Western Conservative Conference

This last month I attended the Western Conservative Conference at the Phoenix Convention Center.  It was a huge honor to also be in attendance at the cocktail party the night before, though I am much too young to drink.  It was at this party that I met Trevor Loudon.  My first impression upon walking in was how cool the day was going to be.  There were so many different booths.  One was for a custom gun shop while another was set up for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department.

The next morning, I was able to meet and interview the New Zealand blogger, Trevor Loudon before the conference began.  The conference's key note speaker was Herman Cain, whom I had the pleasure to meet.  Herman Cain spoke about the state of our country and how we need to turn things around.  Once the opening proceedings were finished, we were free to attend a selection of breakout panels.

I went to a debate over the Fair Tax versus the Flat Tax. According to the proponents of the Fair Tax, each family would receive about $400 for necessities like food, water, pharmaceuticals, etcetera.  All the people would pay the same rate.  As of now, I am leaning more for the flat tax because it taxes only consumed income.  No income tax or corporate tax.  The two debaters and the moderator maintained a very cordial and respectful atmosphere.

After that, I went to Bias in Media.  There, I learned more about how an individual person's opinion can directly and indirectly affect how they present a topic.  The truth is that media bias is everywhere.  It's on TV, the radio, even in your conversations.  My blog is filled with my personnel bias, and unless I put quotes in, everything else is my interpretation of the facts.  It is not the job of the distributor to make sure that there is no bias, but rather the recipient of the message must decide for themselves what they choose to believe as fact.

We then had a short intermission during which I perused the booths of various organizations.  For example, the Republic Monetary Exchange spoke to people about investing in gold. The Citizens Defense League, a organization in Arizona that offers training in gun ownership and safety for the citizens of Arizona, advocated gun ownership, held a raffle for a Glock pistol, and spread word of an opportunity to attend a safety training called Front Sight at a discount.  As I walked through the booths, I had a rather engaging conversation with the people manning Sheriff Joe Arpiao's booth about the government, ROE (Rules Of Engagement), the Sheriff's Posse.  Also I mined for good questions to ask Sheriff Joe when I interview him.

Realizing that I was short of time, I quickly excused myself to go to my next breakout panel.  It was the gubernatorial "shootout" between four of Arizona's candidates for Governor.  There the candidates, attorney Christine Jones, former U.S. Congressman Frank Riggs, Secretary of State Ken Bennett, and Senator Al Melvin, introduced themselves and discussed some of their campaign principles.  The discussion was then opened up to a Q&A session from the audience.  My main question for all the candidates was what their opinion was on water rights versus mineral rights, because in Arizona you own only the topsoil.  All the minerals and water underneath are state owned.  Private citizens have gone to blows with state governments over mineral rights in other states.

I choose the breakout panels based on how they would affect me.  In a few short years, I will be paying taxes so to find out which system of taxation I liked better I went to the Fair Tax vs. Flat Tax.  As a blogger I am a part of the media, so I went to Media Bias.  And finally since I live in Arizona and since I personally know Ken Bennett, I went to the gubernatorial debate.

The conference then proceeded into the grand ballroom for the Second Amendment Luncheon. My Congressional Representative, Trent Franks, came to the podium and spoke about the erosion of the 2nd amendment.  The issue of gun rights is one that I am very passionate about because without a means to defend ourselves, tyranny will destroy free speech and all those other rights that we hold dear.

After all the breakout panels were done, there was a VIP meet and greet with Sheriff Arpaio. When I walked in, I saw three tables of cheese, veggies, and crackers.  A bartender supplied the adults drinks while I snaked my way through the crowd toward the line for pictures with Sheriff Joe. Some of the notable dignitaries included Attorney General Tom Horne, actor Steven Seagal, and blogger and speaker Trevor Loudon.  In the midst of all this, I suddenly found myself with Steven Seagal and Sheriff Arpaio backstage for some reason.  So when I found out that I wasn't needed anymore, I decided that rather go out of the ballroom and wait in line to get back in, I would talk to the two Sheriff's Posse members in the room. The two posse men whom I spoke with were Andrew Chymych,  the Deputy Commander for the Community Services Posse, and Lieutenant Rayl Evans from the Enforcement Support Posse.  After a pleasant conversation with them, the dinner began.  As we sat down to eat I introduced myself to my dinning companions.  We then had a conversation on various topics until while we waited for our diner.  I choose to eat steak and potatoes and my mother dined on chicken.  Once again, I found myself silently thanking my mother and grandmother for teaching me dinner table etiquette.

