"Go on, then, in your generous enterprise with gratitude to Heaven for past success, and confidence of it in the future. For my own part, I ask no greater blessing than to share with you the common danger and common glory ... that these American States may never cease to be free and independent." --Samuel Adams

Action Alert-Property Tax Increase

The Whatcom County Council may raise property taxes in Tuesday's vote

A final vote on a property tax increase will take place after a public hearing at this Tuesday's County Council meeting.

The public comment period begins promptly at 7:00 pm. During this period any citizen can make a 3 minute statement. This is your opportuinity to speak your mind and make your desires known.

This meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 25th at 7:00 p.m. at the Whatcom County Courthouse at Central & Grand Avenues in downtown Bellingham.

I urge you to attend this very important meeting.

Edith Schaeffer quote

Be encouraged...
"Never forget that there is something worth defending when you are one of God's people under His direction in the moment of history that is your moment. We are here now, and now is our moment for whatever God would have us to do."

A Top-Down Problem

from Cindy's blog "Clearly Conservative"

Washington House Republican have just elected their new leadership team re-electing Rep Richard DeBolt as House Republican Leader. Their press release sets the stage for Republican concession to the failed Democrat policies. How infuriating for Republicans to capitulate before the session has even started.

DeBolt’s statement reads: “Our state has been under one-party control since 2005. Today, we have the largest budget deficit in state history, health insurance costs are at an all time high, and education and transportation systems face unprecedented challenges”.

He then adds: “These problems are too big for one party to solve and the best public policy comes from the center."

Say what??

DeBolt then observes that Republicans were outspent three-to-one during this election cycle.

Let’s draw a correlation here for Rep. DeBolt. When Republicans move to the center they lose - repeatedly and significantly!

First, it is the liberal-left policies of Democrats that have resulted in all the "challenges" he lists.

Second, Republicans who continually abandon principle by shifting to the middle fail the people of our state and the party they were elected to represent.

Third, the lack of money DeBolt laments is a direct reflection of Republicans withholding their financial support from a party that has abandoned its core priorities and principles.

Both voters and donors are sending this message to the Republican Party. Is anybody listening?

Apparently this is a top-down problem.

"There are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever-mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted. The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: 'If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants'." --Ronald Reagan

Rebuild the Party: A plan for the future

As Republicans, we face a choice.

Either we can spend the next several months -- or years -- trying to figure out what just happened, excusing our defeat away as a temporary blip or the result of a poor environment, and waiting for Barack Obama to trip up. Or we can refuse to take this defeat lying down, and start building the future of our party now. Read more

What happened to 'Change'?

"Over the weekend President-elect Barack Obama scrubbed Change.gov, his transition Web site, deleting most of what had been a massive agenda copied directly from his campaign Web site. Gone are the promises on how an Obama administration would handle 25 different agenda items -- everything from Iraq and immigration to taxes and urban policy -- all items laid out on his campaign Web site, www.BarackObama.com. Instead, the official agenda on Change.gov has been boiled down to one vague paragraph proclaiming a plan 'to revive the economy, to fix our health care, education, and social security systems, to define a clear path to energy independence, to end the war in Iraq responsibly and finish our mission in Afghanistan, and to work with our allies to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, among many other domestic and foreign policy objectives.' . . . The site went active on Wednesday and was available to the public Thursday. The agenda items, which were active for at least part of the weekend, appear to have been deleted by late Saturday" -- from a November 10 Washington Times news story.

Election Reflections

Somehow the smiling picture of Greg and Luanne (see previous post) seems ludicrous 2 days after the election. That was then and this is now. Two days removed I have managed to gain a little perspective; not that the situation is any better but I can once again see the bigger picture. My hope is in the Lord so even when I’m convinced that things might not be okay, because my hope is in the Lord I know that things are going to be okay. Sorry if that sounds simplistic and clique but it is what it is. It’s the core of who I am… a citizen of heaven first and after that my beloved country.

Today I heard someone describe spending their election night curled up in the fetal position. That would have been my reaction too except that I was in a public setting and it would not have been appropriate. Please delete the mental image of Luanne on the floor curled up in a ball while 200 people step around me on their way to the appetizers (or the bar if they were in need of fortification as most of us were).

