Regarding the 9-11 memorial suggested by our lovely secretary

Hey everyone it's Jen from the AQ Republicans:

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to our first meeting, it was a wonderful turnout and I know we are all very excited to kick the year off!!

I also wanted to let everyone know something else. I always do something for September 11th because it deeply impacted me and in years previous to my holding the vigil AQ didn't really do a whole lot to remember that fateful day. However, this year the college is really stepping it up and are doing a few things to remember 9/11 (Monday). There is a prayer at 9pm in the chapel which I encourage you all to go to and they are showing Flight 93 in the Moose at 10:30pm. I don't want to discourage anyone from going to either of those two events because they are both doing what I do every year (a vigil and then watching a film to remember the day) so therefore I am not holding my own candlelight vigil. As long as the AQ campus has some way to remember 9/11 that is all that matters. I encourage you to go to the prayer and to the Moose for the film.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will keep you posted on upcoming events!

Jen

ABC will also be airing "The Road to 911" on the 10th (tomarrow) and the 11th. Should be factually more accurate than "Ferenheight 9-11." (Though the creator has specifically said he doesn't want his film regarded as just a conservative version of Moore's "film." (Quotes added by webmistress.))


So yeah, show up for what you can, and even if you can't make any events, please just take a moment to pray, reflect, meditate, what have you. =-)

New School Year

Alright, the AQ GOP had its first meeting of the new academic term today. Discussed volunteer opprotunities and the like. And I swear I'll maintain the darn page this semester. =-P I might expand this into a full-out page in Google Pages, but this'll do for now.

For anyone interested in going to the Right to Life march this January, I'll have info on that as soon as I can.

Any ideas for the year, contact ye ol' presidente, Josh F.

Subscribing to the blog is open to all (there's also an atom feed, if your browser supports it,) but to contribute you need to be listed as a contributer. Let the webmistress know and she will add your Aquinas e-mail address. (Posting a comment on this entry will suffice.)

Take care, all!

Stop Planned Parenthood Tax Funding -- a project of American Life League

Stop Planned Parenthood Tax Funding -- a project of American Life League

A Friendly Reminder

Our meeting on Wednesday at 12:30 will be taking place upstairs in the Moose Cafe (in
between Regina and Jarecki for those who do not know). Show up with
ideas for events that we can host this year and an open mind. We are
looking forward to seeing everyone there!

(Cut-pasted and edited from a club e-mail, because the webmistress is lazy. =-P)

Volunteer Oppurtunities!

First, sorry about the short notice on everything so far, but its the first week and things have been hectic. The Kent County Republicans are conducting a poll tommorrow and Wednesday and need volunteers! Contact Marla Kloosterhouse 560-6423 for more details. If anyone is interested in a Treasurer position or Assistant Secretary for the club, please email me. millemic@aquinas.edu

Hear ye hear ye!

Our first meeting is officially going to be held UPSTAIRS in the Moose Cafe Sept. 7th (Wed) at 12:30 PM. I need all officers to contact me IMMEDIATELY and tell me who are etc... It seems I never got that somewhat important information. :-P We will have pizza and pop, but feel free to bring munchies to share with everyone too. ^_^-"Because sharing is good" We're going to discuss our plans for this year, set up a schedule, hand out T-shirts and discuss some events that are taking place in the immediate future. Oh yes, we'll be eating pizza too. ;-) All are welcome to join, but only registered members get T-shirts. Sorry.

If you want to make sure you get all the e-mails and T-shirts you MUST sign up! Either send me an email declaring your intention to join the club (millemic@aquians.edu) or be at our table on Clubs and Organizations day SEPTEMBER 1ST and sign up there.

Also, I recieved the following letter and wondered if anyone is interested:

Hello Michael My name is Linnea Vincent and I am with Jerry Zandstra for U.S.
Senate Committee. I am looking for volunteers to assist at the Mackinac
Bienial Republican Leadership Conference. The conference is on Mackinac
Island. We have motorcoaches which will be going up on Friday and on Saturday
and returning in the evenings. We are contacting young Republican clubs at
local colleges (Calvin, Hope, Grand Valley, Aquinas, Cornorstone etc.) to
muster a large group. Basically, we would need people to hand out
information, to know where things are and to be visible in a Zandstra T-shirt.
I have more information if you would like it, and please feel free to visit
our website www.jerryzandstra.com or call the office 616.726.6699 if you have
any other needs. Thank you in advance! Linnea
Vincent
Zandstra for U.S. Senate
-----------------------------------------------------------
|Paid for by the Zandstra for U.S. Senate Committee |
|6670 Kalamazoo Ave SE. Suite E-160 Grand Rapids, MI 49508|
-----------------------------------------------------------

