Well there you go. What timing, too. I just received a solicitation from the RNC yesterday. They want me to give them some money so they can re-elect these buffoons. By the way, Rep. Wayne Buffoon, MD-1, not only voted for the tax hike, in doing so, he also apparently broke his pledge to never vote for new taxes http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/01/first_tax_hike_in_13_years.php.
So I will be giving another $50 to the Club for Growth whose mission to support candidates for public office seems to be more effective in electing genuine Republicans than that of the RNC. And with this post I will join the Club's Blogroll of members blogging about Members. Congressman Gilchrest, so far has no blogger listed, so I will gladly take up that honor with http://mikenetherland.blogspot.com/.
Mike N.
Severna Park, MD
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Next RNC Chair
Dear Mr. Pelura,
First, let me congratulate you on your election to the chair of Maryland's GOP. I expect you are already planning big changes in the way the Party conducts itself. Big changes are needed, I think, if we are to forge a party that stands for something other than the letter 'R'.
Now, if there is a chance that state committees can still influence who ascends to the National Chair, I hope you do not fall into line (you know, the one leading over the cliff) and give your nod to Sen. Martinez.
I have nothing against the good Senator. But from what I have been reading, there are plenty of people who do; people who have only the best interests of the Party and the country at heart. They, like me, know that the Party's elected officials suffer from Removable Spine Syndrome (RSS) and cannot be counted on to vote in the interests of their constituents, their party or their country. Obviously there are a few members of the GOP who are immune to RSS and who would, if asked, permit the harvesting of a few billion adult stem cells for use in finding a cure.
I am not going to suggest an alternative. The list of better candidates includes all of the usual characters found in Saturday morning kids TV programming.
The wonderful Joyce Thomann, however, has definite ideas: "Ask Jim to let Joyce Terhes and Louis Pope know of your views. Jim Pelura is an honest and good man and will let them know of your support of Michael Steele and your opposition to Senator Martinez."
We could do worse. My pick, if he could be drafted, is still Pat Toomey, the Pennsylvanian who nearly beat Arlen Specter in the 2004 (?) Republican Primary. (Chuck, I think Michael Steele would be an excellent candidate to head the Club).
I look forward to answering your questions, and to save time, yes, I would accept a high-level appointment to MD GOP.
Yours,
Mike Netherland
Severna Park
First, let me congratulate you on your election to the chair of Maryland's GOP. I expect you are already planning big changes in the way the Party conducts itself. Big changes are needed, I think, if we are to forge a party that stands for something other than the letter 'R'.
Now, if there is a chance that state committees can still influence who ascends to the National Chair, I hope you do not fall into line (you know, the one leading over the cliff) and give your nod to Sen. Martinez.
I have nothing against the good Senator. But from what I have been reading, there are plenty of people who do; people who have only the best interests of the Party and the country at heart. They, like me, know that the Party's elected officials suffer from Removable Spine Syndrome (RSS) and cannot be counted on to vote in the interests of their constituents, their party or their country. Obviously there are a few members of the GOP who are immune to RSS and who would, if asked, permit the harvesting of a few billion adult stem cells for use in finding a cure.
I am not going to suggest an alternative. The list of better candidates includes all of the usual characters found in Saturday morning kids TV programming.
The wonderful Joyce Thomann, however, has definite ideas: "Ask Jim to let Joyce Terhes and Louis Pope know of your views. Jim Pelura is an honest and good man and will let them know of your support of Michael Steele and your opposition to Senator Martinez."
We could do worse. My pick, if he could be drafted, is still Pat Toomey, the Pennsylvanian who nearly beat Arlen Specter in the 2004 (?) Republican Primary. (Chuck, I think Michael Steele would be an excellent candidate to head the Club).
I look forward to answering your questions, and to save time, yes, I would accept a high-level appointment to MD GOP.
Yours,
Mike Netherland
Severna Park
Monday, January 08, 2007
Re: [ThePublicSquare] Conservative PODcasts: Another Step in the Right Direction
Mike,
Thank you for mentioning the show and giving everyone some very good instructions on how to listen to the show on their computer.
The show is also available through iTunes and is downloadable to any iPod or mp3 player. The url to suscribe is
http://theconservativerefuge.libsyn.com/rss
I am always happy to help anyone who has difficulty in accessing the show.
The show is a work in progress and we have to this point simply letting people know about it by word of mouth and mentions on the internet.
As you can tell, Mike has been very geneorous with his suggestions and I certainly do welcome any feedback people may have about the show.
