By Matt Schultz, Candidate for Iowa Secretary of State

Councilman Matt Schultz attended the Glenn Beck Honor Rally in Washington D.C. on August 28^th at the Lincoln Memorial.

“I have been to several Tea Party events over the last year and I thought that Glenn Beck’s Honor Rally would be similar to these events and I wanted to see it firsthand.  It was not at all what I expected it to be, but I was not disappointed.  I came away from the Honor Rally with a greater respect for the sacrifice that so many people have made and continue to make so that we can be free,” said Schultz.

“I was standing the entire time next to the reflection pool on the side of the Vietnam War Memorial.  It was an amazing sight.  I had never seen so many people in my entire life.  Everyone seemed excited and there was a lot of clapping and cheering during the event.  The crowd surrounded the Lincoln Memorial and spanned all the way to the Washington Monument and beyond,” said Schultz.

“I think that Glenn Beck was trying to share a message that transcends political parties and churches.  It was a message of principles and of God.  The main point I took away was that if we as individuals and as a Nation make a renewed effort to focus on the principles of Faith, Hope, and Charity, that no matter what our political and religious disagreements, God will bless us individually and as a Nation,” said Schultz.

Matt Schultz was first elected to the Council Bluffs City Council in 2005 and is in his second term.  Matt Schultz won the Republican nomination for Secretary of State in a three way primary in June.  He is a graduate of Creighton Law School and the University of Iowa.  Matt is married with three children and is an Attorney at the law firm of Schultz & Watson, LLP.

On Sunday night, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives hijacked the most effective free-market healthcare system in the world and subjected it to the chronic failure and bureaucratic incompetence of the federal government.

In doing so, they have also done something else. They have nationalized state politics. From the Congress to the county courthhouse, many voters will vote straight-ticket “Republican” simply because of Obama-Care (and whatever else comes next).

By ramming a federal takeover of one-sixth of the nation’s economy down the throats of an unwilling American public, Democrats have unwittingly awakened the ghost of Howard Beale, and have turned him lose on the electorate.

In the 1976 film “Network,” actor Peter Finch played Howard Beale, a television network news anchor, who, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, completely “loses it” during a live newscast.

In a rain-soaked trench coat, Beale tells his viewing audience, “You’ve got to get mad!… Get up, go to the window, open it, stick your head out, and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’” They do. And he becomes an overnight sensation.

Why? Because he knows their frustrations, gives voice to their anger, and tells them what to do about it. He connects with his audience, and the network ratings go through the roof.

The unscripted (and unteleprompted) rant touches a nerve in ordinary people — people who just want to live quietly, raise their families, and play by the rules — but people who, nevertheless, must endure an economic crisis, soaring living costs, rising taxes, and declining standards of decency. And his voice becomes their voice.

On Sunday night, the whole 2010 political game changed. Granted, it was already going to be a Republican year, but it didn’t have to be a Republican tsunami. Now it will be.

Obama-Care is now front and center in the mind of most Americans. It (or quite possibly the President himself) has become the object of nationwide rage, or as Ronald Reagan would put it, “the focus of evil in the modern world.” And now, nearly every state and county election will be nationalized to some degree.

Concern for potholes and bottle bills will give way to alarm over the monstrous growth of the federal government and the unconstitutionality of the Obama-Care takeover of the private medical industry.

Candidates will now have to field hotter and perhaps ruder questions then in past years, because the anger is way more palpable. Conservatives who speak clearly and boldly can win, even against entrenched incumbents, if they tap into this rage.

Why? Because these are not ordinary times. America is in crisis, and the times demand a certain type of leader. Now is not the time for the summer soldier or the sunshine patriot. Nor is the perennial peacetime leader needed. People today are looking for wartime leaders. They want Churchills, not Chamberlains.

Not since the Vietnam War have Americans been so angry and so fed-up with go-along and get-along politicians. They want a new breed of leader. They want a Braveheart — one who comes to “pick a fight” with Longshanks.

The Democrats have given the Republicans a huge gift: a “Get out of jail free” card. The judgment from 2006 and 2008 has passed, and a new day has dawned.

Anger toward the Democrats is so strong right now, that the GOP is in a position not only to take back control of Congress but also many state legislatures and county courthouses.

Republicans had better not blow it this time. Let us not repeat the spend-a-holic tendencies of the first six years of the Bush administration. That will only get us back into the wilderness.

I recommend the Howard Beale strategy: get mad, get up, and speak out. And if necessary, wear a trench coat.

