Winning Elections

GOP Resilience in Broward County – Richard DeNapoli’s Plan is Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:03:00 +0000

Throughout the now concluded election season, one person’s analysis of precincts, ability to organize BREC and willingness to lend crucial ground war advice to all candidates stood out above the rest. Richard DeNapoli’s knowledge of the numbers and his ability to use them to our advantage was unparalleled throughout the last cycle. Broward Republicans need him as our Chairman going forward into this crucial redistricting term.

A prolonged battle to safeguard Broward County’s few Republican seats is already shaping up. This battle should not only be of interest to Republicans, but to all who want to see strengthened cooperation between Broward County and our state government, with jobs and opportunity coming to Broward.

Richard DeNapoli has also released a plan to strengthen the local clubs and to enhance BREC activism. I won’t rehash the details, as a copy of his plan was sent out to each committeeperson, but I will say that his ideas are just what the doctor ordered for a stronger local party.

Unmatched Competence – DeNapoli Kept the Broward GOP Afloat During an Impossible Election Season

As Treasurer, Richard DeNapoli singlehandedly revived Republican coffers in a year in which little money flowed, and whatever did generally went directly to candidates. Richard DeNapoli used his position, his ingenuity and his ability to place the Broward GOP into a solid financial position, while 90% of people were tapped out donating to candidates.

The primary roles of Chairman are to a) devise a winnable battle plan, b) to fundraise enough to be able to see it through and c) to motivate others to volunteer for a better tomorrow. Richard has accomplished much in all of the above areas and his election is crucial to the success and expansion of BREC.

A True Leader

During the past cycle, DeNapoli made himself available to all who asked for his advice. His grasp of the numbers and analysis of precincts was unequaled by any other Republican advisor.

I’ve seen candidates in nearly impossible races pay consultants tens of thousands of dollars. As someone who has advised many myself, and who has been horrified by how outside consultants charge way above the norm to do virtually nothing for first time candidates (and who has refused to do same, for candidate after candidate), I can attest first hand to how rare Richard’s honesty is in today’s political climate.

Furthermore, Richard didn’t just support candidates with big and flashy names. He offered some of the best advice available to any good candidate who asked. He also encouraged disheartened primary supporters to rally behind our slate of nominees.

That’s someone who cares. And that’s someone who will make a great Chairman.

A Team of Leaders

He can’t do it alone. Michael DeGruccio, a leader who spends weekend after weekend and many long nights helping the party, needs to stay on as Secretary. He, like DeNapoli, is also one of the best minds in Broward County. And after outgoing Chairwoman Cindy Guerra and Vice-Chair Ken Haiko’s spectacular performances in only six months on the job, their importance to the movement speaks for itself. They took the job temporarily and they worked it as if it were their lives’ missions.

Broward chairmen have a long history of excellence. No senator has worked harder on the job than outgoing Sen. George LeMieux, who cut his teeth in politics as Chairman of the Broward GOP. Richard DeNapoli will need their past insights, as well as all of our support, to be the excellent chairman that he can be, but no one is better positioned to do just that.

In the end, Richard DeNapoli became the undisputed Maestro of the ’10 election in Broward County. He represents unparalleled brilliance and dedication and he will organize and reinvigorate Broward Republicans like no other.

He needs our help and support. And he deserves nothing less.

Yomin Postelnik
Chair, A Better Florida PAC’
Broward Committeeman, Precinct B007

PS A Better Florida PAC’s mission is to elect good Republican candidates and to advocate for needed policy. A Better Florida PAC generally abstains from making recommendations on local REC positions, except in cases which are deemed necessary for redistricting efforts. The above is one such case.

Please ignore the liberal google ads on this blog

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:46:00 +0000

They post automatically.

If you click on them, you may cost the DNC 3 cents per click. But is the DNC really worth 3 cents, or your time?

Ken Keechl - A New Low Even for Democrats

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Keechl’s Despicable Tactics Disgrace Our County – Although They Do Hide His Kickbacks

When an embattled commissioner who’s been called to the floor for finding a legal, albeit far from ethical, way of pocketing campaign donations plasters his opponent’s face onto an orange jumpsuit, you know that the bar has been lowered, even by the standards of Broward politics.

Ken Keechl’s Goebbelsesque attack on Chip LaMarca, a city commissioner with a record of public service in the district, goes far beyond shameful. It should anger every decent person in the county.

As Republicans, we disagree with many Democrats on the County Commission, including Lois Wexler, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and others. No one, however, questions their dedication to public service. Stacy Ritter, even in her highly partisan manner, remains decent and stays on the issues.

Not so Ken Keechl.

In an act of desperation, Keechl’s campaign consultants, with the full knowledge of Ken Keechl, doctored a photo of his far better opponent, Chip LaMarca, placing his face from a campaign photo onto the body of a man in an orange jumpsuit! They photoshopped bars onto the final product for good measure. Then in an act befitting a three year old, Keechl also changed his opponent’s name to denote something sinister.

Below the desperate photoshopping is a sad rendition of wild accusations that were news to Chip, to law enforcement, indeed to the entire county. Looks like Keech has been hitting the crystal meth a bit too hard.

The facts speak for themselves. LaMarca has never so much as been charged with a felony! What Keechl did was an unprovoked and unwarranted attack on a city commissioner, a public servant with a long and proud record of public service and a charitable man who serves on the boards of many local nonprofits - not to mention a fellow constituent of the district that Keechl is supposed to be representing.

Chip’s had a rough year. His 20 year old nephew was killed in an accident a few months ago. His longtime family dog passed away six months ago. But I can only imagine the shock and horror of having a clearly fake photo of him in an orange jumpsuit sent out to all of his constituents, friends, family and voters who he doesn’t even know. Does Keechl not realize that many voters will look at the clearly doctors photos for all of 2 seconds, not recognize the Willie Horton silhouette imagery placed around Chip’s face and think that those are actual photos? Of course he does. He’s counting on it!

Chip LaMarca deserves better. And Broward County deserves Chip LaMarca.

But it gets better.

Ken’s actions aren’t illegal, but they are unethical and anyone who votes to reward him with another term has to question why.

While Chip’s done nothing unethical, the same cannot be said of Kenneth “Kickback” Keechl.

To be sure, Kickback Ken did nothing illegal. He simply paid himself $3,100 a month in rent for campaign space every month since Jan. 2009. Paying yourself rent from campaign donations isn’t a crime. But it is unethical. It doesn’t warrant a second term.

Maybe such actions will help Keechl make a run for Property Appraiser offering “innovative solutions to make money in a down real estate market” but they make him wholly unfit to be a county commissioner.

And that’s not all. Keechl also took $13,000 in trips, all paid for from campaign donations. Again, not illegal. Each trip did involve a few meetings with some potential donors. But that wasn’t the purpose of the trip and it’s just an easy way of legally bilking the system.

Not illegal, but you’d have to be dumber than a doornail to vote to reelect him.

Keechl’s defense – “He hasn’t even made back the money he spent on getting elected in ’06.” Is that why you ran for office Ken?

The Real Truth – Keechl Fiddles As Broward Burns, LaMarca Offers Tangible Economic Solutions

Chip LaMarca’s even stayed away from Kickbackgate.

He’s proposed real and tangible solutions. He’s the only County-level candidate this cycle to propose a real solution for jobs and for the economy.

Chip’s a non-ideologue and leaves Keechl nothing to run on other than doctored photos, lies and smears. That andcricket chirps when it comes to real issues of substance.

Doctoring Photos a Disgraceful Art Form That Shames the County – Call it a “Keechl Special”

It doesn’t matter if the issue is euthanizing harmless pets or running for a second term. Ken Keechl uses faked photography to corrupt the argument and to win at any cost.

He did this a few months ago when outraged pet owners protested Keechl’s “one bite” law, a law that euthanizes pets even if they were attacked by smaller dogs. At that time, owners of pets that were unfairly entrapped by that law showed pictures of their loving pets to the public and to the media.

Common sense dictated that Keechl’s “one bite law,” enacted after his own little dog started with a larger one – and escaped, was not only unfair, but that its implementation would prevent families from moving to Broward. Keechl was desperate. So, instead of admitting error, he went on the airwaves with gruesome pictures of dead dogs. Problem is, those pictures weren’t of the dogs in question or even representative of the attacks.

I don’t use the term “Goebbelsesque” lightly. Joseph Goebbels incited genocide with his use of doctored imagery. He destroyed millions.

But Ken Keechl’s use of doctored imagery destroys individuals.

No one should have to put up with a fake photo of themselves in an orange jumpsuit mailed directly to tens of thousands of people in their neighborhood. Chip deserves a medal of honor for running against the corrupt Keechl machine, not a second helping of Keechl’s vicious smears.

Upset? Disheartened?

Disgusted?

You should be. Now do something about it!

Vote for Chip Leadership LaMarca (how’s that for a namegame, Ken?), forward this important email and have your friends do the same.

A Most Needed Voice: Allen West

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:18:00 +0000

At a recent debate, Allen West sparred with Ron Klein over terror and national security. Klein's comments were dangerously ignorant.

West stressed the need to be on the lookout for problems in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. He recognizes that we cannot rely on forced alliances to protect American security. By contrast, Congressman Klein showed his ignorance and his adherence to conventional wisdom as a substitute for terror policy, callously stating that "Iran is the enemy" and that we must bolster the Afghani, Pakistani and other armies. To be sure, the Iranian regime is a huge enemy of the West and even of Saudi Arabia, but focusing on them alone is wrong and dangerous.

In truth, Iran has the largest number of pro-Western citizens of any country in the Middle East, outside of Israel. There is hope for regime change, as long as we can stop radicals like Mousavi from hijacking those reform movements. And of course we need to deal with the current threat and the current regime. But that doesn't mean that we should turn a blind eye on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as Ron Klein wants us to.

To eradicate terror, we need to show common sense and firm resolve on the international front, as well as introduce domestic policy to end terror recruitment in prisons by sentencing non-violent offenders to work details or military service instead of long prison sentences where large numbers are recruited every year.

There is no simple solution and only a multi-pronged change to domestic policy, coupled with foreign vigilance, will see the terror threat erased. But Ron Klein's position is shockingly ignorant and dangerous to America's security. By contrast, Allen West's is a tremendous step in the right direction.

Congressman Ron Klein has failed to do anything in his four years in Congress and is dangerously naïve on the international front. Colonel Allen West understands global politics and what is needed internationally. It's time to give him an opportunity to lend his voice to solving our most glaring global problem.

On Nov. 2, vote Allen West. The future of America relies on common sense solutions.

Alex Sink: Webster 2010, Alan Grayson 2012?

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:47:00 +0000

This term will see redistricting, a once in a decade process by which all congressional, state level and regional seats are redrawn. We need to work hard to elect a Republican governor, unless we want to cede as many as 6 congressional seats to the Dems.

