One Party in Utah? Hardly.

Many believe that Republicans dominate the state of Utah.  Well, that isn’t completely true.  Yes, every elected statewide official has an R behind their name, but that doesn’t mean we are a one party state.  Just look at the party.

Last Saturday at the Republican State Convention, the Count My Vote group (read Buy-my-Vote) wanted to change the Republican system.  This group is headed up by LaVarr Webb (big-money interest), Kirk Jowers (wanna-be candidate for something), former Republican Governor Mike Leavitt (Progressive), Dave Hansen (Former chair, Orrin Hatch and now Mia Love campaign manager), and touted on the air waves by Doug Wright (wanna-be candidate and Progressive).  http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765630111/Why-moderates-lost-the-caucus-vote.html

You see, there really are two parties in Utah, they just all exist under the name Republican.  It is true the Democrat Party is not getting a lot of traction in Utah, so that is not the other party I’m talking about.  However, there is the liberal, almost Democrat-wing of the Republican Party.  Then there is the Republican Party platform group, where most of the actual Republican Party resides.  The first group of Republicans are actually called Progressives.  Delegates, who represent the average Utah voter directly from a neighborhood meeting, would never elect them.  However, their name recognition, and their big special interest money could fool many in a primary.  They would never be elected with D behind their name, so here they are in the Republican Party.

Delegates may have aligned themselves from time to time with what they believed to be Republican values, and found out they were electing “progressive” Republicans.  When Utahns had finally had enough, the “secret” of the caucus was unveiled, and record attendance occurred.  Suddenly neighbors woke up and realized they did not have to wait for a primary, or the general election to “shape” the landscape in choosing candidates.  This is not about delegate power as many have professed, but about neighborhood responsibility.  As any delegate that has served will tell you, the system is different inside than it appears on the outside.  There is so much to learn about the candidates, and the real issues of the day.  The discussions are deep, and the integrity, honesty, and viability of a candidate are more easily accessed one on one, face to face.

The Count My Vote / Buy My Vote alternative is to rush things to a primary where people are elected on how many signs, billboards, radio and TV ads they can get out.  30-second sound bites, little catchy phrases, and worst of all some big name endorsement become the deciding factors in a primary.

Kirk Jowers calls our system antiquated.  While we can always do things to improve upon the system, these neighborhood meetings are vital to maintaining our Republic.  We are a Republic, after all, and NOT a Democracy, as is a common misconception.  He has compared himself to “George Washington” wanting to see delegates give up their power.  George must be rolling in his grave.  George Washington, along with all of the founding fathers recognized that the government closest to the people was the best.  How much closer can you get elections than a neighborhood meeting?

Saying we are not allowing many to participate is not true.  Most people can plan to be there.  Someone will always have SOMETHING that may override their desire to be there.  Yes, there will be young men and women on missions, and in military service.  Their service is valuable to their church, and to our country.  Moreover, they have a vote in the primary and the general election as an absentee ballot when the election is for someone that will actually affect policy.  Their vote is counted for elected governing officials.  Nevertheless, because they cannot attend the meeting, they will not be able to be involved in the discussion; they will not yet know the candidates that are running.  If we open the door in these simple and wonderful meetings to corruption through proxy voting or absentee voting, it will ruin the entire purpose of meeting with your neighbors to discuss the direction YOUR neighborhood would like to see the party move.  The Republican Party is a private organization.  If Count (Buy) My Vote want to control the outcome, they should get elected in their neighborhoods, or start their own organization.

You have heard the accusation that more involvement is needed.  We have had record turnout at the neighborhood meetings for the last 4 years.   This is a red herring.  Turnout is not the real issue.  Control of the party is.  It is hard to control so many engaged neighbors who are electing someone to represent them, and study out the issues, and the candidates in depth.  It is much easier to control the masses with a primary.  The “old-guard” of the Republican Party is not happy with their results, so they want to change the game.  I would love to see more involved.  And I plan to continue to educate people so they can be more involved in the process.  But, apathy will continue until voters decide to not be apathetic.  Changing the system will not change apathy.

