Why not Fenton Too? Who's Next!

Fenton plans to restructure, could be sold

Asked if this could mean closure of the century-old glass factory, Fenton said, “We’re trying not to do that.
“This has to do with financing and cost structure, and involves a variety of options that we’re considering,” he said. “But there’s nothing firm at this time.”

Looks like Fenton Glass will be the first of many local companies to ask for a similar break to the HINO Deal, and why not. Already folks are asking the Assessor how much more money will we have to spend from this deal, if any!

Officials: Hino financial impact on schools not known

By "impact" they mean new money into the coffers. By the time the county receives revenue from HINO, it will most likely just off set departing businesses tired of buying their own equipment and paying the full tax burden.

High on HINO

State buys nearly 12-acre tract next to Hino plant

"In addition to the buying property adjacent to Hino, Burdette said the Wood County Commission will approve an abatement of property taxes on the facilities equipment, meaning the equipment will not be taxed.

The state is spending $5 million to purchase equipment for the Hino plant and then leasing it to the company for 15 years".

So far sounds similar to the deal Toyota cut in Mason County. While local small businesses struggle to pay these taxes others make a deal. Many local companies simply leave West Virginia and locate elsewhere, many times just across the border to avoid taxes on new equipment needed to expand.

Taxing Land "Into Use"

Better ways to tax property

"Real estate taxes should relate to the minimal needs of a highly efficient government. In many cases taxes are being raised because our neighbors find a way to sell their property for an exorbitant price to an unsuspecting victim".

Jim Weigle, Parkersburg News & Sentinel

Mr. Weigle makes several points in his Letter to the Editor that are of interest. This is happening to more and more folks around Wood County, especially those in areas that have seen commercial development. Rosemar road is a prime example, I feel sorry for folks that have lived in a house or on a small piece of land for years and find out that a business has paid commercial value for the hill or ditch next to them.

Red White & Blue Republican Picnic

1st Annual Republican Red White & Blue Picnic at Fort Boreman Park

What a View

A Beautiful Day on the Ohio River

Lots of Familiar Faces

Plenty of Food, Drinks and Desert!

And of Course, The Band with a Great Variety of Music

Letters to the editor

Dem’s voter appreciation event

The “Voter Appreciation” event at City Park Sunday was covered by the paper as a non-partisan event. (Unfortunately some of our fine GOP elected officials were snookered.) The bipartisan label is difficult to understand when the article in advance was all about the Democrats who were running the event.

Walking by the event I saw the featured billboard-bus with its campaign signs for a Democrat running for Secretary of State in 2008, Democrats purchased and gave out 200 Democrat campaign T-shirts that folks were wearing, Democrats paid for the food and the good country band brought in from Charleston who were wearing Democrat campaign shirts, major Democrat state officeholders from the Democrat-dominated Legislature and judicial branch were featured, etc.

This event was obviously a successful campaign event for Democrats in 2008. I suppose the Vast Democrat Establishment feels they need even more Democrats in office and are targeting Wood County. After 79 years of Democrat State Legislative and Judicial Control and 90-plus percent of the time control of all executive positions they feel they want 100 percent. With our state of West Virginia ranking 50th or 49th in every important national rating, guess who has to take responsibility?

Allen Ross

Parkersburg

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

*************UPDATE*************

County hears funding requests

New organizations requesting funding Tuesday were:

• Parkersburg Art Center
• Wood County Historical Society
• Blennerhassett Historical Foundation
• Parkersburg Actors Guild
• Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Authority
• Veterans' Museum
• Williamstown pool
• West Virginia Automobile Museum
• Juliana-Ann Street Historical District.

Couch said all of the funding requests are worthy causes. He said he estimated that organizations requested 108 percent of the hotel tax proceeds during Tuesday's meeting.

Vienna City Council backs hotel tax hike

Councilman Roger Bibbee said it is important to note that the average Vienna resident won’t be affected by the increased tax.
“A lot of people are concerned and didn’t realize that this is not being imposed on residents, only the users of the facilities,” Bibbee said.

