The following guest column was published in the Ashe Mountain Times on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008.

John Wheeler is the chairman of the Ashe County GOP.

Thanks to all my critics

by John Wheeler Jr.

“Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you.” Jesus said that. But I don’t have to worry, because I’ve always had plenty of people upset with me for one thing or another.

The latest one is Melba Jones, leader of the Ashe County Democrats, who doesn’t like the radio ads that I made during the recent election. Looks like maybe I hit a nerve, so agitated is she still, weeks after the fact.

Melba confronted both Dan Soucek and myself on the sidewalk outside the West Jefferson polls on election day, calling our advertisements lies. I told her then, calmly and politely in front of several witnesses, that to the best of my knowledge and belief, everything I said in my radio ads was true. And Soucek cited the numbers of specific legislative bills to support his claims against Cullie Tarleton. I suggested that we should just agree to disagree. 

Still, Melba can’t let it rest. So now I am forced to respond to her letter — and the objective facts don’t look too good for the local blue team. 

You see, while Obama was winning red states left and right and squeaking out a razor-thin statewide victory in North Carolina, the voters in Ashe County were supporting McCain-Palin by a margin of almost two-to-one. Elizabeth Dole lost her U.S. Senate seat but carried Ashe County comfortably. So did Pat McCrory in the NC Governor’s race. Of course, our conservative stalwart Congresswoman Virginia Foxx soundly thrashed Roy Carter. And all three Republican candidates captured seats on the County Commission. Not a shabby showing for the local GOP.

Even Dan Soucek, a political neophyte and all around nice guy, ran a clean, tight race against the incumbent Cullie Tarleton. The margin separating the two in Ashe County was just about 320 votes, out of a total of 12,889 ballots cast in that race. Soucek is a fresh new face with good ideas, sterling credentials and untarnished integrity, and he’ll be back to fight another day. Just for the record, the one radio ad that I made for Dan Soucek — the one that says “Cullie Tarleton ought to be ashamed of himself” — was made specifically in response to Tarleton’s own vicious attack on Soucek’s character. Dan was too fundamentally decent to respond, but I just couldn’t let the sleazy slur pass unchallenged.

All these facts indicate that lots of local Democrats and Independents broke out of the old, rigid party-line mentality and voted their consciences for traditional conservative values. And that’s a good thing for the county.

If my pointed letters to the newspaper and my aggressive radio ads contributed to these lopsided pro-Republican election results in Ashe County, then I did the job that I signed on to do. I personally don’t have anything to apologize for or be ashamed of. Neither does the Ashe County GOP, nor do the dozens of dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly for the conservative cause in which they fervently believed.

But the real credit should go to the honest, hard-working, God-fearing citizens of Ashe County. They are the ones who — unlike so much of the rest of the nation — were able to see through the sham and media spin and identify the candidates who represented the core values that Americans still believe in. On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful to live in a community where those timeless Christian values are still honored.

Melba told me that she just doesn’t like “negative campaigning.” According to the talking heads on most TV networks, holding Barack Obama accountable for his stated positions, questionable associations and ultraliberal voting record is mean-spirited, and maybe even secretly racist. I disagree. I think that citizens have a right to know the truth about a person before they make a choice to vote for him. That’s simply full disclosure, and people are entitled to know the truth, whether CNN wants to talk about it or not.

“Politics is war without blood.” Chairman Mao said that. I picked it up during my old student radical days, back in the 1970s. Which brings me to that other critical letter from Independent Annie Brown, who questioned what counterculture I was once part of. She seems to think that maybe I was a little too timid to join those who were “marching in the streets.”

Well, Annie, truth be told, marching in the streets was really pretty tame fare. There were guerilla groups taking over college campuses, and setting fire to ROTC buildings after the Kent State shootings, and all manner of civil disobedience, violent and otherwise. The glorious “People’s Revolution” was funded mainly by drug profits and bank robberies. 

I personally was fired from my job as a newspaper reporter in Texas for speaking out against the Viet Nam War at the very first Earth Day Rally in 1970. That was while I was conducting a public seven-day hunger fast, sitting on a blanket in the middle of the campus protesting the war, wearing my black armbands and “Power to the People” buttons and passing out SDS literature. Then I drove from Dallas to Nashville to meet my student radical friends for the March on the Capital in Tennessee, led by Jerry Rubin (one of the Chicago Seven). Lots of young people read Ramparts, and some actually did what it said. I’ll leave it at that, and you can use your own imagination.