As of this email, Sandy Adams is poised to beat Suzanne Kosmas. We may be well on track to seeing Allen West elected to Congress in South Florida. Alan Grayson appears to be going down to defeat.

But elect Alex Sink as governor and Alan Grayson, Suzanne Kosmas, Alan Boyd and Ron Klein may well be back in two years, not to mention the future of the two new seats being gained by Florida in the process.

The Governor has veto power over any redistricting plan. A Republican governor helps ensure that these seats stay Republican. A Democrat governor would demand compromise from the Florida House and it’s doubtful that Tallahassee leadership would hold the line in great enough numbers and have the media savvy to win that battle.

That’s why electing Rick Scott is absolutely crucial to the Republican effort and why his race is the most important one in this election cycle.

Best regards,

Yomin Postelnik
Chairman
A Better Florida PAC

A Better Florida PAC Voter Guide

United States Senate
Marco Rubio
------------------------------------
United States Representative

U.S. House of District #24
Sandy Adams

U.S. House of District #8
Daniel Webster
(Not the Democrat-backed vote splitter Peg Dunmire)

U.S. House of District #22
Allen West

U.S. House of District #19
Joe Budd

U.S. House of District #20
Karen Harrington

U.S. House of District #23
Bernard Sansaricq

U.S. House of District #17
Roderick Vereen
--------------------------------------
Florida Governor
Rick Scott

State Attorney General
Pam Bondi

State Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Atwater

Commissioner of Agriculture
Adam Putnam
----------------------------------------
State Senate
Vote Republican, including:

State Senate District #25
Ellyn Bogdanoff

State Senate District #27
Lizbeth Benacquisto

State Senate District #32
Patrick Laffey

State Senate District #35
Corey Poitier

----------------------------------------------------------
Florida State House
Vote Republican, including:

State House District #91
George Moraitis

State House District #87
Bill Hager

State House District #89
Steven Rosenblum

State House District #85
Tami Donnally

State House District #83
Pat Rooney

State House District #95
Scott Yardley

State House District #98
Kim Burgess

State House District #90
Alison Rampersad

State House District #100
Ed Bender

--------------------------------------

Justice of The Supreme Court
Should Be Retained In Office?

Charles Canady – Yes

Jorge Labarga – No – Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

James Perry – No - Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

Ricky Polston – Yes
------------------------------------------

Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 – Review and decide
No. 2 – Yes
No. 4 – No
No. 5 – No
No. 6 – No
No. 8 – No - Amendment 8 would only make a bad situation worse. While lack of a qualified hiring campaign, the Teachers’ Unions and an inflexible curriculum are primary causes of stagnation in Florida public schools, raising the class size without improving the curriculum by bringing creativity to the classroom or hiring more qualified teachers would only make a bad situation worse. Every dollar spent PROPERLY on education betters the future of the state and is even fiscally prudent, by leading to savings on criminal justice and juvenile delinquency programs. Increasing the class size without fixing the educational structure is just plain wrong.
--------------------------------------------------

Nonbinding Statewide
Advisory Referendum

Yes

Political advertisement paid for and approved by A Better Florida PAC, 4699 N. Federal Hwy, Ste 103, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Get involved at www.ABetterFlorida.com

Democrat Congressman Threatens Opponent’s Life, Again

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:40:00 +0000

This Sunday, at a retirement home in Belle Glade, Florida, a United States congressman threatened the life of his opponent in front of an entire group of senior citizens. For those familiar with the entitlement mentality that has so sullied the left, the party of the esteemed Congressman can be left without saying. For all others, I’ve included it in the title.

Sunday’s riff was par for the course with Alcee Hastings. During the 2008 cycle (three days or so before the election), Democrat Hastings, a member of Congress since 1993 and the only impeached judge ever to be elected to higher office, brought up his own impeachment in a public forum, all but proclaiming it to be a badge of honor. His opponent at the time, former state Chief Medical Officer Marion Thorpe, being a quintessential gentleman, didn’t engage him head on, but instead reminded the audience that Hastings’ impeachment had precluded him from being an effective voice on issues affecting his district.

Alcee went ballistic. Although it was he, not his opponent, who had brought up his own impeachment, Hastings approached Thorpe after the debate and told him (among other things not fit to print), “you ever bring up that impeachment again and I’ll take you out.” The two then sat down and let the candidates for state attorney take the stage, Alcee’s threats having almost been within earshot. Alcee was soon at it again, finishing off the evening by standing up, waving his finger at Thorpe and hissing “it ain’t over, it ain’t over. I’m coming after you.”

Whatever…“Congressman.”

Hastings’ reward for that most comical charade was reelection to a ninth term in Congress. To be sure, he doesn’t have much clout and Pelosi et al made him “Chairman of the Helsinki Commission,” to make sure that he spends most of his time amusing the good folks of Europe, doing his best to “bolster” our national image.

(Details of the above incident are available online at The entire incident is available at http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/172989/opponent-accuses-rep-alcee-hastings-threatening-his-life/mark-hemingway. Of note, I was in the room when it happened, albeit not close enough to hear Alcee’s gracious and poetic threats.)

That episode was mild and pales in comparison to what happened this weekend at Quiet Waters Retirement Home, a Belle Glade, Fla. nursing home that will be quiet no more.

Alcee Hastings arrived with Kendrick Meek and the media. Kendrick gave a good speech and left, the media following suit.

Alcee’s Republican opponent - diplomat, community leader and renown human rights activist Bernard Sansaricq - was at the home, meeting with residents. Sansaricq notes that this was after a full day of campaigning and listening to the concerns of constituents in Belle Glade, the poorest area in the state and one with an unemployment rate of 42%. Surprisingly, while Sansaricq has visited the area 20 times, Hastings had been a no show until that afternoon.

With the media gone, Alcee gave his speech. Winding down, he turned to his opponent and announced that the Tea Party had invited him to a debate, rebutting “I have nothing in common with the TEA parties, so I refused.” At that point, he called out to Bernard to stand next to him and demanded that “Bernard debate (him) right here and now.” That move would prove foolish, even by Alcee standards.

Alcee, now both the candidate and self-appointed moderator of the debate, continued on about how much he loved Belle Glade, where he grew up (but hasn’t been seen since). His concluding remarks were that he “was an impeached federal judge.” He added that he’s “now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, but none of that matters because I represent the people.”

The esteemed Congressman continued:

“Bernard Sansaricq posted accusations on his site that I pay my girlfriend, who is also my staffer, $160,000 a year. And I have one word for him. You, Bernard should go find out what I did to my last opponent. I sued his -expletive deleted- off.”

First point of contention:

It wasn’t Bernard Sansaricq who broke that story. It was national news sources, including the ultra-liberal Sun-Sentinel (see http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-06/news/fl-congress-spending-20100304_1_budgets-staff-salaries-office-expenses).

Second point of contention:

Hastings’ expletive laced rant took place in a nursing home, right in front of elderly residents!

Third point of contention:

Hastings never sued (or attempted to sue) the honorable Dr. Marion Thorpe, Jr., former Chief Medical Officer of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. He threatened him with physical harm.

Well, we know what you “did to his last opponent.” And just like his impeachment, he may not want to bring it up in public.

You would think that would be enough. But, Alcee being Alcee, there was more to come.

Bernard Sansaricq is a serious man who cares about the plight of people in Alcee Hastings’ district. Hastings would have been well advised to leave him well enough alone. But he didn’t and now it was Bernard’s turn to fire back:

Turning to the audience, the statesman responded:

“I have visited Belle Glade 20 times since the beginning of the campaign and I intend on being YOUR Congressman. And I won’t tell you that you need to hire a lobbyist when you need something from me. That’s because your congressman is elected to be your lobbyist!

Belle Glade has a 42% unemployment rate. You can be sure that when elected, I won’t hire some girlfriend and pay her $160,000 of the people’s money when those funds can be used to hire eight people in Belle Glade. I also won’t take trips to Europe with that girlfriend on the taxpayer dime. I will remain here and have a presence in the district, fighting for you.”

Alcee’s response, in full earshot of all of the assembled elderly residents of the no longer Quiet Waters, “You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe!” For those who don’t understand thug-ese, that’s a desperate threat (albeit an empty one) on Bernard Sansaricq’s life.

When asked about what had transpired, Sansaricq stated, “that was obviously not the speech I had in mind to give. But since he laid it all out on the table, there was really no choice but to oblige.”

Alcee Hastings was right about one thing. He has nothing in common with the TEA parties, or any other citizens’ movement for that matter.

The most riled up members of our grassroots movements are motivated by a desire to help America realize its potential. They respect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Alcee Hastings threatens his opponents and he chases the pursuit of girlfriend staffers.

What’s also true is that Alcee Hastings needs psychiatric help. As far as being a decision maker or community leader goes, suffice it to say that I’ve met wild armadillos more intelligent than he is. With 42% unemployment in parts of his district, Florida’s most impoverished one, it’s a shame that they don’t have better representation.

Alcee Hastings is the embodiment of a disgrace. Compared to Sansaricq, whose amazing bio cannot be given justice in this article (though readers are encouraged to visit www.sansaricq4congress.org to see for themselves), Hastings appears to be nothing more than a shadow of a man. And the Democratic Party, even with their pervasive entitlement mentality, should be ashamed to have him as their nominee.

O’Donnell Was Factually Right, Coons and Widener Law Students Were Shockingly Foolish

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:42:00 +0000

The First Amendment establishes that Congress shall declare no official nationwide religion. The First Amendment does not ban the mention of religion in public. In fact, it protects same. While far left radicals like Chris Coons may wish to knowingly distort or ignore this fact of American history, it is as shocking as it is sad that the entire student body of a supposedly “prestigious” law school seemed to be equally ignorant and/or oblivious to our founding principles.

Yes, I know that in saying so I’ve just bucked conventional wisdom, which dictates that self proclaimed Marxist aficionados such as Chris Coons, wise men like Al Franken, erudite speakers like Barney Frank and great thinkers of our times like Howard Dean are the epitome of normal, while hard working Americans and Reagan Democrats, now referred to as “Tea Party Activists,” are the “extreme.” Too bad.

The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons
The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons, which is patently obvious to anyone who’s reviewed his positions or life experience. Pinning that term on O’Donnell, in this race, is like saying that Queen Elizabeth should learn decorum from a more famous O’Donnell of a more Rosie nature. As much should be clear to all Delaware Republicans, Castlonians and Christinians alike.

The false picture portrayed by the media of the O’Donnell-Coons race in general, and of their latest exchange in particular, represents a new low even for Network News. While O’Donnell was able to enumerate the five freedoms actually guaranteed by the First Amendment, Coons was not. Too bad that factoid didn’t make its way to the “fair and balanced” Democratic media.

As to the issue at hand, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of all religions on the federal level, the ability to express thoughts in public and other similar rights. Coons’ use of the amendment as a pretext to ban speech, thought or open discussion in public classrooms is to attribute to the First Amendment all that it is truly against. In so doing, Coons may as well have continued that line of reasoning and gone on to explain how the Second Amendment demands confiscation of all firearms.

