GOP: The Natural Political Home for Black Americans
By Lance Elliott Griffin
Republican President Gerald Ford, raised in Kent County, was the first American president to declare that February was “Black History Month”. I am diametrically opposed to any such ethnic heritage months because they inevitably elevate one ethnic group or another over others, while always being very careful to exclude Whites.
Of course Blacks have an incredible track record of high achievement. However, these great achievers should be celebrated for embodying American values such as entrepreneurship, innovation, and hard work. Instead, Black History Month asks Americans to focus first and foremost on their race. This insulting reduction of Black Americans aligns perfectly with the Left’s obsession with group identity—the importance of the individual is lost.
Liberals have also hijacked the holiday month as an excuse to push divisive policies, such as critical race theory, affirmative action, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which all focus on separation rather than much-needed unity.
Nevertheless, President Ford is included in a rich heritage of Republicans who strived to bring about a “more perfect union” by extending the blessings of liberty to Black Americans. The Republican Party has consistently lead efforts to promote an environment in which all citizens could experience life more abundantly and pursue happiness, including Blacks. In contrast, Democrats have consistently resisted efforts to liberate Blacks.
In 1865 the 13th amendment, which ended the dark days of legal slavery in America, passed with 100% Republican support and only 23% Democrat support.
In 1866 the 14th amendment overturning Dred Scott and granting full citizenship and equal rights under the law to black Americans, passed with exclusive Republican support and zero Democrat support.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866, guaranteeing the rights of black Americans to make contracts and receive equal protection under the law irrespective of the color of their skin, was passed by Republicans and vetoed by Democrat President Andrew Johnson. Johnson was quoted as saying, “This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government of white men.” Thankfully, Republicans overrode Johnson’s veto.
The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, known as the Force Act, empowered federal officials to crack down on the terrorist activities of the Democrat-founded KKK, ultimately leading to its dismantling during that period. This Act was passed by Republicans and signed by Republican Ulysses S. Grant.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 guaranteed black Americans, women, and other minorities the right not to be discriminated against in jobs and government contracts. It passed in the House of Representatives with 63 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans, and in the Senate with 69 percent of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans.
Nothing has changed. Republicans continue to stand for common sense and a meritocracy that offers opportunity to all Americans. Meanwhile, Democrat policies and rhetoric 1) promote abortion, which kills more blacks than are born in many jurisdictions, 2) replace fathers with welfare checks, and 3) have created Democrat-governed American cities which are among the most dangerous places on earth. Liberal Democrats are against voter ID because that “would disenfranchise minorities, especially Blacks”, which implies that Blacks are too stupid to know how to get a State ID. Worst of all, Democrats reject the idea that our rights come from God, and therefore, it must be with respect to God that we govern ourselves. For example, the LGBTQABC123 agenda and the transgender delusion are anathema to the values of the Black community.
Let 2024 be the year that Blacks return to their Republican roots and leave the Democrat plantation which has enslaved them intellectually, financially, and spiritually.
Why I Support Republican Ideals
By Jason Besley
Like many young people, while in college I thought that socialist policies had some merit. Lots of visible public good seemed to be accomplished by government intervention – parks, freeways, universal education and myriad other benefits.
But then I moved to the People’s Republic of China after college and experienced firsthand a state that enforced its own view of the public good in nearly every field of human experience. I remember the first time I asked a Chinese college student my standard conversation starter, “Why did you choose your major?” They answered, “I didn’t.” It turned out that each student was assigned a major based on their aptitude test scores. Wherever the state determined that society needed you, that’s the career path it put you on. Your individual desires were not a consideration.
Couples wanting to marry must wait until the man was at least 22 years old and the woman was 20. And college students were not allowed to marry, so they had to either wait until they both graduated or drop out to get married. Then, they were allowed to have one child. No more.
Obviously, the US is far from this level of totalitarianism, but I’m concerned about some trends. In 1930, government controlled about 12% of the economy. Today, it controls 40%.
In 1900, there was no federal income tax. Today, the tax code is 74,000 pages long.
In the past, a family could choose how to educate their children, how to save for retirement, and how to insure for medical expenses. Today, the state collects by force for each of those things, and the family can choose private school, private investments, or alternative health care only if they can afford these options with the leftover income.
