Cherish your freedoms, and most of all, read the Constitution.
Carol Rutz’s Annexe
Friend of the Predigtamt
Internship Journaling
First off, congratulations to Mr and Mrs Uvulapie on the birth of their daughter on Father’s Day. Blessings and let me suggest bubble wrap so she can be safe and sound on the way to the baptismal font. 
And now…here is my plan for the next several weeks of internship: I’ll be writing my journal entries on the Annexe and share what I’ve been doing so far. That way, I have a paper trail and I can use these entries for notes.
One Delegate’s Account from the Indiana GOP Convention
Now that the Indiana GOP State Convention was done and over with since Monday afternoon, I figure that I’ll write something regarding the convention at Indy.
I was one of the many Ron Paul Republicans who decided to become a state delegate, and succeeded. We knew that this is merely one step for all of us RP Hoosiers…so many things to work from, and we practiced Robert’s Rules of Order, read the GOP national and state rules, and took part in our respective county events. We were not amused that those of us in Allen County paid $130 for the registration fee, when those from other counties paid $50 or $80.
We even held a statewide meeting of delegates and invited Greg Zoeller to speak out his positions as one of two GOP candidates for Attorney General. We were impressed with his acumen. (As for the other candidate, Mayor Jon Costas of Valparaiso, he was too green despite his endorsement by Governor Mitch Daniels.)
Costas was eager to seek our votes; we got DVDs, letters, and even phone calls. I did receive a phone call from one of the volunteers, but some got a phone call from Mr Costas himself.
We got very lucky with our hotel rooms; I paid $67 with tax for a room at the Downtown Marriott via Priceline. The others got their rooms for around that much. It was better than spending $150+ at the Westin. The parking was the zonking factor. 25 bux for overnight parking! Luckily, we knew where to park for cheaper.
There were three receptions that Sunday evening, and the Allen County RP delegates droved in a van and walked together. The candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett had his at the State GOP headquarters. The guys of Jugs Catering did a great job with their meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and those fried biscuit-thingies with apple butter. Did not eat much as there was the Zoeller reception at the Rock Bottom Brewery and the Costas dessert reception at the Westin. Must pace myself!
When we arrived at the Rock Bottom, we received unfortunate news. There was a sudden rule change that affected our participation, and the next day, it was a rubber-stamping process. We walked to the Costas convention and chatted with various people regarding the sudden rule change. The Statesmen printed out fliers with the rule change, and we passed it out at the Costas gig. BTW, Mayor Costas is part of a band called The ConservaDellics and he played his guitar on stage.
That night, I scrambled to look for a way out via my laptop.
I was there at the District 3 caucus that Monday, and it was as described. I shouted “POINT OF ORDER”, to no avail. Someone called a “Division of the House”, which meant that there was a head count. We lost…but by how much? Later, one of the delegates told us that the count was padded by 24 votes. Yikes!
A bit of levity: there was no flag, but there was a guy wearing a flag polo shirt (which is not kosher according to the US Flag Code). The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. I did note that according to the Flag Code, if it’s worn out, he will have to dispose of it properly. Good thing he did not remove that …and it was also good that it was not his underwear, like the Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts, or that scene from Meatballs in which the girls remove that fat boy’s pants and string ‘em up the flagpole.
The Allen County Chairman did devote the rest of the caucus and we expressed our grievances regarding that rule change. He did encouraged us to become precinct committeemen and work within the Allen County GOP. Two years from now, there will be another convention in Indy and we cannot delay. I mentioned that I was miffed about this procedure as a Ron Paul Republican, but will help the GOP in the future. (I might as well be open about where I stand. Mr Shine and the Allen County GOP knew already that I am with the RP crowd.) We have formed a group for that purpose in Indiana, the Indiana Conservative Republican Statesmen. We are thinking old school stuff, like Goldwater, not neo-conservatism. I’ll keep you posted on that as things unfold.
After that, it’s lunch and we chatted about what to do. We figured that the general session is no different. We seen the candidates’ presentation and then we voted. Then, more chat.
We gathered outside, thinking what to do…when Governor Daniels saw us. We told him what happened, and gave him one of the fliers we printed out in regard to the rule change. Hopefully, he may read that and be a decent chap about it. Then a guy came out of the session and told us that Mr Zoeller won by 354 votes. We all cheered, except the Governor, who endorsed Costas.
After the convention adjourned, some remained to relax in Indy, and I drove home and ate at a Steak n Shake with several of the delegates.
Even Moar Site Improvements
Spring Break came and went…and I spent it on Dreamweaver and Notepad.
Let’s see…Within the last 30 days, I’ve made changes TWICE, added and edited blog categories, and I still have more work ahead. I goofed around the Alice Project for Java class, and prelim sketches may include a Benny Hill-style sequence sans bikini chicks but plenty of Yakety Sax.
The Valentine Day Gift We Can Both Enjoy.
The Prediger wanted to attend a concert by our local philharmonic one of these days. “Good idea”, I responded. The question became: What’s available and worth attending? Yesterday, I have found my answer, when I picked up my espresso and looked at the local weekly events paper.
Got our tix already!