Republican Calendar of Events in Colorado

December 5, Saturday Peoples Press Collective Re/Education Camp for Online Activists and Citizen Journalists in Lakewood. $50.00 fee. Register online. (I'll be there. Let me know if you're attending! -- Crista)

December 5, Saturday Arapahoe Tea Party meeting and strategy session, 2 - 5 PM at the Collins Residence, 26155 East Jamison Circle. Organized By: Fredrick Lindner

December 5, Saturday South Denver 912 Project -- Health Care Forum, 7 - 9 PM. Mainstreet Center in Parker.

December 6, Sunday Colorado Change the Change meeting at 7:00 PM at the Parker Mainstreet Center, 19650 Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80134. 303.805.7728

December 7, Monday Liberty on the Rocks Happy Hour at Old Chicago’s rooftop patio, 5 - 7 PM (weather permitting, if not, meet in the upstairs bar), 145 Union Blvd., Lakewood, CO. Info & RSVP on Facebook.

December 8, Tuesday Teller County Republicans Central Committee meeting, 7 PM, Pikes Peak Community Center, Divide, Colorado. http://www.teller-gop.org

December 9, Wednesday Arapahoe County Republican Men's Club, guest speaker Aurora City Councilman and Congressional District 7 candidate Ryan Frazier. 6:45 am at Cool River Cafe, 8000 E Belleview Ave., Greenwood Village.

December 11, Friday Highlands Ranch Republican Breakfast Group, 6:45 AM - Coffee, 7:00 AM - Breakfast; cost $8.00. Meets at Cafe' Mon Ami, 9579 S. University, located between Ace Hardware and Office Max. Sen. Tom Wiens, candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be the speaker. For more information contact Rick Murray at 303-933-3292 or rickmrry@yahoo.com. The public is invited. PLEASE, RSVP IS REQUESTED.

December 12, Saturday Douglas County Republicans monthly meeting, 8 AM, at the Robert A. Christensen Justice Center, in Castle Rock. (I'll be there. Let me know if you're coming, and arrive BEFORE 8 AM please! -- Crista)

December 12, Saturday Elbert County Republicans host GOP Candidates Jane Norton for U.S. Senate, JJ Ament for State Treasurer and Dan Maes for Colorado Governor. Breakfast forum 8:00 - 9:30 AM at the Elbert County Fairgrounds, Exhibit Building, Kiowa. $10.00 per person. RSVP to Eric Hartsough at 7930hart@msn.com or call 720-883-2610. Meeting Sponsor: Cripple Creek Collectibles LLC, 322 Kiowa and Highway 86, Elizabeth, CO

December 12, Saturday South Denver 912 Project meeting, 10 AM - 2 PM, featuring Congressman Tom Tancredo and State Senator Mark Scheffel. Franktown Fire District Station 181, 1959 North State Hwy 83, Franktown, CO 80109. Our representatives will speak from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon (includes Q & A). There will be a Christmas party with food and drink afterwards. RSVP

December 12, Saturday Defend the Republic Rally in support of conservative Gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, on the west steps of the Denver Capitol. 1 - 2 PM. Bring signs in support of conservative principles!

December 14, Monday Reception and fundraiser for Colorado Leadership Fund and Senate Majority Fund. 5:30 - 8:00 PM. Attendees will include Rep. Mike May, Sen. Josh Penry, Sen. Greg Brophy, Rep. Amy Stephens, Sen. Mark Scheffel, Rep. Frank McNulty, Sen. Ted Harvey, Rep. David Balmer and Rep. Carole Murray. Enjoy this festive Castle Rock home with 30 theme/designer Christmas trees and an international art collection. Please RSVP and obtain location from Pat Nohavec 303-663-1907 or patnohavec1@msn.com. Suggested contribution of $50 to each fund. (There is no personal limit on contributions to these funds!)

December 14, Monday Evergreen/Conifer Tea Party meeting, 6:30 PM at Evergreen Public Library, 5000 Highway 73 at Buffalo Park Road, Evergreen, CO 80439. Guest speaker: Crista Huff on the caucus/delegate process. "What does a delegate do? How can I beat my competitors at caucus and win a delegate position?" In Colorado, delegates are largely instrumental in deciding which candidates end up on the primary election and general election ballots. Republicans and Democrats have identical caucus/assembly processes. Unaffiliated voters and voters from other parties might want to temporarily change party affiliations in order to experience the caucus/assembly process.

