West Charlotte County Republican Club

“One Nation Under God” WCCRC * P.O. Box 271 * Placida, FL 33946

Editor – Peter J. Watson

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE for NOVEMBER, 2012 2012 OFFICERS

President – Ray Corcoran My Fellow Republicans, First V.P. – Ross Witschonke Second V.P. – Doug Curtis I sincerely want to congratulate all Charlotte County volunteers and voters for turning out the vote for our Party. Although nationally we did Secretary – Nina Stamoulis not win, our county did. In my opinion Mitt Romney is a fine individual Treasurer – Dick Wieland and ran a good campaign. We all know how difficult it is to beat an incumbent President. However, this President was vulnerable, and Director – Pete Watson Romney being the gentleman that he is did not pursue with vengeance Director – Debra Rodi the key points hard enough. Romney should have illustrated more Director – Skip Conroy clearly that raising taxes just provides more money for the government to waste. Also, he never pursued the disaster of Benghazi, Libya. Past President – Doug Tucker Republicans need to realize that in politics good guys finish last.

On a positive note, I am happy to report that the golf team of Ray Corcoran, Ross Witschonke, Skip Conroy, and Doug Tucker has retained the Elephant Trophy for West County. My compliments to Jim COMMITTEE CHAIRS Brown and his team for putting up a good fight and running a well organized tournament.

Respectfully, Ray Corcoran, Pres. Webmaster – Peter Watson

Newsletter – Peter Watson

Membership – Debra Rodi LINK OF THE MONTH: Fundraisers – Debra Rodi

Legislative – Skip Conroy How do you kill 11 Million People?

A DINNER MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR OAA

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the West Charlotte County Republican Club, its Board, Officers, or Members. They represent the views of individual writers who are solely responsible for the content. Not responsible for typographical errors. A DINNER MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 13th.

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS WILL BE:

Bill Truex Charlotte County Commissioner Elect - District 3

~ AND ~

The Honorable Judge Paul A. Stamoulis Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections

~ ALSO ~

THE NOMINATION OF OFFICERS FOR 2013

THE MEAL CHOICES FOR THIS MEETING ARE:

Chef’s Salad Roast Turkey Baked Fish

All meals include Iced Tea, Water, Coffee and Dessert. A cash bar is available beginning at 6pm.

The meal price is $12 for members and $15 for guests.

Please Email Doug Curtis for reservations, or call him at 697-6490 no later than Sunday, November 11th. A MESSAGE FROM YOUR SECRETARY

Dear WCCRC Members,

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Holiday Season fast approaching it is now the time, more than ever, to think about those who are in need. Your WCCRC Board is asking you to donate non-perishable food items which we will deliver to the two food pantries in Englewood.

These food pantries are run by the Englewood Church of Christ and St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. If you would be so kind, please bring these items to our general meetings on November 13th and the annual meeting on December 18th, as well as the December 4th social gathering at Johnny Leverock’s.

The WCCRC will again be joining with the Marine Corps this year in their “Toys for Tots” program. We are asking all of our members to bring an unwrapped toy, intended for children between the ages of six to thirteen to our December 18th Christmas Dinner Meeting. I have spoken with Sgt. Major Fratterelli, and he said they have already received double the requests than they had last year. Please be generous for those who are less fortunate.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving and thanking you in advance for your continued support.

Nina Stamoulis, Secretary

PLEASE WELCOME THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:

JOSEPH ANGELINI

LOUISE A. NAPOLITANO

RICHARD S. NAPOLITANO MONTHLY MEETING INFORMATION FOR ALL OF THE CHARLOTTE COUNTY REPUBLICAN CLUBS

West Charlotte County Republican Club: A Cocktail Social Mixer. The first Tuesday of every month at Johnny Leverocks Seafood House, Placida Road, Cape Haze, 5-7 pm. $6 p/p - includes 2 drinks plus hors d’oeuvres. No reservations required. Casual dress – dinner afterwards if you please.

At this time of year, as West Charlotte County Republican Club: Dinner Meeting - 6:30 p.m., we give thanks for what we have, it is also the The third Tuesday of every month. moment to help those who are less fortunate.

