Save the good ol' ship or it may not return to sea for yet another voyage

The day after Election Day I didn’t get out of bed until 10 am. No I was not suffering a hangover, I was suffering a loss. I spent that day lounging around the house as I feared to turn on or read anything that the media had illustrated.

In full retreat of all media outlets, with the exception of the occasional Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, I have resigned from such. In fact, I have declined to watch any news with the omission of Bill O’reilly for 45 minutes as I awaited Right Michigan’s national break. (If you haven’t congratulated Nick yet, please do!)

For the next few weeks I sat back and studied blogs as each blogger attempted to make sense of the situation. Some were alluding to a re-construction of our party and our principles. Some went on to say we need to ‘modernize’ and become ‘relevant’ to the youth of our country. Others, yet, called for the resignation of party leaders and officials. It became the blame game. If we continue to blame each other our conservative party will implode. We need to return to our roots and our principled, moral, ideals.

The mission of our party was effectively stated by Abraham Lincoln in which it is “to lift the artificial weights from all shoulders, and clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all.” Our focus, as the Republican Party has always been on that of opportunity. Not necessarily the ‘equality of outcome, but rather the equality of opportunity.’

More than 150 years later, the Republican Party stands for the same principles on which it was founded. Representative Christopher Cox said it best: Our party stands for “free minds, free markets, free expression, and unlimited opportunity.”

The Republican Party has a historical backdrop of which it played a vital role in bringing an end to slavery within the United States. Our party played a vital role in extending the rights to vote to men and women of all backgrounds, races, and creeds. We aided in conducting or accompanying within the modern civil rights era. Furthermore, we were “the leading role of our party in establishing an American policy of peace through strength that has freed hundreds of millions of people around the world from slavery and brought freedom, democracy, women’s rights, and minority rights to the former Soviet Empire and across central and eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East (Cox, 2005).

These astounding and astonishing achievements are results of dedication and opposition of the Democratic Party over the last 150 years.

Our party was formed on March 20, 1854 and a few moths later, after platforms and positions had been drafted, the first Republican state convention was held in Jackson, Michigan.

A few “firsts” of the Republican Party were eloquently spoken by Rep. Chris Cox:

Every single African-American in Congress, House and Senate, until 1935 was a Republican.

In 1872, the first black governor took office in Louisiana. I love his name: Pinckney Pinchback, a great Republican. Our own state of California was the first to have a Hispanic governor. Can you guess his political party? Republican Romualdo Pacheco became governor in 1875, long before anybody had ever heard of Cruz Bustamante.

The first Hispanic U.S. Senator was elected from New Mexico in 1928. You guessed it -- he was a Republican, Octaviano Larrazolo.

Republicans led the fight for women’s voting rights -- and the Democrats, as a party, opposed civil rights for women. All of the leading suffragists -- including Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton -- were Republicans. In fact, Susan B. Anthony bragged, after leaving the voting booth that she had voted for “the Republican ticket -- straight.”

The suffragists included two African-American Republican women who were also co-founders of the NAACP: Ida Wells and Mary Terrell, great leaders of our party, both of them.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the accomplishments of the GOP. It is a remarkable 150-year string of civil rights achievements.

With this previous election we must remember the words of Ronald Reagan, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Our party may not have won the battle but “…I know that the Lord is always on the rights side…it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord’s side” (Abraham Lincoln).

57 million voters voted against Barack Obama. It is our duty to unite and fight for the freedom that is always “one generation away from extinction.”

I leave you with the words of Abraham Lincoln: “If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage.”

-Chaz Oswald

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y5_q-rWMkg&feature=related

"Twas the night after elections...

'Twas the night after elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

On Fannie, On Freddie,
On Retzo and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

*For Those Who Fought For It, Freedom Has A Price The Protected Will Never Know*
Use your brain, vote McCain

-McCain Militia
-Chaz Oswald

Why I'm Voting Democrat

Happy Tuesday!

We are two weeks away from one of the most important elections of our time. It is essential that we educate the masses and get out the vote. But for your Tuesday, I thought it would be nice for a little sarcastic humor. Of course, sarcasm is no good and not funny if it does not hold an element of truth.

Why I'm Voting Democrat:
-I'm voting democrat because Barbara Walters is my idol and so is P.Diddy.

-I'm voting Democrat because English has no place being the official language in America.

-I'm voting Democrat because I'd rather pay $4 for a gallon of gas than allow drilling for oil off the coasts of America.

-I'm voting Democrat because I think the government will do a better job of spending my money than I could.

-I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq, I know the Islamic terrorists will stop trying to kill us because they'll think we're a good and decent country.

-I'm voting Democrat because it's alright to kill millions of babies as long as we keep violent, convicted murderers on death row alive.

-I'm voting Democrat because I believe businesses in America should not be allowed to make profits. Businesses should just break even and give the rest to the government so politicians and bureaucrats can redistribute the money the way they think it should be redistributed.

-I'm voting Democrat because I believe guns, and not the people misusing them, are the cause of crimes and killings.

-I'm voting Democrat because oil companies' 8% profit on a gallon of gas are obscene, but government taxes of 18% on the same gallon of gas are just fine.

-I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four elitist liberals should rewrite the Constitution every few months to suit some fringe element that could never get their agenda past voters.

-I'm voting Democrat because illegal aliens are not criminals, are not sucking up resources through government aid, hospital services, education, or social services, but are just people trying to make a better life by coming to America illegally. We can't blame them for that, can we?

-I'm voting Democrat because my trial lawyer's crippling multi-million dollar lawsuits against doctors, hospitals, drug companies, and HMO's will make health insurance and medicine much more affordable.