December 15, Tuesday South Denver 912 Project presents Candidate for U. S. Senate Ken Buck, 7 - 9 PM at the Highlands Ranch Library, Shea B Room, 9292 Ridgeline Blvd., Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. 303-791-READ.

December 15, Tuesday Introduction to Colorado Politics Class, 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Koelbel Library, 5955 South Holly Street, Centennial, CO 80121. Learn about the two-year election cycle, the caucus process, and the integral role delegates play in candidate selection. Leave a private comment (below) with your email to contact Crista to rsvp and get the class location. (This class date has been scheduled to accomodate a specific activist group; unfilled class seats will be offered to the general public.)

Additional politics classes will be scheduled January through March, leading up to caucus on March 16, 2010 at 7:00 PM throughout Colorado. If you're interested, give me your email address, and I'll send you class notices until you're finally able to attend.

December 16, Wednesday As a Mom is hosting Crista Huff and Chris Holbert who will give their Introduction to Colorado Politics class in the evening, at Denver County Republicans' office, 1000 N. Speer Blvd. The public is invited. (more details to come)

January 9, Saturday Vail Valley 912 Project Meet-Up, 10 AM. Guest speaker Crista Huff on the caucus process. What is caucus? What do delegates do? What are assemblies? Learn how to become elected as a delegate and why delegates are instrumental in deciding which candidates end up on the primary & general election ballots in Colorado. Location TBD.

January 9 South Denver 912 Project meeting, featuring former State Senator, District 4, and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Wiens. (more details later)

January 20, Wednesday Douglas County Republican Women luncheon, 11:30 AM at Lone Tree Golf & Country Club. Guest speaker Crista Huff on the caucus/delegate/assembly process. Learn how delegates are instrumental in selecting which candidates end up on the primary & general election ballots. (more details to come)

January 26, Tuesday ROAR meeting in Golden, 7-9 PM, featuring Douglas County Republican District Captains Chris Holbert and Crista Huff "Introduction to Colorado Politics". Learn about the two-year election cycle in Colorado, caucus, delegates, assemblies, and how delegates are instrumental in selecting which candidates end up on the primary & general election ballots. (more details to follow)

January 30, Saturday Crista Huff and Chris Holbert will be giving their Introduction to Colorado Politics class at a Colorado Springs 912 Project meeting, 9 AM - noon. Visitors welcome! (more details to follow).

January 30, Saturday Douglas County Republicans Chairman's Dinner at the Sanctuary. (more details to follow)

March 16, 2010 Republican and Democrat Statewide Caucuses, 7 PM. Delegates are elected at caucus to attend subsequent assemblies (varies slightly by county). Delegates are instrumental in selecting which candidates end up on the Auguest primary ballot or the November general election ballot. Leave a private comment for Crista, with your phone or email, if you have questions.

April 10, 2010 Douglas County Republican Assembly. Delegates who were elected at caucus in Douglas County will attend this Saturday event. They will cast votes for any of the following candidates, to narrow the candidate fields: sheriff, coroner, treasurer, assessor, surveyor, county clerk & recorder. Delegates will compete amongst each other to be elected as delegates to additional assemblies where they will have opportunities to vote for State Representative, State Senator, U.S. Congressman, District Attorney, Governor, U.S. Senator, CU Regent, State Treasurer, State Attorney General, Secretary of State, and National Committeeman/woman. (Not all positions are elected during each election cycle.)

May 22, 2010 State Republican Assembly in Loveland, CO. Delegates will cast votes for Governor, U.S. Senator, State Treasurer, State Attorney General, Secretary of State, and National Committeeman/woman. (Not all positions are elected during each election cycle.)

Guest Post on Healthcare Reform by Dr. Michael Schneider, founder of Vail Valley 9.12 Project

Speaker Pelosi announced today (10/29) that a (1,990 page)Healthcare Reform Bill was on its way to the Senate. It includes a public option and will finally insure 90+% of the people in the United States. She claimed that it will cover the 36 million uninsured in this country. Is it 36 million, 47 million, or 50 million? How about 20 million or 12 million? I know that the number is somewhere in there...maybe.

Speaker Pelosi's televised announcement was followed by another televised announcement by President Obama speaking to, what was said to be, a representation of small business owners from across America. He told us once again that “if you like your insurance, you can keep it without any changes to coverage.” He told us that there will be insurance pools from which you can choose an insurer if you do not already have insurance for your business employees. I interpreted this to mean that businesses will be mandated to cover their employees. President Obama said that this reform will pay for itself.

