Critical Race Theory in our Schools

• CRT teaches that race is the main determinant of success in America. CRT promotes the idea that people should be categorized and judged based on their group identity instead of their individual character, behavior, and merit.
• CRT undermines our American foundation that "all men are created equal". CRT proponents want to replace equal opportunity with equality of outcome regardless of effort.

Seven Months until Primary Election

August meeting recap

1. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know
2. Know the candidates and their positions for the 2022 elections
3. Become a candidate, or help find good candidates for commissioner and school board
4. Get involved with the local party - volunteer and donate your time and money
5. Be aware of redistricting, and contact your representatives when needed
6. Show you are an American patriot - fly your Stars and Stripes

Important Dates to Remember

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‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.

Citizenship and Voter Registration - did you know?

When a new voter registers to vote in North Carolina, there is no confirmation that the new voter is a citizen of the United States. All one has to do is mark a box stating they are a citizen. Lying about that is a crime, but no one checks. Just something else our North Carolina legislature needs to address. August Chatham GOP meeting We are holding our August 10th Chatham County GOP meeting at Bestfoods Cafeteria in Siler City, from 6pm to 8pm. Please attend if you are interested in meeting other Chatham conservatives, and please let us know if you are coming so we can plan accordingly. RSVP here.

Reagan Day Dinner (November 13)

Reagan Day Dinner sponsorships are available now. Individual tickets will be available in September. We have three levels of Sponsorship. Each level provides tickets to the event, a VIP reception prior to dinner, photo opportunities with the speakers, and recognition in the Program, plus with our sincere thanks! To become a sponsor, visit this link.

Russ Vought, our Reagan Day dinner keynote speaker, has been busy. Here is a link to one of his current efforts against Critical Race Theory and here is a link to his organization, the Center for Renewing America.

Get involved in Chatham County

The Chatham County Environmental Review Advisory Committee is seeking a member to advise the Commissioners on environmental policy. An application is at this link. Also, the Agriculture Advisory Board is seeking a member to advise the Commissioners on agriculture and land use issues. More information is here and an application form is here.

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I just discovered the writings of a conservative economist at George Mason University: Dr. Walter Williams. Check out his website to read his insights into liberty, freedom, and economics. From Dr. Williams:

Government is about coercion. Limiting government is the single most important instrument for guaranteeing liberty.

And just one more:

Most of the great problems we face are caused by politicians creating solutions to problems they created in the first place.

Exhaurire palude!

Interested in my prior emails and blog? See them at this link.

July 30 Meet the Candidates

July 31 Movie night

August 10 Open meeting night

September 11 FIESTA

September 14 Critical Race Theory

November 13 Reagan Day Dinner

Candidates Needed

Dangerous Times

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A post entitled 'The Attack on Individuals, Liberties, Freedoms and Our Country by American Marxists' by guest author 'R.M.'

Independence Day Holiday

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.   Written 245 years ago those words seem as fresh and applicable today as they did to our founders, fighting for their freedoms from British occupation. Those men and women dedicated their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the ideal of freedom. I wonder how many of our current generation of Americans would dedicate anything at all to the ideal of freedom. It is up to conservatives across this nation to stand up for our constitution and for our founding principles and to push back against the woke mobs.  

Grand Opening of Headquarters

Our Chatham County Republican Party headquarters will be open on July 4 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM (the same time as Summerfest in downtown Pittsboro). Please stop by and say hello and then enjoy the festivities in Pittsboro.  

Elections in 2022

Primary elections are only eight months away, in March 2022. These are important, because they select who will run as Republicans (or Democrats) for the general election in November of 2022. Several individuals have already stepped forward to be our next US Senator, but that is not the only position: we need good candidates for Chatham County board of commissioners and school board. It’s up to ‘we the people’ to ensure our voices are heard. If at all interested in running or finding our more please send an email to [email protected]

Chatham Board of Elections

Congratulations to Charles Ramos and Frank Dunphy on their reappointment to the Chatham County Board of Elections. Charles and Frank are doing great work helping to ensure fair, open, and honest elections in Chatham County.  

