Andrew Thomas Speech Well Received by State Republican Activists

A m e r i c a n  P o s t - G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Conservative Leader Urges Party Faithful to Fight to Elect "Real Conservative"  Thomas poised to take the conservative base in the gubernatorial primary

 

Republican precinct committeemen were buzzing that Andrew Thomas stole the show at the Arizona Republican Party Chairman's Dinner. Read his speech and see for yourself why he was interrupted with strong applause multiple times and what the buzz is about.

A Fight Worth Having

By Andrew Thomas

 

Speech to the Arizona Republican Party Chairman's Dinner

January 24, 2014

Phoenix, Arizona

 

Good evening.

I make it a practice not to begin speeches by quoting a liberal journalist. But I'm going to make an exception tonight because last week, Dan Balz of the Washington Post wrote something that I think all Republicans should heed.

"Over the past three decades," he noted, "the political leanings of many states have shifted dramatically. What once was a sizable Republican advantage in the Electoral College has become a decided Democratic advantage."

What he says is undeniably true. Structurally, over the past thirty years, Republicans have lost ground. Why?

I submit it's for the same reason that, according to polls, most Americans believe our best days are in the past. It's because Republicans are not properly standing up to the liberal bullies who are determined to destroy our country.

Lost Institutions

For decades, the political left has waged a quiet guerrilla war to capture institutions of American life that wield great power. These liberal activists have been very effective. Like the kingdoms in the The Lord of the Rings that fall one after another to Sauron, major institutions are now firmly liberal and hostile to the conservative values that built this nation.

These institutions include academia, Hollywood and the arts, the courts, the news media, even many churches. The Democratic left and their agenda have gained influence, accordingly, with the many leaders and citizens who value approval and acceptance by these elite groups.

The success of their efforts has brought us economic and social problems unthinkable only a few decades ago. Exploding government debt, broken borders, and disintegrating families are only part of the story.

These developments carry other grave consequences for the Republican Party and our state and nation. I'll focus on two areas: education and immigration.

Allan Bloom Was Right

The states that are trending blue and Democrat have one thing in common. They are increasingly the home of college graduates. This should not come as a surprise. After all, college professors overwhelmingly are liberal Democrats, academia being one of the institutions completely overrun by liberal activists. Today, college students go heavily into debt to receive degrees they frequently can't even use, and parents pay to have liberal professors indoctrinate their children politically on their dime.

Some 72 percent of college professors describe themselves as liberal. Only 15 percent call themselves conservative. A 2010 analysis by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute concluded that the more college degrees a person earns, the more liberal that person becomes.

When Americans are asked, for instance, whether they believe public-school teachers should be allowed to lead a prayer in school, 57 percent of high-school graduates say yes. That number drops to 40 percent for college graduates, 30 percent for master's degree holders, and only 17 percent for Ph.D.'s.

The late Allan Bloom and other observers warned about the damaging effects of liberal bias in higher education. But this was a thorny problem to solve, and so it was ignored. Now, three decades later, it has changed the country. As a practical political matter, it has become much harder to elect Republicans.

Back Where We Began

Then there's immigration. Ten years ago, I ran for Maricopa County Attorney on a platform of stopping illegal immigration. Liberal elites snickered that nothing could be done at the state level. Yet Arizona became a model for the nation, as we passed and enforced laws that sent illegal immigrants fleeing to other states.

The political left counterattacked by playing their trump card: calling on our liberal courts to nullify all these reforms. And so they have. Activist judges have struck down, one by one, every major crackdown on illegal immigration approved by the voters or their representatives. The main provisions of SB 1070. The human smuggling law. The day laborer law.

The result? Our gains have been erased, and we are right back where we started ten years ago. The voters of Arizona are waiting to see if the Republican Party is still serious about providing tough leadership to win this fight once and for all.

A Fight Worth Having

This election year, we will decide if our party is to succumb to the liberal trends overrunning so many other institutions, or if we will stand and fight for the principles that bind us. I say we must stand up and fight these people, and fight them hard.

These principles are right. These principles are true. Some of them are eternal. They are worth defending, without compromise.

Electing a real conservative will mean having a real fight. But that is a fight well worth having.

It's time to start taking ground again. As Governor, I promise to do just that.

Thank you and God bless you.

John McCain censured by entire Arizona Republican Party

 More information below about multiple Arizona GOP censures of McCain

January 23, 2014

Media Contact: Timothy Schwartz

Resolution Author/Legislative District 30

623-937-8077 Alive_Kicking@msn.com

You are cordially invited

Press Conference

Regarding Resolution Censuring Sen John McCain

A resolution censuring Senator John McCain will be brought to the floor during the Jan 25 AZGOP meeting in support of resolutions that have been passed by five Arizona GOP County Committees – Maricopa, Apache, Cochise, Gila and Mohave.

Jan. 25, 2014, at 3:00 pm

Outside the Grace Community Church map in Tempe. Conference will be held on Dorsey Lane/Southern Ave. Dorsey is the street on the Eastern boundary of the Church property.