-I'm voting Democrat because Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, and Jesse Jackson will end racism once and for all.

-I'm voting Democrat because Christians in the Republican Party are intolerant, theocratic warmongers and atheists like William Ayers have never hurt anybody.

-I'm voting Democrat so that no family member of mine will die in a hospital bed. They will still be waiting in line for Obama's socialized medicine, so they will never actually make it into a hospital bed.

-I'm voting Democrat because I like eminent domain and big business and government kicking me out of my home and taking my land.

-I'm voting Democrat because everyone knows that raising taxes at the top won't hurt people at the bottom.

-I'm voting Democrat because skin color and good oratory skills are more important than judgment and experience.

-I'm voting Democrat because protecting barren wasteland is more important than energy independence.

-I'm voting Democrat because my college professor told me that America is evil and should give up its place in the world.

-I'm voting Democrat because I believe that Cuba, Russia, and China should be on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

-I'm voting Democrat because I believe that everyone is essentially good -- even people like Ahmadinejad who call for the destruction of Israel. He just needs a little understanding.

-I'm voting Democrat because we should all be forced to drive ugly cars with the horsepower of a riding lawnmower.

-I am voting Democrat because I believe in change; although I don't know WHAT the change will be, or HOW it will happen, AND I am pretty sure that I won't WANT to actually change anything.

-I do, but still....I believe in change.

-I'm voting Democrat because the government knows how to raise children better than their parents do.

-I'm voting Democrat because I want the rich to work harder, give me their money, and pay for my services so I don't have to.

And for those who want cold hard facts...

George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.
A little over a year ago:

1. Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2. Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3. The unemployment rate was 4.5%
4. The DOW JONES hit a record high-- 14,000 +
5. American's were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large.

But Americans wanted "CHANGE" So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes--we got "CHANGE" all right. In the PAST YEAR:

1. Consumer confidence has plummeted;
2. Gasoline has risen over $4 a gallon;
3. Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase);
4. Americans have seen there home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices are still dropping;
5. 1% of American homes are now in foreclosure.
6. As I write THE DOW is well need I say more

So, I ask, do we really want more `change' from the Community Organizer?

I hope you enjoyed a little humor on your Tuesday. I just wanted to thank the facebook group `Why I'm Voting Democrat' and a new conservative friend, Kellen Giuda, who thoughtfully came up with these wonderful zingers!

-Chaz Oswald

F---ing For Virginity

I read a sign today with what appears to be a common sense form of wisdom. “Bombing for peace is like f---ing for virginity!” At first, this sounds entirely reasonable. Indeed, a bombing run is by definition an act of war, which happens to be the exact opposite of peace. The problem is that, like many truths, the truths of war and peace can be counter-intuitive.

We start with a truth written by an ancient Roman. “Let him who desires peace, prepare for war.” This is much closer to our conservative ideals than the idea of “bombing for peace.” If we are not prepared for war, our enemies will attack us. We are a nation of vast wealth and many resources (even huge amounts of oil which the democrats make sure we can’t use). On top of that, we are a Christian nation, whether we want to be or not. Even if most of us aren’t Christians, we will always be viewed as Christians. This means that our enemies have plenty of material reasons, but even more powerful religious reasons for wiping us out. In addition, we have great influence around the world, which irritates those who already hate us for our religion and wealth. I could go on for a long time, citing reasons that we will have enemies forever, and even demonstrating that adopting Obama’s plan of taking everything up the @$$ won’t pacify them.

What can we do then? We must be powerful. We must be prepared. We must have the most powerful military in the world by far and not depend on allies. (Remember the military maxim; trust an ally weaker than you, but never an ally more powerful than you). We must be prepared to back our words with force. President Bush did exactly that. He tried diplomacy with Saddam Hussein and was patient, but when Hussein mocked us instead of demonstrating that we had no cause for fear, Bush backed his words with force. We had tried for well over a decade to deal with Iraq diplomatically but our failure to back that with force emboldened our enemies. Bush wisely put an end to this by demonstrating that we mean what we say.

War doesn’t produce peace the next day, but backing our words with force will show our enemies that they can’t toy with us like Hussein did. More importantly, it tells our enemies that we will defend ourselves against attack and that it’s not worth the risk to murder our people, like they have countless times, such as on 9/11.

I would contend that one of the main reasons we are not more secure than we are against our enemies is that we keep electing pushover democrats like Bill Clinton or potentially Barak Obama, who wish to make a clear statement to all our enemies that we will not finish what we start, and will pave the way for the Iraqi government to be overthrown by terrorists who can establish another Iran, or who spent almost a decade telling Hussein that we really don’t care whether or not he plans to annihilate us and Israel. We need to counter this by electing a strong man who, while not a lover of war, is not afraid of it. We need a man who is willing to back his words with action to the point that our enemies will take his words seriously. In this upcoming election, who do you think that man is?

Conservatism and Mental Illness

In almost all ways, I love conservatism and conservative values. In almost anything I love talking with conservatives and discussing with those who are wise, the truths of politics and what our nation needs. However, there is one area in which many conservatives seem to be sorely lacking. The issue is mental illness.

I have far too many members of my family suffering from mental illness, so I have come to be a major advocate in favour of supporting mental health issues and ending the stigma against them. In my efforts to help those suffering from these often genetic diseases, I have met liberals and only liberals. Not once have I met someone even remotely conservative who takes up these issues except for my own parents. Instead I see conservatives say evil things about the mentally ill. Yesterday, I listened to a conservative pundit use “mental illness” as the ultimate intellectual insult to hurl at the liberals. Hearing him speak in such a way made me want to hit the bugger.

