GIVE ME LIBERTY

Come Follow Me and Be A Watchman

2011-08-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've consolidated my blogs into a new website: www.beawatchman.com. Please come to that site for new blogposts, podcasts etc. You can sign up for the feed or just e-mail me to get on our mailing list at beawatchman@aol.com.

Thanks, and keep the faith.

Bob McConnell
www.beawatchman.com
beawatchman@aol.com
970-846-4907

Thank A Soldier

2011-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Armed Forces day. President Truman created the holiday in 1950. It marked the conclusion of one of the hardest battles of his presidency. The deeply entrenched and proudly separate War Department and Navy Department had been combined into one Department of Defense. This is a classic story of how the feds solve a problem. Post-war hearings in Congress were chaired by none other than Lyndon Johnson. Great military leaders including Ike, Nimitz, Halsey, and Bradley testified that the Army and the Navy needed to learn to talk to each other so there would be no more Pearl Harbors. The goal was to train and fight as one team. Pressure, compromise and intrigue were all part of the deal. It included the mysterious death (a theme which continues in DC until the present day) of the first Secretary of Defense, the former Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal. Was it suicide or not?

"Saving money" by combining two bureaucracies resulted in doubling the number of coffee carriers and pencil pushers in the Pentagon. You see, we not only kept the Secretaries of the Army and the Navy, we added a Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of Defense. The inability, aka refusal, to talk to each other, much less train and fight as one team continued under Carter in the Iranian desert, until Grenada in 1983. Almost forty years after feds "solved" the problems of World War II, the Army still couldn't talk to the Navy, much less the Air Force and young men died as a result. Read about this classic federal fairy tale in Urgent Fury. Double the bureaucracy, bust the budget, ignore the problem, and get re-elected. Starting to sound familiar?

Forget about the feds in Washington today. Stand tall and recognize the American military, a combined arms team prepared to fight, and if need be die in defense of our country and our way of life. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, ready at a moment's notice in any bar to argue about who is tougher, will die for one another on the battlefield. The courage, commitment and uncompromising integrity of our Armed Forces have earned America's highest respect, and with good reason. The feds didn't solve the problems of training and fighting as one team, the men and women of our military solved the problem. Most recently, Seal Team 6 took point in Abottabad. We salute them. They stand at the front of what General McArthur in his farewell speech at West Point called "a long grey line." The line stretches unbroken through countless battlefields- the Ia Drang Valley, Pusan, Normandy, Belleau Woods, San Juan, Gettysburg, and Bunker Hill, to the beginning of our nation.

Those who have served, or are now serving are America's finest. Each of them, and all who will follow swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign or domestic. Thank them, God Bless them, and God Bless the United States of America.

Next week, if all goes according to plan, A Conservative Voice will come to you as a podcast. Using a different platform will allow you to subscribe (for free) directly. We are looking for sponsors support in return for prominent recognition. Details to follow.

The Winning Ticket

2011-05-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's good to be an American, and really good to think about what we have accomplished in the past two years. We didn't get everything we wanted, but we put the breaks on the radical progressive Obama, Pelosi, Reid agenda. We broke the mold that 95% of people in Congress get re-elected by putting 91 freshmen in the House: that's almost 20% new blood.

After I lost the primary, I learned that what I experienced here in the 3rd CD was a microcosm of Republican politics across the country. Combat Veterans for Congress endorsed me and forty or so other vets, most of us running for office for the first time. We had paid our dues to our country, but not to the Party. I heard the same story from vets who stepped up in New York, Virginia, Florida, Texas, California and here in Colorado. We were viewed as a threat and shut out by the GOP. What I have come to realize is that the real threat to the Republic I have sworn to defend is not progressives, it is a political system that rewards mediocrity.

Ninety-one freshmen, ninety of them Republicans, and most of them are now in office because of Tea Party voters. Michele Bachmann was out there for us, raising money, campaigning, taking on the hard issues. Despite what she accomplished, Rep. Bachmann was shut out by the GOP power brokers. Boehner couldn't find a leadership position for her. Thanks John. Last fall she established a Tea Party caucus in the House. Twelve came to her first meeting. Today that number is up to 64. Two - Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn - are from Colorado. Neither Scott Tipton nor Cory Gardner are on the list. Backtracking on campaign promises began almost as soon as the new Congress was sworn in. The Pledge to America to cut $100 billion from spending this year became $38 billion for the photo op, and in hard dollars became $320 million. John and company now say they will bargain over raising the debt ceiling because not to raise it would "destroy the Republican Party." John, we don't care about the GOP, or your limos and Secret Service, or the ego trip being third in line for the hot seat. Raising the debt ceiling will continue the destruction of the Republic.

There are only two things worth bargaining over: a balanced budget and a term limits amendment passed by both the House and Senate. Send the two amendments to us so we, The People, can decide our future. Then agree to raise the debt ceiling, not before. No more bargaining over fancy accounting tricks.

Last week, I watched Newt announce his candidacy. He hadn't gotten ten words out of his mouth before I turned to my friends and said, "He's already lost." The GOP grey hair said he had worked with Ronald Reagan. People under fifty don't remember Reagan. Obama will crush him as the old guy who is living in the past. The ticket that will defeat Obama is Bachmann and Allen West. But they aren't GOP team players, and I believe the GOP power brokers would rather keep Obama in office than support either of them. So it is up to us.

Bachmann is testing the waters to see if she has the support she needs to put herself into this vicious process. Go to her website, or go to her one-question poll: Are you satisfied with the current field of GOP candidates? Show her your support with a vote and a contribution. Bachmann is also tuned into social media. She can reach the young conservatives, the independents (who make or break elections) and the totally disenfranchised. Get on board, let's get this party started, and let's beat Obama soundly in 2012.

How Pain at the Pump Wins Elections

2011-05-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Four dollar gas is tough. The six dollar gas some say is coming will be devastating. Consumers will feel the pinch at the pump. Producers will feel it even more. Their only choice is to pass the increased price of feed, fertilizer, fuel and help on to consumers. Everything we buy is going to cost more. Already there are calls for Obama to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to reduce prices. Don't hold your breath. My bet is he will let prices rise until August, 2012. Then he'll pull a Clinton, dipping into the SPR to reduce prices at the pump just in time for the election. Sadly, it will probably work just like it did in 1996.

The threat of six dollar gas is our own fault. America has the resources to produce our own energy and feed the entire world. We could do it, and still have the cleanest air on earth, but we don't. Why not? It is because the federal government has convinced us that Americans are entitled to live in a hyper-clean world of bottled water, hand sanitizer, and magic cars that run forever. It is a world where we don't have to smell cattle because we buy beef from Argentina. We don't have to see oil rigs because we buy gas from Saudi Arabia. People don't have to work at boring jobs because we buy junk from China. It is a world where in the Yampa Valley tax money is used to kill one kind of fish to protect another, because it is a better fish? It is a seductive song, money for nothing, chicks for free. And we fell for it.

It is time to face reality. There are no magic cars. A cow produces the same amount of methane in South America as it does in North America. Our mining/drilling/refining technology is light years ahead of the Middle East. Worldwide energy demands are projected to increase almost fifty percent in the next twenty years. Over millions of years, there have been ice ages and oceans and tropical forests right where I sit. The summit of Everest is sedimentary rock. Species have come and gone. The cycle will continue. Despite these realities, members of the Colorado congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle talk about more wilderness. Friends, I love wilderness. I wrote a book about it. I can see three wilderness areas from my house and that is one reason I live here. But let's get serious; wilderness is a playground for a tiny percentage of very vocal Americans, the physically elite. America is reeling on the ropes of a world financial crisis. I view every acre of Colorado that becomes wilderness as a job lost. Let's put wilderness on the back burner and develop our timber, coal, oil and natural gas resources.

Recently Dale Bartlee of the Colorado Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers said it best. "The biggest help our elected officials could give us is to get out of our way and let us do what we do best." Today we could be energy independent, fully employed, producing the best products, and feeding the world. Instead we face chronic high unemployment and the prospect of six dollar gas. We have been had. US Forest Service employees were in Ukraine twenty-five years after Chernobyl telling folks there to build roads, thin the forests and harvest dead trees or face disastrous fires. Meanwhile, Ken Salazar preaches the opposite: road less wild lands are the answer to millions of acres of dead trees in Colorado. What USFS experts say is good for Ukraine is good for America as well. Get out of our way and let us do what we do best. Declare Colorado's natural resources a federal free zone. We have seven congressmen and two senators. Write all of them, today, and get your political action groups - all the 9/12, Liberty, and Tea Party folks - to band together on this one. Do it, because the Sierra Club and others are pushing hard in the opposite direction. No new wilderness areas. Get the feds out of here and let us get back to work.