Truth is I am heartsick over the outcome of the election… heartsick for my country, heartsick for my children and heartsick for my grandchildren. Dear ones, life will not be easy over the next four years so brace yourselves (or in the infamous words of our VP-elect, “gird your loins”). A majority of Americans have elected the most inexperienced man ever to the highest office of our land; a position that also holds the distinction of being the most powerful in the world. Scary, huh?

A few realities: I seriously underestimated how deeply flawed my candidate was and the antipathy that many conservatives and Republicans held toward John McCain. I was so focused on the negatives of Barack Obama and was convinced that enough Americans would see him as I did. Horror that he should be our next president! Lesson learned: what draws voters is a candidate that can articulate a positive vision for the future of our Country. I’m not talking about the empty rhetoric of hope and change. I’m talking about a standard bearer who can communicate an elevated message that inspires and declares, “This is what I believe, and this is where I’m going. Follow me!” Positive and principled, that’s what we need! Voters want to be FOR something, not AGAINST someone.

Another reality: I should have listened closer to my brother over the last several months. On nearly a weekly basis he would call me and ask the same question each time: “Tell me again. Why should I vote for Republicans?” We came to call this his “early morning rants”. Bottom line was he was feeling like so many other Republican voters, that there was no obvious difference between the two major political parties, that Republicans had lost their way and their identity. It was deeply frustrating to him and apparently millions more. I am finding out that many Republicans simply chose not to vote or voted third party. Ouch!

One more reality: President Bush is despised and many, many voters were deliberate in their anti-Bush, anti-Republican choice for president. Another ouch. I worked really, really hard to elect this man twice but his conservative credentials were counterfeit and at heart he is a big government, big spending globalist. This really set back the conservative movement and disheartened many Republicans. This probably created the Ron Paul/Libertarian phenomenon.

So here we are… facing four years under the leadership of an untested, far left radical who opposes everything we hold dear. Where do we go from here? We pick ourselves up and push back with all our strength. Our cause is freedom, liberty, and the defense of our beloved America. Our Founding Fathers believed it worth fighting for and we can do no less. Over the next days and weeks I’ll let you know exactly what I intend to do and my hope is that you will join me!

ELECTION DAY!

Greg, the personable and cute young Canadian TV anchor

My election day started out with an early morning TV interview in front of the Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham. I was contacted yesterday by a Canadian network called CityTV and agreed to a short interview at 8AM this morning. I did get a video of the interview but the sound quality is not very good so I will give you the jist of our conversation.

Greg (see above) asks about 20 plus years of Democrat rule in Washington State and what did the Republicans do to get out Republican voters. I answered that John McCain had helped us by choosing Sarah Palin, that she had energized the base we had a strong team of volunteers who made phone-calls, doorbelled and volunteered countless hours. I also noted that it was a privilege to work with the McCain/Palin team. He then asked for my prediction and I said it looks good for Dino Rossi and after 20 years of Democrats, Dino will take our state in a new direction and that will be good for the citizens of Washington. I was willing to make one more prediction... that no matter what happens today, hard-working Republicans will get up tomorrow morning and go back to work, go back to their families and lead productive lives (unspoken but obvious contrast to D's). I've posted the video below but remember the audio isn't very good.

A Little Spine-Stiffener From Winston Churchill:

Winston Churchill, October 29, 1941:

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done.

Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.

But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period ...this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.

Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

Thanks to Red State for this post.

VOTE FOR A STRONGER AMERICA!

Count down, part 2

Officially, I am hoping for the best but bracing for the worst. Truth be told, I could not have imagined the presidency of Bill Clinton would seem so benign in comparision to a President Barack Obama. I have privately disclosed to understanding family and friends that I'm not sure we can survive and come back from 4 years of Barack Obama (let alone 8). His past positions and associations are absolute evidence of his future policies and that horrifies me. That, dear friends is my official Sunday statement on the election. Yes, God is in control and still reigns in the affairs of men and that is my only comfort and solace as we approach Nov. 4. In Him do I put my trust.

Please, if you have not already voted, do so today.

Loving tidings from Luanne

Count down!

Doing all we can to turn out voters... calling those with ballots still out, dropping lit and sign waving. It's actually very fun and we get lots of honks and the occasional rude gesture. This is what drives me nuts... I would NEVER consider a rude gesture or even thumbs down to a Obama supporter but they think nothing about being nasty to us. Do we really want them in charge? God have mercy!

You can join us for sign waving on Monday. Contact me for details.