* * *

Background:

The Maricopa County Republican Committee resolution, passed Jan 11 by a 1,150 to 351 vote (77% approval) of the assembled county precinct committeemen. (Maricopa County is the largest county in Arizona and represents 62% of Arizona’s 1,129,845 registered Republicans.)

Senator John McCain Censured by Arizona’s Republican Leadership
As leaders in the Republican Party, we are obligated to fully support our Party, platform, and candidates. Only in times of great crisis or betrayal is it necessary to publicly censure our leaders. Today we are faced with both. For too long we have waited, hoping Senator McCain would return to our Party’s values on his own. That has not happened. So with sadness and humility we rise and declare:

Whereas Senator McCain has amassed a long and terrible record of drafting, co-sponsoring and voting for legislation best associated with liberal Democrats, such as Amnesty, funding ObamaCare, the debt ceiling, assaults on the Constitution and 2^nd amendment, and has supported liberal nominees;

Whereas this record has been disastrous and harmful to Arizona and the United States; and,

Whereas Senator McCain has campaigned as a conservative, made promises during his re-election campaigns, such as the needed and welcomed promise to secure our borders and finish the border fence, only to quickly flip-flop on those promises; and

Whereas McCain has abandoned our values and has been eerily silent against Liberals, yet publicly reprimands Conservatives in his own Party, therefore

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Arizona Republican leadership censures Senator McCain for his continued disservice to our State and Nation,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that until he consistently champions our Party’s Platform and values, we, the Republican leadership in Arizona will no longer support, campaign for or endorse John McCain as our U.S. Senator.

References:

• Arizona Local news http://www.kpho.com/story/24425782/sen-john-mccain-censured-by-maricopa-gop and http://www.kpho.com/story/24425782/sen-john-mccain-censured-by-maricopa-gop
• National news: http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/01/08/group-of-arizona-republicans-to-vote-to-censure-senator-john-mccain/

Other Arizona Counties:

• Gila County Republican Resolution. Click http://briefs.maricopagop.org/. Click on 1-22-14 MCRC Briefs in the archives column.

• Apache County Republican Resolution. Click: http://briefs.maricopagop.org/. Click on 1-10-14 MCRC Briefs in the archives column.
• Mohave County Republican Central Committee Resolution. Click: http://briefs.maricopagop.org/. Click on 1-8-14 MCRC Briefs in the archives column.
• The MCRC LD26 Rebuke & Condemnation Of Sen. John McCain. Click: http://briefs.maricopagop.org/. Click on Archives (left hand column), then click on 2013, then click on 9-10-13 MCRC Briefs.

Beware The Man With One Gun: The Guns Of Legendary Texas Ranger Jack Bryant

Article and photos by Frank Jardim

Ranger Jack Bryant’s 1873 Winchester Saddle-Ring Carbine

Its serial number is 236032B, suggesting 1888 manufacture. This firearm was the “assault rifle” of its day. The steel-framed 1873 lever action was Winchester’s strongest and fastest action to date, and was commonly chambered in the powerful .44-40 WCF. The tapered case of the Winchester Center Fire (WCF) cartridge resisted sticking in the chamber, as black powder fouling and heat increased in fast firing. The 200-grain .44 bullet, actually closer to .427”, was propelled by 40 grains of black powder close to 1,200 fps. These handy repeaters held 10 rounds in the magazine, giving the user a tremendous amount of firepower. Bryant was already a ranger for a few years when he obtained this carbine. Rangers didn’t get paid much. and one wonders if it took him a while to get up the money to buy it, or what rifle he used before he got this one. In his violent line of work on the open frontier, the rifle, not the pistol, was the primary weapon

There is an old adage whose origin is lost to history that goes, “Beware the man with one gun for he likely shoots it very well.” I was reminded of this on a recent visit to the excellent Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Ky., whose magnificent arms and armor collection and interpretive programs are world renowned. The adage came to mind as I studied the well-worn 1873 Colt Single Action Army and 1873 Winchester carbine of Texas Ranger Robert Edward Bryant. 
  
The son of a U.S. Army Colonel and Spanish mother, he was born in 1866 on the lawless frontier of west Texas near Ysleta.  He would spend his entire adult life, over half a century, bringing law and order to the region of his birth.  Nicknamed Jack, he became a Texas Ranger in 1883 at the age of seventeen.  He moved in and out of ranger service with the Frontier Battalions until 1898. When he wasn’t riding with the Texas Rangers, he was a Constable for Precinct 2 in Ysleta, an El Paso County Deputy Sheriff, and a Deputy U.S. Marshall.  He spoke both English and Spanish fluently. Near the end of his career in the 1930s, he acted mostly as an interpreter for the department.  He died in 1940 at age 74, twelve days after he retired.
  
In the 21st century, it’s rare for any law enforcement officer to fire their weapon in the line of duty. When they do, it can be the end of their careers as they are subjected to investigations and reviews to determine if their actions were justified.