The critical question is whether enough peoples' eyes open before the Titanic sinks. I am hopeful because in the past two years, Tea Party groups have sprung up in big cities and in places no one has ever heard of all over America. We are the People and we are asking hard questions. We are mocked by many, and vilified by some. The political elite in both Parties see us as a threat to their survival. What they don't understand is that name calling will not stop us. So I say, take a liberal to a Tea Party. We have to win this one person at a time. Talk with them in simple terms about deficits, the national debt, and the failure of existing federal programs. Show them that we are not a bunch of racist extremists, but activated patriotic citizens. Acknowledge that both political Parties have screwed us. Try it. Take a liberal to a Tea Party. I did and we had a ball.

Next week we will talk about another reality. We won't get out of this mess by hunkering down and hoarding. We will only get out by giving.

CALL HIS BLUFF

The latest Chicken Little scare in Washington is that disaster awaits America if Congress ties a balanced budget to raising the debt ceiling. Obama wants a clean bill. My response is, call his bluff. Send him a clean bill refusing to raise the debt ceiling. Then let the People decide. Start the process in Congress so we can debate a balanced budget amendment, the only way we will force fiscal responsibility on the federal government. Americans will sort it out because failure is not an option.

This week the President also wrote Congress calling for an end to subsidies for big oil. Call his bluff. Get the feds out of the business of picking winners and losers entirely, whether it is a fish or wind turbines. Adopt a flat tax starting in 2012. For the next five years require every American and every business to pay 10% with no subsidies or deductions of any kind for anyone, and I mean anyone. Unfortunately, it will never pass this Senate. My bet is if it did, in five years we would be ready for real tax reform, eliminating every existing federal tax and replacing them all with a fair tax on consumption.

Conservatives: The Only Adults in the Room

2011-04-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

We, the People cannot trust either Party to restore the Republic. The sound bite was that Round One resulted in an "historic deal." Shut down was avoided, and the largest budget cuts in history would be made. Really? Boehner went from $100 billion to $38 billion to $330 million. He sold us out to save the Republican Party. Obama showed he was willing to sell out our military and their families, and reneged on the "no money for Czars" deal. Or was their ever a deal on Czars? Was creative accounting the secret deal from the beginning? Someone is not telling us the truth: what a revelation. Next time, be transparent. Let sunlight shine on the process. Give us a transcript of the negotiations so we can see if anyone is telling us the truth.

Round Two opened with Paul Ryan (now this guy I like) throwing the first punches. Not to be outdone in the suddenly trendy cutting game, Obama presented his plan at GWU, even looking at the camera periodically (not only clean and articulate, he reads really well). Meanwhile Biden, guru of the next budget commission showed solidarity with the air traffic control union by snoozing on the job.

Mr. President, if Round Two is really about people starving and disabled children left out on the street, you win, we all agree. But it isn't about that is it? For you it is about preserving something much larger, and that is the entitlement mentality you depend on for votes. It is about "from each according to their ability, to each according to their need." This Marxist theory has never worked, anywhere. In practice, it destroys the incentive to work of both those with ability and those with need and the system eventually collapses. Not only that, even if we "cut" $4 trillion from the deficit over the next twelve years the debt doubles to $28 trillion (check your math) and the whole house of cards still tumbles down.

The truth is that two thirds of your cuts are tax increases. They happen now. The only spending you want cut now is the military. SECDEF Gates' solution is to shrink the fighting force and put a lid on spending for critical space defense programs (God forbid we cut fat in the Pentagon). Other spending cuts come after the next election and, de ja vu, are mostly imaginative falsities based on creative accounting. Meanwhile, sensing disaster for progressives and his own outdated economic theories, Paul Krugman exhorts Democrats: "Let's not be civil" in response to Republican "cruel nonsense." What does this add to the dialogue?

Mr. Speaker, we didn't take back our House last November so you can save your precious Party. Get with the program or you will become a footnote in history in 2012. Your strong-arm tactics and smarmy back door deals do us no service.

Fellow conservatives - the adults who have been left out of the room - this is about avoiding financial collapse while protecting the Nation and actually helping those with real needs. The past two weeks have demonstrated, again, that political deals are phony. The only way to stop the madness is by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. Round Three has already started. Urge your representatives and senators to get in the ring and fight for economic sanity.

____________________________________________________________________
MCCONNELL v. POLIS?

Looks like the cat fight over redistricting in Colorado will end up in the courts. Don't you wish now we had cleared the bench? Check out the maps. Several of them split the Third CD putting everything north of I-70 in the Second CD. Mesa and Boulder, a match made in heaven? How about this in 2012: ski patroller, mountain guide, cowboy Colonel Bob McConnell versus gift-card selling, flower-power rich guy, the Blueprint architect himself, Jared Polis? Get your tickets early, because this fight would sell out, pitting two Party outcasts with world views as different as the sun and the moon in a knock-down drag-out for our future.

Blow Away the Smoke

2011-04-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Back in my day, the military devoted an entire manual to using smoke screens to conceal your actions or intentions. Today, politicians posing as leaders have perfected the art of using smoke screens for the same purpose. Often they succeed with help from airheads in the media who carry the water for one political party or the other. Lets blow away some of the smoke and see if we can figure out what they are trying to hide. Remember, the truth will set you free.

• The federal deficit is way too complicated for ordinary citizens to understand. Blow the smoke away and it isn't that complicated. The federal government will collect more than two thousand five hundred billion dollars in taxes this year. But it will spend over one thousand, five hundred billion dollars more than it collects in taxes. The difference in the two numbers is the deficit. There are lots of reasons the deficit has gotten so large, and both Parties are equally responsible. One huge reason is what, in the past I have called the "re-elect me Christmas tree."

• The federal debt is way too complicated for ordinary citizens to understand. Poof: same thing. When the federal government spends more than it collects in taxes, it borrows money to make up the difference. The amount borrowed is added to the federal debt. We pay interest on that debt, just like you do on your debts. President Obama acknowledges that all too soon, the interest on our debt alone will reach one thousand billion dollars a year. That number will come much sooner if the interest rate we pay increases even by a tiny percent. Every year or so, Congress promises that it will stop borrowing more money by putting a ceiling on what we owe. Today, the ceiling is fourteen thousand, three hundred billion dollars. We are about to hit the ceiling. Again, both Parties are equally irresponsible for letting the debt get so far out of hand.

• If Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling, the United States will default on our debt to China and the world will end. This comes from a man who many believe should be in jail for tax fraud, but instead is Secretary of the Treasury. Blow the smoke away. Refusing to raise the debt ceiling will mean that Congress cannot borrow any more money. This will mean that once Congress spends the more than two thousand five hundred billion it has collected in taxes this year, it cannot spend any more money. This in turn will mean that if we don't want the world to end, we have to pay the Chinese before we run out of money. In other words, Congress will have to set spending priorities limited by what is collected in taxes. Isn't that what we hired them to do?

• The President can ignore his oath of office by issuing a "signing statement" in which he says he will ignore part of a bill passed by both houses of congress and sent to him for signature. Let's blow the smoke away. By summarily ignoring the "no more csars provision" of the budget deal, Obama is effectively exercising a line-item veto. Every time a president has asked for the legal authority to use a line-item veto, we have said no. Take a minute to read Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution in which we, the People, laid out the procedure for a bill to become Law. Then read Article II, Section 1 which includes the oath we, the People, require anyone to take before they assume the office of president. Now read Article II, Section 4 which says in part, the President shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Should we impeach him?

Let's stay focused on our economic crisis and not be pulled off course by Donald Trump (Trump Enterprises filed three times for bankruptcy) "birther" issues, and calls for impeachment. I have two sons who were born in Germany. Both their mother and I are citizens of the United States. Both of them are "natural born Citizens" despite the fact they were born in Germany. Either of them is just as eligible to be president as I am. I don't care where Barack Hussein Obama was born. As long as his birth mother was a citizen, he is eligible to be president as well. I do care when the President asserts the unconstitutional power to decide what part of a bill passed by both houses of Congress he will follow, and which parts he won't. If our House is going to impeach this guy, let it be on that basis and let the process start now. That said, lets blow the smoke away from impeachment. Even if the House voted to impeach, the Senate would acquit on a party line vote and we'd be right back where we started. Why waste the energy?

