Monday, October 27, 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Thursday, August 28, 2008

This is Shocking

This video must be watched!

America's military must remain strong if we are to be safe.

This is absolutely shocking and reprehensible. He plans to unilaterally
disarm our nation. The Question is why?

This is an uninterrupted 51-second video of Obama speaking; he's telling us exactly what he will do to the military...

Barack Obama is a poor example of an American and he definitly not his brother's keeper.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Gotta Love the Salem Statesman Journal

Honesty, Loyalty and Integrity - Three words I try very hard to live by. I take great offence if someone implies that I am anything less than honest and loyal or that I lack integrity.

On July 19th, the Salem Statesman Journal ran a very negative article on Oregon’s initiative process.

I’ll be the first to say, the process needs some work, but the idea is very good.

The Salem Statesman Journal article rants on about fraudulent (Read the article here) signature gathering referencing Bill Sizemore as well as a couple of initiatives that apparently got caught with seemingly fraudulent signatures on initiative petition sheets.

One of the messages I got out of the article is if someone comes up to you and aggressively tries to get you to sign one or more initiative petitions, chances are he’s a paid signature gatherer (with little or no real vested interest in the petition[s] he wants you to sign), and he’s probably going to go home at the end of the day and copy your information onto several more petitions.

The most irritating thing about this article is they used my picture as the poster boy for initiative fraud. The picture is from one of the events we had on the capitol steps for The Respect For The Law Act, Initiative Petition #112.

I never received a nickel for my signature gathering efforts on behalf of Initiative #112, in fact I have substantial time and money invested in promoting #112. I feel it was my privilege to be able to participate in a campaign that I really believe in.

I am outraged that the Salem Statesman Journal put my picture on an article that by association implies that I and the campaign I was working on was anything less that 100% honest and by the book.

This was the first initiative petition attempted by Oregonians for Immigration Reform, and I’m certain it will not be the last. The last thing we need is to be disparaged for fraudulent signature gathering on our first (or any) attempt, even if it is only by loose association.

I liken the Salem Statesman Journal’s placement of my picture on top of this very negative article to them perhaps placing it on top of an article about a serial rapist. No, the article never mentions my name or the initiative campaign I’m collecting signatures for, but the guilt by association is overwhelming.

I guess it would be nice if the Salem Statesman Journal would also mention those of us that are trying to do it right along with those that try to cut corners rather than stick all of us in one big cesspool. Oh, but that would be responsible journalism.

Friday, July 11, 2008

It’s Double Standard Time.

Do you suppose Al Sharpton will be screaming and yelling about the egregious comments made by Jesse Jackson? Shouldn’t Don Imus be just outraged by the grotesque comment? After all, Obama is half white, though he doesn’t talk about it much.

Trying to stay as neutral as possible, I find Jesse Jackson’s comments more prejudice than the ones Imus made. Imus did not call the Rudger’s Girls Basketball team Nappy Headed Hoes, he said they looked like a bunch of Nappy Headed Hoes. Jesse said he wanted to cut Barack Obama’s balls off. It doesn’t get any more direct than that.

To make matters worse, as tasteless as Imus’ comments were, no one questions whether or not they were made in jest. Clearly they were. Jesse Jackson’s comments were definitely made in anger and directed specifically at [his friend] Barack Obama.

I sure hope Jackson has to do multiple public apologies, meet with the Obamas and ask for their forgiveness and ask how many millions of his dollars spent on their behalf will keep the Obamas from needing psychological help and is publicly humiliated for at least the next year.

Do you suppose Jackson was addressing the white half of Obama? Crap! That makes it racial!

Friday, May 09, 2008

A Message From Rick Hickey

PLEASE DON’T VOTE, until you read this… ... ...

As Vice-Pres. of OFIR I understand that the issue of illegal immigration is a non-partisan issue impacting all Americans and legal immigrants.

This notice concerns only registered Republicans and the current ballot just received.

Included in your election ballot is a form (yellow) to become a Precinct Committee Person or PCP. A PCP has the voting rights to influence what happens in the party. You can become a PCP by voting for yourself (write-in) and having just two others write you in on their form and mail it in with the ballot.

These two others need to be registered in the Republican Party and in your precinct or one of the adjacent precincts.

There are hundreds of slots open statewide, so your vote(s) to become a PCP should be approved.

Why bother? I understand why many of you are frustrated with John McCain and the Republican Party leadership decision to ignore or pander on this issue of illegal immigration.

These leaders are convinced that groups such as PCUN or "La Raza" (supporters of amnesty) and other enablers of crimes will now tell their indentured sheep to vote for McCain. However you and I know that these special interest groups, who are taking advantage of these desperate people and the language barrier, will never change their agenda. They would cease to exist if they did.

I believe that some elite leaders are only listening to the few employers and special interest groups that are breaking several federal laws, not the majority of voters. If we really had a labor shortage wages would be going through the roof, they are not as you know.

If the majority of Americans really wanted amnesty, legislation would have easily passed the 1st or the 2nd time around. It hasn’t and is not going to this year either.