How are we so wise in almost everything, but so foolish in this issue? Why do I see so many conservatives treat the mentally ill as subhuman? We are better! If we know the truth about economics, and proper size of government, and tax policy and so many other issues, how can we not know the truth about mental illness?

My friends, the liberals are enslaving the mentally ill to their system just like they do to the poor. The liberals take up the cause of the mentally ill, but royally screw them over just like they do to everyone else. Even issues that are very good to fight for are fought for in entirely the wrong way. Take the issue of parity. Bigotry against the mentally ill means that there is no insurance company out there that will cover mental health as well as physical health. The mentally ill desperately need the same coverage for terribly expensive medical costs. How do we solve the problem? Well the liberals want regulations. They want to shove parity down the industry’s throat. Talk about a good cause fought for in a bad way! We need to give tax breaks to industries that rise above petty anti mental illness bigotry. Encourage them, rather than regulate them. There may be an even better solution. But only we conservatives can find it.

I have a mentally ill conservative friend who refuses to take up the cause of mental health because everyone else in that cause is liberal. We must not give in! We must take this issue from the liberals and do it right! Mental illness is a real issue being very badly handled by liberals and ignored by conservatives. Let us right this wrong.

Gentle Readers, I have great faith in conservatism. I don’t mean to slam our ways, so much as call you to action. The first action is to educate yourselves on mental illness, and I’ll provide a link or two for that. Next we must find solutions to the stigma problem and help the mentally ill to help themselves, rather than enslave them to the government systems like the liberals are doing. I believe in you, my friends. I know we can do this!

Links:

NAMI: http://www.nami.org/ - look for information about the different mental illnesses
Mental illnesses page: http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Mental_Illness/About_Mental_Illness.htm

I’ll post more links later

$4,000,000 Signatures?!

Over the last few weeks I have been out an about running my errands. I make a stop at the bank, maybe get a little take out, and pick up a new release from blockbuster.

While making my rounds I have been stopped more than once and asked to sign a petition.

Me being the political junkie that I am, of course I have to know the details of such a petition. So I ask, “For what cause am I supporting by signing such a petition?”

Of course, the usual broad answer is only spat out after a few stumbling words are uttered. You know if they are stumbling terribly they really have no idea what the petition is for, so they begin to make up the cause.

I was told that the petition I would be signing is one that police officers, firefighters, and nurses have all sponsored in order to make sure Congress does not pass a pay raise. So to get this straight, if I signed the petition, I asked, I would be signing in order to stop Congress from raising their salary?

“Oh, yes,” the gentleman responded, without looking me directly in the eyes.

After finding out he had been getting paid a couple bucks per signature and listening to his dumb hollow responses, I realized he was in it for the bling bling and not the cause.

That is only one example over the many occasions over the last couple weeks that I have been asked to sign the same petition. Of course every person I have encountered had a different tale for me. I was even offered a job at one point to help circulate petitions. How absurd!

After doing a little digging and getting a little help from Nick De Leeuw we discovered what the real cause is behind the petition. And know, it has nothing to do with the aforementioned hoax and outright lies from the circulators.

The following dictation is taken from Nick at http://www.rightmichigan.com/ and the following describes the proposed Constitutional Amendment of which the petition is really for.

· Two (2) seats on the Supreme Court would be eliminated. It targets those with the least seniority, Justices Young and Markman, both Republicans re-elected in recent years by overwhelming margins. They'd lose their jobs as of December 20, 2008.

· All seven (7) Court of Appeals seats up for grabs in 2010 would also be eliminated as of this December, cutting short by two years the terms of previously elected judges. Six of the Court of Appeals judges being targeted are generally considered to be "GOP." The seventh, Helene White, has been nominated by President Bush to take a seat on the federal bench and will be moving on anyways.

· All judges would be subject to a pay cut beginning in 2009 that would reduce compensation to what the position garnered in the year 2000. Judges who took the bench before 1997 have their pensions calculated on their final salary. The paycut, in essence, would force these judges to chose between early retirement and significant long-term financial penalties. One judicial insider who spoke on condition of anonymity claims that in theory up to half the judgeships in the state could suddenly go vacant. While that could create major delays and case back logs it would also provide Jennifer Granholm with the ability, in one sweeping set of action, to appoint half the bench in the State of Michigan.

· The Judicial Tenure Commission would be rebuilt including an affirmative action provision mandating the makeup of reflect the population of the State of Michigan.

· The House of Representatives would be reduced to eighty-two (82) members. The Senate to twenty-eight (28). New district lines would be drawn according to strange provisions requiring "competitive" apportionment. Half would be drawn with a majority Dem base, half with a majority GOP base while four (4) Senate seats and nine (9) House seats would be restricted to a maximum 53% base from either political party.

· A new redistricting commission would be created with four (4) Democrats and four (4) Republicans and a ninth "non-partisan" member serving as chair. The ninth member would be selected by no fewer than six of the other eight members. If an agreement on the ninth cannot be reached each Party would submit a name and then toss a coin.

· The redistricting plans also require six of nine votes for passage. Without the requisite number each Party submits its own redistricting plan for approval of the "non-partisan" chair. The "non-partisan" chair who may actually be a Democrat selected by the flip of a coin. Once this "non-partisan" chair approves plans from each side another coin is tossed deciding district boundaries statewide.

What a scary world we live in when Looney leftists have to lie to get what they want passed. Though, it comes as no surprise.

