THE RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN
ADVANCING THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE
Vol. 6 – No. 1 March 2022
The original content of this publication is copyrighted. Requests for reprinting may be obtained by contacting the Editor and Publisher at: pyrope84045@mypacks.net
| Table of Contents
Editorial ———————————————————————–1 Resist Tyranny ————————————————————- 4 Comments From Candidates —————————————– 6 Comments From Representatives ——————————— 8 Comments From Correspondents ———————————- 9 Legislative Report —————————————————– 11 Rhea County Republican Party News —————————- 16 Lagniappe—————————————————————— 20 Contact Your Elected Representatives Today! ————— 22 |
Mr. Biden will deliver the “State of the Union Address” on March 1st, at 9:00 PM
RANDOM THOUGHTS
People join because of great vision; people leave because of poor leadership.
EDITORIAL
Kris Bancroft, Editor & Publisher
During my years with the Federal government, I worked and lived just outside the beltway but I spent a good deal of time in downtown DC. A few weeks after my arrival in the area, I met up with a colleague who worked in the city; as we were walking over to 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, I noticed a crushed aluminum can lying along the curb.
Litter is not uncommon in DC, but there was something unusual about the way this soda can had been crushed; the top and bottom were folded so both their surfaces were at once visible, the can was folded in a way that put the pull tab opening nearest the end, and there was a burnt place on the bottom of the can. On closer examination, I noticed several small holes had been punched through the aluminum amid the burnt place. I drew the attention of my colleague to the unusually crushed can remarking about its strange configuration.
“Crack pipe,” he said.
I asked for an explanation and was informed that the user first removes the pull tab, flattens the can, and then punches a few small holes in the concaved bottom. The crack cocaine, or “Load,” is place over the small perforations. The user then holds a match or a lighter over the load while drawing air through the “drinking” hole at the other end. When the load is heated to its combustion temperature, the user inhales through the top and pulls the fumes through the opening.
Voila! It’s off to happy land.
My colleague went on to explain the can we’d seen was one of the more crudely made versions. (The following link shows how to make a more sophisticated model but I don’t recall having seen one of this type https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pipe-from-a-Soda-Can.)
I inquired of my colleague as to why people didn’t simply use a regular smoking pipe for the purpose of burning their cocaine and was informed that being caught with a pipe (or any device) containing controlled substance – or its residue – constituted grounds for arrest under drug paraphernalia laws.
What with necessity being the mother of invention, and the desire to not be caught in flagrante delicto with drug paraphernalia, it all made perfect sense.
As my tenure in DC continued, I would often make note when I saw one of those “repurposed” aluminum cans. I even noted that some crack smokers were thoughtful enough to toss their used devices into the trash bins, but now it seems the need for all that ingenuity (and politeness) has been cast by the wayside.
Now, in our current state of anarchy and societal decline, it seems in those liberal-run bastions of dereliction, drug users need no longer fear being caught with drug paraphernalia and, what’s more, we have recently learned of a bizarre proviso hidden deep within the text of the 242 pages of the $1.9 Trillion HR 1319 COVID-19 Relief Act that Mr. Biden signed off on last May.
(See https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text and
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr1319)
Within this bill, sponsored by John Yarmuth (D-KY), a bill that received a “thumbs up” from every Democrat in Congress (except for Jared Golden, of Maine), lies an innocuous-sounding section entitled “Harm Reduction.”
Before going further, I must offer my compliments to Mr. Yarmuth and his colleagues for coming up with such a clever bit of verbal camouflage with that bill’s section title, but here’s the Democrat’s version of the term:
Mr. Yarmuth and his Democrat friends have allocated $30 Million for the purpose of reducing harm in the way of providing “Safe Smoking Kits” to their constituents who need them. These kits contain a crack pipe and some other baubles – syringes, “safe sex kits,” and so on.
And just how do they intend to put these kits into the hands of their constituents? Why, through “Harm Reduction Vending Machines” of course!
Since the $30 Million crack pipe story first broke (around the first of February), a few of the more objective reporters have managed to corner a few Democrats to ask them why they voted to pass HR 1319. They all gave the stock answers: they had “the greater good” in mind; their priorities are “focused on protecting their constituents from the horrendous effects of COVID-19,” and were thus willing to include some language they “did not necessarily like” in order to expedite the relief to their constituents, and to have done otherwise would have resulted in holding up this “life-saving legislation.”
HORSEFEATHERS!