Ranger Jack Bryant’s 1873 Colt Single Action Army Pistol

In 4¾-inch barrel length, this version was the fastest handling of Colt’s famous “Peacemakers.”  This .44-40 WCF caliber pistol is serial number 111323 and was made in 1884, the year Bryant began his 57-year law enforcement career. Colt marketed the pistol in .44-40 WCF caliber so their civilian buyers could have a pistol and long arm in the same caliber, simplifying ammunition requirements on the frontier.  

By comparison, in the late 1800s when Jack Bryant was a lawman, it was impossible not to fire his weapons in the line of duty.  The Texas Ranger Frontier Battalions of which he was a part were often the only significant law enforcement entities preventing criminals from acting with impunity outside the few established towns. The criminal element did not fear the courts, the laws, or attorneys, or being sued. They feared being shot and killed by men like Jack Bryant. 
  
To put it in perspective, in El Paso in 1893, a year that Jack Bryant happened to be a deputy sheriff there, an arrest was made about every 15 minutes. The historical record shows El Paso at this time was a den of saloons and vice that attracted an unsavory element as well as outright criminals. The Frazier Museum staff let me inspect some of the arrest warrants Bryant executed.  Most of the sample I reviewed were for the arrest of suspects accused of illegally carrying firearms in El Paso.  That’s dangerous work anytime, but apparently Bryant was the man for the job. 
  
Bryant managed to survive to die of old age, which is pretty remarkable in his line of work. He was involved with at least one major gun battle, and I’m sure there were many more that weren’t recorded. His daughters, who donated his weapons to posterity, indicated that they were the only ones he owned in his career and there was other evidence to support this in the museum’s files.  They show wear from long use in the field. I speculate that Bryant must have been very good to do what he did for as long as he did. 

Texas Rangers of Company D in Camp, 1893, near Ysleta, Texas
Jack Bryant is on the far right of the photograph. The carbine he’s holding appears to be  the same make and model as the piece on display at Frazier Museum.

EXCLUSIVE! Online interview with The Gunny on his new book, obesity, PETA and political correctness

Our January issue of Western Shooting Journal features an interview with R. Lee Ermey, aka The Gunny, about his new book, the Second Amendment, the military, and acting. We also interviewed him about politics, and that bonus interview is featured here. You can pick up a copy of the magazine with the primary interview at grocery stores and gas stations in the Western states. Or, order a subscription or call us and order a copy. The Gunny is best known for his role as a Gunnery Sergeant in the movie Full Metal Jacket. He has also starred in many other movies, including Apocalypse Now, Fletch Lives and two of the recent Texas Chain Saw Massacres, which he wrote. He is a spokesman for the U.S. Marines Corps and a tireless advocate for veterans. 

R.A. Tell us a little about your new politically incorrect book, Gunny's Rules: How to Get Squared Away Like a Marine.

R.L.E. The book is all about my opinions on the evolution of this country, where we’re going and the shortcomings of what’s going on. And I do have one chapter “Sh** that pisses me off.” That’s a pretty fun chapter. I don’t put anything past the government these days. The most terrifying part about what’s going on right now, is I can’t believe the government is actually going to be in charge of our healthcare. Boy do they have us by the gonads now. It’s like Canada. It’s against the law for Canadians to go outside of the country and seek healthcare, any kind of medication or medical help. They have to stay there and obey the government, and even though the government healthcare is substandard, they can’t seek healthcare elsewhere. Is that frightening? Who’d they put in charge of our healthcare, the IRS? Targeting conservatives. The logical conclusion to that is life saving operation for a conservative? Deny. Do we honestly believe they’re so honorable they wouldn’t do anything like that? I am really tired of people in society who are parasites. People who refuse to support their families and put them on welfare is aggravating to me. We’re neutering our young boys. Back when I was growing up as a kid, we never had bullying problems. Now, you can’t turn on the TV until you hear about someone bullying to the point of suicide. Back in my time, we stood up for ourselves and were allowed to defend ourselves. Stop being a passive pussycat. I don’t see anything wrong with defending oneself. Everybody gets a trophy now. When are we going to start teaching our chlidren to lose gracefully? They can’t cope. I have a buddy who volunteered to coach a girls’ soccer team. They worked hard every weekend. He made them sweat. Well, at the first game, because the girls worked hard, they were three goals up on the opposing time. The principal came over to him and told him his girls needed to back down and let the other team score a little. He said he couldn’t, he’s teaching them to be winners. The principal told him not to come back anymore.

When are we going to learn? Why are we raising a bunch of wimps? They’ve never lost at anything. They graduate from high school and they go out for a job interview and they don’t get it, what are they going to do? They’re going to put a gun in their mouth abnd blow their brains out. I admit, none of us like to lose, least of all me. Marine Corps taught us if we lose, we die. Nothing earned, always given, where’s their incentive to do anything in their lives? They’re going to get the same paycheck and same trophy as everyone else whether they earned it or not. Why even show up, just mail the trophies. What messaage are we sending to our children? Shut up, get in step, comrade. I’m so upset with society and government. I hired a girl Friday to help me out, I paid her $10/hour for 40 hours a week, and got her off of welfare. But when she got off welfare, the government took her free childcare away from her. So she quit, since she had to pay for babysitting. She was making more on welfare than I was paying her! We hate welfare families in this country making upwards of $30,000 per year, plus food stamps. Where is their incentive to go out and get a job? If I didn’t have a job right now, I would guarantee you within a week I would find a job. Now I might not be the bank president, but I would have a job, no question in my military mind about it. I would continue to look until I find a job that paid more. Doesn’t mean I would be happy with it. I would be responsible and make a good wage. Now the government says let’s put the kids on mom and dad’s health insurance until they’re 26 years old. They don’t even realize that mom and da’ds insurance policy just went up a couple hundred dollars a month. Already strapped mom and dad. Why not age 40? I think your parents should support you until you die.

