in the 8th district the Independent Tribune changed the title to “Regional Tea Party leaders support Johnson”. This article was a blatant attempt of the Johnson campaign to paint Harold as the tea party candidate. We didn’t even look at ourselves that way until Johnson chose to attack us and now the attacks continue with Harold saying he is the “real tea party candidate”.
It was through WTP-PAC that we researched and had face to face Q and A meetings with many candidates with whom we asked questions that reflected our core values of free market economy, limited government (shrinking government) and individual liberty. The conclusions of that committee culminated in the endorsement of eleven politicians which were publicly recognized on April 19, 2010 at an event held at the Cabarrus County Government Center. Additionally we published the endorsements in the Independent Tribune and on a voter card which was handed to voters on Election Day. One of those endorsements went to Tim D’Annunzio.
I would like to confirm that Harold Johnson is the tea party candidate…. of some…. in the 9th and 12th districts. Trouble is that you are not running in the 9th or 12th.
Harold, we had nothing against you and said nothing derogatory about you. You simply failed our qualifications when you sat across the table for 2 and ½ hours and answered questions. It was absolutely clear that you were just as uninformed on the issues in early April as you were in December and woefully empty on solutions. In addition, with the state of our nation as it is there was no sense that you were on a mission to go to Washington with a passion to save our nation from collapse.
Further it was very disturbing to find that you were asked to come to the eighth district so that the Republican Party would have someone to run against Tim D’Annunzio.
You also failed to meet with and otherwise fill out a questionnaire that We The People Sandhills asked you to fill out. http://wethepeoplenc.org/sandquestions.htm You have not earned the right to call yourself the tea party candidate in the 8th district and in fact have shown by your actions that you are more prone to do exactly as the Party have done and that is to show distain for any Tea Revolutionaries that disagree with you.
Your own rule is that when the other guy attacks you have the right to attack back but I have more integrity than that so here is my answer to your penchant to drive a wedge in the Tea Revolution. We continue to grow stronger and there are other elections coming up. Who knows, maybe by then if there are still elections you will understand these are perilous times or maybe you will still be just another empty suit given to us by a power hungry Republican Establishment who still hasn’t got it.
If there are others that think that you are capable of doing the job I hold nothing against them. If their desire is to have someone who “can beat Kissell” and it is not important that we stand up to the Party that has proven themselves so inept, so be it. If others believe as you do that we need to “slow the growth of government” instead of stopping it and reversing it, so be it. And if as you said “government must do for the people what the people can’t do for themselves” is what others agree with, then so be it. After all this is only about whether or not we will even exist as a free and prosperous nation in 2 – 4 years.
Let the record be known as it is written here that Tim D’Annunzio is the candidate that was endorsed by WTP-PAC and represents most who call themselves members of We The People NC and We The People of the Sandhills, the two largest and most active tea party groups in the eighth district.
Michael Kelly
Founder WTPNC
Categories: NC District 8 | URL: http://wp.me/pWx3D-9D
This excellent and informative presentation was provided to this Examiner.com Web site by my friend and D’Annunzio supporter Scott Manning. Verne Strickland 6/20/10.
Scott Manning
Adjutant, VFW Post 9925
Member of American Legion Post 32
Senior Vice-President, Cumberland County Veterans Council
National Rifle Association Member
District Director, FairTax NC-07
www.NCFairtax.org
www.southpawboxersnc.com
To Mr. Harold Johnson: June 19, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Since the North Carolina 8th district Republican congressional race entered a runoff it has become one of the most contentious races in the nation. One candidate claims support from the Republican Party establishment and the Tea Party and the other candidate is being attacked by the Republican Party and attacking back while also claiming support from the Tea Party. Along with the runoff candidates espousing very different ideas of how to fix our country there abounds concerned conversations with Republican Party interference and Tea Party endorsements.
Not to be lost in all this is the real reasons we are faced with this unlikely and volatile mix to start with. It boils down to this; we have been ruled by two political parties that have financially bankrupt or nation. Their mismanagement provoked a reaction in the people who assembled en-mass to protest and form Tea Party Groups who have set out to do something about it. The result of all this is a very nasty political runoff in the 8th district.
All of this has come about because of the failure of both parties to govern with sound fiscal and moral principles and then, after seeing the response of the people they continued to turn a deaf ear. Setting the Democrats aside it is clear that the Republican establishment has failed miserably to recognize why the Tea Party exists. Early on they began damage control and sought to capitalize on the Tea Revolution by pulling the Tea Partiers under the big tent. They wooed many by saying we share the same values while laughing at us behind closed doors. This is not just the spirit of our time; it is the result of many years of poor management of our nation’s resources and the Party that is supposed to represent conservatism bears the larger part of the blame. I ask you, has the party that gave us McCain shown they have changed? What Next?
First, everyone should already know but just in case, the “Tea Party” is not a political party and doesn’t intend to be. (This should put you political operatives at ease….at least on this one issue). Anyway this is why I call it the Tea Revolution. Additionally it will be necessary to give some history of the groups in the 8th district in order to clarify which candidate has the support of the Tea Revolution in the 8th district runoff and why.
For now it is necessary to digress so that we may set the stage before the runoff.
Last year when the Tea Revolution started it appeared to be a sudden reaction to the new Obama administrations massive bailouts and spending. I would like to point out that this was only a spark that ignited the Revolution. It is what lies beneath and what came before that provided the fuel for the revolution. The Tea Revolution is a visible, public display of something that has been fomenting for years.
Here are two examples.
1. For all of my adult life I have heard, “The Republicans are taking us over the same cliff, only slower”. We would laugh as if it were a joke but the truth is this statement came out of an underlying knowledge that we were headed for a disaster and both parties were complicit in creating it. We have felt this way for more than 30 years.
2. In 2007 congress decided they wanted to push amnesty which was in effect a pool of cheap labor for industry (Republicans), and more voters (Democrats). Citizens barraged congress to voice their opinion and “burning up the phones” became a household term used to describe how conservatives of all stripes stopped Amnesty. Being a year before Barak Obama was on the radar and two years before the bailouts, what caused this sudden move to stop congress?