Last point, this has nothing to do with any “tea-party” or any other Washington DC group controlling Utah.  This is about Utah values.  This is about Utahns standing up for those values.  It’s about more Utahns reading the Republican Party platform and recognizing its absolute beauty, and then scratching their head and saying, “Why doesn’t my Republican representative stick to the platform?”  It’s about average Utah Republicans taking back control of their own party from the Progressives.

The system works, for incumbents and challengers alike.  The system produces good candidates.  That is why the Progressives want to change it.

HB116 – Will it divide or unite?

HB116 – Will it divide or unite?

After watching the overwhelming division of the Republican Party on HB 116, I wondered if this division can make our party stronger?  I believe the answer is yes.  While I voted my conscience on the repeal of HB116, it does not mean that I do not understand or sympathize with the other side.  In fact, I probably land more on the side of those that support HB 116 than most would think.

I think the vote would have come out much differently had delegates stayed to do their duty.  I watched most of my county leave immediately following the elections of the party officers, including some of the county leadership.  That was unfortunate.  I do not know which side of the issue they fell on, but their voice was unheard.

 

What did the Repeal of HB116 resolution do?  Actually, nothing.  Having the delegates stand and say they want something doesn’t mean it will actually happen.  However, it does put pressure on our legislators to do something, but in the end, they can do what they want.  But, they have heard the voice of the delegates.  While some delegates were adamant about the repeal, others, like myself, felt this was not something that really should have taken up so much of our energy.  This is just one issue, although I believed the reason I chose to repeal was valid.  Those who act like anyone that voted for this legislation should be thrown out, need to calm down.  You paint yourselves as an angry mob instead of acting like statesmen.  I have deliberately held my tongue on this issue because the frenzy that surrounded it seemed so out-of-place.

The 10^th Amendment:  Clearly our state must put forward legislation that sends a strong message to our federal government.  We do need to take matters into our own hands.  We must continue to fight the battle for state sovereignty.  But in order to make these battles work, we need to be able to win.

Constitutional?  Yes and no.  Yes it’s Constitutional when you look at the original intent of the Constitution, but under current views, it will not be held as constitutional because the Federal government has stripped away state sovereignty in today’s America.  It is my hope that this extra pressure from the delegates will push the legislature to make the necessary changes to HB116 to bring it into full compliance, next session.   A letter sent to delegates by The Salt Lake Chamber stated,  “We may not be able to achieve a federal waiver.  It may be deemed unconstitutional.  The penalty for being here illegally and for businesses that break the law may not be high enough.”   One person, in public office in my county, that is highly in favor of HB116, testified before the legislature that HB116 was unconstitutional.  What we are trying to achieve with this legislation is probably a good thing in theory, however, the ramifications of passing laws that will be deemed unconstitutional will eventually come back and haunt us.  Yes, almost all of the Republican party wants to see immigration laws change.  The Republican party wants to bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows.  The Republican party wants to follow the rule of law.  On this we agree.  Therefore, we must find a way to construct a bill, or amend the current legislation to bring this bill into compliance.

Why is Constitutionality such a sticking point?  I’ve heard the argument that a message bill is fine if it fits your agenda.  While this is a message bill, what exactly is the message?  After many, like Mike Lee, have said that a waiver will most likely not be granted by the federal government, and the bill does not go into effect, there are many that claim it sends a message to Washington.  Maybe the message we are sending is the wrong one.  Let’s take the immigration issue out of the equation for a moment, and talk about the theory.  What happens when a state (even ours) puts forward a bill that we highly disagree would be good for our state or any other state for that matter.  What happens when we discover that the highly unprincipled idea is also unconstitutional?  Are we going to scream and cry and raise our voices and decry, “This is unconstitutional?”  If we do not ask for repeal, or correction to HB 116, then we will become hypocrites, when the situation is something with which we disagree.  We will have set a very dangerous precedent.