August Open Meeting

The Chatham Republican Party will hold an ‘open’ meeting for all Chatham County Republicans on August 10 (location TBD). No special speakers, just an opportunity for any interested Republican to attend and listen to the business of the local party as we plan for the year ahead. More to follow … .  

Hold the Date!

Our annual Reagan Day Dinner will be November 13 at Governors Club. This gala evening will feature several invited political candidates, and our keynote speaker will be Russ Vought, President of the Center for Renewing America https://americarenewing.com . Please put this date on your calendars. We will have ticket information available as the date gets closer. Interested in being a Sponsor? Let us know at [email protected]  

Looking for good Conservative information?

You should be reading Imprimis https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu , a publication of Hillsdale College. Recent articles include “Our Increasingly Unrecognizable Civilization” and “Critical Race Theory: What It Is and How to Fight It”. Try it, you’ll like it!  

A Quote from one of our Founders

The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold on us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.

— Thomas Jefferson (1781)

Exhaurire palude

NCGOP Convention

The state convention last weekend in Greenville NC had the largest attendance ever - over 1,300 delegates from across the state gathered together as like-minded conservative patriots. We heard great speeches, from NC Council of State elected officials, to Chief Justice Paul Newby, to Clarence Henderson from the Frederick Douglass Foundation. The highlight presentations were from our outstanding Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, from South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and from President Trump at the Saturday evening diner. (Click the links to view the speeches.) We also heard from the six candidates running for US Senate: Jen Banwart, Marty Cooke, Kenneth Harper, Ted Budd, Mark Walker, and Pat McCrory. You may have heard that President Trump endorsed Ted Budd; as a Republican Party we will not endorse any candidates until after the Primary elections, so may the best person win your vote in the primaries.

State Chair Michael Whatley was re-elected by acclamation. In a close vote, Susan Mills was elected our new Vice Chair. The State GOP is in competent hands with these two leaders.

Chatham GOP Headquarters

We did it - the new Chatham Republican Party Headquarters is at 189-B Thompson Street in Pittsboro. Our Grand Opening will be July 4 from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM (the same time as the Summerfest in downtown Pittsboro). Please plan on stopping by to visit. More details to follow.

BUT, with a new headquarters comes new needs. We need your support to help keep the doors open and the lights on. Consider donating a small recurring monthly amount at this link to help us continue to support conservative causes and candidates in Chatham County: https://www.chathamncgop.com/headquarters.

Sportsmen's Banquet Fundraiser

Each year the State Republican Party holds a Sportsmen's Banquet and Gun Raffle. Details are coming for the banquet on October 9, but you can get involved with the raffle now. Here is a list of the 21 guns to be raffled. Tickets are available at our Chatham GOP headquarters or with several of the executive committee members. If you would like a raffle ticket, stop by the HQ or send and email to me at [email protected] and we can work that. All proceeds go towards the Judicial Victory Fund which was so successful in electing conservative judges in 2020. In 2022 we have the opportunity for a conservative majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court, so please consider helping out this worthy cause.

Questions about the Nation

Do you think the country is better off or worse off in the last five months under the Biden administration? Are the borders more secure? Are more people employed? Is the economy in better shape? Are we more energy independent? Does the international community view us as stronger and more capable? Are prices going down or up? How about respect for institutions like law enforcement or the Church? Are cities safer? Have we found origins of the coronavirus? Are race relations getting better? Has the national debt gone down? Are our computer networks more secure? Is speech freer? Are race relations better? Do big corporations still censor media posts? Do you feel that the country is becoming more or less cohesive?

I know my answers to those questions, and the answers make me concerned about our nation's future.

What can you do? Get involved.