Nohe said he is hopeful city council will approve the increase.

"People in the hotel business in the city have actually asked us to pass it," Nohe said. "In Vienna, we’re not big on increasing taxes, but this seems like pretty smooth sailing since they’ve asked us to."

My Thoughts:
This thing is starting to look like a County form of the outlawed West Virginia Budget Digest.

The idea that this "user fee" is being imposed on a non-resident, and therefore not a local voter makes it OK is the same philosophy that the gambling industry is using to justify their cause. Tourists are fair game to local governments, but these are the kinds of little things that continue to keep West Virginia at the bottom.

I know this is a radical thought, especially anywhere in West Virginia, but let's suppose that the natural laws of competition were in place in this situation, which make no mistake, they are not. If a Community in Wood County were allowed to reject this tax without sinking the big plans of all of those who expect to receive this loot, they would be at a competitive advantage over the surrounding hotels and would probably fill more rooms. At the end of the year, that hotel would see an increase in business, revenue, and jobs and that Community could actually see an increase in total revenue from the lower tax rate. Those additional occupants would more than likely spend their money close to that renegade facility thereby leaving more of their money in that community, which is what tourists are suppose to do I'm told.

I wish I could take credit for this concept that is proven to work, but of course I can't. New ideas take awhile to make it here, they always have, and old habits are hard to break.

******************************************

Word is out the the County Commission is coming into a little more CASH, actually a lot of CASH, approximately $200,000 + expected from the user fee increase that was passed just a week ago, doubling it from 3% to 6%. User fee is a creative way of referring to a tax increase. Last year the taxes collected from this dropped $14,376 from the previous year, despite the increasing number of motel /hotel rooms in the county.


First of many groups and worthwhile organizations that will attempt to tap this CASH. I am a bit surprised that some folks are in line so quick for this new money, (actually before it is even official) almost makes one wonder if they knew it was going to be available.

Actors Guild requests tax revenue funds

"We are asking for some of the county’s hotel/motel tax to keep the doors open and the lights on."

Greg Smith (not me), Actors Guild

Let's go back to a few comments made concerning this tax increase when it was introduced recently.

"The plan is to use virtually the entire increase for more marketing and advertising for the area."

Steve Nicely, President, Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau

"Because the funds go toward attracting more people to Wood County, I will make a motion we raise the hotel/motel tax to 6 percent, contingent on all municipalities within the county raising theirs."

Commissioner David Blair Couch

"This (the hotel tax) is a user fee paid by visitors."

Commissioner Rick Modesitt

Here is how this money is currently distributed:

• Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau 53%
• Artsbridge 4%
• Belleville Homecoming 0.5%
• Oil and Gas Museum 1.5%
• Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon 2%
• Parkersburg Homecoming 2%
• Smoot Theatre 4.5%
• Mountwood Park 18%
• West Virginia Interstate Fair & Exposition 9%
• Veterans/Fort Boreman Park 5%
• Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival 0.5%

Average Tax Rate

• Total Tax on a Hotel Room (incl. hotel room tax, sales taxes, etc.): 12.2%
  Average Hotel Room Tax: 6.7%
  Average Sales Tax on a Hotel Room: 5.5%
• Total Tax on a Car Rental: (incl. rental tax, sales tax, etc.): 11.7%
• Special Restaurant Tax (excl. sales tax): 2.7%

How the Hotel Room Tax is Used

• On average, 55% of the hotel room tax monies collected is allocated to the CVB.
• Slightly more than one-third of destinations use hotel room tax monies for convention center purposes (operations, construction, debt service).
• 11% of destinations allocate hotel room tax revenue to arenas and sport facilities.

source: Destination Marketing Association International

Here is a link to remind folks what other Republicans had to say about Senator Bob Dole and his history of tax increases.

