Washington State Republican Convention

Coming to you from Spokane...I just checked in for the state convention. Rumor has it that Ron Paul's folks are planning something big and judging by all the "Ron Paul Revolution" marked cars I saw on my way here from the western half of the state I'd say we're in for a rolicking ride.

Don't get me wrong...some of Ron Paul's ideas aren't far from my own. I consider myself pro-life, tough on illegal immigration, (and it is illegal not undocumented), adamant about the individual right to bear arms protected under the Second Amendment, and a few other areas, but the isolationist anti-war position Paul takes I believe is completely unrealistic in the current "world community" we live in.

I heard Senator McCain today on Michael Medved's show. It was a fairly planned interview I think as Michael appeared to have set questions and there seemed to be an allotted time for the interview that allowed the Senator to give detailed, yet brief answers. McCain has it right on two extremely important topics; judges and the war.

I became politically active after 9/11 when I realized how vulnerable we were as a nation and how much people want to kill us. As I held my baby daughter in my bed and watched the World Trade Towers crumble I vowed to her and my other daughters that I would do what I could to assure they did not grow up in a world where they had to fear leaving the house, going to school, or any other public place, at least in our own country. Senator McCain understands the threat we face in this area and I believe is adamant about fighting this threat to ensure that this country continues to be the land of the free.

He has it right on judges too. One of the few places a President can really impact social policies in this country is to appoint judges that lean one way or another. I don't mean Republican or Democratic, although that might have something to do with it in the end, but I mean their judicial philosophy. There are judges who look at the facts before them, decide what a fair outcome would be, then tailor their opinion using existing law, no matter how loosely it fits the facts at hand, and crafts an opinion that tries to connect the law to the facts so that the desired outcome is met. This is judicial activism, or as some call it, "legislating from the bench."

Other judges, recognize their job is to review the facts, then the law, make a secure fit, and declare, (in the case of the Supreme Court), whether or not the issue at hand is Constitutional or not. They don't try to make it fit....Justices Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Roberts are our current Supreme Court Justices that fit this mold, and if you read the Constitution you will find that this model is what the framers and ratifiers of the Constitution had in mind.

As Republicans, we are all here together to nominate our State's nominees for office, and we should be putting our differences away to support the presumptive nominee for President, Senator John McCain. Do I agree with him on everything? Absolutely not. But I can see where our values meet and travel down the same road, and as a conservative within the party, I look forward to communicating with him and his staff to remind him of what conservatives stand for, and to ask him for support.

He's our nominee folks. I appreciate all the enthusiasm that comes from other corners, but please don't disrupt the business we are all here to do.

Memorial Day

Apologies for the absence. My mother was in the hospital and she, thankfully, has returned home in better health than she enjoyed before. The experience, however, for those of you that haven't gone through this kind of thing, leaves you exhausted, and behind.

This Memorial Day I planned nothing special. Laundry. It's been a while since I had done any for myself, did I mention I fell behind on everything recently? My nineteen year old daughter surprised us all with a family movie afternoon and chose, for this Memorial Day, Top Gun for our viewing pleasure.

Some background here....I met and was dating my husband during the time when this movie was released. He was not a Naval Aviator, but a Naval Submariner, and I remember the pride of our forces and especially of our sailors ran very high in those days. I could not help but watch this movie today and remember, again with pride, the service my husband and those like him have given so selflessly to this country. The movie definitely showed some of the best of the Navy during that time, all adventure, confidence and well, nice looking guys in white uniforms? I digress....

I meet young military men and women today and am still filled with that sense of pride and thanks and want them all to know how grateful I am to them for the job they do that helps me and my family be safe at home. I know the anti-war gang out there would like us to believe that any terror threat is so attenuated for us here in the homeland that we don't need to be fighting anyone abroad....such naivetee will be the death of us all.

My father-in-law served in WWII in the Navy, as well as my uncle, who served as a Naval Officer in the Pacific. My dad was in the Coast Guard here in the Puget Sound region. I have had sons-in-law in the Air Force and a daughter who continues to show interest in serving today, with a war in full swing, and our future uncertain with respect to the threats we face from Radical Islam would-be martyrs. I look forward to the day that I return to Arlington to visit my father-in-law's place of rest, and to give my thanks to all of those who rest around him.

So, remember them today, and every day, with thanks and gratitude, because without these brave young men and women we would have no new individuals to remember in future Memorial Days and our country would face great peril. It is not that we want to have more young people die in service, but it is clear to me, that freedom can only be preserved with the occasional spilling of blood. It is with wonder I see generation after generation continue to turn out young men and women eager to serve, and I think it says a lot for our country, its values traditions and principles, that serves as the foundation for these young people to make such a decision to serve.

And hey, watching Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer play volleyball ain't all bad either...

Pope Benedict's historic visit

I am not a member of the Catholic church. I do wonder, sometimes, if perhaps I should be, as I often agree with its teachings and practice them far more diligently than some Catholics I have known, but that aside, I am watching Pope Benedict at a special blessing service for disabled youth in New York at St. Joseph's Seminary, and I find myself moved beyond words to accurately convey my feelings. I will, however, try to share some of them...