In truth, his distortion of the First Amendment should be as offensive to Americans as calling Karl Marx a capitalist would be to a guy like Coons.

A proper reading of the First Amendment would be even more shocking to Coons and Widener Law School company. The Amendment was actually established to protect statewide religious practices from federal interference. One should read the sources that Thomas E. Woods, Jr. so brilliantly brings together in his Politically Incorrect Guide to American History (among them, historian David Hackett Fischer) for more information on this subject.

And it cannot go without saying that Coons also showed a profound ignorance of science, which in its un-politicized form (in other words, the kind no longer taught in universities), demands logic and shuns dogma; even liberal, conventional dogma. But that’s for a more in-depth discussion on the gaping holes in conventional scientific theory. For now, suffice it to say that the foolish nature of liberal dogma is as far reaching as it is wrong.

The main lesson remains as follows: Congressional Democrats have made Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and Tim Geithner in charge of banking during a time of national crisis (Geithner by way of senatorial approval). Less than two short years ago, they sued to make the Grand Statesman of the Century, Mr. Al Franken himself, a full fledged Member of the United States Senate. And they have elevated to the speakership a radical who was commonly referred to as “San Fran Nan” prior to said elevation.

Yet they persist in calling us “radicals?”

The High-Tech Lynching of Commissioner Keith Wasserstrom

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:40:00 +0000

When a prosecutor calls the charges levied against a conservative commissioner in a liberal county “novel,” you know that justice has run amok. But the extent of the miscarriage of justice in the Keith Wasserstrom case goes well beyond that definition.

Keith Wasserstrom was a city commissioner in Hollywood, Fla., in the southern part of Broward County. Nominally a Democrat, Wasserstrom was open in his support for the reelection of Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002. At the height of the Iraq War’s unpopularity, Wasserstrom was a lone voice in that party, reminding them of the national security reasons for the war. He knew that his popularity would suffer and he was kicked out of three Democratic clubs as a result. But he did not know the extent of maliciousness that was in store for him.

At the same time, federal agents were looking to prosecute crimes in Broward. One county commissioner with a past that swirled with rumors, and who was later indicted after a joint federal and state investigation, had been caught misusing funds without charges being laid. There were rumored backroom deals with school board members (one instance of which was later confirmed). Broward was working on establishing new ethics standards. But instead of promoting steps to actually curb corruption, certain officials decided to alleviate the pressure of never having prosecuted a Broward official by going after the one whose politics they liked least, a Democrat who showed voters how much their party had changed. The fact that he had done nothing wrong was a side matter.

I know that many Democrats believed then, and probably still believe, that support of the war in Iraq is a crime in and of itself. The votes of 25 Democratic senators to approve the war, all of whom had the same intelligence briefings that the UN and other international organizations had provided both the White House and leaders of Congress, would stand in the way of such an argument, as would the continued presence in Iraq under a Democrat administration. Either way, the Iraq War does not give license to go on a witch hunt against its supporters or to manufacture crimes against them.

Wasserstrom was charged with unlawful compensation for dealing with a client who provided him with no compensation on anything having to do with the City of Hollywood (that charge was thrown out by the judge due to its sheer ridiculous nature). Prosecutors piled on four ancillary charges in the hopes of exacting a deal, two counts of filing false forms and two counts of getting the mayor to as well. The fact that these forms were recusal forms, meaning that they explained why Wasserstrom did not vote on the project, was all but overlooked. The city attorney called the charges “a miscarriage of justice.”

Specifically, the charges against Wasserstrom centered around a deal between the City of Hollywood and Schwing Bioset, a company that converts waste into fertilizer. The company has been hired by several cities. It is not the cheapest company to offer this service, but cities contract Schwing Bioset because of its unique track record and clear abilities to perform. Wasserstrom’s firm represented the firm, with a clause in their contract specifically excluding his firm from compensation for any Hollywood deal. This measure was not necessary. All Wassserstrom would have needed to do is to recuse himself from any Hollywood vote. Conversely, based on his fee exemption, Wasserstrom could have legally voted on the Hollywood contract.

 In an abundance of caution, Wasserstrom both excluded himself from any gains resulting in the City of Hollywood contract and from voting on the contract. He was upfront about his firm’s relationship with the company. He broke no laws and did nothing untoward.

Although the judge threw out the main charge, the ancillary charges made the jury believe that something was wrong. After all, who is charged who has committed no wrongdoing? This is a dangerous supposition that assumes guilt at the onset and stands in stark contrast to the rule of presumption of innocence. If we believe that all who are charged are in fact guilty at onset, then how can anyone ever have a fair trial? But the pile on of charges led the jury to conclude that “something must have been done” and that it was reasonable to find that Wasserstrom should have at least made the forms more clear and detailed.

The jury overlooked that recusal forms are just that, forms - not biographies. They are filed after the fact and list a brief reason why the commissioner who filed them recused himself from the vote. They are not detailed explanations. They simply state that so and so recused himself of a vote and why. It’s impossible to have criminal intent in filing such a form, as no gain is garnered by their filing. Moreover, in the Wasserstrom case, the City Attorney had filed one of the forms himself. But juries that suppose that the defendant must have done something to be hauled into court have often seen otherwise. At least one Wasserstrom juror said that none of them felt good about convicting him, but felt unclear about the case. This speaks to the surreal nature of the charges, not to his guilt.

The assistant state’s attorney who prosecuted the case called the Wasserstrom conviction “novel.” There is nothing noble about “novel” prosecutions. All that means is that the charged person had no way of knowing that his/her actions would be considered illegal and that the actions undertaken were never before considered criminal. It’s the definition of prosecutorial overreach.

The case should have never been brought and should have been thrown out when it was. It’s the latest in the attempt by the left to hijack the right and to stifle dissent. And it was followed up by the unfair, unfounded and unjust charges against two Republican commissioners in another Broward city for allegedly violating Sunshine Laws (laws preventing commissioners from discussing city business outside of a public forum) in a he said/he said case that was actually dismissed and resulted in an assistant states attorney who was also a state representative attending the latter’s vindication party.

We must all stand up against injustice, against the targeting of innocents and against the besmirching of a fine public servant like Keith Wasserstrom, for no other reason than that of agenda driven politics.

Some additional shocking legal facts:

Wasserstrom followed the advice of the City Attorney all along, from drafting the clause in the engagement letter to filling out the recusal form. Although the City Attorney advised the Mayor and Wassserstrom that they had no legal conflict of interest, they both chose to recuse themselves to avoid any appearance of impropriety. The City Attorney backed up his opinion with a legal memo that explained that Florida law only requires the disclosure of conflicts that would benefit the elected official.

The prosecution, recognizing that the main charge of unlawful compensation was absurd on the face of it, contended that Wasserstrom stood to gain from Hollywood, because another city may choose Swing Bioset because they will have had a track record with Hollywood. The prosecution recognizes that even this far fetched scenario would be legal, as Wasserstrom had recused himself of the vote. They contend that the illegal act was that he didn’t specify this in the recusal forms, the forms that are filled out after the fact and detail briefly why he didn’t vote on the deal. Never mind that Swing Bioset could point to numerous other contracts that it’s performed well before meeting Wasserstrom or Hollywood. How filing a form after the fact results in unlawful compensation is too twisted to describe in words.

Nonetheless, the City Attorney forewarned against this assertion as well, citing that Florida does not consider as a benefit anything that is contingent, speculative or remote. The fact that anyone would be able to go to other cities and say “Hollywood uses Bioset” was a benefit that was remote, speculative and contingent. First, their work had to be successful in Hollywood in order for there to be any benefit. Second, Wasserstrom would only benefit if Bioset continued to retain the marketing company that hired his firm—as his firm was engaged by the marketing company for Bioset, not Bioset itself. Bioset could have fired the marketing company, or the marketing company could have fired his firm, at any time. Third, there would only be benefit to his firm if the city, municipality or county being offered the services chose Bioset after an extensive and expensive request for proposal process - remote, speculative and contingent.

Regarding the piling on of charges and how it seems to have influenced the jury, one other point stands out. Wasserstrom was charged not only for failing to provide a rendition the size of War and Peace on a simple recusal form, but also for the Mayor having done the same. By contrast, the Mayor was not charged at all. In reality, neither should have faced such absurd charges, but this just shows the malicious nature of the Wasserstrom prosecution. Of course, the jury could find no reason to believe that Wasserstrom had influenced the Mayor (and the prosecution could offer none), and acquitted on those charges, but chose to convict on his own forms, under the actual (if not the legal) premise of “I guess he could have been more specific,” a supposition that should never justify a conviction and that in fact convicted an innocent man.

Further, Wasserstrom was charged with filing his form (and the Mayor’s) and then charged again for an amendment to his firm (and the Mayor’s). By all interpretations of the law, even if there would have been impropriety, that would have been one act, one conviction. The amendment clarified that Wasserstrom’s firm did not work for the marketing company, Bionative Technologies which was the marketing company for Schwing Bioset, but for a local Florida company retained by Bionative. It was technical in nature and of course, had no bearing on whether he’d receive compensation or any criminal intent. How correcting the name of a marketing company on a form led to two separate counts brought is unbelievable.

The absurdity is that all of the above, his entire prosecution, related to his filing of recusal forms, forms filed days or months after a commissioner properly recuses him or herself of a vote due to potential conflicts. It’s the first such case that has been handled in such a way, and it’s a crying shame.

Rick Scott’s Best Picks for Lieutenant Governor

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:27:00 +0000

In my last column, I wrote about the national importance of keeping the Florida governorship in Republican hands during this redistricting term. The makeup of three or four US House seats are possibly at stake, which may at one point be enough to swing control of the chamber.

Democrat Alex Sink made the best choice for her side by picking Rod Smith. Sen. Smith is the type of candidate who can gain swingvoters. Sink will have problems, having served as President of Florida Operations of Bank of America and due to the fact that this is a Republican leaning year. She’s also become the ultimate insider. But Scott still needs to make sure that his pick is refreshing and dynamic.

Here are some choices that can help Scott significantly:

Commander Tom Garcia. – This relatively unknown, yet superbly impressive, American hero was a political unknown who still faired respectably in a crowded field, which included two sitting politicians and the former CEO of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Garcia is an Annapolis graduate and the recipient of a presidential medal for saving lives and millions of dollars in costs to the US Navy, streamlining high-risk training techniques. Most recently, Garcia flew to Haiti hours after the Jan. earthquake to assist in humanitarian relief. He has recently been featured in the Washington Times and by NumbersUSA as a national voice against illegal immigration.

Majority Leader Adam Hasner – Hasner would serve well in uniting McCollum supporters behind Rick Scott. He has experience, knowledge (he’s widely regarded was one of the most brilliant minds in the Florida House), and has remained outside of the upper echelons of power in Tallahassee. He’s an outsider who insiders have come to respect. Moreover, he combines brilliance with a pleasant demeanor, making him a superb campaigner.

