New focus for my blog.. Looking at local, state and National issues from a conservative perspective. As an ordinary, everyday American, working, taking care of a family or family member. Who has time to stay caught up with all the problems going on, all the craziness, all the insults? All the terms and what they mean. Have no fear.. Because I am going to keep you caught up best I can.. I promise every read won’t take more than 5 minutes of your time. Current topics, deep dives, maybe even an interview with an elected official or candidate for office. All to keep you informed so you can make the best decisions come November, for your family. So for today, think about this quote from President Teddy Roosevelt: “In the long run, success or failure will be conditioned upon the way in which the average man or average women, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of liefe, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues… The main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation”. President Roosevelt was talking about me… and YOU!
What the Hell Happened, Part 2
As promised, the rest of my take of Election night 2025. Demorats and demorat socialists really cleaned up Tuesday night.
As we all know, all politics is local, right down to the city dog catcher (is there really such a thing?). I disgress. We have local/County REC’s (Republican Executive Committee), to manage the local elections, politics, issues, etc. It is considered the level where grassroots politics start. REC’s are supposed to monitor city and county elections, identify plausible candidates and then offer volunteers and money (if possible) to those candidates. What usually happens, especially in “blue” or even some “purple” counties is …. NOTHING! That’s right, the REC’s decide this or that race is not worth their time or funds and just hang that candidate out to dry. I’ve seen it happen. Guess they are too busy with planning dinners, or infighting, which is also prevalent at some REC meetings. Thus, the demorat candidate will usually walk home with a victory, and then the REC’s start in with the candidate was not that strong, It’s a blue county anything etc. STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!! It loses elections for Republicans.
The 36 day shutdown.. Much has been made of this and how it affected the elections. The truth is that the shutdown can be laid right down at the Chesire Cat’s feet. Except for 3 brave Senate demorats, it is the rest of that demorat motley crew who MUST face the responsibility for extending this shutdown. They voted FOURTEEN TIMES against the Continuing Resolution (which is fast approaching its expiration date). What happened is this: DEMORATS talked NON-STOP how republicans and Trump were starving children and those children were dying because republicans want to cut health insurance and refused to negotiate with demorats to re-open. We know this is a lie, but you see, if you repeat the lie enough times, the lie becomes the truth. and in many of the voter’s eyes, it was republicans causing the shutdown, Thus they were to blame for America’s miseries. Why do you think demorats kept the government shut till after the 2025 elections? Speaker Johnson held a press conference EVERY DAY since the shutdown, but only to the press who would show up… Aside from those and Senator Thune’s press conferences, no other republican I know of was out there calling out demorats for the shut down lie. It is all about messaging, and we did not get it right.
We have LESS THAN ONE YEAR to prepare for the midterms. And that one year will fly by. Republicans need to prepare like never before. Can’t take a day off, can’t NOT support our candidates, cannot take anything for granted and leave anything to chance. If we do, then it is all over, and our kids and grandkids won’t stand a chance in their new socialist world.
Barb Zack: What the hell happened last night?
OK, this post may lose me more friends than gain them, and that is OK. But Republicans need to take a good hard look at how we have been conducting ourselves in between elections. And it ain’t pretty.
Republicans, from the RNC to the State parties and the local REC’s spent the rest of 2024 and most of 2025 breaking their arms patting themselves on the back for getting Donald Trump elected. They got the ground game going, successfully identified issues voters were concerned about, and got Trump going. It worked. How was the rest of this time spent? Mostly gloating over a successful 2024, at various award banquets, dinners and cushy quarterly meetings, convinced the demorats learned their lesson… and they sure did.
Demorats did learn lessons, and have been implementing them since November 2024. They NEVER stopped planning America’s ultimate destruction. They organized socialist factions, they got young people out of mommy and daddy’s basement, away from the video games and told them how rotten republicans were making their lives and that only socialism would help them. And there was NO ONE to contradict that. Demorats have not taken one minute off since last November, while republicans could run master classes on self-congraulatory, laurel resting and back patting. Republicans took their eyes off the ball and let demorats do what they do best, run wild and spread ugly lies about republicans. And now everyday Americans will be paying the price.