American Legion Post 113, 3436 Indiana Road, Rotonda West. The WCCRC has joined with the Marines in their Contact Doug Curtis for reservations: (941) 697-6490 or [email protected] Toys For Tots program.

Please bring your new, un-wrapped gifts to our Christmas Dinner Meeting on December Charlotte County Republican Club: Dinner Meeting - 6 p.m. 18th. The Toys For Tots Director has The second Monday of every month. suggested items for children in the 6-13 age range. Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, 4400 Lister Street, Port Charlotte. Your generosity is Contact Peg Thompson for reservations: greatly appreciated by local Charlotte County families. (941) 391-6610 or reservations@ccflre.org. Thank you, Nina Stamoulis, Sec.

Merry Christmas, Also ~ Seasons Greetings & Happy New Year! A Monthly Mixer on the fourth Monday of every month from 5 to 7pm. Beginning July 23rd, the mixer is being hosted by the Laishley Crab House in the Trabue Room (upstairs). A new price of $9 p/p has been established.

Mid Charlotte County Republican Club: Luncheon Meeting The third Monday of every month at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte. Lunch 11:30am Meeting 12 til 1 PM.

Peace River Women's Forum: The second Wednesday of every month. The Isles Yacht Club, 1780 W. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda Social 11:30 am., Meeting 12 pm. Contact Darlene Queener for reservations: 624-2185 or [email protected]

Wow! Special Pricing

Holiday Gift for the very Special Person!

 West Charlotte County Republican Club Golf Shirt  A dozen Charlotte County Republican Golf Balls  A Charlotte County Hat or Visor (Red or White) $53.00 value all for $45.00 You not only support the West Charlotte County Republican Club but the products are made in the USA including the buttons on the shirts Email [email protected] for this great offer

Hats or Visor (Red or White) $13.00 each – makes for a perfect gift for the holidays or special occasion or for the person who is proud to say they are from Charlotte County, Florida and proud to be a Republican

Email [email protected] for this great offer

Hat or visor (Red or White) plus a dozen Golf Balls all for $30.00

Support the Republican Party and Charlotte County Republican Clubs

Every Golfer needs a hat and golf balls (Some need more balls than others)

Email [email protected] for this great offer

Golf Balls

$20.00 a dozen or $5.00 a 3 ball sleeve

Great Christmas Gift, Birthday Gift, or for the person who needs a lot of golf balls

Email [email protected] for this offer

Charlotte County Republican Hat or Visor plus a sleeve of 3 Republican logo balls $15.00

Great gift for the person who loves the Republican Party and loves to golf

The hats and visors come in Red or White

Email [email protected] for this offer Requiem for America

Folks,

Last night’s election was most disturbing and disheartening to me. It certainly was not a landslide victory for Romney as I had predicted. I now realize that I was thinking with my heart and not my head. I did not want to believe that our country had changed so much, and that a failure like Obama could actually get re-elected and be given an opportunity to “Finish the job”. “Finish the Job” are his words from his acceptance speech, last night. Therein lies the problem. To the uneducated and ill-informed Obama Zombies, “Finish the Job” means that he will continue to work to improve the economy, create jobs, etc. To Obama, and those of us who possess critical thinking skills and have ears and actually listen, “Finish the Job” means to “Fundamentally Transform America”! Obama’s plan has been and will continue to be to diminish America and his pledge to “Finish the job” is a threat that is actually applauded by the numbskulls that voted for him, support him and cheer for him.

This morning, all the pundits are offering their worthless opinions about how Obama won and how the Republicans lost and what needs to be done. These self-avowed intellects are blaming Romney’s strategy, Romney’s timidity, the Republican Party establishment, the media, and on and on. Many believe that a more Conservative candidate is the solution. Others believe that the Tea Party posture is too extreme and it frightens the electorate. Still others believe the Republicans need to find a way to attract single women, Blacks, Latinos, and Gays. In other words, the Republicans need to become “Democrat Light” if they want to win.

