Vote By Mail is Safe in Florida.

Dear Republicans:

Hope you are all staying safe and practicing social distancing during this terrible pandemic that we are suffering through. It certainly has changed the dynamics of the election process with people concerned with any social contact. What this will mean to live in-person voting at polling stations remains to be seen, but for sure, it will have a major impact. It is also understandable that Vote by Mail will be huge with people fearful to venture out of their houses and face large crowds. It is expected that the Vote by Mail ballots will be near 40% of all the votes cast. This is huge.

It has to be understood by all that Vote by Mail (which is the same thing as Absentee Ballot voting) in Florida has been going on for over 10 years, and per a recent conversation with our Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections, there never has been a single ballot found to be  illegal. This is a phenomenally safe track record.   

So, why is there so much confusion on the safety and use of it? That is easy. Many states are just not as well organized and well managed. Their systems are antiquated and their process control is poor. Some states permit canvas balloting, where forms are just blasted out to everyone. These are the states that President Trump is concerned with and he should be. However, Florida is not one of them. 

What we need to do is spread the word that it is completely safe to Vote by Mail in Florida. The Democrats are pushing this with an all-out effort, since they think the confusion will result in some Republicans just not voting. They are strategizing they will get huge numbers of votes with Vote by Mail, because they know it is safe and secure in Florida. This is a major problem that we must address. We need to assure every Republican or NPA that has concerns about Vote by Mail that there are no problems with it in Florida.

To Vote by Mail in Charlotte County, you need to contact the Charlotte County, Supervisor of Elections to request a Vote by Mail ballot. This can be done on their web site which is charlottevotes.com or stopping by or mailing to the office at 227 Taylor Rd., Punta Gorda, 33950, or by calling their office at 941-833-5400. 

 

The same request process exists for Lee and DeSoto Counties. Below is their contact information:

Lee County’s web site for the Supervisor of Elections is https://www.lee.vote/. The main address is 2480 Thompson St., 3rd floor, Fort Myers, Fl., 33901. The phone number is 239-533-8683.

DeSoto County’s web site for the Supervisor of Elections is votedesoto.com. The address is 201 E. Oak St., Suite 10104, Arcadia, Fl. 34266. The phone number is 863-993-4871. 

 

The re-election of President Donald J. Trump goes through capturing the State of Florida. It is in our hands, so we need to make sure to get out the message that Vote by Mail is perfectly fine. We will need every single vote to win. 

 

Stay safe and stay strong. 

Thank you, Gene Murtha

Strong Policing Foundation for Best Place to Live

Without the strong foundation of public safety that we have through our police and sheriff departments, we would not be a community touted in national publications as one of the best places to retire, best places to live America.  It is that very foundation that has enabled our community through public and non-profit funding and a spirit of volunteerism to support hundreds of social programs including youth programs like AMI Crossroads and homelessness programs like the Homeless  Coalition,  Drug initiatives like Drug Free Charlotte County just to name a few of the many, many such programs in the amazing place we call our home.  

It distresses me and many others in our community that I have spoken with in recent weeks that political agitators are using one very tragic and unconscionable  incident in our nation to push forward agendas that would harm local communities like ours.  Communities that have been very safe and supportive of all citizens  unlike some of our major cities that have been made unsafe and are being driven to becoming more so by misdirected  and very bad political leadership.  

It was recently suggested in this paper that a local response was needed to address justice in policing, further recommendation a reallocation of funds.  That local response has been continual in our community and doesn’t require the nudging motivated by election year politics.   For example, the police and sheriff’s offices have long prior to the Floyd event banned any restraints or restraining methods that may impede breathing during arrests.  Both departments have been diligent with respect to continuous training of officers, the scruntizing of any misconduct and protection of all citizens rights under our constitution.  Moreover, transparency has been paramount. Police and sheriffs budgets are based on carefully review processes by city and county management and elected officials.  It is reckless at best to suggest a knee-jerk redirection of police funds based on agendas outside this community.  

We are fortunate to live in a small, friendly community that provides extensive access to our officials including those we have entrusted with our basic safety and protection - men and women willing to risk their own safety for us every day. The close community involvement with our law enforcement officials has worked well for all.  Sure there is always room for improvement which I have witnessed happening continually over my 20 years here, improvement  that I am sure will continue in this very well run community under the leadership of our Sheriff and Chief of Police.  Thank you Sheriff Prummell and Chief Davis for your leadership and all you do for this community.

Gene Murtha 

Fear of Freedom has Led To Intolerance in Young People.

Lazy accusations of bigotry and intolerance of any commentary or discussion that does not closely fit the narrative of the radical left has become commonplace.  Editors have been fired for publishing opposing viewpoints and writers and  internet posters shamed for not pandering post- Floyd to the black-lives matter cause.  The  theme is whoever disagrees with us about anything is a bigot, and bigots should be shamed and silenced.  Rather it is encouraged to spout nonsense like Joe Biden did comparing the death of George Floyd to the  assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Apparently even liberals are awakening to this with the more moderate among them expressing concern that things have gone too far.  They too recognize that the seeds of our destruction are being sown and the freedom of expression they hold dear is being threatened.  An open letter signed by 150 respected writers and journalists ( https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/ ) to be published in Harpers, organized by the black writer Thomas Chatterton Williams and written by several hands, warns of an “intolerant climate that has set in” and denounces  “an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.”   