The following post was written by State Rep. Jodi Tymeson and sent out on Veteran’s Day… Pass it on! – Dave

Dear Friends,

Today is a sacred day for our nation.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson established November 11 as Armistice Day because World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. As momentous as that day was, it has taken on even more meaning over the years. In 1921, on November 11, an American soldier known but to God was buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Armistice Day was officially named by Congress in 1926 and became a legal national holiday in 1938.

Unfortunately, World War I was not the war to end all wars. We endured World War II and Korea, and in 1954, Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. With the new name, the observance was given broader scope: To honor all American veterans, living and dead, in whatever war or period of peace they served. Today we honor all veterans for their service in the military in the defense of freedom.

You might think the American military began when America became a country. But the Massachusetts militia (the early National Guard) began mustering in 1636. These were farmers, hunters, shopkeepers who banded together to protect their families.  It wasn’t until 1775 on Lexington Green when Captain Jonas Parker and 75 armed minutemen stood up to more than 600 British regulars. As the British raised their weapons, Captain Parker ordered, “Don’t fire unless you are fired on, but if they want a war, let it begin here.”

Those first colonial fighters who died in Lexington sacrificed their lives for the idea they could form their own country. We owe them all our gratitude and we honor them today.

Today we honor veterans like those who fought in the Civil War. Iowans like Private George Healey of Company E, 5th Iowa Cavalry who was awarded America’s highest military honor, The Medal of Honor, presented to individuals for exceptional valor, in recognition of their individual acts of courage.  Private Healey was from Dubuque.

We honor veterans like those who fought at the Battle of the Bulge during WWII and at Chosin Reservoir during the Korean Conflict.

We honor veterans like Colonel George Day, an Air Force officer and F-100 pilot from Sioux City, Iowa who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam War. Despite being shot down, seriously injured and tortured cruelly, Colonel Day offered maximum resistance and his bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy.

Today we honor veterans like Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal, whose hometown is Afton, Iowa. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery under fire.  SGM Kasal was attempting to rescue Marines in Fallujah, Iraq when the enemy threw a grenade at them. Kasal rolled on top of a fellow Marine to absorb the shrapnel with his own body. SGM Kasal was shot seven times, wounded by 40 pieces of shrapnel and lost 60 percent of his blood. He refused medical attention until all of the other Marines had been treated. I had the honor of meeting SGM Kasal recently when he was back in Iowa.  There is not doubt how much he loves our country and his fellow Marines.

We should all be truly inspired by these heroes. They have and continue today to defend our freedom.

Many of us have long family histories of military service.  From time to time on the campaign trail, Bob has shared the compelling story of his late dad John’s service in some of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific during World War II. I am also blessed to come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, husband, and brother all served or are currently serving in the military. My grandfather was an infantry soldier in the trenches of WWI. My husband flew a medivac helicopter in Vietnam. I recently retired as a brigadier general in the Iowa National Guard.

On behalf of Bob and the entire Vander Plaats campaign team – including state co-chair Dick Johnson, who himself has had a long, distinguished career in the Iowa National Guard – I say thank you to all our veterans.  And we thank their family members, too, because they also make many sacrifices. We know they are the heroes at home who wait nervously and patiently until their loved ones return.

While today is a special day, we can honor our veterans every day by doing a few simple things:

Proudly fly the flag of the United States.  Stand and put your hand over your heart when the flag is marched by. Never desecrate the flag. Flying the flag shows respect to our veterans as it is our symbol of freedom.

• Proudly sing our national anthem with your hand over your heart.
• Proudly say our Pledge of Allegiance.
• Support the troops with a yard sign, a yellow ribbon, or attend a troop support rally.
• Send a note to a hospitalized veteran.
• Send a note to a veteran in a veterans home.
• Help a local veterans organization with one of their projects.
• Donate blood.
• Listen to a veteran tell their story.

Take time to say thank you to a veteran – it will mean more to them than a medal or ribbon.

We’ve all been inspired by past generations of veterans and today’s new generation of veterans – those returning today from fighting the global war on terrorism. It’s impossible to say which generation is the greatest because they have each done what was asked of them – they defended our freedom.

May you always remember that you live in freedom today because of the service and sacrifice of veterans willing to fight for freedom, willing to die for freedom. May you always cherish your freedom and never take it for granted. May God bless our men and women serving in harm’s way around the world today.

Jodi Tymeson
State Chair

photo by Dave Davidson