Big Tech: A conservative investor’s dilemma

Big Tech’s recent strong stock performance and large size creates a conundrum for politically-conservative investors who want to align their core beliefs with their investments. Many conservative investors begrudgingly own these left-leaning companies due to not wanting to sacrifice performance.

The reference to Big Tech companies includes the likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple, due to their recent collective efforts to censor free speech in America. Strictly speaking, they are all not tech companies, but in the eyes of the public, they are part of the Big Tech monopoly. 

Big Tech has censored conservatives on multiple platforms in recent years. Parler, a thriving social media alternative to Twitter, was deplatformed by Amazon Web Services, Apple and Google for allegedly inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol. Facebook, not to be outdone by its Big Tech allies, banned a Virginia Second Amendment advocacy group, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, from their platform without much explanation. Twitter famously banned President Donald Trump from its platform, after suspending his account indefinitely. The Silicon Valley-based corporation said that their “close review” of the president’s account led to the permanent ban because of the “risk of further incitement of violence.” Twitter never commented about why it never banned the accounts of dictatorial regimes, such as Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, China’s Xi Jinping, or Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Is now the time to boycott ownership of Big Tech?

The First Amendment, which protects our freedom of speech and religion, is the bedrock issue that strongly unites all conservatives. These Big Tech companies are actively undermining our freedom of speech and are emboldened by the recently elected Democratic majorities. It is not only the liberal media, liberal CEOs, and campaign contributions that we have grown weary of, but Big Tech companies now have the power to suppress conservative voices, destroy companies, and deny conservatives access to the technological infrastructure that they monopolize. This includes access to e-commerce, cloud technology, credit card processing payments, and more. Big Tech has clearly demonstrated an unabashed and unrestrained willingness to use their power to economically influence those they disagree with. If these companies continue to run roughshod over the conservative beliefs of their shareholders, the silent majority will become the silenced majority in short order. 

Results from a recent Gallup poll conducted earlier this year show positive views of Big Tech have fallen 12 percent since late 2019, and the majority of poll respondents want more government regulation of technology companies. Given the customer centric business models and rapid growth necessary to justify recent valuations, how can this level of dissatisfaction not affect the bottom line? Big Tech executives fail to realize that the implementation of liberal-leaning policies may result in lost revenue, a growing opportunity for potential new competitors, and vulnerability to government anti-trust actions.

Certainly, the general market environment should be considered and there are warning signs that Big Tech’s run cannot last forever

If you have been begrudgingly or unknowingly holding onto Big Tech stocks, this confluence of recent events highlights the need for a shift towards greater conservative advocacy. It starts with principle-focused investment and holding Big Tech and left-wing “woke” corporations accountable to their shareholders. 

Now is the time for conservatives to take action and hold Big Tech and left-wing corporations accountable and reject “woke capitalism.”

_______________ 

Donald Irvine is the Director of Political Research at Ridgeline Research, the investment adviser to the American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF) and a Member and former Treasurer of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

Give Us the News         

The MCGOP is always looking for news items or great editorials. If you’ve got news of your Republican organization or club, or an item you think would be of interest, please send it to us at [email protected].

Editorials and Opinions should be between 300 and 600 words, sent in Word document format.

Our Republican Party stands strong as we commemorate our 245'th Independence Day.

Our party’s ideals and our vision stand strong. We stand for freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny, and a drive toward equal treatment, under the law, for every Man and Woman in these great and United States.

The pillars of our Republican history are steeped in the history of our great United States. From when Abraham Lincoln stood against the Democrat establishment and oppose their efforts to continue slavery to after the Civil War when we pushed through Emancipation, pushed through voting rights, pushed through women's right to vote, and ever expanded the great freedoms Americans rely on. All the time with opposition by the Democrats.

We we're still fighting the progressive proposal to divide and conquer, instead of unite! As a united Republican party, we stand in opposition to racism against Whites, Asians, legal immigrants and conservative people of color as the Democratic playbook continues to execute their strategy of intolerance.

We must be united against the progressive politicians pushing laws restricting personal freedoms, far-left school boards mandating something they call "Critical Race Theory", and folks living behind private security screaming "Defund the Police".  All the time prices are rising, crime is rising and the schools are falling behind.  We'll have none of that... I promise you we won't back down.

The grand reopening of our headquarters was an amazing success and brought together many like-minded Republicans for an afternoon of fun and fellowship. If you know of local conservative organization or groups, please point them our way so that we can continue the MCGOP goal of working together to make Montgomery County better.   