My other big concern is how the command-and-control tide can be reversed once it has gone “too far.” If 40% of spending in the country is directed by government, it’s reasonable to suppose that nearly 40% of workers are employed by those tax dollars. (Another 21% of the population are currently receiving social security benefits.) How likely are these individuals to vote for lower taxes and thus cutting these cash flows? As we approach 50% of the country dependent upon public funds, it becomes harder and harder for the other 50% to halt and reverse the growth of the state.
I have lived in a one-party state, and I don’t want my home country to become one. These are some of the reasons I support the Republican party.
[Jason Besley is a writer and editor from the Kent County GOP Public Relations Standing Committee.]
A Resolution Recognizing Kristina Karamo as MIGOP Chairwoman
A RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE KRISTINA KARAMO
AS THE RIGHTFUL CHAIRWOMAN OF THE MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
Whereas the 85-county parties in the State of Michigan, which are constitutional entities, came together at the convention, on February 18, 2023, to vote Kristina Karamo as the Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican State Committee (MRSC), by 2100 delegates; and
Whereas on December 2, 2023, 39 of the 107 State Committee members (36%) submitted a petition for a special meeting, within the 15-day period, per the MIGOP Bylaws, and Chairwoman Karamo called a "special meeting" for January 13, 2024; and
Help the GVSU College Republicans go to CPAC
Newest and youngest member of the Kent County GOP Executive Committee, Brock Johnson, is leading an effort to take eight GVSU college Republicans to CPAC. To support these young Republicans, please visit their GoFundMe page.
Educational Freedom: My Choice to Homeschool
By Lisa Ellison
Educational freedom is one of the cornerstones of a society dedicated to liberty. Parents have many choices as to how they educate their children. Homeschooling has proven to be the best choice for my family, because as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.
My son is twelve years old. He has been homeschooled the entire time except for kindergarten which was a hybrid program. Why did we choose to homeschool? Because we want to raise him with integrity, good moral values, and to love God. We want to have a good relationship with him. We did not want to send him away for most of the day, still have homework at night, and get very little time together. We were concerned about the influence a public school may have on him, and that concern has only grown in the last few years.
Because we homeschool, he has a teacher solely focused on him and what he needs in order to succeed. We are not bound to staying with curriculum designed for his grade-level. He is only twelve and doing well in Algebra 1. We can take the time to read books and take field trips whenever we want. We can research or study whatever interests him. While most kids were still in school last spring, we had the opportunity to go out west. We were able to see sites that many people have not; we also learned much about science and our nation’s history.
I truly enjoy homeschooling my son. I am learning right alongside him. I’m learning history, algebra, philosophy, civics, grammar, Latin, and more. I got good grades in school, but I did not learn half of what we’re learning together now! I don’t remember learning any ancient history, I knew nothing about Latin, I had never heard of most of the philosophers we studied this year, and even though I had a good government class, I am learning a lot more now. Not only is my son learning a lot more than I ever did, but I’m redeeming my own schooling! I am also growing in my patience and dependence on God as we determine how best to educate him.
You may have heard that our legislators are discussing a requirement for homeschoolers to register. This might not sound like a big deal to most of you, but it is an encroachment on our freedom. Some legislators are using child abuse as a reason for registration. This is not logical for many reasons, the biggest of which is, there is no correlation between abuse and homeschooling. Nheri.org has several research articles on this subject under the research tab, please look them up if you are interested.
Another reason this is not logical is they already know about our kids. We have a social security number, health insurance, etc. Having homeschoolers on another list will not protect anyone. Do a good job at enforcing the laws we have. There is no need to make more laws or create nothing-burgers for Child Protective Services to investigate.
Why is registration a problem? Because that’s not their end goal. A CBS reporter asked Rep. Matt Koleszar, “I imagine a lot of parents would say, ‘Surely they will want to know more than just knowing where the children are. I mean, receiving a letter that says, ‘This child is homeschooled’… Surely there would have to be some kind of home visits, some interaction, right?” Rep. Koleszar’s response was, “It’s fair to say that, but I think right now the main thing we need to do…is find out where they are.” Some people would like to completely control my son’s schooling and tell me exactly what I can and cannot teach him. This is eerily inching toward Hitler, who outlawed homeschooling and required all children to attend German public school where they were immersed in Nazi propaganda. Here in America, we have the freedom to practice our religious beliefs and raise our children as we see fit (so long as we are not abusing them). Since my Bible says to raise up a child in the way he should go (Proverbs 22:6), and teach him diligently wherever we go and throughout the day (Deuteronomy 6:7-9), and this is a big part of why we chose homeschooling, any encroachment on that freedom is problematic.