Kindly remember, when it comes to “concern for their constituents” these same Democrats literally screamed out their opposition to measures that would have made Remdesivir and Hydroxychloroquine available to those who would have benefitted from them. Kindly remember, as well, it was these same Democrats who stamped their feet in disapproval over the idea that diabetics should be accorded price breaks for insulin.
Finally (and let the blame for the following fall where it may), note that the story about the $30 million funding for crack pipes broke during the first week in February. That’s eight months after Mr. Biden signed this bill into law! Why is it that we are just now hearing about that $30 Million proviso for crack pipes?
Oh well, at least we might be seeing fewer of those repurposed aluminum cans discarded on the streets.
For more information see:
and
and
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/crack-pipes-distrubtion-funded-hhs
and
and
and
and
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pipe-from-a-Soda-Can
RANDOM THOUGHTS
We can forgive the child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. – Plato
RESIST TYRANNY
Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, Murphy, NC
Host of Freedom Forum Radio
When President Obama spoke of creating a “civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the military, we should have been concerned. A national police force, like Hitler’s SS or Stalin’s KGB, has been used historically by dictatorial governments to control and subjugate its citizens. The County Sheriff is the highest elected law enforcement official in the nation, as all law enforcement officers in positions of greater power are appointed, not elected. A local sheriff, elected by the citizens of his county and subject to recall by their vote, understands that his primary responsibility is to administer law enforcement in a fair and just manner for the benefit of his constituents.
Our Constitution, in the enumerated powers (Article I, Section 8) and elsewhere, clearly lists the duties and limited authority of each branch of government. There are no provisions for the establishment of a national police force. Powers not given to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are “reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” (The 10th Amendment). As there are no provisions for the establishment of a national police force in the constitution, that authority is held by the states, their jurisdictional regions, and their citizens.
Some complain that President Obama’s quote was taken out of context and that he was simply planning to increase funding to government agencies like the Peace Corps and USA Freedom Corps to increase humanitarian efforts around the world. Obama did in fact increase taxpayer funds to certain government agencies like the FBI, NSA, BATF, DEA, EPA, and the IRS, bureaucracies that make and enforce regulations the federal government uses to harass its citizens. These agencies and their bureaucrats have a well-known history of investigating and collecting data about private citizens and groups working against the collectivist agenda. Under Obama, the IRS targeted conservative individuals and organizations using selective tax audits and delaying applications for tax-exempt status. They also routinely abused the Privacy and Due Process protections in the Bill of Rights, spying on citizens, using RICO act provisions to seize private property, as well as other abuses of federal authority.
These agencies use federal laws and regulations as part of federal law enforcement actions. The true goal of the socialist agenda, however, is to control local law enforcement agencies and force them to conform to uniform national standards of conduct and procedure. The initial step was to use programs such as Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to provide technical assistance and funding to local law enforcement officials as an incentive to ensure sharing of services. Through the COPS program, federal agencies provided massive amounts of used military equipment to local law enforcement units that now look more like an elite military task force in Afghanistan than a police patrol on Main Street, USA. Sharing of services translates into encouraging the locals to send private information on their citizens to the feds.
The problem, of course, is accountability. If the feds control local law enforcement nationally, a local citizen can no longer expect a fair hearing by a jury of his neighbors to reverse abuses of the rule of law.
International Communism through its communist agitators and various front groups have been involved in efforts to nationalize the local police forces in the US since the 1960s. They commonly exploit real or fabricated incidents of police misconduct to incite hatred and violence against all law enforcement personnel as a group instead of ensuring that the guilty are appropriately punished. In the current anti-police demonstrations and riots, signs with Communist slogans are clearly visible along with Black Lives Matter.
Further evidence of Communist infiltration of the anti-police movement comes from the United Nations’ demands that US obey “international standards,” an ultimatum adopted by the Obama administration during the 2014 anti-police riots in Ferguson, Missouri. The UN’s Ban Ki Moon injected himself into the fray with a prepared statement through a spokesman in which he “hopes local and federal investigations will shed full light on the killing and that justice will be done.” Of course, “justice” in UN-speak refers to the requirements in the UN “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” in which “Human Rights” are actually privileges granted by government and limited by law.
Our Founding Documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, clearly identify “Human Rights” as “Natural Law Rights” that are granted to each individual by God and not by any governmental entity. Our founders firmly believed that legitimate government derives its powers from the consent of the governed and that, when government abuses that trust, consent can be withdrawn. It was on that basis that they declared independence from the British monarch, King George, and created our Constitutional Republic to protect the sovereignty of the individual.