Folks, the problem is not the candidate, nor the Republican Party. Romney was a great choice and he would have been a great president. The problem is not the Republican platform or the Tea Party to the right. The problem is that the Republicans are selling products, values, beliefs, that too many of the present day electorate ain’t buying. The Republicans/Conservatives are selling what the people don’t want…..accountability, self-sufficiency, competition, success, hard work, honesty, respect, family values, God, Pro-Life, American Exceptionalism, traditional marriage, border control and legal immigration, sanctity of life, Constitutional Rights and freedoms, smaller government, less dependence on government, less taxes, fiscal responsibility, freedom to get rich, freedom to own firearms, freedom of religion, free speech, etc.

America has changed!

It’s not the candidate and it’s not the platform. It’s the changed electorate. This is no longer Post WW II America. That generation is gone and those values are gone. The last generation with solid American values is mine and we are dying off daily. We are the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation. All the following generations (my children and their children) are kids from the 60’s and 70’s with different values towards America, fiscal responsibility, world politics, drugs, music, entertainment, fashion, language, education, work ethic, etc. Not all of these generations, but too many!

Today’s Americans see things in a different way. They see: Abortion….not murder Free contraceptives……not Freedom of Religion Gun control…….not 2nd Amendment rights Fairness….not competition Government assistance……not independence Gay marriage and tolerance…….not values and beliefs Illegal immigration and a “live and let live” attitude/lawlessness……..not border control A One World mentality……..not American Exceptionalism Spend more than we earn…….not fiscal responsibility Cut defense spending and spend more on social justice…..not peace through strength Tax the rich/successful more……..not encourage success and entrepreneurialism Divisive class warfare…….not “E Pluribus Unum”

Folks, I fear that today’s electorate is the proverbial dog that caught the truck. They are not going to understand the consequences of their actions until it’s too late and the worst part of it is, there is nothing we can do to prevent this! We can preach until the cows come home. We are fighting against the times, the education system, the media, the New World Order. All we can do is look at our America as the Shining City on the hill that once existed. America will become the legend, like Camelot. Tales will be written about America and movies will be made. Songs will be sung and future generations will wistfully gaze up to the heavens as they privately (and perhaps secretly) muse about how wonderful such a place as America must have been. It’s a Camelot story and at the same time a Planet of the Apes tale. My grand-children will read that …………”….for one brief shining moment there was a place called Camelot/ America”!

Farewell, America. God bless the land that I loved! ALLEN WEST DEMANDS THAT BALLOTS BE IMPOUNDED

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Republican Rep. Allen West took the first steps in a legal challenge Wednesday in his closely watched re-election bid even as Democratic opponent Patrick Murphydeclared a razor-thin victory.

West, the south Florida Republican who has made headlines nationally for his fiery tea party rhetoric, filed motions asking a judge to require elections officials to impound ballots and voting machines. Separately, his campaign alleged "disturbing irregularities" at the polls and called for a recount.

The conservative congressman refused to concede, but Murphy seized on the projections of several news organizations, declaring himself the victor after a long and often vicious campaign. It was unclear what effect West's actions could have on Murphy's 2,456-vote lead in the unofficial count, but the Republican's hopes appeared to be fading.

"You can always file a lawsuit," said constitutional lawyer Bob Jarvis of Nova Southeastern University, "but I don't see that as a viable option."

Murphy had 50.4 percent of the vote, giving him a margin of about three-quarters of a percentage point. That is above the threshold for a recount under state law. All precincts had reported their tallies, but West held out hope for a surge of support from provisional and other outstanding ballots. That looked increasingly unlikely.

Still, West showed no signs of backing down two years after he came into office on the 2010 GOP wave. He did not appear at his election night party, but his campaign manager, Tim Edson, issued a statement urging patience.

"This race is far from decided and there is no rush to declare an outcome," Edson said. "Ensuring a fair and accurate counting of all ballots is of the utmost importance."