Revolutions are never a sudden change in the attitude of the populace. They are a public manifestation of an attitude that was in the making for some time before. It is an underlying social discontent. Some historians refer to “massive social discontent” as the term used to describe what precedes a revolution.
In this nation, unlike any other in history we are we are faced with a rare opportunity to change our government peacefully because our Forefathers – and the churches - were wise enough to pen the Bill of Rights that secures our freedom to respond to this problem. I might add that this is no small entry into the annals of mankind. Consider this transcending quote by William Cobbett, "Tyranny has no enemy so formidable as the pen”. Our First amendment guarantees that we will never have to use the Second as a defense against tyranny.
Seeing that a peaceful revolution was occurring it was my intent to build a member organization capable of channeling that discontent into productive and meaningful actions that would challenge our politicians and/or replace them. After all, is there anybody that would disagree that this would be the ultimate aim of the Tea Revolution? Yes, all of us who identify with the principles will act accordingly on their own but it is just as true that without organization you will accomplish little. Imagine if no one had taken the time to organize the Obama/Celgard protest in Charlotte. So more than anything it is how much organization is needed and in this case I am asking you; how much organization is needed to save our nation from despotic dysfunctional Parties and tyranny?
Now who are those who we call Tea Revolutionaries and who are those groups in the 8th district that both candidates are referring to when they claim they are the Tea Party candidate?
The Tea Revolution is primarily made up of fiscal conservatives and those who recognize that expansion of government is directly tied to shrinking individual freedom. With this said the core values of most “Tea” groups in our nation are fiscal sanity (which includes principles of free market economy), less government, and individual liberty. In addition there are many people who identify with the principles the Tea Revolution but have never attended a meeting of any sort. Although these people believe the same, they are not a “member” as the term implies.
Throughout the 8th district there are four tea groups. One is ours, We The People NC (WTPNC) and from ours came one, We the People Stanly (WTPS). Separately a group was born in Cumberland County called We The People of the Sandhills (SWTP) and another called Tea Party Patriots (TPP) which resides in Richmond County. The Richmond county group has a philosophy that is a mix between conservatism and socialism. It is a small group of about a dozen and because their core philosophy does not concur with that of other Tea groups they have alienated themselves from the mainstream of the Tea Revolution in the 8th. The Sandhills We The People started as a tea party in the spring of ’09 with around 350 patriots. Since, they have become more formally organized and have joined forces on several occasions with WTPNC. We The People Stanly, as mentioned earlier, began when a group of Stanly residence who were attending the events held by WTPNC decided to start their own organization in Stanly County. They comprise of around 250 and are currently somewhat inactive. WTPNC is comprised of a list of around 700 and holds meetings in the range of 300 – 500 which makes us the largest and most active in the 8th district.
Because we are at the center of the controversy it is necessary to elaborate some on who we are. The mission of WTPNC is “To Unite and Equip People to Preserve, Protect and Defend the U. S. Constitution”. (You can find our statement of beliefs at (http://wethepeoplenc.org/mission.htm) Dedicated to the principles of free market economy, less government and individual liberty we have worked hard to grow an organization capable of managing the activities that we see are necessary to fulfill our mission.
We were started as an organization; not as a “Tea Party” but we fully espouse the spirit of the Tea Revolution. Our meetings in 2009 were designed to reach others who were concerned about where our country was headed. Our monthly meetings grew in size very rapidly until we were meeting at 500+.
We are governed by a CEO, President and a board of directors that preside over the many activities we are engaged in. Most all activity is governed by parliamentary procedure. In addition our weekly board meetings are attended by many members who are invited to be part of the “round table”. These members are able to have as much input with their ideas as any board member. The only qualification for this participation is that they adhere to our mission, values and beliefs. This we believe has formed a successful model where there is solid management coupled with grass roots participation of the many different types of people who make up the Tea Revolution.
Our organizational structure is based on the goal to educate, organize and engage. It is made up of two legs; education and activism. Our education ranges from economic literacy and constitutional studies to training candidates and volunteers for future races. Our activism ranges from open protests to letter writing and organizing events for mass meetings.
Following our mission, vision and values it is necessary that in order to affect change we also needed a committee that can legally speak with a political voice and raise money for the candidates that we feel will advance our mission. Therefore we established a Political Action Committee (PAC). (More on this later.)
Now, which candidate and why:
Several weeks ago a controversy started when an article came out in the Independent Tribune with a title that originally said, “Local Tea Party Members Endorse Johnson”. The article tried to paint a picture that these people mentioned were all in the 8th district when in fact most were in the 9th and 12th. Since it is now proven that only one of those mentioned is a leader in the 8th district the Independent Tribune changed the title to “Regional Tea Party leaders support Johnson”. This article was a blatant attempt of the Johnson campaign to paint Harold as the tea party candidate. We didn’t even look at ourselves that way until Johnson chose to attack us and now the attacks continue with Harold saying he is the “real tea party candidate”.
It was through WTP-PAC that we researched and had face to face Q and A meetings with many candidates with whom we asked questions that reflected our core values of free market economy, limited government (shrinking government) and individual liberty. The conclusions of that committee culminated in the endorsement of eleven politicians which were publicly recognized on April 19, 2010 at an event held at the Cabarrus County Government Center. Additionally we published the endorsements in the Independent Tribune and on a voter card which was handed to voters on Election Day. One of those endorsements went to Tim D’Annunzio.
I would like to confirm that Harold Johnson is the tea party candidate…. of some…. in the 9th and 12th districts. Trouble is that you are not running in the 9th or 12th.
Harold, we had nothing against you and said nothing derogatory about you. You simply failed our qualifications when you sat across the table for 2 and ½ hours and answered questions. It was absolutely clear that you were just as uninformed on the issues in early April as you were in December and woefully empty on solutions. In addition, with the state of our nation as it is there was no sense that you were on a mission to go to Washington with a passion to save our nation from collapse.
Further it was very disturbing to find that you were asked to come to the eighth district so that the Republican Party would have someone to run against Tim D’Annunzio.
