Is it Time to Build that Ark?

I will be writin more next week. Sorry that this week my writing is sparse but we are in the middle of a major landscaping project at our home and it has taken up most of my time. 

Republican Unity? Not from this Convention!

Now that the MN GOP 2012 Convention is over I thought I would share some of my observations. Please let me first state that I did not attend the convention or the state central meeting that followed since I’m not a delegate or alternate. Although there were numerous false reports of sightings of me at the convention and hotels in St. Cloud I can assure you all that I was not there. Friday I had numerous contractors at my home and Saturday we attended a wedding in Shakopee, MN.

I would like to compliment Marianne Stebbins on the masterful job that she accomplished after the harsh and disrespectful treatment by the RPM in 2008. She and others mobilized a grassroots army that resulted in the takeover of the RPM this year. Although I disagree on some of Dr. Ron Paul’s positions, I have always believed that the RPM leadership made a tragic decision in 2008 to bar him from addressing the state convention in Rochester.

Now that the RPM is essentially the Ron Paul Party I have heard from many of the “Old Guard Faithful” who have told me that after witnessing the jeers and boos each time Mitt Romney’s name was mentioned by speakers including the former Governor Tim Pawlenty that their activism within the party is over. Many of these folks were the grassroots workers who over the last 20 years+ could be counted on to stuff envelopes, do lit drops, march in parades and man the phone banks.

The RPM with all its troubles: sex scandals, alleged cover-up of past financial mismanagement, lack of fund raising and now deep division within its grassroots support base one must wonder the outcome of the November elections.

As I have written previously, I believe a takeover of the Minnesota House and Senate by the DFL is very possible. Confidence and trust of the RPM is at an all-time low within the state. Current GOP office holders have been silent about the failure of the RPM to do a proper forensic audit. RPM leadership refuses to investigate and hold past leaders accountable for their financial mismanagement which has many asking is the corruption deeper then we have imagined?  Now many within the base are sitting out this election. The ramifications for all listed above could be a massive backlash against the MN GOP and their candidates this November.

For now it appears that there is little unity and in many cases hope for the Minnesota Republican Party.

RPM At-Large Delegate Battle is Joined

Minnesota GOP Convention about to vote on National At-Large Delegates. Here is the list I was sent last night. According to press reports Chairman Pat Shortridge is on the Liberty (Ron Paul) slate.

National Delegate and National Alternate Conservative Unity Slates.

Conservative Unity National Delegate Slate:1) Michele Bachmann
2) Chris Barden
3) Ken Cobb
4) Keith Downey
5) Kelly Fenton
6) David FitzSimmons
7) Marjorie Holsten
8) Mark Kennedy
9) Jen Niska
10) Branden Petersen
11) Bron Scherer
12) Chris Teideman
13) Michael Vekich


Conservative Unity National Alternate Slate:1) Becky Alery
2) David Asp
3) Sheri Auclair
4) Chuck Bradford
5) Terry Flower
6) Mandy Heffron
7) Luke Hellier
8) Barbara Malzacher
9) Mark Miller
10) Monique Morton
11) Darrel Trulson
12) Ellen Wade
13) Joe Westrup

So Much To Do But So Little Time!

The Republican Party of Minnesota’s governing body, the State Central Delegates, hold their State Convention in Saint Cloud, MN today. They will endorse candidates, select RNC delegates and discuss the state of the party’s finances. With the elections less than six months away will the RPM be able to overcome their financial scandals, a torrid sex scandal, and the virtual take over by the Ron Paul movement. The RPM Convention over the next two days could spell victory or defeat in the November 2012 elections for RPM candidates.

As a Republican activist who has spoken out since 2007 against the mismanagement of the party’s finances I fear the worst will come from the convention. Many RPM Executive Board members have been asking for a forensic audit of the party’s financial books dating back to 2007, when Tony Sutton became Party Treasurer and then Chairman in 2009. Upon his resignation December 2, 2011, Sutton left the party some two+ million dollars in debt.