Rep. Anitere Flores – Representative Flores falls in the same category, an outsider with influence in circles that matter. Being a female pick will help somewhat, although gender will not likely be an issue in this race - not with Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton and others being the talk of presidential runs. There’s simply no longer anything special enough about being a female governor (or lieutenant) to sway significant chunks of votes. That said, Flores is qualified and dynamic in her own right.

Marion Thorpe, former Chief Medical Officer of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration – Medical development is key to growing Florida’s economy and Thorpe’s answers are bold. He’s an extremely likeable man and a natural campaigner. And while the GOP has women, it does not have very many African-Americans among its ranks, making such a pick refreshing and momentous. His selection would also serve to further boost Allen West in the latter’s congressional run.

The stakes are high and the results may well be of national significance. Whoever he picks, let’s wish Rick Scott well.

The Need to Unite Behind Rick Scott and the Stakes for US Congress

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:25:00 +0000

Any discord among party members must end after the primaries. This is especially true in the all important gubernatorial race in Florida in this congressional redistricting year.

Republicans across the board are spending time, energy and resources on defeating vulnerable Democrat incumbents, including Alcee Hastings (whose district boasts an abysmal voter turnout and who has all but lost the critical Haitian vote), Ron Klein and Alan Grayson.

We need to keep in mind that a Democratic governor in a redistricting year could not only preclude Republicans from holding these seats in the future, but could in fact lead to the election of yet another Alcee Hastings, Ron Klein and Alan Grayson, on top of those already in place.

Whoever you may have supported in the past, one thing is clear. The election of a Republican governor within the State of Florida, where the Governor holds veto power over redistricting, is crucial to the future of our statewide congressional caucus. Rick Scott is our nominee and his election will determine the future of three or four congressional seats, which may at times be the margin of control in the US House.

On top of that, it cannot go without saying that Republicans in Florida have elected a fine slate of state and local across the board. This is especially true in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Senate nominees Ellyn Bogdanoff and Lizabeth Benacquisto are both people of exemplary public service, as is House nominee Pat Rooney. House nominee George Moraitis is a former officer of the United States Navy, a brilliant mind and a true community leader and Tami Donnally’s background in improving education speaks for itself. All in all, Republicans in Palm Beach and Broward counties can say “Job well done.”

Bill Konopnicki’s Campaign is the Embodiment of Fiscal Responsibility, Bold Economic Advocacy

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:22:00 +0000

When we find local leaders whose platforms speak to the broad interest of America, we should promote their ideas as a national model for success. The fight for conservative education, defense of our borders and the prosperity of our economy takes place first and foremost on the state level.

State platforms are more detailed and innovative business leaders who want to secure a better America often run for state level office to further American ideals. Such is the case with Arizona’s Bill Konopnicki, a current state representative who has recently become one of a select few candidates to be endorsed for State Senate by Gov. Jan Brewer.

Konopnicki opposes tax hikes across the board, especially those being placed on farmers and rural landowners. He’s for strong borders, national defense, financial literacy education and he makes no bones about it. His community involvement and track record of putting the interests of the people ahead of the interests of himself is keep to ability to propose real solutions for the betterment of his state.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Konopnicki moved to rural Arizona as a young man and became a successful entrepreneur as well as a community leader. He is a radio station owner, owns McDonald’s restaurants in partnership with his oldest son and is the CEO of WSK Management Systems. He has worked with community groups, including the Boy Scouts, Ronald McDonald Houses and The Boys and Girls Clubs. He has also served as a member of the Mount Graham Regional Medical Center’s Operating Board and is a past president.

 As Gov. Brewer put it, “from the beginning of my tenure as Governor of Arizona, Representative Bill Konopnicki has supported my plan to help Arizona recover from its current economic problems and face its immigration issues. He supported my five point economic plan, including Proposition 100 to protect education and public safety, and he helped amend SB 1070 so that it could be passed and signed into law.”

Konopnicki’s economic platform should serve as a model to state candidates nationwide. Indeed, in whatever state we’re in, we all need to band together to secure a stronger America.

Tom Garcia, America’s Most Needed Man in Congress

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:21:00 +0000

Florida is set to deliver a number of true conservatives to Congress and to take back two, three or even more seats from the Democrats. If Republicans regain the House, as we are poised to do, Florida will have a key role in that effort. But of all our great candidates, not only in Florida, but anywhere in the nation, Tom Garcia in the crucial FL-24 race stands out above the crowd.

Commander Tom Garcia is a rare mix of character, integrity, brashness and common sense. His election stands to improve America’s national security and economic wellbeing more than any other congressional race.

His biography says it all. As a naval officer, Tom Garcia won a presidential medal for developing a plan to save the US Navy millions of dollars while increasing safety in motion. The plan he put forward is estimated to have helped save numerous lives as well, by increasing training safety.

Garcia has specialized in the simulation industry, key to aircraft development. This is especially important to the renewal of Central Florida’s economy. If elected, Garcia would be the only member of Congress with experience in growing this developing industry.

American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration

Garcia is also the Democrats’ worst nightmare, an American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration. In fact, the day after the Arizona law was announced and before any other candidate had gone on record, CDR Garcia became the first candidate in the nation to advocate for a similar national initiative in all 50 states.

Moreover, unlike new converts to the cause of protecting our national resources, Tom Garcia has always been a steadfast opponent of illegal immigration. That’s because he treasures and values citizenship in this nation.

Tom Garcia is also the only federal candidate to back comprehensive shoreline surveillance, monitoring our shores with computerized imaging, just as we should be monitoring our borders. The Intelligence Community has long maintained that our shores are our frontline in keeping the nation safe from terror. Such a program would also prevent illegal immigration, as our shores are far more porous than our borders, without jeopardizing the privacy of Americans in the process.

Every elected official in the nation should be advocating for shoreline surveillance. It’s key to protecting our nation and is non-intrusive. Yet my campaign is the only one on the state level that’s been advocating for this most needed program and Tom Garcia’s campaign is the only one in the nation advocating for it on the federal level. That, in and of itself, is a crying shame, but it shows the need to rally behind his candidacy.

I’ve worked with many great candidates and brilliant conservative leaders. What I saw in the actions of Tom Garcia was unparalleled by all.

Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief

On the night of the Haitian earthquake this past January, I was talking with Commander Garcia as we put together a Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief. He inquired as to what was the most pressing need of survivors. After he shared his experiences in disaster relief, we decided that water purification was probably most important. He said that he knew a specialist in his district. But what he did next was a shock even to me.

In middle of the night and mere hours after the earthquake had struck, when a flight plan could only be submitted in America and without the ability for Haiti to receive it (making landing in Port-au-Prince a huge safety risk), Tom Garcia filled up a plane with water purification equipment and flew to Haiti. He knew full well that there may be reverberations after such a massive earthquake, making an already risky adventure all the more fraught with danger.

In Haiti, he purified water, worked to save lives of injured Haitians, and at one point Commander Garcia single-handedly restored power to a three room makeshift emergency clinic, using nothing more than fourcar batteries and some wire.

Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution

Most importantly, Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution. He’s an innovative economic leader with a focus on jobs creation and he’s not afraid to call a spade a spade and a bad idea a Democrat one. In short, he’s the type of man who we need in Congress.

Garcia is seen as head and shoulders above the entire field. Key to this is his innate humility. As long as he can keep it, he will accomplish great things for America. And everything in his commendable military background says that this Naval Officer, son of an Air Force Officer will stick to his values and his modest, yet always forthright and ruggedly honest nature.

Commander Garcia’s website is TomGarciaforCongress.com. His plans may be of little interests to lobbyists who can’t see the need for their own safety and their role in the national economic wellbeing above their own shortsighted self interests. But that should be of no concern to voters.

Simply put, voters in FL-24 need to rally behind Tom Garcia. He needs to be our party’s nominee, not only to ensure a new and dynamic Republican Party, but moreover, to ensure the economic wellbeing and safety of our nation.

Offshore Drilling and Our Future vs. Charlie Crist

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:18:00 +0000

Charlie Crist has called for a special session to ban offshore drilling. Many right thinking people see this pure politicization of an issue that should be handled with common sense, but are loathe to speak out for fear of a public backlash.

Leadership is now needed on a key economic and security issue. It is the job of our state leaders to educate the public, not to kowtow to prevailing, but harmful, doctrines.

Taking a correct stand on this issue makes political sense too. We will not win seats by ignoring the issue and allowing Charlie Crist and the rest of the left to play it up. Doing so only makes us look callous in hindsight. Republicans will invariably be hit as the party of drilling regardless of what we do. The question is only whether we will allow the callous left to define the issue.

The Republican Party stands for jobs, the economy and national security. Drilling is an important part of all three. So we can take blame for having done the right thing, or we can infuse the public with common sense and rightly own the issue. The choice is ours.

The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is

We will not win over votes by going along with Crist’s latest PR stunt. We will, however, gain crossover votes and take control of the issue if we simply present the facts:

The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is.Federal authorities didn’t just order the State of Louisiana to halt measures designed to protect its coast. They also refused dozens of Florida ships that volunteered to assist in cleaning up the spill. They could have capped the hole a long time ago. Tent pitching, throwing golf balls and doing everything short of lowering Al Gore into the hole to scare it into submission were all gross examples of ineptitude and nothing more. We have the means to deal with spills far better than we did in this case.
We are the only continent on the globe that has oil and that hasn’t increased drilling since 2002. I have yet to see a study that shows drilling off the coast of Brazil or in the sands of Saudi Arabia to be more environmentally sound than drilling here.
Preventing drilling off our shores is a misnomer. We can debate all day long whether or not to drill a few miles into our waters. In the meantime, Chinese, Cuban, Venezuelan and other companies of foreign nationals are drilling the exact same oil from a few miles off of our waters. The only question is whether we will get any benefit from it. Besides, we care far more about our shores and maintaining our environmental resources than the foreign companies drilling right outside of our waters do. So, yes, protect our environment. Let Americans drill our own resources.
The problem with the BP spill was precisely the fact that it wasn’t offshore drilling. Offshore drilling is easy to monitor and its shallow leaks are easy to plug. Done in unpopulated coastal spaces, it affects no one other than the workers who would find employment were drilling to be allowed.
Even with regard to deep water drilling, the fact is that after trying everything in the book, even Obama’s people now know how to plug a hole.

Democrats should also be outraged by Charlie’s latest costly stunt. The federal ban ensures that even if Crist gets his way, the Florida one will be nothing more than symbolic. This special session is another waste of money, time and state resources, plain and simple.

I’m willing to let my election rise and fall on this issue. It’s not politically incorrect to speak out when no one does. But it is the definition of politically inept to allow the left to use the issue to score undeserved political points by falsifying and distorting the truth.

Now is a time that we need conservative state legislators more than ever. I ask all interested people to get involved in my campaign and in those of other conservatives on the local level. We can do far more to curb the insanity that is going on than national leaders sometimes can.