After the dinner, the main event began: the roast of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  The roasters of Sheriff Joe introduced themselves and the roast began.  The handpicked panel of dignitaries grilled the Sheriff for the rest of the evening.  Each person went through jokes and kind hearted ribbing.  After the roast concluded, I gave a few parting words to the Sheriff and thanked the coordinator former Arizona State Senator Lori Klein  for arranging my participation in the event.  The conference was a great experience that I strongly recommend to anyone remotely interested in politics.

Trevor Loudon

He was a self proclaimed "Young Socialist" in his younger years.   "I believed all the garbage that they told us in school, that socialism is great, that the welfare state was great. It was only really in my late teens that I had an economics teacher who taught me about the free market that I started turning around," he explains.  Now he is leading the charge against communism, Marxism, and socialism from his native New Zealand.  He is Trevor Loudon, a controversial author, blogger, and political speaker.
I interviewed him at the 2014 Western Conservative Conference.


At the moment, he is on the road six months a year.  He is interviewed on the radio usually one to two times a day and is speaking at events at lunchtime and in the evening nearly every day.  "Anybody who tells you that touring is easy doesn't really know what they are talking about," Mr. Loudon declares.

He is often compared to Senator Joseph McCarthy by his critics.  It is a label that he proudly wears.  "The Left (political left) always demonizes their enemies.  They demonized Reagan; they portrayed him as a bumbling, old fool.  They demonized McCarthy because they understood what a threat he was...and if anyone compares me to him, I take that as a great compliment," Mr. Loudon asserts.  When he was in Wisconsin last year, he traveled to Appleton and was photographed at Senator McCarthy's grave.

Before coming to prominence as a blogger, author, and speaker, he ran bakeries for 15 years.  He stated that he has always been interested in politics.  At one point, he was the Vice-President of ACT (the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers).  According to Mr. Loudon, the ACT is the most classical liberal/libertarian-conservative, most free enterprise, most small government political party in New Zealand, if not in the entire southern hemisphere.

His career, as he describes it, is as a citizen journalist, and his mission is to educate Americans of the dangers that we are facing.  He also acts as a motivational speaker for various Tea Party groups throughout the United States.  "I am a professional revolutionary so to speak," he says.

Mr. Loudon owns his own website, the "New Zeal".  "I started it in 2005 in November just as a blog on New Zealand issues.  Since I had a background in researching the communist movement since the 1980s,  I focused a lot on exposing the communist infiltration of our labor party, our green party, and the social movements, the peace movement, the radical Islamic movement in my country, etcetera," Mr. Loudon explains. "It was really only in 2007 when I was researching the Democratic party in the U.S. that I stumbled on the link between Frank Marshall Davis, the Hawaiian communist, and a young Barack Obama.  So I researched Obama for a year. I knew he was heading for big things.

In 2008 I started to publish my findings in a series of 'Obama Files' on my blogs.  They got picked up by people like Glenn Beck and others and I got quite well known. I got quite a following in the States.  Then I exposed Van Jones, the communist green jobs czar, in the White House," he adds.  "Glenn Beck used that information to basically get him kicked out  of the White House.  So that made my name further.  Then in 2011, I released my first book, Barack Obama and the Enemies Within.  It went from being a little blog on New Zealand issues to bridging into the Obama issue, then American communism, the Socialist take over of America.  That lead to speaking tours and everything really."

I had a wonderful time talking to Mr. Loudon at the Western Conservative Conference.