We all know our Federal government is completely failing in regard to immigration.  The doors are not open wide enough for legal immigrants, the red-tape is far to cumbersome, and the delays are devastating to renewal of visas creating illegal status.  I disagree with those that claim HB116 creates cheap labor.  I disagree with many of my colleagues that claim HB116 is amnesty.  The point is, if this bill is unconstitutional and goes against our party platform, we as Republicans have no business even bringing it to the table until it complies.  If, we as states, want to bring the idea of immigration back to the states, then we must amend the Constitution, or get a coalition of states to join us in repealing the federal government’s authority on immigration. 

 

Here’s what we can do in the mean time. 

 

Rights vs. Entitlements:  We can look at legislation that cuts any and all entitlements to non-citizens.  This is the root of the problem.  This is what has most people up in arms.  We can call on private citizens, churches, and non-profit organizations to help pick-up to the slack for any individuals truly needing help, while they either begin the process of becoming a citizen or help them return to their own countries.  We can remember that all people on this earth are here as God’s children, and deserve to be treated that way.  We can remember that rights come from God, not our government.  Whether people are here legally or not, they still have rights.  They do not have rights to entitlements, but they are still people with human rights. 

 

English vs. anything else:  We need to call upon citizens, and non-profit organizations to teach English to immigrants and their children before they enter grade school, at low or no cost.  This helps the schools, this helps employment, and this helps continue with the great melting-pot of our nation.  No one is asking people to give up their culture, but we are asking that you do what you can to learn ours. 

 

American vs. hyphenated-American:  We need to teach immigrants the beauty of being an American.  Help individuals understand our history, our diversity, our language, and how American opportunities will help them.  multiculturalism doesn’t work.  American Exceptionalism does.  Teach people how to be owners (Georgics) again.

 

Enforce current laws vs. creating new ones:  Enforce current laws on the books regarding identity theft, and other crimes.  We do not need to have a separate set of rules for illegal immigrants.  Laws should be enforced when an individual aggresses against another regardless of their status.  If ICE will pick them up, that is their decision.  If ICE will not get involved, prosecute them just as you would anyone else.

 

Free Market Labor vs. Minimum Wage Laws:  Work to repeal minimum wage laws.  This may not seem like a good argument for the “cheap labor” crowd, but labor is a mans’ to give at whatever price he or she deems is acceptable.  This is your property.  I am not told what price I must sell my home.  But I get a price the market will bear.  In the same token, I should not be told at what price I should sell my labor.  I will get the price the market will bear.  The artificial wage control by the federal government is a crime on it’s own.  Everyone has different needs.  Prices would probably go down, and most people would have their basic needs met even if wages dropped in the process.  We would not need government subsidies for the dairy industry and other agriculture industries if men set their own wage.

People vs. status:  Let’s all remember that people are at the very heart of this discussion.  Everyone has dreams, hopes, and aspirations.  Let’s make it easier to be here, easier to be an American, and welcome immigrants with open arms.  Remember our individual rights come from God, not government, and so they belong to all people, from all nations.  We are just lucky enough to live in a country where we still enjoy some of those individual rights.

Utah Resident vs. U.S. Citizens:  This one is fuzzy to me, because I don’t hold a degree in Constitutional Law, but I have heard it said you can be a resident of the sovereign state of Utah, and be considered a foreign national and not a U.S. Citizen, sometimes referred to as a Permanent Resident Alien.  If that is the case, then let’s use current law on the books to create that status for people who live here already, but have not aggressed beyond infractions.  We all know “round ‘em up and ship ‘em out” is not only a horrible idea, but a very unpractical (and impossible) one as well.  We must find a way to comply with our current Constitution.   They can pay taxes, but being a documented resident of Utah does not necessarily give them rights to vote, if they are only a resident alien.  But they will be documented and legally here.  I could be way off, but, I hope this at least gets the discussion going.