The RPM under new leadership investigated into the financial problem and on May 7, 2012 issued a 20 page report to the press by the RPM Budget, Financial Controls & Oversight Committee. Throughout the report the committee went to great lengths to point out that although calls were made for a forensic audit, no audit of any kind was completed, but rather a review of 11 specific transactions was undertaken.

After a thorough reading of the report I see little chance that Minnesota voters will be satisfied with the conclusion that gross financial mismanagement occurred but no alleged criminal or civil wrong doing took place. Their conclusion admits that former Chairman Tony Sutton lied about the party’s finances to the RPM Executive Board Members, filed false Federal Election Commission reports, and that former RPM Executive Director, Ryan Griffin could not be located by the committee to discuss his involvement in large amounts of the debt. How is that possible?

The May 7, report runs counter to any logic. If nothing else the report screams for a forensic audit to prove to the voters of Minnesota that the RPM is not engaged in a cover-up. As politicians throughout history have learned, it is always the cover-up that provides the greatest punishment to a wrong doing. For that reason alone, RPM elected political figures and party activists should be demanding a forensic audit at the state convention today.

The new RPM Chairman Pat Shortridge has taken the position or some say excuse that the party is financially broke and can’t afford a forensic audit. That is a very good point since the RPM hasn’t paid their headquarters rent for over 11 months. However, as many contend the RPM can’t afford not to have a forensic audit. The simple solution is to establish an independent team to raise the money and conduct a transparent forensic audit. I’ll gladly volunteer to head that team.

I’m convinced this is the only path to getting the voters of Minnesota to once again trust the RPM with their money. Minnesota needs a two party system for checking and balancing policies and budgets. One political party dominating state politics often spells economic disaster. The DFL will claim a more sinister reason that a forensic audit will implicate major GOP politicians both past and present. You can't counter that argument without a forensic audit.

In the words of former RPM Chair Ron Carey in 2008; "At the end of the day, those that are criticizing us are to be shamed - because the truth will get out and the truth shall set us free."

Well the truth has set us free and it proved that those of us who were calling for an investigation were correct. Financial mismanagement by the party of fiscal responsibility may cause an enormous voter backlash unless immediate action isn’t taken. Will the RPM prove it has nothing to hide and launch the investigation necessary to prove it?

Some People Can't Read and Obviously Don't Know History!

The Eagle Nest 2/506 Blog is dedicated to the 2d Battalion, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. This battalion and its E Company were made famous by Stephen E. Ambrose’s book Band of Brothers and immortalized by Steven A. Spielberg's HBO series about World War II by the same name. I served in the 2/506 in Vietnam as a combat infantry rifle platoon leader in 1970. Today, men and women from the 2/506 are fighting in Afghanistan. To honor them by naming this blog after one of their crowning achievements simply pays our respects to all who have served our great nation. This blog originally ran from 2008 to 2009 and many former readers have requested that I bring it back.

There was one person yesterday who wanted to question the name of the blog and somehow say that it is ‘weird’ to name a blog after Hitler’s mountain retreat. Obviously he can’t read because it clearly points out on the cover page of the blog that it is dedicated to the men of the 2/506 PIR, 101^stAirborne. But again this ridiculous comment came from a childish political foe, failed politician and fired congressional staff member.

With the impending implosion of the Republican Party of Minnesota in this November’s election because of their party’s cover-up of financial mismanagement and sex scandals, this blog will speak fact and reason to those who because of their lemming behavior caused the destruction of the RPM. The backlash by the voters of Minnesota will be clear: “if you are going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk.” Clearly the RPM has failed miserably to live up to the principles they claim: personal & fiscal responsibility, family values, and open & transparent government. As a Republican activist who has raised large amounts for the party and twice served as Republican National Convention Delegate (2004 & 2008) I will continue my quest to reform this once great party.

Meet the Star Tribune’s “Deep Throat” Andy Aplikowski 

Andy Aplikowski seems obsessed with attacking me over the years because: It is long been my belief that Andy Aplikowski was the source of the June 3, 2007, leak of the Star Tribune article about Dwight Tostenson’s internal GOP party memo.

