Allen Alley to seek Oregon Republican Party Chairmanship

OREGON REPUBLICAN PARTY, 1/3/2011 - Tigard, Ore. – Allen Alley, founder of Pixelworks and former Republican candidate for Governor, announced today that he will run for the position of Oregon Republican Party Chair. The election will be held at the Biennial Organizational Meeting on January 22nd. Read more at ORP... Read More......

Candidate Delia Lopez: Common sense on the environment

DELIA LOPEZ, 2010 Republican Candidate for Oregon's Third Congressional District, POSITIONS/ENVIRONMENT - "Look into the spotted owl and many other of the birds that have been listed on the threatened or endangered species list. Years ago I cut out and copied newspaper articles for then president Clinton and 2 other of the top EPA and Forest Service heads. They were finding spotted owls emaciated in surprising numbers! There were at least 5 articles where they were found dead and autopsy showed they starved. There were articles stating they found spotted owls nesting in 30 year old trees, they found a nest in a Roseburg K-Mart sign! I had them nesting in my back yard (they have a distinctive whoo) Also an article on the effective rodenticide the federal forest department had been using for 26 years!! It stopped rodents from killing the small newly planted trees, and how effective it was at killing the rodents. I made 3 copies of each and sent them off with a letter. I got a BS thank you letter back from Clinton. They are still using the rodenticide! The spotted owls numbers are still declining. You will not survive without food, spotted owls eat rodents, rodenticides kill rodents. Birds that have no food, do not reproduce, they die. Shutting down the forests to logging has not helped the Spotted Owls nor improved the heath of our forests." Read more on the environment, forest health, jobs, carbon sequestering and more.

Best wishes to Delia Lopez in her campaign to replace Earl Blumenauer. --bc Read More......

URGENT - Ron Maurer race not over yet - your help needed ASAP!

The race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction isn't over yet and your help is needed. Republican Rep. Ron Maurer is still alive in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction versus failed 8 year incumbent Susan Castillo. This race has turned out to be much closer than the media and pundits thought. Apparently a lot of voters, and not just Republicans, think Oregon being 43rd in the nation in K thru 12 academic results is a good reason fire Susan Castillo after 8 years and hire Ron Maurer to lead the educational system in Oregon. (see below [the fold] under "HERE IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO IMMEDIATELY" to find out how you can help)

In the last week, this non-partisan race is turning out to be the closest statewide race since Vote-By-Mail was instituted as the gap between Maurer and Castillo has narrowed to within 0.41%. More significantly, Ron Maurer's teachers union-backed incumbent opponent Susan Castillo is only 0.04% (four one hundredths of a percent or 307 votes) above the "50% + 1 vote" threshold she must reach to win the race outright now and avoid a run-off with Ron Maurer in November. Castillo's margin over 50% has been dwindling all week. Here's the latest numbers:

Superintendent of Public Instruction
View results by county

Nonpartisan [Statewide Position]

Susan Castillo
Votes....... 349,055
Percent....... 50.04%
Ron Maurer
Votes....... 346,199
Percent....... 49.63%
Write-in Votes
Votes......... 2,243
Percent........ 0.32%
________________
Totals:
Votes....... 697,497
Percent......... 100%
For updates: Sec. of State Election Results/2010 Primary

As of May 21st statewide, there are at least several thousand ballots have not been "accepted" (=counted) because the voter's signature didn't match from outside of their May 18th ballot with what their County Elections have on file. Voters have 10 days from election day to fix this with their County Elections office. By the way, the Secretary of State Elections Division and every County Elections office has officially refused in writing to supply us the list of folks receiving this letter. So now it's up to you and me to reach as many of these folks as possible without knowing who they are!

HERE IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO IMMEDIATELY

Please spread the word to every Republican (or anyone you think voted for Ron Maurer) about the need for voters who have received letters from their county elections office stating that their signature didn't match from outside of their May 18th ballot with what their county elections have on file - they need to get in to county elections before this FRIDAY MAY 28TH AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS to update their signature card in order for their votes to count. They must bring photo identification with them and sign a new voter registration card so their signature can be matched. BTW - if they don't do this now, they will have to do this in November anyways - so best to get it done now!