When I was a kid, we started our day off with the Pledge of Allegiance. We would stand up, lock our heels, put our right hand over our heart and say the Pledge. I’m a Methodist, I don’t care what religion you are, I have tremendous respect for you. But because there’s just one atheist in the class that has a complaint, then why does he or she get to set the rules? This is America, last I checked, let’s go burn flags, protest that. There are rules and regulations on the books that I think are stupid. I drive a convertible and get ticketed for not having a seatbelt on. Next they’ll start requiring seatbelts on motorcycles. The last thing you want to do is stay with the convertible if there’s an accident. The judge wouldn’t even entertain any kind of a rebuttal. I don’t want to be a socialist nor live in a socialist country. I’m terrified that’s the direction the country is headed in. It’s going to break my heart if I have to leave this country. It’s not good for me, it’s not good for my kids. I work hard for a living. I don’t want to share everything with people that are sick and lazy. I’ll be damned if I support them. These young people that are 26 living with mom and dad still, they claim they want to find jobs but they just can't find a job. You realize that 70-75% of the people age that attempt to go into the military are not eligible because of drug problems, juvenile records, or physical disabilities. When you see that young man or young lady walking through the airport with the uniform on, they are the top 25% of our youth today. You better go up and thank them for your freedom.

R.A. In an interview you did with us a year ago, you talked about hunting overseas in Africa and various countries, passionate about conservation. Any thoughts on that over the past year?

R.L.E. PETA is destroying Africa’s second largest industry. It’s a shame since those countries are so poor. People are starving to death. The only way they eat is if a hunter goes over and kills the beasts. The village elders and youngsters will skin and process the meat. Nothing is wasted, even the bones. I shot an elephant, and 45 minutes later the only thing left of that elephant was a dark stain on the ground. It cost me $25,000 to shoot an elephant. The villagers get a portion of that money, and that keeps them from poaching. Right now you see these posters of elephant babies in airports, which say endangered species. The truth is the professional hunters are complaining because the elephant population is so large they’re devouring everything edible in the bush, so now the elephants are starving to death. A more humane death would be shot by a bullet. There is an overpopulation oif the elephants. The government knows how to count them from the air and figure out how many need to be taken out. They know how many the land will. Someone like me goes for the old elephant with the tusks. Old and useless, not breeding. When a lot of those government hunters go out, they shoot mommies and babies, closest to the truck, because it’s the easiest. Does PETA know this? They must. Why doesn’t PETA know this? PETA would rather have the governments go out and thin the herds by their notoriously lazy methods. PETA should be encouraging the white great hunter to go to Africa and spend his money and support the villages and wildlife conservation.

R.A. What do you think about the First Lady’s efforts to reduce obesity?

R.L.E. Michelle Obama hasn’t done anything about obesity. I’ve watched them remove part of a house in order to remove a very large man out of his house after he died. His mother fed him, and obviously they were on welfare and drawing food stamps. What’s even more disgusting is to walk through any department store; Walmart, Kmart, etc., and see two fat parents with fat children under the ages of 7 and 8. They are destroying the lives of those kids, not only their own. When I hit 65, I quit working out. I relaxed and gained 35 pounds. I got to thinking, I realized that if you go into the supermarket and you pick up five 1-gallon jugs of milk, there’s 35 pounds. Can you imagine carrying five 1-gallon jugs of milk around all day? Appearances do matter. Fat people look like lazy people. If you walk down to the drug store, you realize there are thousands of diet pills. I couldn’t find one gain weight pill. There are billions of dollars spent on weight control. People can’t tell me they are happy they are obese. Go to the smorgasbord down here, pay $7 and eat all you want, you’re gonna eat twice as much as if you were at home or at a sit-down restaurant. That’s like food stamps, it’s free. People have no discipline. They can say all they want about glands and metabolism slowing down, I suppose you could call your mouth a gland. When fit people are on welfare for more than six months, I look at that as cruel as stealing out of the church plate. That money was meant for people who are disabled and not able to work. Yet the government promotes it. They’re out there like they’re recruiting people to get on welfare and food stamps. I’m disgusted with government, not only the liberals, I’m just as disgusted with the conservatives, I’m an Independent and can go either way. I don’t vote for the party, screw the party, I go with the guy who is going to do the best for this country. They forgot who pays the bills.