West, 51, elevated his profile with a seemingly unending string of headline- grabbing statements, from charging that scores of congressional Democrats are communists to labeling Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., as "vile" and "despicable," and saying President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and others should "get the hell out of the United States." West also likened Democratic "propaganda" to that of the Nazis. THE MISTAKE THAT IS THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY By RANDY E. BARNETT

In 1972, the Libertarian Party nominated University of Southern California philosophy Prof. John Hospers as its first presidential candidate and ran Tonie Nathan for vice president. When Roger MacBride, a Virginia Republican elector pledged to Richard Nixon, voted instead for Hospers-Nathan, he cast the first electoral vote in American history for a woman. The Libertarian Party was off and running. In 1976, it nominated the renegade elector as its presidential candidate.

As a young libertarian, I was very enthusiastic about the formation of the Libertarian Party. I proudly cast my vote for Roger MacBride for president. I attended the 1975 national convention in New York that nominated him. But, while I am as libertarian today as I was then, I have come to believe that the Libertarian Party was a mistake. The reason is simple. Unlike a parliamentary system in which governments are formed by coalitions of large and small parties, our electoral system is a first-past-the-post, winner-take-all one in which a winning presidential candidate just needs to get more than 50% of the vote. This means each contending "major" party is itself a coalition that needs to assemble enough diverse voting groups within it to get to 51%. Hence the need to appeal to the so-called moderates and independents rather than the more "extreme" elements within.

To the extent that a third party is successful, it will drain votes from the coalition party to which it is closest and help elect the coalition party that is further removed from its interests. The Libertarian Party's effort will, if effective, attract more libertarian voters away from the candidate who is marginally less hostile to liberty, and help hand the election to the candidate who is more hostile to liberty. Fortunately, because this drawback is so obvious, the Libertarian Party's presidential vote has remained minuscule. (It was about 0.4% in 2008, though it could cost Mitt Romney the electoral votes of New Hampshire this time around). Most libertarian voters resist the party's call, even when, as this year, it has nominated a good man like Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico.

Ron Paul Some have defended the LP by saying it is an expressive outlet for political libertarians, as distinct from more intellectual or policy types. Here too the LP has been counterproductive. By drawing libertarian politicos from both major parties, the LP makes these parties less libertarian at the margin than they would otherwise be. In each major-party coalition, the libertarian element is weaker precisely to the extent that libertarian politicos are expending their energies on behalf of the LP.

Libertarian activists should choose whichever party they feel more comfortable working within. That's what Ron Paul did. Likewise, Rand Paul has brought his libertarianism inside the GOP tent. The small-"l" libertarians in the tea party movement identified the Republican Party as the coalition closest to their concerns about fiscal responsibility and the growth of government power, and they have gone about making the GOP more libertarian from the grass-roots up. They have moved the party in a libertarian direction, as has the Republican Liberty Caucus.

Despite all this, some libertarians continue to insist that, because the Republican and Democrats are equally bad for liberty, it makes no difference who gets elected. However true this once was, in recent years Republicans have been better for liberty and Democrats have been worse.

It was a Democratic Congress and president who gave us the federal takeover of the health-care industry that will bring us closer to a Western European-style social democracy. All four Democratic-appointed Supreme Court justices voted to uphold ObamaCare as constitutional, with four Republican-appointed dissenters. Are Democrats better than Republicans on personal liberty? Neither has been great on that score, but Democrats have been the bigger disappointment. When I took the medical-marijuana case to the Supreme Court in 2004, I got zero votes from the left side of the court while garnering the votes of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Clarence Thomas and Sandra Day O'Connor. And President Obama's Justice Department has reneged on his campaign promise to refrain from going after medical-marijuana dispensaries.

Neither party wants to question the futile and destructive "war on drugs." But Republicans have been much better on free speech in recent years. With respect to economic liberty, the Environmental Protection Agency has restricted land use throughout the nation and would do more if not stopped. Dodd-Frank has amped up restrictions on financial services.

Libertarians need to adjust their tactics to the current context. This year, their highest priority should be saving the country from fiscal ruin, arresting and reversing the enormous growth in federal power—beginning with repealing ObamaCare—and pursuing a judiciary who will actually enforce the Constitution. Which party is most likely to do these things in 2013?

