By Nancy Thomson

Does attending conventions, digesting voluminous amounts of written material, and listening to media debates conducted on the sixth grade level qualify one to be politically astute?

No, it doesn’t. Because someone has gone to all this trouble to become informed does not mean they really know what is going on. The media wants you to think that information provided by their "political debates" are the end all of any knowledge necessary to choose a candidate.

Staffers, candidate idolizers, and various ethnic groups, who prefer their own language and customs, compose a large majority of our convention attendees. Word has gone out that we need more young people and minorities so this is a natural out growth of that directive.

Gone are the workshops on immigration, the right to the Second Amendment, NAFTA/GATT and the WTO. Also missing are many of the people who are well read and conversant on the connection between national and international affairs.

Most often heard remark is "inclusive." How can we be more inclusive and still function as a party with some principals? Gay and union lobbies are part of the groups afforded table space. Some grassroots delegates complained that the Party has reversed its stand on core beliefs. The result is confusion because how do you explain principals that keep shifting?

Although this convention refers to the California Republican State Party, indications are that the same political problems exist in other states as well as at the national level. Never having attended any Democrat functions it doesn’t follow that they fare any better. The problem is that we don’t have a two party system anymore.

No matter who is elected from either of the two major parties the foreign policy never changes. This is because they all follow the same agenda as directed by The Council on Foreign Relations. All major candidates including the runners up will be under the same international umbrella.

An interesting case in point is John McCain whom many considered a strong defense American patriot due to his war record. Despite losing to George Bush his candidate status is uncertain. For the most part, the public is unaware that McCain belongs to the globalist organization, "Council on Foreign Relations" (CFR). McCain’s brain trust, also members of CFR, include Lawrence Eagleburger, Brent Scowcroft, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and Henry Kissinger. Five of George Bush’s advisors are also CFR members including his foreign policy advisor, George Shultz who has business interests in China and is best friends with a Chinese Premier. Former President Bush resigned from the CFR during his run for president because of questions concerning his membership in this organization. All three generations of the Bush family are members of the Skull and Bones a secret society known for government recruitment.

Democrat Bill Bradly, no longer a candidate is a CFR member, as is President Clinton. Vice President Gore’s name doesn’t appear on any lists but his association with UN goals focusing on global warning and sustainable development make this listing a moot point. The Gore family, including Al Gore Jr., were closely associated with communist Armand Hammer. At present the FBI said it would "take another year to decide whether to release the records on Albert Gore Sr." These records are expected to detail the communist associations of this family. It would seem this is unequal treatment because the FBI released the entire file on George Wallace in two months time.