Well... I thought... if this is so then I have been oh-so-wrong in my assessment of what the financial impact and reduction of quality healthcare on Americans, our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and..on and on will be if the Congress passes this healthcare reform bill. If what Speaker Pelosi and President Obama said is true then I am “on board” with the whole program and I will issue another “mea culpa”. Oh!...you ask...what if that old adage that if someone in authority tells you something (not factual) to your face enough times that you will actually believe it? Well then...if that is the case...I am on board with Rep. Joe “you lie” Wilson.

The President has told us that cracking down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud will be a large part of the savings in paying for healthcare reform. My question is, "has the crackdown begun?" If not, why not? 60 Minutes televised a special recently in which a convicted felon admitted stealing over $20 million from Medicare through fraudulent claims. That person said that it was a no brainer and is being done every day.

Once again, the truth is that government has never successfully run any type of program. I know you all have heard it before, but let me refresh your memories. There is Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, U.S. Postal Service and Amtrak, all of which are broken and broke. If the government competes with private insurers the private insurers will disappear. Those who know me know that I have no love lost for the private insurers, but this is the United States of America. The home of capitalism. The greatest republic* in the history of civilization. That being said, there is great room for health insurer reform starting with portability and the ability for individuals and businesses to purchase insurance across state lines. All the government has to do is print some more money to compete and the competition goes away and the quality goes down.

President Obama also neglected to remind us of the $500 BILLION cuts to Medicare and the pending 21.5% Medicare cuts to physician reimbursements in 2010 if this bill gets passed. If you would like to read the bill you can download it at:

http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf

I wonder if all of our elected House of Representatives officials have read it.

* Benjamin Franklin said “I give you a republic if you can hold on to it”. By definition a republic is a political unit governed by a charter (The U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence are U.S. Federal Charter Documents), while a democracy is a government whose prevailing force is always that of the majority. One of the difficulties in defining these two words, democracy and republic, stems from the fact that many people consider them to be synonyms, which they are not. They are no more alike than Nancy Pelosi and Puff the Magic Dragon, and yet they are often used interchangeably

Dr. Michael Schneider

“Real Change” in 2010
Vail Valley 9.12 Project
www.meetup.com/vailvalley912project.com/

Activism Today!

1. Healthcare Activism: Call Senators and tell them to vote NO on the healthcare bill!

From Hugh Hewitt on 10/01/09: "Medicare benefits will be slashed (by about $500 billion) and Medicare Advantage costs will skyrocket under all the versions of Obamacare."

Federally-funded abortion is still in the healthcare bills: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains in a Sept. 30 letter sent to members of the Senate, “So far, the health reform bills considered in committee, including the new Senate Finance Committee bill, have not met President Obama’s challenge of barring use of federal dollars for abortion and maintaining current conscience laws,” states the letter.

Phone these U.S. Senators to say NO to cloture and ObamaCare :