Where and how did this intolerance start?  

The first hint of an extreme intolerance and fear of opposing viewpoints began turning up on college campuses years back around the beginning of the Obama era when students began expressing fears over being exposed to viewpoints not matching their own.  Surveys showed that while majorities favored a mix of opinion, an intolerant faction of roughly a quarter of students believed it was okay to silence or suppress some widely held views that they deemed wrong.  Campus protests  over appearance by conservative speakers starting becoming violent with one student newspaper running an op-ed supporting rioting under the headline “Violence helped ensure student safety.”   Violent protests over free speech were being justified by the need for some kind of emotional safety.  

Something happened when an over-protected generation of mostly liberal baby-boomers’ kids went to college - a generation that seems to have more fears and anxiety than previous ones.  Hurting a student’s feelings, even in the course of instruction, absolutely appropriate, started getting teachers into serious trouble. Teaching American classics like the works of Mark Twain b

ecame threatening and offensive.  A general hostility against opinions and viewpoints that could cause students so much as hint of discomfort became prevalent. Students complained about feeling bombarded by a lot of viewpoints that go against “dearly and closely held beliefs” and were assuaged by pandering college administrators who introduced rules “to protect student safety.”

Is it a wonder then that as this generation graduates  into the real world that they bring these anxieties and attitudes  with them and view an unfortunate incident like the Floyd one as justification for violence.  There is no other tools in their toolkit - discussion with others of differing opinions would be out of the question for that might lead to a threat to their entrenched and safe point of view.  This over-protected group have grown accustomed to be fearful of opposing views to the point where they unrealistically believe that repressing free speech is an appropriate way to bring about a universe that will be perfect and keep them perfectly safe from all their insecurities.  Violence to prevent free speech that might offend them is ok.  They have been carefully taught that freedom is selfish and too scary.  They   prefer an environment that values anger and orthodoxy over inquiry, debate and freedom of expression. What is truly scary is that a large segment of our young, educated population would prefer a country that doesn’t look anything like the America they were born in.  

T Murtha

Socialism and the Group leading the way in America. Meet Indivisible.

This election is a fight for our values as Americans against socialist elites hungry for power who want to change America forever. Socialism has never empowered the average guy.  That guy always ends up in the street begging for food or worse, e.g. Venezuela.  What really happens is the connected always benefit.  It is no surprise then that it is these elites with their supporters  in academia and the mainstream media, who push this socialist ideology.  When the revolution that you hear them forecasting  these days comes, it is they who expect to be in power.  They truly believe they are better than all of us and should have power over us. They are the people our Constitution was set up to stop from taking over.  They are people  like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Bill DeBlasio and AOC.  Nancy Pelosi and Schumer desperate to hold on to their remaining power have also bought into this ideology.

They are also the people behind organizations called  “Indivisible” founded by people who were unhinged  by Trump’s  election which thwarted their rise to power.  The Democratic left likes to call Trump “the divider in chief,” but the rhetoric of Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and other democratic socialists shows who truly wants to divide the country to gain power.  It is they who now believe they will have power over a half-demented, weak President Biden so they can fully orchestrate their agenda. 

If you haven’t heard of the group Indivisible it’s time to learn  about them. They are essentially socialism in America on the rise.  Indivisible Groups have been formed all over the country with the sole purpose of undermining our President. One  of their early agenda items was support of a Trump impeachment.  Indivisible has been working quietly in the background but has more recently become emboldened and has aligned themselves essentially taking over protest and other activities for Black lives Matter only with a much broader and more sinister very left-wing progressive agenda.  They are the ones that came up with Defunding the Police, not BLM. They are not black they are white extreme leftists.  

The organization was formed right after Trump was elected by a group of former democratic congress member staffers.  They modeled the organization after the Tea Party with chapters in cities and towns across the country - many are mostly involved with do-gooder type activities, environmental stuff and the like - but ready to take up the true cause.  They have had programs dedicated to harassing members of congress to thwart forwarding Trump’s programs and approvals of appointments.  They claim credit for getting the Democrats  back the house in 2018.  Their last big drive was supporting the impeachment of Trump with nationwide marches and other activities,  They recently partnered with Black Lives Matter essentially taking the leadership role in many of their protests.  For instance, the Black Lives Matter protests in Punta Gorda and other cities around the country were organized by local Indivisible groups.  

Go to https://indivisible.org to learn more.  

- t murtha

What the Polls Don’t Capture - Peter Feaman.

THE BACKHOE CHRONICLES

The news media can conduct all the polls they wish to in order to dampen pro-Trump enthusiasm and to discourage voter turnout....