I assume that most of you would love to take this oppurtunity to goto Mackinac so if anyone is seriously interested just let me know and I'll try to get as many tickets as possible for those interested. To make it fair it is 1st come 1st serve. So if you are checking the blog daily your chances of being the first responder are much better. ;-)

Finally, we're going to need at least 1 person to run the booth on Club and Orgs day from 1:15-3:00 because the rest of us have class and Heaven forbid I miss another exciting Humanities class. Anyone who has some time on their hands and wants to help the club grow this year can volunteer. Once again, just email me and give me a heads up. If you're not sure, feel free to drop in and relieve someone occassionally.

Our advisor for this year is once again, Woody Hoover, a very inspiring and well-rounded guy I must say. If anyone else is interested in becoming a moderator for the blog, email me.

For those of you who don't get along with modern technology, feel free to call me at ext 1786 or 616-632-1786 from off campus. Feel free to call or even stop by my room, Hruby Hall 225 (call ahead if you don't live here, this place is like the pentagon of Aquinas and has an extensive lock system).

UPDATE: Ok, I know Farmfest is tommorrow, but I finally got ahold of someone who can get us some free tickets (assuming you also would like to volunteer while you are there). I know at least one person still wants to go but if anyone else is interested they have to contact me ASAP!

More Events!

7th Annual Hardiman Family Picnic Senator Bill & Clova Hardiman invite you and your family to the 7th Annual Hardiman Family Picnic. The event will take place on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 from 6:00-9:00 pm at Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center. For advanced tickets & sponsorship opportunities, contact John Helmholdt at 616-235-9380 x14 or helmholdt@jonesgavan.com.

Pachyderm Statewide Candidate Forum The Kent County Republican Pachyderms and their underwriters, with Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land as emcee, invite you to participate in their Statewide Candidate Forum. The event will take place Tuesday, September 13, 2005 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Cascade Country Club (3725 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids). Tickets are $50 per person which includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Gubernatorial candidates Nancy Cassis, Dick DeVos and Jack Hoogendyk along with US Senate candidate Jerry Zandstra will be in attendance for discussion and questions. If you have any questions, or wish to RSVP please contact Marilew Helmers at 616-459-0141 or mhelmers@kentgop.org. Please RSVP by Friday, September 9, 2005 at 12:00pm.

KCRC Hall of Fame Fundraiser - Bo Schembechler and Tom Osborne The Kent County Republican Committee will hold our annual Fall Fundraiser on Monday, September 19, 2005 at Heroes Bar & Grill (2510 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids). The evening will feature former University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler and former University of Nebraska football coach Congressman Tom Osborne (R-NE). There will be a Private Reception from 5-6 p.m. Tickets are $250 per person and include a photo with both guests, an authentic NCAA autographed football, hors d'oeuvres, and drinks. The General Reception is from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. There will be hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Contact Brian Pierce at 459-0141 or bpierce@kentgop.org for questions or registration.

Yeah, unfortunately a few of these are obviously out of the price range of college students. I am trying to score some free tickets to Farm Fest and if anyone else is interested in the other events let me know and I'll see if I can get more tickets for those as well.

Also, everyone be sure to sign up for the club September 1st at Clubs and Organizations day! That way you can get all the emails and information you'll need. We are hoping to have our first meeting on Wednesday, September 7th somewhere from 12-1 upstairs at the Moose, but thats still pending approval. Pizza will be provided! ^_^ Suggestions for toppings and drink flavors is welcome.

For those of you looking for something political to do...

New Office Open House: Please come and celebrate our new office (264 Leonard St. NW) with us on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at 5:00 pm. We will be joined by Michigan Republican Chairman Saul Anuzis, Senators Wayne Kuipers and Ken Sikkema, and Representatives Dave Hildenbrand, Kevin Green, Jerry Kooiman, Tom Pearce, Glenn Steil Jr., and William Van Regenmorter. It will be a great opportunity to meet and talk with your Senators and Representatives, and enjoy the company of your fellow Republicans! Food and beverage will be provided. Please RSVP to Brian Pierce by Friday, August 19, 2005 at 616-459-0141 or bpierce@kentgop.org.