You also failed to meet with and otherwise fill out a questionnaire that We The People Sandhills asked you to fill out. http://wethepeoplenc.org/sandquestions.htm You have not earned the right to call yourself the tea party candidate in the 8th district and in fact have shown by your actions that you are more prone to do exactly as the Party have done and that is to show distain for any Tea Revolutionaries that disagree with you.
Your own rule is that when the other guy attacks you have the right to attack back but I have more integrity than that so here is my answer to your penchant to drive a wedge in the Tea Revolution. We continue to grow stronger and there are other elections coming up. Who knows, maybe by then if there are still elections you will understand these are perilous times or maybe you will still be just another empty suit given to us by a power hungry Republican Establishment who still hasn’t got it.
If there are others that think that you are capable of doing the job I hold nothing against them. If their desire is to have someone who “can beat Kissell” and it is not important that we stand up to the Party that has proven themselves so inept, so be it. If others believe as you do that we need to “slow the growth of government” instead of stopping it and reversing it, so be it. And if as you said “government must do for the people what the people can’t do for themselves” is what others agree with, then so be it. After all this is only about whether or not we will even exist as a free and prosperous nation in 2 – 4 years.
Let the record be known as it is written here that Tim D’Annunzio is the candidate that was endorsed by WTP-PAC and represents most who call themselves members of We The People NC and We The People of the Sandhills, the two largest and most active tea party groups in the eighth district.
Michael Kelly
Founder WTPNC
Categories: NC District 8 | URL: http://wp.me/pWx3D-9D
This excellent and informative presentation was provided to this Examiner.com Web site by my friend and D’Annunzio supporter Scott Manning. Verne Strickland 6/20/10.
Scott Manning
Adjutant, VFW Post 9925
Member of American Legion Post 32
Senior Vice-President, Cumberland County Veterans Council
National Rifle Association Member
District Director, FairTax NC-07
www.NCFairtax.org
www.southpawboxersnc.com
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tim D’Annunzio’s battle plan to win NC-8 GOP runoff found in Holy Bible -- Joshua, Chapter Eight.
On June 22, Republicans in the Eighth Congressional District of North Carolina will choose their nominee to go up against Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell in November.
The choice will be Timothy D’Annunzio or Harold Johnson.
D’Annunzio can win, and probably will – if his supporters go to the polls and vote.
Harold Johnson has the machine. But Tim D’Annunzio has the cause. People don’t love the machine. But they will die for a cause.
The turn-out will be low. This makes every ballot cast for D’Annunzio a stampeding herd. Don’t underestimate that power.
Liking Tim D’Annunzio won’t be enough. That’s only an emotion. You have to go to the polls and cast your vote. That’s an action. You have to do this. It’s the right thing to do.
In a recent interview, I asked Tim about his battle plan – his strategy to prevail in this important run-off election.
He said, “Joshua, Chapter 8.”
That is what he said. And here’s how he explained it.
“Joshua, Chapter 8, is the story of how the Israelites had been put to flight in some of their recent battles, and God tells Joshua to take half his forces and hide them on the side of the roads. Then go up against the city of Ai again, but showing only half the force.
“When the enemy, seeing only a weak force, comes out of the city to attack, act like you are going to run away. Then, as you’re running away, the Israelites who are in hiding on the sides of the roads should come out in an ambush that leads to victory. That is what God told Joshua. And that is what happened.
“I’m thinking that, in the same way, there is this group of people no one knows are there – hiding on the sides of the road – waiting to come out on election day . . . (he pauses) . . . look, I believe in a big God. I think, if it’s His will for me to win, it doesn’t matter what the polls say. Doesn’t matter what the odds are, I’m going to win.
“If He has a different plan, that’s what’s going happen. Either way, I’m fine with it. Of course I have my preferences with how I think it should play out, but I always try to come back to that final understanding – no, not my will, but Thine be done.
“I believe that truly it is God’s will that is contained in those pages, and I believe this is the plan God has for me.”
Tim has said that it would take “a miracle” to win the runoff election. I asked him if he believes in Miracles.
“Well, absolutely. That is how I would classify a victory in this case under any circumstances. But I sense there is some sort of silent groundswell out there that will be ignited on the day of the run-off. And what I would tell those people who are waiting in ambush is to attack at the polls and win this election. Just get out and vote. Put the power that God gives us into action.
“I knew this time would come, the attacks would come. This is the way the enemy always works. They always attack in this same way. One of the reasons they do it is because it is so effective.
“When these attacks come, rather than ripping into them in any depth, we must run from them, just as Joshua did in God’s battle plan. Run from the attacks and the demonization. That’s where we lose. These same attacks are going to come, and they have.
“It has been widely reported that the polls have turned against us. This is directly related to these negative attack ads. But in our own poll we asked what would voters think if they knew that the attacks were completely unfounded and baseless? With that question, we returned to our position in the lead and winning.
“So we are just trying to get message out – the attacks are baseless. Just misrepresentations and mischaracterizations, exaggerration in the extreme of events that have happened in the past. That’s where our full effort will be now. Getting our message out. And we believe that will get our people out.”
http://www.timvote.com/
This note from our friend Jonathan Y. Alligood: “Early vote today for TIM D'ANNUNZIO at your local Board of Elections in the NC-8. Those of you in the NC-13, please vote for BILL RANDALL. Now is the time to decide and ensure that we have true conservatives running for Congress in November. JUST DO IT!!!”
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125026217512987&v=wall#!/alligobbler
ALSO SEE: http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner~y2010m6d18-In-NC8th-GOP-runoff-pick-the-man-with-the-best-qualities-not-the-one-with-the-best-connections
On June 22, Republicans in the Eighth Congressional District of North Carolina will choose their nominee to go up against Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell in November.
The choice will be Timothy D’Annunzio or Harold Johnson.
D’Annunzio can win, and probably will – if his supporters go to the polls and vote.
Harold Johnson has the machine. But Tim D’Annunzio has the cause. People don’t love the machine. But they will die for a cause.