Evan Bayh (IN) – Phone: (202) 224-5623; Web Contact (Leadership) Vulnerable on healthcare as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Max Baucus (MT), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-6361; Web Contact; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Mark Begich (AK) – Phone: (202) 224-3004; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09.
Michael Bennet (CO) – Phone: (202) 224-5852, Denver Metro office: 303.455.7600; Web Contact. Vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Cannot win in 2010 AND CO Democrats may float a different candidate.
Jeff Bingaman (NM), Senate Finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-5521
Robert Byrd (VA) -- DC Phone: (202) 224-3954.
Maria Cantwell (WA), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-3441; Web Contact; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Tom Carper (DE), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-2441; Web Contact (Leadership); somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200
Kent Conrad (N.D.), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-2043; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 09/21/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)202-224-2551 is vulnerable on healthcare as of 09/21/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Russ Feingold (D-WI) 202-224-5323 is vulnerable on healthcare as of 09/21/09.
Dianne Feinstein (CA) – Phone: (202) 224-3841; Web Contact; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Kay Hagan (NC) – Phone: (202) 224-6342; Web Contact
Tim Johnson (SD) DC Phone: (202) 224-5842. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
John Kerry (MA), Senate Finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-2742
Herb Kohl (WI) – Phone: (202) 224-5653; Web Contact
Mary Landrieu (LA) – Phone: (202) 224-5824; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Joe Lieberman (CT) – Phone: (202) 224-4041; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Blanche Lincoln (AR), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-4814 or (202) 224-4843; Web Contact (Leadership) (Note: Liberal blog Daily Kos reports that Sen. Lincoln is somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.) Sept. 15: Arkansas school board elections went resoundingly to conservative candidates. Still vulnerable as of 09/21/09. Up for re-election Nov. 2010.
Claire McCaskill (MO) – Phone: (202) 224-6154; Web Contact
Robert Menendez (NJ), Senate Finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-4744
Ben Nelson (NE) – Phone: (202) 224-5274; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Bill Nelson (FL), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-6551; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 09/21/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Mark Pryor (AR) – Phone: (202) 224-2353; Web Contact Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election Nov. 2010; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Harry Reid (NV) DC Phone: (202) 224-3542. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Jay Rockefeller (WV), Senate finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-6472
Charles Schumer (NY), Senate Finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-6542
Jeanne Shaheen (NH) – Phone: (202) 224-2841; Web Contact
Debbie Stabenow (MI), Senate Finance Committee -- Phone 202-224-4822
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) 202-224-5344 Still vulnerable as of 09/21/09; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
John Tester (D-MT) 202-224-2644 Still vulnerable as of 10/02/09. Up for re-election in Nov. 2010.
Mark Udall (CO) – Phone: (202) 224-5941; Web Contact
Mark Warner (VA) – Phone: (202) 224-2023; Web Contact Vulnerable as of 10/02/09.
Ron Wyden (OR), Senate Finance Committee – Phone: (202) 224-5244; Web Contact; somewhat opposed to H.R. 3200.
Jim Webb (VA) Vulnerable as of 10/02/09.

2. The Senate Conservatives Fund has a petition which you can sign if you believe that Republican legislators should not compromise on ObamaCare.

3. To fight illegal immigration, visit http://www.numbersusa.com/. Sign up for their Action Buffet. Everytime you visit the website, there will be 15 or so types of protest or support letters waiting for you to click and send to your Congressman and Senators--at no cost!

4. Abortion is not healthcare! Sign the petition to Congress to take abortion out of the healthcare bill. This petition is organized by Susan B. Anthony List.

5. Say "no" to government-controlled access to healthcare! Call these Colorado Congressmen and Senators:

Dianna DeGette, 1st Congressional District
Denver office: 303.844.4988
Washington, D.C. office: 202.225.4431

Jared Polis, 2nd Congressional District
Boulder office: 303.484.9596
Washington, D.C. office: 202.225.2161

John Salazar, 3rd Congressional District
Grand Junction office: 970.245.7107
Washington, D.C. office: 202.225.4761

Betsy Markey, 4th Congressional District
Fort Collins office: 970.221.7110
Washington, D.C. office: 202.225.4676

Ed Perlmutter, 7th Congressional District
Lakewood office: 303.274.7944
Washington, D.C. office: 202.225.2645

Michael Bennet, U.S. Senate
Denver Metro office: 303.455.7600
Washington, D.C. office: 202.224.5852

Mark Udall, U.S. Senate
Denver Metro office: 303.650.7820
Washington, D.C. office: 202.224.5941

6. I received an email from American Family Association telling me about the provision in H.R. 3200 to put Planned Parenthood clinics in schools beginning Fall 2010. They made it easy for me to sign letters in opposition to this plan, and they will send them via email to my Senators and Congressman. If you visit their website and enter your email to receive AFA Action Alerts (top right corner), you will also receive similar pro-life activism assistance.


Recent results:

9/14/09 We were successful in protesting ACORN. The U.S. Senate voted 83-7 to stop giving ACORN Federal housing funds due to repeated criminal charges and additional evidence of criminal goings-on. In addition, the U.S. Census has severed ties with ACORN. Next step: get ACORN out of the healthcare bill!

9/9/09 The "Free Our Health Care Now" petition garnered over 1.3 million signatures, and was delivered to Congress today.

9/5/09 Van Jones has stepped down from his job, so you no longer need to sign the petition.

Would National Groups and Personalities Kindly Let Coloradans Pick Our Own Candidates? Please?!

We recently had a little political hullabaloo in Colorado as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) purportedly planned to endorse former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton for U.S. Senate. Coloradans were up in arms that such an endorsement might take place. Candidates were reassessing their abilities to raise campaign funds in light of such an endorsement. And all the tea party-types who are newer to the political process--albeit wholeheartedly engaged--were stunned that an out-of-state entity could sway our U.S. Senate race.

