Meeting Regarding the CD 22 Questionnaire for Candidates

We finished the candidate questionnaire for the CD 22 seat last night. I didn't go to the first meeting where they did the first draft because I am thinking at this point the original e-mails ended up in my bulk box, but I was there last night, and I made them rewrite about 1/3 of it because the "establishment" folks had kind of softened the questions a little, and there wasn't anyone at the first meeting with a strong enough non-establishment conservative voice to argue for the hardening of the list. What happens at these deals is that people get bogged in their pet issue (there are a lot of "one issue wonders" at these things), then people start debating off the topic at hand, and then the more establishment types "move on"...and get everything worded exactly how they want. Well last night, that just didn't happen.

I introduced questions like:
Do you believe that the 2nd amendment is a individual right to keep and bear arms?
Will you vote to support right to carry reciprocity legislation?
Would you vote to eliminate the IRS?
Will you vote to support a balanced budget amendment?
Do you support zero-based budgeting?
Would you vote to maintain the current "catch & release" program for illegal immigrants?
Would you vote to evict the UN from the US and eliminate any further participation in the UN?
Will you vote to eliminate automatic citizenship to children born of illegal alien parents?

Seriously...this stuff wasn't in there before...most was good, but just lacking...just softball. By the middle of the thing people would just turn around as they were going over each section and look at me with big smiles, knowing I was going to throw something in that would make someone squirm. At the end, I was like, "yes, I am guilty of being a disgruntled conservative." I got several amens to that. When the meeting was over, everyone in the room except for 1 person came up to me and was like, "I'm sure glad you made it tonight..." The one person who didn't give me the "atta girl" was the establishment person, the original formulator of the softball questions. Odd how that happens.

Fun With Google

Whilst killing time before I try to wake up an engineer in Singapore, I googled myself. It's the little time wasters that make the Internet such a joy, right? It always amuses me when I find a good phrase like this:

Does anyone know what prison T is in?

While I know many people have expected and hoped, I am glad to disappoint. I am still free, so I presume they're talking about someone else.

CD 22 Candidate Tom Campbell Shows Disdain for the Grassroots

I received the following letter today from Tom Campbell, presumably a candidate for the CD22 position currently held by Tom DeLay. Note that this has been copied, in its entirety from the original.

The Democrat Party and political left are out of control. They have lost their way, having left behind the basic principles of civility and decency. Many in their ranks have become totally consumed by their hatred of President Bush and a lust to regain a Democrat majority that was derailed by President Reagan.

Those of us who had the privilege of voting for Ronald Reagan remember a time when it was reckless optimism to vote Republican. We voted for principle knowing that that many more would have to join our cause before we could win. But vote we did and come they did until victory was ours.

Backroom power politics was the hallmark of Democrats - shouting down opponents the tactics of the liberal left. Who are we, if to beat our opponents, we have to become like them?

If Lincoln could come through the Civil War with "malice toward none and charity to all," we can we move forward as a Republican Party built on the Republican principles of Civility, Decency and Integrity.

"America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.

Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.

But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.

We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment."

President George W. Bush

Can't we throw to the side the tactics of many on the left and open this nominating process to the light of day? Let's trust the people and our Republican principles as Reagan and Lincoln did. Our nominating process needs to be open, transparent and democratic. There is so much cynicism and distrust of government in the American public today. Backroom power politics feeds that distrust and disempowers the voting public. The voters are less vested in a candidate selected by four individuals, without voter feedback. In an atmosphere where many believe that all politicians are corrupt, the appearance of deal making must be avoided.

Tom Campbell

Presumably, Mr. Campbell believes that he will be denied the nomination he so covets, yet again. Thus, his only answer seems to be to bash the rules set forth for the system, oh so typically Democrat. This is the second letter of this type I have received from him. I ignored the first one. But honestly, I grow tired of this man, so I reprint for you my response to him.

Dear Mr. Campbell,

We precinct chairs were elected by our precincts, the smallest, most basic element of the party grassroots, to work for them and represent them in cases just like this. I believe, based on my participation in the Harris County informational meeting this week, that the process we have chosen to follow is as open and transparent as it can possibly be, without turning it into a complete circus for all involved. You yourself will be invited to participate.