The turn-out will be low. This makes every ballot cast for D’Annunzio a stampeding herd. Don’t underestimate that power.
Liking Tim D’Annunzio won’t be enough. That’s only an emotion. You have to go to the polls and cast your vote. That’s an action. You have to do this. It’s the right thing to do.
In a recent interview, I asked Tim about his battle plan – his strategy to prevail in this important run-off election.
He said, “Joshua, Chapter 8.”
That is what he said. And here’s how he explained it.
“Joshua, Chapter 8, is the story of how the Israelites had been put to flight in some of their recent battles, and God tells Joshua to take half his forces and hide them on the side of the roads. Then go up against the city of Ai again, but showing only half the force.
“When the enemy, seeing only a weak force, comes out of the city to attack, act like you are going to run away. Then, as you’re running away, the Israelites who are in hiding on the sides of the roads should come out in an ambush that leads to victory. That is what God told Joshua. And that is what happened.
“I’m thinking that, in the same way, there is this group of people no one knows are there – hiding on the sides of the road – waiting to come out on election day . . . (he pauses) . . . look, I believe in a big God. I think, if it’s His will for me to win, it doesn’t matter what the polls say. Doesn’t matter what the odds are, I’m going to win.
“If He has a different plan, that’s what’s going happen. Either way, I’m fine with it. Of course I have my preferences with how I think it should play out, but I always try to come back to that final understanding – no, not my will, but Thine be done.
“I believe that truly it is God’s will that is contained in those pages, and I believe this is the plan God has for me.”
Tim has said that it would take “a miracle” to win the runoff election. I asked him if he believes in Miracles.
“Well, absolutely. That is how I would classify a victory in this case under any circumstances. But I sense there is some sort of silent groundswell out there that will be ignited on the day of the run-off. And what I would tell those people who are waiting in ambush is to attack at the polls and win this election. Just get out and vote. Put the power that God gives us into action.
“I knew this time would come, the attacks would come. This is the way the enemy always works. They always attack in this same way. One of the reasons they do it is because it is so effective.
“When these attacks come, rather than ripping into them in any depth, we must run from them, just as Joshua did in God’s battle plan. Run from the attacks and the demonization. That’s where we lose. These same attacks are going to come, and they have.
“It has been widely reported that the polls have turned against us. This is directly related to these negative attack ads. But in our own poll we asked what would voters think if they knew that the attacks were completely unfounded and baseless? With that question, we returned to our position in the lead and winning.
“So we are just trying to get message out – the attacks are baseless. Just misrepresentations and mischaracterizations, exaggerration in the extreme of events that have happened in the past. That’s where our full effort will be now. Getting our message out. And we believe that will get our people out.”
http://www.timvote.com/
This note from our friend Jonathan Y. Alligood: “Early vote today for TIM D'ANNUNZIO at your local Board of Elections in the NC-8. Those of you in the NC-13, please vote for BILL RANDALL. Now is the time to decide and ensure that we have true conservatives running for Congress in November. JUST DO IT!!!”
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125026217512987&v=wall#!/alligobbler
ALSO SEE: http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner~y2010m6d18-In-NC8th-GOP-runoff-pick-the-man-with-the-best-qualities-not-the-one-with-the-best-connections
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Joseph McCarthy got what pompous demagogue Woodrow Wilson deserved
I bought a copy of “The Great Influenza” Penguin Books 2004 by John M. Barry, to get the inside story of “The Deadliest Plague in History”. I got that. Frightening. Overwhelming. Singular. Sobering. A dance of deadly microbes, rampant strangulation, courageous researchers, helpless victims by the millions.
There was an unexpected bonus. The lavishly descriptive historic document, describing the scientific and social upheaval which surrounded the global 1917-18 mega-event, exposed the political scandal of the Democrats’ own Joseph McCarthy – one Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States.
What a joy it was to read the insane (read “insane”) demagoguery of this strange, callous human being, whose ventures into censorship, fanaticism, domestic spying, scandal-mongering, and intimidation of American citizens, are enough to absolve the patriotic Joseph McCarthy of his so-called “excesses” (so-called by Democrats of the liberal persuasion) in flushing out communists and pseudo-communists during the 1950s.
All of those accused of selling out America during the McCarthyite “witch hunts” were, needless to say, not Communists. But, for me, just lighting a fire on the tail feathers of U.S. intellectuals, Hollywood cynics, left-wing radicals, and Communist sympathizers of the time, was cathartic, rewarding, satisfying.
I don’t hate Joseph McCarthy. I never did. While he might have thrown a few wild pitches, he also threw a hell of a lot of strikes, and for that I give him a whole chorus of atta-boys.
What I did hate, and do yet, is treacherous, lying, deceitful, America-hating God-awful communism – scourge of freedom everywhere, and murderer of the masses in the millions. The only thing that stopped its excesses at our shores were the so-called “excesses” of patriots like Joe McCarthy. And there were none like him.
Senator McCarthy had a lot going against him before he even launched his bid to thwart communist leanings in the United States. For one thing, the man looked evil. That was not his own failing.
Everyone is answerable to one’s own DNA, which apportions appearance, temperament, talent, intelligence (or lack thereof), longevity, vulnerability to one disease or another, and preference of a political party. (No, strike that last. It is suspected but not proven.)
Want to spread out the wings of this little flight of fantasy? Many look evil. Maybe I do as well. Dark eyes, black hair (okay, that was 30 years ago), scowling, but with a certain beguiling devil-may-care expression one might even call handsome. Hey, where did all this go off the rails?
But Joe McCarthy? He was easy to dislike. Especially if you were a little sensitive about someone flaring off about communists to begin with. So the intellectuals, “las artistas favoritas”, the union shills, the darlings of Hollywood, the Woody Guthries, the Walter Reuthers, they really got their butts in a snit over anyone who in the press even suggested that communists weren’t good for Amerika. Me? I was lonely back then, and am even more lonely today. From an idealogical perspective, anyway.
But let’s turn back the clock to the days of Woodrow Wilson’s smothering attack on freedom in the United States, when no excuse could make up for his insufferable assaults on the rights of the average citizens of this country.
