New Orleans 2010

Had too good of a time in New Orleans, it took me a few more days than I anticipated to get back to the blogs.

I’ve put together a set of photos and videos on Flickr for your perusal. Some of the photos I simply have no explanation for, so please don’t ask.

I will be emailing a photo to a certain Wall Street Journal employee. I hope to hear back from him and will post the response and the photo here.

Tea parties across the US are starting to learn the realities of political life after the primaries. In this grassroots conundrum they have to suffer the sight of their tea party favorites appearing with many of the politicians that they set out to cull. Now that these candidates have gotten the nomination they become part of the party “establishment” and business as usual returns

Within the tea party movement, I’ve found that most groups are careful to state that their movement isn’t overtly democrat or republican – they see both parties as part of the problem. What I see are political opportunists that latch on to the Tea Party talking points; perhaps even organizing a tea party event in order to tap into the powerful grass root organizing power of the Tea Party. Some have even convinced prominent bloggers who identify with the tea party movement to cover their primary campaign. Once the candidate has used the Tea Party momentum to their advantage, it’s back to politics as usual; which leads to the well meaning activists getting screwed, yet again. This is the genuine weakness of this movement – part of being the new kid on the block – as some activists tend to latch on to any candidate who mouths Tea Party talking points without putting any effort into diligent research of the candidate.

I’ve found it wise to develop a keen political BS meter when it comes to candidates labeling themselves as the ‘Tea Party candidate’.  I believe as the Tea Party movement progresses, it will develop an overall political BS meter to avert candidates such as Rand Paul and Paul LePage.  We typically call this maturity. Remember, this movement has only been around for over one year. We have accomplished what was once unattainable in politics in that time, but we still are new kids and we have some growing ahead of us. I look forward to the journey as I look forward to 2010, 2012, 2014….

Andrew Breitbart describes the idea behind Big Peace:

As the site’s resident skeptic of main stream media accountability, I have noticed that the amount of reporters and media outlets covering national security and the war has dwindled and skepticism over American military commitment has waned now that there isn’t a Bush or a Republican in charge. The war beat is getting short shrift. Big Peace was created to fill this void and to provide biased coverage.

The site is pro-freedom, pro-liberty, and pro-American but will not be an outlet for false information or propaganda. The unique mix of Schweizer, Gaffney, and Blackfive and our collective reputations will provide a check and balance.

Ohhh, this is my kind of website. Can’t wait to see the liberal implosion with this announcement by Andrew Breitbart.

On June 1st 2010, RightWing News (RWN) published a compilation of 20 hot conservative women, to my delight, I was included among 20 accomplished and beautiful conservative women.

Within a few day of  this post on RWN,  Newsweek publishes a scathing rebuttal authored by a very male, very Caucasian staff journalist named David A Graham. While David racks up pixel space pondering the fine distinctions of the photos chosen to represent each woman; I was questioning why Newsweek and David A. Graham felt threatened by a cheeky, top 20 list of conservative women.

Sigh. Where to start.

Let us begin with the logic behind the author singling out Lori Ziganto’s blog ‘Snark and Boobs‘.

“…anyone who calls her blog Snark and Boobs knows she is trading on sex appeal.”

Snark and Boobs appropriately identifies the intent of a blog filled with biting posts about stupid people and stupid ideas in politics. Anyone who actually clicked on the link and read her blog clearly understands the intent of the title.
I’m glad John did not post a photo of me wearing a ‘Save the ta-ta’s‘ teeshirt. (Yes, I purchased one and so should all of you). According the author’s premise,  I would have been trading my sex appeal..for something. Unless I missed the author’s previous article harrumphing at the objectification of women wearing such teeshirts? In such case, I would be happy to link to the article.

One can rightfully question the sudden prudishness on display in this article? In case Newsweek and the author missed the memo – sex sells:

“That iPhone in your pocket? That’s for sex. As is pretty much everything you’ve ever bought, from the car you drive to the T shirt you wear — or so says evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. From mating to marketing, Miller explores how everyday consumer choices subtly — and sometimes not so subtly — reveal society’s misguided attempts at projecting four central traits (intelligence, conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness) to attract sexual partner.”

“Save the ta-ta’s” – It certainly works for breast cancer research.

Getting back to the article, it is clear the author is uncomfortable with women who possess intelligence, a conservative CV, while maintaining wholesome appearance.  He assumes there should be offense taken by the ‘values’ crowd. Note he puts quotes around the word ‘values’  - in order to project a lack of belief in any sort of values by the author.

“The failure of the right-wing ‘values’ crowd to decry contests like this is bad for them – it undermines their standing to comment on gender – and, most important, bad for women.”

The author spends much time making nebulous statements about conservative women without clearly defining what would be an acceptable format for highlighting accomplished and beautiful women.

Every woman on the Top 20 list can be credited for amazing, ground breaking work in the conservative movement. I am truly honored to be included with these women. This is a list of women one can use to inspire the next generation of young women to succeed and the confidence to reject the feminist construct of perpetual victim-hood. Breaking free of the vicious cycle is good for women, not bad as the author would lead you to believe. Freedom will always trumps perpetual victim-hood.

While one cannot ignore there are beautiful women who subscribe to the liberal feminist construct, it cannot be ignored that there is little more than that. Look beyond the surface of these women and you will find very little of consequence and very much hate.  It is not surprising to me that the author spends a majority of this article smearing a group of beautiful, intelligent and capable conservative women and neglecting to promote a list of opposing women that he would find acceptable.