The tumult has died down, only to be replaced by the irritating good intentions of none other than Hugh Hewitt, radio conservative extraordinaire. I am a fan of Hugh, and Hugh is a fan of Colorado. I have worked tirelessly against HR 3200 and Cap and Trade, with great encouragement from Hugh. I disagree with Hugh on the FairTax and on the birth certificate. I love his radio guests, and am willing to forgive almost anything when he airs Mark Steyn or Andrew Breitbart.

So what's the beef? Hugh Hewitt has correctly assessed that Colorado Republicans have a solid opportunity to take back the Governor's seat, a U.S. Senate seat, and at least one Congressional seat (CD4) in November 2010. He talks about Colorado legislative races frequently. But he's backing the wrong candidates!

Okay, that's not polite. I don't have much of a beef with Hugh's recommendations of Scott McInnis for Governor, Jane Norton for U.S. Senate, nor Tom Lucero for CD4, except for this one little detail: 95% of the conservative voters with whom I interact are planning to vote for the other key Republican candidates in those races, primarily Josh Penry for Governor, Ken Buck or Ryan Frazier for U.S. Senate, and hands down Cory Gardner for CD4. Is it possible that McInnis, Norton and Lucero have a big fan base somewhere in Colorado which I'm not privy to? Absolutely. But the point is that we want to work this out ourselves, without national interference, from the NRSC, from Hugh Hewitt, or from any well-known person or entity.

The net effect of Hugh's candidate recommendations could be that McInnis, Norton or Lucero receive nationwide contributions to the chagrin of all the Colorado activists who are currently working diligently for their opponents. We in Colorado would really like to slug this out in-state, without nationwide interference, as good as those intentions are. We're not bumpkins here. We understand the opportunity before us, and we're getting the voters engaged and prepared for 2010. Are you aware that we had 10,000 people at the Tea Party at the Denver Capitol on April 15?! And that we had Tea Parties in at least 17 Colorado cities and towns that day?! Believe me, we're on a roll in Colorado.

Take action! Please use your social networking cites, e.g. Facebook and Twitter, to talk about Hugh Hewitt's interference in the Colorado 2010 Legislative Races. Use the Twitter hashtag #hhrs to protest Hugh's involvement during the radio show, when you're most likely to have Hewitt fans read your concerns. (Hugh Hewitt's radio show airs 4 - 7 PM MST.) Be polite. Hugh is a great asset to the conservative team. But we'd sure love it if he'd back away from the Colorado legislative races and just mention them casually as he might any other state's politics.

Thank you for listening. Again, I honor all the candidates, although I obviously have my preferences. We are really enjoying the political landscape in Colorado this year, and would be thrilled to continue to participate and watch it play out without Hugh's assistance. God Bless Hugh Hewitt and God Bless America!

* * * * * * *
In a related piece of correspondence, my friend Nikki Mata wrote a letter to Hugh Hewitt within hours of this blog post:

Dear Hugh,

Great program yesterday at CCU - and how thrilled I was to hear not just Matt Arnold, but two other friends, Isaac Smith & Hollis Moore. All three are regular attendees to R Block Party meetings. (We don't have a "membership" - we're free & open to anyone.)

But I also heard the close of the show. How disappointing to hear you say that we all just have to "get over it" - referencing the NRSC.

First off, thanks for keeping your promise to read the article. But that article is just the tip of the iceberg as to why the NRSC needs to stay out of our primary/caucus process. And if I had had more time to explain to you what is going on here in Colorado & why it is so critical, I know that you would have second thoughts.

It's not really about the NRSC. And it's not about ego. It's what DC & media types just "don't get" about what is going on at the Tea Parties, the Town Halls, the 9-12 groups. It's the mood & the energy. It's why one third of Colorado voters are now unaffiliated.

It's why we started R Block Party, why Peoples Press Collective and Clear the Bench exist. And none of us are funded. But we are driven. And we really don't need more obstacles put in our path by our own side.

All those people in that Tax Day Tea Party poster that I gave you? They are not going to support & vote for anyone who has the appearance of having been chosen & promoted by Washington and the party elite. It's just same old, same old to them.

They will turn away from that in droves. It will demoralize them, they will not support the Republican candidates, and that will split the vote. And Colorado will stay a Blue State.