 

TIME TO UNITE: This bill, while seemingly able to divide the party can actually create great strength in the party as we pull together to fix or repeal bad legislation and thoughtfully put forward legislation that cannot be argued by the Democrats as unconstitutional.  Because the day will come when the other side will pull some huge shenanigans and if we are on the wrong side on this argument, we will have no ability to cry “unconstitutional” to their legislation.  Republicans have always stood for their constitution and their platform.  This is an inconvenient time, but it is the right thing to do.  Being the party that leads on principle is not easy, but this is the party that can do it.  To paraphrase the key-note speaker at Saturday’s convention, when you find a rat in a bottle of Coke, it sours you from buying Coke for a long time.  As Republicans, we need to stick to our platform and principles, so our Republican base is not soured on future Republicans.

Senator Orrin Hatch is not the Enemy

Image via Wikipedia

by Scott Simons 

On November 12, 2010 at the Wanship Firehouse, Senator Orrin Hatch graciously took questions for nearly 3 hours and spent additional time one on one afterwards, I find this to be extraordinary.  In today’s world of “I don’t have time for anyone”, this was very impressive. Now, we are talking about one of the most powerful men in the world, coming to a very small town, in an atmosphere that may not have been that favorable to him and he also brought his lovely wife of 57 years, I don’t know about you,  but that is what I respect about this man, he will dialog with you under any circumstances. 

I first met the Senator at a county delegate meeting in Park City with my lovely wife of 37 years nearly three years ago, again I have found no one as personable and sincere. I can see how he has lasted this long in politics.   I have voted for Senator Hatch in every election except the first one when I was 23 years old and still pretty liberal. The impression he first left with me at that delegate meeting was good and was reaffirmed Friday night.  Don’t get me wrong, I would not say the Senator and I agreed on much of anything. 

Names were taken at the door and placed into a hat and pulled out for your turn.  As the evening progressed on, I was ready, and for the past week I had a list of all the ills of our country’s government. Friends and church members all gave me their input, I was fully ready; but as I pondered, I realized that there was only one central issue that needed to be addressed. So, I stood there and waited, hoping my name would be drawn out, question after question and nothing said, I was getting anxious how could the most obvious question slip by and not be asked, and finally Jacqueline Smith breached the subject and Rob Hunt redressed the issue passionately:  The Federal Reserve are the curators and facilitators of all evils and had to be eliminated. The whole central bank issue is more than arguably unconstitutional and nearly all of our personal income taxes are going to pay the interest of this giant power mogul. The senator was not very clear on his reason for supporting the Reserve but ended up saying it was complicated; indeed, and guess what, the American people have figured it out, and are awake to this great evil and others are also waking, critical mass will soon arrive. 

This is what is bugging us about the Senator, how is it he does not know this? How is it that he is deceived when the truth is right in front of him and still does not believe? This is a man with all the inside information, the senior member of the intelligent and finance committees, how can he not know? This is what all the conservatives question, the answer must be, he is in on it, and that being the truth the Tea Parties are fervently working to remove him from office. I am not a Tea Party member but have some sympathy towards their cause, howbeit I would say not to jump too quickly. It is quite possible the Senator has been deceived, whom else would the mass manipulators focus their attention on distracting and hindering rather than this VIP. This is why I say let us try to get him the information.   I personally gave him a copy of “The Secrets of OZ” Here by Bob Still, it’s the short version of the “Money Masters” Here which if anyone watches will have the lights go on. If the Senator would get connected with Ron Paul and his son Rand there could be some resounding results, but we must get the Senator to awaken, and not throw the baby out with the wash water. 

