Tom Garcia, America’s Most Needed Man in Congress

Florida is set to deliver a number of true conservatives to Congress and to take back two, three or even more seats from the Democrats. If Republicans regain the House, as we are poised to do, Florida will have a key role in that effort. But of all our great candidates, not only in Florida, but anywhere in the nation, Tom Garcia in the crucial FL-24 race stands out above the crowd.

Commander Tom Garcia is a rare mix of character, integrity, brashness and common sense. His election stands to improve America’s national security and economic wellbeing more than any other congressional race.

His biography says it all. As a naval officer, Tom Garcia won a presidential medal for developing a plan to save the US Navy millions of dollars while increasing safety in motion. The plan he put forward is estimated to have helped save numerous lives as well, by increasing training safety.

Garcia has specialized in the simulation industry, key to aircraft development. This is especially important to the renewal of Central Florida’s economy. If elected, Garcia would be the only member of Congress with experience in growing this developing industry.

American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration

Garcia is also the Democrats’ worst nightmare, an American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration. In fact, the day after the Arizona law was announced and before any other candidate had gone on record, CDR Garcia became the first candidate in the nation to advocate for a similar national initiative in all 50 states.

Moreover, unlike new converts to the cause of protecting our national resources, Tom Garcia has always been a steadfast opponent of illegal immigration. That’s because he treasures and values citizenship in this nation.

Tom Garcia is also the only federal candidate to back comprehensive shoreline surveillance, monitoring our shores with computerized imaging, just as we should be monitoring our borders. The Intelligence Community has long maintained that our shores are our frontline in keeping the nation safe from terror. Such a program would also prevent illegal immigration, as our shores are far more porous than our borders, without jeopardizing the privacy of Americans in the process.

Every elected official in the nation should be advocating for shoreline surveillance. It’s key to protecting our nation and is non-intrusive. Yet my campaign is the only one on the state level that’s been advocating for this most needed program and Tom Garcia’s campaign is the only one in the nation advocating for it on the federal level. That, in and of itself, is a crying shame, but it shows the need to rally behind his candidacy.

I’ve worked with many great candidates and brilliant conservative leaders. What I saw in the actions of Tom Garcia was unparalleled by all.

Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief

On the night of the Haitian earthquake this past January, I was talking with Commander Garcia as we put together a Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief. He inquired as to what was the most pressing need of survivors. After he shared his experiences in disaster relief, we decided that water purification was probably most important. He said that he knew a specialist in his district. But what he did next was a shock even to me.

In middle of the night and mere hours after the earthquake had struck, when a flight plan could only be submitted in America and without the ability for Haiti to receive it (making landing in Port-au-Prince a huge safety risk), Tom Garcia filled up a plane with water purification equipment and flew to Haiti. He knew full well that there may be reverberations after such a massive earthquake, making an already risky adventure all the more fraught with danger.

In Haiti, he purified water, worked to save lives of injured Haitians, and at one point Commander Garcia single-handedly restored power to a three room makeshift emergency clinic, using nothing more than four car batteries and some wire.

Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution

Most importantly, Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution. He’s an innovative economic leader with a focus on jobs creation and he’s not afraid to call a spade a spade and a bad idea a Democrat one. In short, he’s the type of man who we need in Congress.

Garcia is seen as head and shoulders above the entire field. Key to this is his innate humility. As long as he can keep it, he will accomplish great things for America. And everything in his commendable military background says that this Naval Officer, son of an Air Force Officer will stick to his values and his modest, yet always forthright and ruggedly honest nature.

Commander Garcia’s website is TomGarciaforCongress.com. His plans may be of little interests to lobbyists who can’t see the need for their own safety and their role in the national economic wellbeing above their own shortsighted self interests. But that should be of no concern to voters.

Simply put, voters in FL-24 need to rally behind Tom Garcia. He needs to be our party’s nominee, not only to ensure a new and dynamic Republican Party, but moreover, to ensure the economic wellbeing and safety of our nation.

Offshore Drilling and Our Future vs. Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist has called for a special session to ban offshore drilling. Many right thinking people see this pure politicization of an issue that should be handled with common sense, but are loathe to speak out for fear of a public backlash.