What can Republicans do? Maybe think about cancelling the glitzy, rich award banquets and dinners, GET BACK TO WORK! Identify candidates for local, state and national offices who are willing to start RIGHT NOW! Identify issues Americans care about: prices, the economy, education, the high cost of home ownership. Meet people, especially YOUNG people where they are and speak their language. Engage voters and avoid places where you are just “preaching to the choir”.
Remember that ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL!! Because republicans forgot that, we have Socialists running our cities, with probably more to come! Think that is not a big deal? Think again! A communist will leading the soon-to-be former bastion of capitalism. Let that sink in!
This is part One of my screed. Some important things to think about. Tomorrow comes part two. Please feel free to comment, blast away, defriend me, whatever. These things need to be said and stay tuned, if you dare for part 2.
Republicans can be compassionate Pro-Lifers
Republicans and conservatives are on the only side we can be: Pro-life. Abortion, when it must be performed, should be rare and SAFE, not as a form of birth control, and only in certain circumstances. Demorats and leftists , via their Amendment 4 proposal, advocate for an extreme, on demand abortion policy, for any reason, under any circumstances and right up to the moment of birth, without medical supervision in some circumstances. In fact, they want to make abortion a constitutional right, enshrined within the Florida Constitution. Demorats have managed to successfully hijack the abortion argument, painting republican pro-lifers as cold hearted and cruel, wanting to put women who have abortions and the doctors who perform them in prison. We have been accused of caring about the baby only while in the womb, but once born, they are on their own. We have been accused of hating women and wanting to take away their right to choose and their right to health care (as if only abortion is womens healthcare).
To combat that, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has a proposed a 3 point pro-life strategy to answer some of the unfounded leftist accusations. Point one is that republicans must champion policies that make it easier and more affordable for mothers to choose life. We must support the development of pro-life pregnancy centers. We must develop pro-family agendas, provide generous material support to mothers and their children, policies such as an expanded Child Tax Credit, paid parental leave, and enforceable child support measures. We must make pro life policies the centerpiece of any legislative agenda.
Second, Senator Rubio proposes we take back the prolife agenda by hammering demorats extremism on abortion. Put the demorats on the defensive by detailing the coldness and cruelty of actually killing a living being within the mothers womb. We must be willing to describe abortion as the barbaric practice it is and ask them, point blank, why they support abortion up to the moment of birth.
Third Senator Rubio states that republicans must never lose sight that protecting the innocent unborn is the moral core of the pro-life movement. Republicans must take the high ground and we cannot be afraid to speak up by advocating commonsense limits to the abhorrent practice. We must force demorats to answer for their position on abortion, ask them WHY? WHY do they support the barbaric practice of murdering innocents in the womb.
As we head into the last month before the election, we must continue to convince our family and friends to VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 4. We must use the methods and arguments above to make our point. Review the first two articles in this series to see the huge and many problems of Amendment 4. For anyone who would like a copy of those articles, refer to my posts, or send me a private message and I will send them to you.
We must be willing to speak boldly and without hesitation about the evils of abortion and how republicans with compassionate caring, can help women in crisis on the cusp of making the most consequential decision of their lives.
VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 4
PROPOSED BALLOT INITIATIVE AMENDMENT 4 TO THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION – DEFINING THE ARGUMENTS
In last week’s post, I presented the basic terminology, along with the ballot language of Proposed Ballot Initiative Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution, noting how loosely defined the terms are in the amendment. Very open to interpretation. Today we look at the arguments for and against approval of this evil proposed amendment.