You must ask yourself – have you ever read about these despotic campaigns put in motion by President Woodrow Wilson? Not me. I was ignorant of this whole revolting period of executive excesses until I undertook to learn about influenza. Thank God I did. Because I intend to use this chance encounter with truth to hold the heads of the great Democratic liberals of the World War I era underwater until Nancy Pelosi cries, “Will you dammit quit waterboarding already?”
I don’t know all there is to know about this strange interlude of U.S. history, which is buried beneath the shame and treachery of liberal America when the media (as they do now) give a pass to leftist causes.
But I will learn. In the meantime, I will share with you information exposed by John M. Barry of the rampant, rabid despotism of the dour Mr. Woody Wilson, president of the United States 1913-21, who held his own nation captive in his steely, top-hatted, frosty grip for years, then ducked into the history books with not a whimper about his disgraceful antics for which to apologize.
I was born in 1937. Not a year eliciting universal excitement and ardor for its historic importance, would you say? But I can hardly be blamed for that. I couldn’t talk intelligibly at the time, have made some tenuous improvement in that department since, didn’t have a clue about how to write, and political parties were as strange to me as pasteurized milk. But the war to end all wars, while it was kaput, was only a precursor to the wars to end all worlds. So in some sense this was a pivotal time – if not for mankind, at least for me.
Here are some of the thunderclap revelations that John M. Barry, brilliant author of “The Great Influenza”, gives us based on his research into the life and times of Woodrow, who went in a chameleonic transformation from isolationist to liberal internationalist to global interventionalist, forging swords from ploughshares and inserting the United States into the bloody, ravenous, unforgiving trenches of Europe.
In his zeal, Wilson portrayed his fellow Americans as traitors, protestors as enemies, and bewildered citizens as onerous miscreants. In his transformation from spineless caterpillar to flitting butterfly, he left no doubt that he wanted war, and proclaimed that those who disagreed would be ground under his heel.
Author John Barry writes:
“The hard line was designed to intimidate those reluctant to support the war into doing so, and to crush or eliminate those would not. Even before entering the war, Wilson had warned Congress, 'There are citizens of the United States, I blush to admit . . . who have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life . . . Such creatures of passion, disloyalty and anarchy must be crushed out.’”
Mr. Barry’s stunning revelations continue:
“The government compelled conformity, controlled speech in ways, frightening ways, not known in America before or since. Soon after the declaration of war, Wilson pushed the Espionage Act through a cooperative Congress, which balked only at legalizing outright press censorship – despite Wilson’s calling it 'an imperative necessity.'"
And this – an outrageous, in-your-face capitulation to federal government thuggery “justified” by presidential fiat:
“Thousands of government posters and advertisements urged people to report to the Justice Department anyone ‘who spreads pessimistic stories, divulges – or seeks – confidential military information, cries for peace, or belittles our effort to win the war.’ Wilson himself began speaking of the ‘sinister intrigue’ in America carried on ‘high and low’ by agents and dupes.”
There’s more – much more. Not Hitler, not Stalin not Mussolini exceeded the iron grip of our own homegrown despot, President Woodrow Wilson, in wresting the will of the nation from its own citizens. But this shameful chapter is purged from the history books, hid from prying eyes, and left to fester in the archives of the Democratic Party of yesteryear.
McCarthyism? An instant, iconic catchphrase, capable of evoking visions of sinister clandestine warfare against – what? Innocent, decent Americans? Or scurrilous cells of Communist conspirators? And Wilsonism? Why what is that? Sounds vaguely familiar, yet benign, and totally innocuous. The difference is that the president, the press and the denizens of the left conspired to demonize the one and market the other.
The story presented here, from the pages of author John M. Barry’s “The Great Influenza”: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plaque in History – A New York Times Bestseller—reveals itself to be not only a fearsome tale of pandemic ferocity, but an expose as well of the untold story of the Democratic Party’s scandalous precursor to McCarthyism, which would not emerge on the American scene until almost 40 years later. Truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes late in arriving. But thank God – here it is.
This, then, is what history tells us about the despotic, even demonic tyrant Woodrow Wilson.
Then along came Barack Hussein Obama.
FOR MORE ARTICLES BY VERNE STRICKLAND, VISIT:
http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner
I bought a copy of “The Great Influenza” Penguin Books 2004 by John M. Barry, to get the inside story of “The Deadliest Plague in History”. I got that. Frightening. Overwhelming. Singular. Sobering. A dance of deadly microbes, rampant strangulation, courageous researchers, helpless victims by the millions.
There was an unexpected bonus. The lavishly descriptive historic document, describing the scientific and social upheaval which surrounded the global 1917-18 mega-event, exposed the political scandal of the Democrats’ own Joseph McCarthy – one Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States.
What a joy it was to read the insane (read “insane”) demagoguery of this strange, callous human being, whose ventures into censorship, fanaticism, domestic spying, scandal-mongering, and intimidation of American citizens, are enough to absolve the patriotic Joseph McCarthy of his so-called “excesses” (so-called by Democrats of the liberal persuasion) in flushing out communists and pseudo-communists during the 1950s.
All of those accused of selling out America during the McCarthyite “witch hunts” were, needless to say, not Communists. But, for me, just lighting a fire on the tail feathers of U.S. intellectuals, Hollywood cynics, left-wing radicals, and Communist sympathizers of the time, was cathartic, rewarding, satisfying.
I don’t hate Joseph McCarthy. I never did. While he might have thrown a few wild pitches, he also threw a hell of a lot of strikes, and for that I give him a whole chorus of atta-boys.
What I did hate, and do yet, is treacherous, lying, deceitful, America-hating God-awful communism – scourge of freedom everywhere, and murderer of the masses in the millions. The only thing that stopped its excesses at our shores were the so-called “excesses” of patriots like Joe McCarthy. And there were none like him.
Senator McCarthy had a lot going against him before he even launched his bid to thwart communist leanings in the United States. For one thing, the man looked evil. That was not his own failing.