Now, on the matter that really got things stirred up Friday night; Dennis Pace broached the issue of “False Flag Terror” and specifically 9/11 being an inside job. Senator Hatch did not seem angry, but was surprised at the question and simply said he did not believe it was an inside job. This is where I could not restrain myself and questioned him about WTC7, and how it fell in its footprints and no airplane had hit that building, and that 911 commissioners called the investigation essentially a farce. Here  Also I brought up Steve Jones a PhD Professor (retired) from BYU that had discovered Nano Thermite Here  in the dust of the buildings, which implicates explosives were used to bring the buildings down. I guess this exchange was all recorded by the radio station, KPCW, and was aired the next morning. I might note that Geraldo Rivera ran a favorable show this Saturday on Fox News on 9/11 leaving many questions unanswered by the official story.; HERE, and introduced a web site call “Building What ?” [Here] I quoted only Main Stream media sources and we had a lively dialog going until some people got nervous and wanted to not talk about it anymore. Senator Hatch, the gentlemen he is, did not leave me comfortless and said it was a subject of interest. Later after the event was over, I talked to the Senator some more, he said I did a good job and commended me. I think that if the Senator looked into the Federal Reserve and the 911 cover up he may be the inside man whom we are looking for. 

In conclusion our government is not the enemy, rather a group of “Banksters” have instituted a Coup d’état, wherein they seek to destroy our solvency and sovereignty. If we can wake up our Senators to these facts we may well be able to turn this around. So I am offering that Senator Orrin Hatch is not our enemy rather we should not give up on him just yet, but inundate him with the facts especially about the Federal Reserve and see if he will turn around, then we will know if he is for us or not, and the rest of you need to question the official 9/11 story.  We aren’t getting the entire story. Here  

Now with all of this having a high possibility of becoming mute points, being prepared is what our immediate focus should be, community involvement, knowing your sheriff and him knowing you,  having a garden, some food storage (most churches have programs for this), be able to defend yourself (the sheriff may not be able to be Johnny on the spot). Inflation is coming, bread may be as high as $25 a loaf soon; there are ways to fight inflation by buying now what you will need later (check expiration), your Federal Reserve notes (fiat currency) are losing value and probably will wipe out your savings and pensions, and taxes could cost you your assets, you need to adjust monetarily.  The house of cards is coming down by design.    

Labels, Campaigns, and You

by Jacqueline Smith

I recently received an email sent out by the Democratic Candidate for Treasurer.  It linked Henry Glasheen the Republican Candidate for Treasurer to the “right wing” group The STAR Forum in a negative way.  First, Henry Glasheen is not a member of our group.  While most of the members support Henry in his election because he is a fiscal conservative, and qualified enough to handle this position, my main point of this article is to discuss labels. 

Labels are a way for the opposing view to denigrate individuals and groups.  Going back in history, we look at the Nomad age.  Those who were living on farms and in stable homes, also known as the Agrarian culture called the Nomads “barbarians.”  Once the Industrial Age caught on, those people building factories looked at the Agrarian age as “Third World.”  Each group wants to denigrate the other with a label.  What might the Information Age call the Industrial Age builders?  Polluters maybe.

Many labels have been attached to the freedom movement, such as “tea baggers,” “racists,” “hate-mongers,” and “right-wingers“ etc.  This type of label is not only inaccurate, but can fool us, if we as a people do not look at the entire picture.  We have a right / left paradigm in our society, and I have used the terms myself.  Liberal / Conservative is thrown around a lot as well, but with less negative connotations.  If you are using a term to describe a standpoint, be sure you are using it with accuracy.  Liberals call themselves liberals.  That is not a derogatory term.

 I think it would be good to define right-wing.  The video linked here is a video that shows why right-wing is the opposite of the definition many people place on groups intent on supporting the Constitution of the United States as seen through the eyes of the founding fathers.  Right wing actually is a call for anarchy.  This is not the case for The STAR Forum at all. 