-Chaz Oswald

OBAMA, HOISTING HIS COLOURS. YO-HO!

Well it is not just Obama blaming his problems on racist America but also many of his followers which are following suit.

Last night the Barackstar did draw a large crowd down to the Van Andel Arena. Droves of dems lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Obama. Also there to greet B. Hussein was a group of College Republicans and Kent County GOP-ers. It was a very peaceful protest. White flags were waved to show Obama’s defeatism as he would pull troops from Iraq if he were elected.

Though we were peaceful, the expected became reality. Obama supporters were using off color language toward us. Their shameful ignorance was abounding as we were also called racist for protesting Barack.

I am here to set anyone, who boorishly thinks the same, straight. We didn’t protest him because he was black. We protested him because he is the most liberal U.S. Senator. He has no experience to back up his run for office and his divisive, arrogant, and pompous attitude is something that needs to be contested. Obama’s political ideals will, and are, destroying any traditional values this nation has left.

For further reading on Obama’s blame on racist America: http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/5/13/114053/778

Kent County GOP White Flag Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlSj4f9sbe0

Chaz Oswald

MAY'S REVOLUTIONARY RESOLUTION WEEKEND

The Michigan Federation of College Republicans hosted their second Resolution Weekend. This time however it was in Jackson, Michigan to assist Congressman Tim Walberg with literature drops. Nearly 3000 houses were hit last weekend by the team of 35 or so College Republicans from around the state.

Excuse me if I forget a few Colleges but we did have representation from:
-The University of Michigan
-Hillsdale
-Grand Rapids C.C.
-Eastern Michigan

-Central Michigan
-Western Michigan
(and again I am sure I am missing a college or two)

We met at 7:00pm Friday night at the Ganson Street Baptist Church where we had dinner (of course delicious pizza) and played Matt Golden’s hilarious ice breaker to kick the weekend in to gear. Justin Zatkoff and Matt Hall both spoke, both encouraging us and thanking us for our involvement with Resolution Weekend.

Once we completed dinner, it was time to head to our hotel. This time we did not have to stuff any literature but rather spent the remaining evening engaged in political conversation and even fun games until the early morning.

Saturday arrived quickly, and after getting around it was time to meet at Congressman Tim Walberg’s headquarters to pick up literature and coordinate the drop-off! I of course drove and filled my car with four others to head out. After driving around for way to long we finally found our first address. It was rather exciting! Upon finishing up our literature drops we went straight back to headquarters (minus a Starbucks run) for lunch. This time Quiznos!

To complete the short weekend, that was way too much fun, Congressman Tim Walberg encouraged us with a few words. Then, after getting a few pictures it was time to say goodbye. Yes, as always, it is hard to say goodbye to your friends but it felt awesome knowing we helped the Congressman get a jump start on his campaign in a fashion that frightens the left!

I hope you join the REVOLUTION at our next RESOLUTION WEEKEND!

Stay Encouraged and Look Up,
Chaz Oswald

May Already?!

Trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and school is concluding. After an extremely chilly and snowy winter I know I am not alone with hoping the warm weather appears rapidly.

With May only a couple days away I wanted to remind all College Republicans that this weekend is our May Resolution Weekend! Many of you were able to attend our first, and quite successful, Resolution Weekend in April. This event will be relatively similar.

This time, however, we will be in Jackson, Michigan. We are planning on leaving again from C.C. near the flagpole around 5:00pm on Friday. Check in time at our hotel will be around 7:00-7:30pm Friday evening and we will be done Saturday around 3:00pm to head home. Yes, it will be a relatively short trip but it will have an enormous impact on elections.

Chaz Oswald

The SCCC Holds a Nationwide Protest

New to GRCC is a group of students who are doing everything in their power to change laws to allow concealed weapons on campuses. They are part of a nationwide organization call the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, or SCCC. Being Republicans, we understand their logic. The idea is that if people who are able to carry concealed weapons everywhere else in the state were allowed to carry them on campus, then school shootings at colleges would decline because students and professors would be able to defend themselves against madmen. There is a lot of opposition to this logic but the logical answers to these challenges can be found here. I strongly recommend reading that link as there is a wealth of good information there.

This week the SCCC is participating in an Empty Holster Protest. The idea is that everyone in the SCCC is to wear an empty holster to school all day every day of this week. This should attract a lot of attention and when asked they tell about what they are aiming for. I myself took part in the protest yesterday and will be there tomorrow and Thursday. When I was there, I also handed out fliers and told people about our group, trying to recruit more members. I met with a lot of success. Many believe in our cause.

I should mention that the SCCC is entirely nonpartisan. They are not a Republican group. Obviously, we Republicans are supporting them but it is important that people realize that Republicans and the SCCC are different entities.

If you are interested in joining the SCCC here are some links for you. The national website is http://concealedcampus.org/. The SCCC is found mostly on Facebook, so here are some links for you: The national Group of SCCC, The Michigan section of the SCCC, The GRCC Chapter, which several of our GRCC College Republicans are a part of. Please feel free to explore these links, and become a part of an excellent cause.

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

How did we get here? Where are we going? Is there meaning to life?

Chances are, at some point in your life, the aforementioned questions have crossed your mind. You may find answers to those questions as I do: in the realm of a loving Creator. Such an ideal is not a popular one with the ‘intellectual’ crowd. Often times, believing in a Creator leads to persecution, mocked and belittled, from Dawkins in many walks of life, especially in the [governmentally funded] classroom.

