Truthfulness Not Ideology
Gil Michaels' “How to Celebrate 'No Thanksgiving'” (Nov. 25 Issue of Alameda Sun), demonstrates one thing. If you overly imbibe in daily “news” and commentary, you can lose touch with reality. The effort to vilify Donald Trump and his supporters has gone from an obsession into pagan ritual.
OK, there may be a few wild-eyed libertarians out there who support Donald Trump, but that is the extreme caricature. The reason so many middle American workers have abandoned the Democratic Party is because it's a mess. Trump defended the interests of American workers, promoted energy production, both fossil fuels and nuclear, got Americans back into space, and promoted fair trade policies, among other things. This is not Ayn Rand!
He never promoted Ayn Rand, as far as I know, but he did promote Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln. He even advocated a return to the Glass-Steagall law of Franklin Roosevelt! Where was your commentary on that Mr. Michaels? The truth is a bit more complex than Mr. Michaels and his true believers want to see. A bit more truthfulness and generosity, and less ideology would be helpful for all.
-Hunter Cobb, ACRP Attendee - Published in Alameda Sun, 11/29/2021
Protect the vulnerable
A 95-year-old woman was robbed on Thanksgiving Day while walking near the ocean in Berkeley. Crime prevention always was a bipartisan issue and justifiably so. However, lately criminals are being coddled, and many people are now afraid.
Many of the affected small-business owners are people of color, losing the business they built up with their life savings.
I had my purse snatched three times while living in Los Angeles. I am blind and am not able to recognize anyone. I was afraid to go out by myself for weeks. Laws should be enacted to make it harder on criminals to go after the most vulnerable.
Marianne Haas, Berkeley, CC Member - Published in San Francisco Chronicle eEdition 12/2/2021
Ethnic Studies Curriculum
Xaviaer DuRousseau reported at the October Meeting that he had talked one-to-one with several school board members. He also researched the California Department of Education web site to create a 3-page comparative chart. Candidates and conservative activists need this chart to know useful talking points and concerns about each point. Here is the link to download his excellent document. - Harry Briley, CC Member, AD16
Unsettled (Climate Science)
Get out the full-body armor; those face masks won’t do at all. The three-part article in the Alameda Sun from George Humphreys (“Analyzing the Draft EIR for the City’s General Plan 2040,” Sept. 17, 24, and Oct. 7) is just an appetizer for what we’re about to be hit with as the United Nations Climate Change Conference gets underway on Halloween in Glasgow, Scotland.
Before you start to freak out about all the forecasts of doom coming out of those quarters, kick back and enjoy a little science. I definitely recommend the recent book by Steven Koonin, Unsettled. He’s a highly respected physicist who served as a top scientist in the Obama administration. His politics leans toward the Democratic side; he’s not some right-wing fanatic.
No to Ethnic Studies rule
Regarding “Ethnic studies required for diploma” (Bay Area, Oct. 10): This is really not a good requirement in my opinion. Students should learn about contributions and oppression of different minority groups within history and social studies. This applies to all minorities.
However, if we have to have an extra subject, let us include the contribution and oppression of one seldom referred to minority groups: people with disabilities. Look at the contributions and influence people with disabilities have had on music. Many American blues singers were blind. Beethoven was deaf in the last few years of his life. So, we should be learning about contributions of people with disabilities, and not just Helen Keller.
Marianne Haas, Berkeley - Central Committee Member - Letter to Editor posted 10/13 in San Francisco Chronicle e-Edition
Afghanistan, RIP- Thoughts about Two Wars
This past weekend, 8/15/2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. Much is being made about the parallels between the fall of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, and the events in Kabul yesterday.
Here is a personal parallel. I served for two tours as an Army helicopter pilot in South Vietnam. More recently, my son served for two tours as an Army helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Today, both of us remember our Army friends who never came home or who came home with grievous injuries that have affected them for the rest of their lives.
And it is the same for several thousand Alameda County veterans who served in Afghanistan during the past twenty years. Their service and sacrifice have been rendered meaningless in a matter of a few days.
And another parallel: The collapse of South Vietnam began in August 1974 when a Democrat controlled congress voted to stop all assistance to the country. By the end of the year North Vietnam began a conventional invasion of South Vietnam. The collapse of Afghanistan began the day President Biden announced all US forces would leave the country by the end of this month.
It gets much worse. The collapse of Kabul has encouraged our enemies once again. One day what we faced in Afghanistan and Iraq will seem insignificant in comparison to what we will face. What will we do?
- Doug Miller, ACRP Central Committee
CAGOP votes no formal endorsement - THREE straw poll winners
On 8/7, CAGOP delegates voted 90% to not make a formal endorsement out of 753 votes. The chairwoman confirmed four candidates met the prescreening of 200 supporting delegates. Delegates pre-voted for as many as desired among the Republican candidates. The counts of the top four were not provided. The top four in alphabetical order are:
Larry Elder https://youtu.be/jpPcjzv1KRk
Kevin Faulconer https://youtu.be/_zagYaL9E3k
Kevin Kiley https://youtu.be/lpjEGlXnI2E
Doug Ose Had Heart Attack on 8/15 and withdrew from race on 8/17
- Harry Briley, AD16 Chair for Central Committee
HOT ACRP TOPIC: Public Education and Masks in Schools
If you are like me, every morning when I turn on the news, there is another story about parents gathering at school board meetings across the country to protest the addition of topics like Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, and more graphic sex education information. Most recently, parents are also protesting the requirement that masks be worn in school.
Yesterday the San Ramon Valley Unified School District held its first meeting of the new school year. About 75 visitors attended the meeting to deliver a single message: Let parents decide whether their children should wear masks to school.
Two local TV stations ran stories last night. The TV coverage is surprisingly wide. As we walked out of the meeting yesterday, one of the reporters asked us if we supported mask mandates in schools. She told us she had been unable to find anyone to interview who supported continued mask mandates. Those news clips can be found here:
I joined their efforts this morning. I recommend that the Alameda County Republican Party organize a county wide effort to learn about school curriculum and school policies in our local schools.
There are 18 public school districts in Alameda County. About 10 ACRP members and volunteers can collect important information on topics such as critical racial theory and mask policy and let voters know. We could help organize protests at school board meetings like the meeting yesterday in Danville.
We have recruited five volunteers for this new ACRP committee. Will you help us? Please let me know as soon as possible. We can meet, organize and make plans through Zoom.
Please contact me!
Doug Miller, Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Alameda County, 925.998.9905