Attrition thru enforcement does work and is the most humane, efficient and compassionate solution, not rewarding bad behavior. The 1986 amnesty and the results of it 22 years later should be enough proof. Attrition is a result of respecting the rule of law, a Republican Party by-law.

Did you know this important news? The Oregon Republican Party wrote and passed a resolution supporting the Respect for Law Act, twice. This is our only opportunity at enforcing immigration laws here in Oregon for now. We should let the entire state know that republicans do support the rule of law and therefore motivate the larger majority of voters that agree with this.

Party leaders should not be afraid to support the 9 out of 10 employers that are not violating laws. Instead voter registrations and donations prove we have lost a majority support position and will continue to do so if we pander to corrupt employers only.

Did you read about this resolution in your Newspaper? Get an e-mail? Saw this on the TV News? Heard this on the Radio? No. No. No. Some republican leaders again are choosing to ignore this after five months of several of us asking for out reach efforts to happen. How much longer can just a couple of people ignore the will of the people? Isn’t that the same reason that millions have fled their countries, risking all to come here?

They have leaders that ignore the needs and wants of the people. Together we can change this. Together we must change this for the future of our nation or this anarchy will become the norm.

Our economy, jobs, crime, schools, and health care are all impacted negatively by this overwhelming stream of illegals. If illegal aliens were "good for the economy", the state with the most illegals, California, would be enjoying record prosperity. Instead they are billions and billions in debt.

We the taxpayers are paying the bills for corrupt employers and special interest groups via millions of people willing to work for less pay then you and by being experts at taking advantage of our generous social safety nets.

Republican by-laws say we are the party of less taxes and government; however some leaders in our party are ignoring the #1 reason for increased government spending = illegal aliens.

I refuse to ignore this issue as I read about illegal’s killing and raping people every week, crimes that are preventable when the law is applied.

Republicans in other states know how important this is and the results have been the introduction of over 1,100 new bills to stop illegal immigration introduced this year. I refuse to ignore the identity theft or fraud crisis. I refuse to ignore the Meth epidemic. I refuse to make excuses while people continue to suffer when we all know how it could be significantly reduced,
by honoring the rule of law.

Please consider becoming a PCP now, while you have that ballot handy. If we cannot get help from the leadership here for now, as a PCP you can change that.

Do not give up; together we can stop illegal immigration and get our party on the right track again. After all, it is the LAW.


Sincerely,
Rick Hickey
U.S. Citizen via legal immigration
2nd generation.
www.respectforlawact.org

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Gas Prices

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't feeling well. It is after all that time of year when colds and flu are making the rounds. We've been told that even though you may have gotten a Flu Shot, it really isn't going to do you much good. Hmmmmm, sounds a lot like our government lately. We may have one, but it isn't doing us citizens much good right now.

As I said, I wasn't feeling well, so I got up around 4:00am. At 4:30am I turned on the local news. They were prepared with Breaking News that gas prices are at an all time high and are likely to hit $4.00 a gallon by summer. And that's for Regular folks. You German Car drivers better be ready to really pony up.

What prompted this post (read rant) is that the local news station (KPTV) has their reporter parked outside a gas station (service went away a long time ago) and every five to seven minutes, he comes on to say the same damn thing, "Gas prices are at an all time high and going higher..."

This is not breaking or any other kind of news. Anybody that hasn't been aware that gas prices have been going up dramatically for the last few years has probably been in a Coma.

I am wondering why the reporter is posted outside a gas station and not down at the State Capitol investigating this obvious fraud that is being perpetrated on the American people and what can be done to reverse it.

So far, everyone I talk to is so complacent I want to reach out and shake them. WAKE UP PEOPLE! It isn’t just affecting you at the pump, it will alter your very way of life! Everything you buy is going to start costing you more… … … A lot more, and soon!

Most people I talk to say, “Well, this is closer to where gas prices should be.” I say, “Based on what?” Their reply is usually weak at best.

I’ll always be the first to admit I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it seems to me if there is a shortage, the oil companies can’t make as much money because they don’t have the product to sell. WRONG! They just jack up the price at the pump and not only do they make record profits, they make obscenely high profits and what do you know, there’s all kinds of gas at the new higher price.

Well now they’re saying, the latest price hikes aren’t due to a “shortage of crude oil” or “lack of refineries” it's the sluggish economy – And yet, the oil companies are STILL making obscene profits. It’s good to see the oil companies doing their part to help the slumping economy. RIGHT!

One of the first things someone might say to me would be, “Greg, if you don’t like the high price of gas, don’t buy it.” Believe me, I buy as little as possible. I work out of my house, I consolidate trips and then on a motorcycle as often as possible. The problem is, I have to heat my home, eat and everything else normal folks do, and it’s all going to cost more – much more!