 His life story is comparable to that of George Orwell.  Starting out as a communist, then later in life writing about the dangers of communism and fighting communism in his country.

Evolution of American political parties

Founding of our country:

In 1787 there were no political parties.  Delegates from the 13 independent states gathered to ratify the Constitution.  During that time the "parties" were delegates who generally agreed with one another.  Then we see the rise of the Federalists, who drafted and supported the adoption of the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who were more supportive of the Articles of Confederation and did not advocate for the Constitution as it was written because they believed the Constitution gave the federal government too much power.  But after the ratification, all those who wished to hold public office had to swear to uphold and protect the Constitution, which effectively killed the Anti-Federalists. 

First party system, 1792-1824

Many former Anti-Federalists joined the Anti-Administration Party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1790.  The Anti-Administration Party opposed the polices of then Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.  For example, Hamilton argued for the creation of the Bank of the United States (BUS) and supported the notion that a sustained debt would be beneficial to the economy.  When the French Revolution broke out, Hamilton supported the British, much to Jefferson's vexation . The Anti-Administration Party ended in 1792 and became the Democratic-Republican Party.

Second party system, 1828-1854

The second party system was a period of rising voter interest.  Because of internal fighting within the Democratic-Republican party, they split into the Jacksonian Democrats and the Whigs in 1829.  The modern Democratic party came from the Jacksonian Democrats led by Andrew Jackson.  Because of the deaths of many of the senior leadership in the Whig party, they collapsed in 1850.  Minor parties included the Anti-Masonic Party, which was an important innovator from 1827 to 1834; the abolitionist Liberty Party in 1840; and the anti-slavery Free Soil Party in 1848 and 1852.

Third party system, 1855-1890

Those who still clung to the ideology of the Whigs created the Jeffersonian Republican Party (A.K.A. the Grand Old Party).  Meanwhile, the Jacksonian Democrats re-branded themselves as the Bourbon Democrats. The term was occasionally used in the 1860s and 1870s to refer to conservative Democrats ,from both North and South, who still held the ideas of Jefferson and Jackson, and in the 1870s to refer to the regimes set up in the South by Redeemers as a conservative reaction against Reconstruction.  The Bourbon Democrats experienced a scandal when President Andrew Johnson was impeached or violating the Tenure Act.  They recovered when President Johnson was acquitted.  They then started a barrage of anti-corruption laws, which helped them win the presidential election in 1884.

Fourth party system,1896-1932
The fourth party system is often called the "Progressive Era'' by American history books, was dominated by the Republican Party (GOP).  It was called the Progressive Era because of the vast amounts of social progress in the nation and the purification of government.  During the Fourth party system, most of the issues and personalities of the Third party system were swept away, though the voting blocs continued virtually unchanged.  Because of the length of time the GOP held office and the Great Depression, people grew tired of their polices, thus paving the way for the Progressives (the Democrats called themselves Progressives to piggyback off the success of the Progressive Era reforms) to assume power.  According to historian William Leuchtenburg:

The Progressives believed in the Hamiltonian concept of positive government, of a national government directing the destinies of the nation at home and abroad. They had little but contempt for the strict construction of the Constitution by conservative judges, who would restrict the power of the national government to act against social evils and to extend the blessings of democracy to less favored lands. The real enemy was particularism, state rights, limited government.

While the major players were still the GOP and Democrats, there were a host of minor parties including the ill-fated "Bull Moose" Progressive Party, the Prohibition Party, the Communist Party USA, and the Socialist Workers Party.

Fifth party system, 1933-Present day
The Fifth party system was ushered in with the formation of the New Deal Coalition, which is a supporter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" domestic programs and has been expanded on by Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society program.  His vision led to Medicare, which was established on July 30, 1965.  The Fifth party system has been primarily dominated by the Democratic Party.  The GOP responded with the Reagan Coalition, which gained considerable support.  The Democrats suffered once more when President William "Bill" Clinton was impeached for perjury following the scandal with Paula Jones.  The two parties have traded the Senate back and forth with small majorities since 1980 until the Democrats held a super majority in 2009.  In the midterm election of 2010, the Republicans won a 63 seat majority, the largest seat change since 1948.  History was made on November 4th 2008, when Barrack Obama was elected as the first African American President.  A member of the Democratic Party, President Obama has raised the debt level to an astounding $17,000,000,000,000 of debt.  With more scandals then any other president, it is a wonder that he has not been impeached yet.   