Tyranny in any form is an abuse of our Natural Law Rights. Resist Tyranny.
[The reader is encouraged to tune into Dr. Eichenbaum’s podcasts at the following link: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-dr-dans-freedom-forum-radi-31086393/ – Editor]
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free. – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
COMMENTS FROM CANDIDATES
[Candidates across the US, vying for offices at all levels of government, are invited to share their thoughts with readers. – Editor]
Cyril Ostiguy
To all my friends in Rhea County,
My name is Cyril Ostiguy. I am the Carroll County Republican Chairman.
Last year I was invited to your county to speak at your Republican meeting. I met some wonderful folks and my wife and were in awe of the river and the tall hills.
About 16 months ago one of our Commissioners in our district moved. I asked Jan if she thought it would good idea if I ran for the opening. She told me I could be the Chairman or Commissioner but not both, you can guess what I picked.
This year we opened up the County Commissioners and our school boards to be partisan.
We have been to a few fund raisers so far this year and I have been asked by more than a few, why aren’t I running?
Early last week Jan and I went to our County Commission meeting, by the time we got home I was going to run. We have been going to these meetings for years and it just came to the point we couldn’t take it anymore. Some ask the same question they asked the previous month and got a satisfactory answer, others don’t look at their packets that have been available for days, and most are just yes men or yes woman, when questions are needed to be asked.
I picked up my Primary Packet last Friday and had more than enough signatures by Sunday.
If you’re going to make things better around you, you’ve got to take that first step and keep on going.
Stay safe,
[If you’re a resident of Carroll County, I do not think you could ever find a candidate to serve on your County Commission who would serve with more integrity, compassion, and energy in doing what is best for the people in your county. – Editor.]
RANDOM THOUGHTS
That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call “free will” is your mind’s freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character.” – Ayn Rand
Adam Laxalt Las Vegas, NV – Candidate for US Senate
The political left likes to claim, ad nauseam, that they and they alone are standing up for the interests of our nation’s children — particularly those who are disadvantaged in some way.
Perhaps more than anything, the COVID crisis has exposed that trope for the lie it is.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal this week editorialized on a new study that brings to light yet more evidence that compulsory distance learning, widely enforced by progressives throughout the pandemic, is inflicting serious harm on our children.
The editors write:
In fall 2020, it was becoming obvious that school closures would exacerbate inequalities in the education system. Now, a new study predicts these inequalities will reduce the future earnings of low-income students.
Distance learning turned out to be an oxymoron. There’s abundant evidence that students forced to endure remote learning didn’t learn as much as they would have in the classroom. Grades and test scores from the Clark County School District confirm that as well.
A group of economists, including professors from Yale and Northwestern, recently looked at the implications of this learning loss. The results were discouraging.
Their model predicted that ninth graders in low-income neighborhoods would see a half-a-point decline in their GPA, using a four-point scale. Children in well-off areas, however, “remained unscathed,” thanks to better parental support and peer environments. Poor children are “less likely to benefit from the support of parents who are able to work from home,” the piece, published in VoxEU, finds.
“Four years down the road, the school closure causes an average 25 percent reduction of labor earnings for the poorest children when these enter the labor market,” the economists write. “This implies that the future society will be more unequal and have less social mobility.”
There was an abundance of evidence early on in this crisis that the left’s insistence on school closures was ill-conceived and should have been abandoned. Yet for spurious reasons — many of them political — they persisted. And it’s our kids who will be left to suffer the consequences. Shame.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied by . . . extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves. – Antonin Scalia
COMMENTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
Elected Representatives from all States and all levels of government are encouraged to share their thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements by emailing them to pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your constituents want to hear from you! – Editor
Bruce Griffey (R-Paris, TN) shared the following:
There is a great bill that I’m cosponsoring with Mark Hall this legislative session. It passed out of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee yesterday and is heading to the full Criminal Justice Committee next week. I encourage everyone to contact their Representative and Senator and encourage them to support it.
HB 1834 (*Hall, Griffey, Lamberth, Curcio, Howell, Beck, Moody, Hardaway, Doggett, Sexton) and (SB 2103 (*Bell).