I’m equal opportunity. I’m disgusted with everybody. Clean house and fire them all. What happened to the George Washingtons, the Abraham Lincolns, the people who really cared? Professional politicians are disgusting. I can’t think of a more disgusting group than lawyers. We need to get this country turned around. We need to have a Tea Party, dump some tea into the ocean. It’s a beautiful country we’re wasting. Why are we giving foreign aid to countries that hate our guts? 60% of my money goes to the government. They’re wasting all of my money, it goes to waste. Afghanistan. People that hate our guts. We give billions of dollars away every year. Their leaders must be really snickering. They think we’re a bunch of real idiots. It’s all about the things that need to be fixed in this country. We need to fix them quickly. God help us if Hillary gets in there next time, because we will never recover then, it will be way too late. They’ve been promising us that we can keep our healthcare. There are people with cancer that have been pulling their fair load, and they’re the ones who are suffering so we can provide healthcare to those who don’t work. 

The left doesn’t want anybody to have an ID card to vote, because they say there’s no problem. How come so many people voted last time? I have a way to solve that problem. My question is, how did those old people cash their Social Security or welfare checks? I’m a firm believer they can set up a little photography stand right there at every polling place, and if you don’t have an ID card, they can take your photo and produce an ID card – it would take about two minutes. That would solve the problem. There was a person here in California who followed a bus around full of people from one polling place to another, as they voted more than once at each location. Does that tell you that we don’t need a photo ID card to vote? We will never get another conservative in the White House if we don’t clean this up. That ID card will eliminate them going to another polling place and voting.

It’s a simple thing. It’s been nose to the grindstone ever since, and I work constantly. I am almost 70 years old and I retired a damn long time ago. I’ve been paying into Social Security since I was 13. We can’t all quit working. I finally went on Medicare, and am now paying twice as much as I was for healthcare through the Actor’s Guild. It’s because of the amount of money I make, it’s an equalization program. I’ve been successful simply because I’ve been at the right place at the right time, and I’m also a hard worker. I have just as many strikes against me as those on welfare, so there’s no excuse for them. Why am I 70 years old and still working my butt off, when they’re sitting on their duffs at age 40? I’ve been approached twice by people trying to sell me their food stamps. Our government keeps putting up with it.

R.A. What are you up to lately, any future plans to share with our readers?

R.L.E. Working! I work constantly and attend Marine Corps birthday balls. We celebrate the Marine Corps birthday every weekend during November. Every four years I would go to Okinawa, Japan and do Marine Corps balls. Last count, I had done 287 and that was a few years ago. I qualify for the Guinness World Records. I have perfect vision. There are few 70-year-olds who can still read the newspaper. It’s probably because I’ve been shooting my whole life. My eyes are exercised all the time.

Here are the questions we asked The Gunny in the January issue - pick up a copy now to read what else he had to say!

R.A. Any reflections to share with our readers on acting in Full Metal Jacket?

R.A. What advice would you give to young men and women considering military service and/or acting?

R.A. You’re known for your mostly military roles in movies. You’re obviously an extremely talented actor; what prompted you to go into acting after serving in the Marines?

R.A. Any of your movies that Gunny fans might not know about that you’d recommend they watch?

R.A. What are some of your favorite guns and why?

R.A. How did you become such a strong Second Amendment supporter?

R.A. Do you ever have hostile encounters with the gun control lobby or anti-hunting zealots?

R.A. You’ve generously done so much charitable work there is too much to list here. Is there anything in particular you can highlight for our readers?

R.A. What do you like to do for fun, if you have any free time outside of all the work/charity work you are doing?

R.A. I know you’ve said you don’t want to run for public office, but you are very influential. Can we expect to see you in politics in any fashion, maybe political talk shows?

R.A. Folks can meet you at SHOT Show, where you’ll be at some of your sponsorship booths (and hopefully stop by ours!) Where else can they meet you during the year? (e.g. NRA convention)

I will be on the NRA's Cam & Co. radio show at 2:20 PST today to discuss SHOT Show

Check out my interview this afternoon with Cam & Co. today discussing last week's massive SHOT Show. Read my article about SHOT Show and the politics involved here. Listen live here at 2:20.

SHOT Show: The Last Bastion of Growing Conservatism

With Ted Nugent at SHOT Show

Last week, I attended the largest gun and outdoors show in the world; the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show. The annual Las Vegas event is so huge that only those who work in the industry are allowed to attend. The show doesn't receive much mainstream news coverage because the left-wing media doesn't want the public to know how many patriotic Americans are in the gun industry. Attendance increases every year, with 67,000 attending this year. There were 1,600 exhibitors, and over 400 companies were waitlisted.

Conservatives have been losing ground in virtually every area in politics except the Second Amendment. Increasing violence and an expanding, more intrusive government have made Americans concerned about their safety. The Democrats' policies and values have resulted in generations of kids with behavioral problems, leading to more criminals as the kids become adults. The Obama administration's spying under the NSA, targeting of the Tea Party using the IRS and apparent stockpiling of ammunition have made more Americans afraid of their government.