Bob Dole likes to Raise Taxes

A Collection of GOP Remarks on Dole's Record of Increasing Taxes

Republican Picnic

What Will They Think of Next

Officials consider precinct changes

PARKERSBURG — Political party executive committeemen will be affected by a proposed realignment of the boundaries of 42 voting precincts in Wood County.

......and Greg Smith of Vienna, a Republican, will see his district change from B-2 to B-3.

"So if those three individuals (executive committee members listed above) choose to run again for office in 2010, they will have to run from another district because they will no longer live in the district they are serving right now," Ross said.

They will continue to serve out their time in their current district, but these three will live in a different district after the move, and that will have an affect on who will be running for the next election," Ross explained.

My thought:
Magisterial District B-3 is currently occupied by Robert Hammond, although the last time he actually ran for his seat on the Wood County Republican Executive Committee was 2002 when he lived in Parkersburg and was elected to represent District A-3, which under WV code 3-1-9 as revised by Senate Bill 607 will no longer be legal.

This small bit of information isn't known to many and omitted by others, so I am being moved into a District that is occupied and more than likely I will have another contested race next election.

Let me say that having successfully defended my current seat on the WCREC for the past 13 years, and most recently against Dr. Fred Gillespie in 2006, I look forward to the 2010 election cycle and hope that my vacated seat in Vienna District B-2 will be filled and utilized to the advancement of our Republican Party.

Local Democrats (and others) come out Swinging for '08

**************UPDATE**************

Apparently several Republicans bought into this affair!

’’It’s a great party,’’ said Delegate Tom Azinger, R-Wood

Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, said the event gave her a chance to speak with many of her constituents and listen to what they had to say

Plenty of "Strong with Joe Delong" tee shirts given out at this non-partisan event. Joe is the Majority Whip in the WV House of Delegates and is running for WV Secretary of State, the office currently held by our Republican Betty Ireland.

When the @#%& hits the fan next year during the 2008 Presidential election, as it always does, maybe some of your new found friends will help you. It is more likely that one of the folks you had your picnic with will be the one to do you in, given the chance. When the negative radio spot pops up, or the union supported effort for your opponent begins where ya gonna go?

Democrats had an enjoyable and well attended event

They had a good crowd and plenty of local and Statewide Democrat support.

Along with some others that I hope were just lost! *ugh*

I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I had it confirmed tonight (19 June) that there were more party goers. There was no intent on my part to not include all. My apology to Commissioner Modesitt and friends for bringing this unintended oversight to my attention.

Do you suppose Delegate Poling will be attending our Republican Picnic in 13 days (in case you haven't heard we are having a picnic)...Fat Chance!

Delegate to host ‘Voter Appreciation Day’ at park

Looks like the Democrats are bringing all they have for the 2008 election. I do sincerely hope the WCREC has something to offer our elected officials and candidates this election cycle, if we have ever needed a strong effective Republican organization it will be in '08.

"The first 200 people to attend will receive a free T-shirt. Poling is expecting from 300-400 people."

"Poling (said) various volunteer groups have called more than 2,000 registered voters in Wood County, inviting them to this event."

This is pretty much how you do stuff like this, it's not complicated!

WVGOP Announces Its Presidential Nominating Convention‎

In Case You Missed It…
Yesterday, the West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention announced the details of its presidential nominating convention on February 5, 2008. Here's a few articles recapping the announcement.