Leadership is now needed on a key economic and security issue. It is the job of our state leaders to educate the public, not to kowtow to prevailing, but harmful, doctrines.

Taking a correct stand on this issue makes political sense too. We will not win seats by ignoring the issue and allowing Charlie Crist and the rest of the left to play it up. Doing so only makes us look callous in hindsight. Republicans will invariably be hit as the party of drilling regardless of what we do. The question is only whether we will allow the callous left to define the issue.

The Republican Party stands for jobs, the economy and national security. Drilling is an important part of all three. So we can take blame for having done the right thing, or we can infuse the public with common sense and rightly own the issue. The choice is ours.

The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is

We will not win over votes by going along with Crist’s latest PR stunt. We will, however, gain crossover votes and take control of the issue if we simply present the facts:

• The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is.Federal authorities didn’t just order the State of Louisiana to halt measures designed to protect its coast. They also refused dozens of Florida ships that volunteered to assist in cleaning up the spill. They could have capped the hole a long time ago. Tent pitching, throwing golf balls and doing everything short of lowering Al Gore into the hole to scare it into submission were all gross examples of ineptitude and nothing more. We have the means to deal with spills far better than we did in this case.
• We are the only continent on the globe that has oil and that hasn’t increased drilling since 2002. I have yet to see a study that shows drilling off the coast of Brazil or in the sands of Saudi Arabia to be more environmentally sound than drilling here.
• Preventing drilling off our shores is a misnomer. We can debate all day long whether or not to drill a few miles into our waters. In the meantime, Chinese, Cuban, Venezuelan and other companies of foreign nationals are drilling the exact same oil from a few miles off of our waters. The only question is whether we will get any benefit from it. Besides, we care far more about our shores and maintaining our environmental resources than the foreign companies drilling right outside of our waters do. So, yes, protect our environment. Let Americans drill our own resources.
• The problem with the BP spill was precisely the fact that it wasn’t offshore drilling. Offshore drilling is easy to monitor and its shallow leaks are easy to plug. Done in unpopulated coastal spaces, it affects no one other than the workers who would find employment were drilling to be allowed.
• Even with regard to deep water drilling, the fact is that after trying everything in the book, even Obama’s people now know how to plug a hole.

Democrats should also be outraged by Charlie’s latest costly stunt. The federal ban ensures that even if Crist gets his way, the Florida one will be nothing more than symbolic. This special session is another waste of money, time and state resources, plain and simple.

I’m willing to let my election rise and fall on this issue. It’s not politically incorrect to speak out when no one does. But it is the definition of politically inept to allow the left to use the issue to score undeserved political points by falsifying and distorting the truth.

Now is a time that we need conservative state legislators more than ever. I ask all interested people to get involved in my campaign and in those of other conservatives on the local level. We can do far more to curb the insanity that is going on than national leaders sometimes can.

The above listed facts speak for themselves. We as a party need only to articulate them.

General McChrystal Vs. General Biden?

When the actions of the federal government directly affect the economic well being of Americans in every state, their quality of life or their national security, it is the job of local leaders to speak up and to propose sound solutions. This is especially true in the face of one of the most out of control administrations that our nation has ever seen, one that has jeopardized both our economy and America’s national security as no administration ever has before.

Yesterday’s actions were especially shocking. Barack Obama summarily dismissed a Four Star General and Commander of US Forces on what is now the central battlefield in the War on Terror. (I know, there is no “War on Terror.” Tell that to the terrorists.)

McChrystal was not dismissed because of any issue regarding his leadership. Indeed, all seem to agree that Gen. McChrysal was a fine commander. What Gen. McChrystal was fired for was (among other actions that only befit an intelligent military commander) his failure to listen to Joe Biden on military strategy.

Again, Barack Obama dismissed 4 Star General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan, for not listening to Joe Biden on military strategy!

General McChrystal was chosen for his position because he speaks his mind, especially when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops. And he was fired for speaking his mind when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops.


In the course of 17 hapless months, the Obama administration has wreaked havoc on our currency by printing trillions of dollars in new currency, it has made America less safe by kowtowing to terrorists, and it has harmed our international standing by propping up leftist brutes like Honduras’ Ernesto Zelaya, after Zelaya’s own party removed him from office.