Despite the tension between law-abiding Americans and our current government, law enforcement has a friendly and huge presence at SHOT Show, spanning hundreds of booths. While big city “desk chiefs” may not have a good relationship with the gun industry, since they are generally appointees of liberal Democratic mayors, virtually everyone else in law enforcement does. The only evidence of friction observed at SHOT Show took place at the BATF booth. A wisecracking attendee placed a Molon Labe bumper sticker over the BATF's sign. Molon Labe means “come and take,” allegedly said by King Leonidas I at the Battle of Thermopylae in response to the Persian army's demand that the Spartans turn over their weapons.

Read the rest of the article at Townhall

Sen. John McCain censured by Maricopa County GOP leadership today

Vote tally: - 1150 for censure - 351 against censure

77% to 23%.

The resolution was drafted by Precinct Committeeman Tim Schwartz, who can be reached at (623) 937-8077 or alive_kicking - at - msn.com.
Mohave County and Apache County also voted to censure McCain.
An excerpt from the resolution - 

Whereas Senator McCain has amassed a long and terrible record of drafting, co-sponsoring and voting for legislation best associated with liberal Democrats, such as Amnesty, funding for ObamaCare, the debt ceiling, assaults on the Constitution and 2^nd amendment, and has continued to support liberal nominees;

  

Read the full resolution here

Precinct Committeemen to vote on censuring John McCain this Saturday, Jan. 11

Received this from a PC sponsoring the resolution to censure John McCain that will be presented at the Maricopa County GOP meeting:

Hello fellow Republican Leader:

Here's what we need:
1. Make sure you attend the Mandatory meeting - Saturday Jan. 11th!
2. Make sure every conservative PC you know also attends!
3. Be sure to stay at the meeting after the vote for important petition signing.

As I'm sure you're aware of by now, because you are a Precinct Committeeman, on Saturday you will have the opportunity to vote to hold one of our State's highest leaders accountable for his continued misdeeds. This is critically important. Bad behavior must not go unchecked.

Attached to this email you will find a copy of the Resolution you will vote on Saturday. Please read it and resolve to do something about it! ~ Attend the meeting, vote, and then stay to sign the petition.

As with everything, some will agree, some will not.

If you agree with the Resolution, simply show up and vote.
We hope we can get your support. After reading the Resolution (attached) your thought may be that it won't do any good... Senator McCain will not heed our demand for correction. He may, but most likely he will not. Still, there is a huge benefit! If most of the leaders in the Republican Party sign the petition in support of the Resolution, this will become a "newsworthy" item, the Nation will then be put on notice that Arizona's leaders have asked for change. Just as many other States began to create laws regarding illegal immigration AFTER Arizona took the lead in doing so, we are hopeful that large numbers of petition signatures will have a positive effect in making our voices finally heard.
Please be sure to attend the Mandatory meeting on Saturday!
Spend time this week convincing other PCs you know that they must attend as well!

Video: Matt Morales interviews Arizona Attorney General Candidate Mark Brnovich

Maricopa GOP leadership poised to censure John McCain

I have just received this censure resolution that is about to be brought in front of the Maricopa County GOP leadership for a vote. Am told it has a very good chance at passing.

Senator John McCain Censured by Arizona’s Republican Leadership

As leaders in the Republican Party, we are obligated to fully support our Party, platform, and its candidates. Only in times of great crisis or betrayal is it necessary to publicly censure our leaders. Today we are faced with both. For too long we have waited, hoping Senator McCain would return to our Party’s values on his own. That has not happened. So with sadness and humility we rise and declare:

Whereas Senator McCain has amassed a long and terrible record of drafting, co-sponsoring and voting for legislation best associated with liberal Democrats, such as Amnesty, funding for ObamaCare, the debt ceiling, assaults on the Constitution and 2^nd amendment, and has continued to support liberal nominees;

Whereas this record has been disastrous and harmful to Arizona and the United States; and,

Whereas Senator McCain has campaigned as a conservative and made promises during his re-election campaigns, such as the needed and welcomed promise to secure our borders and finish the border fence, only to quickly flip-flop on those promises; and

Whereas McCain has abandoned our core values and has been eerily silent against Liberals, yet publicly reprimands Conservatives in his own Party, therefore

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Maricopa County Republican leadership censures Senator McCain for his continued disservice to our State and Nation, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that until he consistently champions our Party’s Platform and values, we, the Republican leadership in Arizona will no longer support, campaign for or endorse John McCain as our U.S. Senator.

The “Mommy Wars” Are Over

Women used to be faced with a dilemma: forgo a career to stay at home and raise children, or sacrifice the upbringing of your children in order to pursue a career. Since the 1960’s, feminists and conservatives have sparred over this choice. Feminists criticized mothers who stayed at home, claiming women could instead “have it all;” pursue a career while putting their kids in daycare. Conservatives criticized women who put their career first, correctly observing that a parent in the home raising the children is better for the children. This debate was known as the “mommy wars.”

The war is now essentially over and the feminists have won, although not because they were more persuasive. Only 12 percent of moms believe that working full time is an ideal situation for children, and 74 percent of adults say that mothers working outside the home makes it harder to raise children. About half of adults surveyed believe that children are better off if the mother does not work.