Precinct Delegate Picnic: Join Kent County’s Precinct Delegates and their families for great food, fun, and fellowship on Thursday, August 25, 2005 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. It will be a great time to get to know the Precinct Delegates from your area, as well as their families. There will be a welcoming committee of Kent County Republican Committee members, including Co-Chairs Libby Child & Scott Greenlee, former KCRC Chairman and current Michigan Republican State Committee Secretary Hank Fuhs. The event will take place at Susan & Karl Hascall’s Stoney Creek Ranch (5300 Michigan Ave. NE) in Ada, Michigan. Please RSVP by Friday, August 19, 2005 to Brian Pierce at 616-459-0141 or bpierce@kentgop.org. We look forward to seeing you there!

4th Annual Michigan GOP Farm Fest: On Saturday, August 27 the 4th Annual Michigan GOP Farm Fest will be held at Karl and Susan Hascall's Stoney Creek Ranch (5300 Michigan St. NE) in Ada, Michigan. It will be a fun family event Co-Chaired by Dick DeVos and Dick Posthumus, with plenty of fun, food, and entertainment! The event will run from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Tickets are $35/person, $50/couple, and kids under 18 are free. Sponsorships are also available for $500. Please contact Marla Kloosterhouse, Political Director at 616-459-0141 or politicaldirector@kentgop.org to buy your tickets now!!!

Annonymous Comments

OK, the only time anyone seems to comment on here is annonymously. I, however, am a fan of taking ownership and responsibility for what you say. Accordingly, and to dissuade at least some bizzare comments with bunches of letters that don't even make sense, (I would hope you wouln't go through all the trouble of creating an account just to be a cheese-head in one single comment on one single blog,) I am disabling annonymous comments. You will have to register and be logged in in order to post comments here. I hope this will not cause any major problems, but I feel people have the right to know who they are talking to.

Take care and God bless!

Bomb Mecca? Now who's the extremist? *Scolding within*

Taken from: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-7-2005_pg1_8

Congressman says bomb Mecca if US attacked

WASHINGTON: A Republican congressman said in a radio interview aired by a Florida station that if a multiple-city attack happened in the United States in the next 90 days, as predicted by an Israeli expert, and was found to be the work of extremist Muslims, then “we should take out their holy sites.” Congressman Thomas G Tancredo, Republican from Colorado, was being interviewed by AM 540 WFLA radio host Pat Campbell, who asked him what the response of the United States should be were terrorist attacks on US cities to take place and were attributable to extremist Muslims. The Congressman replied, “ ... then we could take out their holy sites.” Asked if that meant Mecca, Tancredo answered, “Yes.” khalid hasan

===============================================

Tsk tsk. This guy sounds more like a Libertarian with that kind of talk. See, its the extremist additudes like that which started this whole mess. The whole aim of terrorists is to do exactly what this misguided Congressman would like to do: Fan the flames of war! No Mr. Tancredo, thats not the way to win this war. That is just STUPID. Now I have my opinions about how Islam is not a religion of peace and love per say, but there are plenty of Muslims in the world who are peaceful and loving enough. Bombing a terrorist camp is a lot different than bombing Mecca! Bombing Saudi Arabia would be less offensive than bombing Mecca! You would enrage all of the Muslims in the entire world doing that! I know if somebody bombed the Vatican, I'd be devastated and I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep my tempers from flaring. However, the Muslim faith has far less reservations about revenge and warfare in general than Christianity does, so you're just asking for trouble there.

Oh boy. How is this guy in elected office when he is so ignorant? I'm ashamed he's in my party to be honest, which is why I'm writing out against him. This isn't what the GOP or Americans or anybody should be representing! The only way to snub terrorism is to either kill the terrorists (since they don't seem to mind dying for their cause) or change their minds by sending a strong message that the real enemy is the hate within them. Mr. Tancredo, you are NOT sending that message. We already WERE attacked 4 years ago if you recall and we did not lash out against the innocent with nuclear warfare as many of us felt like doing at the time. President Bush kept a clear head (although he also was quoted as saying, "I wanna kick some @$$") and went after Bin Laden and his cronies with restrained force (although I still think frying Torra Borra would have solved a few problems...). And why, Mr. Congressman, are you in Florida bantering on about what the President should do like you're some sort of spokesman? Go back to Colorado, shut up, sit down, make laws that will help people and get to work!