Simply put, we have left our economy in the hands of Obama, our military in the hands of Joe Biden, and our banking system in the hands of Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. And at this point, something’s got to give.

OUR STATE LEGISLATURES – OUR VOICE

Methods of dissent such as passing a resolution condemning the recklessness of the current administration would not only be appropriate. They are necessary. If the current United States Congress doesn’t see fit to pass such resolutions, then it is the job of state houses to fill the void in national leadership.

State legislators and local leaders must push for resolutions condemning the devastation of our economy, of our security and of our standing at the hands of the hapless Obama administration. And when one state legislature acts, five others will follow suit in a matter of days.

It’s time for Barack Obama to stop worrying about illegal aliens in Arizona and to start worrying about the American people who trusted him to keep them safe. Like many of you reading this, I saw through the smoke and mirrors before he was elected. But many didn’t. They elected him on the hope, change, and prayer that he would steward this country well. None other than Supreme Military Commander Joe Biden attested to his “good judgment” and many believed him. For that alone, he has a responsibility to keep them safe.

Fairness for Sholom Rubashkin

In one of the most moving speeches I’ve ever heard, the son of a man of faith and of exceptional good deeds, relayed how his father was convicted in one of the most surreal cases of prosecutorial overkill, conducted after a media onslaught started by far left groups in the Midwest. The case of Sholom Rubashkin is indeed as shocking as it is outrageous, and hearing from an attorney involved in the case, as well as his son, was a grieving experience that should motivate all who care to action.

Five years ago, PETA, which had all but declared war on Biblically sanctioned meat slaughter (the slaughter of livestock in the manner prescribed in the Book of Leviticus), went on a rampage against Agri Foodprocessors, the nation’s largest Kosher slaughterhouse. The CEO, Sholom Rubashkin, had taken great pains to bring down the price of “kosher,” or Biblically sanctioned meat, so that more people could afford it with ease. Although his efforts were rewarded with tremendous success, he and his family continued to live extremely modestly, with the savings passed on to consumers.

Rubashkin was charged federally and by the State of Iowa with multiple immigration violations. In truth, evidence showed that tens of potential employees were turned away by Rubashkin and his company due to lack of papers. Most of the charges were thrown out, and Rubashkin was acquitted on all of the ones that weren’t.

Virtually simultaneously, prosecutors claimed that a line of credit with a bank was being obtained “fraudulently.” The bank knew the nature of the transactions, was always paid on time until the government shut down the plant over supposed immigration violations (of which Rubashkin was acquitted) and most of all, Rubashkin never profited directly from the line of credit. Yet this was the substance of their case against him.

It gets worse. There’s also an almost 90 year old law on the books whereby purchasers of cattle must pay for livestock within one day of the purchase agreement. This was some arcane Depression Era law that is unknown and never enforced. Rubashkin was tried and convicted for buying cattle and paying for them a few days later. It is the only known case since the statute’s writing where that statute has ever been prosecuted.

In short, what emerged is one of the most unfair cases of overkill that commenced after pressure from activist groups, groups that should have no place in the legal arena. In the meantime, a good man and his family are suffering beyond belief.

Rubashkin was a pillar of the community at large. He funded preschools, camps, food banks and more in Iowa for groups of all faiths and creeds. When workers couldn’t pay rent or needed surgery for their kids, he regularly helped them as few others would. That much was attested to by former day laborers who worked at his meat plant, as well as by numerous organizations and schools that he helped.

Sholom Rubashkin is a father of 10 children, including a son with autism. His older son related how Rubashkin would make sure to have dinner with his special needs child every day at 6pm without fail, followed by spending time conversing or playing with his son. Rubashkin would often have to go back to the office for many hours afterward, but he made sure to spend time with his child who needed him most every evening.

Six former United States Attorney Generals, ranging from Edwin Meese on the right to Janet Reno on the left, have signed a letter decrying the prosecution’s proposed sentencing guidelines. Former Solicitor General and United States Judge Kenneth Starr has also signed on to the letter.

