Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Money Lines on State of the Union Address

Submitted to Eric Odom on President Bush's State of the Union Address 2006.

"I will tell you this, President Bush covered more things than I thought he would." Richard Disney

"As I listen to what President Bush is saying, I find that I am proud to have voted for this man and I am pushing my chest out while I am listening to him." Richard Disney

Eric Odom
January 31, 2006 | 6:46 pm


Money lines just in from Richard Disney:

Decisions made by military commanders not politicians in Washington D.C.

Difference in responsible criticism and defeatism.

Second guessing is not a strategy.

We must keep our word and support the military in this vital mission.

I know what honor is. I face death in the secure knowledge that you won’t have to. SSG Dan Clay

Liberty is the right and hope of all humanity.

The same is true in Iran. Iran dominated by a small elite.

Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Free and Democratic Iran

Against isolationism

U.S. is a partner for a better life.

Superb professionals in law enforcement, intelligence and the military. They deserve our thanks. They deserve the same tools that fight drugs and organized crime. Reauthorize the patriot act.

Ask to make tax cuts permanent. Keep global economy growing.

Orderly and secure borders! Stronger immigration control and border protection.

Pre State of the Union Address Comments

I would like to hear President Bush emphasize tonight that we are winning the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

I want him to continue communicating the “ownership society” and tell us what his plan is to aid those who earn money in this country to be able to keep more of that money in their own pockets. I would love to hear President Bush challenge Congress on several issues:

Eliminate the Death Tax.

Continue the 15% top rate for the Capital Gains Tax.

Make the income tax cuts permanent.

Support (as Paul Harvey would say) us (U.S.) in winning the Battle of Iraq and the overall GWOT.

I think President Bush should emphasize that eavesdropping on suspected terrorist communications in this country has been a key element in avoiding another catastrophic terrorist attack on U.S. soil. I am concerned about any threat to individual liberty, but I think the threat to individual liberty is much greater if another major terrorist attack is successful in the United States no matter who is president at the time. What President Bush has done in the way of using the powers of the Commander in Chief pales in comparison to past presidents. When one considers that Abraham Lincoln put upwards of 30,000 people (including some members of Congress) in prison for the duration of the Civil War or that Franklin Roosevelt detained over 100,000 people of Japanese decent for the duration of World War 2, what President Bush is doing now is very reasonable and has proven effective thus far. The way Democrat leaders are criticizing the Patriot Act that they themselves voted for indicates that the Democrat party is treating national security as a partisan political opportunity.

I would really like to hear President Bush talk about the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and how it should be no surprise that he (Bush) nominated a conservative judge to the Supreme Court. I think Bush should reiterate his vision of judges following a strict view of the U.S. Constitution. In essence I think judges at any level should be umpires and not be permitted to swing the bat. I think the last year has been a very good one for the United States and if January is any indication of the year to come, we are looking at great economic performance in 2006. Bush should emphasize the good things that are happening. He should lay out a continuing clear plan to continue improvements in the future. The key advantage Republicans have over Democrats right now is that Republicans have plans for the future. Democrats continue to focus on defeating Bush even though he will never be up for reelection again.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Winning in Iraq




A great look into how our troops are doing in Iraq. You wouldn't know they were doing well by most Old Media reports. I am really greatful for the advent of milblogs where information comes from the source...troops on the ground. Old Media will at times put down blogs as "not professional journalists". The writers of most successful blog are experts in their field through either education or experience. Here is an expert account from the front lines in Iraq.

H/T No End But Victory

If you’re curious as to why the Sunnis are turning against al Qaeda, read this letter from the Mayor of Tal Afar to General George W. Casey, Commanding General Multi-National Force Iraq:

“Our city was overrun by heartless terrorists, Zarqawi and his followers, who unloaded their bloodthirsty and voracious action of evil on this city for several months by indiscriminately killing men, women and children. Tall Afar was a human slaughterhouse. Simple services were not possible, causing the people to suffer, till the day you dispatched your troops, who were our lion-hearted saviors. Your troops came to rescue Tall Afar led by our heroes, whom Tall Afar will never forget. After the major operation, your wonderful soldiers started nursing the wounds of this city by rebuilding the damaged lives and buildings with great compassion and speed. These soldiers have done more than their original mission required of them. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

For that news you can thank deployed milbloggers at Marketing in Iraq and The Will to Exist - who asks why that story didn’t make the mainstream media reports.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

It's Not the Government's Money



"I will not be party to stealing money from one group
of citizens to give to another group of citizens; no
matter what the need or apparent justification. Once
the coffers of the federal government are open to
the public, there will be no shutting them again. It is
the responsibility of the citizens to support their
government. It is not the responsibility of the
government to support its citizens."