Ben Stein, you know the boring teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, who stood at the front of the class taking attendance, “Bueller, Bueller?” Yesterday, April 18th, Steins new film, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, opened in select theaters nation wide. His new documentary gives macro-evolutional theory a deserved hard time, and Ben has fun with it along the way.

Interviewed by World magazine, Stein was asked: In an ideal world, what impact would you like to see this documentary have?

Stein: I would want it to open freedom of speech at schools and universities so that people could express their concerns and reservations about Darwinism and any subject in science related to macroevolution so that one small group would not have a lock on what’s discussed on campuses.

On its way to the House of Representatives in Florida is a bill that would ensure academic freedom that mandates you cannot be punished for questioning Darwinism. Missouri is about to introduce a similar bill as well. But it is completely unfortunate that we should even need such laws, in a land of freedom of expression and thought, but apparently we do.

Ben Stien shares a potentially dangerous message, so buckle up and hold on:

We tolerate free speech in any other part of society, but not here. What makes this any different? In my experience, people are confident in their ideas and are not afraid of criticism. So that tells me that Darwinists are afraid. They are hiding something. I now realize it is my duty to get the word out. To warn others before it is too late. So I am going to begin by warning you. Feel free to watch this film if you must and I hope you do. But you got to know that doing so could land you in a heap of trouble. Some of you are going to lose your friends for watching this film. Some of you may even lose your jobs. In fact, if you are a scientist with any hope of a future, I suggest you leave right now. College or high school students, especially teachers, legislators, journalists, any one else with a stake in this debate should probably leave now as well. But if you do leave, will anyone be left to fight this battle? Anyone? Anyone?

I urge everyone to view this documentary. The media and the scientific world are doing their best to keep Creationism silent, but let your voice be heard and watch EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, which is in theaters now.

I want to leave one thought with you from Paul Little:

There are many real things outside the scope of verification by the scientific method. The scientific method is useful only with measurable things. No one has ever seen three feet of love or two pounds of justice, but one would be foolish indeed to deny their reality. To insist that God be proved by the scientific method is like insisting that a telephone be used to measure radioactivity.

Official EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKAMuQWld6g

Chaz Oswald

A Successful Event

The Resolution Weekend last Friday and Saturday was most definitely a success. Six of us from GRCC drove down to Oakland County and met at Oakland University to get organized and discuss petitions. We were trained in how to circulate petitions and also how to become precinct delegates. After the speeches, we had dinner and socialized. Socializing with other College Republicans is always a pleasure. We get to know people we should know and have a great time doing it. In this world, one always benefits from knowing the right people, and the right people were there at the resolution weekend.

After dinner we started putting literature together to give to people on Saturday. One would think that stuffing four pieces of lit in each newspaper bag would be boring, but anything is a good time when done with friends and those who are likeminded. Political discussions with liberals can often be taxing but the same discussions are much fun for me personally when had with fellow conservatives.

The next day, we gathered again at OU and met Joe Knollenberg himself, who spoke to us about our mission that day. We also heard from Jack Hoogendyk, who is taking on Carl Levin for the US Senate this November. It is such a blessing to listen to men such as these who really care about the little guys in our party. Afterward, I stood and chatted with Knollenberg himself, and I must say it is exciting to chat with a man who is in the US House of Representatives. I’m shy and didn’t really know what to say, but I must say that it was a motivating experience.

I was more than happy to go door to door to support this man in this vital reelection campaign. While we were distributing literature, we asked each person a few questions and asked them to sign a petition, which was to get Jack Hoogendyk on the ballot. It turns out that Hoogendyk still needs more signatures to get him on the ballot for US Senate. Many people signed and we made much progress.

The most exciting thing about this is that we were making a serious political difference. For years, I’ve wanted to make things better in this world. Do we all? But now I’m getting a serious opportunity. By getting going door to door, talking with people, and getting them to sign petitions, we are getting better people into office to displace those who wouldn’t be beneficial. We young college students are making a big difference. Only about 1% of Americans do anything at all in politics, and by doing this we’ve entered into the 1% most influential people in America. Can you tell this excites me yet?

Making a difference isn’t restricted to the people who went last weekend. Right now, any number of you Gentle Readers can go to the nearest Republican headquarters and grab petitions for Hoogendyk and get people signing. We need 15,000 signatures statewide before May 13th I believe.

There is one last opportunity I want to mention to you, and it is explained on Right Michigan. Basically we’re circulating more another petition to get an excellent man and a strong conservative a position as judge in the 4th District Court of Appeals. We plan to make a day trip of it this Saturday. If you clink the link above to Right Michigan you will see all the details you need to get involved!

Resolution Weekend

A group of us from GRCC and friends of those from GRCC are heading to Oakland Couinty to help Congressman Joe Knollenberg win a contested seat in Congress.

We will gather near the flagpole at the bostwick commons at CC at noon on Friday. From there we will head to Oakland County to try to be there by 5:00 PM. I'm giving us some extra time in case traffic or something holds us up but we want to be prompt.

There will be a seminar and a dinner on Fiday night which looks to be a great event to attend. On Saturday we will be passing out literature for Congressman Knollenberg and will have lunch with the congressman himself. Indeed, I believe he will be going door to door with us as well.

The seat is contested and it is important that we keep it. When we do, you can say that you have influenced politics in a good way.

At around 5:00 we will be finished and will head home, satisfied with another successful event. Our goal is to get twenty people to join us from our group, which will be a great help.

Free speeches and freedom to be positive politics in action!