There, now thats out of my system I'm going to do the laundry. ^_^ -Mike

If you oppose Granholm you are guilty of treason...so says Granholm, Emperor of Michigan

Usually I try to critique people on a higher level, but our governor is just being stupid in this case.

Taken from: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110006960


Of Taxes and 'Treason'
Michigan's governor explodes after reading The Wall Street Journal.

Thursday, July 14, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

Never say we aren't willing to help an editorial subject in distress, and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm clearly needs some friendly advice.

Last month the state legislature buried the Democratic Governor's top legislative priority, a grandiose proposal to raise taxes on insurance companies, banks and thousands of small businesses that private studies said would have cost up to 20,000 jobs. Ms. Granholm's plan was widely criticized, including in these columns in March and in an op-ed article on the opposite page last Thursday by state legislator Rick Baxter, a Republican, and Hillsdale College Professor Gary Wolfram.

Ms. Granholm was not pleased, going so far as to denounce the op-ed as "treasonous for the state of Michigan." The authors' high crime? Exposing Michigan as a high tax state and criticizing Ms. Granholm for wanting to raise taxes. Her choice of words was no inadvertent slip of the tongue, by the way--a Howard Dean-like temporary loss of sanity. The Governor has used the "t" word repeatedly and has even suggested that Mr. Baxter "should be removed from office."

Well, we recall that the first time an American was accused of "treason" for opposing high taxes was when New Englanders dressed as Indians and dumped tea in Boston Harbor. And it was America's most famous tax protester, Patrick Henry, who declared: "If this be treason, make the most of it." Ms. Granholm was born in Canada so maybe she missed this American history.

Sorry to say, the facts laid out in Messrs. Baxter and Wolfram's column and in our previous editorial are well-established. When it comes to high taxes, the Wolverine State ranks fifth both in per-capita terms and as a share of personal income. Michigan also has the nation's highest unemployment rate. There is no shortage of studies that have linked these two phenomena.

More troubling about Ms. Granholm's recent combustion is that she seems to believe that the problem is that the rest of the world will find out about Michigan's high taxes, not the high taxes themselves. But Michigan's inhospitable tax climate is hardly a state secret, especially to the state residents and businesses who have to endure it.

Not so long ago, Ms. Granholm was regarded as the rising star of the Democratic Party--innovative, articulate, and attractive--and some even talked of changing the Constitution so she could run for President (perhaps against Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger). But her latest public approval ratings have hit the skids while her legislative agenda lies in shambles. She's now off to Japan in a quest to "bring jobs and businesses to Michigan," and her latest complaint is that her task has been undermined by a global business newspaper--The Wall Street Journal--"bad-mouthing the state."

Let us be clear: No one would like to see a robust economic recovery in Michigan more than we would. If Governor Granholm were selling a message of cutting taxes, not raising them, her job would be a lot easier and she'd be in a lot less agitated state of mind.
====================


Yeah so watch out everybody. They're going to start hauling off Michigan's Republicans to Guantanamo pretty soon. :-P (You traitors!)

Seriously though, its dissapointing and worrisome to see so many people in leadership jump the gun and get all hysterical about common issues like this. (Yes, this is not just limited to the Democrats unfortunately. Arnie has his problems to a certain degree. Girly men? Sorry Governator, thats just too corny for politics.) Michigan's issues are no laughing matter, but they certainly don't warrant defining divided opinion as rebellion against the government. What they SHOULD warrant is genuine concern for those in disagreement, because obviously not everyone's voice is being taken into account.

Don't ignore your citizens Gov. Granholm! They are trying to tell you something!

On a side note, I still haven't gotten a reply to all those letters I keep sending her. Hmmm...

An important time of change!

As you all may be aware, I'm a huge Star Wars nut. You know how Anakin was made a Jedi to bring balance to the force? Well, the Reagan administration had a similar experience. They appointed a judge who they believed was on strong moral ground and would restore the value of our Constitutional and Humane right to life. Sadly, that judge turned to the Dark Side and abandoned the cause. But now is a time for a New Hope!