Here's a link to find the County Election offices http://www.oregonvotes.org/other.info/clerk.htm

PLEASE NOTE: We have learned that many new registrants who have used the new online registration option may be receiving these letters because their ballot signature is being match with their DMV signature from when they first got their driver's license, for instance, at age 16, but, due to some lack of clarity of some DMV images and the fact that signatures can change significantly during a voter's teenage years, these voters are getting these letters more often than your average voter.

Don't wait to get this message out, but do try your best to target folks that you think voted for Rep. Ron Maurer in this election. As you can see in the email below, Castillo's supporters are already out there getting this word to Castillo's supporters. They know that this election is a potential "bellwether" of where 2010 is going. Don't let them steal this election. Take action today!

Very truly yours,
Kevin Hoar, Field Director
Ruth Bendl, Voter Integrity Chair
Oregon Republican Party

Added: The OEA-PIE (teacher's union) and the Democrats are urging their members to do likewise. Read More......

GOP candidate Alley touts business background in race for governor

CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES, 4/27/2010 by Matt Neznanski - Allen Alley’s message that he would, if elected, run the governor’s office like that of the chief executive of “the largest corporation in Oregon” was well-received by about 40 Benton County Republicans on Monday. Read more at the GT...
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Jim Huffman to announce campaign for US Senate

THE OREGON POLITICO, 2/25/2010 by Sarah Ross - PORTLAND- Lewis and Clark Law Professor, Jim Huffman, has scheduled his announcement to run for Ron Wyden’s US Senate seat for Thursday, March 4th. ∴ Huffman has been rumored for weeks to be the GOP’s choice candidate to run against Wyden in this coming November’s senatorial election. A facebook event created by the Huffman for US Senate campaign confirms that the professor will be challenging Oregon’s Senior Senator. Read more at The Oregon Politico Read More......

Republican Rose Cook seeks District 16 seat held by Democrat Sara Gelser

CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES, 2/18/2010 by Raju Woodward - Saying that she wants to help stabilize state funding of education, Rose Cook of Philomath filed her candidacy Tuesday for state representative in House District 16, which represents Corvallis, Philomath and much of Benton County. ∴ Cook, a Republican, is vying for the seat held since 2005 by Sara Gelser, a Corvallis Democrat. Gelser filed for re-election in December. ∴ Cook worked for the Philomath School District for 17 years, mostly as an administrative assistant to the principal of Philomath High School. She retired in October 1999. She has served on the Philomath School Board for the past seven years. ∴ “Every year, the same thing happens,” Cook said Wednesday. “There’s unstable funding. People complain about it, but nothing gets done. Education should be the highest priority, but it’s treated like one of the last.”

Creating more jobs and helping small businesses are other top priorities for Cook, whose husband Tom has owned and operated R&T Logging for 33 years.

“Small businesses are taking huge hits,” Cook said. “There’s so many rules, regulations and fees. We don’t need to be creating more red tape for them. We are becoming unfriendly to them.”

Cook said she isn’t impressed by Gelser’s voting record.

“She’s voted straight down her party line,” Cook said. “I don’t think that’s very responsible, and it isn’t representative of District 16.”

Cook also said she’s not worried about being a political newcomer.

“I’m going to tell people how I feel,” Cook said. “If people want someone who has been in politics, I am not their gal. If they want someone who has life experiences, I am their gal.”

Cook, 52, is a 1975 graduate of Toledo High School. In addition to serving as Philomath School Board chairwoman this year, she’s also on the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District budget committee. Read More......

Black Republicans Say 2010 Will Be Their Year

PATRIOT UPDATE.COM (via FOX Reader), 10/12/2009 - Allen West, a retired Army colonel who is running for the second time against Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd congressional district, West, is one of a small but determined group of black Republicans running for seats in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives in 2010. Read more on FOX (Reader)... Read More......