This is the second correspondence you have sent regarding this particular matter. At this point I am curious as to exactly why you believe that following the codified rules set forth in this unfortunate situation constitute "backroom power politics"? Precinct Chairs have no power, we are neighbors in our communities volunteering our personal time and treasure to a cause, in this case the Republican Party, that we believe to be worthwhile. Why would you continue to attack the party's most dedicated army of volunteers?

You may have forgotten the fundamental fact that under the law political parties remain private organizations which may conduct their internal business in any legal manner they see fit. Please sir, enlighten me as to why you disagree that the rules we're following are somehow unfair. Exactly what would you like to see happen in this circumstance? As the party which supports the rule of law, should we not follow our own rules?

Thank you for your time,
J

We'll see if he responds.

What He Said

So we all now know, if we’ve been paying attention, that various branches of the gummint came through NOLA and started stealing guns from the residents. Now, the city has decided to get your property back, you must jump through even more hoops. I would further explain my thoughts about the issue, but someone else beat me to it. I don’t think I can add anything to what LawDog says.

First meeting regarding replacing Tom DeLay

Last night I attended the first of at least 3 meetings relating to replacing Tom DeLay on the November ballot. This was just an "informational" meeting where we discussed the "official" process, already explained here, as well as the process that we Precinct Chairs in the Harris County section of CD22 would utilize to ascertain the serious candidates, meet them, and make the best possible decision for the county and the district.

As was discussed in the previous post, Harris County gets 1 of the 4 "Electors" who will ultimately decide who becomes the Republican candidate on the ballot in November. Each county in the district, Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, and Fort Bend, gets 1 Elector and each has an equal vote, regardless of how many precincts are in CD22. The way we're going to do this in Harris County is not regulated, so all Precinct Chairmen will participate in the process of meeting and interviewing candidates. The folks who I spoke with last night were pretty determined to make sure that the person who is the Harris County Elector acts on our collective behalf, and not just on his her own conscious.

So here's the scoop so far. A few of us have formed a committee which will formulate the questions that we will ask all interested candidates. Jared Woodfill, the Chairman of the Harris County Republican Party (HCRP), will call the individuals who have been in contact with his office regarding the race, their degree of interest, and will inform them of a meeting within the CD22 in Harris County that will occur in the next couple of weeks. Attending this meeting will be the Harris County CD 22 Precinct Chairs, a few assorted HCRP Officials, and the candidates who wish to be considered.

The meeting and interview process will run as follows: each prospective candidate will have about 5 or so minutes to address us regarding why they wish to earn the ballot placement, and then we will ask the prepared questions of each candidate. Each candidate will be asked the same set of questions, which they will not receive in advance. We decided early that do not want "canned answers", so they'd better know why they're there. After the presentation/question session, we will decide on the time/venue of the next meeting, which will be where we rank our choices of candidates, and determine who will be the Harris County Elector.

The reason why we must split up the meetings is because, it is believed that Mr. DeLay will not be actually declared ineligible until mid to late May, and we can't make any actual decisions regarding the race until that declaration has already occurred. We just know we have to begin early because we have until August to complete the task, and there are actually no "official" actions taking place while we're just meeting and interviewing prospective candidates.

Speaking of prospective candidates, below are the individuals who have actually contacted HCRP regarding their interest in the race. Note that it isn't required that a candidate actually reside in CD22 to be considered.

Robert Talton, currently a State Representative
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, currently a Houston City Councilwoman
David Wallace, currently Mayor of Sugarland
Mike Jackson, currently a State Senator
Charlie Howard, currently a State Representative
Tom Campbell, Sugarland lawyer who lost the March primary race to Tom DeLay
Robert Eckels, currently the Harris County Judge
John Devine, former District Judge, who recently lost a State Rep primary
Brent Perry, a Houston area attorney
Rob Todd, a former Houston City Councilman
Lynden Rose, Houston area attorney and UH Regent. Mr. Rose only indicated that he was interested in the race if Judge Eckels does not run.

Paul Bettencourt (Harris County Tax Collector), Michael Berry (Houston City Councilman) and Kyle Janek (State Senator) have confirmed that they're not interested in the seat. Steve Stockman is not eligible because there is some question as to whether he declared himself running as an independent on the November ballot. It was stated that he was only planning to run if no "true conservative" was on the ballot.

Nonetheless, I suspect the list will whittle itself down somewhat more in the next couple of weeks. For more updates on this process, stay tuned...

Quote of the Day

maybe, but he's still got his naked penis incredibly close to the genitals of that puppy

Umm, yeah. Thanks for the thought. Found here, of course.