Yes, no pussyfooting around it, the resignation of Sandra Day O'Connor leaves the almost evenly split Supreme Court open for someone who can tip the scales! The Republicans have lists of names and the Democrats have lists of rebuttles. There is sure to be a lot of arguing before anything even happens. However, for those of you who feel as strongly as I do that this issue goes deeper than politics I urge you to join me and other Pro-lifers in prayer for those who are really depending on a change of face during this time of transition. As the issue is re-open, we should use this as a time to show others our appreciation for life (and make them realize that they too already have a value for life that they just don't fully understand yet) rather than further divide ourselves on the issue. Sometimes in our world, having a life is mistaken for having life.

The unborn, unwed mothers, families living paycheck to paycheck, those who have been abused, and those who have been abandoned are the ones who must live with the consequences of Americans who struggle between putting value on life and value on their lifestyles. It is very important for us as active members of the Republican party to be aware and vocal of the political ramifications of possible nominations and be ready to defend Bush's choice, but we do not go forward to blindly praise the appointed. I think you'll agree, we can see it coming a mile away. We must be aware of the real reasons of our cause and why we will stand by Bush's choice. There are times when we must step back from partisanism and look at the core of our values. We will support President George W. Bush's nominee not just because he said so, but because we know that he shares our concern for the value of life. He has done so much more to support the value of life in America than any other President. John Kerry certainly wouldn't have put "rights for the unborn" at the top of his priorities if he was President right now and had to choose a new Justice. Thank God that is not the case.

Still, its important that we pray for the President, because there are still a lot of other important deciding factors to be made that will have a resounding affect on American laws possibly for decades to come. Illegalizing abortion alone will not stop the suffering completley. Bringing the truth to light in the public eye is the only way to improve the American culture. There are no garuntees except with God. So during this time I hope we can come together, pray because we are thankful for this time of hope, that God's will be done, and so that all may come to understand the value of life in all of its forms.

I will leave you with this final thought, passed onto me by my good friend and brother in Christ, Dominic M.

Take care and God Bless,


AQGOP Pres. Michael N. P. Miller

-----Original Message-----
From: Priests for Life
Sent: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 11:10:03 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Action Alert: Supreme Court Vacancy
July 1, 2005

Dear Friends:
As you may have heard, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has just
resigned her position. Justice O'Connor was frequently the deciding vote in 5-4 decisions. Please pray for Mrs. O'Connor and her family in this difficult time.

With her resignation, a Supreme Court vacancy has been created. We have every
confidence that President Bush will appoint a nominee who will exercise the
restraint necessary to judges to strictly apply the Constitution rather than
write new policies into it. Even so, we know that as you are reading this, the White House is being flooded with calls regarding the vacancy. Even if President Bush is predisposed to nominate a judge who recognizes the many levels on which Roe was wrongly decided, it is extremely difficult for politicians to withstand pressure that is heavily against their inclinations.

How important is this nomination? The Supreme Court is currently divided 6-3 in favor of Roe. This is an opportunity to gain an anti-Roe seat on the Supreme Court and replace Ms. O'Connor with a strict constructionist who will apply the Constitution rather than rewrite it.

That is why I am writing to you now. We need as many pro-lifers as possible to contact the White House about the vacancy. Please call the White House
Comment Line at (202) 456-1111 and tell President Bush that you strongly agree
with his view that Justices on the Court should not write law, but apply it.
You may also contact the President via e-mail at president@whitehouse.gov or by fax at 202-456-2461. Because time is of the essence, it is best to use one or more of these methods of communication, as mail will likely be too late to have a serious impact on the decision. Please also forward this to all of your pro-life friends and relatives. Any given call could mean the difference between protecting women and children in three years and not protecting them for decades to come.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director,
Priests for Life

Let's liven things up!

Alrighty, it's summer, but that doesn't mean this blog has to go into hibernation until August.

So what is your take on the Supreme Court vacancy? Who do you think President Bush should nominate? Why? Anything else on the issue you would like to say?


***
Also, if you have any articles you would like to contribute, post, or whatever, let Mike (President) or I, (Janet, the webmistress) know and one of us can either post it ourselves or give you moderator access. You don't HAVE to have a Blogger account, I don't think, but it would probably make things easier if you do.

BillOReilly.com: Bill's Current Column

BillOReilly.com: Bill's Current Column


This is in referance to the column from the week including 6/20/05. Because the URL is simply/currentarticle, if you are viewing this entry later, it will obviously be a different article. Do any of our reader(s) think Dean is going too far? What about the comparisons O'Reily makes with some of the idiots on our own side? (Yeah, I said idiots. Deal.)

Comments welcome.