Let's focus on pressuring our representatives to vote for strong conservative values. Let's continue the search for a true conservative to defeat Obama in 2012. Let's make sure our voices continue to be heard and let's use our intellects and patriotism to blow away the smoke.

They Protect Us. Let's Protect Them.

2011-04-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

•Today the Secretary of Defense told the troops, now fighting undeclared wars around the globe, that they will get half their pay after the government shuts down, the balance to be paid later. They are now supposed to tell their families to pay half the rent, and put half the food on the table? Meanwhile, President Obama, the Commander in Chief, has said he will veto a bill to guarantee military pay. Shame on you. We are undertaking action as I write to make certain that no matter what happens tonight, no military family here in Routt County will suffer from your betrayal of our military. No military family's rent will go unpaid, and no child of a service member will suffer in Routt County. VFW, American Legion Posts and churches across the country, step up and do the same. Our military and their families must never again be held as political pawns.

•Today, progressives vilify the Tea Party, as they have for two years, this time for "causing the shutdown". Harry, Nancy and the rest of you shut up and listen for once. We are not a party, we are the people. You work for us. We took back our House, the People's House, last November. The Senate and the White House are next. Call us what you will, we will not allow you to destroy the Republic.

•Today John Boehner has pledged not to accept any pay until this is resolved. Twenty-five in our House, Republican and Democrat, have joined him. If your representative is not on the list, they do not deserve the title "honorable." Fire them. Stand strong Mr. Speaker, be a leader, and we will cover your back. There is a bill pending to protect military pay during the shutdown.

Tonight I urge you to join me in prayer for our nation, and that our leaders will make wise decisions in the days ahead

Power to the People

2011-04-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Next week, people all over America will meet to celebrate two years of becoming the force known as the Tea Party. It is time to review where we are. First, let's celebrate what we have accomplished. We have taken back the people's House and thrown the progressive movement back on its heels. Conservatives are better educated and more active than ever. Two years ago, who would have thought that so many people would understand the disasters of 1913 - the 16th and 17th Amendments and the Federal Reserve Act; and talking knowledgeably about issues such as war powers, term limits, and QE2?

We didn't get the most important thing we sought, a functional and rational federal government. Congress will vote for another continuing resolution this week, arguing over pennies on the dollar of our debt and deficit. Some in Washington are listening and that is a big improvement, but knuckleheads in Congress will run America into the ground as long as we keep sending them to Washington. The federal government will continue to grow unless we fire self-serving politicians in 2012. We have lots of work to do.

Celebrate what is happening in Arizona, stepping up to protect the border; Utah fighting for state land rights; North Dakota thriving with its state owned bank; New Jersey standing up to the teachers union; Wisconsin and Ohio making the case it is time to stop public unions from holding tax payers hostage, and in 14 states that sued over Obamacare, and are winning. Most recently, Missouri has announced that it will no longer accept extended unemployment benefits from the federal stimulus program. Congress won't quit spending our money, but an increasing number of States are saying to Washington, "get out of our way". The 10th Amendment was the great balance the Founders trusted to keep the federal government in check. The balance broke because we didn't understand how important it was. We have lots of work to do.

When States demonstrate they can solve problems, Washington backs off. With the present fiscal mess, it is hard to think about fighting the long game, but that is what Progressives have done for a hundred years. It is time to toughen up and do this. We need States fighting for new jobs and growth rather than kowtowing to people who place more value on a bird's egg than a human fetus, who "protected" our forests to death, and who prevent us from using our plentiful resources to become energy independent. We need to put people back to work and not worry so much about lichen and butterflies and the methane cows create. We have lots of work to do. I have a challenge for us right here in Colorado. Let's prove that we can feed our hungry, shelter our homeless, and provide medical care for those who can't afford it without a single dime from Washington. We can do it cheaper and have better outcomes. Governor Hickenlooper, just say no to federal money and federal control. Turn Coloradans loose and we will take care of each other. We have lots of work to do. Throw some tea up in the air next week and celebrate what we have accomplished. As the federal government creaks and groans towards its inevitable shutdown, celebrate a better way of doing things, state's rights, powered by the people.

Taxpayers Thrown Under the Bus

2011-03-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

The headline in USA Today, March 24, reads "$4 BILLION IN PET PROJECTS LEFT INTACT." Included in the pork is $24 million for rural transportation in our own Pitkin County. Never heard of Pitkin? It is right in the center of the Colorado Rockies and it isn't on the way to anywhere. It doesn't have to be. The county seat is Aspen, home of movie stars and playground for the super wealthy. The people of Aspen want new buses. They want new buses with wi-fi, and they want American taxpayers to pay for them. Last week Scott Tipton got on board. Faced with the dilemma of standing by campaign promises to cut pork, or putting the first ornament on his very own "reelect me Christmas tree," he opted to join Democrat senators Udall and Bennett and go for the buses. He did object to wi-fi. Have to cut costs you know. While campaigning, Tipton wanted to cut the government by 50% . Now he draws the line at wi-fi on buses in Aspen. Times do change.

Seems strange doesn't it, but Pitkin County, the wealthiest county in Colorado, and fourth richest in the entire US, with an average per-capita income of $60,000.00 will get buses paid for by taxpayers from places like Conejos and Costilla Counties with average per-capita incomes of $24,495.00 and $19,531.00. Well, it makes more sense if you take Aspen's Zip Code and run it through www.campaignmoney.com. You discover that in 2008, residents of Aspen donated over $300,000.00 to GOP candidates, and in 2010 donated over $118,000 to Republican campaigns. Obviously, new buses for Aspen are an important ornament to put on any politician's tree. The buses are far too important to be put off by the fact that we don't have money to pay for them, or any of the other $4 billion in pork. So congress will borrow the money from our friends the Chinese. If past statistics hold true, 90% of them will get reelected, over and over, you and I will pay the piper, and the party never ends.

As far as I am concerned, Aspen can buy its own buses whether Mark, Mike or Scott gets reelected or not. Tipton, by the way, is considered by Colorado Dems to be the "#1 Takeout
Opportunity" http://coloradopols.com/diary/15393/scott-tipton-giveth-and-taketh-away Having been rated at 81% by the Heritage Foundation (for his "committment" to cutting spending), having voted for an extension of Obamacare for veteranarians, and still "undecided" about whether to raise the debt ceiling, Tipton has lost sight of all the conservative campaign rhetoric. If he doesn't get his act together soon, he may well be a one-term representative. The Dems obviously smell weakness.

The Bridge to the Tea Party

2011-03-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to Jim Teller for the fine work he's doing with the State Leadership Forum. We are reproducing the words of former chairmen of both the Republican and Democrat Party in Colorado, both of whom now work with and advise the Denver Tea Party. Fascinating stuff. As Jim says, "The bridge to the tea party is much different than most 'establishment' people think."

From Steve Curtis, former GOP chairman:

The abundance that surrounds us in America can make it hard to convince others and even ourselves that we live in a land of increasing tyranny and continually eroding wealth and morality. Steve Curtis, former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, now serves as on the Denver Tea Party's advisory board.

As the saying goes, “I’d rather be poor in America, than rich in any other country in the world.”

But the promise of America was never to be the richest poor guy, reliant on others for your daily sustenance, or to live under the constant fear of having the fruits of your labor taken away to advance the utopian dreams of someone else.

And yet, somewhere between the Pilgrims and Patriots of yesteryear, and the bureaucratic ruling class of today, the vision of what constitutes a truly free and prosperous people has changed.

Gone are days when a common belief in providence, sacrifice, and purpose united a people, and helped overcome the hardships of everyday living in order to build a great nation—one where future generations could worship freely without fear of recrimination and enjoy the blessings of their innovation and hard work.

George Washington’s sincere faith in ‘Providence’ has been supplanted by a religious-political complex and its variety of prosperity and social gospels. For generations, each election has moved us as a people further from reliance on our creator and our own abilities to reliance on failed governments eager to preach, teach, take, poke, prod, lie to, condemn, and even imprison the very people they claim to serve. For most, the American spirit is as lacking as any true statement to emanate from a politician’s lips.

If you want a clear picture of the moral depravity of the ruling elites, look no further than yesterday’s budget busting big spenders posing as today’s deficit hawks.

And yet, most of us aren’t moved to take action to stop this meddling bunch. In fact many don’t even seem to notice. We accept their lies as a normal part of American life. We go about our days trying not to think of the personal sacrifices that may be required to free ourselves from an intrusive system that has replaced our foundational beliefs in faith, family, and freedom.