Weekend Creep

Well, a number of things went on over the weekend. I am still contemplating some stuff I’d like to write more about, but I just don’t have the energy right now. Perhaps you’ll understand in a moment.

Friday I had the day off, so I went and picked up enough lumber to build a 12’ x 12’ deck and a new shiny stainless range hood and thermostat. Got the thermostat installed, started on the range hood. The old range hood was very precisely fitted into place. The range hood is also the only support for the vent duct. The lack of support complicated matters. I didn’t get that finished before I had dinner guests for a fish fry, it being Good Friday. So I gave up and went out back to fry hushpuppies, French fries, orange roughy, and shrimp. All and sundry were pleased with everything but the shrimp. I fried the shrimp a bit too long, so they were a tad chewy. The hushpuppies, while good, were lacking something. I need to try them again, perhaps with some chives added or some dill. Something, anyway. I used the recipe from one Paula Deen’s cookbooks and I can replicate it from memory, as modified by me.

1-1/2 cups cornmeal
½ cup all puprpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

J doesn’t like the texture of onion, so we grind them in the food processor until they’re basically a liquid. This makes the batter a bit runnier than it would be otherwise, but who cares. Mix the dry in a bowl. Mix the wet in another bowl. Pour wet into dry and stir until you have complete mixing. Drop one tablespoon-ish (I think I used a #60 scoop) at a time into 350 degree oil and fry until they’re nice and brown. You’ll have to flip them to get ‘em brown on all sides, so a skimmer or something is essential.

The fish recipe is even simpler. Dredge fillets in flour, then egg, then coat with panko breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown, flipping as necessary. The panko breadcrumbs are key. The crust comes out absolutely fabulous, or so my tasters tell me. I don’t eat fish, so I need the feedback. Good thing I was feeding people who aren’t afraid to say things like “well, this tastes like ass” if, in their opinion, it does. Good feedback is essential to cooking. If everybody smiles and tells you how great it is, you’ll never improve. I am lucky to have tasters who will provide honest feedback and constructive suggestions. Of course, “throw it out and start over” doesn’t seem too constructive, but sometimes it’s what you need to hear.

Oh, yeah, I also beer battered some Portobello slices and fried them, mainly because they were lingering in the fridge almost too long. Use the beer batter recipe from The Joy of Cooking and make sure you use good beer.

So Saturday we got up nice and early and went to NASA. We got a private behind–the-scenes tour from a friend of ours who is a Flight Controller for the ISS. More about that later, I think. Then we went to a birthday party for a 3-year old girl. Little girls squeal incessantly, by the way, but you probably knew that. We delivered the birthday gift (a pink bicycle) and I stayed home to throw up while J went off to Mass.

Sunday was sleeping late and the obligatory holiday meal with the extended family. I finished the day off by continuing my futile attempt to install the range hood. I’m within a quarter inch of where I need to be, after liberal use of duct tape in the attic and taking my handy Sears roto-tool to the cabinets. I had hoped to be done by last night, but alas. My weekend tasks and illness have crept over into the week. If I can muster up the energy, I will press on tonight. Deep ruminations on the events of the day will have to wait until I can summon up enough energy to cogitate effectively.

I Don't Get It

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

I’ll freely admit I don’t understand. I wholeheartedly support your right to make these choices, even if they baffle me completely. I especially like the pistol-mounted bayonet. Why do you need a bayonet on a pistol? Wouldn’t a knife work better? Similarly, when you’re mounting a scope and a bipod on a pistol, just use a rifle.

I just had a great idea! I think I’m going to get a 16" AR with the full-length handguards and a cut down front sight/gas block. Then, I can swap out the handguards for a four-sided rail system. Then I get 4 of the CZ pistol bayonets and mount them at the extreme front of the handguard rails. They should extend past the flash hider and be usable as bayonets. Would that be cool or what?

Okay, it’d be mostly ‘or what’. I bet if I get Gil Hibben to autograph it and make the blades a little swoopier I can sell tons of them, though.

Update on DeLay Contenders

Well a weekend has passed and they're crawling out of the woodwork, like effin' cockroaches. Here are the folks my sources are telling me are possible contenders for the CD22 Congressional Seat.

There are several who have announced that they are running and are already actively seeking the Congressional position:

Robert Talton – Pasadena Area State Representative.

Charlie Howard – Sugar Land Area State Representative.