Moderation

Sadly, we've been getting a bit of a troll on here recently and now have to moderate our comments. a liberal was using our site to proclaim more liberal trash in the comments section than our posts had room to promote sensible, conservative reasoning. We hoped to ignore it, but the problem grew to the extent that we've decided to moderate comments. To all those who have valuable input, fear not. We value your views, even if they do not concur with ours. We are open to a dialogue. We are avoiding only long propaganda filled streams of random liberalism. We haven't had this problem yet, but I would like to note that really we're against any comments that outdo our posts' length. This is our blog, not a blog for everyone to get on their soapbox. Let's keep the comments as actual comments and not long winded articles

God, Guns and Rock n Roll

ANNOUNCEMENT: Before I begin the post I would like to mention that we are heading to Rochester to campaign for Congressman Joe Knollenberg on the 11th and 12th of this month. I will post on this soon, but if you want more information now, go to this link on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=12343976494


Once again, we headed down to Kalamazoo to see a speaker invited by the Western Michigan University College Republicans. This time the speaker was Ted Nugent and as usual it was an amazing event. We Republicans got our pictures taken with Ted, enjoyed a reception, and got autographs, yet in my mind, the best part was the speech itself.

Nugent’s passion was refreshing. We often hear famous people passionately speak out against our beliefs, but rarely for them. I thought he was an excellent balance to John Stossel as well. While Stossel reached for our minds, Nugent reached for our hearts. This is not to say that Nugent did not have the facts and statistics to back up what he said. Rather I mean that his focus was getting us energized about passionately pursuing our goals. He repeatedly told us that we need to get out there and fight for what is good however we can, whether that means talking to politicians, joining the NRA, or doing whatever else can influence people for the better.

I have some quotes from Nugent that I particularly enjoyed and thought I would share them with you.

ABOUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT:
“The Second Amendment is an individual, God given, right”
“Every mass shooting of innocents in America happens in a gun free zone”
“Every time I hear the term ‘Animal rights’ I go and kill an extra hundred of something”

ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ:
“Our warriors have studied the war. They knew what they were getting into when they joined. They looked into what could happen to them in Iraq AND THEY CHOSE TO GO!”
“Man is driven to do good and stop evil”
“War IS the answer. Good people war on evil”
“The diplomacy is over”
I want to note about this last quote, that we tried diplomacy with Iraq for an entire decade before we went in. It failed, and that is what he was referring to.

ABOUT MICHIGAN:
“The real curse of Michigan is not the jihad of the left, but the apathy of the right”

ABOUT HIS CRITICS:
“My critics are the wind beneath my wings”
“If the assholes don’t like you, that just proves you’re not an asshole”
Note: on two separate occasions, a student yelled out “f--- you” and Nugent loved that more than anything else

FINAL EXHORTATION:
“Go forth! Raise Hell!”

As you can tell, Nugent wasn’t anything near politically correct, which was, again, very refreshing. We try not to say anything that will allow the liberals to destroy us in the eyes of those whom they’ve duped. It was refreshing to see someone who didn’t care what the liberals said about him.

Supporting the troops?

How often is it that we see signs saying “SUPPORT THE TROOPS. END THE WAR!” Truly, I tell you these signs make me want to punch someone. A close friend of mine, a sergeant in the Marine Corps just got back from serving in Iraq. He missed his wife and extended family while over there but he was proud to be serving our glorious nation. He was in the same room as our president as he gave a speech to the world about how our mission has met great success in Al Anbar province of Iraq and that success is spreading to the whole nation. He told of how Iraqis are rejecting the terrorists. My Marine friend was excited about the speech. He was abundantly happy that America finally heard the truth about his mission.

Sadly, no one heard that message, because it was played during the day, without anyone from the liberal media really commenting on it. Fox News talked about that but people who watch Fox are ridiculed by everyone else. The story got nowhere, and people feel that we are losing Iraq despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. When I informed the Marine of this it deeply saddened him. Sergeant S. strongly supports our mission in Iraq along with every other Marine I have ever met.

As I walked with another Marine, Lance Corporal V., we saw a sign declaring that we must leave Iraq and together we flipped off the sign in great anger for we believe in our mission. I was honoured to take a stand on the war alongside a Marine, even though no one saw us. That very Marine in now serving in Iraq and I just read her blog about her fellow Marine who has died. After discussing the sadness of his death, these are her words “I pray his family does not think he died in vain”

I know another Marine, Lance Corporal B. who is infantry. When he goes to Iraq, he may very well die. Knowing this, he does not back down in his support of our mission. Even with his brother who is also a Lance Corporal in the infantry serving in Iraq currently, he does not wish for him to be sent home, despite the fact that his brother could die any day. Does he not care for his brother? On the contrary I have seen his weep over his brother. But he knows two things. 1) there is very little chance either he or his brother will die. Very few American warriors have died in the big scheme of things. And 2) if he does die then his death will not be in vain, for it will have supported our liberty and the liberty of the free peoples everywhere.

I tell you truly that to tell us that supporting the troops means ending the mission is a slap in the face to all four of these very brave men. As to the Marines who don’t support our mission, I have yet to meet any. Don’t tell us what the troops believe, let them speak for themselves!

SUPPORT THE TROOPS! SUPPORT OUR MISSION!

A Successful Event

I must echo Chaz’s assessment that State Senator Bill Hardiman’s speech was quite a success. He spoke rather inspiringly of his hard past and what he still made of himself. He is a reminder that in our great nation, anyone, from any background can succeed. He spoke not only of his past, but of his faith, and then of why he is a Republican. We were pleased to see a good number of people attend and to see that they asked good questions. There was one man in particular who asked very tough questions, and I felt that Senator Hardiman handled them quite well.