The Hill: Victory in W. Va. could spread to other states
"The West Virginia GOP could announce its pick for president by 2:30 p.m. Eastern time on Feb. 5, potentially giving that candidate a boost in states where polls close hours later. More than a dozen states have moved their primaries to so-called Super Duper Tuesday, including delegate-rich California, New York and New Jersey. West Virginia's unique nominating convention could make a lot of noise during the traditional tedium of Election Day. While the state is not on the tip of most pundits' tongues, that could change if a winner is announced as early as 11:30 a.m. on the West Coast….Read more at:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/victory-in-w.-va.-could-spread-to-other-states-2007-06-07.html

NBC News: WV WANTS TO BE A PLAYER ON FEB. 5
In the latest effort by a state to increase its significance in the presidential nominating process, West Virginia Republicans held a conference call with reporters earlier today to discuss their brand-new presidential convention, which will be held on Tsunami Tuesday, February 5, 2008. The hook is that the results of the winner-take-all convention will be known as late as 4:00 pm ET that day -- meaning it will be the first of the 20-odd Tsunami Tuesday states to report its results. "It will be something that will be interesting to people in West Virginia," said Robert Fish, CEO of the state's presidential convention.
Read more at: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/07/217497.aspx

Parkersburg News and Sentinel: GOP makes radical changes
In an effort to have more say in the presidential primary election Republican party officials have made significant changes to their 2008 state convention. "As you know, many of the states are looking at the process in order to see how they can be effective in influencing the ultimate choosing of president," state Republican official Bob Fish said. "This move allows us to make a decision while there is still a decision to be made." In 2000, 16 states held primaries on Super Tuesday, the largest presidential primary election day in U.S. history. Fish said the 2008 "Super Duper Tuesday," will have 23 states holding primary elections, including West Virginia, which he referred to as a "tipping point state." Read more at: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=17190

Wheeling Intelligencer: W.Va. GOP To Have Early Voice in 2008
West Virginia will be the sixth state to weigh in on the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, and the first to announce its choice on the new "Super Duper Tuesday." National attention — as well as Republican presidential candidates and their campaign dollars — should be focused on West Virginia Feb. 5, 2008, when the first-ever State GOP Presidential Convention happens in Charleston. State Democrats will meet in April to select their nominee. The state Republican convention begins at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5, with the final selection announced as early as noon and probably no later that 4:30, said state GOP Presidential Convention Chairman Bob Fish. West Virginia will be the first state to make its presidential selection on Super Duper Tuesday. Read more at: http://theintelligencer.net/community/articles.asp?articleID=20473

Republican Gazette: West Virginia Republicans will cast first votes in the nation for president
Republicans in West Virginia will cast the first votes for president in the entire nation because of the GOP's move to a state convention format for selecting delegates to the national convention. Prior to the Feb. 5 state convention, county conventions and online voting for delegates to the state convention will begin Jan. 1, meaning Republicans at the county level will be casting votes for president before anyone else in the country. Read more at: http://www.abernathystrategies.com/republicangazette.html

National Journal's Hotline: WEST VIRGINIA (2/5 GOP caucuses; 5/13 primary): The Early Bird Picks The Nominee?
The WV GOP may choose its WH nominee by 2:30 p.m. EST 2/5, "potentially giving that candidate a boost in states where polls close later." Convention chief exec. Robert Fish: "I believe it can have a big impact. ... This can give a winning characteristic to one of the campaigns." …UMich prof. John Jackson says evidence from Jimmy Carter's early concession in '80 "suggests that if West Coast voters think the race is over, they are less likely to turn out." He "added that on a day when reporters and network news producers are twiddling their thumbs and begging for news before the polls close, the... announcement will be like food to a starving village" (Youngman, The Hill, 6/7).

West Virginia MetroNews: GOP To Hold Convention
The Republican Party in West Virginia is looking to earn a little publicity come "Super Duper Tuesday" February, 5th 2008. Super Duper Tuesday will be when close to 20 states will hold their primary elections and party nominations for president will be revealed. However in West Virginia the Republican Party will hold the first presidential nominating convention in the state. They will be electing 18 of 30 delegates who will represent West Virginia in Minneapolis at the presidential convention next August. Read more at: http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=19542

WTAP News: G.O.P. State Convention
"It provides such a huge amount of grass roots input, with county caucuses, the opportunity for any West Virginian to be a delegate to this convention," says convention C.E.O. Bob Fish, "the opportunity for the national media interest we believe is going to bring to it, really helps West Virginia help claim its rightful position as a 'tipping point' state." Read more at: http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/7893027.html

Aim High

Congratulation to the Teachers, Staff and of course the Students at Wood County Christian School.