Make no mistake, while the system is flawed, it is merely a manifestation of those who use the mechanisms of government and political parties to serve no one but themselves. They preach hopelessness, and then offer up themselves as our nation’s best hope. They preach fairness then discriminate against those that disagree with them. They pick winners and losers instead of assuring equal access to jobs, education, and markets. And, they believe the solution to every perceived problem requires action by government.

Only the hopeless need hope. Only the enslaved need their freedom. America once stood as a beacon of both hope and freedom but it took great sacrifice to gain these elements, and it may require an even greater sacrifice to regain them.

So what do we do?

Without question, the solutions to restoring the United States to the status of a truly great nation will be comprehensive and will require much more than a reversal of current political trends. Having said that, there are three principles at the core of the Tea Party Patriot movement that can help to restore our government to the founder’s intent, allowing the American people to once again focus on the aspects of life that are far more important than politics.

When the core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets prevail, governments will not have the mandate, power, or money to interfere as they do today. Citizens will freely innovate and produce, creating the economic abundance for charity and goodwill to flow from neighbor to neighbor.

Families can once again plan for their own future needs and care for one another without the threat of penalties for working too hard, earning and saving too much, or being involved in legitimate commerce that someone else may find objectionable.

Individual faith in a power higher than ourselves will take its rightful place in the hearts of individuals which by its very nature will cause them to care about each other more. These characteristics will be a constant reminder of those who sacrificed for our liberties and an example for future generations to aspire to.

Tea Party Patriots have it right when they demand that governments return to their constitutionally mandated role. The power of the individual is maintained when any candidate, regardless of party affiliation, must work to earn each vote. This power is lost when by virtue of political affiliation a person’s vote is taken for granted, without fear of reprisal, because the goal is to win a majority of seats for a specific political party.

Today, both major political parties behave no differently than unions when they suppress the talented and elevate the tenured. Politicians mislead us with the false doctrine that our nation was built on a two party system. Human thought is oppressed by both of these practices and our nation suffers because of them.

It’s time once again for true liberty to reign. It’s time for every citizen to educate themselves about the truth of what has happened to our failing society. In the political realm, the ideals set forth by our nation’s founding fathers have found new life in the Tea Party Patriot movement, and I am proud to count myself among those who share in those principles.

From Phil Perington, former Dem chairman:

George Washington in his Farewell Address offered these words:

“The common and continual mischief’s of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public counsels and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasional riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.”

Phil Perington, former chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party, is now an advisory board member to the Denver Tea Party.

Therein, is the reason the Tea Party exists. America has reached a fork in the road, and as Yogi Berra once said, it’s time to take it. One road has become deeply muddled by staggering levels of greed and corruption, unmanageable and impossible to navigate. It is filled with high hubris and bluster, a cartel of multi-national conglomerates fueled by political hucksters and consultants, entrenched bureaucrats, party bagmen, lobbyists and union bosses bulging with swag. All this neatly wrapped in the guise of Party loyalty and honor, while using the American taxpayer as their source of renewable green energy.

Tea Party Patriots have chosen to take another road. Their mission and message is simple and straight forward. When you boil it down, all Americans really want is a good job and family in a safe home, quality schools, decent healthcare, security of the homeland, with respect one to another and probably most important…taxes that don’t drive them into the poor house before they retire.

Sadly, our political system has become a runaway train focused on ego and celebrity with arrogant party wonks choosing the winners and losers. Respectful debate between the Parties has metaphorically morphed back to the days when the Redcoats and Colonial Army stood in an open field madly firing away at each other, until one side finally succumbs, only to regroup and start again another day. Sound familiar?

The irony of the Tea Party is that cynical pundits and assorted talking heads say it’s just another Johnny come lately, “minority party.” They shout balderdash, sticking their noses in the air and then mucking the headlines with false incriminations.

Au contraire, the Tea Party is not an organized political party controlled by any individual leader or special interest money. It’s basically a state of mind, a nationwide belief that citizens, united can make a difference. Just like the Colonial Minutemen and their families who fought for liberty, freedom and the right to not be taxed without honest representation. The Boston Tea Party of 1773, most condescendingly declared by King George III to be an, “Intolerable Act,” was perhaps one of the greatest acts of open rebellion by a group of fearless citizen patriots in American history. It was a Tea Party boldly declaring people had finally had enough of old King George and his addiction to taxes without representation. It was an indictment of the King’s ability to reach into his subject’s pockets anytime he chose without explanation or recrimination.

Congress and the Executive Branch are getting dangerously close to also becoming addicted to King George’s specious little habit. Many in Congress have forgotten they were elected by people who sent them to protect and guard their money and property. They were elected to follow and obey the law of land, otherwise known as the Constitution of the United State of America.

Every year in good faith, citizens send to the U.S. Treasury, under threat of IRS prosecution, their hard earned money. And what happens? Congress then overspends hundreds of billions of dollars not yet deposited into the treasury and could care less. The taxpayers are on the hook and there is little or no recourse, its business as usual.

If Bernie Madoff was sent to federal prison for that type of conduct, then why does
Congress not suffer the same punishment? Millions of American taxpayers are asking that question through the efforts of the Tea Party. It’s beyond party affiliation. It’s a statement bound by a common purpose. It’s a political rebellion firmly allowed in our free democratic republic. It’s about playing by the rules. It’s about obeying the Constitution and not just making it up as you go. Even Indiana Jones couldn’t come up with some of the antics our elected officials cook up.

It is the sincere hope of Tea Party Patriots, in all 50 states, that our elected officials understand they are just temps, subject to removal at the ballot box. Public service is an honor, not an entitlement or lifetime career path. It’s a privilege bestowed by trust. Nor is it an opportunity to become a millionaire or inside trader working for a select few.

Republicans be warned, you may now be benefiting from the Tea Party, but that can change in one election cycle. The landslide of change that occurred last November was no fluke. It was not some easy ride into Congress to be treated lightly by the fortunate newly elected. The Tea Party is watching and keeping score in every state, for both local and federal future elections. Promises broken will be remembered and accounted for.

Democratic Party leadership should seriously think about setting aside their Tea Party misconceptions in favor of what is for the greater good of the Country as a whole. The time has come for both parties to put down their minutia and partisan swords and begin working on the basic common issues that affect the safety and security of the America we love, fight and some have died for.

It’s time for everyone to help pull the wagon including tenured public sector unionists, ”too big to fail” corporate moochers and assorted hedge fund miscreants, just to name a few. What good is “Liberty and Justice for all” if America goes broke.

Our Father, President George Washington, said it best… “There are few men with virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” Vigilance is, and always shall be, the guardian of freedom. To that end, America should welcome the Tea Party Patriots and be proud of the service these men, women and young adults have volunteered for.

I think I’ll have another cup’a tea.

THE PUPPET SHOW

2011-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

A momentous event is now unfolding before our eyes: the adoption of the federal budget, or what I call the Puppet Show. For many years we were allowed to watch the Show as long as we sat quietly in our assigned seats. This year we will not sit quietly in our assigned seats, because we are not the problem. The problem is a political party system that has bankrupted our nation, both fiscally and morally.

Usually when you attend a theatrical event like the Puppet Show, you are provided a program so you can follow the plot. Years ago having a program was not so important as our education system taught citizens basic civics. Remember the theory that the Republic will only survive as long as we have an educated citizenry? But our education system is totally broken. Years ago we could look to a free and somewhat unbiased press to help us understand the Show. But that no longer exists either. It is up to us to make some sense of the Show we are watching.

Let's start with this reality. We, the people bear a great deal responsibility for the mess we are in. Quite frankly, the Show has been pretty boring to watch. Moreover, it seems like every year there is something more interesting to watch. Today for example, we watch angry people in the streets of Cairo, Tehran, Tripoli and Madison. So we stopped watching what was really important- what our elected officials were doing with our money - the pile of debt they were racking up. As long as the cast of characters didn't do something glaringly stupid, we went about our lives. After all, the entire cast had taken an oath to abide by the Constitution.

It has become apparent to many of us that this oath is being (and has for years been) ignored by our elected representatives. Just for example: since 1787 we have elected some ten thousand or so men and women to serve in the US House of Representatives. While many of them served us ably and well, a large number of them became addicted to the power and perks which made leaving office seem unbearable. Those who became addicted needed a gimmick to stay on the gravy train. Once they had a gimmick, they used our money to fund the gimmick and get themselves reelected. When there wasn't enough money, they borrowed money, or sat by and said nothing as the Federal Reserve printed more. As long as the number of those addicted stayed low, we could afford to feed their addiction. Now that number is upside down.