DUI offenses: As introduced, requires a sentencing court to order a defendant who has been convicted of vehicular homicide or aggravated vehicular homicide due to intoxication and which the victim of the offense was the parent of a minor child to pay restitution in the form of child maintenance to each of the victim’s children until each child reaches 18 years of age and has graduated from high school. – Amends TCA Title 39; Title 40, and Title 55.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Control is easiest attained when fear has been invoked. – Elena Venizelos, Alta, Greece
COMMENTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS
You are invited to become a Correspondent and share thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements with subscribers to this newsletter. Please state your city, state, or country in your submissions and email them to: pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your fellow Conservatives want to hear from you! – Editor
John Anthony, President of Sustainable Freedom Lab shared the following:
Karl Marx’s call for workers of the world to unite against evil capitalists has echoed through the decades. By 1914, socialists were certain WWI would mark the end of capitalism as the proletariat rose in discontent against the wealthy.
But to their dismay our men and women returned to the roaring 20s. A decade later, Hoover and FDR’s New Deal extended the suffering of the Great Depression by 7 years. The socialist styled program, provided jobs for some, but at the cost of prolonging the misery for all except the wealthy.
WWII’s returning veterans, rather than shun capitalism overcame hardships by seeking economic opportunities. Factories re-tooled for peacetime, automobile production revamped, and military-trained machinists opened shops to service the growing manufacturing sector. While Marx wanted to replace capitalism and the private property it created with common property, working class Americans acquired their own private property through a flourishing housing boom. Under the growing surge of the capitalist middle class, the GNP grew from $200 billion in 1940 to $300 billion in 1950 and $500 billion by 1960.
Today, Marx’s call for workers to unite has not gone unheeded. Across Canada more than 10,000 truckers in their Freedom Convoy 2022 continue their relentless roll toward Ottawa joined by 10’s of thousands of cheering onlookers. Thousands more U.S. truckers are joining the march with eyes on Washington DC.
The great Marxist dream has wakened. Those masses of the unwashed, Trudeau’s “small fringe”, Clinton’s “deplorables”, and Biden’s “Neanderthals” are at last uniting.
In Canada the Prime Minister is in hiding, blaming it on COVID spread. (A basement perhaps?) Meanwhile, more than 30,000 braved freezing weather to fight for medical freedom in Washington DC and anti-mandate workers from all social strata are marching in Belgium, Netherlands, and Austria. In Germany, discontent with government mandates is forging unlikely alliances between the far left and the far right.
Mr. Marx is getting what he asked for, just not what he wanted. You can sign up to receive John’s works at the following link:
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Emergencies have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded. – Friedrich Hayek
Diane Bederman, Toronto, Canada, Author of the Bederman Blog has written an excellent piece on the Freedom Convoy. It begins:
There is a stench in the air over Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, and it isn’t coming from diesel fuel. No, it is coming from the odious fumes of main stream media at the behest of our Dear Leader, Justin Trudeau.
The Globe and Mail, one of Canada’s major media outlets has just informed us that the Freedom Trucker Convoy is a right wing phenomenon with a sharp America feel. According to the author, Ian Brown, it is an “.. . unapologetic Trumpy aggressiveness.” It seems the Convoy seconded the flag for nefarious reasons. Who knew? Too many flags apparently are the problem. Once again, I have to ask, like prunes, are three enough are six too many? Professor Peter Astor is concerned about “the convoy organizers’ promiscuous flinging of the word freedom. “I realize you’re not dealing with PhD students but there is no such thing in democracy as absolute freedom.’” And saying something like “F*** TRUDEAU” is a stoop too low for Canada. This was too much for Professor Astor. He was shocked. SHOCKED. He’s positively distressed! No one said that about Mulroney or Pearson. Hmm, I wonder why.
[The rest of the article continues, along with photos that are integral to the story, at the following link. – Editor]
Diane Weber Bederman is a Chaplain and author of: The #IslamophobiaIndustry: The insidious infiltration of Islam into the West; The Serpent and the Red Thread ; Anatomy of FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump and; Back to the Ethic: Reclaiming Western Values You may sign up for her blog at:
Joel Benechek, Patchogue, New York
Mayor Eric Adams apologized Friday after an old clip resurfaced where the Mayor was caught on tape referring to Caucasians using the racial epithet “Crackers.” This video was made during his time in the New York City Police Department.
Try to imagine what the reaction would be if a Caucasian Republican Mayor used the equivalent word to describe black citizens.