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs – Houston City Councilwoman (we’ve been there already).

David Wallace – Mayor of Sugar Land. This guy didn't even let the body get cold, so to speak. This guy announced the day DeLay announced his resignation.

There are a few who have not announced they are running, but probably qualify as strong rumors:

Robert Eckels – Harris County Judge.

John Devine – Former District Judge who has led several unsuccessful bids for office, the latest being a State Representative seat.

Steve Stockman – Former Congressman elected in 1994 in the Galveston-Beaumont area. He lost his seat in 1996 to Nick Lampson.

Other names that have been mentioned with varying degrees of interest:

Brent Perry – Houston area lawyer who ran an unsuccessful Congressional race against Ken Bentsen about 10 years ago.

Andy Meyers – Fort Bend County Commissioner.

Rob Todd – Former Houston City Councilman.

Tom Campbell – Sugar Land lawyer who got trounced by DeLay in the March primary.

Kyle Janek – State Senator in the Southwest Houston/Galveston/Chambers/Jefferson County area.

Mike Jackson – State Senator in the Southeast Houston/Chambers County area. He's the State Senator for our District.

Michael Berry – Houston City Councilman.

Mark Ellis – Ran an unsuccessful campaign against Dan Patrick for a West Houston State Senate seat.

Termite Watkins – Former boxer/coach/Iraqi boxing coach something or other crazy who has delusions of grandeur and desperately aches for 15 more minutes of fame. He thinks he already had some, but I had never heard of him until he kept me on the phone one night for over 2 hours telling what a wonderful, famous guy he is. T discussed it here. He honestly believes that he needs to be up in high office somewhere, and that State Senate just wasn’t prestigious enough for him. At the time I spoke with him I asked him if he was serious enough to mount a campaign against the House Majority Leader. This guy is quite averse to simple logic. He’s listed as a maybe, but he’ll run. His ego is just that huge.

Joe Nixon – State representative in South/Southwest Houston.

Michael Franks – Ran an unsuccessful race for State Representative against Glenn Hegar, whose district encompasses Waller and Wharton counties.

Lynden Rose – Houston area attorney and former UH Basketball player who was recently appointed to the UH Board of Regents.

Geraldine Sam – Former LaMarque Kindergarten teacher who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against Steve Stockman and Nick Lampson for Congress in 1996. She apparently now teaches first grade and switched to the Republican party, serving as a National Alternative Delegate to the National Convention in 2004.

Rumor has it that the most popular Republican in Harris County, Tax Assessor-Collector, Paul Bettencourt announced on the radio on Friday that he is not running.

The 2006 Pig Book is Out

Only review this if you're prepared to get pissed about government spending, all over again.

More on DeLay's CD22 Seat: There will be no special election

I received the following memo today from the Republican Party of Texas.

Process for Filling Vacancy & Selecting Replacement Nominee for Congressional District 22.

In light of the announcement from Congressman Tom DeLay that he will not be seeking reelection in November 2006, but will be resigning and moving out of state, the Texas Election Code sets forth several actions that will need to be taken once he actually moves and/or resigns. This memo will give a brief overview of those actions. It is not intended to address every potential issue that may arise.

1. Administrative declaration of ineligibility.

At this point Congressman DeLay has not resigned nor is he ineligible. He is expected to move out of state within the next couple of months. At that time, Chairman Benkiser will review the facts to determine whether or not he is eligible to remain on the November 2006 ballot. If the Chairman is presented with "public records" that "conclusively establish" that Congressman DeLay is in fact ineligible, she will declare him ineligible for placement on the November 2006 ballot.

In summary, once it has been properly established that Congressman DeLay has moved out of state, Chairman Benkiser will declare Congressman DeLay ineligible to be placed on the November 2006 ballot. Once that occurs, two separate events take place: a new Republican nominee for the November 2006 ballot will be named, and a special election will be called to fill the unexpired term of Congressman DeLay. Included below are pertinent sections from the Texas Election Code (TEC) for your consideration.

TEC Sec. 145
A candidate may be declared ineligible only as provided by this section.
145.003(b) A candidate in the general election for state and county officers may be declared ineligible before the 30th day preceding Election Day by:
145.003(b)(1) the party officer [State Party Chairman] responsible for certifying the candidate’s name for placement on the general election ballot, in the case of a candidate who is a political party’s nominee;
145.003(f) A candidate may be declared ineligible only if:
145.003(f)(2) facts indicating that the candidate is ineligible are conclusively established by another public record.