The Fifth party system has had the most minor parties out of all the others.  We have the: 

• America First Party
• Libertarian Party
• Pirate Party 
• Reform Party of the United States of America
• Socialist Action Party
•  Socialist Alternative Party
•  United States Marijuana Party
•  Socialist Party USA,
•  Socialist Workers Party
•  United States Pacifist Party
• Unity Party of America
• Workers World Party
• Peace and Freedom Party
• Party for Socialism and Liberation
• Objectivist Party
• National Socialist Movement
• Modern Whig Party
• Justice Party
• Independent American Party
• Freedom Socialist Party
• Citizens Party of the United States
• Christian Liberty Party
• America's Party
• Americans Elect
• American Freedom Party
• American Conservative Party

While there are many parties, only the Republican, Libertarian, and Democratic Parties have a presence in Congress and the White House.  Recently in Philadelphia,  Robert ''Heshy'' Buckolz, a member of the Modern Whig Party, was elected as a judge of elections.  That is believed to mark the first time since the 19th century that a Whig has held elected office.

Secretary of State, Arizona

"It is very important that our young people understand how government works," the Honorable Ken Bennett, current Secretary of State of Arizona, stated emphatically during our interview.

My mission with this blog is to do precisely that: help us all understand how our government works, beginning with the position of Secretary of State in Arizona.  There are four main responsibilities of the Secretary of State: elections, business services, record keeping, and serving as Lieutenant Governor.

Elections:  The office of the Secretary of State works closely with each county to ensure that proper protocols are being followed.  The counties are the ones that actually conduct the elections.

Business Services:  The Business Services Division assists start up business,  registers partnerships, and issues trademarks and trade names.  Also, all notes from notaries in Arizona pertaining to business are filed at the Secretary of State's office.

Record Keeping:  "Whenever the the state government does something officially," Secretary Bennett said, "that usually gets filed at the Secretary of State's office."

Lieutenant Governor:  Arizona is one of only three states that does not have a Lieutenant Governor position.  The second-in-command position in our state government is the Secretary of State.  The Secretary of State assumes the position of Governor when the Governor is unable to discharge his or her duties or is out of state.

Barbecue Fundraiser for Congressman Paul Gosar

I recently went to a barbecue fundraiser for Congressman Gosar out in Chino Valley.  I was invited by the hostess, Sue Goodchild, whom I met at the Congressional field hearing on abuses by the IRS and EPA.  The main reason that I wanted to go was because I have never been to a fundraiser for a Congressman, and I did not know what to expect.  I was imagining those $1000 plate dinners.  Instead, it was a nice, old-fashioned backyard barbecue type of thing with a mix of casual and business suits.

I danced with my sisters while a live band played old Johnny Cash songs.  They had a potluck and crafts for kids.

I led the pledge of allegiance and the prayer.

I was among the speakers there, including candidate for AZ State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and several State Congress Representatives.  I spoke about why I am a conservative.

I met several state Congress Representatives and several candidates for various state positions.

Unfortunately, Congressman Gosar was unable to come, as he was working in D.C. and his flight was bumped but I met his wife Maude Gosar .  We stayed for a couple hours mingling.  Shortly before we left, my sister and I retired the colors (U.S. flag).  I am happy that I was able to meet new people and talk with them about the state of our country.

Attorney General Tom Horne

Arizona's current Attorney General (A.G.) is Tom Horne.  He graduated from Harvard Collage in 1967 and then Harvard Law school in 1970.  He has practiced law for over 30 years.  Throughout those years, he has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General, and Judge Pro Tem ( temporary) in the Maricopa County Superior Court and the Maricopa Court of Appeals.