What the polls do not capture (and never will) are 2 things:

1. Registration of new voters and the Trump grass roots campaign.

Here is a direct quote from the Chairwoman of the RNC: "We have been building up our ground game for the past year. We have had people in all of these battleground states. We have the highest staff that we have ever had and we have activated over a million volunteers. And the Biden operation has not been existent. So, the second the pandemic hit, we went completely virtual, we haven't lost a step and we’ve continued to do voter registration. And we have registered more voters already than we did in the entire 2016 cycle."

So, when a media outlet or other polling outfit commissions a poll, their only known sample set are people who voted in 2016.

Therefore, we keep registering new voters. They are out there because Mr. Trump continues to enlarge his base.

2. THE ENTHUSIASM GAP

Last week, there were 2 special elections. What was never reported was that Republican turnout set records.

Our voters are recognizing things — what happened to Michael Flynn;  the obstruction the President has dealt with; the calls by Democrats to defund the police; the silent approval by Democrats of the tearing down of our history and their refusal to condemn mob violence.

Our voters know that the very future  of a free and capitalist society is at stake.We are absolutely energized to make sure Republicans not only take the presidency, but keep the Senate and win back the House.

Peter Feaman  RPOF National Committeeman

Trump’s Reelection Depends on You

Dear Republicans:

As we celebrate our country’s birthday today, and show our appreciation of the liberty and freedom that our great country gives us, we should be aware of how fragile that liberty and freedom are, and how they are now being threatened by the Democratic Socialist Party. The upcoming election on November 3rd is the difference between preserving our conservative values for not only current times, but for future generations. It is our responsibility as guardians of liberty to stand up and be counted by loudly voicing and demonstrating our support of President Trump.

As the Irish statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, said back in the 1700s, and it applies even more today is “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men (and women) do nothing.” I believe this quote says it all. We must rise up to this threat to our country from the left, since socialism is evil. 

Remember, socialism is one step removed from Communism. All one has to do is look at the history of socialism and see its failure. Venezuela is a classic example. Of course, one of the initiatives from the left’s playbook is the rewriting of history. Look at CNN and you will never find any favorable news article on President Trump, our history or our values. Essentially, CNN and MSNBC are connected parts of the Democratic media machine.

We need to be actively supporting the President’s campaign by doing whatever we can such as phone banking, attending rallies and flag waving, putting bumper stickers on your car, lawn signs, etc. We need to fearlessly demonstrate our support. We cannot be intimated by lawless looters and rioters burning our cities and taking down statues of historical figures. Fear is all part of the left wing playbook. 

The final item I would like to address is social media. Looking at the statistics with various posts, it is clear that posts that convey a positive message highlighting the President’s accomplishments and campaign events have far greater impact.  The President’s accomplishments during his first term have been enormous. For instance, a recent post on the Trump Boat Parade achieved over 9,000 views and 100 likes. 

When you look at the Democrats message there really is only one and that is to beat the President. They have nothing else to offer other than raising your taxes, destroying our economy, suppressing free speech, taking our guns away, and increasing the size of the Federal Government with choking and repressive regulations. 

So, I hope that I am preaching to the choir, as I ask you please to actively and aggressively support in every way you can our campaign for the re-election of President Trump.  Write letters to the editor, post positive Facebook messages, and actively participate in the campaign activities such as rallies and sign waving. You can sign up or donate at charlottegop.com. 

Stay safe and stay strong. 

Thank you, Gene Murtha

Gene

Chairman – Charlotte County Republican Executive Committee

The Hypocrisy of Statue Removal - The Founder of Planned Parenthood Still Honored

The removal of statues commemorating Civil War-era confederate figures from public squares and buildings is the demand of the day.  Yet a statue remains in Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution commemorating the one person responsible for the deaths of more African Americans that any other in history: Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood.

More than 19 million black babies have been aborted.  Abortion is the number one killer of black lives in the United States.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abortion kills more black people than HIV, homicide, diabetes, accident, cancer, and heart disease … combined. Planned Parenthood is responsible for many of those abortions.

In August 2015, a group of black pastors asked for the removal of Sanger’s bust from the museum.  Their request was rejected and the bust of Planned Parenthood’s founder remains on display today. Asked about the continued presence of the bust at the museum, Linda St. Thomas, director of public affairs for the Smithsonian, said, “The Sanger statue has been there for many years.”

The founder of planned Parenthood by today’s standards would be considered the worst form of racist.  She was a supporter of eugenics. Eugenics supporters pushed middle and upper-class  whites to have large families. In some circles eugenicists went as far as declaring birth control selfish and a form of "racial suicide." The same people believed that blacks and other minorities should not reproduce.

Sanger wrote: "I consider that the world, and almost our civilization for the next 25 years, is going to depend on a simple, cheap, safe, contraceptive to be used in poverty stricken slums, jungles and among the most ignorant people." While Margaret Sanger was being lauded for her role in the creation of the Pill in the 1960s, many in the African American community were aware of her association with eugenics. Suspicious of her intentions to begin with, some were appalled by her ongoing support of the population control movement. At the time white-dominated organizations seemed to push the pill in black communities.

Yet “Black Lives Matter is silent on Sanger.  Removal of tributes to her or condemnations of her do not fit their real agenda, destruction of the foundation of our democracy.