It’s because I lived through that tumultuous time, and came to understand the truly anarchist nature of it, that I am so concerned today about Barack Obama’s association with the former terrorist bombers Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadette Dohrn. Neither of these radical Marxists has ever repented or apologized. The FBI still believes that Dohrn both made and planted the bomb that killed one San Francisco policeman and seriously injured another. The cavalier dismissal of their relevance today by the mainstream media is both disturbing and dishonest. 

Former student radical leader and Ramparts editor David Horowitz, who with maturity has changed his political perspective and become a patriotic conservative, interviewed Ayers after the government’s case against him had been thrown out on a technicality. “Guilty as hell. Free as a bird. America’s a great place,” Ayers gloated to Horowitz. Ayers hated America back then and still hates America today, Horowitz says. That’s a problem for me.

You see, I am not proud of the mistakes of my past. I was wrong and misguided, and I did a lot of things that you’ll never know. By the grace of God, I survived more than 14 years in the counterculture, some of those years as a fugitive and some in prison, before I finally met Jesus Christ when I was 32 years old. He supernaturally changed my life, my heart and my mind. I see things a lot differently now than I did back then. I don’t claim any kind of Christian perfection today, just a clear Bible-based vision of what I believe and the intent to follow it through to the end.

In the words of my onetime counterculture hero, Bob Dylan: “If you don’t believe there’s a price for this sweet paradise, just remind me to show you the scars.”

Today many pundits are debating whether President-Elect Obama will govern America as a left-wing socialist radical or as a moderate centrist statesman. Based on Obama’s private past and public record, I tend to suspect the former, but I sincerely hope I am wrong. We should all pray for our new President, because the fate of our country and our children will depend on what he does during the next four years. Whether we like him or not, we should pray simply because God says to do it.

I personally expect that we will see some very tough times ahead over the next few years. Meanwhile, the Republican Party will be redefining its patriotic conservative vision and grooming new leaders for their future responsibilities. Join us for change . . . for the better.

The Ashe County GOP has submitted the following letter to the State Board of Elections:

Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director
North Carolina State Board of Elections
506 North Harrington St
Raleigh, NC 27603

October 29, 2008

RE: Qualification of Barack Obama to appear on presidential ballot in North Carolina

Dear Mr. Bartlett:

Questions about Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s “natural-born” citizenship status have become a matter of deep concern in this year’s presidential campaign. Published news reports have asserted that Obama was born in a hospital in Kenya rather than in Hawaii as he claims, and no official records from either Kenya or Hawaii have been produced to verify either of the conflicting claims. In fact, according to press reports, the governmental authorities of both Kenya and Hawaii have sealed their official records from public scrutiny. This unusual set of circumstances obviously casts doubt upon the Constitutional integrity of the entire election process.

To date, the Obama campaign has not produced any documentary proof that would establish his citizenship, and no official authority has investigated the facts to resolve this matter. We recognize that early voting is already under way, but the Ashe County GOP strongly believes that these disturbing questions must be answered before the General Election on November 4th. We further believe that the North Carolina State Board of Elections is the proper state authority with the legal obligation to resolve this issue.

Therefore, we officially request that, prior to November 4th, the North Carolina State Board of Elections issue an official statement indicating the grounds upon which the board has determined, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Barack Obama does in fact meet the Constitutional requirement of being a “natural-born citizen,” such that his name can legally appear on the ballot for President in the State of North Carolina.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

Respectfully submitted,

John L. Wheeler Jr., Chairman
Ashe County Republican Party

UPDATE:This is what the Board of Elections said to our Obama challenge. Pretty much as we expected.
NC State Board of Elections Reply [PDF]

Vice Presidential Nominee Addressed the 2008 Republican National Convention

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The governor’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin:

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States…

I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America.

I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election… against confident opponents … at a crucial hour for our country.

And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions … and met far graver challenges … and knows how tough fights are won – the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

It was just a year ago when all the experts in Washington counted out our nominee because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves.

With their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost – there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war.

But the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off.

They overlooked the caliber of the man himself – the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of Senator John McCain. The voters knew better.

And maybe that’s because they realize there is a time for politics and a time for leadership … a time to campaign and a time to put our country first.

Our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by.

He’s a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight.

And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief. I’m just one of many moms who’ll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm’s way.

Our son Track is 19.

And one week from tomorrow – September 11th – he’ll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

My nephew Kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the Persian Gulf.

My family is proud of both of them and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform. Track is the eldest of our five children.

In our family, it’s two boys and three girls in between – my strong and kind-hearted daughters Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

And in April, my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical.