Yes! Eric Adams, a Democrat, is without a doubt, a racist, and he has been irrefutably revealed as such, but what is important is that we Republicans show that we are better than those on the Left. We should be welcoming, and show respect, toward all good and decent human beings. Like Dr. Martin Luther King said, we must judge others on the content of their character and not on the color of their skin.
I found a link to the video of Eric Adams spouting his racist garbage. I hope it isn’t taken down before a few million people get to see it. Thanks for your newsletter.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
When laws are enforced lawlessness ends.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
The Legislative Report provides information on some of the more remarkable bills that have been introduced in Congress. Its purpose is to provide the reader with information about pending legislation that may prompt the reader to contact their representatives to express their views.
In the emailed version of the Legislative Report, you will see markers + and + on certain bills. The red icon is placed to encourage the reader to contact their representatives and ask them to vote against the legislation. On bills marked with the green icon, the reader is encouraged to contact their elected representatives and ask them to support the legislation. The reader is always encouraged to keep informed about all legislation from other sources so they may be aware of bills that effect our lives. Decide today that you will make your voice heard. If you remain silent, your representatives will never know your thoughts! – Editor
Tennessee
HB 2483 (Zachary) SB 2487 (Briggs)
Election Laws – Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 1.
As introduced, requires certain state officials to consult with the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives prior to entering into consent decrees to change state election laws or rules; gives the general assembly legal standing to file an action against such state officials for violating election laws.
HB 2277 (Hawk) SB 2544 (Yarbro)
Election Laws – Amends TCA Title 2.
As introduced, deletes exceptions to general law requirements for petitions for recall, referendum, or initiative.
+HB 1888 (Hakeem) +SB 1853 (Gilmore)
Election Laws – Amends TCA Title 2.
As introduced, requires county election commissions to verify with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) that persons are no longer qualified to vote before purging the voter registration of such persons; authorizes same day voter registration for qualified voters to register or have their registration updated and be able to vote beginning on the first day of any period of early voting through the day of an election. [Emphasis added]
HB 1634 (Griffey) SB 1973 (Kyle)
Election Laws – Amends TCA Title 2.
As introduced, requires county election commissions to include three non-binding questions related to the legalization of marijuana on the November 2022 ballot; requires the secretary of state to compile the results of the public policy opinion poll and forward the results to the members of the general assembly.
HB 2128 (Crawford) SB 2245 (Hensley)
Election Laws – Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 2 and Title 2, Chapter 7.
As introduced, expressly prohibits non-United States citizens from voting in federal, state, or local elections in this state; prohibits local governments from granting non-citizens the right to vote in local elections; prescribes various other mechanisms for ensuring the integrity of elections in this state.
[Thanks to Cyril Ostiguy, Chairman of the Carroll County Republican Party for reporting on the bills listed above. – Editor]
++ + HB 1994 AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40, relative to relocation of illegal aliens from this state. (Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, 2 pages).
This bill would relocate illegal aliens which have been deposited in Tennessee by the Biden regime to Mr. Biden’s home town in Delaware, and other select locations. The text of this bill may be found at the following link: HB1994.pdf (tn.gov)
Please contact your Representative to urge their support for this legislation!
++ + HB 2128 Introduced by Representative John Crawford (R-Bristol/Kingsport-District 1), would prevent any person who is not a U.S. citizen from participating in any federal, state, or local election in Tennessee. It would also prohibit local governments in the state from allowing those who are not citizens to vote in any local election.
Washington, DC
S 3423 Chance to Compete Act of 2021 (Kyrsten Sinema, D-AZ, 14 pages).
This bill would implement merit-based reforms to the civil service hiring system that replace degree-based hiring with skills- and competency-based hiring.
S 2135 Wasteful Federal Programs Reduction Authorization Act (Margaret Hassan, D-CT, 4 pages).
This bill would amend Title 31, United States Code, to require the Chief Operating Officer of each agency to compile a list of unnecessary programs, and for other purposes.
HR 6540 To amend Title III of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network from requesting the vaccination status of an individual with respect to COVID-19 for the national list of individuals who need organs, and for other purposes. (Scott DesJarlais, R-TN, text not yet available)
+ HR 4521 Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021 (“Eddie” Johnson, D-TX, 27 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to provide for a coordinated Federal research initiative to ensure continued United States leadership in engineering biology. In actuality, this bill is nothing less than another one of Ms. Johnson’s schemes to funnel money to her supporters.
