Conservative Corner- One Person, One Vote

Well, the primaries are over in Oregon and very soon there will be, once again, politicians and political volunteers pounding the pavement and knocking on doors to get your vote. No matter what your political affiliation or even whether you vote, voting is very serious.

We are indeed blessed to be living in a country where we can change things that we, as citizens, do not approve of. We do not need to worry about a king, dictator, or some in tyrannical power to tell us what we can or can’t do. If we do not like a politician, we can vote them out, if we do not like a law, we can change it, I we feel we need a special person in congress or the Whitehouse to help us with the kind of change that is needed, we vote for the person. Unfortunately, some groups and people feel so strongly about helping out their favorite candidates during a political campaign that they will do anything to get that person elected, even if it means committing voter fraud.

Voter fraud took place during both the 2008 and the 2012 presidential elections. One of the ways that voter fraud took place was through intimidation.  According to www.washingtontimes.com a “uniformed member of the New Black Panther Party” posted himself at the entrance to a polling place in the 1200 block of Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential elections. The very same thing happened at the during the 2012 elections when www.wnd.com reported that Malik Zulu Shabazz, national chairman of the New Black Panther Party, said in a radio interview that his racist group may deploy at voting booths in the November presidential elections, claiming such a move is needed to ensure there is no “intimidation against our people.”

Another kind of voter fraud that is now coming out into the open is voter registration of the dead. Even www.nrp.org states that “more than 1.8 million dead people are currently registered to vote. And 24 million registrations are either invalid or inaccurate.” Voter fraud gets narrowed down even more when www.whitehousedossier.com says “Dead people have long been a major Democratic constituency, given that Democrats mostly control the big cities where such voter fraud – and other types – tends to occur.” Using the dead to win elections, I’m sure, isn’t just a Democratic thing, it’s just the finger seems to be pointing their way.

A case of fraud that gained some national coverage was that of Melowese Richardson who was a poll worker and used her position to vote for Obama multiple times according to www.breitbart.com. Richardson pleaded no contest to four counts of illegal voting in 2009, 2011 and 2012 and was charged her with voting for her sister, who is in a coma. Four other counts were dropped in exchange for Richardson's plea. She has had past charges from witness harassment to theft to assault and told Judge Robert P. Ruehlman during her hearing “I take the law into my own hands. I do what I want." How can we stop voter fraud and people like this from putting the wrong person into power? One way is using voter identification.

If everyone could prove who they were with a passport, driver’s license, or even a basic ID card, that would most likely keep illegals, the dead, and fraudulent people from voting multiple times. Apparently www.motherjones.com thinks that the idea of needing ID for voting is a form of suppression and even hints that needing ID is racist. Does that mean that it is also racist to need an ID for cashing a check, buying alcohol, renting a DVD or driving a vehicle? Obtaining an ID is actually quite simple.

From what www.oregon.gov tells us all we need is proof of your legal name, proof of your legal residence in the United States, your social security number and $44.50. Granted, that much money is hard to get some times, but in today’s world having an ID is a necessity.

Elections are an extremely important event. If the wrong people fraudulently get the wrong people into an elected office the effects can be disastrous. Let’s ensure that everyone gets one vote. Until we find a better system, voter ID is the best way to ensure there is no voter fraud and that each person gets only one vote for a fair election.

                                 dkhummel.blogspot.com, dkhummel.com

Conservative Corner- The Right to an Appropriate Appearance

As students, staff, and faculty of Linn-Benton Community College, we are indeed enriched and blessed with a wealth of diversity in culture, attire, values, and opinions. It is remarkable how so many people with different backgrounds, cultures and mindsets can come together as a community to learn, work and play together in a strange kind of harmony.

            At LBCC we have nearly every kind of person that you can imagine, from the seemingly dark, quiet, and reserved, to the flamboyant, out-going and friendly. The same is said for how we present ourselves on campus. Students and staff alike have the privilege of expressing themselves in a plethora of attire, from the very distinguished suites of the professional executive business person, to those who chooses to cross-dress for fun and frolic. The choices of how we are seen on campus and the community are nearly endless. Unfortunately, some choose to take the issue of clothing a different way, showing appropriate clothing.

            How some of the students wear their clothing on campus became an issue on April 23 of this year. As it is understood, there was a discrepancy between a staff member and a student with how the young man wore his pants and LBCC security was called in to try to defuse a situation. The student was requested to pull up his pants to an appropriate level and he refused. When campus security arrived the young man was asked again to pull up his pants and again refused at which time campus security asked for the young man’s identification, but did not have his ID on his person. The student was then escorted out of the building and suspended for two days.