Congress is filled with mediocre, self-serving politicians who can't get reelected without a gimmick. We can no longer afford to feed their addiction. The nation teeters on the edge of bankruptcy because each gimmick has a constituency which is now addicted to the gimmick as well. Many politicians who created the gimmicks are long dead and gone, but the cost of getting them reelected over and over is still hanging around our neck like an anchor. The"budget debate" has disintegrated into name-calling and partisan bullying (Reid stating that Boehner is being "bossed around by a bunch of freshmen.") And the Republicans think we can limp along, two weeks at a time, cutting bits and pieces. Only 47 GOP congressmen are 100% committed to cutting spending, after all those big campaign promises. The Puppet Show has become another Horror Show.

Over the next few weeks we will look at the budget fiasco and how we, the people, can step in to take back our freedom. The important thing is to keep our eyes on the ball this year and not be distracted by events overseas. Here's an easy fix that will never happen: a one-sentence bill, requiring that the budget passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in 2008 shall apply to fiscal year 2011. Vote straight up, yea or nay. No amendments. But our politicians will never do what's right or easy.

Time to lean forward in the saddle, and keep the faith.

Feet to the Fire

2011-03-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

A Quick Word from THE CONSERVATIVE VOICE

I want to correct a mistake in the latest issue of THE CONSERVATIVE VOICE where I stated that this Friday's vote had to do with the whether to raise the debt ceiling. Thanks to Rob Douglas, among others, for setting me straight.

The vote on Friday is a continuing resolution, determining whether to keep the government running at its current fiscal rate. I say shut it down, stop borrowing, cowboy up and stop this madness. Our legislators think otherwise, as usual.

In this regard, Rob also shared a FABULOUS interactive site from the Heritage Foundation where you can track your representatives' votes and compare them to other Republicans. It's the Heritage After Action Report and it looks at which Republicans are "rock solid" in their promise to cut spending. Sadly, it only amounts to 47 Republican congressmen. Of Colorado's GOP congressmen, Scott Tipton scored the lowest, coming in at 81% in terms of willingness to cut spending. He may possibly be the lowest of the GOP members of the Rocky Mountain West congressional delegation.

Finally, Colorado SB11-126 - a bill allowing illegal immigrants to get in-state college tuition - goes to the floor of the full senate tomorrow, March 1. It has already passed the Senate Appropriations Committee. Contact your state senator and let them know that this is a "make or break" conservative vote. Any senator voting "yes" to SB11-126 is not a conservative. Period.

Time to hold feet to the fire my friends. DO NOT TOLERATE politicians who are already waffling on "promises." Watch them like hawks, and act accordingly. My apologies again for my mistatement, and thanks to Rob and all the folks who are staying active, educated, and fired up.

Keep the faith,
Bob McConnell
beawatchman@aol.com

SHUT IT DOWN

2011-02-27T04:26:00.000-08:00

On March 4th Congress will decide whether to raise the debt ceiling. A "yes" vote will further bloat the national debt, allowing the beast to borrow more money. A "no" vote will stop any more borrowing, and force Congress to balance the budget. My vote - meaningless and probably not reflected in national trends - is to stop the borrowing. Chicken Little and company say this will cause a government shutdown-we will all starve, or die of global warming or global cooling or whatever. I say call their bluff. Stop the borrowing. That will still leave the federal government over two thousand billion dollars in projected revenues. Let's tighten our belts and live on it. Start by cutting all pay and allowances to the President, Congress, and the head of every federal agency until they figure out how to balance the budget. I bet they will get it balanced pretty quickly when their own checks stop.

Chicken Little and company tell us the first thing to stop will be social security and veteran's benefits checks. That is not a fiscal decision. It is a threat calculated to strike fear in the most vulnerable among us. There are a hundred other ways to manage the "crisis" besides taking away those benefits. But it strikes fear into the hearts of millions. Leadership starts at the top. Before any citizen loses what they have earned, the President, every agency head, and every member of Congress STOPS GETTING PAID March 4th and every month forward until we have a balanced budget. Although that is a drop in the ocean of debt, it would be the most powerful symbol of the new way of doing business.

Our representatives are busy at this moment "seeking compromise," which in political-speak means avoiding the hard issues. The longer we keep this fiscal monstrosity on life-support the worse the disease becomes. It will kill us now, or it will kill us later. We might as well cowboy up, take the hit right now and get down to the business of fundamental restructuring so this never happens again.

One of the biggest line items in the federal budget is interest on our debt. Raising the debt ceiling will- you guessed it - increase what we spend on interest every year. If your kids ran their business or household in this manner you would be appalled.Yet already, Republicans are touting "compromise" so they can extend operations for another two weeks while they work with "our friends across the aisle." So the Republicans answer is to raise the debt ceiling until March 18th, hoping that Democrats will somehow see the light and join in further "compromises." You know what this indicates? Politics as usual, and that is what got us in this mess.

So what if the government "shuts down"? That could be the best thing that ever happens. Tell your congressman and your senators shut it down and start fixing the underlying problems. There are four major steps to fix the underlying problems for good, instead of sticking a band aid of more money on the hemorrhaging.

1. Amend the Constitution to require a balanced budget beginning in fiscal year 2013 and;
2. Set term limits for both the House and the Senate
3. Require Congress follow every Law they foist on us.
4. Introduce a Bill requiring a full audit of the Fed.

Contrary to what the doomsday folks tell you, the world will breathe a huge sigh of relief that there is hope for the United States. They need hope because for the past hundred years we have saved the world over and over. Without us, who will lead the way?
If the government "shuts down" and these knucklehead politicians were threatened with job joss, the House could start the amendment process and pass the Bill in about 15 minutes. We can afford that kind of shut down and in fact it has to happen. But according to The Washington Post, "both parties agree that letting the standoff shut down the government would be an unpopular move." "Unpopular move?" Is this a beauty contest, or the high school homecoming pageant? Unpopular? These guys stopped being "popular" back in Lincoln's time. They are concerned with one thing only: getting re-elected, period. The GOP has offered a two week solution. This is vision? Who cares about being popular? Make the hard decisions, do the tough work we hired you to do, stop being pansies and be leaders. From our end, we will take the hits we need to take to minimize the federal government, downsize it to its Constitutionally mandated roots, and get back to the business of growing our communities, helping our neighbors, creating small business opportunities, and taking care of our health WITHOUT THE MASSIVE INTRUSION AND OBSCENE SPENDING OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Keep in mind our representatives are generally not the brightest bulbs in the string so we need to support them by holding their hands, sending them ideas in simple terms, and then threatening them with being fired. I know from being on the campaign trail that we, the People, have the solution to every problem we face. Tell your elected representatives. Use the big crayon so they get it. We will never be quiet again. Watch your congressman and senators like a hawk. Their vote on March 4th should determine whether it is time to start the recall process.

HOW TO RECALL AN ELECTED OFFICIAL IN COLORADO

2011-01-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

The citizens of Colorado are granted the authority to perform a recall election by the Section 1 of Article 21 of the Colorado Constitution.

Colorado is one of nine states with provisions that say that the right of recall extends to recalling members of its federal congressional delegation, but it hasn't been clear whether federal courts would allow states to actually recall their federal politicians.[1]

Signature requirement
Main article: Colorado signature requirements
The amount of valid signatures required for recall election are 25% of the votes cast in the last election for the official being recalled

Filing for recall
First a recall petition must be filed with the office in which nomination petitions are filed for the official that is being recalled. Generally this office is the Colorado Secretary of State. The petition must include a statement of no less than 200 words explaining the ground on which the official is to be recalled. This measure is for the benefit of citizens who will sign the petition.

Circulation
After the petition is approved by the Secretary of State, circulation of the petition may begin. Petitioners have 60 days to gather the proper number of signatures. After the proper number of signatures have been gathered the petition is submitted to the office in which it was filed to be deemed sufficient. This entails verifying the signatures. Once the petition has been deemed sufficient, the office in which it was filed will deliver the petition along with a certificate of it's sufficiency to the governor who will then set a date for the recall election.

Recall election
After the petition has been deemed sufficient, the official against whom the recall was filed may resign within five days without having the recall election held against them. if the official does not resign the recall election will go on as scheduled. The election will be held not more than 60 days after the petition was deemed sufficient but not within 30 days after. However if a general election is within 90 days of filing, then the recall election will be held in conjunction with the general election.