Thanks to liberal propaganda against us, it must be hard to be a black Republican, when we are labeled such racists, and Senator Hardiman did touch on the issue of race. He spoke very honestly mentioning that despite the fact that there is no good reason for it to be an issue it simply is. He is the second black Republican state senator ever in Michigan, the first one serving back when blacks were first allowed to serve a long while ago. I loved his analysis of why he is a Republican. Simply put, his beliefs align with the Republicans, and no threats of racist labeling will keep him from what he truly believes.

Senator Hardiman shared his passion about the economy with us as well as his passion for his faith and other beliefs. I found it particularly exciting to hear how much he cared about helping our economy, replacing old unskilled labor jobs which are simply gone, with new skilled labor and education to provide that skilled labor. Of course, it’s tough to figure out how to do that, but Senator Hardiman spends much of his time working on that problem and his passion will be a benefit to all of Michigan. If we could only have more people like Senator Hardiman serving us here in Michigan or even nationally, we would be in a much better social and economic state.

Embracing Family, Faith, and Diversity

Senator Bill Hardiman is a remarkable man who has never shied from his deeply rooted convictions. He is a man who has an undying commitment to public office. “Every decision he makes, every vote he casts is based on his strong Christian beliefs, family values and what’s best for West Michigan.”

Senator Hardiman will be with us on campus at Grand Rapids Community College. The event will be held February 21st and will start promptly at 7:00pm. It would be an honor to have you and others you know to join us for a wonderful evening dedicated to family, faith, and the immense diversity found in Grand Rapids.

Notable guests could possibly include President Juan Olivarez, Ph.D.

Event Details:

Where: Calkins Science Center Auditorium
When: Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Time: 7:00-9:00pm

Free parking can be found around campus as well. In addition, here is a map for further direction: http://www.grcc.edu/ShowPage.cfm?PageID=234

I hope to see you there!

Chaz Oswald

The War on Liberalism

Thursday evening, the College Republicans of Grand Rapids Community College were blessed and privileged to have Representative Kevin Green on campus to address and encourage us as an organization. It was a remarkable opportunity to get to know Representative Green in a one on one setting.

We spent the evening [obviously] conversing political affairs. The topical issue stressed was our dire economical issues stemming from the leadership in Lansing; and I am not referring to the Republicans.

Often portrayed by the prejudice media, the problems facing our state are often referred to as the “Legislator’s” fault. By employing the term “Legislator” they dumb down the focus of the legislators who are producing the horrific issues threatening our state: the dems.

One such concern confronting our state is one that should honestly frighten you. Green explained that the dems are pushing to change the traditional birth certificate from saying “Mother” and “Father” to “Parent A” and “Parent B.” What, I ask, is happening to the morals in this country? I am speechless. We are in a one state recession and the dems are proposing this? How brainless can they be? Before long, I am sure, that the designated terms of “Mother” and “Father” will be diluted and soon outlawed. The dems need to be stopped and put out of business.

Concluding our meeting, Representative Green left us encouraged and motivated to fight the good fight against the terrorism known as liberalism.

Furthermore, I could not help but be reminded of 2 Timothy 4:7, "I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith." We must remember most of all that our focus, faith, and loyalty must be to Christ. By offering Him ourselves, He will direct our paths in ways of righteousness.

Chaz Oswald

Freedom Fighters

Yesterday in my history class, a guest speaker came to talk about GRCC’s program to study in Ireland for three weeks in the summer. One of the many features of this trip is that we would be allowed exclusive access to the glorious IRA members, even commanders of large “units” who talk to very few people. This was supposedly exciting because these were the people who bravely fought against the diabolical English oppression of the poor helpless Irish.

I was shocked. It took a while for it to truly sink in that we would actually be talking to terrorists and even terrorist leaders. I mentioned this to a classmate afterward, and he said he supports the IRA as he has much Irish pride. I protested that they are terrorists, and he said that they are not terrorists but “freedom fighters”. This reminds me of the relativistic saying “One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter”. Like most relativistic sayings, this is crap.

I don’t like the term “freedom fighter” because it tends to be applied to terrorists that the liberals want to justify. They are the “good guys” among terrorists. The idea is that they are bravely fighting a just cause to gain “freedom”. Here’s the problem. Butchering civilians with no attempt whatsoever to fight honourably against the actual army is terrorism. Murdering people because they are Protestant, is terrorism. Terrorising the English is obviously terrorism. This was a religious war in which the Catholics were dedicated to the murder of as many Protestants as possible. That is terrorism.

Now some people complain that the English were brutally oppressing the Irish which led them to drastic measures. Frankly I know nothing about the truth or falsity of English oppression of the Irish. It could have been horribly brutal for all I know. What I do know is that this does not affect the tactics that are okay for “freedom fighters” Let us assume for the sake of argument that England was every bit as brutal as they are accused of being. This still does not justify the murder of civilians. The civilians had nothing to do with it. They are not acceptable targets of aggression. Let me give you a hypothetical

Let us assume that I am in Germany under Hitler’s oppression back in the thirties and forties. Hitler is now butchering millions upon millions of people, the total of which will eventually reach 11 million souls murdered. My reaction is to butcher innocent Germans who have nothing to do with Hitler. I have no clue who they are, but they are German and are therefore the enemy, so I blow them up. Am I justified? Of course not. I’m every bit as evil as Hitler is, except that I’m killing on the scale I can rather than the scale that he can. Both are contemptible. Even against Hitler, terrorism is wrong, for it does not target the enemy but rather helpless civilians.