We have a chance to rebuild the Republican party - right here in Colorado - into a party with a viable future. A party that is vibrant & alive. A party that people are excited to be a part of. Because they ARE the party.

I could give you a hundred examples, articles and postings to read to support my case. There is a huge activist movement happening here. And we are all connecting. Would love to plug you into it, so you could see for yourself.

I'll leave you with an excerpt of a piece I wrote about Jane Norton for the Peoples Press Collective:

Is she a candidate that can generate excitement and mobilize the grassroots? Can her message reach the Tea Partiers & Town Hallers? How about the 9-12ers?

Who amongst the many candidates for Senate can offer the proud members of The Angry Mob a place to come home to?

That’s for the voters to decide.

What is clear is that we need to hear what each candidate has to say – without the roar of the political machine behind them, drowning them out.

Yes, we all understand that a candidate needs money – and lots of it – to mount a successful bid next year. But right now? We need a candidate that has the fire to match the mood of the American people.

And money can’t buy that.

Save the money for 2010. Right now, let’s listen to the message.

You have a huge bully pulpit here. I know I speak for all of us when I ask you to use it wisely.

Thanks for listening & GO BUCKS!

Nikki Mata
R Block Party

(Thank you Nikki!)

An Open Letter to the Second in Command of Al-Queda by Dr. Tawfik Hamid, www.tawfikhamid.com

Dr. Al-Zawherri, many years ago, as a student at University of Cairo Medical School Mosque, when I joined Jammaa Islamia, I sat in front of you, and listened fervently to you sermons. At that time, I looked up to you as my mentor who was going to guide me through the correct path to the divine. I can not forget your fiery speeches, enthusiastic, extraordinary charisma and your dedication to the cause of Islam.

Once, I remember you placing your hand over my shoulder, telling me that my generation is the hope for Islam. I was truly captivated; I was so young and mislead by your appealing charm as many others were. As I looked deeply into your eyes, I hoped that you would lead me to find my path to spirituality. Instead, you led me into the corridor of hatred and violence. I was deceived by your sharp authoritative look and your powerful e speeches, but after all, I was fortunate to recognize early enough that I was on the wrong course.

You taught me and other members of the JI that the west is evil because it does not implement Sharia law. You explained that they allow women to dress as they wish, and provide them full freedom. Back then, I was deceived by your statements. But let me ask you now which is preferable; the western system that respects basic values of freedom for women or the Salafi Islamic system that you follow which suppresses and justifies beating women, allows polygamy, permits slavery and still promotes stoning women to death for adultery?

Dr Al-Zawaheri, after all these years, I discovered that the values that you promoted for 'modesty' of our Muslim women are not sincerely values of modesty as you claimed, but rather immoral means to enslave them. According to our Sharia system, a Muslim woman engaged sexually with a man on her free will, should be punished by death, yet, if a man sold the same woman as a slave to the same man to engage in sex with him - against her free will - it is until now acceptable in our Islamic laws. Do you consider that moral or just? Obviously, the entire issue is not modesty for Muslim women as you claimed but rather a way to control them.

Through your video tapes, you try to sway the west against America, blaming the "evil" US foreign policies against the Islamic world. If the US is truly as wicked as you claim, it could have used its devastating military power to rape the land of Arabia and get its oil for free as our Islamic ancestors did under the banner of spreading Islam! Or probably is it American evil foreign policy that saved millions of Muslims in Kosovo and is trying to do the same in Darfur? Or is it the evil Americans who saved Kuwait from the Iraqi vicious despot Saddam Hussein?

If it's only the "others" causing the Muslims misery, why then didn't you ever protest against the Pakistani Mullas who issued a fatwa to justify for Pakistani Muslim soldiers to rape the Bangladeshi women as concubines in the name of Allah during the war between the two countries in the 1970s? Is that because of the damage done to Muslims by the west?

Through your publicized videotapes you claim that your Muslim "brothers" suffer in Iraq. Don't your Muslim "brothers" suffer in Iraq primarily because your Sunni Islamic thugs "brothers" are torturing, killing other Muslims and mutilating the dead bodies of their fellow Muslim "brothers" Sheiia? Maybe If you ordered your Muslim Sunni "brothers" to suspend their barbaric acts, the Iraqi people would enjoy the fruit of democracy that was offered to them with American soldiers' blood, scarifying their lives to provide them with such dignified opportunity.