Buried deeply within the bill (Sec. 4(c) “Expanding Participation”) lies the true purpose of Ms. Johnson’s bill: to allocate enormous “grants” to colleges and universities that never have, and most likely never will, contribute anything of value to science or humankind.
This bill was passed in the House of Representatives along a party line vote and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration. Please call your Senators and ask that they vote against this bill.
HR 6497 Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2022 (Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, 112 pages).
The purpose of this bill is to modernize Federal information security management and improve Federal cybersecurity to combat persisting and emerging threats, and for other purposes.
+ HR 6419 Fair Chance Improvement Act (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, 7 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to amend title 10 and title 41, United States Code, to amend the compliance procedures for the prohibition on criminal history inquiries by Federal contractors prior to conditional offers, and for other purposes. For more information and analysis visit the following link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6419%3Fs%3D1%26r%3D2
HR 5962 Supply Chain Security Training Act of 2021 (Jose’ Neguse, D-CO, 5 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to manage supply chain risks through counterintelligence training, and for other purposes. (Those “other purposes” are seemingly to place the blame for Mr. Biden’s sidekick Pete Buttigieg’s dismal failures, onto “someone else.”)
+ HR 6361 District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General Residency Act (Eleanor Norton, D-DC, 2 pages).
The purpose of this bill is to require the Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard to reside in the District of Columbia. This bill is a classic example of Ms. Norton’s insensible proclivity toward arbitrary and capricious behavior, especially when one understands that the vast majority of persons working in DC live in the towns surrounding it and the greater portion of DC’s National Guard troops also reside outside the city. Ultimately, this bill serves as another painful example of the general uselessness of ultra-liberal Democrats.
The House Committee on Small Business have introduced the following bills that are of interest especially to small business owners and entrepreneurs.
HR 4877 One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021 (Antonio Delgado, D-NY, 2 pages).
HR 6450 Score for Small Businesses Act of 2022 (Young Kim, CA-R, 19 pages).
HR 6441 Women’s Business Centers Improvement Act of 2022 (Sharice Davis, D-KS, 36 pages).
HR 6445 Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2022 (Jared Golden, D-ME, 13 pages).
And
HR 6454 Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022 (Blaine Leutkemeyer, R-MO, 2 pages).
+ HR 6617 Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act (Rosa “LS” DeLauro, D-CT, 10 pages).
At a time when our National Debt has eclipsed $30 Trillion, by best estimates, this bill would increase Federal spending by another $2,104,805,000.
With the votes of 21 Republicans, this bill was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 272/162, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
Rest assured we will see more add-ons as the year passes but we will not see any spending cuts from Congress.
S 3538 EARN IT Act of 2022 (Lindsay Graham, R-SC, 53 pages).
This Act may be cited as the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 or the EARN IT Act of 2022. It would establish a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention, and for other purposes.
S 3103 Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2021 (Richard Durbin, D-IL, 2 pages).
A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to eliminate the statute of limitations for the filing of a civil claim for any person who, while a minor, was a victim of a violation of section 1589, 1590, 1591, 2241(c), 2242, 2243, 2251, 2251A, 2252, 2252A, 2260, 2421, 2422, or 2423 of such title.
Section 2 (b) is changed to read: “There shall be no limit for the filing of any action commenced under this Section.”
While Mr. Durbin’s bill is no doubt well-intentioned, it opens the courts to frivolous causes brought by spiteful persons as a means to harass another individual.
+ HR 6600 Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace, and Democracy Act (Tom Malinowski, D-NJ, 25 pages).
This bill would give the President the sole power to usurp the 4th Amendment rights of individuals and confiscate their property and monetary assets.
Section 4 (a) (2) (A) states: The exercise of all powers granted to the President by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property of the foreign person if such property and interests in property are in the United States, come within the United States, or are or come within the possession or control of a United States person. A reasonable argument could be made that this bill also violates the Separation of Powers clause in that it enables the Executive Branch to declare war, albeit a monetary war, with a foreign government.
Ultimately, passage of this bill opens the door for its application to any foreign conflict.
HR 6525 Lunar New Year Day Act (Grace Meng, D-NY).
This bill would make the date of the Lunar New Year a federal holiday.
+HR 6446 One Citizen One Vote Act (Robert Good, R-VA).
This bill would ban federal funding from the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC), for States that allow non-citizens to vote.
