Happy Birthday to our Founder, Mentor, and general Hero, Rick Green!!! Having reached the ripe old – oops, I mean young – age of…well, you’ll have to guess how old he is!
Mr. Green, we wish you a very happy birthday, and many more fruitful years of serving Christ and the people of America. We thank God for you and for your work at Wallbuilders and Patriot Academy. We love you!
We are indebted to Governor Dulin for getting the mugshot of Mr. Green from the post office bulletin board. Thanks, Governor!THE PATRIOT PRESS
MARCHING TO THE DRUMBEAT OF FREEDOM
March 1, 2009 Vol. 2 Issue 5
Miss Becker Goes to Washington
While attending PA 2008, I was blessed to have been given the opportunity to attend AFP’s annual conference held in Washington D.C. last October. My mother and brother were able to come with me so we went up a few days early to do some sightseeing. We went to the Spy Museum, the Museum of Crime and Punishment, saw the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and went to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.
The conference started Friday evening with the Tribute to Ronald Reagan Dinner which was attended by over 1200 people. Along with the wonderful food, we heard from a great line up of speakers including George Will, John Stossel, Fred Barnes, Ed Meese, Dinesh D’Souza and the chairman, David Koch. On Saturday morning everyone attended the large session where we sat by states. There was a little friendly rivalry going on between Texas and Oklahoma as a big football game was happening that day! The highlights from the session included speeches from Herman Cain, Fred Barnes, Steve Moore, Grover Norquist and John Fund, We heard reports from each state’s director and cheered loudly for Peggy Venable, head of Texas AFP when she gave her report! The afternoon sessions had so many great sessions that is was hard to choose between them! Emerging Issues in 2009, Turning Ideas into Action, Students for Prosperity and Right Online blogger training, etc.
My favorite was a talk given by Ann McElhinney. (check out her website http://mineyourownbusiness-blog.blogspot.com) She was a reporter and had been a huge liberal. One day she was reporting on the building of a new factory in a third world country and how it would seriously harm the environment and because of her veracious reporting, succeed in closing down the coal plant. Little did she realize that because of her actions, the local townspeople were unable to get jobs in the factory and therefore remained in abject poverty. She “saw the light” and is now a rock solid conservative. She admonished us to stand firm and fight for our liberties; liberties her countrymen can only dream about.
Not only was that weekend a wonderful time to be with family, but it was also exciting to see that other people also believe in a fiscally responsible, limited government. But above all, it was refreshing to meet so many people who believe that socialism is bad, very, very bad!
Click here to download the rest.
With the most sincere apologies for falling behind in our posts, we want to wish a very belated but heartfelt “Happy Birthday” to Mama Seay, whose birthday appropriately enough was on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.
Mama Seay, on behalf of all of the Patriots, thank you for investing so much in the future leadership of our country. Only in eternity will we know how much you have done for us, and for America. We love you, and pray God’s richest blessings on you in the upcoming year.
Filed under: General
A very Happy 22nd Birthday to our fabulous Lt. Governor! Thanks for all the hard work, great posts and that touch of southern class! We hope you have a wonderful day and that this is your best year ever!
Filed under: General
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes…. God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: thou art my God, I will exalt Thee. O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 118
Truly the Lord has done great things for us. Sometimes it is easy to get so caught up in the discouraging facets of the political landscape that we forget the many, many things for which we should be thankful. God has given us so many blessings: His Son, life, health, family, and the priceless gift of freedom in a great country.
May God bless you on this day, and may you have a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude to God, who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Happy Thanksgiving!
At the close of every election cycle it seems that there are always some who cry for the abolition of the Electoral College, due to the “unfairness” of the current system. A poll taken in 2007 found that 72% of Americans supported the the idea of replacing the Electoral College with a direct election. Organizations have been founded with the goal of making our elections more “fair” (see www.fairvote.org), and some states have already taken steps to undermine the Electoral College (see National Popular Vote Interstate Compact – Wikipedia).
The reason the idea of a national popular vote finds such acceptance is not because the majority of Americans have weighed the choices with which the Founding Fathers were faced and disagree with their conclusions. On the contrary, the problem is simply that the great majority of Americans simply do not understand how the Electoral College works, and why the Founders chose that system over a popular vote.
Since that is the case, it is time for us to step up to the plate to help address this issue. We would like to challenge all our Patriots to:
1. Read David Barton’s article about the Electoral College
2. Write an opinion editorial or a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in defense of the Electoral College
You don’t have to be a great writer to write an op-ed or a letter to the editor. Strive to do your best, but the main goal is to get your opinion printed. Here are some links with tips for successful op-eds.
How To Write A Successful Op-Ed
How To Write An Op-Ed Column
Remember, the first step to changing public opinion is to get your viewpoint out there. This is a great way to do that, and one we all should utilize regularly. When you have successfully completed your op-ed or letter and submitted it to your newspaper shoot me an email, and I’ll recognize you here on the blog!
Have fun and happy writing!