Dr. Al-Zawaherri, in many of your tapes, you maintain that Israel is oppressing the Palestinians. You should know that, the Jewish state that you so despise allows Muslims to build Mosques and practice their religion freely. Compare it to Saudi Arabia which denies basic rights to Christians or other non Muslims to build churches or practice freely their religion. Compare it to your Taliban system which destroyed the historical statues of Buddha. You are merely lucky that your evil acts against civilized people have not been countered by destroying our sacred places in Mecca and Medina.

I vividly remember you teaching us in our JI Mosque that the Jews are the world's worst enemies; that they are "pigs and monkeys." To my pleasant surprise, I must share with you that I later found out that unlike you and your followers, Jews have brought immense constructive contribution to our civilization.

You repeatedly taught us that the US and the West are oppressing Muslims. I used to believe it when I first met you, but after living in the West and having seen how Muslims are treated in the US, I can openly say to you; Dr. Al-Zawaherri, you are a liar! The US has allowed Muslims to build mosques, to practice freely our religion, to enjoy economic opportunities, to thrive in their education as any American citizen does. US constitution simply does not allow discrimination against minority. If this is what you call "oppressed Muslims in the west" then I wish Islamic systems like Saudi Arabia, the Taliban and Iran treat their non Muslims in the same way US treats its Muslim population!

Dr. Al-Zawaherri, your heinous attacks on innocents all over the world have deprived our world of tremendous amount of resources as an attempt to protect ourselves from people like you. So instead of diverting the money of the world to build, to cure disease and to improve the environment, we now need to direct a major portion of our budget to protect our nations from your evil acts.

I am asking you to remember the orphans who lost their parents because of you, the parents who lost their children because of you, and the innocents who still suffer because of you. Use your conscience if it still exists and remember them even for a moment as an opportunity to evaluate your deeds. After all these years, I tell you vociferously that if "the hope of Islam" is cultivated by the damage you cause to the world then never blame anyone for questioning Islam's nature, genuine motives and criticizing it.

Dr. Al-Zawaherri, I must confess that I am not sure whether I should blame only solely you for your crimes or should I also hold responsible the entire culture and our religious system that have been guiding you and millions other to hate the "others". Should I only blame you or also my fellow Muslims who have been passively watching your dreadful actions with minimal expression of dismay over your brutality? Or maybe I should also blame those in the West who still try to find irrational justifications for your terrorist acts instead of confronting its true cause which is the Ideology that changed an innocent child that you were, into a beast who deprived others of their life.

Dr. Al-Zawaherri -as a surgeon your hands were supposed to heal and help reduce suffering, but instead, you caused anguish to thousands if not millions of our human race. Therefore, the blood on your hands is the blood of your victims rather than your patients during surgical operations.

Now, I live too far from you geographically, and more importantly, ideologically. Unlike you, based on fresh interpretation of the Quran, I preach a message of love and respect to all humans; regardless of their religion, race or nationality. It is a peaceful and non conventional interpretation which attempts to heal the world that you have injured. One day, the Muslim world will have to decide if they should follow my path or your path. Our paths can not converge.

Dr. Al-Zawaherri....Awake before it is too late!
Your old colleague in the JI
Dr. Tawfik Hamid

(Dr. Tawfik Hamid is the author of The Roots of Jihad. Considering that the study of Jihad and muslim culture can be intimidating for most Americans, I was grateful for Dr. Hamid's excellent writing. With large print, wide spacing, and under 200 pages in length, this book makes a daunting topic very clear and readable. -- Crista Huff)

I Love My Health Care

Written by guest bloggers: James and Joni Kelly, Douglas County, Colorado

I am one of the 95 out of a hundred Americans that are very happy with their health care. Obama said “if you like what you have you can keep it” so all’s good right? No change for me?

Wrong – if the liberals succeed my health care, your health care, indeed everyone’s health care is going to change dramatically, and not for the better.

The government health care takeover can be stopped. There are three people who can kill it dead. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. So it’s all over right?…not so fast. Obama is a Marxist ideologue and would consider signing a health care bill a success even if it costs him the presidency in 2012. Pelosi is not going to lose an election in Berkeley, California. But Reid is showing cracks.

Harry Reid is the Senate Majority Leader from Nevada. He is up for re-election in 2010 is presently down double digits in polling to his Republican challenger, Danny Tarkanian. Harry Reid’s son, Rory Reid appears ready to make a run for Governor of Nevada. If Harry loses in 2010, so will Rory. My gut tells me that Harry will kill the government health care takeover if he thinks it will cost him and his son their elections.