The main group supporting this amendment is Floridians Protecting Freedom. Their basic argument can be summed up as “My body, my choice”. What this argument fails to recognize is there is a SEPARATE body inside the woman from the moment of conception to the moment of birth. The whole argument boils down to reproductive freedom as the whole sum of women’s healthcare; that womens’ ONLY concerns is the right to an abortion , equating murder of the unborn to healthcare freedom. They argue abortion is a “sacred right”, that government has NO RIGHT to interfere in decisions regarding reproductive rights, or to dictate how womens healthcare providers can treat their patients. Big, mean, tyrannical Republicans want to take away womens access to healthcare (as if abortion is the only component to womens healthcare). A more sinister and evil portion of the argument is the partial birth abortion, that a baby is aborted immediately after birth, but not before the baby’s organs are harvested for the black market. Ready to throw up yet?
Fortunately, there are several groups that are taking up fighting against this horrible amendment, including Florida Voice for the Unborn, Do No Harm FL and Florida Right to Life Project. Many are opposed to this amendment aside from abortion up to the moment of birth. Reasons include, the very vague definitions of viability, mom’s health, and who is a healthcare provider, as discussed in my last post. These abortions could be done without a physician present. Nearly any method of abortion would be acceptable, including a pill, that would require NO medical or clinical supervision or oversight.
This amendment would allow the barbaric practice of abortion up to the moment of birth, for any reason, by anyone. NO concerns as to the actual health of the mom or the unborn. Is this what Florida is about?
Many pro-abortion advocates claim Republicans and other pro-life advocates do not care about what happens to the baby or the mother after birth, that we send women out into a cold cruel world with no resources or help, to fend for themselves. That is not what we do, however, without proper messaging and not knowing what to say, Republicans continue to be made to be the bad guys and that abortion IS the only option. In my next post, I will review a compassionate plan laid out by Senator Marco Rubio that republicans can study, use and talk about. We need to make sure women know there are viable options, that Republicans are NOT abandoning them in their time of need. For now, tell everyone you know, to VOTE NO TO AMENDMENT 4.
Proposed Ballot Initiative Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution – Defining the terminology
In April 2024, The Florida Supreme Court approved a request from a Group of democrats to place proposed Amendment 4 on the ballot for this November, 2024. The title of the Amendment is “Limiting Government Interference with Abortion”. If approved, this amendment would add a new section to Article 1 of the Florida Constitution titled: “Limiting government interference with abortion” establishing a Constitutional Right to an abortion. More importantly, it would turn Florida from being one of the strictest abortion states in the union, to being one of the most permissive. In 2023, the Florida Legislature approved and Governor Desantis signed into law, a bill called The Heartbeat protection Act, which bans abortion after 6 weeks, overturning a previous abortion ban after 15 weeks. Before 2022, abortions in Florida were legal up to 22 weeks.
In 2023, approximately 84,000 abortions were performed in Florida, including about 7600 abortions at 15 weeks or later. About 44% of the country consider themselves pro-life (why not more?).
The Ballot summary (what will appear on the November ballot), reads as follows: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict before viability (usually considered to be between 23 – 24 weeks) (bold, additional explanation, mine) or when necessary to protect the Patient health as determined by the patient healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion”. (Italics mine). The words I put in italics are loosely defined and open to wide interpretation.
HEALTH – Not LIFE of the mother, but health. Is that mental health, emotional health, physical health? What is the time frame for the health? Is the woman just not feeling this today? Not in the mood for another baby? “I’ll go insane if I have one more baby”? As I said, open to interpretation.
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER – Can be defined as a doctor, physicians’ assistant, nurse practitioner, doula, mid-wife, or nurse. Again, could be anyone saying “Mom’s not feeling this today, would you like the abortion?”
NOTIFICATION – NOT consent of the parent, but just letting the parent know their daughter is having a major medical procedure, an abortion.
This is just a brief overview of this depraved, disgusting proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution. IT does require a 60% majority of Florida voters to pass and become enshrined in our State Constitution. Get yourself ready for the fight of our lives, as the pro-abortion groups will frame their arguments as providing healthcare, and the always reliable “my body, my choice”. Abortion is murder, and as Floridians and Americans, we are so much better than this.