The STAR Forum stands for Save The American Republic.  I cannot imagine a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent not wanting to Save the Republic.  Unless you believe in total anarchy or Fascism / Communism, we have common ground.  If you believe in God or simply in good, we have common ground.  If you believe that the Constitution of the United States is the law of the land, and holds government at bay to ensure the highest level of liberty for the people, then we have common ground.  If you believe that government is necessary, but should be limited, we have common ground.

The purpose of The STAR Forum is to educate people in ways of government workings.  We seek to give individuals the tools necessary to participate in an environment that may otherwise seem foreign.  We teach the proper role of government, and give the individuals the ability to look at history and better understand the period we are entering, known as The Fourth Turning.  It is individuals aligning themselves with others that want to recognize the vital role they can play in ensuring liberty for all.  It is recognizing the need for charity, honesty, and public virtue from ourselves on a daily basis.  We believe that an educated electorate is the most important thing in maintaining a Republic as our form of government.  We are not a democracy, because our founders understood as James Madison said, “…democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of  property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”  In addition, Samuel Adams stated, “Democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.”

If placing labels on individuals or groups is the only way to win elections, and it works, it will not be the fault of the person placing the label, but the individuals who are fooled by those labels and vote based on the “feeling” the label creates.  Be an educated voter.  Look at comments and phrases placed on opposing candidates in context.  Do not believe everything you hear.  Study things out for yourself.  Find the candidates that align most with your views and belief systems.  Above all else, remember that this Republic has lasted longer with our Constitution than any other written Constitution on the earth.  It is the duty of all who take office, and all who vote, regardless of party to align themselves within the bounds of that document.

 FREEDOM CAN WIN!

Tax Day Tea Partiers Geer Up, and Should Be On Guard

Thursday, April 15, 2010, there will be another opportunity for the Tea Party groups to rally.  In Utah, there will be a protest / rally at the Federal Building at 10:00 a.m. that moves to the Utah State Capitol Building at noon.  This will be a family friendly event, with speakers ranging from Tea Party Organizers, 9.12 Organizers (including me) , Candidates for public office, and those already holding political office.   For more information on this event go to www.utahrising.com

So who are the people who belong to the Tea Party Movement?  Are they anarchists, racists, and violent?  No, no, and no.  They are families that believe in their country, and they recognize government as a necessary evil to control anarchy, but government must never be allowed to become tyrannical.  They come from all backgrounds, all education levels, and all classes.  They are freedom loving people who recognize that failure is part of life, and the freedom to fail is part of what makes this country great.  They are peaceful people, that sing songs of our country when they are walking the streets of DC like “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.”

This clip gives you a great idea of the kind of people who make up the tea party movement.  My favorite line in this clip is “The more I give you, the more I control you.”  It really is true that a government big enough to give you everything, is also big enough to take it all away.

This next clip is a letter read by Jon Voight, and he is very accurate in his thinking.  We must be peaceful, God-loving, calm, resolved Americans.  Join us in this great movement for liberty.