Thanks so much for your support of your local Republicans. Special thanks for the folks who stepped up this past month. Ceremonial display flags donated by the Chevy Chase Republican Women's Club and our great 1st Vice Chair Anne Koutsoutis,  Katja Bullock, Darby Gingery and others. A great Statue of Liberty portrait was provided by former Chairman Dennis Melby.

Make sure you read our Party Line newsletter this month.

• Opinion pieces on Critical Race Theory, Defunding Police, and freedom of Discussion.
• A wrap of our Maryland Republican Convention
• Sign up for our Volunteer Orientation
• See our Ads and join a Club
• Check out the fundraiser for Kelly Schulz
• Register for our July Webinar
• Volunteer to work the Republican tent at the County Fair
•  Come to our Summer Soiree July 10
• Donate to the Cause

Our party is growing and we need tech help. Anyone that has database, social media or SQL expertise and can dedicate 6 to 10 hours per week is urged to contact me. See our ad in this newsletter.

As always, thanks for being a great Republican, and if you can, send me a note at [email protected]. 

I’d love to hear from you. Your notes are encouraging and welcome.

By Deborah Lambert

These days it is becoming increasingly difficult for the American public to see or hear a sustained positive commentary about the underlying concepts of Critical Race Theory, even from some of its strongest supporters. Case in point: During a recent interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten not only under-estimated some of the CRT’s unpleasant aspects, but quickly sidestepped some of her previous comments and moseyed into a more comfortable discussion about the recent 2020 election instead.

Fortunately, more and more critics are publicizing the facts about CRT.

Christopher Rufo, filmmaker, writer, and policy researcher, noted in the March 2021 issue of the City Journal that while critical race theorists on the Left have denounced “a war on woke,” they are afraid to defend CRT principles in a public debate. Rufo predicts that the increasing backlash against CRT will likely come as a surprise to many supporters of the intellectual Left, who have become accustomed to dominating public perception of our public institutions for decades, adding that “they perceive any challenge to the dominant ideology as an affront, then search to backfill their preferences with high-minded concerns about ‘free speech and academic freedom.’” 

In the May 18^th issue of the American Thinker, Christopher Paslay, a longtime Philadelphia public school teacher and education writer, listed Ten Questions on Critical Race Theory. Each one of them outlined unusual approaches to uncovering how bad this concept really is, even though that was NOT the purpose of the question.

For example, Question 2 asks the following: “Should we be teaching children that America is a systematically racist country based on white supremacy?” These days, the Oregon Department of Education is examining this exact question in their program called “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction,” which apparently tries to “deconstruct racism in mathematics” while simultaneously focusing on “the toxic characteristics of White supremacy culture in math.”

According to the explanation in the program’s toolkit, “White supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions,” adding that this tends to “perpetuate educational harm on Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, denying them full access to the world of mathematics.”

But wait, there’s more, and perhaps some interested parties believe this had to happen. Ibram X Kendi, who presides over the Center for Anti-Racist Research at Boston University, has proposed “an anti-racist constitutional amendment” to “fix the original sin of racism” in America. Moreover, these days Kendi’s bestselling book How to be an Antiracist presents his reader/educators with a natural choice: “You either accept the concepts of his ideology – or take the risk of being labeled as a racist.”

Meanwhile, the Seattle public school system recently decided during a teacher training session that some educators were guilty of “spirit murder.” According to Bettina Love, an education prof at the U. of Georgia, this is apparently based on a concept which claims that our country’s schools “murder the souls of Black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence.”

One more thing: Amid the growing belief that the term “whiteness” may become an even more serious problem, a group of English teachers called “Disrupt Texts” has decided that the study of white authors such as William Shakespeare should be eliminated from future English classes.

However, on the flip side of the CRT debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly stated that he wants to get rid of it altogether. During his Florida International University press conference on May 24^th, the governor announced that he planned to defund Critical Race Theory in order to “prevent tax dollars from being spent to promote the divisive and controversial philosophy in Florida.”

DeSantis, who recently described CRT as a “hate-driven and identity politics version of Marxism,” restated his opposition to the “woke” education initiative by noting that the “Black race-based education philosophy is not appropriate for schools, because it is based on historical falsehoods.”

Deborah Lambert, Editor, MCGOP Newsletter

Eligible individuals must be registered Republican voters who reside in LD 18.  You may check to confirm your LD by Checking here.