This is the first of a three part series I wrote for the Northwest Orange Republican Women Federated newsletter. I will publish the next part over the weekend and the last part early next week. Florida residents must vote NO on this heinous and evil Amendment.
Another date etched in our minds
Throughout our history, time has been marked by ecstatic times or tragedy. Days you know exactly where you were when something happened.. For Instance, 11/22/63 – JFK assassinated; 4/10/68 – MLK 8assassinated; 6/5/68 – RFK assassinated; 8/9/74 – Nixon resignation speech; More recently, 9/11 which speaks for itself; and now yesterday, the attempted assassination of former President and current presumed Republican nominee for President Donald J Trump. All of these events happening out of some kind of misplaced hate, anger, bigotry.. Some are the makings of a lone wolf with God knows what reason they had. Some are conspiracies among people or groups who see assassination as the only way to get rid of the hated target, after everything and I mean EVERYTHING else, they tried failed.
Joe Biden stated to a group of mega donors on Monday 7/8/24 about Donald Trump: “It’s time to put Trump in a bull’s eye”.. WOW! and then 5 days later, someone did put Trump in a bullseye and only by the grace of God is Donald Trump still with us today. The left has demonized and villified Donald Trump since that famous escalator ride in July of 2015. The man has not had a minute where the left has not accused Trump of: Russian collusion, election interference, leading an insurrection, and most recently, of being a rapist, Hitler, threat/destroyer of democracy, a dictator, a racist, a sexist, someone who hates women and so much more. And then these same leftists are now blaming trump and his supporters for the shooting yesterday… saying, if MAGA republicans would just tone down the rhetoric.. I believe even one particularly vicious leftist said now the nation must be careful as MAGA republicans will seek revenge for this shooting… News flash: MAGA republicans did not destroy cities, businesses and kill police officers during the summer of 2020, that would be LEFTIST HATE GROUPS who did that. We will get our vengeance at the Ballot Box on November 5th..
In the meantime, I have far too many of these days that will live forever in my memory.. We have to come up with meaningful and actionable items to prevent more of these days.. I don’t want my grandchildren being haunted by these bad day memories..
Thoughts on this Memorial Day
Memorial Day is for honoring and remembering our fallen war heroes. From all our wars. The sacrifices they made for our Country and for our continued liberty is ultimate and indescribable. Simple words are inadequate.
Our nation established the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the period immediately after the War to End all wars (WWI). Through a painstaking process, a solder in a grave in France was chosen by Sargent Edmond Younger, for the honor of being interred in the Tomb. Six WWI heroes were chosen by General Jack Pershing to accompany the remains from France to the United States, and ultimately, to Arlington National Cemetary, for interment on Friday November 11, 1921, then known as Armistice Day. Back then, the Tomb was marked by a simple stone marker. In 1926, Congress began to set aside funds for a more elaborate and fitting monument. In 1931, the original simple stone was replaced by the new marble monument that stands today. On one side of the monument reads “Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God”.
In 1925, the “Old Guard”, members of Army’s 3rd US Infantry Regiment, began to stand sentinel over the Tomb, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without fail or regard to weather or other factors. here is a time honored ritual of walking and guarding and those few selected for this honorable duty train for many hours and months for this most sacred duty.
Since 1921, one soldier each from WWI, WWII, the Korean war and the Vietnam War were selected from their battefields to be interred within the Tomb. Great pains are taken to ensure these soldiers cannot be identified; however, around 1998, the remains of the solder selected from the Vietnam War were identified through painstaking DNA testing, the remains of US Air Force Captain Michael J. Blassie, were identified and by request of his family were exhumed and reinterred in the Captain’s home town. His crypt at the Tomb remains empty to this day.
President Ronald Reagan spoke eloquently each and every Ceremony he presided over. He concluded in one speech, “thank you dear son. May God cradle you in His loving arms.”. Let us continue that prayer by honoring All who made that ultimate sacrifice.