The above listed facts speak for themselves. We as a party need only to articulate them.

General McChrystal Vs. General Biden?

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:58:00 +0000

When the actions of the federal government directly affect the economic well being of Americans in every state, their quality of life or their national security, it is the job of local leaders to speak up and to propose sound solutions. This is especially true in the face of one of the most out of control administrations that our nation has ever seen, one that has jeopardized both our economy and America’s national security as no administration ever has before.

Yesterday’s actions were especially shocking. Barack Obama summarily dismissed a Four Star General and Commander of US Forces on what is now the central battlefield in the War on Terror. (I know, there is no “War on Terror.” Tell that to the terrorists.)

McChrystal was not dismissed because of any issue regarding his leadership. Indeed, all seem to agree that Gen. McChrysal was a fine commander. What Gen. McChrystal was fired for was (among other actions that only befit an intelligent military commander) his failure to listen to Joe Biden on military strategy.

Again, Barack Obama dismissed 4 Star General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan, for not listening to Joe Biden on military strategy!

General McChrystal was chosen for his position because he speaks his mind, especially when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops. And he was fired for speaking his mind when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops.

 In the course of 17 hapless months, the Obama administration has wreaked havoc on our currency by printing trillions of dollars in new currency, it has made America less safe by kowtowing to terrorists, and it has harmed our international standing by propping up leftist brutes like Honduras’ Ernesto Zelaya, after Zelaya’s own party removed him from office.

Simply put, we have left our economy in the hands of Obama, our military in the hands of Joe Biden, and our banking system in the hands of Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. And at this point, something’s got to give.

OUR STATE LEGISLATURES – OUR VOICE

Methods of dissent such as passing a resolution condemning the recklessness of the current administration would not only be appropriate. They are necessary. If the current United States Congress doesn’t see fit to pass such resolutions, then it is the job of state houses to fill the void in national leadership.

State legislators and local leaders must push for resolutions condemning the devastation of our economy, of our security and of our standing at the hands of the hapless Obama administration. And when one state legislature acts, five others will follow suit in a matter of days.

It’s time for Barack Obama to stop worrying about illegal aliens in Arizona and to start worrying about the American people who trusted him to keep them safe. Like many of you reading this, I saw through the smoke and mirrors before he was elected. But many didn’t. They elected him on the hope, change, and prayer that he would steward this country well. None other than Supreme Military Commander Joe Biden attested to his “good judgment” and many believed him. For that alone, he has a responsibility to keep them safe.

Fairness for Sholom Rubashkin

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:55:00 +0000

In one of the most moving speeches I’ve ever heard, the son of a man of faith and of exceptional good deeds, relayed how his father was convicted in one of the most surreal cases of prosecutorial overkill, conducted after a media onslaught started by far left groups in the Midwest. The case of Sholom Rubashkin is indeed as shocking as it is outrageous, and hearing from an attorney involved in the case, as well as his son, was a grieving experience that should motivate all who care to action.

Five years ago, PETA, which had all but declared war on Biblically sanctioned meat slaughter (the slaughter of livestock in the manner prescribed in the Book of Leviticus), went on a rampage against Agri Foodprocessors, the nation’s largest Kosher slaughterhouse. The CEO, Sholom Rubashkin, had taken great pains to bring down the price of “kosher,” or Biblically sanctioned meat, so that more people could afford it with ease. Although his efforts were rewarded with tremendous success, he and his family continued to live extremely modestly, with the savings passed on to consumers.

Rubashkin was charged federally and by the State of Iowa with multiple immigration violations. In truth, evidence showed that tens of potential employees were turned away by Rubashkin and his company due to lack of papers. Most of the charges were thrown out, and Rubashkin was acquitted on all of the ones that weren’t.

Virtually simultaneously, prosecutors claimed that a line of credit with a bank was being obtained “fraudulently.” The bank knew the nature of the transactions, was always paid on time until the government shut down the plant over supposed immigration violations (of which Rubashkin was acquitted) and most of all, Rubashkin never profited directly from the line of credit. Yet this was the substance of their case against him.

It gets worse. There’s also an almost 90 year old law on the books whereby purchasers of cattle must pay for livestock within one day of the purchase agreement. This was some arcane Depression Era law that is unknown and never enforced. Rubashkin was tried and convicted for buying cattle and paying for them a few days later. It is the only known case since the statute’s writing where that statute has ever been prosecuted.

In short, what emerged is one of the most unfair cases of overkill that commenced after pressure from activist groups, groups that should have no place in the legal arena. In the meantime, a good man and his family are suffering beyond belief.

Rubashkin was a pillar of the community at large. He funded preschools, camps, food banks and more in Iowa for groups of all faiths and creeds. When workers couldn’t pay rent or needed surgery for their kids, he regularly helped them as few others would. That much was attested to by former day laborers who worked at his meat plant, as well as by numerous organizations and schools that he helped.

Sholom Rubashkin is a father of 10 children, including a son with autism. His older son related how Rubashkin would make sure to have dinner with his special needs child every day at 6pm without fail, followed by spending time conversing or playing with his son. Rubashkin would often have to go back to the office for many hours afterward, but he made sure to spend time with his child who needed him most every evening.

Six former United States Attorney Generals, ranging from Edwin Meese on the right to Janet Reno on the left, have signed a letter decrying the prosecution’s proposed sentencing guidelines. Former Solicitor General and United States Judge Kenneth Starr has also signed on to the letter.

I’m not sure exactly what to do, but I do know that silence is not an option, at least not a humane one. Friends and supporters of Sholom Rubashkin have started a website, http://www.justiceforsholom.org, and I’d urge people to view the case in its entirety and get involved in whatever action alerts they send out.

Even as people gathered to help Rubashkin, his family used the gathering as an opportunity to help find a bone marrow donor for an unrelated child in need. These are good people and the sight was moving. They deserve each of our support.

Rubashkin’s son spoke of his father’s great faith and relayed numerous stories of how his father’s reason for living has always been to serve the Almighty and to help his fellow human beings. It would be a shame not to help a man like him when he’s faced such a clear and over the top injustice. Our involvement is crucial and there can be no greater deed than to help those who’ve been unfairly persecuted. I urge readers to speak out and act.

Flood Charlie Crist’s Lines on Abortion Bill

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:52:00 +0000

It is disheartening, dishonest and unethical when a politician claims to be one thing on a matter that is dear to the hearts of voters, and then acts in another way once given the opportunity to legislate.

Charlie Crist sloganized being a “pro-life Ronald Reagan conservative.” During the Gallagher-Crist debates, Charlie was openly snarky and condescending toward Gallagher, particularly on the latter’s firm pro-life stance.

What people on both sides of the important abortion debate agree on is that they don’t want to be lied to. A candidate who lies to them on such a matter of conscious will no doubt lie on economic or other matters without breaking a sweat.

I’m a firm pro-life candidate. I believe that as society began to forget the value of life, we also began to show disregard for the care given to seniors and even toward the treatment of the infirm. I believe that abortion as a contraceptive is appalling, at any stage of pregnancy, and is at the very least the callous destruction of a potential or developing life.

I recognize that this is a touchy issue. But I’ve also met women who are in their 60s who had abortion(s) in their 20s and who still regret that decision to this day.

I recognize that this separates me from other, some would term more “moderate,” candidates. But given the choice between being moderate or being sincere, I’d gladly chose the latter any time.

Back to Charlie.

In 2006, as a volunteer making phone calls for Clay Shaw, I was the most persistent caller when trying to win over undecideds and Republican voters who were leaning toward his opponent. The official calling script included a plug for Charlie Crist for Governor. My phone calls left that line out.

We need to look beyond the slogans and see where candidates align themselves on values issues. Social conservatives are invariably more reliable fiscal conservatives as a whole. We generally have a big picture in mind, and the judgment to be able to stand firm and oppose boondoggles such as the Sun Rail, among others.

The contrast between the words and the actions of Charlie Crist need to teach us a lesson when voting; that our votes cannot be taken for granted and that they must be spent on those who are consistent in their policies.

All that said, there is one phone call that I will make for Charlie. And that’s one to him. I urge you to do the same, today.

Charlie Crist was elected with the toil and sweat of many Republicans. While I wish that more had seen fit to use those long hours on Joe Negron or Clay Shaw, the two seats we lost that year, that is no excuse for Charlie not to be held accountable to those who worked to see him in office.

Charlie Crist must finish his term as governor by faithfully executing the duties with which he was entrusted. I understand that fulfilling one’s pledge to voters or at least living up to the letter of his empty rhetoric may be new concepts to Charlie, but we must insist that he does so nonetheless.

And so I urge you to call Charlie Crist and demand of him nothing more than to live up to the promises and pledges he made in order to attain the public office that he now enjoys.

Phone: (850) 488-7146 or (850)-488-4441
Fax: (850) 487-0801
Email: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

Demand that Charlie sign into law the common sense bill passed by duly elected representatives who actually do take with some level of seriousness their pledges to the “people.”

Oh, and the next time someone tells you that he’s running to be the “People’s Governor” or the “People’s anything else,” with the full support of every lobby known to the state, just tell him where to stick it.

Sorry Charlie.

On the Suspension of Two Teachers and Atheism in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:43:00 +0000

This week, two high school teachers in South Florida were suspended from their classrooms pending investigation. Another teacher who had preached atheist beliefs to their students claimed that she had been “sprinkled with holy water” in reaction to her preaching. Several students who were witness to the events deny that any physical contact took place and stated that the only mention of “holy water” was done in a mocking context, in response to the atheistic teacher’s over the top rhetoric. The atheistic teacher knew that the mere allegation of impropriety would be enough to suspend the involved teachers and this seems to be the reason for her complaint.

We see yet again where the left fights to silence all opposing viewpoints. In this case, we see yet again how they will break their own supposedly heartfelt standards on public speech to suit their agenda. The same people who cry and scream indignation at the mere mention of God in any public forum, all the more so in a public school, freely go about their attempts to indoctrinate students in accordance with their notions of God and religion.

Atheists as a whole have gone to great lengths of silence any mention of God or religion in the classroom. It should follow suit that indoctrination of atheistic beliefs should certainly not be allowed, according to the very arguments that they relentlessly have put forward. The actions of the atheist teacher, who openly admits to using her position to preach her beliefs and to commit (anti-) religious indoctrination, are shockingly hypocritical and wrong on the face of it. The School Board’s decision, and that of Superintendent Jim Notter, to punish two teachers who personally hold religious believes, based on seemingly fallacious allegations, while at the same time giving a complete pass to a teacher who has openly admitted to indoctrinating students, is nothing short of shameful on the part of the school board.

The double standard is all the more outrageous when one considers that the Judeo-Christian values that the left is so intent on suppressing stand at the very core of America’s founding principles. Throughout our history as a nation, until 55 years ago, no court in the land would have seen the teaching of these as anything other than the teaching of a doctrine that has been at the root of each and every healthy society for over 3,000 years. No such argument can be made with regard to the teaching of atheism.