Everyone is answerable to one’s own DNA, which apportions appearance, temperament, talent, intelligence (or lack thereof), longevity, vulnerability to one disease or another, and preference of a political party. (No, strike that last. It is suspected but not proven.)
Want to spread out the wings of this little flight of fantasy? Many look evil. Maybe I do as well. Dark eyes, black hair (okay, that was 30 years ago), scowling, but with a certain beguiling devil-may-care expression one might even call handsome. Hey, where did all this go off the rails?
But Joe McCarthy? He was easy to dislike. Especially if you were a little sensitive about someone flaring off about communists to begin with. So the intellectuals, “las artistas favoritas”, the union shills, the darlings of Hollywood, the Woody Guthries, the Walter Reuthers, they really got their butts in a snit over anyone who in the press even suggested that communists weren’t good for Amerika. Me? I was lonely back then, and am even more lonely today. From an idealogical perspective, anyway.
But let’s turn back the clock to the days of Woodrow Wilson’s smothering attack on freedom in the United States, when no excuse could make up for his insufferable assaults on the rights of the average citizens of this country.
You must ask yourself – have you ever read about these despotic campaigns put in motion by President Woodrow Wilson? Not me. I was ignorant of this whole revolting period of executive excesses until I undertook to learn about influenza. Thank God I did. Because I intend to use this chance encounter with truth to hold the heads of the great Democratic liberals of the World War I era underwater until Nancy Pelosi cries, “Will you dammit quit waterboarding already?”
I don’t know all there is to know about this strange interlude of U.S. history, which is buried beneath the shame and treachery of liberal America when the media (as they do now) give a pass to leftist causes.
But I will learn. In the meantime, I will share with you information exposed by John M. Barry of the rampant, rabid despotism of the dour Mr. Woody Wilson, president of the United States 1913-21, who held his own nation captive in his steely, top-hatted, frosty grip for years, then ducked into the history books with not a whimper about his disgraceful antics for which to apologize.
I was born in 1937. Not a year eliciting universal excitement and ardor for its historic importance, would you say? But I can hardly be blamed for that. I couldn’t talk intelligibly at the time, have made some tenuous improvement in that department since, didn’t have a clue about how to write, and political parties were as strange to me as pasteurized milk. But the war to end all wars, while it was kaput, was only a precursor to the wars to end all worlds. So in some sense this was a pivotal time – if not for mankind, at least for me.
Here are some of the thunderclap revelations that John M. Barry, brilliant author of “The Great Influenza”, gives us based on his research into the life and times of Woodrow, who went in a chameleonic transformation from isolationist to liberal internationalist to global interventionalist, forging swords from ploughshares and inserting the United States into the bloody, ravenous, unforgiving trenches of Europe.
In his zeal, Wilson portrayed his fellow Americans as traitors, protestors as enemies, and bewildered citizens as onerous miscreants. In his transformation from spineless caterpillar to flitting butterfly, he left no doubt that he wanted war, and proclaimed that those who disagreed would be ground under his heel.
Author John Barry writes:
“The hard line was designed to intimidate those reluctant to support the war into doing so, and to crush or eliminate those would not. Even before entering the war, Wilson had warned Congress, 'There are citizens of the United States, I blush to admit . . . who have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life . . . Such creatures of passion, disloyalty and anarchy must be crushed out.’”
Mr. Barry’s stunning revelations continue:
“The government compelled conformity, controlled speech in ways, frightening ways, not known in America before or since. Soon after the declaration of war, Wilson pushed the Espionage Act through a cooperative Congress, which balked only at legalizing outright press censorship – despite Wilson’s calling it 'an imperative necessity.'"
And this – an outrageous, in-your-face capitulation to federal government thuggery “justified” by presidential fiat:
“Thousands of government posters and advertisements urged people to report to the Justice Department anyone ‘who spreads pessimistic stories, divulges – or seeks – confidential military information, cries for peace, or belittles our effort to win the war.’ Wilson himself began speaking of the ‘sinister intrigue’ in America carried on ‘high and low’ by agents and dupes.”
There’s more – much more. Not Hitler, not Stalin not Mussolini exceeded the iron grip of our own homegrown despot, President Woodrow Wilson, in wresting the will of the nation from its own citizens. But this shameful chapter is purged from the history books, hid from prying eyes, and left to fester in the archives of the Democratic Party of yesteryear.
McCarthyism? An instant, iconic catchphrase, capable of evoking visions of sinister clandestine warfare against – what? Innocent, decent Americans? Or scurrilous cells of Communist conspirators? And Wilsonism? Why what is that? Sounds vaguely familiar, yet benign, and totally innocuous. The difference is that the president, the press and the denizens of the left conspired to demonize the one and market the other.
The story presented here, from the pages of author John M. Barry’s “The Great Influenza”: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plaque in History – A New York Times Bestseller—reveals itself to be not only a fearsome tale of pandemic ferocity, but an expose as well of the untold story of the Democratic Party’s scandalous precursor to McCarthyism, which would not emerge on the American scene until almost 40 years later. Truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes late in arriving. But thank God – here it is.
This, then, is what history tells us about the despotic, even demonic tyrant Woodrow Wilson.
Then along came Barack Hussein Obama.
FOR MORE ARTICLES BY VERNE STRICKLAND, VISIT:
http://www.examiner.com/x-42565-NC-7th-Elections-2010-Examiner
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A North Carolinian recalls China three years after Mao's death
China. 1979. I walked across the Beijing airport’s dusty tarmac in the Autumn dusk, my heart pounding with excitement.
It had taken me two years to get here. Not because I had taken the trip on foot, but because the Chinese Communist government did not trust me – because I was a foreigner, because I was an American, because I was a Western journalist, and possibly because of my close ties to U.S Senator Jesse Helms.
The implacable conservative from North Carolina was hated with a vengeance by communists everywhere, and equally by U.S. liberals, who called him “Senator No” for his refusal to go along with every piece of legislation they held dear. Their fury and frustration were palpable
Jesse Helms’ influence was considerable. With Republicans in the majority in Washington, Helms had ascended to the post of Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and later to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (his main goal all along.)