"All 23 members of the graduating class are attending college next year"

The Federal Government has been involved in public education formally since 1965 with Title I, the sacred cow of modern public education in America. Various programs such as a 1000 Points of Light, Goals 2000, School-to-Work and now No Child Left Behind have left the public schools struggling to meet a goal of graduating 80% from the 12th grade. For the amount of money that is spent per child the tax payers deserve better.

However, as history continues to be rewritten daily and the politically correct society that dominates the direction of our culture continues to push public eduction further and further away from many of the things that made us what we are as a Nation and a People I doubt that things will change anytime soon.

I Thought Gamblers were Tourists

National group alarmed over W.Va. problem-gambler plans

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - The National Council on Problem Gambling may consider rerouting hot line callers away from West Virginia's treatment program, if the Lottery Commission keeps pursuing its plan to take control of the state's highly regarded service.

The Lottery's bid to bypass public health officials and directly oversee the state's Problem Gamblers Help Network is "extraordinarily troubling" and "almost unprecedented," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based council.

The only state to attempt something similar _ Arizona, about six years ago_ did so with disastrous results, he said Wednesday.

"The industry has an important role to play in responsible gaming. But there has always been, for very obvious reasons, a line between industry and treatment," he said. The Lottery's plan "obliterates that wall."

Entities that promote gambling cannot effectively counsel gamblers who become hooked, Whyte said. Nor is the Lottery professionally or ethically equipped, he said, to deal with the mental health, medical and confidentiality issues surrounding addiction.

Though calls to the national hot line are now routed to West Virginia counselors, Whyte said that could change.

"Never in history has a gaming operator had direct access to treatment data and, potentially, treatment decisions," he said. "It's hard to construct even a commonsense argument why it's good for a gambling operator to offer treatment. It's unheard of.

"The Problem Gamblers Help Network provides unique, customized treatment on demand to callers to its toll-free hot line. It has counseled more than 5,000 gamblers and their families in seven years, assigning local counselors, scheduling appointments and following up on visits within 24 hours.

The Lottery wants the Department of Health and Human Resources to stop administering the $1.5 million program on July 1, when the current contract expires. Required by law to fund the program, the Lottery would then begin paying providers directly.

A request for proposals for the next contract would remove DHHR _ and its annual $150,000 cut _ from the equation. But the change is being made through the state purchasing system, out of sight of legislators and others.

First Choice Health Systems, which has run the network for DHHR, filed the only bid by Wednesday's deadline for the next year of services.

Both the Lottery and the DHHR say the change is purely administrative and a more efficient way to process bills. Critics, however, allege a conflict of interest that breaks down the checks and balances ensuring good government.

The Catholic Conference of West Virginia and the West Virginia Council of Churches have joined addictions counselors in raising concerns about what they call an alarming case of micromanaging.

"No one of good will wants the Lottery Commission to be in the 'fox running the hen house' situation," Monsignor Edward Sadie wrote in a May 7 letter to Gov. Joe Manchin that laid out proposed changes to the Lottery's bidding criteria.

Sadie urged the state to rework the proposed contract the Lottery will award for problem gambler services and allow the DHHR's Bureau of Behavorial Health "to do its supervisory job.

"Whyte, meanwhile, said his organization is not antigambling; its board includes employees of the gambling industry.

But West Virginia's plan is "so poorly thought out, so theoretically flawed, so counter to everything we know in 35 years of helping problem gamblers, that it frankly calls into question everything they do," he said.

"Much of the public support for gambling rests on the perception that the state is making a good faith effort to minimize the harm," he said.

If the Lottery alters that perception, it will be harming not only gamblers but itself.