Moreover, sheer logic unequivocally disproves the fallacy of atheism. For a single life cell to be formed, complex RNA must develop on its own, as must DNA. It would take trillions of coincidences for either of these strands to form without a conscious Creator and it’s even more improbable for the two to join together randomly. And that’s just with regard to a single life cell. For even the simplest of plants to be formed, a series of one in a trillion coincides would have to take place in perfect sequence, one after another. The orbit of the planets would have to exact itself on its own (something that’s impossible for inanimate objects to do). Even then, the chances of random objects not crashing into the planets in a way to knock them off their orbit is nil without a conscious Creator. One can go on and on and as one does so, the fallacy of atheism becomes all the more ridiculous. In fact, it would make infinitely more sense to say that an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannicas wrote themselves as the result of some ink spill than it would to say that a life sustaining universe came to being in and of itself.

Many atheists know this and, when challenged, the militant among them go into histrionics and play games to twist their arguments. It is not the first time that agenda driven radicals have falsely accused people of faith or made up allegations in order to bolster their agenda. Without resorting to tricks and character assassinations, the fallacy of their doctrine becomes all too apparent. The fact that students who were present at the time of the confrontation confirm that the “sprinkling of holy water” never happened should speak for itself.

Both Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson are prime examples of what every teacher should be. Upon graduating college, they both returned to their alma mater, where they’ve taught with devotion, caring and excellence for the past 20 years. They deserve better than to be removed from their classrooms based on mere hearsay.

Jim Notter should be ashamed of himself for allowing this to transpire, as should the entrenched members of the school board who are refusing to take a stand on this matter of clear cut injustice. Their behavior is all the more appalling when we take into account that in many parts of Broward, only 4% of public school students go on to complete college. Many Broward students suffer with second rate curriculums and a lack of educational resources and motivation. Yet those whose job it is to fight for higher educational standards, for less red tape and for the recruitment of better teachers have instead chosen to spend their time playing politics by punishing dissenters to hypocritical indoctrination.

The school board’s resources can be better used than by conducting what is nothing more than a witch hunt against two fine teachers who have dedicated their careers to helping students. Jim Notter owes an apology to Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson and to their students over this incident. The teachers should immediately be reinstated.

If teaching is the only job in which one can be suspended based entirely on highly dubious allegations, then it is understandable why finding competent teachers for the public school system is as hard a task as it is. It is the duty of anyone who wishes to change this reality to speak out about this matte and this is especially true of candidates seeking to improve educational standards throughout the state.

Lessons from Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 23 May 2010 03:32:00 +0000

One thing that people on both sides of the political debate can agree on is the need for sincerity in public service. The staunchest advocate of one philosophy respects the integrity and forthrightness of those who sincerely advocate for a contrasting point of view, if only they do so without a side agenda.

In today’s climate, the most able politician is politically inept if he or she does not possess a sincere and well thought out viewpoint. That is a good thing and a new reality that is long overdue in coming.

The cases of Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist prove this point. Both saw their political careers wane for two separate reasons. Specter’s was due to the perception of opportunism and Crist’s is due to the reality of same.

Specifically, Arlen Specter has always presented himself as a liberal Republican. He wasn’t arrogant about it and while he voted according to his own viewpoint, one that often seemed not to be clearly thought out and that was based on emotion or acquiescence to conventional “wisdom,” he did so without foisting his opinions on others or trying to liberalize his party.

Specter’s walk across the aisle was belated and came twenty or thirty years too late. Just as moderates in the Democratic Party started crossing the aisle in the early 90s, Arlen Specter should have done a reverse crossover. Switching parties is hard, but it should be done out of fairness to voters if a politician’s worldview is so out of touch with the mainstream of his party so as to warrant it. Had Specter followed such a course twenty years ago, he might still be in the running today.

Charlie Crist is a different story. When he first ran for governor, his ads featured him as “the true Reagan Republican.” This slogan was seen as a joke by those who were politically astute, a perception that was further belied by Crist’s condescending attacks on primary opponent Tom Gallagher’s sincerely held socially conservative beliefs during the gubernatorial debates.

Charlie Crist was on all sides of each issue. He would say that he was a “pro-life” Republican but then said that he would not take any measures were Roe v. Wade to be overturned (with the effect of keeping all abortions legal in the State of Florida, including those done merely for post-contraceptive reasons). What both proponents and opponents of legalized abortion agree on is that they don’t want to be lied to by politicians on where they stand on either side of the issue. Triangulation may have seemed to be in Charlie’s immediate interest. In the end, it was his undoing.

Charlie’s liberalism wasn’t lost on close watchers of the race. Friends of mine in local media happily told me, “I’m a Democrat but I’m voting for Charlie Crist.” In return, I was tempted to tell them that for perhaps the first time ever I’d like to personally encourage them to vote for someone in their own party instead.

If a candidate can’t be honest with voters on heartfelt issues of importance, the likelihood of them being honest on matters of the economy or the like is slim to none. And such was the case with Charlie Crist.

When Crist first announced his Senate bid (leading Marco Rubio 53-8 at the time), I spoke with someone who was not only well connected within the state Republican Party, but who I consider to be an honorable public servant whose political perceptions are better than most. He agreed with my supposition that Crist would have trouble in the primary, but contended that he’d have “no problem in the general.” I disagreed.

I pointed out that all that his Democrat challenger would have to do is to beat a drum that the so-called “People’s Governor” had campaigned on two promises: to cut property taxes and to slash homeowners insurance rates. Once elected, Crist passed an entirely insignificant cut on property taxes while failing to take other measures to bring meaningful relief. As far as insurance rates went, he actually upped rates twice, most recently by 10%. To the detriment of homeowners, no free market solutions (or those of any other kind) were ever introduced. Now Crist’s Republican opponent can and should have fun using the same playbook.

Most important of all, here’s the lesson that voters should take from the Charlie Crist debacle. If those who seek public office seem to rely on slogans instead of substance, don’t vote for them. If they seem to be pandering to every group imaginable, understand that the same people will accomplish nothing for anyone, nor do they have any interest in doing so.

If you can’t trust a politician as far as you can throw them, what’s the use in listening to anything that they say, especially when far better alternatives exist? Your vote is something that should be used to better the country and to send a message as to what form of government you want to see in place. Wasting it on blatant opportunists, no matter how much pomp and circumstance may surround them, benefits no one and is the reason why our governmental “leaders” are what they are today. The nation deserves better and each vote counts. So use it wisely.

There are plenty of junior Charlie Crists in the making. And there’s no greater disservice to the nation than to allow them to succeed. This year is truly the year of the grassroots and a year in which activism and the voice of the people can and will help change this nation and elect people of conscious. The importance of getting involved and of choosing principle above politics (and principled candidates with a track record of real community service and a compelling political philosophy) cannot be overstated.

State Legislatures Must Censure Obama, While Standing With America and Its Allies

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:38:00 +0000

The Obama administration’s foreign policy is appalling, and it is now the duty of whoever stands for elective office to speak out about it. We as a state can initiate trade agreements with our allies. We can pass resolutions condemning a shameful administration that apologizes for American heroism while defaming its staunchest allies.

It is noteworthy that Barack Obama has not only alienated Israel, America’s most steadfast ally. When members of his own party saw fit to rid Honduras of Ernesto Zelaya, a communist bent on turning his country into a dictatorship, Obama and Hillary Clinton did all that they could to return him to power. Great Britain, too, was shamed by the Obama administration.

Simply put, a man who goes to Buckingham Palace and introduces himself to the Queen by handing her an I-pod is nothing short of reckless. But that, and the hostile return of the Churchill bust, marked this administration’s first overture to the United Kingdom. The end result of this lunacy is that Great Britain is now five times more prone to side with Western Europe in any international dispute and far less likely to assume its traditional mediating role in any such situation.

As a state representative candidate myself, I do not make the following pledge lightly. If there were another way around it, I would pursue any other avenue, but given the outrageous lengths that the Obama administration has gone to in appeasing and emboldening terrorists, given their reckless stewardship of the economy and the full scale attack on our dollar (as printing $15 trillion in one year is nothing short of a disaster in the making, as anyone with the most basic knowledge of history or of economics can tell you) and based on their usurping of unauthorized powers by way of a team of unelected czars, I do not believe that any other solution exists.

As such, I pledge that upon my election to the Florida House, I will introduce a bill of censure against President Barack H. Obama. While this should ideally be done by Congress, the states cannot fall asleep at the wheel or shirk our duty as parts of a greater America. Being a state representative is an awesome responsibility and one that demands us to stand up to this insanity.

My campaign has said unequivocally that America has nothing to apologize for. Likewise, Israel, a country that has taken more precautions to protect the lives of civilians on the other side and who has never started a single one of the wars that were brought upon it, also has nothing to apologize for.

Each time that Israel gave land, the terrorists were emboldened

Yes, Israel won an increased amount of land in 1967. But Israel did not start that battle. They won it after they were aggressively surrounded by enemies on all sides who were very openly set on Israel’s destruction.

If the battle in Israel was a battle between residents of Chicago and the citizens of Detroit; if one side never made an aggressive move while the other side had openly targeted women and children, may G-d protect all, the side who justice and decency was on would be clear to all. It is also noteworthy that every discussion of regional peace has been about nothing more than how much Israel would give versus how much its enemies would stop attacking it. And each time that Israel gave land, the terrorists were emboldened. Netanyahu is right when he says that promoting mutual business, not dangerous land concessions, is the only possible road for peace.

Yet the strange thing is that in Israel, both the right as well as much of the left have come to understand that the only way to stand up to terror is to, well, stand up to it. That’s why Netanyahu and Ehud Barak were able to form a coalition. The only one who doesn’t get it is Tzipi Livni, who, to her credit, is doing whatever she can to dispel the notion that all Jews are smart.

America cannot show weakness. Such an attitude invites contempt and emboldens our enemies. When Obama was elected, people turned to me at the local McCain party and asked, very concerned, “what about Israel?” I answered that we cannot take our eye off the ball and that weakness in the face of terror would only harm America, may G-d protect this land and our allies. Weakness in the face of terror invites terrorists here by signaling that their fight will be easier than anticipated. That is not a signal that any nation mindful of its self preservation should be sending.

The above must serve as an awakening. Many of us have friends who are staunchly Democrat. Yet they fail to understand what the Democratic Party has become. For much of our history, the Republican Party was the clear civil rights party. In the 1930s, an economic debate over how to end the depression split the parties, with both sides making compelling arguments as each proposed solutions that they saw best to revamp the economy. At that time, most Jews and most of the American people sided with FDR.

Hillary Clinton has repeatedly shown a lack of understanding of the nature of terror and Iran has no greater friend than Joe Biden

But let me make this clear. No matter what side you were on of the economic debate of the 1940s, one thing is certain. The tables have turned, the parties have flipped and the party of Hubert Humphrey, Scoop Jackson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan has become the party of Diane Watson, Jimmy Carter and Louis Farrakhan.