-- President Grover Cleveland

This is a great historical quote and illustrates one of
the biggest detriments to States' Rights and
Individual Liberty perpetrated by the ratification of
the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The
16th Amendment permitted the Federal Income Tax.
Before the 16th Amendment, the Federal Government
received tax revenues from the States based on
each State's population. In that respect the Federal
Government had to be somewhat beholden to the
State Governments. After ratification of the 16th
Amendment, the Federal Government reached down
into the pockets of all individuals earning an income
and took revenue all the way back to Washington
D.C. From then on the Federal Government could
enforce its will over the State Governments by
holding money back until the State Governments
complied. Even on issues many would consider minor
the Fed now says, "You better reduce your speed
limit to 55 MPH or we (the Fed) will withhold your
highway money." Now, very little of the revenue
collected by the Federal Government ever finds its
way back to Nevada.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Soldiers Secure Checkpoint in Iraq



They secure America, so you don't have to.

I made "Most Loathsome People In America" List

Posted at Bloggingman2007 and BattleBornNews.com

Then again...so did you! Check out number four.

H/T Michelle Malkin.

You are listed just below George W. Bush on the 50 Most Loathsom People in America list. This shows you just how easy it is to be added to a lefty attack campaign. As angry at the world as the contributors to the "Most Loathsom" list seem to be, it is not difficult to be mentioned.

Richard Disney served as a captain in the U.S. Army and is now running for Nevada Assembly District 26.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Warrantless Searches in Peacetime? Outrageous!

I have been asked some questions of a more national and global nature but the answers affect us here in Nevada Assembly District 26. I ran across an article written by Andrew C. McCarthy that lists exceptions for needing to obtain a warrant for a search that are listed in federal law and have been backed up by District Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

In his coverage of the McCarthy article, Mark Levin asks the questions, "Where did the Supreme Court get the power to make such exceptions? And who checks the power of the justices?" Levin makes a very good point here. I think that the Supreme Court's role is to interpret the Constitution not to supercede it. And the overall point I see is that there are many clamoring for President Bush's impeachment, but I do not hear much fervor for checking or holding the U.S. Supreme Court accountable for actions already taken to undermine individual liberties protected in the Constitution.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Disney Answers Questions

I am sitting down to give an answer to each of these questions posted as a comment earlier on this web log. I attempted to post my answers as a comment on www.indynewsdaily.com but my comment post was rejected with the message "Your comments are too long (max. 5000 characters)"

Here are the original questions that I will answer by number:

Seeing that I live in Reno and will have the chance to vote for or against you I'd like to know your position on:
1. Intellectual property
2. privacy
3. Iraq
4. Veteran Medical Funding
5. habeas corpus

Many thanks
-Joe
Reno, NV


1. I support the right to intellectual property. In reference to my logo I will tell you what my legal advisors (I didn't just haphazardly put it up without research) told me.
a. It is protected political free speech.
b. It really IS my last name.
c. It uses a publicly available (at no cost) True Type font.
d. It is not being used to make money or to interfere with or prevent Walt Disney Corp from making money.
e. I will not besmirch the name since it is mine and I am running for political office.
f. It has made an impression on the mind of all those who see it.
g. I do not link the image of my logo with any product or service offered by Disney Corp.
h. It would be noticed.
i. I have contacts with Walt Disney Corp. I will say to you something you already know. Disney Corp is pretty much “Eisnerland” now and just as they voted Roy Disney off of the Board of Directors, they may still take issue with my use of the script in its present form. Did you back Roy Disney or Eisner in that fight? I still back Roy.

Something I have found comical through the many bloggosphere posts, emails and phone calls has been the fixation on the font and Disney Corp’s right to it. The attacks on me have come exclusively from sites oriented to the left of center. These attacks are especially passionate because I am a true Conservative. Blogs which profess to be against big corporations, without investigation, have immediately sided with one of the biggest and most profitable multinational corporations on the face of the earth against little old me. What ever happened to “taking it to The Man”?