That’s how it is with us.

Our family has the same ups and downs as any other … the same challenges and the same joys.

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.

And children with special needs inspire a special love.

To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.

I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. Todd is a story all by himself.

He’s a lifelong commercial fisherman … a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska’s North Slope … a proud member of the United Steel Workers’ Union … and world champion snow machine racer.

Throw in his Yup’ik Eskimo ancestry, and it all makes for quite a package.

We met in high school, and two decades and five children later he’s still my guy. My Mom and Dad both worked at the elementary school in our small town.

And among the many things I owe them is one simple lesson: that this is America, and every woman can walk through every door of opportunity.

My parents are here tonight, and I am so proud to be the daughter of Chuck and Sally Heath. Long ago, a young farmer and habber-dasher from Missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency.

A writer observed: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity.” I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people.

They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America … who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.

They love their country, in good times and bad, and they’re always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better.

When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment.< br>
And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion – I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.

The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

No one expects us to agree on everything.

But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and … a servant’s heart.

I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor’s office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau … when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol’ boys network.

Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That’s why true reform is so hard to achieve.

But with the support of the citizens of Alaska, we shook things up.

And in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people.

I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor’s office that I didn’t believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.

I also drive myself to work.

And I thought we could muddle through without the governor’s personal chef – although I’ve got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending – by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

Senator McCain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest – and as a chief executive, I can assure you it works.

Our state budget is under control.

We have a surplus.

And I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending: nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes.

I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.

I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere.

If our state wanted a bridge, we’d build it ourselves. When oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, I sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged – directly to the people of Alaska.

And despite fierce opposition from oil company lobbyists, who kind of liked things the way they were, we broke their monopoly on power and resources.

As governor, I insisted on competition and basic fairness to end their control of our state and return it to the people.

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history.

And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.

The stakes for our nation could not be higher.

When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil.

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies … or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia … or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries … we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we’ve got lots of both.

Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems – as if we all didn’t know that already.

But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines … build more new-clear plants … create jobs with clean coal … and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources.

We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers. I’ve noticed a pattern with our opponent.

Maybe you have, too.

We’ve all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers.

And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform – not even in the state senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word “victory” except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed .. when the roar of the crowd fades away … when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot – what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger … take more of your money … give you more orders from Washington … and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy … our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight … he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking new-clear weapons without delay … he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America … he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights? Government is too big … he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much … he promises more.

Taxes are too high … he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes … raise payroll taxes … raise investment income taxes … raise the death tax … raise business taxes … and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that’s now opened for business – like millions of others who run small businesses.

How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you’re trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio … or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia … or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota.

How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy? Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election.

In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.

And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

They’re the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals.

Among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things.

And then there is the idealism of those leaders, like John McCain, who actually do great things. They’re the ones who are good for more than talk … the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend America. Senator McCain’s record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in Congress have fought the prospect of a McCain presidency – from the primary election of 2000 to this very day.

Our nominee doesn’t run with the Washington herd.

He’s a man who’s there to serve his country, and not just his party.

A leader who’s not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee.

He said, quote, “I can’t stand John McCain.” Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we’ve chosen the right man. Clearly what the Majority Leader was driving at is that he can’t stand up to John McCain. That is only one more reason to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the White House. My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of “personal discovery.” This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn’t just need an organizer.

And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, “fighting for you,” let us face the matter squarely.

There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you … in places where winning means survival and defeat means death … and that man is John McCain. In our day, politicians have readily shared much lesser tales of adversity than the nightmare world in which this man, and others equally brave, served and suffered for their country.

It’s a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office.

But if Senator McCain is elected president, that is the journey he will have made.

It’s the journey of an upright and honorable man – the kind of fellow whose name you will find on war memorials in small towns across this country, only he was among those who came home.

To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless … the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God … the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome. A fellow prisoner of war, a man named Tom Moe of Lancaster, Ohio, recalls looking through a pin-hole in his cell door as Lieutenant Commander John McCain was led down the hallway, by the guards, day after day.

As the story is told, “When McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward Moe’s door and flash a grin and thumbs up” – as if to say, “We’re going to pull through this.” My fellow Americans, that is the kind of man America needs to see us through these next four years.

For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words.

For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.

If character is the measure in this election … and hope the theme … and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause. Join our cause and help America elect a great man as the next president of the United States.

Thank you all, and may God bless America.