Hannah
Filed under: General
Here are the Patriot Academy applications for 2009. The dates for Patriot Academy 2009 have changed:
Senate (third year applicants only): August 3-8, 2009
House (including all freshmen): August 4-8, 2009
To apply for a Senate position, you must have attended two previous sessions of the Academy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Freshman Application – PA 2009
How do you think that the current economic crisis will impact the election?
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed on this blog are the personal opinions of individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Torch of Freedom Foundation.THE PATRIOT PRESS
MARCHING TO THE DRUMBEAT OF FREEDOM
Oct. 1, 2008 Vol. 1 Issue 5
A Word From The Speaker
Dear Patriots,
As the election draws near, I can’t help but think about all the money being spent, hours being worked, signs being put up, and bumper stickers being put on cars. In most cases, all the money, hours, signs, and stickers are all about two campaigns. That’s right, Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin. Obviously, hard work pays off and it is great to see people in the spirit of the election, no matter what party you support. I am a bit taken aback though by all the emphasis put on the presidential election while we forget about our state and local races. For me personally, it is so important that we get Christian, conservative, fiscally responsible, positive leaders into office at not only the national level but also the state and local level. It seems that people forget that as powerful as the President is, he is only as powerful as the Congress and Senate we send to Washington D.C. True, he has the power of veto, but that can only go so far.
If you are a believer in the polls, it looks as though team Obama/Biden has a very good shot at the White House this year. My challenge to you is this: If they win the White House, let’s not give them a Congress or Senate that will play along with them. Let’s give them a Congress and Senate that will stand up for US the people of this great nation and say “NO” to the spending and higher taxes. It is up to us to pave the outcome of the country.
When history is read 100 years from now, let them read of a nation that overcame hard times because people stepped up and did the right thing and led this country back to greatness! Go work a local campaign in your area, volunteer to work the polls, walk your neighborhood, or just go tell a fried to vote! There are so many things we can do to bring change to this country and we MUST be willing to do it! Please join me in my efforts to elect strong, principled leaders from the local to the national level.
Thanks,
Joel
Click here to download the rest.
Filed under: General
Former Ronald Reagan campaign manager Ed Rollins recently described this election as “the most exciting presidential race in my lifetime. And I am one of those old guys who thought he had seen it all.” (In describing Barack Obama’s skill at the basketball game ‘horse,’ he also said, “(with the) shocking selection of Gov. Sarah Palin for the vice presidential nomination…the outdoor game has changed from ‘horse’ to ‘moose.’ And only one candidate in this race has shot ‘moose.’” It was an awesome article – read it here: http://tinyurl.com/cnn-edrollins )
I would have to agree with Mr. Rollins. This is definitely “the most exciting presidential race in my lifetime.” It’s amazing. Thrilling. Unbelievable. On the one hand, we have, “hope, change and fuzzy bunnies.” On the other hand, we have, “life, family, pitbulls and lipstick.” (Personally, I’m a lipstick kind a girl.) Big personalities are about to face off and the winner is anyone’s guess! (Kinda sounds like a reality show, doesn’t it?)
But in this contest, there’s more than a record deal or fashion show on the line. The choice of our next president has world-shaking ramifications. There’s a lot at stake: the economy, justice appointments, marriage amendments, international power balances and a million babies with an undecided fate. Our next president will decide our future. As for me, I want to make sure the person calling the shots is a guy (or gal) I can trust to put my country first. So a few weeks ago, I started praying about what I could do to make that happen. My answer?
GET OUT THE VOTE.
I went to my church and offered to put together a vote drive. Not only are we getting people registered, we are also offering guides on the candidates, websites for help with local races and practical info on how/where to vote. We hope to register over 1000 people and get info in the hands of over 5000 voters. In this way, we can inform Christians about the candidates, get them involved in the political process and help elect godly leaders on every level.
In the process of arranging the drive, and with the help of some amazing friends at Wallbuilders, I put together a simple “how to hold a voter drive” packet. It has a bunch of tips, suggestions and even a checklist! And now, it’s available to you! This packet was set up for Dallas/Fort Worth area voters but should be applicable for any city or state. I encourage each of you, but especially those in swing states, to take a look. Getting out the vote is surprisingly easy. Basically, all you have to do is:
Choose a time and place.
Get a few materials.
Set up materials.
Register voters.
Download file by clicking here: voterregistrationpacket_dfw
Pretty cool! FYI, some of the states deadlines for turning in voter registration cards are coming up fast, (in Texas, that date is October 6.) If you want to find your state’s turn-in deadline, click on your state on the map on this site: http://tinyurl.com/votemap (scroll down for map, and by the way, I’m not endorsing the site, just fell in love with the easy date finder map when I was researching vote stuff.)
Also, one of the coolest new features of this election cycle is…online voter registration! Go to your Secretary of State’s website (google “Texas (or whatever your state is) SOS election”) to check it out. Even if you can’t hold a drive, you could send an email to your contacts with info on how to register to vote online.
If you have any questions on any of this, please leave a comment or shoot me an email. I’ll be happy to help in any way I can. Can’t wait to hear your results!
Let’s ROCK THE VOTE!
k
