From Human Events via Drudge Report:
Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name of McCain's running mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation recently.
Via facebook from Tracy Lynn Dunigan.
Made by the NRCC and the NRSC.
This literally gave me chills.
Congressman Denny Rehberg released a YouTube video in which he talks about the benefits of Off-shore Drilling.
Some interesting points:
Any of the legislation that has been proffered takes in to consideration the curvature of the Earth so that the rigs cannot be seen from shore.
From The Political Inquirer:
Oklahoma' Legislature has passed a joint resolution confirming their sovereignty.
You can read the full text of the resolution here:
http://www.okhouse.gov/51LEG/Leg_Votesxx.aspx?include=okh01983.txt
http://www.ok-safe.com/files/documents/1/HJR1089_int.pdf
Montana should do the same, just to make it clear (I'm looking at you, Real ID Act).
If you are interested in the College Republicans or signed up on-line at Orientation last week, please e-mail me! We had a technical glitch and need your e-mails again.
-Steve
Katie has started her own blog at: http://www.montanaisgoingbrown.com/
She documents her travels and adventures on the campaign trail with her father.
Also of interest is Brown/Daines Campaign Blog at http://roybrownformontana.com/
Via CR Nation:
Shamlessly stolen from the chapter manual introduction page:
Welcome to the online version of the College Republican Chapter Manual. It’s in a wiki format so that we can all collaborate together to make this a relevant manual that addresses the issues faced by Chapter Chairs across the country.
It will be a manual for College Republicans…by College Republicans! Jump in to the chapters and share your thoughts and opinions on running a successful Chapter.
Thanks in advance for your contribution.
The wiki-feature is by far the best aspect of the chapter manual because it ensures that content stays relevant in real-time.
Plus, as an American, I am a big fan of the “of, for and by the people” ideal.Via Big Sky Cairn:
Today, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling that upheld an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. For more information, connect to the SCOTUSBlog or SCOTUS Wiki.
Answering a 127-year old constitutional question, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a gun, at least in one’s home. The Court, splitting 5-4, struck down a District of Columbia ban on handgun possession.
Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion for the majority stressed that the Court was not casting doubt on long-standing bans on gun possession by felons or the mentally retarded, or laws barring guns from schools or government buildings, or laws putting conditions on gun sales.
In District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), the Court nullified two provisions of the city of Washington’s strict 1976 gun control law: a flat ban on possessing a gun in one’s home, and a requirement that any gun — except one kept at a business — must be unloaded and disassembled or have a trigger lock in place. The Court said it was not passing on a part of the law requiring that guns be licensed.
You may have noticed the new addition to the right-hand column; we are now part of the Dextrablog!
Thanks to Carol at Missoulapolis for helping us get it setup!
Be sure to add the feed and check out the blogs!
Just a reminder that we will be Tabling tomorrow night from 8 - 10. Please join us!
Montana Headlines has a few thoughts on Bryce Bennett's attempted infiltration of the Convention, and he brings up a few interesting thoughts about their word choices.
I wasn't on this committee, but I sat in and took notes (and then was asked for my opinions) and was able to put some great stuff into the platform.
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party is dedicated to providing the best basic educational opportunities for all persons. Education must be accountable to families and taxpayers in response to the needs of the students and families. Well-educated citizens are critical to economic stability of the community, state and nation. Republicans support a strong educational system.
Citizens shall be educated about our State and National Constitutions and histories to maintain
the freedoms and rights that those constitutions provide and protect.Public School Funding
Montana's school funding shall be based on a formula that considers educationally relevant components. We encourage school boards to cooperate with other communities to find efficiencies and innovations to designate more funds for the classroom.
The Montana Republican Party supports the use of school trust properties and the natural resources they represent to be developed for the purpose of funding our schools.
We encourage the legislature to schedule the school and primary elections to be held on the same day to provide convenience and to increase voter participation.
Local Control
Schools should be supervised and controlled locally, with local education systems remaining in the hands of locally elected trustees responsive to their communities. The legislature shall remove areas of law that create obstacles to voluntary consolidation.
We encourage public school trustees to provide daily the opportunity for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Basic System of Quality Schools
We strongly support quality education as a vital investment in the overall well being of the state. A basic system of quality schools should be clearly defined, by legislative direction. We encourage locally elected school boards to incorporate in their kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculums an emphasis on America's free enterprise system and its value in the maintenance of freedom and the expansion of prosperity. We reaffirm our commitment to educational excellence through appropriate education for all students.
In the best interests of students, we believe distance learning is a valuable tool in the effort to bring an equal educational opportunity to every student in Montana.
We encourage Montana schools to teach American and Montana history, heritage, culture fine, arts and vocational skills and technical education.
We support establishing incentives either at the state or local district level that will encourage Montana students graduating as teachers from Montana colleges and universities to take teaching positions in Montana schools.
The Republican Party supports alternative certification to promote highly qualified teachers for our classrooms.
Choice
We strongly support the right of parents to choose the way in which their children shall be educated, consistent with their academic expectations and personal values. We support freedom of choice for church, public charter private or home schools.
We further believe that competition in the educational marketplace has a strengthening effect on both public and private education, and serves the long-term best interests of all students. We therefore support an education policy that fosters the free movement of educational consumers to the schools of their choice.
Vocational and Technical Education
The Montana Republican Party supports a separate and autonomous two-year system of education including Vo-Tech schools, Community Colleges, Colleges of Technology and Tribal Colleges.
Montana University System
We recognize our Montana University System as a key resource in responding to the rapid changes in technology, social structure and the national and international economies. Our system of higher education should be efficiently organized, adequately funded, and accessible to all Montana citizens.
The Party urges that the system's teacher education programs train teachers in academics and the principles of free government, training them to comprehend the rights, responsibilities, and dignity of American citizenship.
We strongly support the efforts to ensure that Montana's schools, especially rural schools, have total access to the national information highway. The utilization of modern communications and computer technology will be the key to creating a high quality, accessible education system.
We support increased opportunities for advanced professional training for Montana students including Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE) and the Washington Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) Regional Medical Training Program.
The Montana Republican Party strongly supports efforts by the university system to graduate students within four years.
The Montana Republican Party supports graduate level education and research programs within the university system.
I am really proud to present the Montana Republican Party's revised Economic Development platform. I sat on this committee and am quite proud of the changes that I influenced and out right made.
The Montanan Republican Party supports the creation of a climate that makes all Montana business more competitive in a national and international market. We believe the creation of business friendly state that fosters good paying jobs though sustainable private sector economic development.
We believe the role of government in promoting economic growth is to implement broad-based reforms aimed at removing burdensome regulations that impedes the growth and development of private businesses. We believe in limited, predictable and equitable business regulation carried out in a consistent, streamlined expeditious fashion.
We believe that a broad-based, equitable, competitive and stable tax structure is critical to growing Montana businesses and attracting new good-paying jobs to the state.
We believe that all levels of education play a critical role in providing a highly skilled workforce capable of commanding higher wages and meeting the needs of our citizens and businesses.
We recognize that research, either private sector or from the University System and the commercialization of that research, plays a vital role in growing our economy.
We believe that responsible development of our natural resources, using best technology, is desirable and necessary to grow our economy.
We believe in a growing and developing a thriving technology sector.