"As gambling becomes a bigger and bigger source of state revenue, the only way it's going to be sustainable is to have a professional, independent, objective oversight body," he said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."

Wood County RINO Hunt

Stick'in it to the Tourist....Open for Business

It's frustrating sometimes to watch government in action. Parkersburg City Council fell into line last evening and approved the Hotel tax increase, what a shock. Lot's of folks think the BIG Oil companies get together and determine the price of gasoline, which is what governments do all the time with taxation.

Parkersburg should consider making their elections non-partisan, at least then Republicans wouldn't be trying to explain to each other why Republicans are unanimously voting to raise our taxes. Don't forget these folks when they run for higher office later, as many of them have high hopes and plans to equal their high opinions of themselves. If they will do this here, you can bet they will in Charleston or wherever it is they aspire to "serve".

I have been curious for awhile, wondering why these folks would get involved in our local Party election last year and help determine the outcome by a vote. If they thought this would spare them criticism from other Republicans they were sadly mistaken. Some of us still know a RINO when we see one and don't mind pointing them out, before they do us all more damage.

Little Hocking/Porterfield Ramada Inn Opening SOON

Commission OKs hotel tax increase

Looks like this new tax will be in place just as the new bridge completing the Route 50 bypass west opens. A fellow Republican told me it could have been worse, I said how's that. He said well the Democrats would have raised it 12% if the law would let them. @#&%

Maybe an excise tax on Entertainment production, Dairy farms and Automobile rental should be considered!

Possibly collecting taxes on some of the folks who live in West Virginia and have Ohio tags on their vehicles to avoid paying taxes. I know this is unpopular with the assessor, but that's no reason not to enforce the law until it is changed the way you think it should be. I'm sure I'm missing the BIG picture here.

A Brokered Convention?

from Elephant Biz

Newt Gingrich thinks the crowded presidential field in both parties, combined with the rush of so many states to hold early primaries, could result in one or both parties facing a brokered convention - something that hasn't happened in decades.

He made it sound oh-so plausible in an interview with NBC News:

Here is a prediction: there are two possibilities after February 5th, and nobody understands this yet. Possibility One is that we have nominated somebody in both parties. Possibility Two is we have locked in four or five candidates in both parties, and we will have the first brokered convention since 1952. There is no reason to believe any one person is going to win a majority in twenty five states the same day, and it's more likely that their consultants are gonna say, 'Okay, Romney is going to go to Michigan and Utah and Massachusetts. And you know Giuliani is going to go to New York and California. And McCain is going to go to Florida. And Thompson, if he gets in, is going to do Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.'
"You're suddenly going to have three, four, five, or six candidates with delegates. Now why would they drop out? There are no more primaries. They have no great reason to drop out. And you're just going to have a total mess. This thing is going to blow up. I think the odds are even money. It either will lead to a nominee in both parties, which is unlikely – ‘cause nobody is anywhere close to 50%. Or it will lead to the first brokered conventions since 1952."

Sounds like fun.

Noah, Ham and Rehab

Let me first say I am not a fan of either Hasselhoff or Baldwin, but I feel compelled to comment, and after all, what else is a blog for. The Bible is full of all kinds of examples for folks to use to draw from, however the one that I am going to use is one of the least used for many reasons.

In both of the situations above these individuals had an issue in their private lives made public by a child. In Hasselhoffs' case the circumstances definitely involve the over consumption of alcohol, not sure if Baldwin has blamed the booze yet or not.


Genesis 9

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded [a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."
26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. [b]
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth [c] ; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his [d] slave."

As you can read there are several controversial and politically incorrect issues covered here, but as you can see, Noah was very angry for the way his child handled the situation. Today Noah would most likely be publicly humiliated and forced into rehab, Ham would just be doing his service to society as he saw it and most likely would be offered trauma counseling and social intervention. I also find it interesting that there is no mention of punishment against Noah for his drunkenness.