Needless to say, I shall not be going to Ireland to talk with the terrorist dogs

Keven Green at GRCC

Well the title says most of it. State Representative Keven Green shall be speaking today at Grand Rapids Community College. He shall be speaking in the Caukins science center auditorium, which is on the third floor, though if you go in through the back, it's right inside the door. (at the back of the building the third floor is at ground level. How's that for confusing?)

The speech starts at 7:00, so we hope to see you all there!

In Honour of a Legend

Despite having been labeled a “hypocrite” along with other insults in a recent comment, I shall for the moment let that go and get to the topic on which I wanted to speak today. That’s right, I plan to talk about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There is much to think on concerning Dr. King, but I would suggest in particular one inspiration and one caution.

The inspiration is the enlightenment Dr. King seemed to possess. He did not want whites to be second class citizens. He wanted equality. He knew that violence would get him nowhere. The disadvantaged had tried rioting quite often before Dr. King’s time and it had gotten them nowhere, so he learned the lesson from their mistakes and kept his ways nonviolent.

I think it took a lot for King to not want to replace white superiority with black superiority. Others in his time wanted to blot out all whites from history. Still others wanted less of a revenge but still some revenge. Dr. King was not after revenge. All of this and more is quite inspiring.

As inspiring as he can be, I would caution that there are some dangers concerning Dr. King. Mainly, he has been made into a liberal idol. He has come not to represent the great ability of blacks, but rather the perceived moral decadence of whites. Never does one hear the story of Dr. King’s heroism without hearing of the evil deeds of the whites of the time. Rarely, if ever, does one hear of the whites who were not bigoted.

Most dangerous of all, Dr. King has come to represent diversity and nothing else. We cannot focus on diversity rather than unity. The diversity of America only makes us great if we are also unified. Otherwise it is merely a weakness, causing division between us. Diversity has destroyed many a nation and it can destroy us as well, if we do not hold onto our core values as a unified whole. Dr. King reached for unity, not diversity. The diversity was already there. Let us learn from him and grasp unity in strong values!

Faithful Direction

Faith, to many people, plays a significant role within the realm of daily life. Why then should it be different for those surrounded by the public spotlight, let alone those who make moral and ethical decisions for the people they represent? In today’s society, religion and politics cross paths with each other, frequently. Not only has it today, but for centuries of presidential elections, religion has played a role from our founding fathers to today’s political decisions. The United States culture is consumed with denominations and people of many faiths. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, 78.5% of Americans adhere to being Christians. Faith is and should play a vital function for those who plan on becoming and who are voting or employing a public servant.

The term Separation of Church and State is often misinterpreted and implemented by liberal and in turn biased courts with their own selfish agendas. The reason for the misinterpretation is that these judges view our Constitution as a living and changing set of standards that govern our great country. By doing so, they abuse the law set forth by our founding fathers who sought religious freedom not religious restriction. If we review the First Amendment of the United States Constitution we can comprehend the profound meaning by offering an honest elucidation of restrictions on religious freedoms. The First Amendment clearly states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Most court rulings hack the second half of the Free Exercise Clause to judge cases that would favor their political agenda to censor the religious right unjustly. But in context, the First Amendment was composed to protect those of religious faiths by assuring no statewide religion would be imposed, required, or established nationally. It furthermore grants or provides religious peoples with freedom to perform spiritual convictions without constraint. So within the public arena, beginning with our founding fathers, faith has always played a significant role. Why else would our Constitution be dripping with religious freedoms if faith should have no impact in decision making?

As aforementioned our nation has its roots deeply grounded in doctrinal ideals. According to an Oxford graduate and Christian Apologist, Dr. Ravi Zacharias who so brilliantly states, “It is a mindless philosophy that assumes that one's private beliefs have nothing to do with public office. Does it make sense to entrust those who are immoral in private with the power to determine the nation's moral issues and, indeed, its destiny? .... The duplicitous soul of a leader can only make a nation more sophisticated in evil.” A person’s religious beliefs trigger where they come from morally and ethically. So within elections, holy assurance or one’s beliefs provide guidance as to which candidate to endorse. And at an equivalent level of conviction, those leaders empowered and chosen must utilize their own faith in resolutions drawn from their desks.

Though a haunting aspect to some, one’s personal convictions and faith in a Creator or Sustainer of Life should be a guiding light not only for those entrusted with power but for those whom assign the duty of representation. From the misconception of the First Amendment to the enlightening words of Dr. Ravi Zacharias, one’s faith must be at the forethought in determining direction of one’s decision. While in the duration of this election cycle, United States citizens will have conflictions on numerous policies. The faithful majority will have conflictions on numerous issues. However, it is our duty to remain unified and preserve our root-not our routes.

Chaz Oswald

The Michigan Primary

The primary sure has come up quick. Tomorrow, we in Michigan shall be voting to nominate a Republican candidate. I know I will be voting, and I hope all of you will be as well. So long as you know your candidate well. It may be a bit late to advise this but we suggest that you know your candidates well and know what you’re voting for and what you’re not voting for. Hopefully our Gentle Readers have done this by now.

We here among the GRCC College Republicans have many different choices for candidates. I’ve heard a lot of favorites named by many different people. Yet, we have decided not to favour one candidate over another this primary. We will simply be looking forward to the national election and strongly supporting the Republican candidate then. The reason for this is that we do not wish to cause any disunity or division among republicans. We have no desire to attack any republican candidate, as we may end up supporting any of them during the national election.

In other news, we do indeed have a lot of plans for this semester, starting with a speech toward the end of this month and another one in February. We’ll be keeping you posted about events and such during the semester.