Jerome Hudson: The Life of a Young Black Conservative

July 8, 2009 Last week Glenn Beck got a call from a very impressive young man named Jerome Hudson, who told Glenn he had written an op-ed during the 2008 election on being a black conservative. He sent it in and it’s fantastic. Enjoy! While attending a black fraternity party, I recently learned it’s a bad idea to profess one’s affinity for Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.    Worse, according to current polls, it appears I may be the only black 22 year old in America who will be voting for Sen. John McCain.    It’s not that I was unaware that being a black conservative Republican puts me in the ultimate “minority.”   After all, Shelby Steele’s classic article “ The Loneliness of the Black Conservative” has become an article of faith that I’ve all but committed to memory.     But I guess I had made the mistake of buying into all that liberal yammering about being “open minded” and supporting “diversity” that I’d deluded myself into believing that a civil, discussion about the herd-like ideological mentality of so many of my contemporaries suffer from was possible.    Boy, was I wrong.  Big time!    My official “Negro” card got stripped away.  I instantly lost my “blackness.”  And now, consequently, I now am greeted with this: “Hey, y’all, here comes The Black Republican.”     And that’s when I think to myself, Hmmm…so this is how it feels to be an “Uncle Tom.”    Still, being labeled “The Black Republican” is undoubtedly a promotion from: “Hey, why are you dressed so nice?  You got a job interview or something?”  Or, worse, “Man, why are you talking like that?  You sound white?  Who do you think you are?  A conservative Kanye West?” But my path to ideological emancipation began where all the most important things always begin—with my father and mother.  Growing up, my Army drill sergeant father was a firm believer in tough love.  My parents instilled in us Christian values.  But I believe that first part—having an involved mother and father—was critical.  With 70% of all black babies being born out-of-wedlock, it’s no wonder black poverty remains entrenched, welfare has become a way of life, and that many of my fellow young black male counterparts choose gangsta life over college.     But it wasn’t until college that I realized I had been ensnared in what John McWhorter calls the “Cult of Victimology.”  One of my professor’s pointed me toward a world of literature I’d never been introduced to:  Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, Shelby Steele, Star Parker, Angela McGlowan, Larry Elder, Walter Williams—they obliterated the Leftist foolishness that floods my community.     It was then that my eyes were opened to the truth, a truth that my father was willing to give his life for, a truth that hundreds of thousands of American soldiers have paid the ultimate price to pass on to future generations.  And that truth is this: America remains the greatest country that God gave to man.    So imagine me, a member of various organizations that largely consist of young black Americans, most of whom are womb to the tomb Democrats and liberals, speaking openly about the many opportunities and blessings we enjoy in our great nation and refuting Michelle Obama’s supposition that America is a “downright mean place..”   Can you say…..social suicide?     “So Jerome,” the partygoers asked, “you’re REALLY a Republican?!”   Duh!   Of course I’m a Republican!  And your great grandparents were too!     Yes, I’m a member of the Anti-Slavery Party, the party responsible for: the 13th (abolished slavery), 14th (gave former slaves full citizenship rights), the 15th Amendment (gave slaves voting rights), the Civil Rights Act of 1871(protecting southern blacks from the Ku Klux Klan), the Reconstruction Acts, and the 1866, 1875, 1957, 1960, and 1964 Civil Rights Acts.And no, my brothers and sisters, yesterday’s southern Democrats are NOT today’s Republicans!  If so, former Klansman, Sen. Robert Byrd—the highest ranking senate Democrat and President Pro-Tempore of the Senate—apparently didn’t get the memo and forgot to switch parties.  But it’s more than just the history.  I’m proud to stand for self-empowerment, personal responsibility, strong family values, small government, low taxes, free markets, a strong military, and individual achievement etc.  And don’t even get me started on which side stands up for the precious 1.4 million unborn children (32% of whom are black), who will be casualties in the war inside the womb.  When I see these so-called “black leaders” bashing conservatives for “racist policies,” I wonder how they justify cheering on the political team who proudly defends the annihilation of 13 million black children since 1973.   And conservatives don’t care about black people?    I don’t think so! No, I think I’ll ride with the team who says enough with the welfare cancer that has destroyed people’s innate desire to achieve.  Yes, I’ll ride with the folks who respect me enough to consider me their equal and not insult me with Affirmative Action racism.  Yeah, I’ll ride with the gang who would rather create effective policies than emotional “feel good” symbolism that robs individuals of their desire to aspire.  So while it may take a little getting used to walking into college parties where I’m known as “The Black Republican,” I now realize I am a newly inducted member of a rich tradition of ideologically emancipated black conservatives.  And guess what? I’m more than cool with that.   I’m proud, actually. “The conservative Kanye West”?   Hmmm…. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Jerome Hudson is a sophomore at Tallahassee Community College with plans to transfer to Florida A&M University in the fall.