Yet today, only three in ten mothers do not work outside the home. The reason the feminists have won is because it is now difficult for men - as well as women - to make enough money from one job to support the entire family. As economic conditions continue to spiral down under Obama, employers have been forced to cut jobs, hours and benefits. Jobs that used to pay decently have been replaced by free student labor, or “internships.” Most parents are lucky to find  full-time jobs that pay slightly better than minimum wage. There are fewer people working now than anytime within the past 35 years; only 63 percent of working-age Americans are in the workforce. At the same time, the cost of healthcare, gas, food and other necessities continues to increase. 

Read the rest of the article at Townhall

Ted Nugent Uncensored: Western Shooting Journal interviews the Nuge about guns, hunting and rock’n’roll

(SPINDLER & VAUGHN)
I was fortunate recently to have a chance to interview Ted Nugent, the American rock ‘n’ roll, sporting and political activist icon. “The Nuge” has sold more than 40 million albums of classic rock and performed more than 6,500 concerts, singing and playing guitar.

Read the interview

I will be on Talking Guns With Kate today with other gun gals

KFNX's Kate Krueger will be blasting off about guns today with me and other women in the gun industry. Listen live here from 12-1pm Arizona time (11-12pm PST), or locally in Phoenix at 960am. I will post the podcast later in this post.

Merry Christmas from Western Shooting Journal and IC Arizona!

My husband found this classic old 1987 video of Ted Nugent singing with David Letterman. Letterman is not really singing....

Russell Pearce launches radio show

For Immediate Release: Contact: Sean McCaffrey

December 12, 2013 (602) 885-5815

The Russell Pearce Show launches on 960 The Patriot

Arizona’s leading conservative hits weekend primetime

(Phoenix, AZ)—The Russell Pearce Show will officially launch on 960am The Patriot, serving the Phoenix media market and also available live online to a national audience. 960am The Patriot is owned by Salem Communications, a prominent national Christian and conservative media and publishing company which 99 radio stations in 38 markets, and the conservative blogs Townhall.com and Hotair.com.

The Russell Pearce Show will air live in prime time on Saturdays from 7:00PM to 8:00PM, immediately following Liberty Storm with Shane Krauser, and will feature weekly guests and take calls from listeners. The audience call-in number is (602) 508-0960.

“I am thrilled to once again bring a strong conservative voice to Arizona’s airwaves,” said Russell Pearce. “And I’m excited to continue being a thorn in the side of liberals who think America’s best days are long gone. They’re wrong. Our nation is worth fighting for and Arizona conservatives are proof.”

The Russell Pearce Show will soon launch a corresponding website, Facebook and Twitter page, and Pearce said he would continue his state and national speaking engagements to further energize conservatives in 2014 and beyond.

“The looney left will try to lie, cheat and steal to keep what power they’ve got,” Pearce said. “What I want to do, what my show is all about, is getting people motivated, energized and excited about America again. Let the liberals whine and cry. We’ve got real work to do, so tune in, call in, and let’s make our voices heard!”

Russell Pearce served in the Arizona legislature for eleven years, most recently as President of the Arizona State Senate in 2011. Sen. Pearce is widely regarded as the dean of Arizona’s legislative conservatives and today maintains a close watch over the state capitol. He authored/sponsored Arizona’s SB 1070, as well as the Arizona Fair and Legal Workers Act, Prop. 200 requiring proof of citizenship to vote, a constitutional amendment making English Arizona’s official language, Arizona’s Freedom to Carry Act, and numerous key laws and initiatives. Pearce served in several positions in state government, prior to which he served in Arizona law enforcement for twenty three years, and as Sheriff Arpaio’s Chief Deputy. His previous radio show, Conservatives Lead with Russell Pearce, was a top-rated call-in program in Arizona for more than a year.

Millennials Finally Turn Against Obama, Want Recall

A majority of 18-to-24-year-olds now say they would recall Obama as president if they could. It is finally happening; young people who overwhelmingly supported Obama are now turning away from him in droves. The hope and change he promised never materialized, instead replaced with deteriorating conditions.


A new poll from Harvard University’s Institute of Politics found that Millennial approval of Obama has dipped to the lowest ever, at 41 percent. Their dissatisfaction with Obama now mirrors the rest of the country. Similarly, 56 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 disapprove of Obamacare, compared to only 39 percent who support it. The younger Millennials are becoming increasingly less Democratic. Of those age 18 to 24, 31 percent identify as Democrats and 25 percent as Republicans.

This is occurring in part because the entry level jobs they are qualified for are drying up and turning into free internships. Paid internships are becoming a rarity. Millennials are realizing the Occupy Wall Street movement’s demands only succeeded in making things worse for them. Fast food workers striking for higher wages is hurting, not helping them. Instead of having a good shot at what used to be plentiful fast-food jobs, young people are finding themselves replaced by fast-food ordering kiosks. 

