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Abernathy Strategies
RepublicanGazette
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Published daily except some days
Submissions welcome
The Republican Gazette welcomes Emails to the Editor and press releases. All submitted items must include the name and contact information for the author of the article, and all articles will only be published with the author's name included. Thank you for reading and participating in The Republican Gazette, another of West Virginia's most biased publications.
All opinions are those of The Republican Gazette and its editor, Gary Abernathy, except letters or commentary signed by others, and do not reflect the views of anyone else, including clients of Abernathy Strategies.
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Having Fun With Mojo
Hey kids! Mojo here! Did you hear about my flat tire? Yes! I was flying my personal airplane Sunday just for fun, and when I landed at Yeager Airport, I blew a tire! Darn thing came to a stop right in the middle of the airport! They had to close down a runway for an hour or two! Sorry! But I felt presidential! Remember when Bill Clinton closed down a runway while he got a haircut! It sure is a feeling of power!Sorry about the airport!
WV bill protecting gays is an intrusion into religious belief
The West Virginia Senate has approved a bill adding gays to anti-discrimination housing laws in the state. No word on whether they are also working on similar legislation to add protection for people who walk their dogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays as opposed to Mondays and Wednesdays.What is the analogy there? Being gay is not about the color of your skin, or your national origin. It is, rather, about what you do. Specifically, it is about what gender you have sex with. If you regularly have sex with someone of the opposite sex, you are not a protected class. If you regularly have sex with someone of the same sex, you are a protected class. How ridiculous is that? Making gays a legally protected class of people along with blacks, Hispanics, etc., is an exercise in absurdity, and it is not homophobic or anti-gay to say so. Most people I know -- including staunch conservatives -- have no interest in behaving badly, or unfairly, toward homosexuals. They also have no interest in knowing, or caring, whether someone is a homosexual or not. And they particularly have no interest in having the knowledge of someone's preference in sex partners forced upon them.It has never been made clear how we are to determine who is gay and who is not. Being gay is the only "class" of people where it is mostly impossible to determine gayness by simple observation.If someone is black, I can tell us much even if the black person is alone and doing nothing more active than walking down the street or sitting in a car. If someone is Hispanic, I can discern that even if the Hispanic person is all by himself or herself and doing nothing but watching TV or standing in line. But if people are gay, I can only know that if, a, they tell me so, or, b, they are having sex with someone of the same gender, which I do not personally wish to witness.You cannot discern a gay person simply by their appearance, even if you think you can. Effeminate men do not necessarily equate to gay men, and women who appear masculine in nature do not necessarily equate to being gay, or lesbian, women. How many times have you met or seen a man who acts or talks in an effeminate manner, only to discover, to your surprise, that they have a wife and children? It happens often.The whole issue of passing laws specifically protecting gays from discrimination is one of the most astounding and confusing developments of our generation. And it is the only "class" of people who actually fluctuate, adding and subtracting members. If you are black or Hispanic, you are black or Hispanic for your whole life. But how many men have lived as heterosexuals, only to decide later in life that they are gay? According to countless daytime talk shows, it happens often. And how many gay people claim they were "cured," and became straight? This, too, is documented.And so, while you may today not qualify for protection against discrimination in regard to housing or employment because you are simply a white, straight male, you may qualify later for such protection if you discover one day that you are in fact gay. Conversely, if you are a white, gay male, you might be protected by discrimination laws today, but that suddenly changes if you decide one day you are no longer gay.Such is the ludicrous nature of this whole debate.Unlike discrimination that occurs based on race, the aversion many have to being forced to cater to people who have sex with people of the same gender is not really discrimination. For example, many, if not most, major religions deem homosexuality sinful behavior. As I have said before, the sin of homosexuality is not necessarily worse than any other sins committed daily by otherwise good, Christian people, and should not be deemed as more egregious than, say, smoking, drinking, cheating, lying or stealing. We should not hate, nor ostracize, homosexuals. But we should also not pass laws forcing us to employ them in our private businesses, or rent homes to them, if our religious convictions preclude as much.Isn't it ironic that the same society that is working feverishly to ban smokers from almost every indoor enclosure in America is simultaneously fighting to force us to accept homosexuals into every establishment?Our government should not inject itself into what, for most people, is a matter of faith and religion, and not, as some would have us believe, an issue of hate or prejudice.And how do housing officials determine if someone is gay?
HILLARY CLINTON
BARACK OBAMA
McCain
wraps up
GOP nod
Ohio, Texas give victory to the candidate who came back from long odds to win
JOHN McCAIN
John McCain, written off just a few short months ago, wrapped up the Republican nod for president on Tuesday with big wins in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island.McCain outlasted an impressive field of GOP candidates ranging from Mitt Romney to Fred Thompson to Rudy Giuliani to Mike Huckabee and others.For his part, Huckabee acknowledged his own campaign was over, and plans were reportedly in the works for him to make a formal endorsement of McCain later in the week.McCain thanked supporters and said that "now the real work begins" of convincing Americans that the alternative of either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama becoming president cannot be something the nation allows to happen.McCain was scheduled to meet with President Bush in Washington today.Hillary wins Ohio, but Texas in play; Obama still holds delegate lead
Many Ohio Republicans voted in Dem primary to keep Hillary in race
Hillary Clinton won Ohio's Democrat primary on Tuesday, apparently in part because of a large number of Republicans who switched over to vote for her in order to keep her in the race, believing she is the weakest opponent for November.In Ohio, there is no partisan voter registration. Voters become identified as Republicans or Democrats based on the primary in which they choose to vote. In essence, it is an open primary, and there was anecdotal evidence throughout the day that with John McCain a sure winner on the GOP side, many Republicans were voting in the Dem primary so they could cast their ballots for Hillary and keep her in the race.Hillary also had the aggressive support of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a tireless campaigner and a popular chief executive in the Buckeye State at the moment. Former Senator John Glenn was also solidly in Hillary's corner.As of this writing, Texas was still too close to call. In other contests, Clinton won Rhode Island while Obama won Vermont.In reality, Tuesday's election changed little for Democrats. Obama continued to hold a solid lead in delegates, and the math was still formidable for Clinton to make up the difference in upcoming contests.Kanawha County looks for GOP pollworkers
Kanawha County Republican Chair Melody Potter says the party is looking for more GOP pollworkers for the May 13 primary election."If you are interested or know someone who is interested in being a pollworker, please contact me asap," says Melody, who can be reached at 304-744-3058, or at KanCoRepExeCmte@aol.com. Melody notes that election officials receive $175, and $50 to attend election training. A supply person receives $70, and an escort person receives $20. Individuals who may be interested include retirees, college students, teachers, or stay at home parents.