About the Republican National Convention
The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held at Saint Paul’s Xcel Energy Center from Sept. 1-4, 2008. Approximately 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests are expected to attend the convention. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is expected to receive an estimated $150-$160 million positive economic boost from the four-day event. For more information about the 2008 Republican National Convention, please visit our website at www.GOPConvention2008.com and join our social network sites onFacebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

The RNC wasn’t the only party. Across the river, Ron Paul and 12,000 other patriots gathered to ensure freedom was ringing loudly in the ears of the Republican party as they chose new leaders. Here is a video of the keynote address by Ron Paul: Ron Paul Keynote (starts at 14min)

 

Day One (9/1/08) – Special Report by John Wheeler Jr.

The North Carolina delegation to the 2008 Republican National Convention met in caucus on Monday, September 1, at the Holiday Inn Metrodome hotel in Minneapolis. NC GOP Chairman Linda Daves opened the meeting at 11 a.m. prior to our afternoon bus trip to the convention center in St. Paul.

Ms. Daves introduced several prominent speakers, including North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, former Secretary of Agriculture John Block, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, former Indiana Senator Dan Coats, and former Vietnam War POW Lee Allen. All of these speakers praised Senator John McCain, the GOP presidential candidate, for his demonstrated courage, leadership ability and history of service to his country.

Senator Burr declared that McCain’s decision to cut short the opening day’s activities at the national convention demonstrated his ability to make hard executive decisions appropriate to the situation, in light of the uncertainties surrounding then-impending Hurricane Gustav in New Orleans. He noted that McCain had taken an aggressive hands-on approach to the emergency situation and said that is the kind of leadership America needs.

Mr. Block declared that a McCain victory in November is essential to prevent a massive move toward more socialism and higher taxes under a Barack Obama presidency.

Mr. Roemer recounted his long history of working with McCain in Congress under Ronald Reagan, when at the Gipper’s request McCain agreed to influence Democrats and Roemer lobbied Republicans to work across party lines to accomplish compromises that were for the good of the country. Roemer also praised McCain’s 22 years of military service to his country while in uniform.

Mr. Coats expressed his delight at being able to talk about the “superb choice” of Sarah Palin, Alaska’s governor and McCain’s chosen candidate to be his Vice President. Coats noted that conservatives were universally delighted with the Palin pick because of her commitment to faith, family and public service. He expressed his confidence that “the best possible combination on the ticket” will prevail in November. While we may defer gratification today and focus on serving others in their time of need, Coats added, we will all get to celebrate at a great victory party on November 4.

Mr. Allen, who like McCain was a POW at the Hanoi Hilton, gave an inspirational account of his experiences there. An F34 Phantom fighter pilot, Allen was shot down in December 1967, just 11 days after McCain had crashed behind enemy lines. For five years he and McCain lived in the same prison but never saw each other. Allen and the other American POWs knew about McCain, however, and knew that the Viet Cong were keeping him alive despite his serious injuries and trying to use him as a “bargaining chip” for propaganda purposes because McCain’s father was a four-star admiral.

But when McCain courageously refused three times to be released, thus frustrating their propaganda plans, the enraged VC beat and tortured him and threw him into solitary confinement for 18 months. The two men actually got to know each other personally just a few months before they were released. Allen and McCain were eventually released on the same day, March 14, 1973, and flew back to the USA together on the same airplane.

Allen’s honest firsthand account of their grueling ordeal — and his heartfelt endorsement of John McCain’s patriotism and courage – was challenging and inspirational to everyone who heard it. It made us all feel proud to have a genuine national hero for our candidate.

After the speeches, NC GOP Executive Director Chris McClure gave us some instructions about convention procedures. Security was tight because of the self-declared anarchist protestors who were trying to disrupt the event, several of whom had already been arrested on Sunday by a joint task force of state and local police and the FBI.

The delegates were also given advance warning about the breaking news that Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant out of wedlock, and we were told that the national media would try to use this unmercifully as an issue to undermine Palin’s moral credibility. However, Bristol is planning to marry the father of her child, and the family is offering them unconditional love and support. We were all urged to pray for the family and to tell the media to leave them alone and respect their privacy.

At the convention center, the first day’s short session was largely limited to procedural matters concerning the adoption of rules, delegate credentials and the 2008 party platform. However, First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain did appear in person to urge the delegates to support the hurricane victims in states all along the Gulf Coast. Videotaped speeches from the GOP governors of Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida were shown.