Compassion is no longer a part of their agenda.

The problem with the Obama administration does not stop and end with Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton has repeatedly shown a lack of understanding of the nature of terror and Iran has no greater friend than Joe Biden. When you hear about “conservative Democrats in Congress” you need to ask what exactly is conservative or even slightly moderate about acquiescence to the lunacy of this administration.

In the eyes of the media, a moderate is a murderer with a smile on his face

You see, Democrats and the state media fail to realize that Mahmoud Abbas is anything but a moderate. He was a high ranking PLO member when the PLO, not Hamas as wrongly reported, made the suicide bombing Mickey Mouse. He’s never backed down from his calls to violence to fellow PLO members. Simply put, in the eyes of the media, a moderate is a murderer with a smile on his face.
You may ask how this ties into a state campaign, so let me make this clear.

Being a state representative is an awesome responsibility. Had local politicians and the equivalent of state representatives stood up in Chile in the late 1960s there would have been no radical government of Salvador Allende that terrorized the populace.

Had local politicians stood up in Venezuela in the early 1990s, there would have been no Hugo Chavez.

And had local leaders raised their voices in Cuba in the 1950s, the murder squads of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara would have gone to Russia instead of wreaking havoc 90 miles off of our shores.

We need to be keenly aware that failed dogmas have been allowed to take hold on every continent of our globe because local leaders have failed to articulate their sound beliefs. I am aware of this and I pledge to do something about it.

We must also take measures at home to prevent the spread of terror. There’s a reason why radicals have recently been able to recruit supporters in record numbers.

Educational reform is key to our nation’s success. Spreading my lifeskills course is just one thing that needs to be done and that I will work on as we seek new methods to improve student motivation and to achieve success throughout the state.

Criminal justice reform, with shorter but harder labor sentences, is key to stopping first time and nonviolent offenders from becoming career criminals. Long sentences, aside from being wrong and useless, have allowed radical Islamists to recruit within the prison system. There is a better way that focuses on rehabilitation while allowing the corrections system to fill necessary labor contracts. As always, society benefits from simply doing the right thing.

I’m also the first candidate in the nation to make an issue of the simple fact that our shores are the frontline in the war on terror and that their proper surveillance should be priority number one.

This point is absolutely critical. Right now, anyone can take a ship from Saudi Arabia, or from anywhere else in the world, park 12 nautical miles off of our shores, load up a small yacht and we treat it as if that yacht had just come in from Chesapeake Bay. Am I hesitant to mention this? No – because this fact is well known to our enemies. The only question is, “What are we going to do about it?”

All this and more is what I pledge to accomplish for our state.

The Biblical traditions upon which this nation was founded tell us that G-d will eventually perfect the world. Indeed, over the past 25 years, we’ve seen many breakthroughs in medicine and technology and most of all, in human rights.

But during these last trying times each of us has a role to play to promote better government and to do our part to ensure a better society for all; one that values human rights, one that values age-old traditions and one that values people, families and community.

Edward Lynch in Florida 19, A Race That Will Reverberate Throughout the Nation

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Edward Lynch allows Americans to take a stand against the insanity of the Obama administration and to send a message that will be heard louder than the victory of Massachusetts’ Scott Brown. With a special election being held in Florida this Tuesday, the stakes cannot be higher, and every American who cares needs to make it their business to elect Ed Lynch.

A vote for the Democrat is a rubber stamp of Obama’s sickening attack on seniors (otherwise known as “Obamacare”). It’s a rubber stamp of this administration’s shameless abandonment of this nation’s allies. Worst of all, it’s a rubber stamp of this administration’s treacherous abandonment of America’s own national security interests.

Edward Lynch is the perfect candidate at the right time. He’s been the first to denounce each and every one of Obama’s shameful (and at this point downright despicable) acts against the interests of this nation. He’s a true friend of seniors and a true friend of America’s allies, be they Honduras or be they Israel.

Obama can coddle every Marxist and every terrorist across the globe. If our country is to countermand the stupidity that emanates from the Oval Office then we must make it our business to elect people of principle, men and women who will stand up for what is right. And we can start doing so today, with the election of Edward Lynch.

A vote for the Democrats is a dangerous sign. Florida’s 19th district is made up heavily of seniors and of Jewish Americans. If seniors can vote in favor of the most anti-senior administration in this nation’s history, then they show that their votes are a given. And if any of my fellow Jews can vote Democrat after Obama’s ransacked America’s national security, canceled sales of arms to Israel and refused to approve a visa for any Israeli nuclear scientist, while at the same time reversing the ban on terrorist sympathizer Tariq Ramadan, then I don’t know what to say. I guess some Jews would have been ingenious enough to vote for Arafat too, if only he had promised them “hope and change.”

Here’s what I can tell you; A vote for the Democrats on Tuesday sends a message to the Obama administration that Jews, who should understand the terror threat more than anyone else – not to mention the horrific results of the unchecked actions of depraved lunatics, will stand by his side no matter what he does to harm America or to harm Israel. A vote for the Democrats on Tuesday also shows Obama that seniors can be taken for granted and so can their votes.

You may be a lifelong Democrat. To be sure, the Democratic Party has offered up its share of compelling candidates over the years. Hubert Humphrey and Scoop Jackson embody what the Democratic Party used to be. But the insane cast of clowns now leading Washington, who have printed over 15 trillion dollars in the last year alone thereby endangering the American dollar in a way that would have been unthinkable ever before, need to be put in check.

This administration has projected weakness while openly coddling every known enemy of America throughout the world, has depleted our resources and is now seeking to impose energy taxes designed to bankrupt low income families or to leave them without air conditioning or heat. It’s time to stop caring about party and time to start caring for the future of the nation. If the Republican Party is the only one projecting sanity on any of these issues, then do what most Democrats would have done 40 years ago. Join it. Or at least vote for its candidates.

No matter where you are, if you care about the future of America, spend the next few days making sure that Democrats get the message loud and clear. The Daily Kos has already written that a victory in FL-19 would be more shocking than the victory of Scott Brown. The numbers are doable, if we all pull through. Visit electlynch.com or call 561-245-8295 to get involved. America demands nothing less and saving it is our priority.

Washington won’t change until we shock the system. A victory in Florida 19 is doable, as even the Democrats are now admitting, and real “change” requires nothing less.

Corey Poitier Blasts Joe Biden’s “Reckless” Foreign Overtures at Synagogue Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:34:00 +0000

In our profile of great conservative candidates in South Florida, I was privileged to hear Corey Poitier, a dynamic Republican running to replace Kendrick Meek. Poitier is the first conservative African-American to run in District 17 and is running on a platform to bring small business to the district, to repeal Obamacare and to ensure proper instruction in our schools.

This Sunday morning, Corey Poitier, the Republican candidate for Congress in Florida’s 17th District, addressed a gathering at the Chabad of Highland Lakes Community Center. The Chabad synagogue is a well known outreach center in North Miami-Dade. Poitier addressed the membership and their business network.

Poitier pulled no punches when speaking about the Obama administration’s reckless foreign policy. He stated that in the past week alone, Joe Biden not only placed unprecedented and unfair demands on Israel, but did so publicly and in a way that only emboldens terrorists.

“The Obama administration’s dealing with all of our allies has been as disastrous as it has been frightening,” said Poitier. “In 35 years, we have not seen a breakdown in US-Israel relations. Obama, Biden and Secretary Clinton’s disastrous leadership has made America vulnerable to terrorists by projecting a message of weakness couched as appeasement.”

Poitier pointed out that Israel was not the sole target of the Obama administration’s reckless dealings with our allies. “Across the board, where it comes to steadfast allies like Israel or long time alliances such as the one with Great Britain, the actions of this administration have been nothing short of shameful, and they need to stop.”

Corey Poitier is a teacher of history who has fought for years to teach a true and unbiased record of history in the public school system, fighting against what he has described as “institutional indoctrination and a false portrayal of historical reality.” Conservative teachers are especially needed. The “progressives” fought to take control of the nation’s schools, its media and its arts.

Fighting back demands no less and the first step is in the battleground of education, where we can win the hearts and minds of the future. All we have to do is juxtapose true conservatism with liberal doctrine and the side that is correct will be clear. But it takes conservative teachers to do that.

For more information on this great candidate, or to get involved in his campaign, visit his website at poitierforcongress.com.

A Blueprint for Economic Success, For Florida and Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:27:00 +0000

The following is a blueprint for economic success for the State of Florida. It is my hope that word will spread band that its suggestions will be enacted. By sharing these points, across the board, I hope that other states will enact those parts that can be of benefit to all, as we use common sense principles to get America’s economy rolling again.

The following is written Florida’s unemployment levels are above the national average. Given all that the State of Florida has to offer small business, it’s hard to believe that our unemployment rate is actually higher than the national average. It’s nothing short of insane that we haven’t managed to do more about this. Public servants and candidates in other states feel similarly about the situation in theirs. As we’re all in this together, I suggest the following to get small business rolling across the board.

Small business used to be the bedrock of our jobs market. And we were a lot better off when it was. The State of Florida has more to offer budding businesses than almost any other state in the nation. As Michigan and New York falter under high taxation and shrinking growth, Florida should be absorbing the lion’s share of business emigration. But we’re not. And here’s why:

LOOK WHERE THE PROBLEMS LIE – AND FIX THEM

1) We Don’t Ask for Business

First and foremost, the major problem that challenges Florida’s economic expansion is so simple that everyone misses it. Decision makers in corporate boardrooms, when discussing relocation, think of Arizona and the opportunities presented there. They discuss New Mexico’s unused resources, and so on. Florida isn’t brought to the table. In fact, people in the Northeast and in states like Michigan still think of Florida as being synonymous with hurricanes, even though our natural disasters are far less of a problem than those faced by other states.

We need to change this dynamic.

Other countries, with far less favorable business and taxation environments, advertise in business magazines and on well watched business shows. Their advertising pays off.

Few states in the nation have as favorable a business structure as Florida does and few places in the world can offer as much talent for employers to choose from. But nobody knows about it. Worse, those who do don’t think of it.

Targeted ads, that list all of what Florida has to offer, to Michigan based businesses and other areas from which business is fleeing, will pay off. It will change the dynamic and get people talking. It will get corporate boards and decision makers talking. That, in turn, breeds results.

2) Incentives

Tax breaks to C corporations that wish to move into recession stricken areas (areas with an unemployment rate of greater than 10% or that have seen a 15% drop in economic activity) will be the deal clincher in garnering new business to Florida.

3) Education

Business skills and financial literacy need to become a part of Florida’s public high school curriculum. I wrote a course on this subject, which was approved by the Broward County School Board and used by the United Way. We need to ensure that some kind of business knowledge is taught in Florida schools, in ways that students can relate to. Doing so has the added benefit of giving students clear reasons to finish school and to avoid crime.