If interested in applying, please submit your letter of interest and political/professional resume to the MCGOP’s Party Secretary Lori Jaffe NO LATER than 5 PM Friday, July 16, 2021.  Interviews will be scheduled at a later date.

Following interviews, if nominated to fill this vacancy the full MCGOP Central Committee will vote to consider the nomination.  If elected to serve member volunteers are to be active participants in all MCGOP efforts: attend regular meetings, promote the election of Republican candidates, organize and operate effective political organizations in your Legislative District, engage in fund-raising activities and build grass-roots political support within Montgomery County. You would fill the remainder of this term until the Maryland General election in 2022.  It is fun, challenging, yet rewarding work.

This is your chance to help lead the Republican Party.

By William Zartman

Policing is a life-risking and neighborhood-building calling, and we are fortunate to have a committed police force in Montgomery County that does its job professionally, is open to discussion, and keeps us safe.  Since this is the case, why is the county government attacking our police, reducing its numbers, and keeping its pay low, all of which contributes to a significant decline in morale?  How can those in law enforcement do their jobs under such conditions?  If the members of our county government were thinking clearly, they would make a point to meet with the police instead of turning down invitations to do so. Getting to know each other on a personal basis would not only open the door to any complaints, but provide opportunities to work out solutions to real (not imagined) problems together.

Instead, the County Council seems to believe that Montgomery County is another Seattle or Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago or even Baltimore. Although that is not the case, the current mood of public panic has not only sullied our attitudes toward education and even covid, but has also destroyed our ability to separate reality from media headlines. It has also hampered our ability to make sound decisions.  Our county police force does not use the knee or the choke hold (they’re prohibited).  They stop speeding cars, not drivers—one cannot profile a car (statistics show a distribution of arrests that reflects the population of the area, and provides no evidence in the county in general of profiling).

We expect evenhanded justice from our policemen and women. We also expect secure conditions for their jobs so that they can provide security for us. We believe that any deviations from generally acceptable conduct should be treated as individual exceptions (which are liable to occur in every human activity) and not be used as typical examples of the entire profession. We believe that the police in Montgomery County will continue to act and be treated as neighborhood builders, who we can trust and respect. Moreover, we assume that our public authorities will stand up for them and provide them with full support as agents of that authority and friends of the people. Which they are.

_______________ 

Dr. I William Zartman is Jacob Blaustein Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Intenational Organization and Conflict Management at the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University and a Member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

By Anne Koutsoutis

The Chevy Chase Women’s Republican Club (CCWRC) stood tall this Memorial Day!  On May 25th, the club hosted a special event at Columbia Country Club to help support the work of Patriots Point. Situated on 290 acres of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Patriots Point is a place where our nation’s heroes are able to reconnect with their families and their caregivers. It is a safe space where our recovering military can decompress after deployment, to rejuvenate, and to heal.  

Our honored guests were Captain Luis Avila, United States Army. Retired, and his wife Claudia. Captain Avila was severely wounded in Afghanistan, is continuing his healing journey as an outpatient at Walter Reed Medical Center.  Captain Avila is a hero and a warrior.  He touched our hearts when he proudly sang “God Bless America.”   

His wife Claudia, is a beloved CCWRC member and spoke eloquently of the struggle the recovering warriors face daily.

Reverend Robert Buchmeier, pastor of Holy Cross Church, Garrett Park, Md. lead us in prayer. Father served as a Major in the U.S. Army and for 14 years was assigned to the Army Medical Corps.

Steve Beck the President and Executive Director of the Military Bowl Foundation, which is responsible for the operation of the Military Bowl, College football bowl game, Patriotic Point and the D.C. Touchdown Club, provided an overview of Patriot Point, and its mission. 

Keynote Speaker National Federation of Republican Women President Ann Schockett gave an uplifting speech that ended with a standing ovation. 

Jayne Plank, a member of CCWRC, was honored for her longtime leadership and support in our caring for the military caregiver’s projects.  Her son Stuart is a founder of Patriot Point.  

Also in attendance Michael Glynn, candidate for District Court Judge in Montgomery County thanked CCWRC members for their support.

CCWRC got the ball rolling with a generous donation of $500.00.  Our members and their guests soon had the total up to $7,500.00, with more coming in.

A great day and a great way to celebrate and honor our veterans. 

_______________

Anne Koutsoutis is President, Chevy Chase Women’s Republican Club and first vice Chair of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

MONDAYS WITH MOCO SPEAKERS SERIES

JULY TOPIC: “THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – WHAT REALLY HAPPENED DURING THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN ANNAPOLIS”

MONDAY JULY 12, 2021, 7:30PM - for In Person arrive at 7 PM

LIVE EVENT AT MCGOP HQ AND BY ZOOM SEMINAR!