GT Removes Comment

Re: Jerry J. Jackson, Sr. 7/6/2009 - Below you will find a comment I wrote regarding the story in the GT about the Fender Blue Butterfly. This story ran front page on 7/5/09 with zero comments from the public, until I decided to place a comment. The comment below was in place until sometime this morning. They took it out and put video only to prevent comments. We need to let the GT know they cannot sensor what we write and expect us to remain quiet. The GT continues to traditionally allow comments from readers that do not rock the boat away from their obvious agenda.

paternalistic July 5, 2009 8:12PM PST
I was amazed to see a story on the Fender Blue Butterfly this morning in the GT as they keep telling me they do not have the resources to run a story on the possibility of Benton County moving to HP. We must realize the county should not be a regulatory means for Endangered Species Act. The current draft habitat conservation plan should become non-regulatory and have no authority to add to any additional species, restrictions and or to purchase private property to create 50 to 60 acres of conservation easements in the so-called “blue zones”. Budget shortfalls were discussed during the budget process as the board realized that the county does not have enough money to operate in the future without spending down their reserves. You don't have to go any further then Starker Forest to see we have great stewards of the forest in place without wasting more then $800,000 on a study to regulate your lands. The reason this researcher was able to study these butterflies goes to point, we do not need additional restrictions. Turn this very expensive study into a resource document for landowners to use when applying for a permit to develop THEIR LAND . The county must insure you do not damage the lands where there are endangered species and providing this information to the land owners for free is a good way to insure this happens. STOP THE PLAN NOW AND QUIT SPENDING MONEY. Read More......

Giuliani: My Contract with America

Townhall.com, June 13, 2007 - Rudy Giuliani wrote,

I am making 12 Commitments to the American People. They are intended to lift our vision from the rearview mirror to the road ahead. If I am elected president, I want to be held accountable for the progress we make as a nation.

1) I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us. Winning the terrorists’ war on us is the greatest responsibility of the 9/11 Generation. We need to continue taking the fight to the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists by increasing the size, strength, and support of our military — beginning with ten new Army combat brigades.

2) I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders and identify every non-citizen in our nation. We can end illegal immigration with tough but realistic laws that put security first. We need to secure the border with a physical fence and a technological fence. We need to require a tamper-proof I.D. card for all non-citizens coming into the United States and tracking their entry and exit. And we need to encourage Americanization by requiring new citizens to read, write, and speak English.

3) I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending. Over the next two presidential terms, 42 percent of the federal civilian workforce is due to retire. We should only hire back half, replacing non-essential workers with technology. I’ll ask agency heads to identify annual budget cuts of 5 to 20 percent. With entitlement costs scheduled to explode, we need fiscal discipline to avoid passing an unsupportable burden on to the next generation.

4) I will cut taxes and reform the tax code. Pro-growth policies lead to broader prosperity. The next president needs to simplify the tax code and keep taxes low — including the personal income tax, the capital-gains tax and the corporate tax. And we can eliminate double taxation and protect family businesses by giving the Death Tax the death penalty.

5) I will impose accountability on Washington. We need to restore Americans’ faith that government can work again. That’s why we’ll implement the first constant measurement of government effectiveness, known as “FedStat,” and put the results online so the public can hold agencies accountable.

6) I will lead America towards energy independence. We must decrease America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil. We can meet this challenge through diversification of our energy portfolio, innovation, and conservation. We must increase public and private investment in nuclear power, clean coal, and alternative-energy sources across the board. America must lead the world in energy-efficient, environmentally responsible, commercially viable innovation, including wind, solar, geo-thermal, ethanol, and biofuel technologies.

7) I will give Americans more control over their health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions. We can improve the quality of health care while decreasing costs through increased competition. Solutions can include reforming the tax treatment of health care, expanding portable health-savings accounts, encouraging state-by-state innovations, and reforming the legal system.