The first day of the convention was adjourned at shortly after 5 p.m. Central time and will resume at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2, at which time several prominent national figures are expected to address the convention.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole to Headline Lincoln Day Luncheon on Saturday, May 10, 2008

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx Also to Speak

 (Jefferson, NC) – The Ashe County Republican Party will hold a Lincoln Day Luncheon on Saturday, May 10 at 12:00 noon in the Community Building at New River State Park, Hwy. 221 Access Area. The meal will be a delicious fried chicken picnic lunch catered by Shatley Springs Restaurant, and the cost per person will be $15.00 in advance or $20.00 at the door.

Two prominent lawmakers from North Carolina will address the luncheon. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, who is running for reelection, and also featured on the program will be 5th District U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx, who likewise will be on the November ballot.

“We are extremely fortunate to have two such prominent members of Congress take the time from their busy schedules to come to our annual Lincoln Day gathering,” said John Wheeler, chairman of the Ashe County Republican Party. “Senator Dole is in especially high demand this election year, and we are honored that she has accepted our invitation. I encourage citizens from all across the High Country to attend.”

Due to the high-profile speakers, the local gathering is expected to attract a large number of GOP partisans from the surrounding counties of Watauga, Wilkes, Allegheny and Alexander. The scenic state park location was chosen as a good place to handle the crowd, as well as offering the added bonus of river recreation afterwards.

“This will be a real family day in the mountains,” added Pam Barlow, chairwoman of the Lincoln Day Committee. “Folks can come over to the park and eat a hearty picnic lunch, enjoy some good, old-fashioned GOP patriotic speeches for dessert, and after that head right over to the New River for a few relaxing hours of fishing or canoeing.”

Dole fans may attend a private reception with Senator Dole at Jefferson Landing, hosted by long-time friends John and Edith Crutcher in their home from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. The cost of this fundraiser to benefit the Dole campaign is $250 per person.

“This reception will be an excellent opportunity for serious Republicans to meet with Senator Dole in a relaxed private setting,” said Jonathan Jordan, a local attorney who, along with his wife and law partner Tracie, are the Ashe County coordinators for the Dole campaign. “Space is limited, so I would strongly urge those interested to make their reservations early,” Jordan continued. For more information on the private Dole reception, contact Jonathan Jordan at (336) 846-1657.

For more information on the Lincoln Day Luncheon, please call Lois Bare at 336-846-5054. Advance tickets for the luncheon are available at Jordan and Jordan Law Offices, 401 E. Main Street in Jefferson (across from the Jefferson Post Office), or from local Republican Party Executive Committee members. 

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Judge Donna Stroud to speak at the Ashe County Republican Party Convention on Saturday, March 1, 2008

Judge Donna Stroud of the North Carolina Court of Appeals will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming annual convention of the Ashe County Republican Party, to be held at the Ashe County Courthouse. Judge Stroud was elected to the appellate court in 2006 after serving for two years as a District Court Judge and for six years as a District Court Arbitrator in Wake County.

Judge Stroud received her B.A. degree in Government from Campbell University, graduating summa cum laude in 1985. Three years later she received her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the Campbell School of Law. After graduation she enjoyed an illustrious 16-year career as a trial attorney in private practice, from 1988 until 2004. “Judge Stroud brings a wealth of practical legal experience to our meeting,” said local attorney Jonathan Jordan, Vice Chairman of the Ashe GOP. “We are fortunate to have such a stellar female member of the North Carolina Bar as our convention speaker.”

In addition to the state Bar Association, Judge Stroud is also a member of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the Bench-Bar Liaison Committee, and the Law School Liaison Committee. She is a former member of the NC Academy of Trial Lawyers. A married mother of two sons, Aaron, age 15, and Isaac, age 11, she is an involved member of the Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, NC. She has also been active in numerous civic and community service organizations over the years.

“I expect Judge Stroud to deliver a rousing speech that will inspire and motivate everyone who hears it,” said John Wheeler, Ashe GOP Chairman. “That’s going to be a big boost for all of us, going into a very important election year. So I strongly urge all Republicans to attend.”

With North Carolina voters going to the polls in November to choose a new President, a U.S. Senator and a Governor, as well as numerous state and local officials, 2008 looms large as an historic election year. The Ashe County GOP Convention will start the official process of delegate selection leading up to the Republican National Convention in September.

The annual local event will be held at the Ashe County Courthouse on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Precinct meetings will begin at 11 a.m., with a break for lunch at noon, and the general convention meeting starts at 1 p.m. There is no charge for Republicans to participate in the convention activities. The optional lunch will be all-you-can-eat pizza and a drink, for a suggested donation of just $10 per person.