In earlier years, I had been hired by Helms to ghost write some of his conservative editorials aired as “Viewpoint”on WRAL-TV in Raleigh, and to report agricultural news, a post which at the time dealt largely with North Carolina’s tobacco-rich heritage.
There were delays, excuses, rebuffs, letters of inquiry, mostly through the Chinese consulate in Canada. The U.S. at the time had no diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China. This made it tougher, but heightened the appeal and challenge for me, a North Carolina television journalist.
If agriculture seems a tame beat, it wasn’t in my case. I was able to satiate my yearning for travel, visiting over 30 countries during my fifteen-year tenure at the Raleigh station. But, for me, the plum was always China. Mysterious, forbidding, elusive China.
I sought help wherever it was available, creating friendships with many old China hands who were quick to encourage me. One was Herbert Hitch, now deceased, who as a U.S. Navy second lieutenant, became one of America’s key links to the Communist forces, befriending Mao Tse Tung along the way.
Hitch, also a U.S. intelligence agent, was entrusted by Mao to deliver a letter to the U.S. Joint Chiefs in Washington, asking for American support to defeat both the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist armies.
When the Joint Chiefs refused to help Mao, the gritty old warrior determined to never seek U.S. cooperation again, and China skidded inexorably into Communist hands.
Introduced to Hitch in Charlotte, I told him about my plan – perhaps better described as a slim hope – suggesting that he try to return to China, and meet again with his old pal Mao, who was still alive at the time.
“If you can get in, I want you to take me along,” I pleaded. “If you can see Mao, I will be on hand to report the story. It will be a great coup for you as well as for me.”
Hitch had contacts. Good ones. He went to Juanita Kreps, former Duke University vice president who was then U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Kreps agreed to intercede with the PRC bigwigs in Herbert’s behalf.
He also took his case to Mrs. Seymour Topping, wife of the managing editor of The New York Times, who had her own circle of friends within the Communist hierarchy. She knew Hitch and was impressed with his idea. Things were looking promising.
But finally, the Chinese dashed Herbert Hitch’s hopes, as well as mine.
“They won’t let me in,” he said, “presumably because I was in foreign intelligence. They still see me as an American agent.”
What a story that would have been. I hated to see the opportunity slip by. It would be gone forever. Mao passed away in 1976.
The months dragged on. A friend with the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service tipped me off that the PRC rarely allowed entrance by individuals, but were more receptive to “educational” groups with the right agenda.
I saw an opening. North Carolina had been a leading exporter of U.S flue-cured tobacco to China, but the trade had dropped precipitously in the wake of the Communist takeover and a growing distrust of America.
I started anew, appointing a tobacco trade “committee” from among my farm and university friends, and pitching this possibility to the PRC through their consulate in Canada. Things warmed up, then stalled again.
Finally, I was on a plane with Gov. Jim Hunt and a North Carolina export group in Europe. Seated alone with the Governor for a few minutes away from the rest of the group, I unveiled my hopes and as well as my frustration..
“I don’t have the clout to bring this off on my own,” I said. “Will you pick up the initiative, contact the Chinese as Governor of the leading U.S. tobacco-producing state, and ask to bring my group with you? If you can get the invitation, I’d like you take over as head of the mission, and we all get in.”
A politician with a keen eye for publicity and promotion, Hunt took the lure. He would be the first North Carolina governor in history to visit China, with the prospect of reopening what once was a lucrative tobacco export business.
Within a couple of months, we were on our way. Our group spent three weeks in China, entering at Beijing, then heading south to Shanghai, a city which displayed striking Western influences from its days as a haven for British and American businessmen.
Shanghai had become gray and drab under the austere influence of the Chinese Communist Party, but it still had the feel of a thoroughbred straining against the reins to break into a run.
The morning that we were scheduled to leave Shanghai to head into the interior, I was awakened by the sound of music blaring from loudspeakers across the city. I pushed open the old leaded window to listen more closely.
Below me, on the roof of every building in sight, hundreds of people moved through the slow, graceful choreography of a Tai Chi workout. It was thrilling to see.
But my greatest surprise came as I recognized the strains of “On Top of Old Smoky” rolling across this Chinese city on the other side of the world. The tune is a traditional folk song about life and love in the North Carolina mountains. I chuckled aloud, realizing that the music director surely had no idea of the capitalist origins of his selection.
In Beijing and Shanghai, our white faces at times seemed to shock people on the street. They were curious, but never hostile. Communist fervor rarely infects the dominated masses.
We rode a steam train deep into the Eastern provinces to visit China’s tobacco production and manufacturing centers. There the U.S. tobacco mission made the trade contacts it had sought.
But for me, perhaps the most memorable and touching moment came in a port city whose bay opened onto the South China Sea.
As I walked alone on the sand near our hotel, a young man approached. As we closed to within a few feet of one another, he stopped, and asked, “Are you English?”
“American,” I replied.
He looked at me almost with relief.
“One day I hope to go there,” he said.
He was an English teacher in the local schools. This accounted for the ease with which he spoke the language.
After we talked for a few moments, he asked if I had any U.S. newspapers or magazines that he could read.
“Back in the hotel,” I answered.
He begged me to share some with him, as he never saw English news publications, and desperately wanted this chance to read them. I agreed to bring a magazine to him.
Then, speaking almost fearfully, he said he would hide by a small boathouse on the beach until I returned.
Furtively, I brought back a “Time” magazine. He was still there, almost beside himself with excitement as he flipped through the pages.
“America,” he said, smiling while tears welled in his eyes, “the land of the free.”
This moment was my China trip. I saw America then through different eyes. My country. Blessed by God. Taken for granted by many of us so fortunate to live there.
I prayed that my Chinese friend would someday realize his dream.
China. 1979. I walked across the Beijing airport’s dusty tarmac in the Autumn dusk, my heart pounding with excitement.
It had taken me two years to get here. Not because I had taken the trip on foot, but because the Chinese Communist government did not trust me – because I was a foreigner, because I was an American, because I was a Western journalist, and possibly because of my close ties to U.S Senator Jesse Helms.
