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REPUBLICAN HOWARD KALOOGIAN Friends, Last night the national cable news networks carried the announcement. Today it's a top story in many of the political trade publications. The scoop? California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has set April 11th as the date for the Special Election to fill the vacant seat that had been represented by Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham - who was recently forced to resign. This will be one of the most important races in the 2006 congressional elections - the reason? Because Democrats think they have a shot at taking this seat that had been a Republican seat and electing an anti-war, liberal Democrat named Francine Busby. I am running against her and I need your help to win. With an April 11th election date being set, voters will begin absentee voting as early as March! That means we will only have the months of January and February to wage a campaign. And that means I have to raise the money to fund this campaign during the holiday season. It's going to be a challenge, and I need your help to ensure success for our to advance our message of supporting the troops and their mission; securing our borders; reducing wasteful government spending; lowering taxes on American families; and respecting traditional values in the public square. Its easy for us all to have 1,000 excuses about why NOW is not a good time to support a campaign like this. There's the holiday season, presents to be bought, family outings to plan. But, I can promise you this - the anti-war Left is not going to stop their efforts to promote the candidacy of liberal Democrat, Francine Busby. She will report total fundraising likely near $300,000 to $400,000 by the end of this month. So, please, take a brief moment from your holiday activities - and make a contribution to my campaign. Under federal law you may contribute up to $2,100 per individual or $4,200 per married couple. I understand many of you will only be able to make a contribution of a smaller amount - I thank you deeply for whatever support you can offer. CONTRIBUTE
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NEWS
HEADLINES AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Republicans face another embarrassment brought about by the human weaknesses of one elected Republican official. Congressman Randy ³Duke² Cunningham was found guilty of accepting large sums of money, gifts and services for favorable financial government contracts. Cunningham has admitted his misdeeds. He will face possible jail time and loss of public office. The Contra Costa Times article as well as larger article in the Washington Post indicate a possible connection with Cong. Tom Delay¹s ³troubles.² The ³Duke² is apparently deserving of his punishments. He betrayed the trust he swore to uphold. It seems that even the most moral and under certain circumstances physically courageous of human beings find it hard to resist the temptations of power and attention. Especially when left in office too long. No one ever reports who is behind the funding of all the ³fact-finding² trips that officials, Democrat or Republican, take to China and other foreign countries or what they promote on their return from those trips. Recently our Governor traveled to China as did San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom. Their goal was to open up more trade routes and financial deals. No one ever reports on who¹s wheels got greased on those trips. I believe that as more and more private sector jobs, at home or abroad, are brought under government control there will be more corruption and payola. Public/private enterprise is by nature designed to encourage competition at the public trough. |
If the Republicans continue to lose seats and elect weak candidates, especially in Sacramento, we may never know about the transactions that go on because you can be sure that Democrats will not betray each other. We, the voting citizens of this state and county can change the course of things by keeping close contact with our elected local and state officials. If they know we are watching them and or supporting them they may be less likely to stray. But leave them alone to be seduced by the free meals, trips, parties, etc and we have only ourselves to blame for their eventual capitulation to self interest.
MENTORING BOYS INTO COMPASSIONATE MEN Today while baby sitting a 19 month old granddaughter and trying to turn the last remnants of Thanksgiving turkey into something worthwhile, I watched the local community access television. For me that¹s channel 32, for others of you it may be channel 27. It¹s worth watching now and then because you can find out what¹s going on in our county. On September 16, 2005, a group formerly referred to as the Battered Women¹s Alternative and now called STAND Against Violence, hosted a workshop entitled Mentoring Boys Into Compassionate Men. It was conducted by Michael Kaufman, Ph.D. cofounder of something called the White Ribbon Campaign. Dr. Kaufman is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. His Campaign is endorsed by the UN and his bio lists him as a world renowned speaker on the subject of helping men to reject their violent natures and be more responsive to women's needs. There was no mention of where or when he got his Ph.D. The web site for STAND Against Violence displays a very long list of public and private tax funded supporters. The video taping and airing of the September workshop was paid for by the County Health Department. At least two Olympic high school boys were in attendance as volunteer workers. In other words, folks, we paid for this program of verbal assault on all males. Dr. Kaufman¹s entire agenda consisted of promoting gender equity, public school education in gender equity, as well as his own White Ribbon Campaign. One was left with the impression that if one, a man for instance, did not leave that seminar wearing a white ribbon he/she supported domestic violence. Violence, according to Kaufman especially against women in domestic situations is caused by man¹s failure to live up to the model of manliness set before him so he hides his shortcomings in violence against women. Further, he assumed it was understood that we, parents, set them up for this since we raise our boys differently than we raise our daughters. This he referred to as ³pressure cooking² rearing. A man succumbs to violent actions also because he ³fears other men,² he is ³homophobic² in that regard because he believes that other men are more powerful than he. That¹s a new definition of homophobic to me. Men are led to believe that it is their ³social privilege² to stare at women, to follow them. Kaufman told a story about enjoying a walk in a park one fine, sunny day and telling a woman friend about it. She responded with, ³well, let me tell you about my walk in the park yesterday. She told of men staring at her and one, in particular, following her. Kaufman said apologized to her for the other mens abusive actions. She responded by saying, ³No, I don¹t want your apologies, I want you to be angry.² ³I want you to do something about it.² Now, understand the irony of this, according to Kaufman, men are to take the lead in freeing women from gender inequity. If women say that they are equal to men why, then, should men take the lead in freeing women from their sl-called inferior status? Also, he never indicated where this woman was walking. Was it the same park, the same time of day? How was she dressed, how was she walking, was she trying to be provocative? Is it really abusive for a man to stare at a woman? She never said, apparently, that they whistled at her or said suggestive things to her? Was the man really following her or just walking in the same direction? Was the whole story made up by Kaufman just to set a stage? The most alarming thing about this seminar was its potential to become a model for our county? The Battered Women's Alternative has morphed into an advocacy group for gender equity and male bashing? How many of the people attending this seminar will end up counseling our students and using the tactics and principles advocated by Dr. Kaufman?
The opinions and interpretations of the news are
mine alone and do not represent the opinion of the state or local
Republican Women Federated. |