I always thought there were Monopoly laws that prevented cornering the market and jacking prices for a given commodity out of sight. Oh yeah – why there’s no Monopoly here. There are several different oil companies, all free to set the price for their products as they see fit to compete in the market place. BULLSHIT! The whole oil business is a ‘Good Ol Boys’ club. Where one goes, they all go. It has made them all very fat and very happy I’m sure, but they've become gluttons and once they got a taste for price gouging, they can’t get enough of it. The American consumer is really taking it on the chin. I just don’t understand why it appears no one is doing anything about it.

Like lemmings we just allow the oil companies to keep raping us at the pump without saying a word.

I am not ready to drop down to a lower standard of living just so oil companies can continue to make obscene profits, but I know that many Americans will have to. And, at some point I may not have a choice. You would think that alone would be enough to get our elected officials excited and involved, but it doesn’t seem to be.

Some say that it’s happening because President Bush is an oil guy. I’d say that’s a fair bet although not the only reason. I sure haven’t heard Hilary, Barack or McCain step up and say that they will get a handle on any of this. On the issue of jacking gasoline prices, it appears that those three are as bad as Bush.

I for one am sick to death of it. The American public is being held for ransom at the pump and nobody seems to care enough to do anything about it.

I guarantee you that we are getting screwed and the oil guys are laughing all the way to their off shore tax exempt bank accounts. You have to know that as long as we let them get away with this simultaneous screwing they will continue to think we are dumber than a box of hammers.

It’s time we let our elected officials know in a very loud voice that we’re done being patsies and if they don’t get serious and do something about this, they will soon find out how life in the private sector is.

While I'm at it, why are gas prices in the Portland Metropolitan almost .40¢ a gallon higher than most of the rest of the country?

As for our friends at the local Television and Radio stations, how about you go find a real story like, who is doing what to help curb this travesty and what citizens can do to help put a stop to it rather than repeating every 5 minutes what I already know by driving by any gas station.

On a somewhat related note, here's another thing we Americans have just let go by the wayside - SERVICE! Tell me why when I was paying .35¢ a gallon, I got my front and rear windows washed, headlamps and outside mirrors washed, battery, belts, hoses, coolant, engine oil, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, tire pressure and tread depth checked by several attendants and now that it is damn near $4.00 a gallon I can't even get a guy to wait on me in a reasonable amount of time let alone get my oil checked.

Another interesting little tidbit to ponder... Our friends at Costco that we know and trust to keep quality high and prices low, who clearly have the lowest gas prices in their areas (they scout the competition twice a day to make sure they are lower) still make .40+ cents net profit a gallon - Yes, I said net. My guess is that the Mom & Pop gas stations have lower (albeit not as diversified) overhead than a Costco Store. I remember when we were cutting a fat hog if we made .3¢ to .5¢ a gallon.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Time to vent... ... ...

As far as we know, this is the first time man has inhabited this planet. If he was here ‘before’, he didn’t leave an owners manual so we’ve pretty much had to figure things out as we go. Over all, I think we’re doing pretty well as a species.

Yes, we have screwed a few things up – Some irreparably. This is what happens when you fly by the seat of your pants. Good Judgment comes from experience – Experience comes from Bad Judgment.

We now have a situation where in some cases we must choose the lesser of two evils. Ideally, I would choose to live without Nuclear Power and LNG. That’s just not practical.

Nuclear Power and Liquid Natural Gas are in the grand scheme, two of the cheapest and potentially plentiful energy sources available to us in the 21st century. Dollar for dollar they deliver more energy per buck / acre of land than anything else we have. Solar, wind, and soybeans are just not going to keep the lights on.

And, it doesn’t matter what you do, the tree huggers are going to bitch until the lights are off permanently, then they’ll bitch because they don’t have any lights.

Ask for Nuclear, they bitch about the waste, LNG the potential danger, wind farms are unsightly as are solar farms. I’m just sick to death of these Anarchists whining about everything and offering solutions to nothing.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

A Great Day in Salem - 02/04/2008

Monday, February 4th was just about as great as it could possibly be at the Oregon State Capitol!
I arrived a little later than I wanted, but there were a lot of supporters for the Respect For Law Act - Oregon State Initiative Petition #112 there when I arrived around 11:50 am.
We (Oregonians For Immigration Reform) had reserved the Capitol steps for our demonstration, but in spite of the rules that govern that particular piece of property, our 'friends' the Criminal Aliens decided to show up in droves.
I say 'friends' because they couldn't have helped OFIR any more if they'd been collecting signatures for Initiative #112 themselves. Because of the Criminal Alien's rather large presence, practically every citizen that had business inside the Capitol came over to sign the petition before going in!
How great is that? - I know we could not have collected as many signatures without them.
The weather even cooperated with us for the most part.
If you are a registered voter in Oregon, I urge you to go to www.respectforlawact.com and download, sign and mail the E-Signature sheet that is available there.
My thanks to everyone that showed up in support of the Respect For Law Act.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Initiative Petition #112 - The Respect For The Law Act

Go Here to read information and get your E-Signature Sheet in support of the Oregon State Initiative Petition #112 - The Respect For The Law Act.

Thank you for being involved!