2. Replacing an ineligible nominee.

If and when Congressman DeLay is declared ineligible, the Texas Election Code sets forth the manner in which the Party replaces an ineligible nominee. Congressional District 22 is made up of portions of four counties: Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Galveston (see attached spreadsheet for a complete listing of the precincts). A "district executive committee" composed of four members (one precinct chairman from each of the four counties) will determine the new Republican nominee.

Sec. 171.054 describes the specific composition of a "district executive committee" in this situation. Because none of these counties are wholly situated within the district, Section 171.054 (2) applies. It states that "one precinct chair from each county that is only partly situated in the district, elected by and from among the precinct chairs of the precincts in that part of the county" will comprise the district executive committee. Sec. 171.054(b) states that each county chair having precincts within the district shall call a meeting of all of those precinct chairs within both the district and county. Sec. 171.022 states that the meeting shall be called after the precinct chairs take office, which would be May 1, 2006. Sec. 171.054(e) states that the state chair shall call the first meeting of the district executive committee and shall notify each committee member in advance of the meeting of its time, place, and purpose. 171.054(d) directs the members of the district executive committee to elect a chairman at the committee’s first meeting from among the membership. Once the district executive committee selects a replacement nominee, the chair of the district executive committee must certify the replacement nominee in accordance with 145.037. Sec. 145.038 allows for the State Executive Committee to appoint the replacement nominee only if the district executive committee fails to do so by the 70th day before a general election.

In summary, after the State Chairman determines that Congressman DeLay is ineligible, she will call a meeting of the district executive committee. That committee will be made up of four precinct chairmen, each of whom is elected by the precinct chairmen from his or her own county within the congressional district. The district executive committee will meet and vote on the replacement Republican nominee for the November ballot. Should the district executive committee fail to take the appropriate action by August 29, 2006, the State Chairman may call a meeting of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) for the purpose of selecting a replacement nominee.

3. Filling a vacancy at special election.

The unexpired term of the office will be filled by a special election in accordance with Sec. 203 & 204 of the Texas Election Code. This special election is conducted by the Secretary of State and only determines the candidate that will fill the vacancy between the time the current nominee is declared ineligible and the date the current term of office ends.

So, in case anyone is curious, there will be no special election, and nobody will even make one move until Mr. DeLay actually resigns and moves from the district.

Suffice it to say, I have already had one Precinct Chair ask for my support to be appointed to the District Executive Committee. I like this individual well enough, but I am feeling a bit disgruntled at the "establishment" of the party right now. This person is, at the grassroots level, establishment all the way and manages to get herself/himself appointed or elected to everything that comes up. This person needs a rest and to give someone else a shot. I'm thinking we might need somebody fresh to look at the situation.

The Race for DeLay's Seat Begins

This bit arrived in my e-mail box this morning from current Houston Councilwoman Shelly Sekula-Gibbs.

Dear Republican Leaders,
You are warmly invited to join me at my home for coffee to discuss my bid for the Republican Party nomination for Congressional District 22. For the last five years I have had the honor of representing many of you as an At-Large Member of the Houston City Council. Now I am seeking to become your nominee to fill the open seat keep a conservative voice in Congress. Once again, I need and welcome your support.

I commit to all of you that if I am chosen to be your Congress member I will continue to work hard on matters of importance to District 22:

• Solving Immigration without Amnesty
• Strengthening Homeland and Border Security
• Protecting Life and the Family
• Preserving Ellington Field for Local and National Defense
• Supporting NASA / Johnson Space Center
• Replacing the Income Tax with a Fair Tax
• Working with the Texas Medical Center to Advance Research and Biotechnology
• Preserving the Right to Bear Arms
• Bringing Federal Dollars Home for Transportation, Clean Air, Flood
  Prevention and Health Care
• Fighting Child Pornography

With your help and my track record of success and leadership, I truly believe that I am the right choice to beat Liberal Democrat Nick Lampson in November.

Sincerely,
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, M.D.
Candidate for Congress
District 22

For the record, I will not be attending this event. Dr. Sekula is an opportunist twit, who, if she becomes the nominee will not get my vote. She originally ran as Shelly Sekula-Rodriguez, who didn’t actually pick up the “Rodriguez” until it became politically expedient, much like Hillary and the surname Clinton. When her late husband, who was a local television broadcaster, was alive, she never used his name. She only became Dr. Rodriguez after she thought it might get her a couple of Latino votes. It is apparent that she has now remarried.