In the past Andy has claimed that I was the reason he drank too much and smoked too much and was ostracized from the MN GOP because he supported my run for party chair in 2007. Andy’s position and reputation within the MN GOP was destroyed long before he was a minor player involved with my 2007 chair campaign. Others have well documented Andy’s displays of public drunkenness at official MN GOP functions and his unsubstantiated attacks on less radical GOP officials and candidates he did not agree, especially former Chairman Ron Carey.

In his latest, Andy Aplikowski blogs that I alone am to blame for the LateDabate radio talk show being removed from Hope FM 95.9 radio. He rants about a letter I sent to the station manager complaining about the host Jack Tomczak harassing me on social media and guests on the talk show telling outright lies. He rails that I had a date incorrect in the letter. He conveniently fails to mention that all inaccuracies were corrected when the station manager called me and discussed the matter and I sent a second follow up letter to the station. All this happened before Jack Tomczak and the station management met to discuss numerous complaints about his program and his personal attacks on people he disagrees with. Tomczak admitted the station would have allowed him to continue broadcasting but required the show to be pre-recorded so that station management could review the content. The decision to take the show off the air was Jack Tomczak’s!

The truth is Andy is a very sad and troubled young man who often flies off the handle and tells lies, throws bombs and misrepresents facts in his attempt to get noticed by someone or anyone. Andy is an immature pathetic cry baby who refuses to accept responsibility for his own actions. He claims to be a capitalist conservative purest while having to work for his Mother business. Just look at his blog attacks on Dr. Ron Paul and the members of Ron Paul's team in Minnesota and you understand how unglued Andy is.

Although I can’t definitively prove my suspicions on the Dwight Tostenson’s internal GOP party memo here is what I can state as fact.

I ran in 2007 against Ron Carey for the chair of the MN GOP. Andy would show up occasionally to our home to help in mailings. Andy was never an official member of the campaign staff or kitchen cabinet, only an occasional volunteer. One evening in mid May 2007, Andy showed up at our home during a letter stuffing event that was attended by a number of my neighbors, their children and some of my campaign staff. Andy pulled out of his pocket a number of printed pages and declared he had an internal MN GOP document that he was going to release to the Star Tribune that would put an end to Ron Carey’s domination over the MN GOP. He implied that he got the document from Michael Barrett, a former candidate for Congress in the 7th CD. The document was an internal memo, dated February 15, 2007, and written to members of the MN GOP Executive Board by Dwight Tostenson, a former worker at state party headquarters.

Aplikowski handed me the papers and I read the front page. I handed them back to him and told them that, “I believed that this document is a fake and likely planted by the Carey/Brodkorb camp. That no one was that stupid to violate the laws pertaining to employee pension payments.” I have witnesses/neighbors who will testify that this is exactly what happened. I told him I would not have anything to do with the document. Tim Wilkin, who was part of the campaign inner circle was there and also read the document. Andy left shortly there after but e-mailed me the document a few days or weeks later followed by a phone call saying he had verified the truthfulness of the document. I told him again that I would not have anything to do with it. In June 2007 the document appeared in the Star Tribune, and from the detailed investigation by the Star Tribune reporters and the admission by Dwight Tostenson in the article it appears the document was in fact true.

A firestorm resulted. Carey labeled me as an enemy of the MN GOP and my campaign as the source of the leaking of the memo to the Star Tribune. The reporters from the Star Tribune admitted to me that they had met with Aplikowski before the story broke but would not verify my suspicions that Andy provided the memo to them. Still it’s funny that Andy seems to be the Star Tribune’s go too guy for quotes and information dealing with the current upheaval in the MN GOP.

Some people never grow up and accept their responsibilities for their actions. Andy’s blog postings mostly remain personal attacks against people he does not like or politicians who do not meet his hypocritical standard of Republican Party purity. I’ll stake my character and reputation against Andy Aplikowski’s any day.