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY NEWS
Rhea County Republican Party Executive Committee
Bitsy Gryder – Chairman Kris Bancroft – Vice Chairman
Judy Bancroft – Secretary Ted Engel – Treasurer
Marvin Keener Sr. – Vice Treasurer
The Rhea County Republican Party Monthly Meeting
The next meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party will be a regular meeting, held on 3 March 2022, at 7:00 PM, at the Sheriff’s Training Center, 711 Eagle Lane, Evensville, TN 37323. JOIN US & BRING A FRIEND!
Minutes from the Previous Meeting
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
Meeting Minutes for February 3, 2022
Vice-Chairman Kris Bancroft called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Marvin Keener offered prayer and Kris Bancroft led the Pledge of Allegiance.
First-time attendees and candidates for office were welcomed.
Reagan Day Dinner:
- Kris Bancroft gave a report on the progress of plans for the Dinner, to be held April 2nd at the Rhea County High School. This will be our only fundraiser this year. Laura Travis is our ticket master and has already sold 36 tables.
- Scott Dejarlais has confirmed he will attend and speak; other possible speakers are pending.
- Members were asked to let Kris know if they can bring a dessert.
- Team members were asked to stay at the end of the meeting to speak with Kris.
- Candidates for office were asked to let Kris know if they wish to reserve space in the lobby for a campaign table. The spaces will be 10’ square; candidates will need to bring their own table; nothing may be attached to the walls or ceiling. Doors will open to the public at 5:00. Candidates may set up beginning at 4:30.
Candidate Facebook Postings: Candidates for office were invited to post up to one ad per week on the Rhea County Republican Party Facebook Room.
Minutes: Kris Bancroft reported that the Executive Committee voted to at least temporarily forego the reading of minutes at meetings to allow more program time, such as for political candidates to address the group. Attendees were invited to read copies of the minutes available at tonight’s meeting. They were also informed that the minutes are included in The Rhea County Republican, which is posted on our website and Facebook page.
Meet ‘n’ Greet: A Meet ‘n’ Greet event for candidates running for office will be held on Saturday, June 18th, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Welcome Center in Dayton.
Political Candidates: The following candidates who spoke tonight and the office each is seeking are as follows:
David Shinn—General Sessions Judge
Jace Cochran—General Sessions Judge
Andrew Cunnyngham—Circuit Court Judge, Part 2
Cary Taylor—Sheriff
Shannon Garrison—General Sessions Judge
John Argo on behalf of Mike Neal—Sheriff
George Thacker—County Executive
Ted Engel—Public Defender
Teresa Hulgan—Register of Deeds
Dale Harris—School Board, District 7
Adam McRorie—County Executive
Mark Hall—State Senate
Adam Lowe—State Senate
Laura Travis on behalf of Ron Travis—State Representative
Dale Harris shared that he is retiring from TVA and therefore will be eligible to run for re-election for District 7 of the County School Board.
Young Republicans: Kris Bancroft shared that he has been in touch with a couple of people involved in Tennessee Young Republicans and that we have been wanting to start a group here. He asks if anyone is acquainted with people in the 18-40 year-old range who might be interested in joining such a group, to please let him know and hopefully provide contact information.
Senator Yager: Ted Doss reminded attendees that State Senator Ken Yager will no longer be representing Rhea County after redistricting occurs. We will be making plans to honor him.
Refreshments: Kris Bancroft thanked all those providing refreshments this evening.
A motion was made by Ted Engel, seconded by Jace Cochran, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm.
Judy Bancroft
Secretary
LAGNIAPPE
Digitized Currency. It is difficult to broach this subject without appearing to be some sort of conspiracy theorist, but kindly recall all those things we accept as a normal part of living in the 21st Century, people said only a few years ago would absolutely, positively never happen. (For a frame of reference, please see the Lagniappe feature in the February edition of this newsletter.)
For the benefit of the younger readers, years ago, we carried cash, or a checkbook, or both whenever we left our home. In the 1960s came the oil company credit card that allowed us to purchase gasoline (or diesel) on credit. While this was of greatest convenience to commercial vehicle owners as it provided the operator with a physical receipt that showed not only the cost and volume of the purchases, but also the location where the transaction was made, it was eventually realized as a convenience to the non-commercial vehicle owners.
Soon after the first gasoline credit cards appeared, some clever person came up with the idea of issuing a credit card that could be used practically anywhere, for practically anything.