I am the mother of a disabled child, and the Pope's message of a valued and important life no matter what, is so lost on many, and yet cherished by some, who like me, see that value and importance every single day. I remember when my daughter was hospitalized at a Children's Hospital for a week after her birth. Her disability had been diagnosed but along with that came a cardiac defect and immature lungs that required oxygen support until her lungs matured so that she could come home with heart medication to stabilize her until she needed surgery, or outgrew the defect. (It could possibly repair itself as she grew.) There was a pump room on the infant ward so that breastfeeding mothers could use to pump milk for their hospitalized babies, and I became aware of a mother who was pumping milk for her infant son, who had another form of a genetic defect, but one that does not allow the child to live outside of the mother for more than a few days.

I sat in the next room and could hear her speaking to the nurse about her fear, her questions, her wondering why did this happen to her and her baby? The nurse had words of comfort and did her best to console this woman in her odd circumstances of working to use her body to feed a child she knew she would have to say good-bye to within the next few days.

The answer to her questions? God. I too asked similar questions at times, but I knew from the moment I received the news from my doctor that my daughter had Down Syndrome, that there was a reason this child was given to us. Our first reaction was to love her, and get her the very best medical care possible to stabilize her physical needs. In her 17 years we have celebrated the smallest of accomplishments, focused on these small gains and pushed aside the greater problems that we cannot control. We have learned patience. Not enough of it sometimes, but we have still gained far more than we probably would have if it had not been for this beautiful child.

We do not know the reasons for a child entering this world who leaves so shortly thereafter that he or she has not "accomplished" anything conventional in his or her short life. But, think of the inpact that child's short life, his or her birth, and death, have had on those around him. These are the lessons learned, the purpose for his or her birth, absolutely. God is the source, the strength, and the light to shine the way for our learning these lessons to better our lives and live them with greater meaning.

God Bless Pope Benedict, and may he have a safe journey home.

A Good Friday message

With all of the turmoil in the world and the various hardships that some of us face it can be hard to remember the big picture. On this Good Friday I hope that everyone can take a moment to remember the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf and ponder what it means for us.

Falling behind on a mortgage, losing a job, devaluation of a stock portfolio, lack of food for our family...these struggles can consume us, engulf us, and send us into a state of despair. By remembering what God sent us in the gift of his son, and Jesus's sacrifice so that we may have eternal life with the Father, is the antidote for this despair and the salvation we seek.

Not everyone that reads this may be a Christian so I know that there are different points of view on what I write, but being that this is Good Friday it is an important day in Christian lives, and I am compelled to share my thoughts. Be thankful, be open to the message and the miracles, and with faith in Him, all things are possible. Cast off the doubt of tomorrow and use the gifts God gave you to better yourself and the lives of your family, for today, we celebrate the gift of all gifts, the sacrifice that changed the world. God Bless.

Thanks Eliot...

Eliot Spitzer. Wow. I am constantly amazed at the hypocrisy of public officials who institute policy for the rest of us, and continue to do whatever they want, whenver they want. People can make mistakes, heaven knows we're all imperfect. But, when a former Attorney General and current Governor allegedly hooks himself up (did I say that?) with a prositution ring it's just absolute stupidity and narcissism that has to be behind such acts. I sit here and look at his beautiful wife on tv and hope she is strong enough to go through this, protect her daughters where she can, and if she desires, take him for everything he's got. People that do these things do not learn unless they're hurt, and my suspicions are that Mr. Spitzer has enjoyed being on top (did I say that too?) for too long and thought he was untouchable by his family and the law.

Prove him wrong. Press forward. Do not look at this as just "a personal matter." It wasn't when Bill did it and it isn't here, because it gives us a peek at his psyche, how he understands himself in the real world, and Eliot sees himself as above everyone else. Shall we wait for a sexual addiction defense to his actions? Oh, now his public statement states he doesn't think politics is about individuals but policies...who carries out the policies? People do, and if you can't trust them, if they have no personal integrity, politics is just a sham and we the people should no longer trust the office or the processes that place people in those offices.

'Tis the political season folks...stand by for more.

Special Olympics victory!

Just a plug for my daughter's Special Olympics basketball team who won the gold medal in Wenatchee at the State Games March 2. It was a fabulous event and the team was pumped and unstoppable! I urge all of you to look into supporting your local Special Olympics program as this is a fantastic program for disabled athletes to be able to compete, stay active, and achieve personal and team goals they would not otherwise be able to even participate in.

Go Bainbridge Island Golden Eagles!

McCain's In....

Tonight I watch as my party is handed its nominee for President by Ohio, Vermont, Texas and Rhode Island. John...practice losing the teleprompter. Huckabee's off the cuff verbal skills nearly killed you tonight when comparing his concession speech to your acceptance. It's not the words, your speechwriters are top notch, it's the looking at the teleprompter. Even George has managed to get away from that after 8 years, your years in the Senate I would have hoped had prepared you for this.

It's important because you have conservatives to convince, and liberals to defeat, and knowing what's in your heart is crucial to our understanding about how you will lead. You said the right things tonight, you're humble, thankful, and understand that you're not destined to lead, (as someone on the other side of the fence might think she is....) but I just hope you can tell me that without me being so keenly aware you're reading it to me, and not just telling me what's deep in your soul.

So, is Obamamamaman finally starting to slip? Is the polish being peeled away so we can see the layers underneath? I've got to tell you, Hillary scares me, but Barack's hope is far more frightening because, well, it doesn't seem to be based on anything! So, let her have her victory, their war is becoming far more fun to watch at this point anyway.

I will be back soon, sorry so brief this evening, but I am trying to recover from the plague that has hit the country. I'll be back soon, in fighting spirit, and hope to see you all again soon!