The ballot will include the original statement from the petitioners as to why the official in question should be recalled, as well as a no more than 300 word rebuttal from the official if they so wish.

The ballot will have two boxes marked "Yes" approving the recall and "No" disapproving the recall. there will also be a list of candidates for whom those that voted for the recall may vote for to replace the official. In this sense the recall election is held simultainiously with the election of the new official.

If a majority of voters vote "no" on the recall, the official whom the recall was filed against will remain in their position. If there is a majority "Yes" votes then the new official will be the candidate on the list with the most votes.

THE FIRST BIG TEST: WHAT IS YOUR CONGRESSMAN MADE OF?

2011-01-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Our anger and concern over federal spending played a huge role in putting new faces in Congress. What difference will they make?

In a letter to Congress dated January 6, Treasury Secretary Geithner wrote that failure to raise the debt ceiling "would have catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades." This statement ignores the obvious. What Geithner, Bernanke, and the Congress have done has already had catastrophic economic consequences that will last for generations. And yet, they want more. It's never enough. According to Geithner,

Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary. Failure to raise the limit would precipitate a default by the United States. Default would effectively impose a significant and long-lasting tax on all Americans and all American businesses and could lead to the loss of millions of American jobs.

Friends, quite frankly, this is bullshit. If Congress leaves the debt ceiling where it is - $14.3 trillion - a disgrace by any standard, the federal government will be forced to cut spending. You know who decides what gets cut if the ceiling isn't raised? As it stands now, the Secretary of the Treasury and the President decide which government functions and payments to delay and I assure you they will rattle the SOCIAL SECURITY saber, the "job loss" threat, and try to terrify you in any way they can because we can never give them enough money. It's time for change.

Politicians, in order to stay in office, just keep rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They don't need to cut Social Security. They can cut entitlement programs, they can cut bureaucratic government fat, they can cut their own salaries, they can eliminate wasteful agencies - if forced to - they could find a hundred ways to tighten the fiscal belt. But they would rather scare you and scream that the sky is falling and the world as we know it will end. It is up to us to force them to make hard choices.

The government has about another $300 billion or so to spend before the current debt ceiling is hit. Since our politicians spend money like drunken sailors, it could be as early as March when Congress is asked YET AGAIN to raise the debt ceiling.

Will your Congressman have the courage to VOTE NO TO RAISING THE DEBT CEILING? Many freshmen representatives won by promising to stop deficit spending. But with their feet to the political fire, will they have the courage to do what you sent them to do? Call or write your representative today and ask this question: WILL YOU VOTE NO TO RAISING THE DEBT CEILING? Get an answer, a 'yes' or 'no' answer, in writing.

If your representative votes to raise the debt ceiling, initiate a recall. Don't wait until 2012 to throw them out. We are burning daylight. Get him or her out immediately. Read more about recall elections and petitions. Nine states allow for the recall of federal representatives by petition, including Colorado. Educate yourself on the process now, and get ready to collect signatures and oust those who betray your trust. Period. We are done electing politicians who do not listen, and we will not wait until 2012.

WHY I AM NO LONGER A REPUBLICAN

2011-01-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

To those of you who listened when I asked you to trust the Republican Party, I apologize. The GOP has failed us at the national, state, and local level. I am no longer a Republican because the GOP no longer represents me or what I believe. When I stepped into the fray a year and a half ago I thought the evil I was fighting was the progressive movement. I was only half right. We must defeat Barack Obama and his agenda. The GOP is not up to the task. It is time to face the reality that conservatives are being shut out of the Party. Conservative values, not a "go along to get along, what will keep me in office" mentality will defeat Obama in 2012.

As I drove back from the vacancy committee meeting in Craig last night, I heard that the RNC is $4 million in debt. And these are the people who will lead us to fiscal responsibility? Small wonder contributions are evaporating after we learned last summer that more than two-thirds of all contributions go to keeping the national machine in first class when they travel to gala dinners, and the occasional massage parlor visit. GOP "leadership" in the US Senate and House is an oxymoron - a true contradiction in terms. Mitch McConnell and John Boehner are poster boys for the GOP "paid their dues" mentality. They are the same two who with Pelosi and Reid, "led" us through the Bush 43 and Obama era financial debacle. Last month they caved on critical conservative issues during the lame-duck, and I sense that was just the beginning. Refusing to allow Michelle Bachman a leadership position was a slap in the face to the Tea Party energy that put a new group of Republicans in office. Soon Congress will vote on whether to keep the government open by funding it with money we don't have. How will Republicans vote? And before May, Congress must vote whether or not to raise the debt ceiling AGAIN, further financially strapping our grandchildren. How will Republicans vote - based on the promises they made while campaigning or based on what they're told by the poster boys?

At the state level, the GOP looked like the Keystone Cops during the last election - funny if not so pathetic in result. Last night the SD 8 Vacancy Committee appointed Al White's wife to finish his term - liberal bloggers say the fix on that has been in for weeks. I am sure liberals celebrated with champagne when they heard the result. When a selection as important as the SD 8 seat is made by secret ballot, we, the people, suffer.

I am now registered as Unaffiliated. It was easy to disengage; just go to a website , and start paying attention to patriots who pledge allegiance to the flag, not a party.
We need a vehicle other than the GOP to defeat Obama, because the GOP is not up to the task. It is a waste of time to try and change it from within; they have made it clear we are not welcome. The only way to get their attention is to leave. Not necessarily to form another party, but to stand together outside the Boy's Club as independent voters. We can field candidates who have no party allegiance or affiliation. We can choose people who have integrity and want to serve us, not just more mediocre life-long politicians who have paid their dues. Let's get their attention.

I have always urged you to "keep the faith." That never meant faith in the Republican Party, or any political machine. I ask you to have faith in yourselves, in ourselves as conservatives, to overcome the most serious crisis the Republic has faced in a hundred years. We must not repeat 1912 in 2012 and the GOP is well on the way to doing just that.
Rangers Lead the Way!

Help Put a Conservative in the CO Senate

2010-12-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism"
Thomas Jefferson

My decision to apply to fill the state Senate seat being vacated by Al White has generated incredible interest and support. Thank you. This is an opportunity to put a true conservative in the 8th Sentate District seat, which is critical to all conservatives in Colorado. Here's some more information.

There are 15 Republicans in the Colorado State Senate, and 20 Democrats. We all should have a voice in replacing Al White with a strong conservative. That's why I'm asking you - whether you live in Senate District 8 or not - to let your voice be heard. Please take a moment to send an e-mail expressing your views. The people on the vacancy committee who will decide who holds the seat for the next two years are:

Phil Vaughn (Chairman): phil@pvcmi.com
Milton Blakey (Garfield County Chair): mkblakey@hughes.net
David Smith (Rio Blanco Chair): dsranchz@nctelecom.net
John Ponikvar (Moffat County Chair): cjponikvar@bresnan.net
Jack Taylor (Routt County Chair): genevataylor@qwestoffice.net
Randy Milhoan (Eagle County Chair): milhoanstudios@comcast.net
Dick Snavely (Jackson County Chair): psnavely@centurytel.net
Audrey Danner (Secretary 8th District, Moffat): audreydanner@gmail.com
Jean White (Al White's wife): It is my understanding that Jean is herself a candidate, and will not be voting.

Since all Colorado conservatives have a stake in this seat, you can also contact Dick Wadhams: dickwadhams@yahoo.com or call the state GOP 303-758-3333.

You can contact your county chair and express your opinion on the process and the outcome. You can write a letter to the editor in your local paper. There is PLENTY you can do to LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD IN THIS PROCESS.
Here are the details on the meeting itself:

DATE: Monday, January 3, 2011
TIME: 2:00 pm
PLACE: Moffat County Courthouse 221 W. Victory Way, Craig, CO

It is open to the public, and that is YOU. Put your true conservative voice in that senate seat. I hope you'll support me in this opportunity to serve. Thanks, God bless, and keep the faith.

Bob McConnell
970-846-4907
beawatchman@aol.com
Forward email

MCCONNELL SEEKS COLORADO STATE SENATE DISTRICT 8

2010-12-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

(Steamboat Springs CO) Ret. Colonel Bob McConnell, former candidate for the Third US Congressional District of Colorado is vying for the Senate District 8 seat being vacated by Al White (R- Hayden) who has been appointed director of the Colorado Tourism Office. A Republican vacancy committee meets on January 3, 2011 at the Moffat County Courthouse in Craig to decide who will finish the remaining two years of White's term.