Still, though, the process of processing credit card purchases was a bit clumsy: The vendor placed the customer’s credit card into a manually-operated mechanical device, placed an imprint paper form (with carbon paper to make the customer’s receipt) on top of the card, and then pulled the imprinter across the raised numbers and letters on the card. The purchaser reviewed the charges then signed the credit slip (often showing some other signed ID card to verify to the vendor they were the legitimate card holder), and the vendor deposited the receipts at their bank. Eventually, the customer received a bill in the mail, wrote a check for payment for the charges made against the credit card, and the payment was deducted from their checking account balance.
Admittedly, the “old” way of making credit card purchases was “clunky” and a bit labor intensive, but hey, it worked!
Credit cards in use today no longer have raised numbers and letters, and the magnetic strips of most cards don’t even have to be swiped through a reader; one simply inserts the end of the card (in which the chip is imbedded) into a reader and the transaction is completed within a matter of seconds.
We no longer even have to write a check when the credit card bill arrives in our mailbox because the payment is electronically deducted from our “checking” account at the very instant we make it, which is credited by the automatic deposit of our paychecks (which we no longer have to endorse, write out a deposit slip, and stand in line at the teller’s window to deposit at the bank where we do business.)
Is that convenient, or what!?!?
So now, everything we buy, everywhere we buy it, and how often we buy what we buy is now a part of some metadata base, and this information is sold to companies that use it to send us advertisements trying to get us to buy what we buy somewhere else from them. But, there’s more:
These same data on our purchases are also collected by our health insurance provider, the doctors and dentists who provide our healthcare, our employer, the FBI, the IRS, and our government. In short, if you make all your purchases by credit card, the government knows how many pairs of shoes you’ve bought this year, how much gasoline you’ve used (and where you bought it), where you went on your vacation and where you stayed and what you ate and drank while you were there.
Transcending into my best Rod Serling voice . . .
Imagine, if you will, that you’re making a purchase with your debit card and what you’ve purchased is being electronically scanned. As you insert your card into the chip reader to authorize the debit against your account, a pleasant voice (albeit an electronic one) is emitted from the reader informing you that you are about to exceeded your monthly allotted amount of charge for your electric-powered vehicle, or that you are attempting to purchase more than your monthly allotted amount of alcoholic beverage, or that you may not purchase that bacon because your LDL cholesterol level and your triglycerides were too high when you last saw your healthcare provider.
As you sheepishly cancel your “unauthorized” purchase you find yourself pining for those days when you could just take some cash from your wallet and buy what you wanted to buy without having some computer restricting your freedom.
But, you know you can’t do that because there’s no such thing as “cash” anymore, there’s only digitized currency.
A NOTE OF THANKS
On beginning the sixth year of publishing this newsletter, I thought of that Roman satirist Decimus Junius Juvenalis (“Juvenal”). His works date from the middle of the first century and into the early part of the second century AD. I think he revealed the soul of the writer with these words: tenet insanabile multos scribendi cacoethes (the incurable disease of writing takes hold of many). Having reached my 75th year, I have no idea as to how long I might be able to continue this publication but I will tell you that your inspiration has given me the encouragement and desire to make each issue better than the previous one.
Thank you for being a reader. Thank you for sharing this newsletter with your friends. Thank for offering your thoughts, observations, opinions, and ideas that are of interest to our fellow conservatives. And, thank you for being engaged in the effort to ADVANCE THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE!
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!
Regardless of where you live in the United States, you can find your elected representatives at any level of government by visiting the following link. Remember: While they might be fairly bright, none of them can read your mind, so it is your obligation as a citizen to express your thoughts (and to urge all your friends and family and like-minded folks to do the same!) https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Here’s a handy guide for Tennesseans in the 4th Congressional District:
| Joseph Robinette Biden (a.k.a. the “Big Guy”)
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. 20500 Phone: (202) 456-1414 Fax: (202) 456-2461 e-mail http://www.whitehouse.gov |
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
357 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3344 Fax: (202) 228-0566 To contact visit website: |
| U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty
Russell Senate Office Building Suite SR-B11 Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 244-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 e-mail: https://www.hagerty.senate.gov |
U.S Representative Dr. Scott DesJarlais
2301 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6831 Fax: (202) 226-5172 |
| Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-2001 Fax: (615) 532-9711 e-mail: http://www.state.tn.us/governor |
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
https://www.speaker.gov/contact Link above provides all methods of contact. Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader |
| State Representative Ron Travis
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-3 Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1450
|
State Senator Ken Yager
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-19 Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1449 Fax: (615) 253-0237 |