Mr. Horne is peer-rated by Martindale-Hubbell at a 5/5.0 AV Preeminent.  This mode of measure meant is used to help people looking for legal aid.  Here are some stats from Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings: 

Legal Ability ratings are based on performance in five key areas, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest). These areas are:

• Legal Knowledge - Lawyer's familiarity with the laws governing his/her specific area of practice(s)
• Analytical Capabilities - Lawyer's creativity in analyzing legal issues and applying technical knowledge
• Judgment - Lawyer's demonstration of the salient factors that drive the outcome of a given case or issue.
• Communication Ability - Lawyer's capability to communicate persuasively and credibly
• Legal Experience - Lawyer's degree of experience in his/her specific area of practice(s)

The numeric ratings range may coincide with the appropriate Certification Mark:

• AV Preeminent® (4.5-5.0) - AV Preeminent® is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.
• BV Distinguished® (3.0-4.4) - BV Distinguished® is an excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. A widely respected mark of achievement, it differentiates a lawyer from his or her competition.
• Rated (1.0-2.9) - The Peer Review Rated designation demonstrates that the lawyer has met the very high criteria of General Ethical Standing.

In 1997 Tom Horne was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives, where he served as the Chairman for the Academic Accountability Committee and Vice-Chair on the Education Committee.  After his term in the legislature expired, he was elected as the State Superintendent of  Public Instruction.  During his eight year term, he was instrumental in implementing AIMS testing and a Greco-Roman history curriculum.  He stated that he is not a fan of progressive history.  In his final act as Superintendent, he found the Tucson district's ethnic studies curriculum, specifically the la raza studies, out of compliance with state law.

He assumed the office of Attorney General in January 2011.  In September of that same year, he partnered with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations), ICE ( Immigration and Customs Enforcement), U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Border Patrol, DPS (Department of Public Safety), Phoenix Police Department (PD), Oro Valley PD, Tucson PD, Marana PD, and Sahuarita PD to arrest 17 members of a complex drug smuggling operation, which had illegally trafficked between 25-33 million dollars of cocaine into the United States.  With the arrests, the operation was dismantled.  There are more successful operations against the cartels, but this was just an example.  He filed an action in federal court calling on the Obama administration to drop is challenge of S.B. 1070 (Senate Bill #1070).  He then joined a multi state effort to challenge the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obama care.

"I think I've sued the federal government more than any other Attorney General," Mr. Horne declared.  

Still sitting on his desk, where it has followed him throughout his career is this (just so we're clear, at no time did Mr. Horne ever call anyone in the federal government a "bastard")....

It's nice to find a little politically-incorrect humor in the office of a dignified professional.

Arizona Attorney General

The Arizona Attorney General (A.G.) is part of the executive branch, under the governor.  The position of the A.G. is required by the state constitution.  Every four years, the people of Arizona elect their new A.G.  Attorneys General are popularly elected in 43 states and in Guam.  In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey,Wyoming, and in the other territories, the A.G. is appointed by the governor, while the mayor makes the appointment in the District of Columbia. The attorneys general of Maine and of Tennessee are elected by the Maine legislature and by the Tennessee Supreme Court, respectively.

The office is divided into eight different parts:  the Civil Division, Child and Family Protection, Criminal, Public Advocacy and Civil Rights, Executive office, Business and Finance, Solicitor General, and the Administrative Services Division.  Among these eight parts, there are approximately 400 attorneys and 1000 other employees.

The A.G.'s office offers legal aide to most state agencies, as well as bringing and defending lawsuits on behalf of the state.  While most crimes are prosecuted by county and city attorneys, the A.G.'s office handles cases of people charged with crimes like complex financial crimes and illegal drug conspiracies like possession, transportation, and sale.  Other crimes prosecuted by the A.G. include white collar crimes, civil rights violations, organized crime, public corruption, environmental laws, and crimes committed in more than one county.  If there is a conflict of interest in a case handled by county attorneys the A.G.'s office will step in and take over.