Maybe your children are all grown, or perhaps you chose a different schooling option, so you are remaining silent on this issue. I implore you to speak up for our rights to homeschool freely. This quote from Martin Niemöller comes to mind: “First they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.” Please speak up for our rights. Please contact your legislators and ask them to protect homeschoolers from more regulations.
“Family Friendly” Drag - In Their Own Words
By Mark Ratering
On February 3, World of Winter 2024 festival in Grand Rapids will be hosting a “family friendly” drag show. Kent County GOP condemns the promotion of children being exposed to adults acting out their sexual fetishes and further condemns the usage of public funds to do so.
It is the responsibility of parents to provide their children with a healthy, solid foundation of what is normal. The purpose of “family friendly” drag shows, drag queen story hour, and curriculum related to gender ideology in schools is to disrupt this idea of “normal”, as it is seen as oppressive. In her seminal 1984 essay that began the field of queer theory, “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality”, Gayle Rubin laments the stigma placed upon fetishists and pedophiles:
“Modern Western societies appraise sex acts according to a hierarchical system of sexual value. Marital, reproductive heterosexuals are alone at the top of the erotic pyramid. ... The most despised sexual castes currently include … fetishists, … and the lowliest of all, those whose eroticism transgresses generational boundaries.”
Regarding Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), in their 2021 paper, “Drag pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood”, Harper Keenan & Lil Miss Hot Mess (board member, DQSH) write that the purpose of the event has nothing to do with homosexuals being accepted in everyday society but is instead to confuse children then “transform” them:
“Building in part from queer theory and trans studies, queer and trans pedagogies seek to actively destabilize the normative function of schooling through transformative education … This is a fundamentally different orientation than movements towards the inclusion or assimilation of LGBT people into the existing structures of school and society.”
They later continue, clarifying that they do not believe "family friendly" is a term that indicates anything about the event being developmentally appropriate in nature, but rather that it is a way to prepare the minds of the children to view these fetishists as potential family:
“As drag has moved further into the mainstream, some have questioned whether this queer art form has lost its edge. In discussing the work of DQSH within our social circles, we have occasionally encountered critiques that DQSH is sanitizing the risqué nature of drag in order to make it “family friendly.” We do not share this pessimistic view. … It may be that DQSH is “family friendly,” in the sense that it is accessible and inviting to families with children, but it is less a sanitizing force than it is a preparatory introduction to alternate modes of kinship. Here, DQSH is “family friendly” in the sense of “family” as an old-school queer code to identify and connect with other queers on the street.”
In their own words these activists tell us that these events are part of a movement to disrupt functioning society and are targeting traditional family structures.
Kent County GOP does not believe that this is healthy or safe. Instead, join us for our wholesome alternatives. Please bring the kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews, and join event coordinators Lynne Shepherd and Pam Hooker at our upcoming Freedom Story Hour events where children enjoy patriotically themed books, arts & crafts and other truly kid-friendly activities. Keep connected with our social media to stay informed about our upcoming events, including Freedom Story Hours.
Kent County Election Inspectors Needed
Our Republican Kent County Clerk, Lisa Posthumus Lyons, is asking for people interested in participating in the electoral process to apply to be an election inspector. These people will be trained and PAID to work in the precincts on Election Day or during early voting, verify voter information at check-in, process absentee ballots, ensure compliance with federal and state election laws and uphold the security of the voting process and confidentiality of voters.
Without secure elections, none of our fundraising and political groundwork matters. Please read the the article found here where you will find the application.
What is Communism and How does it come about?
by Richard Dausman/editor Jason Besley
When people share something in common, be it a faith, or an interest in a sport, or a geographical location, or anything else, you have a community. It can be a community of believers, a sports community, a town, state or even country. And a community can choose to respect the rights of the individuals who make up the community, or it can choose not to. When a community embraces communism, the rights of the individual are no longer paramount. For a community to go communistic there has to be an incentive, a lure, to cause people to leave the space of freedom and enter the trap of communism.
So what is communism? Communism, at its essence, is the philosophy that the ‘interests of the community’ supersede the rights of the individual. When that takes place, you have a commune where the people must submit to the interest of the community in spite of their rights. You have entered communism. Communism justifies all kinds of actions by the State that people might naturally reject.