Citing the Republican Congress under George W. Bush, some libertarians contend that divided government is best for liberty. Yes, divided government is good for stopping things (until some grand deal is made). But divided government won't repeal ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank or give us better judges. Libertarian activists need to set aside their decades-old knee-jerk reactions to the two major parties, roll up their sleeves, and make the Republican and Democratic parties more libertarian. When it comes to voting, libertarians need to get serious about liberty and give up on the Libertarian Party. Nov. 6 would be a good day to start. AMERICA CHOOSES A DANGEROUS, POSSIBLY IRREVERSIBLE COURSE By ROBERT LAURIE

There's no denying it. Things are looking bleak. With the 2012 election in the books, it’s time to take a look at what won and what lost as America went to the polls. The candidates and incumbents whose hopes were dashed in the GOP bloodbath are part of the equation, but they don’t tell the real story. The real winners and losers all had to do with ideology, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

Won: Dependence The idea that we’re a nation of autonomous, free thinking people looks positively archaic in light of last night’s results. A little under half of us still seem to appreciate the concept, but it’s now clear that a majority feel dependence on government is a better option. That the same government is universally ridiculed in its handling of just about everything is completely irrelevant. Give a man a free phone, promise him a cradle-to-grave nanny state, and he’s a Democrat for life.

Lost: Rugged individualism The flip side of dependence is the death of individualism. Over half the country apparently values group-think and collectivism over the simple fact that they could choose to be capable, self-sustaining, individuals. Unlike the rest of us, they have no interest in living a life unfettered by government interference. Quite to the contrary, they actively seek a world where their decisions – from the size of their sodas to the health care they’re given - are made for them.

Won: Class Warfare This may be the biggest winner of the night. Almost the entirety of Obama’s campaign was a shrill “us vs. them” screed designed to appeal to the worst in his supporters. Never in modern history has a President so successfully leveraged envy against a challenger. Mitt Romney was portrayed as a wealthy plantation owner who would “put y’all back in chains” and for a segment of the population, the meme stuck. Never mind that Obama’s a millionaire who enjoys all the perks of the ultra-rich. Mitt was a monster who must be slain. The message played better than most would have believed possible. We now live in a country where success is no longer something to be admired, it’s something to be jealously mocked, ridiculed, and destroyed. Damn the self-destructive consequences, Obama voters are out for revenge.

Lost: The Melting Pot It’s easy to see that our society is degenerating. An off shoot of class warfare, the cultural entropy that the United States has undergone cannot be overstated. Previously, many feared that immigrants were unwilling to assimilate into the American mosaic, but the truth is far worse. Roughly half of our citizens - immigrant or otherwise - have no interest in doing so either. Instead, the fabric of the country is being shredded, divided into easily categorized segments, mostly along racial lines. An out of control federal government then corrals these groups with the promise of handouts, or the threat of penalty. Last night, we watched it in action and it was frighteningly effective.

Won: Barack Obama The boy king did not just win because he achieved a second term. Certainly, he’s happy that he gets to stay in office, but that’s not really his crowning glory. In fact, that may be the least of his victories. Obama’s real achievement is that the death of the melting pot, the expansion of class warfare, an end to individualism, and widespread dependence were his goals from day one. Not only has he managed to implement policy that would affect these changes, he’s sold his most ardent supporters on the outcome. This, despite the fact that they’re the ones who will bear the brunt of the bleak future he’s creating.

Lost: The United States of America In every category, from our standing throughout the world to our economic power at home, Obama’s policies have made the nation weaker. There’s simply no way to deny it. Right now, America is at the weakest it’s been since it fought for its independence from Great Britain. We’re headed for financial ruin, are neither feared nor respected by our enemies, and are broken and bleeding due to possibly insurmountable internal divisions. Yet last night, we doubled down on the policies that brought us to this point.

As we drive over the cliff, half the electorate has dropped its lead foot on the accelerator. Conservatives will fight on, but with half the country rejecting the basic ideological underpinnings of America’s founding, it’s time to start wondering if there’s actually a way to win the war.

This is new territory, and we, as a nation are on a very dangerous path!

West Charloe County Republican Club

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