For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 18, 2007

G.O.P. Senators Burr and Dole Urged to Vote AGAINST the Bush Administration and Deep-Six the Socialistic Law of the Sea Treaty

AN OPEN LETTER TO:
Senator Richard Burr
Senator Elizabeth Dole

On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, the Ashe County Republican Executive Committee held its monthly meeting. There was extensive discussion of the potentially disastrous ramifications of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) now being considered by the U.S. Senate. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to communicate to both of our North Carolina senators our unequivocal opposition to the ratification of this treaty. Hence I am writing this letter to you, on behalf of your core constituents in Ashe County.

I have spoken earlier today with members of your respective staffs, and they have assured me that you are well aware of the dangers inherent in allowing an international bureaucracy to administer control over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Not only will this treaty compromise our national security by subjecting our military forces to outside regulation, it will also open the door to increased environmental controls imposed upon us from afar, as well as empower an international organization with global taxing power. All of these certain results will erode our national sovereignty and endanger our national security.

Ronald Reagan flatly rejected the socialistic LOST agenda more than two decades ago because it served no national interest of the United States. Bill Clinton tried to resurrect the treaty but failed, largely due to the unwavering opposition of our own beloved Senator Jesse Helms. Now some Republicans of a different political stripe are willing to join with liberal Democrats and globalist/socialist ideologues to ratify this seriously flawed treaty. The Bush Administration is trying mightily to push LOST through the Senate quickly.

We petition you in the strongest possible terms and with the greatest sense of urgency to vote NO on LOST, and to staunchly resist the pressure that will surely be applied from above to coerce the ratification of LOST. You may be assured that if you will stand strong for our nation’s sovereignty and our heritage of liberty and independence, you will have earned not only our prayers and our gratitude but also our fervent and vocal support.

Respectfully submitted by John L. Wheeler Jr., Chairman

Ashe County Republican Party to Hold Lincoln Day Dinner Friday, May 4, 2007

Keynote Speaker to Be Former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Orr, Republican Candidate for Governor

The Ashe County Republican Party will hold its annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday, May 4, at 6:00 p.m. at Greenfield Restaurant. The keynote speaker will be Justice Robert F. Orr, former Associate Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court and a current Republican candidate for governor in 2008.

Justice Robert F. Orr retired on July 31, 2004 after 18 years of service to the citizens of North Carolina as an Associate Justice on the N.C. Supreme Court and as a Judge on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Since retiring from the bench, Justice Orr has served as the Executive Director and Senior Counsel for The North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, a nonprofit, public interest legal organization based in Raleigh. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on the North Carolina State Constitution. Previously, he taught at the N.C. Central School of Law and the Campbell University School of Law.

Justice Orr earned both his undergraduate and his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and served three years in the U.S. Army. He is married with four children.

Prior to being appointed to the bench by Governor Jim Martin in 1986, Justice Orr was in private practice in Asheville. During his judicial career, he spent almost ten years as a member of the N.C. Supreme Court and eight years before that on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Justice Orr was elected statewide four times by the voters of North Carolina — twice to the Court of Appeals and twice to the Supreme Court.

Over the years, Justice Orr has served in a number of professional and civic positions, including his current service on the UNC School of Law’s Self Study Committee and the N.C. Central School of Law’s Board of Visitors. Previously, he served on the Chief Justice’s Innocence Commission; the Governor’s Crime Commission; Chair of the Southeastern Judicial Conference on Genetics in the Courtroom; Vice President of the N.C. Bar Association; and as member and Chair of the Secretary of the Interior’s National Park System Advisory Board.

In addition, Justice Orr is a member of the Board of Directors of the Wake County First Tee program, and a board member at the Central YMCA. He also participates in a mentoring program and serves as a vestry member at his church.

The Ashe County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner will be held Friday, May 4 at 6:00 pm at Greenfield Restaurant. The cost will be $8.00 and an additional donation to support local party efforts would be greatly appreciated.

We welcome you to the Ashe County Republican Party website. In the following months we will add new features and informational resources to aid our party and keep the public informed.

We will be adding general information pages about the GOP as well as a list of useful party related links to start off with.

As time goes on News and Announcements will be made through the website in an effort to aid in organization and collaboration. When news items are posted registered users will be able to comment on them. Comments can provide a means for presenting recorded discussions accessible to the public.

Through this collaborative model we hope to encourage and promote our political ideals and the success of this Grand Old Party.