HOT! Picnic Speakers Don't Cool Down...

I attended my first official political party picnic on Saturday, June 27th. I went to the Olathe Republican Party Picnic at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop. It is one thing to see a politician give a speech on TV and an entirely different thing to hear them in person and see them interact with their constituents. But first a little personal history...

I have to admit that I am a political novice. Until last November I hadn't attended a meeting of any major political party unless you count the Reform Party as a major party. The only campaign I ever worked on was for Ross Perot and you know how that turned out. Yes, I was one of those people who never did anything but yell at my TV screen to voice my displeasure with the political soup dejoure. I did write to a few politicians over the years but this last Presidential campaign changed that for me. I became a blogger and now I am a proud Right Wing Terrorist!

I have become a Tea Party Activist. I stood in the 20 degree weather last winter to protest Dennis Moore's continued defiance of his constituents desires by voting yes on the Stimulus bill. I stood in a howling snow storm in front of Claire McCaskill's office for the same reason. I braved strong winds on a chilly morning in Olathe to make my voice heard. I protested for hours at JOCO at the Tax Day Tea Party. Now I have spent four hours in 100 degree heat to see and hear my political future. I believe I am beginning to become a committed activist.

I chose the Republican Party as my political home for many reasons, not the least of which is my conservatism. Now, I am acting on the pledge my husband and I made to each other last fall, to not just sit and yell at the wind but to get involved. We've gone in the deep-end.

I am at a disadvantage as a new Republican because I come from a county that, as far as I can see, is only barely tolerated by the mainstream Republican Party. I live in Wyandotte County. There aren't many Republicans in Wyandotte County. We are out numbered at least two to one by the Democrats but there were a few of us WyCo Republicans at the picnic on Saturday.

Paul Milton Hamn, the Wyandotte County Republican Chairman was there. He sat jovially under a tree and greeted longtime friends as they wandered in and out of the shade trees next to the stage. He just as cheerfully greeted the new comers to this genre. 

Daniel Gilyeat, Wyandotte County's popular local hero, was there as well as Macie Houston, another 'dot. They faced one and another in the Straw Poll for the challenge to Dennis Moore's seat in the coming elections next year, along with Olathe's Patricia Lightner. (See results of the Straw Poll at the end of this article.)

Jerry Sullivan and his wife Debbie and some of their family also attended. I saw familiar faces from the Tea Party Patriots such as Amanda Grosserode, one of the original founders of the Tea Party Movement here in the Kansas City area. I recognized many politicians I had only seen on TV. It was a very interesting and inspiring day.

I was delighted to hear a familiar voice as my husband, Joe and I made our way into the big tent in front of the stage. One of my favorite local personalities, Jack Cashill, who is a wonderful speaker, a fantastic writer, a great videographer and sometimes a talk radio host, was speaking as we sat down.

He was telling a story about the late, great, conservative, Rich Nadler, the wonderfully cherubic pit bull of local newspapers and public television fame. Rich Nadler wrote for the Kansas City Star, Mother Jones and also for many national publications.

The story went something like this. Rich always spoke, or as Jack puts it ranted, at various functions. One time the host of an event questioned if they should have someone like Nadler speak in their program, Jack told them that Rich Nadler was exactly the kind of speaker that these events needed and he was right.

Many of us remember Rich, with his "clipboard of facts", doing battle with the evil liberals on Mike Shanin's, Ruckus program, a public television show. He wrote his last article for the American Spectator. It was published on the day he died, and you can read it here.

Mr Nadler is held in high esteem in this community and he will be missed. In his honor, Jack Cashill presented the first annual Rich Nadler Freedom Fighter Award to Barbara LeClerq, Rich's widow, for her unwavering support of her husband. The entire day was dedicated to Rich, a man who made a difference for Conservatives voices in our community and around the country.

The Olathe Republican committee should be commended for their wonderful group of speakers throughout the afternoon. The Town Crier opened up the day with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. That really got the crowd fired up.

Greg Smith spoke next, to announce the signing of the Kelsey Smith Act into law. Kelsey, many of you will remember, was the young woman abducted at a Target store in Olathe about two years ago. She taken to Missouri where she was murdered. Her body was found, using cell phone pings, but only after four agonizing days of pleading with their cell phone carrier to release their data to law enforcement. It only took 45 minutes to find her body after the records were accessed.