If you heard our second installment you know about the "Open Door" policy for guests on the show. I hope a number of the members of this group will take advantage of this to spread the word about what we are doing in the county.
Thank you for listening.
Greg Kline
Thank you for mentioning the show and giving everyone some very good instructions on how to listen to the show on their computer.
The show is also available through iTunes and is downloadable to any iPod or mp3 player. The url to suscribe is
http://theconservativerefuge.libsyn.com/rss
I am always happy to help anyone who has difficulty in accessing the show.
The show is a work in progress and we have to this point simply letting people know about it by word of mouth and mentions on the internet.
As you can tell, Mike has been very geneorous with his suggestions and I certainly do welcome any feedback people may have about the show.
If you heard our second installment you know about the "Open Door" policy for guests on the show. I hope a number of the members of this group will take advantage of this to spread the word about what we are doing in the county.
Thank you for listening.
Greg Kline
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Conservative PODcasts: Another Step in the Right Direction
The cause of conservative politics takes another plodding step forward in Anne Arundel County with Greg Kline's Conservative Refuge pod-casts. Mr. Kline, long a conservative Republican activist in the county, made a gallant yet unsuccessful bid in last summer's Primary race for Delegate in 33A.
He has since been laboring to cast a conservative light onto county politics and policy as we look towards 2008 and beyond through his Blog, The Conservative Refuge, and now with radio-show-like recordings featuring Greg's take on the week in politics, Republican party scheduled events, a "round table" discussion with other conservative bloggers, interviews with party poobahs and elected officials, etc.
I have listened to both "shows" and I applaud Greg for his effort in exploring new ways to get Republicans, especially conservatives to express and debate themselves. The concept is new enough to allow us to help shape it and Greg is open to new ideas. So I encourage you to give it a listen and give Greg your thoughts. But let's be constructive.
Here's what you do:
1. Click here: http://theconservativerefuge.libsyn.com/
2. Pick a Show by click on the little POD icon to the left of each show title. If you click on the show title you don't get anything.
3. Your computer should start your Windows Media Player and begin to play the MP3 audio file.
4. The first minute and a half consists entirely of sound clips from different movie and radio shows (Greg, despite it's popularity among certain members of the Kline family...it is a bit much and is confusing. Consider cutting it down to 15 seconds and prefix the theme with something to suggest to the listener that they are actually listening to your show.)
5. Then listen to the show. I suggest opening an e-mail message to record your thoughts on the show as it progresses and send them to Greg and\or to the ThePublicSquare.
I am not sure how it works on a "Pod" or how to subscribe. I think Greg needs to explain a bit about these concepts. To the younger set it may all be second nature but I am not a pod owner and I am still not sure what a subscription is or what a "feed" is but I am willing to learn!
I will write more extensively on this subject on MY blog here http://mikenetherland.blogspot.com/. I hope Greg reads it! Maybe Greg will host a Public Square segment....
Mike Netherland
He has since been laboring to cast a conservative light onto county politics and policy as we look towards 2008 and beyond through his Blog, The Conservative Refuge, and now with radio-show-like recordings featuring Greg's take on the week in politics, Republican party scheduled events, a "round table" discussion with other conservative bloggers, interviews with party poobahs and elected officials, etc.
I have listened to both "shows" and I applaud Greg for his effort in exploring new ways to get Republicans, especially conservatives to express and debate themselves. The concept is new enough to allow us to help shape it and Greg is open to new ideas. So I encourage you to give it a listen and give Greg your thoughts. But let's be constructive.
Here's what you do:
1. Click here: http://theconservativerefuge.libsyn.com/
2. Pick a Show by click on the little POD icon to the left of each show title. If you click on the show title you don't get anything.
3. Your computer should start your Windows Media Player and begin to play the MP3 audio file.
4. The first minute and a half consists entirely of sound clips from different movie and radio shows (Greg, despite it's popularity among certain members of the Kline family...it is a bit much and is confusing. Consider cutting it down to 15 seconds and prefix the theme with something to suggest to the listener that they are actually listening to your show.)
5. Then listen to the show. I suggest opening an e-mail message to record your thoughts on the show as it progresses and send them to Greg and\or to the ThePublicSquare.
I am not sure how it works on a "Pod" or how to subscribe. I think Greg needs to explain a bit about these concepts. To the younger set it may all be second nature but I am not a pod owner and I am still not sure what a subscription is or what a "feed" is but I am willing to learn!