Registering to vote is a given - you are expected to do that as an American citizen. You must do more: talk politics with neighbors (don't be afraid!); volunteer with political parties; speak your values at church; volunteer your time, your dollars, or both to your political party; write letters to the newspapers and to your elected representatives; take a position on the Chatham Chatlist; most of all, consider running for office. We need great people for the Chatham County Board of Education and the Chatham County Commissioners offices. Interested? Let me know at [email protected]

This is the time and place to stand for our Nation.

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. ― Plato

Exhaurire palude

From guest author 'RM', a thought-provoking piece on the globalism issue here.

Reagan Day meet-the-candidates. As you probably have heard, we turned our annual Reagan Day dinner into a virtual opportunity to see and hear from many of the local and state candidates. Tune in at 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 19 using Zoom to see the event. You must have a Zoom account (get one at zoom.us if you do not have a free zoom account) to attend.

Here is the login link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84457687210?pwd=Q2QxUDdta1FTdC95RzRFTm1oR1lIQT09

Meeting ID: 844 5768 7210
Passcode: 738612

Sample Ballots. Each year we prepare sample ballots with our recommended candidates. You can see this year's recommended candidates here. If you would like a paper copy just come by our headquarters and get one. You can also get candidate material and Trump signs. Stop and say hello!

Absentee Ballots. Have you requested your absentee ballot? Have you filled it out and returned it? Still need one? Go here for absentee ballot information.

Thinking about elections, patriotism, and love of country - consider the most recent Medal Of Honor recipient, Sergeant Major Thomas Payne. SGM Payne received his medal on September 11, 2020, the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Read his story, and try to keep a dry eye as you think about the sacrifices our men and women in the military, our police and other first responders, and others have made throughout our history to keep our country a strong Republic.

Do you believe 'someone else will do everything?'. You won't get medals for volunteering, but everyone needs to help! Please volunteer this election season, and bring a friend.

Finally, closing with a quote from Thomas Paine, who helped inspire the American patriots to declare independence from Great Britain:

These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their county; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
— Thomas Paine

Terry Schmidt
Chair, Chatham County Republican Party
Exhaurire palude

Absentee ballots. If you have requested an absentee ballot, those begin to get mailed on September 4. Absentee ballots are NOT AUTOMATICALLY sent to North Carolina voters. You may request an absentee ballot at https://www.chathamnc.org/home/showdocument?id=50995 or at https://www.ncsbe.gov. If you don’t receive a ballot about a week after requesting one, contact the board of elections at (919) 545-8500.

You can return your ballot by mail, or in person at the Board of Elections office (984 Thompson St, Pittsboro NC 27312), or in person at an early voting site. There are no ballot drop boxes. An individual may only return their own ballot, or that of a near relative (spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother- father- daughter- or son-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, or legal guardian). NO ONE ELSE can legally return your ballot. If someone other than one of those tries to return your ballot, please contact the Chatham Republican Party at [email protected].

To check and see if your completed, returned ballot has been received, visit the North Carolina board of elections website at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/.

If you ask for an absentee ballot and then later decide to vote in person - great! All you have to do is destroy your unsubmitted absentee ballot. Once you submit your absentee ballot, however, you are done. You cannot later vote in person or change your ballot.

Sample ballots. We will be sending Republican sample ballots in the next couple of weeks. Look for yours in the mail with our recommended candidates. Remember this year we have a multi-page ballot. You will need to vote all pages, all the way to the end of the ballot.

Precinct Chairs! Interested in going all-in to support conservative principles and candidates? Then consider becoming a Precinct Chair. We have openings in several precincts for this important organizing role. If you might be interested, send an email to [email protected] for more information.

Reagan Day meet-the-candidates. Due to the Governor’s restrictions on meetings during covid, we regret our 2020 Reagan Day Dinner must go ‘virtual’ this year. We have a full lineup of conservative candidates who will speak. Please plan on attending from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm on September 19, 2020 via Zoom. I will send out the login information a few days before the event.