2. I support the right to privacy against unreasonable searches and seizures. I think that we are in a state of war and I do not think it unreasonable to monitor electronic communications originating in other countries (especially in regions which have become havens of international terrorism) and being received in the United States or originating in the USA and going to foreign countries. I had a detailed discussion just last night with one of my brothers who differs with me on this issue because his baseline argument is that he agrees with the phrase: “if we give up freedom for security…we deserve neither.” Those that know me well know that I highly prize liberty and do not take it likely. I am confident that if there were more abuses of the Patriot Act, that the victims would be paraded before the American people one after another by Main Stream Media. As a former military officer I know that the way to win any war is to destroy the enemy’s ability or will to fight. The enemies of the United States win if we lose our ability or will to fight. I think that in time of war and particularly in this one, the loss of liberty will be far greater if another catastrophic event is perpetrated in the United States. In the case of a massive, nuclear, biological or chemical attack the federal government would suspend many more individual rights than conducting electronic surveillance. I think what the Bush Administration is doing in the area of electronic surveillance, is a tiny fraction of what past presidents have done even in peace time. I don’t like the electronic surveillance but I think it is a big reason we have not had another catastrophic terrorist attack on US soil. The Bush Administration could communicate what they are doing in a much better fashion but what they are doing is less invasive than the types of suspensions of individual liberties enacted by past presidents of both parties including Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln. I know that if another catastrophic attack occures in the United States that many of the same people accusing President Bush of doing too much will immediately after the attack, claim that he did too little.

3. I think that in reference to Iraq that it is a battle in the overall Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and one in which we should not surrender. As a military officer, I was trained to identify an enemy’s “center of gravity” at the tactical and strategic levels of warfare. The center of gravity to me in the GWOT is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. I do not think that Iraq is or was the center of gravity in the GWOT just as Italy was not the center of gravity for Fascism in World War Two. I think it is a battle that we must win. By taking the war to the enemy in Iraq, we have created a giant “roach motel” for terrorists. Terrorists from many countries are streaming into Iraq to fight our armed and armored troops instead of streaming into the United States to blow themselves and our civilians on our city streets. The terrorists understand the dire consequence to their morale and will if a democratically elected republic is established in the center of the Middle East. The Anti-Iraqi (foreign) terrorists are killing many more Iraqi forces and civilians than they are Americans and it is starting to turn the will of the Iraqi people against them to such a degree that Iraqi civilian assistance to U.S. and Iraqi forces is rising dramatically.
I do not think that Bush lied anymore than Clinton or multiple Democrats did when they pontificated about Saddam’s WMD threat to the world. Making a decision on bad information is not a lie. Bush was not the only one who received the bad information. The Senate Intelligence Committee had access to the same intelligence that Bush had. Also the Congress voted not once but twice to give Bush authority to conduct combat operations and do all that was necessary to prevent further attacks on U.S. soil. I think the only way for our terrorist enemies and their supporters to win is for us to surrender. I know many are already advocating surrender and have been for sometime. I do not think we should give up or surrender.

4. When it comes to Veteran Medical Funding, I as a veteran and life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, support the continuation of the program. I have seen reports of cuts in some areas of funding and services. I think taking care of troops who have served our country (especially in combat) is a top priority. I do not think that these programs are being cut because Americans aren’t paying enough in taxes. I think that Veteran’s programs are being cut because of non-Veteran entitlements which receive higher priority.

5. I think that what you are referring to here is a suspension of habeas corpus as regards prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the American citizen named Padilla who has been held in military custody for more than a year (he was just turned over to the remand of the Justice Dept). I don’t like the suspension of habeas corpus but I don’t think that it applies in the case of the prisoners at Gitmo. I don’t think those prisoners have or should have protections under the United States Constitution or the Geneva Conventions. In the case of Padilla, I think from the limited data that I have garnered that his threat of constructing a “dirty bomb” was sufficiently heinous in time of war to warrant the suspension of habeas corpus in this case. I am not aware of any other cases pending of this type or I would address them. In comparison to historical precedent the suspension of habeas corpus of one American citizen in time of war pales in comparison to Franklin Roosevelt rounding up about 120,000 people of Japanese decent and putting them into concentration camps or Abraham Lincoln having, by some estimates, tens of thousands of Americans arrested and imprisoned during the Civil War.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Roy E. Disney and Richard Disney



Roy E. Disney receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Publicist Guild at the Beverly Hilton. It was a great day!