I will write more extensively on this subject on MY blog here http://mikenetherland.blogspot.com/. I hope Greg reads it! Maybe Greg will host a Public Square segment....
Mike Netherland
Friday, January 05, 2007
SP Middle overhaul approved (12-21-06)
Recently published LTE. Look for the new edu-speak buzz word: ed-specs. Apparently the Teachers Union is trying foist a standard minimum classroom square-footage on the tax base. Adherence to agreed-upon ed-specs will require school jurisdictions to gut perfectly good schools and reconfigure them to meet the ed-specs.
First it was class size. Then it was teacher pay. Now teachers MUST have a minimum of 940 square feet of classroom size in order to teach effectively. Beware the ed-spec!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mike Netherland <netherman79@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 21, 2006 11:33 AM
Subject: Severna Park Middle overhaul approved (12-21-06)
To: "Letters, Kapital" <capletts@capitalgazette.com>, ThePublicSquare@yahoogroups.com
Why am I always surprised that the Kapital concoctions published as "news stories" continue to toe the Teacher Union line? Regarding "reporter" Ryan Bagwell's lede on the Anne Arundel County School Board's decision on Severna Park Middle School "that parents say doesn't go far enough to meet students' needs," ( http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/12_21-01/TOP) I have to ask: What parents?
What parents did he interview? How do they know the Revitalization plans does not meet students' needs? I am a parent. I have no clue as to how many square feet a classroom needs in order to meet my children's education needs. These "parents" may indeed have kids, some may indeed attend or will soon attend the school, but I believe their interests are more aligned with their place of work: The School. At the meeting arranged by Councilwoman Cathy Vitale, Mr. Bagwell was there along with me and all the teachers and adminstrators at the school, members of the Citizens Advisory Council, the County Council and the School Board. It was not a meeting for the parents. The discussion was laced with the edu-speak that the Teacher Union has been using to bamboozle elected officials and voters for decades. I think it was at this meeting that Mr. Bagwell drew his sources for a follow up "story."
The main concerns of the "parents" were the "ed-specs" calling for a certain amount of squarefootage per classroom. Now I as a real parent could not care less about classroom area "ed-specs" (this should have tipped you off, Bagwell, that you were in a automatic transmission seminar attended by a bunch of hydraulics engineers dressed up as a community meeting). I suspect that most real parents feel the same. The current "ed-specs" were good enough for my son and it will be good enough for my daughter in a few years, too.
Mike Netherland
Right across Jumpers Hole from the School
Severna Park, MD 21146
First it was class size. Then it was teacher pay. Now teachers MUST have a minimum of 940 square feet of classroom size in order to teach effectively. Beware the ed-spec!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mike Netherland <netherman79@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 21, 2006 11:33 AM
Subject: Severna Park Middle overhaul approved (12-21-06)
To: "Letters, Kapital" <capletts@capitalgazette.com>, ThePublicSquare@yahoogroups.com
Why am I always surprised that the Kapital concoctions published as "news stories" continue to toe the Teacher Union line? Regarding "reporter" Ryan Bagwell's lede on the Anne Arundel County School Board's decision on Severna Park Middle School "that parents say doesn't go far enough to meet students' needs," ( http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/12_21-01/TOP) I have to ask: What parents?
What parents did he interview? How do they know the Revitalization plans does not meet students' needs? I am a parent. I have no clue as to how many square feet a classroom needs in order to meet my children's education needs. These "parents" may indeed have kids, some may indeed attend or will soon attend the school, but I believe their interests are more aligned with their place of work: The School. At the meeting arranged by Councilwoman Cathy Vitale, Mr. Bagwell was there along with me and all the teachers and adminstrators at the school, members of the Citizens Advisory Council, the County Council and the School Board. It was not a meeting for the parents. The discussion was laced with the edu-speak that the Teacher Union has been using to bamboozle elected officials and voters for decades. I think it was at this meeting that Mr. Bagwell drew his sources for a follow up "story."
The main concerns of the "parents" were the "ed-specs" calling for a certain amount of squarefootage per classroom. Now I as a real parent could not care less about classroom area "ed-specs" (this should have tipped you off, Bagwell, that you were in a automatic transmission seminar attended by a bunch of hydraulics engineers dressed up as a community meeting). I suspect that most real parents feel the same. The current "ed-specs" were good enough for my son and it will be good enough for my daughter in a few years, too.
Mike Netherland
Right across Jumpers Hole from the School
Severna Park, MD 21146
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