Dick Morris takes a look at the upsurge of conservative female candidates across the nation. It is a good indicator of the progress conservative women, like the 20 listed in RWN, have made to the political landscape:

The primaries of June 8, 2010 were historic in that they represented a sweep by women in states as diverse as California, Nevada, Arkansas, and South Carolina. The feminists of the 60s would be upset that most of the candidates nominated in this landslide were Republican and pro-life, but the upsurge of women cannot be denied.

In short, this is why Newsweek and journalists like David A. Graham found themselves in apoplectic fits since 2008, when Sarah Palin stepped on to the national stage.  Capable women of beauty and substance who do not conform to the feminist status quo must be stopped – at all costs.  If this post contains too complex ideas for the author to digest, I suggest a beer summit with the Ladies of the List – it could be a teachable moment for a liberal dude.

Sigh.

It sucks to be Newsweek these days..or should I call it NewsMax?

PS: Because I believe in transparency, unlike our current administration, below the cut is the original, uncut photo used for my portrait on RWN Top 20 Hottest Conservative Women in New Media:

Beautiful conservative women respond:

Lori Ziganto

Tabitha Hale

I’m running in the Marine Corps Marathon 10K as part of Team Travis in support of the Travis Manion Foundation

From their website:

The Foundation’s mission is to assist families of our Fallen Heroes, wounded Veterans and our entire military community. We also foster strength of mind and body to create a generation of future leaders.

Read more about a remarkable soldier, Travis Manion –  if you find his story inspiring,  sponsor me in this endeavor to help promote his memory.

The 20 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media (2010 Edition)

Thanks to the John Hawkins and the panel of brilliant judges who crafted an amazing list of smart, beautiful conservative women.

As like last year, I am waiting for Melissa Clouthier’s 2010 list of Hot Conservative Men

What are the duties of a committee person in Philadelphia? The Committee of Seventy, an organization of community leaders promoting political integrity,  provides a detailed description of my responsibilities as a committee woman:

Members of a political party’s Ward Executive Committee, better known as committee people, are their party’s representatives in each voting division. Committee people serve as a point of contact between the voters in a division and elected officials and their political party. Committee people are considered party officers – not public officials or government employees. There can be two Democratic committee people and two Republican committee people elected in each voting division.

WHAT DOES A COMMITTEE PERSON DO?:

If you are a committee person, your responsibilities could include, but are not limited to:

• Attend your Ward Executive Committee meetings and elect your ward leader.
• Head a voter registration drive in your neighborhood.
• Circulate nomination petitions for your party’s candidates.
• Give voters information about an upcoming election so that they know where to vote and who is on the ballot.
• Work with block captains and other neighbors to help solve problems in your division.
• Get out the vote on Election Day.
• Hand out campaign literature at your polling place.
• Arrange rides to the polls for voters who are unable to walk or drive themselves.

The process was simple and a great way to meet my neighbors. On a snowy day in February, I collected the needed petition signatures to put my name on the ballot. Philadelphia requires 10 signatures, I made sure I had 15 to buffer any challenge to my candidacy. Once the petitions were notarized, I was on the ballot for the primary election. On election day, I spent most of the day handing out literature, thanking people for voting and hugging neighbors who were delighted to discover that I was running for an elected position. The highlight, besides winning, happened as I thanked a voter as he was leaving, he turned back and informed me that he just voted for me. What a powerful moment of clarity as I realized the trust this person placed in my role as a committee woman. I’ll hold that moment close as I go forward in this new role.

In the week since the election, I’ve taken time to reflect on this endeavor and my commitment to this position. In this role, I would rather be known as an advocate working for the benefit my constituents and my community than a politician.

The process of becoming a committee person was quite easy and a great way to connect in a meaningful way with your community. If I can do this, so can you!

I was not alone in winning a committee seat last week. Congratulations to the following conservative committee people:
PACC MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS:

Christian Callahan
Sean Carpenter
Tania Ciolko
Kathy Hartman
Paul Linkmeyer
Marian McGrath
Cathy McNamara
Paula Stiles
Cynthia White

COALITION FOR ADVANCING FREEDOM:

Jamie C. Cox
John Emmons
Donna Ellingsen
Gwen F. Galligan
David T. Galligan
Harry L. Cochran III
Jane G. Ladley
Susan Hancock
D. William Hovis
William Spicher

Pennsylvania State Committee People:

Kevin Kelly
Joe De Felice

S.O.S:

The old warship has been part of Philadelphia’s waterfront for 50 years and left lasting impressions on thousands of visitors who heard gripping stories of its role in the Spanish-American War.

Now the Olympia – the last surviving vessel from that 1898 conflict – could face an ignoble end as an artificial reef off Cape May if a new benefactor cannot be found.

The Independence Seaport Museum and the Navy have already checked with officials of New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program on the possibility of sinking the ship, once a source of national pride.

“Another option would be scrapping Olympia,” said James McLane, interim president of the museum, which owns the ship and is adjacent to it at Penn’s Landing. “But the Navy has told us that ‘reefing’ is better because it would allow divers to go down on it and would preserve Olympia.”

The museum can no longer afford the ship’s upkeep, McLane said. At least $20 million is needed to tow, restore, interpret, and endow the deteriorating vessel.

You can help save this iconic ship. Click HERE for more details.

Jane Canavah of Pro English explains HR 2499 and why our ‘representatives’ should vote no on this proposed legislation:

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121