            This example of, what I would consider to be a simple case of incorrect wearing of attire, may not have had the effect on campus if it weren’t for the fact that the young man is black. Javier Cervantes, of the Diversity Achievement Center, put an unfortunate racial spin on the situation by saying, “If we’re going to name what happened last week, it’s racial profiling,”  With all due respect to Mr. Cervantes I would, of course, strongly disagree with his appraisal of the situation.  As we all can attest to the idea, not just black young men wear their pants to show their boxer undergarments. In an effort to “be cool”, many young people choose to ware their pants this way. From what I can see of the situation, the idea that this is caused by racial profiling is outrageous and preposterous. Anyone can wear their pants like that, no matter what color of the skin.

            Taking race out of the situation, (as it should have been), does the young man have the right to wear baggy pants as to expose his undergarment? LBCC has no dress code; however, it does have code on the learning environment. According to the LBCC Code of Conduct we must “respect the teaching/learning environment by interacting with civility within the classroom and following safety guidelines”. If a student wears something that others consider distracting or offensive, doesn’t that effect the environment and civility of a class or area?

            The student failed to follow direction, according to the code when we learn that the young man did not “follow the lawful direction of faculty and staff including providing information and identification when requested.” When this situation occurs, “the lawful directions of college personnel acting in performance of their duties, e.g., disrupting class sufficiently to hinder effective instruction, or failure to leave a building or specified work area when directed to do so by college personnel.”, according to the Student Conduct Code.  LBCC does not have a dress code; however, I would think that the college would rely on the better judgment of their students to dress appropriately in the presents of those who may be offended by questionable attire.

            I am a firm believer in the freedom of expression, however, in a college as diverse as ours, we as a community, need to be increasingly vigilant on how we present ourselves to others with different values and be responsible for the consequences for inappropriate dressing or attire. I’m not saying we need a dress code and require all students, staff and faculty of wear business suits daily, but what I am saying is the next time a student should think before wearing a shirt with a swastika, the letters KKK, or any other images or inappropriate parts of the body show before arriving of campus.

            Yes, a student, or anyone else has the right to wear what he or she wants and how they wish to wear it, but should it come at the expense of all those whom it offends? I am very serious about my college career and normally dress to fit the part, however, even though I don’t approve of all the fashions that are represented at LB, I hope that all on campus can agree on the right to an appropriate appearance.

                                                Dkhummel.com, dkhummel.blogspot.com

Conservative Corner- Convenience or Mayhem From Above

                                                  Dkhummel.com, dkhummel.blogspot.com

                One of the issues that many in Western civilization face in the modern world is the lack of moderation when it comes to technology. Technology can indeed be a wonderful thing. We can now keep track of events around the world in real time, we can do research on any given topic from nearly anywhere in the world, and we can keep up with and play games with friends and family from the other side of the room or the other side of the planet. Unfortunately, too many people take the use of modern technology to far.

            We have went from using our phones to make simple calls to use them to play games, take photos, browse the internet, and make calls. Those things aren’t necessarily bad, however, too many people seem to spend their lives glued to their devices and not making human contact.

            A new technology is surfacing in the world of high tech, this new device is the unmanned wireless air craft known as drones. Like any other kind of tool, its popularity and success depends upon it use. Drones are being planned for commercial service. According to money.cnn.com, Domino’s Pizza is in the process of using drones for delivery. Likewise, www.computerworld.com tells us that Amazon is planning to use drones to deliver packages that are 5 pounds or less in 30 minutes or less. Unfortunately, until the FAA approves the use of unmanned wireless air craft, you will just have to wait until at least Dec 31 of 2015 to have your new tablet and pizza to land on your door step by a drone.

            One the other hand, as the science fiction movies and history has told us, big government will never pass up an opportunity to use technology against its own people to further an agenda. The proof that the Obama administration is targeting conservative groups is now overwhelming. Breitbart.com tell us about of the IRS targeting right-leaning groups for IRS surveillance and monitoring websites, group activities, and any public information wherever it is available. It has also been documented that through “bad metadata’ innocent lives have been lost”.

            I’m sure that the United States Government doesn’t want to target American citizens by using drones to search, locate, gather information and, if necessary, eliminate the possible hazard. The use of drones by the U.S. Government to locate threats to America is an idea most Americans can support, however, what would the government classify as threats to national security?

            Mrconservative.com tells us that Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech last year that American citizens who pose an “imminent threat of violent attack” may be targeted, although the “violent attack” isn’t specific. According to The Washington Times, the Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about “rightwing extremist activity” including those against Obama and disgruntled war veterans. Does this mean the Government will be using drones to locate and spy on and eliminate the “right-wing threat”?

            Drones are not all bad. Like any other tool, it’s all how it’s used. Drones can also help police, guard the boarders, monitoring irrigation on farms, helping to sell real estate and locating lost hikers. Embracing technology, even for older people, can be and should be a good.

            Drones can be a wonderful tool for convenience and information if we can just keep it that way.  If drones are allowed to do quick delivery any one can get a fresh, hot pizza with 30 minutes without the delivery boy.  As long as certain people in the government and companies can use drones safely and productively, we can experience the convenience and not the mayhem.