February 2004

PETTIS COUNTY REPUBLICAN

VOLUME XXII, No. 1 February 23, 2004

  PETTIS COUNTY REPUBLICAN CAUCUS

Pettis County Republicans will gather at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 13, 2004, at the Pettis County Courthouse for the purpose of selecting sixteen alternates and sixteen delegates to the 4th District Republican Convention on April 4, 2004, and the Missouri Republican Convention on June 4-5, 2004, in Springfield. The 4th District Convention and the Republican State Convention will choose Missouri delegates to the Republican National Convention in New York in August. All participates must be registered voters in Pettis County and must certify that they are Republicans. The local caucus may also consider the platform issued by the Missouri Republican Party. The convention in Springfield will adopt the platform of the Republicans of Missouri. For more information, please contact County Chairman Carla Young.

      Republican Women Breakfast Reception

The Pettis County Republican Women will sponsor a Breakfast Reception prior to the Republican Caucus on Saturday, March 13, 2004, from 9:00 until 10:00 a.m. in the Courthouse lobby. The purpose of this reception will be to provide information to caucus attendees of the activities and membership opportunities of this important auxiliary organization of the Republican Party. Juice, coffee and breakfast pastries will be served. Please come join us!

  VOLUNTEER CALL

County Chairman, Carla Young, recently put out the call for one or two volunteers to chair the 72-hour Task Force;. This task force is committed to repeating the success of 2002, by getting out the vote effort among favorable voters during the last three days of the General Election Campaign. If you are willing to serve on this important committee, please contact Chairman Carla Young ,or Vice-Chairman Stanley Cox

OFFICE FILINGS

Filing begins for local offices on February 24, 2004, at the County Clerks office. This includes all members of the Pettis County Republican Committee. Filing ends on Tuesday, March 30, 2004.



McKINLEY DAY CELEBRATION

The Annual Pettis County McKinley Day Celebration is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at 6:30 p.m. at the State Fair Motor Inn-Best Western. A cash bar reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. They keynote speaker will be gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Matt Blunt. A highlight of this event will be the installation of the Pettis County Pachyderm Officers for 2004. Tickets to this event are $20.00 per person or $35.00 per couple, and may be purchased from any member of the Pettis County Republican Central Committee. or contacting Carla Young , Pettis County Republican Chairman. The public is invited to this county-wide event. Come and join Matt and fellow Republicans at the 103rd annual Pettis County McKinley Dinner. Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, candidate for Missouri Secretary of State is expected to attend.

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                                          RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

                          PETTIS GOP ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF WEBPAGE

The Pettis County Republican Central Committee has recently launched their own webpage at www.pettisgop.org. If you need links to other Republican websites and elected Republican officials, or other information of interest, including current up-to-date news through the talon news service, visit our webpage at www.pettisgop.org. Web master Stanley Cox has asked for other volunteers to assist in keeping our webpage up to date. Specifically, there is a need for assistance in setting up the members and help in English/Spanish translation. If you would like to be of assistance in this, please contact Stanley Cox.stan@stancox.com

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                         PETTIS COUNTY REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATIONS

One of the best way to get involved in Republican politics is by affiliating with the fine Republican auxiliary organizations which exist in Pettis County. The current officers of these organizations are provided for your information.

PETTIS COUNTY TARGET - The Association of Republicans Getting Everyone Together. Officers: President, Rod Lindemann; Vice-President, Stanley Cox; Secretary, Meg Liston. For more information, contact Rod Lindemann.

PETTIS COUNTY REPUBLICAN WOMENS CLUB: Officers: President, Connie Purchase; Vice-President, Marsha Boeschen; Secretary, Kristeen Cox; Treasurer, Meg Liston. Meetings are held in the evenings in members homes. Guests and new members are always welcome. Dues are $15.00 per year. For more information, contact Connie Purchase.

PETTIS COUNTY PACHYDERM CLUB: Officers: President, Dr. J.W. Bryden; Vice-President, Kevin Bond; Secretary, Meg Liston; Treasurer, Max Coble. This club meets every Friday at 12:00 noon at Liberty Café, 150 South Limit Avenue, Sedalia, Missouri. Guests are welcome. For more information, please contact J.W. Bryden. A letter from Dr. J.W. Bryden follows:

Dear Compatriot: I wish to announce that I have been chosen to be the leader of the Pettis County Grand Order of the Pachyderm Club. I consider this to be a singular honor and will endeavor to serve with a strong sense of duty. The other elected officers are Kevin Bond, Vice President, Max Coble, Treasurer, Meg Liston, Secretary. I have selected a very capable board of directors. My board consist of Rosalie Knight, Past President Terry Kelley, Lorraine Jackson, Stanley Cox, Larry Foster, and Roxanne Coble.

It is this board goal to cause the GOPC to be more visible to the general public and interact with the general public in different activities such as open forums, parades and other appropriate activities. Is also our goal to increase the membership of the GOPC and the Friday noon meeting attendance. This is where you could really help us out with your membership and attendance. We have a program chairman for each month and they provide some very interesting programs.

Things keep looking better for the Republican Party as the Democrats keep attacking a very popular president and making themselves look bad. We as a local group need be proactive so that we keep up the strength and momentum that we have experienced in recent years. I attribute this to having strong ethical candidates, that the public can be proud of and up holding the Constitution of this Great United States. Let go all out and make this a great, successful political year. Let go out and get them!

James W. Bryden, D.C.,

Pettis County Pachyderm Club President

                           COMMENTARY -A Divided Nation

A recent national poll indicated that Senator John Kerry would defeat George W. Bush for re-election. The Bush Campaign has always predicted that the presumptive nominee would lead the President in polling at least twice, once after the nominee is known and again after the Democratic Convention. Even though many remain confident of the President ultimate victory, these polls remind us that we live in a politically divided nation. This election could go either way, and the number of votes cast for George W. Bush in Pettis County could make the difference nationally. We should all commit to do something to help President Bush. We should write letters to the editor, we should volunteer for the 72-hour Task Force, and become involved in the other fine Republican organizations in Pettis County. But most importantly, we need to communicate the message that transcends all others.

Much has been discussed about John Kerrys valor in service in Vietnam. This is the same individual who testified before Congress on April 22, 1971, that "American soldiers raped, cut off ears, cut off heads...cut of limbs...randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside..." Not only did Senator Kerry slander all the good servicemen who served in Vietnam, but he has built a career upon a distaste for the military by opposing all major weapons projects, including the B-2 Bomber, advocating the downgrading of U.S. intelligence and consistently promoting the internationalization of the foreign policy of the United States. Under Senator Kerry, the problems of September 11 are police problems that should be handled solely through an international body with the approval of France and Germany. On the other hand, President Bush took decisive action in both Afghanistan and Iraq, made bold steps to improve security at home, and recognized that the international terrorist threat is not a police problem, but a problem that our the President has an obligation to protect our citizens from. President Bush has overcome Democrat resistance and implemented a middle class tax reduction that has assured us economic recovery from the recession which began during the last Presidents term. The American people have a choice between a resume and a record. The American people, when it is properly explained, will choose the record of George W. Bush in successfully defending our nation from foreign threats by making real progress in defeating international terrorism, and bringing prosperity at home. Stanley Brian Cox