SPEAKERS:

STATE SENATOR MICHAEL HOUGH (R-FREDERICK & CARROLL COUNTIES)

First Speaker – State Senator Michael Hough

Senator Michael Hough represents Maryland Legislative District 4 (Frederick & Carroll Counties). In 2010, Michael was elected state delegate and named Maryland House Assistant Minority Leader in 2014. Later in 2014, he was elected Maryland State Senator.  He serves on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and chaired Maryland’s Justice Reinvestment Supervision Subcommittee and the Criminal Gangs Task Force. In 2020, Michael was elected Senate Minority Whip, the #2 leadership position in the MD Senate GOP Caucus.  

As State Senator, Michael has been able to accomplish:

• Co-Authoring the largest criminal justice reform in the history of Maryland, allocating funds for drug treatment, creating second chances for non-violent offenders, and increasing penalties for violent offenders.
• Protecting private property rights by reforming civil asset forfeiture
• Working with Governor Hogan to enact tougher penalties on those who sell lethal doses of heroin.
• Leading the effort to protect Second Amendment Rights in Maryland.

Michael has consistently voted to strengthen public safety and strongly supports Sheriff Jenkin’s 287(g) program to remove illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in Frederick County.

Following High School, Michael entered the United States Air Force and served as a Minuteman III Missile technician while stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  He lives in Brunswick, MD with his wife and their three children. 

Note: Michael is scheduled to kickoff his campaign for Frederick County Executive later this month.

http://mikeforfrederick.com/ 

STATE DELEGATE LAUREN ARIKAN – DEPUTY MINORITY WHIP (R-BALTIMORE & HARFORD COUNTIES

Second Speaker – State Delegate Lauren Arikan

Delegate Lauren Arikan represents Maryland’s 7th District (Baltimore & Harford Counties). Lauren is a member of the House of Delegates since 2019 and was elected  Deputy Minority Whip in the same year.  She serves on the Judiciary Committee since 2019 (juvenile law subcommittee, 2019-20; criminal law & procedure subcommittee, 2019-; public safety subcommittee, 2021-). President-elect, Women Legislators of Maryland, 2021- (member, 2019-; secretary, 2019; 2nd vice-president, 2019-20; 1st vice-president, 2020-21).

As a member of the Harford and Baltimore County Republican Women’s Clubs and the Maryland Federation of Republican Women, Lauren understands that there is a need to have more conservative voices in Annapolis fighting for our values. She is Pro-Life, Pro-2nd Amendment and Pro-Business/Cut Taxes, while opposing Maryland as a Sanctuary State.

Lauren lives with her husband and four children in Jarrettsville, Maryland on their 8-acre farm.  They raise poultry, cattle, and dairy goats.  The Arikan's own and manage an accounting and staffing firm, Arikan Accounting.  Lauren also owns and operates an investment company, Arikan Investments, that manages rental properties. 

http://www.electarikan.com/

Tonight’s Topic:

Seems like the 2021 Maryland 90-day legislative session went by in a flash. While most Marylanders were “locked up” at home, and businesses and organizations were mostly shutdown from doing normal day to day activities (compared to Florida), our legislators worked in overdrive to submit and “debate” legislation at near record pace. Over 2,300 bills were introduced by a mere 47 Senators and 141 Delegates, more than 12 bills per legislator. All while the Public was banned from the legislative buildings in Annapolis!

Expanded “Voting Rights”, Dignity Not “Illegal Alien” Detention, “Wuhan Virus” Health Protocols, Police Officer Accountability, Public Transit, Climate “Solutions”, and even the State Song, “Maryland, My Maryland”, nothing was safe from the Democrat super majorities in both Houses. On the positive side during the session, our speakers, Senator Hough and Delegate Arikan, received high marks from both sides of the aisle for their knowledge of the issues being debated and their professionalism throughout the session. We trust Montgomery County will soon have leaders like Hough and Arikan representing our conservative voices in Annapolis.

Moderator- Dennis Melby

Dennis Melby, who is a former Party Chairman, Town Councilmember and Association President, will serve as moderator.

Please join us, in person at MCGOP Headquarters,15833 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, Maryland 20855, or by Zoom Seminar (register here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wisxziQ5T_OEaxQ0Ed7YmQ )for this important discussion of “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the 2021 General Assembly and prospects for 2022.