A signed copy of the act was presented to Gregg Smith by State Representative, Rob Olsen, who sponsored the bill in the Kansas Legislature. Sprint and Verizon have voluntarily been using the practice of cooperating with law enforcement around the country,using cell phone ping data for to locate missing persons and it is already saving lives. This is truly a fitting legacy for Kelsey Smith and her family

Representative Arlen Sigfreid spoke briefly. He was still walking with a cane after his recent knee surgery but he toughed it out and came on stage. Also speaking were State Representative Lance Kinzer and Macie Houston.

One of the most rousing welcomes of the day was given when SS gt. Daniel Gilyeat came on stage. he was given a standing ovation by the crowd to thank him for his Service to his Country. If SSgt. Gilyeat can translate some of that good will into votes he could have a good chance in next year's Primarys. Dennis Moore's seat looks like it's going to be hotly contested. Daniel is still learning the ropes of political campaigning but Gilyeat is a fighter. Marines never give up.

Kris Kobach also received a rowdy welcome as well as Todd Tiahrt and Sam Brownback. They all presented solid platforms and the Kansas citizenry could be the beneficiaries if this is the outcome of next year's races for Secretary of State, the Senate and the Governors race, respectively.

Finally the moment everyone was waiting for came in the form of Darla Jaye's Keynote speech. Many of the picnickers had been wearing "Draft Darla" stickers as she participated in the straw poll for the coveted 3rd District, Dennis Moore seat. She did not disappoint her supporters. The audience cheered her rousing words and booed in the appropriate places. At the end of her well received tome the crowd gave her a standing ovation that was loud, long and rowdy. This is just a snippet of her speech.



It was getting near the end of the event and the temperature was over 100 degrees. I took one more stroll around the beautiful grounds of the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and through the booths I hadn't visited yet. That may have been a bad idea for me as I started to feel dizzy. Diabetics really shouldn't go out in this heat. We had to leave.

I went back to the tent to sit while Joe went to get the Explorer. I was just in time to see Amanda Grosserode announcing the demonstration at 4:00 pm at the Johnson County Court house to express our anger at the tone-deaf House of Representatives who passed the Cap and Tax bill Friday evening.

I had my Pork Barrel Pig in the truck, fully intending to go protest but alas my body had the final say with low blood sugars. Damn this disease. One thing I know for sure is that if they pass Health Care in the same manner they did Cap and Trade, I don't believe there will be a Democrat running next year, still standing, after the election and some Republicans need to be punished, too. I know every person who attended yesterday's event is dedicated to unraveling the mess Washington politics has twisted us in.

The time has come to take back our Country! Commonsense must win out! Every member of Congress should be made to live under the same laws, tax system and health care that all other Americans have to. These systems were made law by the selfish behavior of Our President , the House and Senate. There is a new organization that is working along these lines to make this possible. You can check it out at paylikeus.com. They also are proposing that all political contributions be taxed.

There is too much money being spent on political campaigns that is being funneled through hundreds of Foundations by community organizers and crooks. It's time to make it STOP! The more we hold Washington D.C. accountable the better off our children and grandchildren will be.

Let's send a strong message to all Congressmen, Congresswomen and Senators: the days of being sent to Washington D.C. and immediately starting to run for re-election, or spending the people's money as if there's no tomorrow, are over. They need to do what we sent them to Washington for and that's to do the people's business.
Serve us or serve hambugers. Sounds like a slogan to me.

The Straw Poll Results

US Senate
Todd Tiahrt -- 165
Jerry Moran -- 46
Others -- 8

Congress
Patricia Lightner -- 74
Macie Houston -- 33
Daniel Gilyeat -- 30
Darla Jaye (write-in) -- 24
Other Write Ins -- 21

Governor
Sam Brownback -- 197
Other Writer Ins -- 12

Secretary of State
Kris Kobach -- 192
JR Claeys -- 22

President -- 2012
Sarah Palin -- 76
Mike Huckabee -- 54
Mitt Romney -- 52
Bobby Jindal -- 19
Ron Paul -- 9
Write ins -- 6