Further, this woman cannot discuss potholes downtown without bringing up the fact that she's a doctor, much like the imbecile John Kerry, Vietnam Veteran or Bill Frist, the perennial annoying heart surgeon. She’s a dermatologist for crying out loud, which yes, requires a medical degree, but no, doesn’t place her exactly at the top of the medical food chain. Plus, if she was that good at it, why isn't she still doing it? And as similarly annoying as John McCain, she loves the sound of her own voice, but in a more filibustery, grating Susan Collins kind of way. Yuck.

Useful Advice

Steve has a tip you might need. I know it'll come in handy for me.

One Good Candidate...Not Running

So, after Tom DeLay announced his resignation, and I had my rant, I sent a nice e-mail off to Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson suggestion that he might consider running for the seat. Prior to Mike Jackson being the SD11 Senator, Jerry Patterson held the office. He did a great job for the district, has done a phenomenal job for the Land Office, and would be a fine Congressman. Alas it was not to be, as I received the following reply from him today:

I am honored at your suggestion that I should run for CD22. I cannot entertain the idea for several reasons. One is I feel have a job to do here at the Texas General Land office, that candidly can only be done by me. If I believed that none of the rumored candidates for CD22 were capable of representing us, I would consider it.

Looking at the list of potential candidates, I believe there are several that can represent us well.

Again, Thank you for your confidence in my ability, but I believe that Texas is best served by my staing here at the GLO.

By the way, I really miss my friends in Pasadena, Clear Lake, and Deer Park.

Jerry

While I totally disagree that we have good potential candidates, Mr. Patterson has a lot of class and would've done a great job. And damn, I'm back to square 1.

Tom DeLay's Resignation: A Perspective from the District

I worry about District 22. It is my district. My big problem with Mr. DeLay at this point honestly is that the primary was not even a month ago. We all got behind him, in my case a public endorsement as a precinct chair, despite his troubles. You know, stick with your guy. I was quite critical of his opponent in the primary because I don't think it's cool to kick a guy when he's down. That's when you stand behind him and back him up. I felt Tom Campbell was trying to pile on DeLay, who was already being unjustly kicked.

Now, I kind of feel like I got played. They're going to call a special election for the seat, which is more wasteful spending on an unnecessary election where I'll have to sit around and be bored because nobody will show. The idea is that the Republican who wins will run as incumbent, which is a stupid tactical game we don't have to play. This is the stupid crap that Democrats have to do to win races, not Republicans.

Regardless of incumbency status, the Republican running for this seat in November will beat Nick Lampson. A dead armadillo in this district would beat Lampson, the district has a 65% ORVS (Optimal Republican Voter Strength) for crying out loud. But now, every half-assed Republican who meets the residency requirement and currently holds public office is now salivating all over this seat. The candidates for election in May will consist of only the obnoxious blowhards who already have enough dough in their coffers on short notice, with no guarantee that we're really going to get the best person for the job. The one thing I do know, it ain't that Socialist Lampson, which means that it will be another mediocre establishment Republican.

Converting the Heathen

Publicola’s out spreading the good word to the heathens over at the Conspiracy. I applaud his efforts at explaining 2A to the deluded statists in the comments and admire his commitment. Me, I have a limited amount of patience for dealing with asshats. There’s an icon popular over at ar15.com that shows a red-faced smiley banging his head against the wall. I can’t help but think of it when I read these discussions. Publicola, to his credit, is immensely patient and keeps trying. If he can convince a few people who were wishy-washy on the subject, it’s all to the good. He will never convince the likes of Freder Frederson and jgshapiro, but I’ll give him big props for trying.

In many respects, a failure of the gun community has been the lack of outreach. The hardcore RKBA types, of which Publicola is a shining example, are the worst at it. To many of us, the right is self-evident and needs no explanation. We also come across as a bit scary and dogmatic. Well, at least I do when cranked up about it. Of course, I’m one of those fringe types who thinks I should be able to have anything the gummint does, provided I can store it in such a fashion that a malfunction doesn’t clear out a ‘burb. This attitude scares some people. Publicola is putting forth the effort and doing it politely and without rancor. SayUncle is in the debate, too, but he’s more like me and prone to snark at the idjits. While fun, it’s not going to change many minds.