"I would like to serve the people of Colorado," McConnell said, "And more than ever, we need a solid conservative in the state senate, because the Senate is run by a Democrat majority."

McConnell ran his congressional campaign based on conservative principles including limited government, free markets, fiscal discipline, and individual rights. He was an advocate for state's rights and promised massive spending cuts at the federal level.

"That's exactly what we need in Colorado as well," McConnell noted, "We need to balance the budget. Also, lots of people need work and we have lots of work that needs to be done."

The vacancy committee is composed of nine people, including Republican party chairs of the six counties in District 8: Jackson, Routt, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and parts of Eagle and Garfield. In the Republican congressional primary, McConnell handily carried Routt county, as well as Rio Blanco and Garfield counties. Al White's wife Jean is seeking to replace her husband. She is also a member of the vacancy committee.

"This is an opportunity for the Republican party in Colorado to regain its conservative momentum," McConnell said.

For more information, contact Bob McConnell at 970-846-4907

THOUGHTS ON THE ELECTION

2010-11-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

Commentators and party leaders are already arguing about who gets the credit for our wins, and who gets the blame for our losses. Whatever else may be written about it, on election night, a breath of fresh air blew across America from sea to shining sea. Along with many of you, I savored the smell. The next morning as I arrived at the Federal Reserve for what ended up a lonely vigil, the headline of The Washington Examiner read “GOP in historic sweep of House, Dems cling to Senate; Obama rebuked.” We won big, but we didn’t get everything we wanted. I am being asked what can we do now? The better question is, what must we do now?

Control of the House will give our representatives the power to put the brakes on the Obama agenda after they are sworn in on January 3rd. Many promises were made to win our votes. The question on my mind now is whether those we elected will stay true to those promises and earn our respect. Thursday morning I listened to Senator Mitch McConnell speak at the Heritage Foundation. The breath of fresh air turned to the smell of waffles as he back peddled on reining in the Fed, tax reform and later, on earmarks. Senator elect Rand Paul seems to have already given up on defeating an increase in the debt ceiling. Presumptive House Speaker John Boehner seems content to let old guard RINOs who got us in this mess take over key leadership positions on the House Rules, Appropriations and other committees. Decisions will be made next week that may well determine whether the 112th Congress will work to reduce the cost, scope and control of the federal government, or whether it will cave in to Potomac Fever.

We must stay awake, be informed, and be Watchmen. Great challenges lie ahead. The fight for conservative values has just begun. As Watchmen, we must hold our representatives and their leaders accountable. We must be proactive, not reactive. In my view, the best way forward is to set specific expectations and hold our representatives accountable, rather than sit back while they set their own agenda. If we sit back, wait and watch how they vote, it will be too late. We have all experienced how ineffective our individual efforts are at getting the attention of our representatives. Our letters and email were either not given the courtesy of an answer, or we got meaningless form letters in response. Let me suggest we do what de Tocqueville said we do best: unite. Carry on the Tea Power we have created. At your meetings between now and January 3rd, debate among yourselves and agree on your top three priorities. Send a letter signed by your leaders, on your behalf, to your representatives. Tell them your group will hold them accountable for your expectations rather than the other way around. Remember, they work for us now. Take a look at the five point checklist the Heritage Foundation has posted at www.heritage.org/solutions. It may be a good starting point for your discussions. Keep the list short and to the point. I believe that letters from groups which played important roles in these elections will have much more power than our individual letters.

Next on my list is revitalizing the Republican Party. It is not just a mess in Colorado. New blood, new energy, new ideas from combat vets and Tea Party candidates who were not part of the “in crowd” met resistance all across the country. That has to change, or we may very well face a repeat of 1912. Remember that Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose Progressive Party split the conservative vote that year. This led directly to the disasters of 1913, the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, the Federal Reserve Act, and the 16th and 17th Amendments. We must not repeat that in 2012.
However, unless the Republican Party opens itself to the energy and determination of the Tea Power, there will be a third party in 2012. Let’s fix this from the grass roots. Get a copy of your county bylaws. Elections will take place next year before February 15 for county central committee officers. Find out when and who can vote. Pick candidates and get them elected. These people, elected officials, and in some cases, “bonus members” will meet as the State Central Committee sometime between February 15th and April 1st to elect new officers, set a budget, and conduct other business. I think the first order of business should be to amend the bylaws of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee. Specifically, I feel a glaring hole in Article II, Purpose, led to our lost opportunity to take back the governor’s office. It reads in part “… the primary purpose of this organization shall be to elect duly nominated or designated Republican candidates to office ….” That should read “to elect Republican candidates selected by Republican voters”. We need to eliminate the confusion in the present wording. I don’t want somebody else to designate my candidates. I will support candidates for the central committee in my county who share my feelings.

Lastly, while the ugliness of this election is still fresh in our minds, we need to look at ourselves. Let’s all commit to be civil to our candidates, our representatives, and to each other. If we want to return this country to exceptionalism, we must find and encourage exceptional candidates. I believe that the lack of individual and in some cases, corporate civility has cost us the benefit of representation by exceptional citizens. It is time for that to change. We need new energy, new ideas and new citizen representatives to get America back on track.

Post your comments below, or e-mail me. Let’s start a discussion and keep the fires burning. Be a Watchman and, keep the faith.

THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF FREEDOM

2010-10-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

We will celebrate three hundred years of independence in 2076. What an amazing testament to our Founders, and subsequent generations of Americans. I think the time is right for us to evaluate where we are as a nation and I invite you to join me in an open discussion about what we want our nation to be in sixty-six years. Let’s look at what is working and what isn’t, and then we can prioritize the hard work that lies ahead, and get started. I am firmly convinced that this work is for the people. It is far too important to be left to politicians and political parties. Please comment, critique, challenge, be innovative and forward thinking. Join me in this adventure into the future.

It seems to me that our work can logically be divided into major areas such as the nation, citizenship, governance, national defense, the economy, energy, transportation, and caring for the needy. You may already see areas I have left out. Here are my initial thoughts in these areas:

We want our nation to be free, strong, and a beacon of hope to other nations. We want our citizens to be free, prosperous, educated and engaged. We welcome legal immigration and must make it easier to come here legally than illegally. We can and should insist those who seek to join us obey our laws and speak our language. We want the smallest possible government at every level, focused on protecting our individual freedom and empowering citizens to succeed. We want citizen leaders who serve us rather than self-interested career politicians. We want a judicial system that resolves our disputes fairly and efficiently. We want to secure our land, air and sea borders from all enemies, step back from being the world’s policeman, only engage in war after a declaration by Congress, and when necessary, fight to win without hesitation. We want a free enterprise economy that gives every citizen the opportunity to succeed and the risk to fail.

We want the United States to operate within its means without debt or deficit. We want a fair, simple source of revenue for the federal government that is not subject to manipulation by politicians. We should empower States to reorganize their finances and reject onerous contracts just as we now do businesses. We must become energy independent by using our own resources as cleanly and efficiently as possible. We need to rebuild our transportation infrastructure with high-speed rail at the center of long distance and heavy haul transportation. We must recognize that caring for the needy in our society is an individual, not a government responsibility. We can and should empower individuals who share common interests to do this important work through churches and civic organizations. We must respect those who need our help, with a view to their becoming as self-sufficient and productive members of society as possible.

I ask you to take these thoughts to heart. If one of these or another area interests you, lead the dialog in that area. Comment on this blog, or write your story here, or write to me at beawatchman@aol.com. We have a lot of work to do in the next sixty-six years. Keep the faith.

ACCOUNTABILITY

2010-09-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

Every two years for as long as I can remember, political pundits and politicians have said, “This is the most important election of our lifetimes,” or made similar lamentation that life as we know it will come to an end- “unless you send me money so that I can get reelected.” Those of us who awakened briefly from our self-absorbed slumber voted for candidates from our party of choice. Lots of us sent money. Then we went back to work doing whatever we did. Meanwhile, those we elected sold out the public interest for their private interest. Not all of them, but enough that real problems were ignored. Elected officials realized they could give themselves perks and pay raises and lead lives of isolated luxury. They could use the public trough to get themselves re-elected over and over. It was – like the Dire Straits song - “money for nothing and chicks for free.”

Then in 2008, the whole house of economic cards began to collapse. Only this time, it seemed to be a much more public airing of our dirty economic underwear. The United States had run out of ways to shift money and hide the truth: we were going bankrupt. The greatest, most generous, most free nation in history was going down the tubes. And it had happened on our watch.

