Newsletter

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.

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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. 

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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.           

JAMIE GREEDAN

Jamie likes living near the water and beaches.  No wonder, her dad was a Captain in the Navy for 30 years! Due to Captain Greedan’s job, the family moved around a lot.  They lived in Chicago, St. Louis, and Newport, Rhode Island  After retirement, her parents settled in Williamsburg, VA, just a train ride away for Jamie’s visits.

For relaxation, Jamie runs.  She runs multiple races a year, and was training for a half marathon before Covid struck.  She also enjoys a brew on occasion, hiking and visiting monuments.  A former resident of Chicago, her favorite restaurant there is Portillo’s, and locally, Red Robin for their bottomless fries.

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SAM FENATI

Everyone who knows Sam says, “I love Sam!”  According to his wife Pat, he is a mellow fellow who is simply happy.  My first in-person meeting with Sam was in my apartment at Asbury.  Due to a broken leg, he was a patient in the skilled nursing building here, and my friend who lives there due to MS helped him “escape” for a visit and lunch.  

One of his childhood memories was of Sailor, an English Springer Spaniel who was Sam’s frequent hunting companion.  When a gun was being put in the truck, Sailor became anxious and didn’t want to get in.  However, once in the field, and a bird was available, Sailor’s tail would go up and the dog’s body began twitching to identify the target’s position. It was always a marvel to see.

When Sam was 17, his father, who worked in the New Castle, PA steel mills, took the family to Washington D.C. for a week’s vacation.  Sam fell in love with the city and determined to make it his home base.  After high school, Sam majored in geography and minored in mathematics at Penn State.  

He served in the Air Force for three years, as a lieutenant.  Upon learning there was an Air Force Flying Club on base, he quickly joined and learned to fly a Piper Tri Pacer.  He was not, however, an Air Force pilot, but flying remained a favorite pastime. Later in life Sam owned a Beech Bonanza for three years. 

A major turning point in Sam’s life was a chance encounter with Major Wilcox, a staffing officer for a new Air Force program called 466L Major Wilcox gave Sam the opportunity to learn about Electronic Brains (Computers).  The program was renamed Aerospace Intelligence Data Service, Computers with mapping programs were used to provide the military with intel about Chinese and Russian strategic locations, thus enabling sufficient warning time for the U.S. military to take action. 

It was Sam’s responsibility to run the computer room for a top secret program developed to identify foreign military threats against the U.S.A. in time to quickly launch opposing force teams. A chief motive for Sam’s joining the Air Force was to see the world.  Instead, he wound up in the basement of a SAC  building in Omaha working with computers.  While at SAC, Sam enjoyed meeting Medal of Honor winner Major Jimmy Doolittle WWII pilot, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara; General Curtis Lemay Air Force 5th Chief of Staff; President-Elect John Kennedy; and actor Rock Hudson who was touring the base where the film “A Gathering of Eagles” was being filmed.  

After the Air Force, Sam worked for Honeywell in Washington DC then transferred to New York City from 1965 – 1966 where he met his wife, Pat. Honeywell then placed Sam in Arlington, VA as a salesman to the US Air Force.  

Sam continued to fly small planes after he left the Air Force and flew his family on many family trips. After his retirement he no longer flew but Sam and Pat continued to enjoy traveling the world. His favorite trip was to China.  He found the culture and diversity fascinating.

Pat and Sam are proud parents of a son living in Maryland who is an airline pilot and is a Company Commander in the National Guard; a daughter who is a film producer and director, lives in Staten Island, NY, and another son is a California emergency room doctor.  Pat, his wife is also a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, who Sam says, is the reason for his Central Committee involvement.  He credits her hard work and knowledge of the committee’s history, and says he was voted in because of her.  Sam maintains he was never interested in political office, as his preference is logical discussion and debate on issues.  (It’s hard to imagine that happening in government today.)

About 1999, Sam began experiencing worrisome symptoms and was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis, IBM for short, a rare degenerative muscle disease.  He has mobility thanks to his electric wheelchair allowing him to drive over to my building to enjoy his favorite treat - the onion rings in the Blue Note at Asbury.  

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Karol Smith is a writer, former candidate, organizer of GOP Asbury and a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

By Anne Koutsoutis

One of America’s greatest achievements has been the maintaining of political freedom and government by discussion. The roots of this achievement go back to Europe, especially England, but the United States has successfully adopted and added to this heritage of liberty.  At its best, the American political system makes it possible to use public discussion and free expression as a means of education, finding the answers to new and difficult questions, and avoiding any anti-libertarian movement that might seize power in moments of panic.  At times seemingly wasteful and slow-moving, democracy has always held within itself the possibility of growth, and this growth has been made possible because of free speech.

In the age of big government, censorship by big tech, a biased media and cancel culture, freedom of thought and discussion is difficult to maintain, but it must be maintained. There is no guarantee that the right answers will be found at the right time. It is, however, the best hope for continued American progress. Open debate plus constructive listening and criticism is the key to maintaining a free society. The simple fact is that censoring speech is a recipe for illiberalism and regression. That is, and always has been, the reactionary way.

The so-called “tolerant” left, which preaches acceptance and understanding toward all people regardless of race, gender, and religion, is not so tolerant when it comes to our free speech and political affiliations. This is a toxic sentiment that seeks to tear down our country symbolically and literally. 

In “The Friends of Voltaire,” published in 1906, Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote the phrase: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.” 

Today, there is much work that needs to be done. We must be willing to point out the hypocrisy and discrepancy that runs rampant in the left’s ideology. It is only through conversation, not cancellation, that we will be able to expose the left’s hypocrisy, unify America and restore American patriotism.

Now, let us get to work.

Anne Koutsoutis, First Vice Chair, MCGOP, President, CCWRC