Volunteering. We hope to have volunteers at each of the early voting and election day sites, and as inside voting observers at each voting site. Both these roles are vitally important this year. We will need almost 6,000 volunteer hours to make that goal. We live in a free America now because our forefathers volunteered their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor over 200 years ago. It is our duty to honor their sacrifices. Please volunteer just a few (or more!) hours this election season to maintain the United States as the greatest country on earth. Go to https://www.chathamncgop.com/volunteer_2020 and let us know we can count on you between now and November.

Local Profiles in Courage. A special thanks this week to our two Chatham County Board of Elections members, Charles Ramos and Frank Dunphy. They stood up for conservative principles in the face of Democrat board member verbal attacks at the most recent board of elections meeting. Good job! Now, it is up to all of us to show courage for our principles in Chatham County.

Old Fashioned Farmers Day. Looking for something to do on Labor Day weekend? The 45th Old Fashioned Farmers Days at Silk Hope is happening on Saturday and Sunday. Many of our local Republican candidates will be around the broadcasters booth at 11:00 am on Saturday. Be sure to wear your MAGA hats. (Wait - you don't have a MAGA hat? Get one at the Chatham GOP headquarters in Pittsboro.)

Looking for something else to do? Our Orange County neighbors are having a 'BBQ, Bluegrass & The Bill of Rights' barbecue on October 3 in Hillsborough, to support the Judicial Candidates. More information is here: https://orange.nc.gop/bbq_and_bluegrass.

Finally this week, some historic words:

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
― Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for reading.

Terry Schmidt
Chair, Chatham County Republican Party
Exhaurire palude

70 days until election. Have you thought about how you are going to cast your ballot this year?

In North Carolina, you have several methods to cast your vote.
On election day, November 3, you must vote in your precinct. MOST ELECTION-DAY VOTING LOCATIONS HAVE CHANGED THIS YEAR due to Covid precautions. Do not plan on going to the voting location you used in the past, as most likely it will be not be there. More on that in a later email.
For two weeks before election day, you can vote in-person at one of the early voting locations. I’ll put out more information about that in a couple weeks.
You can request an absentee ballot now. If for some reason you might not get to the polls in person, any registered voter can vote with an absentee ballot. That is a great primary or backup plan in case something happens and you can’t get to the polls. If you are not registered to vote, stop everything, right now, and do so. Go here and register. If you have not yet requested an absentee ballot, stop everything, right now, and do so. Go here now. If you later decide to vote in person, you do not have to send in your absentee vote, but now you have a backup plan. Ballots will start to be mailed on September 4. If you vote absentee you cannot later vote in person.
The North Carolina absentee ballot procedure seems to be secure. Each ballot will have a barcode that the voter can use to check the progress of the ballot from mailing to deliver to voting at the board of elections.
You can check your voters registration by going to this website: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

Early Voting. The days for early voting in each North Carolina county are determined by a unanimous vote of the Board of Elections members. This year the three Democrat members have pushed to expand early voting on Sunday. The three Republican members have voted against Sunday voting. Since they could not agree, the decision now goes to the State Board of Elections meeting on August 31. You can express your opinion at https://bit.ly/3ipadmf no later than noon on August 27. Please do so.

Reagan Day Dinner. Because we cannot plan on what edict will come next from Governor Cooper regarding coronavirus, we cannot hold this year’s Reagan Day dinner in person. Please plan on attending our virtual Reagan Day meet-the-candidate event on September 19. A future newsletter will have login information for the event.

Volunteer. We would like to have volunteers all day at every one of the polling places this year to hand out sample ballots and answer voter’s questions about candidates. Please consider spending some time with your fellow patriots this year, and volunteer for this important work. Simply go here and let us know if you can help.

From one of our nation’s Founding Fathers:
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must … undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
― Tom Paine

Terry Schmidt
Chair, Chatham County Republican Party