The implacable conservative from North Carolina was hated with a vengeance by communists everywhere, and equally by U.S. liberals, who called him “Senator No” for his refusal to go along with every piece of legislation they held dear. Their fury and frustration were palpable
Jesse Helms’ influence was considerable. With Republicans in the majority in Washington, Helms had ascended to the post of Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and later to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (his main goal all along.)
In earlier years, I had been hired by Helms to ghost write some of his conservative editorials aired as “Viewpoint”on WRAL-TV in Raleigh, and to report agricultural news, a post which at the time dealt largely with North Carolina’s tobacco-rich heritage.
There were delays, excuses, rebuffs, letters of inquiry, mostly through the Chinese consulate in Canada. The U.S. at the time had no diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China. This made it tougher, but heightened the appeal and challenge for me, a North Carolina television journalist.
If agriculture seems a tame beat, it wasn’t in my case. I was able to satiate my yearning for travel, visiting over 30 countries during my fifteen-year tenure at the Raleigh station. But, for me, the plum was always China. Mysterious, forbidding, elusive China.
I sought help wherever it was available, creating friendships with many old China hands who were quick to encourage me. One was Herbert Hitch, now deceased, who as a U.S. Navy second lieutenant, became one of America’s key links to the Communist forces, befriending Mao Tse Tung along the way.
Hitch, also a U.S. intelligence agent, was entrusted by Mao to deliver a letter to the U.S. Joint Chiefs in Washington, asking for American support to defeat both the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist armies.
When the Joint Chiefs refused to help Mao, the gritty old warrior determined to never seek U.S. cooperation again, and China skidded inexorably into Communist hands.
Introduced to Hitch in Charlotte, I told him about my plan – perhaps better described as a slim hope – suggesting that he try to return to China, and meet again with his old pal Mao, who was still alive at the time.
“If you can get in, I want you to take me along,” I pleaded. “If you can see Mao, I will be on hand to report the story. It will be a great coup for you as well as for me.”
Hitch had contacts. Good ones. He went to Juanita Kreps, former Duke University vice president who was then U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Kreps agreed to intercede with the PRC bigwigs in Herbert’s behalf.
He also took his case to Mrs. Seymour Topping, wife of the managing editor of The New York Times, who had her own circle of friends within the Communist hierarchy. She knew Hitch and was impressed with his idea. Things were looking promising.
But finally, the Chinese dashed Herbert Hitch’s hopes, as well as mine.
“They won’t let me in,” he said, “presumably because I was in foreign intelligence. They still see me as an American agent.”
What a story that would have been. I hated to see the opportunity slip by. It would be gone forever. Mao passed away in 1976.
The months dragged on. A friend with the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service tipped me off that the PRC rarely allowed entrance by individuals, but were more receptive to “educational” groups with the right agenda.
I saw an opening. North Carolina had been a leading exporter of U.S flue-cured tobacco to China, but the trade had dropped precipitously in the wake of the Communist takeover and a growing distrust of America.
I started anew, appointing a tobacco trade “committee” from among my farm and university friends, and pitching this possibility to the PRC through their consulate in Canada. Things warmed up, then stalled again.
Finally, I was on a plane with Gov. Jim Hunt and a North Carolina export group in Europe. Seated alone with the Governor for a few minutes away from the rest of the group, I unveiled my hopes and as well as my frustration..
“I don’t have the clout to bring this off on my own,” I said. “Will you pick up the initiative, contact the Chinese as Governor of the leading U.S. tobacco-producing state, and ask to bring my group with you? If you can get the invitation, I’d like you take over as head of the mission, and we all get in.”
A politician with a keen eye for publicity and promotion, Hunt took the lure. He would be the first North Carolina governor in history to visit China, with the prospect of reopening what once was a lucrative tobacco export business.
Within a couple of months, we were on our way. Our group spent three weeks in China, entering at Beijing, then heading south to Shanghai, a city which displayed striking Western influences from its days as a haven for British and American businessmen.
Shanghai had become gray and drab under the austere influence of the Chinese Communist Party, but it still had the feel of a thoroughbred straining against the reins to break into a run.
The morning that we were scheduled to leave Shanghai to head into the interior, I was awakened by the sound of music blaring from loudspeakers across the city. I pushed open the old leaded window to listen more closely.
Below me, on the roof of every building in sight, hundreds of people moved through the slow, graceful choreography of a Tai Chi workout. It was thrilling to see.
But my greatest surprise came as I recognized the strains of “On Top of Old Smoky” rolling across this Chinese city on the other side of the world. The tune is a traditional folk song about life and love in the North Carolina mountains. I chuckled aloud, realizing that the music director surely had no idea of the capitalist origins of his selection.
In Beijing and Shanghai, our white faces at times seemed to shock people on the street. They were curious, but never hostile. Communist fervor rarely infects the dominated masses.
We rode a steam train deep into the Eastern provinces to visit China’s tobacco production and manufacturing centers. There the U.S. tobacco mission made the trade contacts it had sought.
But for me, perhaps the most memorable and touching moment came in a port city whose bay opened onto the South China Sea.
As I walked alone on the sand near our hotel, a young man approached. As we closed to within a few feet of one another, he stopped, and asked, “Are you English?”
“American,” I replied.
He looked at me almost with relief.
“One day I hope to go there,” he said.
He was an English teacher in the local schools. This accounted for the ease with which he spoke the language.
After we talked for a few moments, he asked if I had any U.S. newspapers or magazines that he could read.
“Back in the hotel,” I answered.
He begged me to share some with him, as he never saw English news publications, and desperately wanted this chance to read them. I agreed to bring a magazine to him.
Then, speaking almost fearfully, he said he would hide by a small boathouse on the beach until I returned.
Furtively, I brought back a “Time” magazine. He was still there, almost beside himself with excitement as he flipped through the pages.
“America,” he said, smiling while tears welled in his eyes, “the land of the free.”
This moment was my China trip. I saw America then through different eyes. My country. Blessed by God. Taken for granted by many of us so fortunate to live there.
I prayed that my Chinese friend would someday realize his dream.
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