I have been looking for something real I can do to protect my health care from the government takeover. Here is something real. Send Danny Tarkanian a contribution. It is too early to know if Danny can win or not but Reid will notice Danny’s war chest swell and rethink his position on the health care takeover. You don’t need to give a lot. Ten or twenty bucks is fine. The amount matters but what matters more is how many people contribute to Danny. Politicians are nothing if not shrewd (Harry is the king of shrewd) and they measure everything. Harry will know not just how much Danny is putting up but how many people contributed to Danny, kind of a mini-election.

Help make Harry Reid sweat! Here is a link to the Danny Tarkanian site. You can contribute there--I did: www.tark2010.org.

* * * *

Addendum from Crista: I also donated $10. online. Here's one more way to stick it to Harry Reid: take your online donation receipt, or a photocopy of the check that you wrote, and fax it to Harry Reid's Reno, NV office at 775-686-5757 or his Washington D.C. office at 202-224-7327.

Special thanks to James and Joni Kelly, fellow American patriots who are committed to saving our country from socialism, fiscal irresponsibility, and the trashing of the U.S. Constitution.

So This is What Astro-Turf Looks Like...

Guest article by Sean Doherty, Publisher of The Constitutional Reporter www.TheConstitutionalReporter.com

The left and the right have been engaged lately in a battle of policies and ideas and…name-calling? Each side has been eager to prove that the other is engaged in “Astro-Turfing,” a clever name used to imply fake grassroots.

The Left accuses the anti-public option crowd of being bought and paid for by Big Pharma, while the Tea Party crowds are obviously contrived by Big Oil (according to the Left). Meanwhile, the Right has pointed to the organizational structure, efforts, and approach of political groups such as Progress Now, MoveOn.org, and Acorn. The evidence submitted is the nice, printed signs held by pro-public option supporters, the emails sent out by these and similar organizations, as well as buses bearing those proud political organizations names and supporters to Obama’s town hall meeting.

So who is right and who is wrong when it comes to labeling the other side as ‘astro-turf?’ Or is this really just a case of “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?”

Well, the Constitutional Reporter looked into this and dug up some good seeds. Sow these and tell us what you think:

The Right

Yes, the Right is talking about ObamaCare. So are the Libertarians and Independents. And they’re legitimately afraid. This has made them active. The politically active Republicans are encouraging people to oppose ObamaCare. You can see their activity in the blogosphere. But there is no money trail. Nowhere have we been able to find any money being paid out here. And what’s even more interesting, the vast majority of people who attend the protests have been, to our surprise, not connected to any GOP leaders. Having attended several Lincoln Day dinners, GOP breakfast clubs, etc., this year, our staff was surprised to see so many new faces at the protests who probably didn’t even know that there are local breakfast clubs held weekly to talk about how bad ObamaCare and Democrat proposals are going to be!!

The Left

Here’s where it gets interesting… The Constitutional Reporter sat in at an important activism meeting held by some Democrat organizers. They were looking to hire some field reps to go out and spread the word about Cap and Trade. Here is their game plan:

Environmental Defense Fund has hired a national political consulting firm called Field Works. They want to lobby the ‘blue dog’ Democratic US Senators to convince them to vote ‘yes’ on Cap and Trade.

Field Works is hiring 12 people at $90/day. Each person will then go out and for 40 hours a week, their job is to talk to people about supporting Cap and Trade to protect the environment. Each of these 12 people will be responsible for finding 12 other people, per day, to make a phone call directly to Senator Michael Bennet’s office to urge him to support Cap and Trade. Additionally, each of those 12 field reps will be working to get 28 people, every day, to fill out a post card to be sent to Senator Bennet. (Field Works is providing the cell phones and post cards as well as postage)

This process will be continued, week in and week out, until October 2nd, and will also be conducted in six other states.

Now, if this isn’t “Astro-Turf” then what is it--fertilizer?

Folks on the Right better be prepared for the well-oiled machine of the Left. This piece just gives a small taste of what happens when this well-funded machine is put to work. If there was ever a time to call Senator Bennet and tell him to oppose Cap and Trade, then you better do it before October 2nd. Ask Senator Bennet to grow some productive, free market solutions, instead of growing our taxes.

(This was a guest article by Sean Doherty, Publisher of The Constitutional Reporter. www.TheConstitutionalReporter.com)