I’m not sure exactly what to do, but I do know that silence is not an option, at least not a humane one. Friends and supporters of Sholom Rubashkin have started a website, http://www.justiceforsholom.org, and I’d urge people to view the case in its entirety and get involved in whatever action alerts they send out.

Even as people gathered to help Rubashkin, his family used the gathering as an opportunity to help find a bone marrow donor for an unrelated child in need. These are good people and the sight was moving. They deserve each of our support.

Rubashkin’s son spoke of his father’s great faith and relayed numerous stories of how his father’s reason for living has always been to serve the Almighty and to help his fellow human beings. It would be a shame not to help a man like him when he’s faced such a clear and over the top injustice. Our involvement is crucial and there can be no greater deed than to help those who’ve been unfairly persecuted. I urge readers to speak out and act.

Flood Charlie Crist’s Lines on Abortion Bill

It is disheartening, dishonest and unethical when a politician claims to be one thing on a matter that is dear to the hearts of voters, and then acts in another way once given the opportunity to legislate.

Charlie Crist sloganized being a “pro-life Ronald Reagan conservative.” During the Gallagher-Crist debates, Charlie was openly snarky and condescending toward Gallagher, particularly on the latter’s firm pro-life stance.

What people on both sides of the important abortion debate agree on is that they don’t want to be lied to. A candidate who lies to them on such a matter of conscious will no doubt lie on economic or other matters without breaking a sweat.

I’m a firm pro-life candidate. I believe that as society began to forget the value of life, we also began to show disregard for the care given to seniors and even toward the treatment of the infirm. I believe that abortion as a contraceptive is appalling, at any stage of pregnancy, and is at the very least the callous destruction of a potential or developing life.

I recognize that this is a touchy issue. But I’ve also met women who are in their 60s who had abortion(s) in their 20s and who still regret that decision to this day.

I recognize that this separates me from other, some would term more “moderate,” candidates. But given the choice between being moderate or being sincere, I’d gladly chose the latter any time.

Back to Charlie.

In 2006, as a volunteer making phone calls for Clay Shaw, I was the most persistent caller when trying to win over undecideds and Republican voters who were leaning toward his opponent. The official calling script included a plug for Charlie Crist for Governor. My phone calls left that line out.

We need to look beyond the slogans and see where candidates align themselves on values issues. Social conservatives are invariably more reliable fiscal conservatives as a whole. We generally have a big picture in mind, and the judgment to be able to stand firm and oppose boondoggles such as the Sun Rail, among others.

The contrast between the words and the actions of Charlie Crist need to teach us a lesson when voting; that our votes cannot be taken for granted and that they must be spent on those who are consistent in their policies.

All that said, there is one phone call that I will make for Charlie. And that’s one to him. I urge you to do the same, today.

Charlie Crist was elected with the toil and sweat of many Republicans. While I wish that more had seen fit to use those long hours on Joe Negron or Clay Shaw, the two seats we lost that year, that is no excuse for Charlie not to be held accountable to those who worked to see him in office.

Charlie Crist must finish his term as governor by faithfully executing the duties with which he was entrusted. I understand that fulfilling one’s pledge to voters or at least living up to the letter of his empty rhetoric may be new concepts to Charlie, but we must insist that he does so nonetheless.

And so I urge you to call Charlie Crist and demand of him nothing more than to live up to the promises and pledges he made in order to attain the public office that he now enjoys.

Phone: (850) 488-7146 or (850)-488-4441
Fax: (850) 487-0801
Email: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

Demand that Charlie sign into law the common sense bill passed by duly elected representatives who actually do take with some level of seriousness their pledges to the “people.”

Oh, and the next time someone tells you that he’s running to be the “People’s Governor” or the “People’s anything else,” with the full support of every lobby known to the state, just tell him where to stick it.

Sorry Charlie.

On the Suspension of Two Teachers and Atheism in the Classroom

This week, two high school teachers in South Florida were suspended from their classrooms pending investigation. Another teacher who had preached atheist beliefs to their students claimed that she had been “sprinkled with holy water” in reaction to her preaching. Several students who were witness to the events deny that any physical contact took place and stated that the only mention of “holy water” was done in a mocking context, in response to the atheistic teacher’s over the top rhetoric. The atheistic teacher knew that the mere allegation of impropriety would be enough to suspend the involved teachers and this seems to be the reason for her complaint.