DEFINING AND DESTROYING A DEMOCRACY
Joe Biden and his Marxist demorats are convinced Donald Trump and the extreme MAGA republicans will destroy democracy if the get elected this year. Joe Biden and Marxist demorats are the only way to preserve democracy. And guess what? They might just be right! Why is that? Do you know exactly what a democracy is? Does Joe biden and his band of vindictive Marxists demorats know? Read below and you will see why destroying a democracy is not such a bad idea.
Let’s see what democracy is.. Democracy is “rule by majority”, which equates to 50%+1. Sure, that is exactly what a democracy is… “two wolves and a lamb deciding on lunch” according to Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.. Wondering what’s for lunch today?
The United States of America is not a democracy, because our laws, our rights, are protected by the Constitution, which protects are natural, God-given rights, and are not subject to the whims of the majority. In a democracy, the majority of citizens can vote away these God-given rights like so much rubbish. They can actually make it illegal to worship God, to outlaw due process and other protections granted by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Additionally, many areas of our government require more than a “simple majority” It takes 2/3 majority to override a veto, and 2/3 of the states to call a Constitutional Convention. Three fourths of the states must ratify an Amendment to our Constitution. Our own Constitution guarantees every state a republican form of government. If you read the entire Constitution, you will simply not find the word “democracy”.
Taken to its logical conclusion, a pure democracy will descend into mobocracy and chaos. THAT is how autocracies and tyrannies are born. And that is what Joe Biden and his marxist demorats are aiming for. They simply will not accept any other form of government, or any other opinion. And observe the lengths they people will go to stop anyone they agree with. Truly if anyone is destroying democracy, it is Joe Biden and the marxists demorats.
EVERY elected official, every CANDIDATE for office regardless of party must STOP calling our country a Democracy, WE ARE NOT. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC!!! Anyone who thinks otherwise does not deserve to hold office nor even run for office. SO, I actually hope Extreme MAGA republicans end up destroying democracy and revert us back to what the United states has been since 1787, a Constitutional Republic!!!
What does Build Back better really mean?
Build back better – the Harris/Biden catch-phrase campaign slogan.. But what does it really mean?
To build something back better implies that something has to be completely destroyed first.. According to Harris/Biden, ANTIFA, Black Lives Matter, and most demoratic/socialists, it is America that needs to be destroyed right down to her foundation. The LEFT believes America’s history is one of exploitation, domination and slavery. They believe our founding is rooted, not in Judeo-Christian principles of equality, freedom and liberty, but in evil and slavery, and therefore MUST be completely and utterly destroyed. It started with the resistance movement about 2 minutes after President Trump’s inauguration, then toppling of statues and monuments to our founding fathers and principles, and everything America values and holds dear. Then came the riots, looting, destruction of American cities; untold millions in damages, not to mention the toll to American citizens who lost everything to these rioting animals.
Then, suddenly, Americans who did not conform to Black Lives Matters and Antifa were racist, and must be made to apologize for our beliefs, then renounce our beliefs. If you dared not go along with the prescription of these fanatics, then you are a White Racist Supremacist, accused without a shred of evidence other then you refuse to bow to the ANTIFA way.. Remind me again, WHO are the fascists?
To complete the destruction, a President Harris/Biden will SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN THE VERY DAY THEY ARE INAUGURATED!. Destruction is the rule of leftist fanatics and anarchists… Once we are destroyed completely, then they will “build back better”. Build our country in the image of a socialist regime, but disguised as a utopia of rainbows and unicorns. THIS is what harris/Biden mean by “build back better”: socialism, despair, hopelessness, food shortages, sky high taxes, one-payer medical insurance, selling our Country to the highest bidder, as Biden has already been doing. An America we won’t recognize in one to two years..
Build back better? NO!! the only way to save our country from the monsters and utter destruction that WILL occur under Harris/Biden is to VOTE NOW: VOTE TRUMP/PENCE AND REPUBLICAN UP AND DOWN YOUR BALLOT!! We will KEEP AMERICA GREAT!!
barbzack 