Quote of the Day

01:32 PM - May 2, 2007

Issues: 2008 Elections · Fred Thompson

From today's Hotline:

"It's kind of like gnats swarming around the war horse, you know?"

-- Fred Thompson, on GOP foes seeking dirt on him, "Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/1

Written by Team Volpac


Election Polls 2008: Republican Presidential Primary Contenders

Date....Giuliani.....McCain.....Thompson.....Romney

5/01......30%........... 14%.......... 14%............ 11%

The Long Road Back to Tehran

Secretary of State/Commander-in-Chief Pelosi visits Region

***HOSTAGE RELEASE IMMINENT***

For those who sometimes need reminded of why we are where we are in this War, I have put together this chronological listing of attacks against Americans. To put this into a personal perspective, I was 20 years old, like some of my readers today when this became important to me. Until we have the resolve to win this once and for all as only we know how to do (Japan sure changed) this will continue and escalate.

You will also notice that April is an exceptionally violent month for some reason even without mentioning other domestic events such as Oklahoma City or Waco.

**This is a work in progress, as is this War. I will update this as it becomes unfortunately necessary**

February 1979: Afghan militants assassinated The United States Ambassador to Afghanistan.

A defaced Great Seal of the United States at the former US embassy, Tehran, Iran, as it appears today

4 November 1979: Muslims led by who many believe, including former hostages was the current President of Iran, Ahmadinejad took over the US Embassy in Tehran. This launched a 444-day news story and the career of Ted Kopel and others. I personally remember my frustration watching “America Held Hostage” Day 1-443 every night at 11:30.

Iranian militants escort a blindfolded U.S. hostage to the media

24 April 1980: Operation Eagle Claw ended at Desert One in disaster as a departing helicopter hit a C-130 resulting in the loss of 11 American servicemen.

Authors note: This is when I decided that Uncle Sam needed me to help solve this problem.....I joined the Air Force, and the rest is history, as they say.

18 April 1983: An Islamic suicide bomber drove a van full of high explosives under the portico of the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon and detonated it killing 63 people and wounding another 120.

October 1983: A large truck packed full of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps HQ in Beirut killing 241 US service members. Also 50 UN peacekeepers were slain at the French military barracks. Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad backed by Iran and Syria claimed responsibility for the largest single day American death toll since WWII.

A smoke cloud rises from the rubble of the bombed barracks at Beirut International Airport

12 December 1983: Four killed and 83 wounded in Kuwait City, Kuwait when a truck driven by an Islamic suicide bomber crashed into the US Embassy annex.

April 1984: Islamic terrorist killed 18 US military service personnel at Torrejon AFB, Spain.

September 1984: US Embassy in Beirut is ransacked again, killing 2 Americans and wounding 20 more.

12 April 1985: A bomb explodes in Madrid, Spain at a restaurant frequented by American service personnel.

14 June 1985: TWA Flight 847 is hijacked by Organization for the Oppressed of the Earth, a group with links to Hezbollah. The hijackers identified an American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, among the passengers. They beat him, shot him in the right temple, and dumped his body out of the plane onto the tarmac.

Two hijackers in the cockpit with Captain Testrake

August 1985: A Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the front gate of the US Air Force Base Rhein-Main, Germany killing 22.

7 October 1985: The Passenger liner, Achille Lauro is hijacked and many of us watch on live TV as an American passenger Leon Klinghoffer-in a wheelchair, was singled out of the ships' manifest and executed, because he was Jewish, and his body thrown overboard.

2 April 1986: The Arabian Revolutionary Cells exploded a bomb on Pan Am Flight 840 while it was in Athens Greece. Four American passengers were killed including a four-month-old baby.

21 December 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland with 270 passengers and crew, 189 of which were Americans. Libyan Islamic Terrorists loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, President of Libya took responsibility for the explosion.

26 February 1993: A Ryder truck packed with nearly a ton of a fertilizer based homemade explosive was detonated on the second level parking basement of the World Trade Center in New York City. The attack, planned by Ramzi Yousef, was intended to make the building structurally unsafe but failed. Still 6 people were killed and 1000 injured.