4) Energy/Untapped Resources – Key to Florida’s Economic Development

Florida Atlantic University has been working on developing energy from the ocean. Wave technology as well as other natural water based forms of energy technology are areas that must be developed. The Northeast has used water-based electricity for decades and FAU and its Center for Ocean Energy Technology are leading the way in making this resource more efficient and reliable.

Ocean based energy is renewable, clean and cost effective. Its development should go in tandem with all other forms of sustainable and sensible energy development, including oil drilling (especially given the fact other nations are already drilling as closely to our shores as they can, without the protections to our coasts that we would enact).

Energy, agriculture and health innovation are key to the redevelopment of Florida’s economy and to bringing jobs to the state. There’s no reason why anyone should be moving away from Florida. We can easily harness our potential and revitalize the state.

5) Transportation vs. Wasteful Spending

Transportation projects need to make sense, be cost effective and streamline traffic in areas where congestion is an actual problem. Pure jobs creation projects can focus on other areas, first among them teaching – which is an investment in Florida’s future. Streamlining of transportation and solidification of existing bridges and similar structures are necessary works. We just have to be careful and sensible about where resources are spent.

Construction efforts can be augmented by using alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders. Doing so would not only save costs to the struggling construction industry, it would prevent first time offenders from become career criminals, leave them with hope and incentive to change and punish only the criminal, as opposed to the criminal’s family. It’s a recipe for a better society, plain and simple. And as always, doing the right thing makes economic sense too.

LET THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLE DICTATE OUR COURSE OF ACTION

Government cannot and should not take over the free market. Not now and not ever. What government can do is use common sense free market principles to bring business and jobs to the state. This is what I propose to do.

All in all, we need to get back to the same small business based economy that helped propel America and the State of Florida to economic greatness. Civic mindedness and personal responsibility, not to mention passion and ingenuity, are best fostered in a climate of small business. As we struggle to come back to our founding principles of faith, family and good neighborliness, small business has an integral role to play in the above.

WHAT CANDIDATES CAN DO

Candidates have a responsibility to propose common sense solutions that improve people’s lives. During pressing economic times, voters should demand nothing less. Unemployment is at crisis levels and tackling this issue should be of utmost importance to all who seek public office.

I’d like to share this proposal with other candidates and hope that they implement it, or something similar to it, in their districts. Before doing so, candidates are advised to speak with an attorney regarding any potential liabilities. There are likely many attorneys in your area who will appreciate the concept and would be willing to provide such advice pro-bono, if they’re approached.

A week and a half ago, I announced a Jobs Fair for my district. The model we’ve put in place is unique, and designed to have the most immediate impact. Employers get in front of politically/civically inclined applicants and prospective employees are quickly made aware of job options within the district and its surrounding areas.

The details are as follows. Of note, to do this, I established a separate campaign email, which in my case is jobs@abetterflorida.com. It is highly recommended that each campaign that wishes to use my system first create an email such as jobs@.

This was the main part of my announcement:

South Florida Jobs Fair

My campaign will be hosting a two part jobs fair to bring jobs to people in the district and strengthen local businesses by introducing them to qualified applicants.

PART 1

Streamlining Technology to Combat Unemployment

The 1st part is an effective and fully functional way to connect local business owners with local job seekers. In this process, the confidentiality of the job seeker is assured. The job seeker sends an email (preferably with a resume, so we can narrow down areas of interest) to jobs@. They then get on a list to receive all available job updates.

Employers looking for qualified local job candidates (after all, this service is only being circulated among the politically active or those who read up on local news), send a description of the job offer to jobs@. The job with the employer's contact info is then sent to the list of prospective employees.

This is a fast, streamlined and effective process, the goal of which is to immediately connect employees with prospective employers.

PART 2

Live Fair and Interviews

Local employers will be offered the opportunity to participate in a live face to face job fair on Wed. Mar. 17th to be held at Campaign HQ (or find a local business to host a fair) from 6-8 pm. Prospective employees will be invited to sit down with all employers during that time.

To participate please email jobs@. For additional information, please email or call .

This is just one of many things that candidates can do to stimulate the economy in their districts. I highly recommend that they pursue such a course. Politics is about public service and regardless of the result, these initiatives can help a lot of people, which is what politics should be about.

Edward Lynch: A Profile in Republican Excellence

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:27:00 +0000

Published: 02/04/10

Ed Lynch isn’t just a Republican candidate with the only upcoming special election in the nation. Ed Lynch is as a man whose personal example embodies the very best of the Republican Party.

Lynch is no ordinary candidate. After all, what candidate, two weeks before a primary vote, decides to leave his district in favor of leading a rescue mission in Haiti? But that episode, more than any other, demonstrates what Ed Lynch is all about.

His choice to save lives rather than campaign is emblematic of Lynch’s life history. As a general contractor, Lynch won a construction bid to work on a veterans’ hospital. Lynch decried the deplorable conditions that veterans were subjected to. He knew full well that his vociferous protests would likely get his contract canceled. He also knew that almost any other contractor would have continued on with his work and minded his own business. Lynch chose to do what was right over that which is expedient.

Lynch is the type of man who puts words to action. He’s the kind of person who would rather lose a contract than stand by as veterans are mistreated. He’s the type of leader who would rather save a life than win an election. And that’s only part of the reason why Ed Lynch is sorely needed in today’s America.

One major obstacle to good decisions coming forth from Congress is the lack of small business experience among almost anyone in Washington, DC. Ed was not only a highly successful entrepreneur, he helped countless others on the road to successful business ownership. His solutions are real world, results oriented and, therefore, effective. He’s the antithesis of Washington. He’s American.

Lynch decided to challenge Robert Wexler when no one else would. Launching a grassroots campaign with only months to go, he was widely credited with tearing off Wexler’s Teflon coating and exposing the “Congressman from Florida who lived in Maryland” for the out of touch, far left radical that he was. Lynch is now mounting a campaign to bring jobs back to Florida, revitalize the sagging national economy and protect competitive health care options for seniors and for all Americans alike.

It’s not everyday when Major General Paul Vallely endorses a candidate. The same is true of Brigadier General Jim Cash. But Ed Lynch is no ordinary candidate. He’s a model soldier for the Republican cause and America can ask for few better at this time when voices of reason are as rare as they are needed.

The race for US Congress in Florida’s 19th district is a race that can and will reverberate across the nation, sending a wake up call to Congress and to the Obama administration like none other before it. It is a call that Washington can and will hear even louder than the cannon shot fired from Boston that is Scott Brown. Wherever you are in the nation, you can be a part of this race, one that will have national consequences. Ed Lynch’s website is www.electlynch.com. This is America’s race, because on April 13th, America will have the opportunity to send reason and leadership to Congress in a way that few candidates have offered before.

Adam Andrzejewski for Governor: The Clear Choice to Turn Illinois Around

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:25:00 +0000

Published 01/31/10

I’m a candidate myself and have consulted for many conservative campaigns throughout North America. I’ve known several great conservative candidates well. I do not know Adam Andrzejewski personally, but I’ve come to greatly admire his campaign. One does not need to know him in order to see what a benefit he can be to Illinois and to the nation.

A third generation Illinois-born American, Adam is a 40 year old conservative who embodies the very meaning of the word. He has a strong work ethic, a clear sense on policy, a passionate belief in the best of people and a strong desire to turn his state around for the better.

Andrzejewski (pronounced Angefski) was born into a family that valued work and ethics above all else. In the late 1970s, his father ran against then Minority Leader George Ryan for Illinois House of Representatives. As a child, Adam was given regular farm work and he possessed an entrepreneurial spirit from early on. In his mid-twenties, he started a business with his younger brother than grew to employ 150 people.

Last week, Lech Walesa, the former President of Poland and renowned anti-Communist leader, made his first endorsement ever of a US political candidate. It couldn’t have gone to a more fitting man. Adam’s common sense, people first, approach to government is sorely needed in a state whose politics has brandished it as anything but “common sense” until now.

Adam is a down the line conservative who anyone should be proud to support. He’s pro-life and pro-second amendment. But in truth, anyone who cares about a better government, about electing people with business experience who understand the real world and about principled leadership, should be drawn to this campaign. Aside from all of the above, no candidate can do more for the GOP on the national level than an outsider in our midst who’s willing to champion ethical leadership in a place where you’d least expect it.

Lastly, it’s a sad commentary that I even have to address this issue, but being that the talking heads are who they are, I will address it. Some, who cannot attack anything about the man, his positions, his style or his platform (because there is nothing to attack) have instead chosen to attack Adam’s name.

I believe that their disdain for the intelligence of voters should be called to the carpet. Adam Andrzejewski is running in a state that elected a man by the name of Milorad Blagojevitch in both of the last two elections. A little over five years ago, they elected a US Senator whose middle name was Hussein and who was not as well known at the time. To those naysayers, I would ask whether only bad politicians with long names should be elected to high office. I, for one, look forward to someone named Andrzejewski cleaning house in Illinois’ capitol.

Adam Andrzejewski can do more for the GOP than almost any other candidate in the nation. A quick look at his site, www.AdamforIllinois.com, will show you as much. It goes without saying that he can and will do tremendous things for the State of Illinois. I’m proud to support him on all levels. Common sense and good governance both dictate as much.

Sharon Day Brings an Unparalleled Level of Brilliance to the Republican Party

noreply@blogger.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:24:00 +0000

Published 01/18/10

Florida has many great Republicans. The state boasts effective congressmen like Tom Rooney and legendary candidates like Lt. Col. Allen West. But the determination, enthusiasm and outright zeal of Sharon Day is surpassed by no one.

Sharon Day is unique amongst even Republican giants. She is someone who is not afraid to go into the most partisan Democrat districts to recruit new Republicans to the cause. She is both a source of inspiration and of sensible leadership, a combination that is shared by no more than a small handful anywhere in the nation. While many activists have passion and zeal and many leaders have charisma and persona, few can ever hope to combine brass knuckle passion with class. Sharon Day exudes both in abundance.

If every county in the State of Florida had three Sharon Days, the GOP would be winning this state 70-30 in the worst of electoral years. This is a lady who wraps her entire car for the GOP nominee in each presidential election. Last time, driving through Broward County, she was almost attacked three times. Did that make her give up? No. It only made her stronger.

You’d never guess how far she goes to support Republicans by meeting her. She handles herself with a rare grace, usually reserved for the far less energetic. But when she speaks, you know you’re dealing with someone who’s on fire. This rare mixture is Sharon Day and that’s what makes her perfect for a resurgent GOP.

Whoever is elected chairman of the Republican Party of Florida will need our undying loyalty and assistance. Make no mistake, it’s a thankless job that by its very nature involves working with candidates, policy wonks, activists and others to achieve results, the credit for which is largely given to anyone but the chairman. But supporting Sharon Day for the leadership of our party is an opportunity of a lifetime.