8) I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children. We need to take advantage of the common ground in America to reduce abortions by increasing adoptions and assuring that individual choice is well informed. We need to measure our progress toward these goals. We need to reduce the high costs of adoption. And we need to protect our children against sexual predators and online pornography.

9) I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges. America must reform its legal system. We need to eliminate nuisance lawsuits through “loser-pays” provisions. Tort reform can help us reduce costs passed on to the consumer, such as higher insurance premiums. Activist judges threaten to expand the power of the courts beyond the bounds established by the Constitution; we must reassert the proper balance.

10) I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Homeland security and national security are now inseparable. We need to ensure that local first responders are trained to meet natural disasters as well as terrorist attacks. We must improve information-sharing between local, state, and federal authorities. And we need to repair vulnerable infrastructure to minimize the impact of terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

11) I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents. Education reform is a civil-rights struggle and the key to improving America’s competitiveness in the global economy. We need to empower parents and children by expanding school choice. We need to promote math and science, while ending the digital divide.

12) I will expand America's involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world. We need to strengthen our country by engaging aggressively the global economy. The mission of the State Department needs to be focused on acting first and foremost as an advocate for America. Fostering trade and educational and cultural exchange will promote the expansion of freedom.

These 12 Commitments offer an action plan to focus America on the future. Over the course of this campaign, I’m going to present each policy in greater detail. And when we get to Washington, we’re going to put these ideas into action. Guided by these 12 Commitments, we will hand our nation over to the next generation far better than it was handed to us.

Rudy Giuliani is the former Mayor of New York City, and currently a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of United States. Learn more at www.joinrudy2008.com.

Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network

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In case Magaña runs again

In 2006 Mario E. Magaña (D), associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at OSU, challenged Sen. Frank Morse (R-Incumbent) for the Dist. 8 Oregon State senate seat but failed. In case the professor runs for elected office again, it might be instructive to keep this OSU Barometer forum exchange on hand for a glimpse into Magaña’s rather smug outlook.

Political science senior, Lyndsey Shaver, wrote a letter to the editor (4/26/07 Issue of The Barometer) critical of an anti-violence rally held on the OSU campus following the Virginia Tech shooting where 32 innocent students lost their lives. Among other points, Shaver advocated rethinking the ‘right to carry’ ban on the VT campus. He wrote, “...work to give students the KNOWLEDGE and ABILITY to PROTECT THEMSELVES.”

Professor Magaña had every right to disagree with the Shaver opinion (only one opinion regarding VT on Thursday) but let’s look at how he did this in his 5/1/07 letter (h/t: Reece).

Response to last Thursday's letters - Use your brain

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I find it very hard to believe that college students, who in principle are supposed to be capable of performing minimally complex thinking, can express such absurd and ludicrous ideas, and even have the audacity of justifying them with arguments worthy of small minds.

Minimal analysis of the speed of motion of a projectile launched by a fire arm should lead to the inescapable conclusion that no human being is capable of outpacing it. Moreover, with today's modern semi and automatic weapons, which can be obtained legally even by the mentally deficient, can release projectiles at an incredibly high rate and the probability of multiple targets (humans) being hit in a very short period of time is extremely high. The idea that the best way to protect ourselves is by having everyone carry a gun is laughable at best, unless we are willing to live in a society "a la OK Corral".

After reading these letters, I also decided to take a close look at the famous second amendment to see if I could arrive at the same conclusion as those who claim that the founding fathers could foresee the future (perhaps with a crystal ball) and figured that the parameters of that era would remain unchanged after more than two hundred years! Unfortunately, regardless of how much I tried to bring myself down to their level of mental development, I could not!

The proponents of such irrational and illogical thinking that support uncontrolled gun possession should take a look at countries such as Spain and Germany to educate themselves about sensible gun ownership laws. The fact that we live in the most violent society earth today does not mean that we have accept it and keep it that way.

-Prof. Mario E. Magaña
School of EECS

Do we need more elitist's looking down their noses at 'the little people'? I don't think so. See also Was Cho Taught to Hate? Read More......