21 October 1993: Muslim militants shot down a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over Mogadishu, Somalia while taking part in providing security for food distribution to the local starving inhabitants caught between local “war lords” and controlling factions that were Islamic militant. 21 US Army Rangers were killed and 1 was dragged through the streets.

6 January 1995: Plans for a large scale bomb attack on 11 US bound airliners was discovered on a laptop computer after an apartment fire in a Manila apartment. Islamic Terrorist, Ramzi Yousef and Klalid Shaikh Mohammed developed the plan while visiting Manila in 1994.

March 1995: Islamic terrorists killed 2 US Diplomats and wounded a third in an attack on a US Consulate van in Karachi, Pakistan.

November 1995: A car bomb was driven into the US military housing facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven and wounding 60. The Islamic Movement for Change and Fighting Advocates of God took responsibility.

25 June 1996: A fuel truck is exploded by the The Islamic Movement for Change and Fighting Advocates of God, outside the military housing facility in the Kobar Towers, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 19 US service members were killed.

August 1998: Explosion at the US Embassy in Nairibi, Kenya kills 247. Another blast in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania kills 10 more. 5000 are wounded.

12 October 2000: The USS Cole is attacked by a suicide bomb boat while refueling in Aden, Yemen. 17 sailors were killed and 130 injured.

11 September 2001: Islamic extremists hijack 4 US airliners flying 2 into the World Trade Center, New York City. 3,020 people were killed and 2,337 were injured. Another plane was flown into the Pentagon, Washington D.C. killing 64 passengers and crew and 125 military personnel at the Pentagon. The fourth was “diverted” from the Capital or White House to a field outside Shansksville, PA where it crashed with 44 on board.

30 January 2003: Richard Colvin Reid, also known as the shoe bomber, is an individual convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence in the United States for attempting to detonate a commercial aircraft in-flight using plastic explosives contained in his shoes. According to al-Qaeda operative Mohammed Mansour Jabarah (who was captured and interrogated in Oman in 2003), Reid was a member of al-Qaeda and had been sent on the bombing mission by Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, a senior member of the organization.

Wood County Young Republicans ONLINE!!!

I have been working diligently over the past couple weeks on the Wood County Young Republicans website project, and I am pleased to finally announce that wcyr.us is finally a reality and online! The site has everything a local GOP enthusiast needs; links to other Republican websites, state and local government sites, and local news and blogs, recent Wood County YR articles and stories, information on how to get involved, photo albums from recent events, information about current projects, events calendar, contact information, online donation page, and more! Wood County GOP Perspective has already posted our permanent link to the wcyr.us site on the right side of the page, under links. Come check us out! And see what all of the excitement is about.

www.wcyr.us

Enthusiastically,

Mike Howerton

Chairman,

Wood County Young Republicans

mike.howerton@wcyr.us

Senate Bill No. 607

Well it's about time! We will have to see if this is amended to be retroactive to the existing committees and/or the May 2006 election. Glad to see that the legislature is aware as to how these unelected members can literally change the course and the immediate future of a county, district or even State Executive Committees.

Senate Bill No. 607
(By Senator Kessler)
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[Introduced February 15, 2007; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact §3-1-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to political party executive committees; requiring clerk of county commission to report election of members and vacancies of executive committees; establishing definite terms of executive committees; providing time after election of executive committee members for holding organizational meeting; changing time to fill vacancies on executive committees; setting time for submission of changes in executive committee membership to the Secretary of State; removing deadline for chair of executive committee to fill vacancies; and providing for chair of state executive committee to fill vacancy on district executive committee where chair of county executive committee fails to fill vacancy.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §3-1-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS.
§3-1-9. Political party committees; how composed; organization.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a definite term of office for elected executive committee members and an expeditious method of filling executive committee vacancies.