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]

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.