We see yet again where the left fights to silence all opposing viewpoints. In this case, we see yet again how they will break their own supposedly heartfelt standards on public speech to suit their agenda. The same people who cry and scream indignation at the mere mention of God in any public forum, all the more so in a public school, freely go about their attempts to indoctrinate students in accordance with their notions of God and religion.

Atheists as a whole have gone to great lengths of silence any mention of God or religion in the classroom. It should follow suit that indoctrination of atheistic beliefs should certainly not be allowed, according to the very arguments that they relentlessly have put forward. The actions of the atheist teacher, who openly admits to using her position to preach her beliefs and to commit (anti-) religious indoctrination, are shockingly hypocritical and wrong on the face of it. The School Board’s decision, and that of Superintendent Jim Notter, to punish two teachers who personally hold religious believes, based on seemingly fallacious allegations, while at the same time giving a complete pass to a teacher who has openly admitted to indoctrinating students, is nothing short of shameful on the part of the school board.

The double standard is all the more outrageous when one considers that the Judeo-Christian values that the left is so intent on suppressing stand at the very core of America’s founding principles. Throughout our history as a nation, until 55 years ago, no court in the land would have seen the teaching of these as anything other than the teaching of a doctrine that has been at the root of each and every healthy society for over 3,000 years. No such argument can be made with regard to the teaching of atheism.

Moreover, sheer logic unequivocally disproves the fallacy of atheism. For a single life cell to be formed, complex RNA must develop on its own, as must DNA. It would take trillions of coincidences for either of these strands to form without a conscious Creator and it’s even more improbable for the two to join together randomly. And that’s just with regard to a single life cell. For even the simplest of plants to be formed, a series of one in a trillion coincides would have to take place in perfect sequence, one after another. The orbit of the planets would have to exact itself on its own (something that’s impossible for inanimate objects to do). Even then, the chances of random objects not crashing into the planets in a way to knock them off their orbit is nil without a conscious Creator. One can go on and on and as one does so, the fallacy of atheism becomes all the more ridiculous. In fact, it would make infinitely more sense to say that an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannicas wrote themselves as the result of some ink spill than it would to say that a life sustaining universe came to being in and of itself.

Many atheists know this and, when challenged, the militant among them go into histrionics and play games to twist their arguments. It is not the first time that agenda driven radicals have falsely accused people of faith or made up allegations in order to bolster their agenda. Without resorting to tricks and character assassinations, the fallacy of their doctrine becomes all too apparent. The fact that students who were present at the time of the confrontation confirm that the “sprinkling of holy water” never happened should speak for itself.

Both Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson are prime examples of what every teacher should be. Upon graduating college, they both returned to their alma mater, where they’ve taught with devotion, caring and excellence for the past 20 years. They deserve better than to be removed from their classrooms based on mere hearsay.

Jim Notter should be ashamed of himself for allowing this to transpire, as should the entrenched members of the school board who are refusing to take a stand on this matter of clear cut injustice. Their behavior is all the more appalling when we take into account that in many parts of Broward, only 4% of public school students go on to complete college. Many Broward students suffer with second rate curriculums and a lack of educational resources and motivation. Yet those whose job it is to fight for higher educational standards, for less red tape and for the recruitment of better teachers have instead chosen to spend their time playing politics by punishing dissenters to hypocritical indoctrination.

The school board’s resources can be better used than by conducting what is nothing more than a witch hunt against two fine teachers who have dedicated their careers to helping students. Jim Notter owes an apology to Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson and to their students over this incident. The teachers should immediately be reinstated.

If teaching is the only job in which one can be suspended based entirely on highly dubious allegations, then it is understandable why finding competent teachers for the public school system is as hard a task as it is. It is the duty of anyone who wishes to change this reality to speak out about this matte and this is especially true of candidates seeking to improve educational standards throughout the state.

Lessons from Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist

One thing that people on both sides of the political debate can agree on is the need for sincerity in public service. The staunchest advocate of one philosophy respects the integrity and forthrightness of those who sincerely advocate for a contrasting point of view, if only they do so without a side agenda.