For example, the State might nationalize all means of production. No more private businesses, they are all taken over by the government with the claim that matching the production to the needs is more efficient when you have centralized control and is therefore in the interests of the community. Or, in the interest of the community, false or conflicting reports of events need to be eliminated to prevent confusion and unrest. Therefore, the press should be under the control of the State. Religion, as well, can be a source of conflicting ideas and might produce resistance to many actions the State takes. So to promote peace, which is in the interest of the community, the Church must be State run. The same kind of arguments can be applied to the banking system, agriculture, education, ownership of firearms, travel, in fact anything you can think of that the State chooses to control, all in the name of “the interest of the community”. But these examples are not the definition of communism. They are the characteristics -- the results -- of communism.
Most people would not enter communism knowingly or without an incentive. But it is the lack of knowledge, the ignorance of what communism is, that keeps most of them from recognizing it so as to avoid it. Without recognizing the trap, all it takes is a little bait to get people to enter. And the bait can take many forms.
In Russia, peasants and soldiers thought that Communism would save them from the abuses of their rulers. In China, revolutionaries promised vengeance against the land-owner class. In Cuba, Communist leader’s decried the ruling regime’s corruption, racial inequality, and inaction on economic issues. In each case, the reasons seemed justified, but in each case, the concentration of power that resulted from Communism led to even more tragic abuses.
One of the most effective lures to Communism is security: security from a perceived, or even real threat. The Covid outbreak is one such example. Many sweeping governmental mandates were instituted, all with the argument that they were justified because they were in the interest of the community. And in the process, the rights of the individual had to yield, such as freedom of movement, freedom of association, pursuit of happiness, pursuing gainful employment, free exercise of religion, personal decisions over one’s own medical care, and even for some the right to refuse an experimental vaccine being injected into their bodies without being punished for that choice. When the government removes these choices from you it is taking away your ability to exercise your rights, including your personal decision as to how much risk you are willing to assume. Remember, none of these mandates provided any extra protection to anyone who would have voluntarily chosen to pursue these actions on their own, leaving the rest to choose for themselves.
Now might be a good time to clarify exactly what freedom is. The most succinct yet all-encompassing definition of freedom is simply this, “The power to choose”. Notice it is not “The right to choose,” for without the ability to exercise your rights, you are not free. When governments take away the people’s freedom, it is not their rights they have removed, it is their power to exercise their rights. Just like the man who has the right to move around freely in his own home is unable to do so when an intruder ties him to a chair. He still has the right, he just can’t exercise it.
When governments or government officials take your “power to choose” for yourself away from you, in the interest of the community, they are taking your freedom and replacing it with communism. (As an aside, it is important to note that an individual’s rights do not extend past the point where they would infringe upon another individual’s rights.)
In addition to the lure of security there are other lures that entice people into the trap of communism. These take the form of gifts or giveaways, quite often misnamed as entitlements. And the individual rights that are affected either go unnoticed at first or they only affect a small minority of which the majority either don’t care about or have been conditioned to resent.
The bottom line is this: The majority of the population of this country have embraced the fundamental concept of communism, whether they realize it or not. We have been persuaded that the interest of the community outweighs the rights of the individual. We are being seduced and lured into a system exactly the same way as the populations of other countries that are now communistic. They too did not realize what they were embracing until it was too late. The ones who now recognize it most clearly and are doing their best to sound the alarm are those who escaped communism in their own country, only to see the same patterns happening here. The only question is, will we wake up and recognize what is happening, or will we also experience the full-blown results of the path on which we are already so far along?
Mead v Rockford Public School District
Parents Dan and Jennifer Mead are suing Rockford Public School District after district employees began treating the couple’s middle-school daughter as a boy without their knowledge or consent and taking steps to conceal these actions from the parents. Plaintiffs contend that in concealing this important information, the district violated the Meads’ fundamental parental rights. The Kent County GOP supports parents’ rights to make decisions about the upbringing, education, and health care of their children. To read the full article click here.
Parents Dan and Jennifer Mead
Election Integrity Force Wins Poll Challenger Case In Michigan Supreme Court
Almost a year later, Election Integrity Force wins their Poll Challenger law suit by a 3-0 unanimous vote in the Michigan Supreme Court on November 22, 2022.
A short MIGOP video can also be found on Rumble.