Read the rest of the article at Townhall 

Western Shooting Journal to interview top celebs at our SHOT Show booth! Joe Mantegna, Louise Mandrell, Doug Koenig and more

From our forthcoming January 2014 SHOT Show issue. We have just started lining up interviews, check back often for updates! Top Shot Dustin Ellerman and Extreme Shooting star Patrick Flanigan are the latest two confirmations…click image to enlarge.

NFL Rejects Super Bown Ad Due To Subtle Second Amendment Reference

Marty Daniel of Daniel Defense/Fox News Insider

Who would have thought a TV commercial would be rejected for subtly promoting one of our constitutional rights? Not just any right, either, but one so important the Founding Fathers codified it as the Second Amendment to our Constitution. Daniel Defense, which manufactures AR-15 parts and accessories, submitted a commercial for the February 2, 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII to be played in New Jersey at the Meadowlands, which would be broadcast worldwide. The ad did not mention guns or ammo. The National Football League(NFL) doesn’t just prohibit guns in commercials, it goes beyond its own policies to stamp out anything remotely construed as related to the firearms industry.

The ad is relatively benign – nothing like the violence seen on many video game ads common on television today. It features a man coming home to his wife and baby, while narrating how he takes care of them and no one should tell him he can’t protect them. At the end, the logo for Daniel Defense briefly appears featuring the silhouette of an AR-15. Guns are never mentioned.

The NFL’s guidelines for commercials state, “Firearms, ammunition or other weapons are prohibited; however, stores that sell firearms and ammunitions (e.g. outdoor stores and camping stores) will be permitted, provided they sell other products and the ads do not mention firearms, ammunition or other weapons.”

After the ad was rejected, Daniel Defense, which sells other kinds of products besides firearms, revised it to remove the gun logo at the end and replace it with the American flag – yet the NFL still refused to run it. By not following their own guidelines, it became painfully clear that someone running the NFL has an anti-gun agenda, or perhaps one of the media conglomerates that airs the Super Bowl, like Comcast, is putting pressure on the organization. Comcast reportedly refused to air ads from two stores that sold guns earlier this year, due to a change in its policy after the Newtown school shooting. One was a pawn shop and the other also sold archery equipment.

Read the rest of the article at the Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research

High School Sex Ed Indoctrination Reaching Dangerous Levels

I was astonished recently when one of my stepdaughters arrived home from public high school in Washington state with a red ribbon painted on her cheek. Sex education in the schools – which conservatives have tried to limit to abstinence-only – has now gone well beyond simple education. Today's students are being coerced into promoting and acting out the politically correct views taught them. It is being done so sneakily, using the authoritative stamp of approval by the public schools, that even my conservatively raised children were cajoled into participating.

There was no way to pull your child out of the day-long event. The entire school “celebrated” HIV/AIDs Awareness.” A student group formed to educate other students about AIDs was responsible for putting on the event, and took over the front part of the school with tables and displays. On the tables were baskets of mint-flavored condoms, and students working the tables encouraged others passing by to take them.

Every few seconds, a loud gong would sound and someone would announce, “Every 12 seconds, someone is infected with AIDs, and every 16 seconds, someone dies from AIDs.” The windows throughout the school were covered with HIV/AIDs awareness messages and posters were plastered on the walls. Almost every light throughout the hallways was turned off for further dramatic effect. The main staircase inside the school was covered with red ribbons. There was a giant wheel that students were encouraged to spin in order to see what disease they would contract. Students were lured into spinning it with the promise of a prize.

Read the rest of the article at Townhall

Your humble editor makes "The Best Conservative Columnists of 2013"

Thanks to John Hawkins of Right Wing News for the honor of making his Top 50 list this year. Of course, the only problem with the list is Hawkins himself isn't in it!

DUI Checkpoints: Yay or Nay?

DUI sobriety checkpoints, also known as roadblocks, are one of those things that sound good until you think it through. No one wants drunk drivers on the road. But no one wants texters or people eating lunch on the road, either, which are even more dangerous. In order to catch the latter two, it would be necessary to set up video cameras either alongside the road or inside cars. Every year, several states that prohibit DUI checkpoints consider passing legislation to permit them. These laws are usually championed by Democrats.

Motorists engage in secondary behavior during approximately half of their time on the road. Hands-free mobile phone conversations are legal all around the country, but slow reaction times by a significant 26.5 percent, according to a study from the UK. Eating slows reaction times by up to 44 percent. Drivers who text slow their reaction times by 37.4 percent. In contrast, drivers at the legal limit for alcohol in the UK, which is .08 BAC, only demonstrated a 12.5 percent increase in reaction time. The National Highway Administration finds this disparity to be even greater, surmising that driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.

This becomes even more troublesome when it is taken into consideration that some states don’t require a minimum BAC level for a DUI; the violation level is “impaired to the slightest degree.” Someone who blows a .03 BAC level may be perfectly capable of driving safely, but the laws as drafted in many states do not distinguish. If caught at a DUI checkpoint, even though the driver has not made a single driving error, the driver can likely expect to be fully prosecuted with little chance of escaping the draconian consequences of a DUI conviction.

Read the rest of the article at Townhall