This got a lot of people’s attention. People who had voted, and contributed, and then gone back to sleep were awakened. First they were shocked by what was happening. Then they were angry. People who had never been to a protest were out in droves. They realized that they weren’t alone, their neighbors were angry also. Then they became determined. I call this the evolution from “Tea Party” to “Tea Power”. It is a recognition that this movement will not become a political party in the traditional sense. And it won’t be a political party, at least not in our lifetimes, because lots of people who have worked hard for this country are wide awake. They won’t settle for the party line again soon. Then people will fall asleep and the process will be repeated. We’ll leave those lessons and that story for our grandkids.

This year, the people who are elected will face a large citizenry that wants real change in how Washington works, an awakened group of patriots who want our freedoms back; they want states rights and economic liberty. They want to stop wasting treasure and lives having the US be the world policeman. They want to be left alone. Whether this Tea Power will be enough to achieve what we want this election cycle is open for discussion. We’ll see.

On November 3rd, the important work must begin in earnest. Between then and 2012, we need to evaluate and identify those we elect who stray from the path they have promised us. We will remember them in 2012. Tea Power will dominate the 2012 elections. We will be heard. As we sang on the streets in Washington, Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye. We’ll remember in November, na, na, na, you’ll see.

Note I say evaluate. I chose this term consciously. I question whether we can ever really hold other mortals accountable for their actions or inaction except through the election process. After all, mortals all do sin. Pledges will be ignored and promises will be broken as this batch of politicians jockey for power. We can hope, we can watch, and we can tell the Tea Power how those we elect actually behave. This reporting should always focus on factual reality, how they vote, not what they say. We can leave the “what they said” reporting to CNN. The Tea Power is beyond really caring about what is said. We must be watchmen and report what we see. Here we will rely on the power and freedom of the internet, talk radio, and Fox News. Our precious First Amendment right to speak out and be heard must not be compromised. Ever. Any attempt to diminish or control that right must be met with prompt announcement and call to action.

Liberty Central has identified seventy-eight races we are following. We will grow our base by reporting the results of those elections. Our base will expand even more when we demonstrate that we will watch, and we will report, and we will evaluate. As our credibility grows, so the news will spread that new watchmen are on duty, and that they can be trusted. Keep the faith.

I STAND WITH DAN MAES

2010-09-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends in the Third District of Colorado, and across the Country:

Sunday morning my Pastor talked to me about "putting on the full armor of God." Sunday evening I received an e-mail from Dan Maes, using the exact same phrase. He is no longer fighting just a political battle, but a spiritual one. I stand with Dan Maes, shoulder to shoulder, to fight that battle as well. What are you prepared to do?

Dick Wadhams says "The Republican Party is who shows up." Over two hundred thousand voters "showed up" to vote for Dan Maes. Where is the Party? Dan went through the same caucus and primary process as his competitor. Is it all a dog and pony show, does it mean something or is it all just a useless exercise until "our Party" tells us what is best for us? Is it only the "right" candidate when he comes from the good old boys? The people have spoken while the party stays silent. This is a disgrace. Dan deserves the full measure of experience, money, and support the party would have given its chosen candidate. The Colorado GOP is acting like the Administration in DC: arrogant, ignoring the will of the people, and assuming we the people are too stupid to know what we want.

I stand with Dan Maes. I urge all of you to do the same. Since he had absolutely no help from the political machine his campaign made some mistakes, no doubt. Having been a grassroots candidate myself I can tell you how hard it is to reinvent the wheel without any assistance from the experienced people. Dan is, in his own words, "an imperfect man." When was the last time you heard a candidate say that?

On the campaign trail I was constantly asked "How will you stand up to the bullies in Washington?" Look at Dan Maes right now. He is standing up to the bullies in Colorado, the good old boys in his own party who don't like who he is, although he won fair and square. "Sit down, Dan. Be quiet. Be a good 'party' fella and go home and let us put our hand-picked person in there."And we wonder why our government is falling apart.

While Hickenlooper makes goofy TV ads mocking Republican campaigning, Dan continues to work tirelessly around the state. Go to his website www.danmaes.com, read what he says, donate to his campaign. Stand up to the political hacks who tell him to sit down. It is time they sat down, and listened to the people. You go, Dan. God bless, and wear the full armor in the fight.

Keep the faith,
Bob McConnell
bob@mcconnellforcongress.com
(970) 846-4907

MY WORK WITH LIBERTY CENTRAL

2010-09-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Folks, I hope you are well. I am happy to announce that I've been asked by LIBERTY CENTRAL, a national conservative activist group, to come on board as their COLORADO COLLABORATOR. Let me tell you a little bit about LIBERTY CENTRAL, and you'll see why this is such a great fit.

LIBERTY CENTRAL was founded in 2009 by Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as a way to "bridge the gap between our nation's citizens and its Capitol and return to a government that adheres to our core Founding Principles - limited government, personal responsibility, individual liberty, free enterprise, and national security."

LIBERTY CENTRAL is a national resource for citizen activists. Its goal is to provide "educational resources and tangible ways to impact our current political environment." It is founded solidly on conservative principles.

My job will be to listen, to stay in touch with the important races throughout the state and, most importantly, identify issues that trouble our citizens. We're not interested in political party talking points. LIBERTY CENTRAL wants to understand the pulse of the conservative activist voice in Colorado and throughout the country.

Although I'll be working throughout the state, my friends in the Third District will remain an invaluable resource for this national clearinghouse of conservative education and information. Can you help me "name" what is most troubling to you as voters, citizens, and conservatives? Contact me, and we'll start talking in depth. Meanwhile, please visit the LIBERTY CENTRAL website for some excellent resources.

I'm heading to DC next week to meet with Ginni Thomas and others throughout the nation who are part of this dynamic organization. We'll also be a part of the historic MARCH ON WASHINGTON DC on September 12th. As I walk in protest that day, I will carry you in my heart.

Since the primary, I have fished in Alaska, backpacked in the Zirkel Wilderness, pushed cattle in the Wet Mountain Valley and...seen my first grandchild off to college. This is an amazing country we live in and we need to restore the freedoms that have brought us this far. Look forward to hearing what's on your mind.

God bless you, and keep the faith,
Bob McConnell
bmcconnell@libertycentral.org
970-846-4907

A FULL CIRCLE

2010-08-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Thinking back, the incredible journey of this past year started on a fishing trip in Alaska. A year and a few days later, I am back from a week of fishing in Alaska with the same army buddies. What a year it has been, lots of miles, motels, and chicken. I don’t regret a day of it. The most valuable thing I have gained is your friendship. You challenged me to grow spiritually and intellectually. Thanks. I especially want to thank everyone who reached out to me after the primary. Your expressions of support and caring mean more than I can convey in writing.
I want to stay engaged with you.

We are revising the website. My blog will provide a forum for me to convey what I am thinking. My email bob@mcconnellforcongress will provide a way to contact me. Let me know what is on your mind as we approach November 2nd. Some, but not all of you know that I start each day reading from The Daily Bible, New International Version. I encourage you to join me in that adventure, and share your thoughts with me.

I am proud of what we accomplished. I hope you are as well. Keep the faith.

THANK YOU AND BE PREPARED

2010-08-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU folks! Last weekend of the primary race - enjoy and be safe. Also, be prepared for the usual from the "politicians" at this point - rumor and innuendo about me and/or Phyllis. I've learned that two things point to desperation in a political campaign: (1) the last minute flurry of panicked e-mails and rumors that personally disparage the winning candidate; and (2) the disappearance of the winning candidate's lawn signs. I was really disappointed in Grand Junction to see so many of my signs taken.

We have been a fully TRANSPARENT campaign and I intend to remain that way throughout my term of serving you, the people. If you have a question or concern about some rumor about me or Phyllis, please don't hesitate to contactt either one of us (bob@mcconnellforcongress.com; phyllis@mcconnellforcongress.com) . We will personally address this unfortunate but inevitable phenomenon in politics. And we will not respond in kind, ever. Take the high road, and hold.

I was recently endorsed by Veterans for a Strong America stated in its press release: "Bob McConnell is the only person in this race who has truly fought for us."

And on the lighter side, I am the subject of a political cartoon on Day by Day, read nationally by conservative bloggers. http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/2010/08/03/#005740 Guess that means I finally made it, huh?

We're happy and excited about August 10th. Stay tuned, and keep the faith.
Bob McConnell
McConnell For Congress
Of the People, Not the Party
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