In today’s climate, the most able politician is politically inept if he or she does not possess a sincere and well thought out viewpoint. That is a good thing and a new reality that is long overdue in coming.

The cases of Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist prove this point. Both saw their political careers wane for two separate reasons. Specter’s was due to the perception of opportunism and Crist’s is due to the reality of same.

Specifically, Arlen Specter has always presented himself as a liberal Republican. He wasn’t arrogant about it and while he voted according to his own viewpoint, one that often seemed not to be clearly thought out and that was based on emotion or acquiescence to conventional “wisdom,” he did so without foisting his opinions on others or trying to liberalize his party.

Specter’s walk across the aisle was belated and came twenty or thirty years too late. Just as moderates in the Democratic Party started crossing the aisle in the early 90s, Arlen Specter should have done a reverse crossover. Switching parties is hard, but it should be done out of fairness to voters if a politician’s worldview is so out of touch with the mainstream of his party so as to warrant it. Had Specter followed such a course twenty years ago, he might still be in the running today.

Charlie Crist is a different story. When he first ran for governor, his ads featured him as “the true Reagan Republican.” This slogan was seen as a joke by those who were politically astute, a perception that was further belied by Crist’s condescending attacks on primary opponent Tom Gallagher’s sincerely held socially conservative beliefs during the gubernatorial debates.

Charlie Crist was on all sides of each issue. He would say that he was a “pro-life” Republican but then said that he would not take any measures were Roe v. Wade to be overturned (with the effect of keeping all abortions legal in the State of Florida, including those done merely for post-contraceptive reasons). What both proponents and opponents of legalized abortion agree on is that they don’t want to be lied to by politicians on where they stand on either side of the issue. Triangulation may have seemed to be in Charlie’s immediate interest. In the end, it was his undoing.

Charlie’s liberalism wasn’t lost on close watchers of the race. Friends of mine in local media happily told me, “I’m a Democrat but I’m voting for Charlie Crist.” In return, I was tempted to tell them that for perhaps the first time ever I’d like to personally encourage them to vote for someone in their own party instead.

If a candidate can’t be honest with voters on heartfelt issues of importance, the likelihood of them being honest on matters of the economy or the like is slim to none. And such was the case with Charlie Crist.

When Crist first announced his Senate bid (leading Marco Rubio 53-8 at the time), I spoke with someone who was not only well connected within the state Republican Party, but who I consider to be an honorable public servant whose political perceptions are better than most. He agreed with my supposition that Crist would have trouble in the primary, but contended that he’d have “no problem in the general.” I disagreed.

I pointed out that all that his Democrat challenger would have to do is to beat a drum that the so-called “People’s Governor” had campaigned on two promises: to cut property taxes and to slash homeowners insurance rates. Once elected, Crist passed an entirely insignificant cut on property taxes while failing to take other measures to bring meaningful relief. As far as insurance rates went, he actually upped rates twice, most recently by 10%. To the detriment of homeowners, no free market solutions (or those of any other kind) were ever introduced. Now Crist’s Republican opponent can and should have fun using the same playbook.

Most important of all, here’s the lesson that voters should take from the Charlie Crist debacle. If those who seek public office seem to rely on slogans instead of substance, don’t vote for them. If they seem to be pandering to every group imaginable, understand that the same people will accomplish nothing for anyone, nor do they have any interest in doing so.

If you can’t trust a politician as far as you can throw them, what’s the use in listening to anything that they say, especially when far better alternatives exist? Your vote is something that should be used to better the country and to send a message as to what form of government you want to see in place. Wasting it on blatant opportunists, no matter how much pomp and circumstance may surround them, benefits no one and is the reason why our governmental “leaders” are what they are today. The nation deserves better and each vote counts. So use it wisely.

There are plenty of junior Charlie Crists in the making. And there’s no greater disservice to the nation than to allow them to succeed. This year is truly the year of the grassroots and a year in which activism and the voice of the people can and will help change this nation and elect people of conscious. The importance of getting involved and of choosing principle above politics (and principled candidates with a track record of real community service and a compelling political philosophy) cannot be overstated.