Spring Thaw in the Balkans

Thank you Blogging Man!

I just want to thank the great team of Bloggingman for allowing me to be part of the organization. Eric Odom is a visionary who sees the long term growth and influence of the Blogosphere.

I am seeing an example of the power of the Blogosphere today when someone on Daily Kos mentioned Blogging Man 2007 the negativity about the event from the loony left began immediately. Because my campaign website www.richarddisney.com is linked to the Blogging Man website, a veritable deluge of visitors came to my site and my blog. They complained about my having family values, advocating a reduction in taxation, liking the fact that Nevada's legislature meets only a few months every other year and even my logo.

With as much attention and bashing from the extreme left that Blogging Man has received thus far, this event will be a huge success. The great speakers and workshops at Blogging Man will make this event continue to grow over the years.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Disney's Future is Certain

I am glad to see that so many people are out there to protect The Walt Disney Corporation against some small local candidate like me. I am also happy that the use of my own name in a publicly available True Type font has driven so much visitor traffic to my site and blog.

To those of you out there who are concerned with the survival of The Walt Disney Corporation and its economic welfare, I am confident that Big Disney will remain economically viable.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Lean Mean Tax Fighting Machine




I am a Lean, Mean, Tax-Fighting Machine (well, at least I USED to be lean)! :)

Monday, January 16, 2006

Sunday, January 15, 2006

William F. Hecker III; Friend, Scholar, Patriot





It has been ten days since my friend Bill Hecker was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq along with four other soldiers. I have spent the last week reflecting upon the influence Bill had on my life. I knew him well but briefly, only about four years when we were working together as commanders based in Germany. The impact his death has had on me has been profound.

I remember going on reconnaissance missions through the Mosel River Valley in Germany with Bill Hecker. Bill introduced me to Federweiser. Federweiser is made exclusively in the German wine country and is not even known by very many Germans outside the wine country. Bill was a master at sniffing out river crossings for military vehicles and a great restaurant usually tucked into some castle courtyard or tiny village square.

Bill Hecker was a connoisseur of fine food and drink and a true epicure in the best sense of the word. I remember rolling over hundreds of kilometers of German countryside with Bill running Headquarters Battery and me running Service Battery. Together we controlled the entire logistics capability for a 600 man artillery battalion. Bill and I would leapfrog our units across roads and fields while supplying beans, bullets, food, fuel, medics, communication, command and control on a twenty-four hour basis. We would combine different parts of both units to maximum efficiency. I felt in our actions as if Bill Hecker was a brother. We worked so well together that the two Battalion Executive Officers that were with 4-27 Field Artillery during our tenure Major David McCauley and Major William Miracle rarely had to deal with anything but family support issues back home while Hecker and I were on the logistics job. Bill Hecker always kept me laughing and was a true professional who cared deeply for the troops.

Bill introduced me to the world of great books and started me collecting leatherbound classic books from Easton Press. I still collect books to this day. Much of my knowledge of literature comes from the authors introduced to me by Bill Hecker. The most memorable author which I encountered through Bill was Milan Kundera who wrote Immortality and The incredible Lightness of Being. Before deploying to Bosnia, Hecker read and studied books such as The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric to build rapport with the people of the region. I read now that he did the same in preparation for deployment to Iraq. Bill was truly a modern eclectic renaissance man.

Bill was officially known as William Friedrich Hecker III. He was a direct male descendant of Friedrich Karl Franz Hecker who was one of the most popular heroes of uprisings in Germany in 1848 calling for a constitutional republic. I remember Bill Hecker being pulled out of the field to attend a public relations meeting in Constance, Germany were he was literally given a key to the city and an apartment for his use any time he would visit. As the great, great, great, great grandson of Friedrich Hecker, Bill was celebrated by many Germans for a reason unknown to most people in America and was an excellent ambassador between the countries. Bill was always a patriotic American first but was proud of his eccentric German heritage.

I remember tipping German biers at the Rheinlander Club in Baumholder, Germany and in various Gasthauses across the German countryside. I remember drinking fine wines on a Rhein River cruise with Bill and our fellow officers. Hecker was always the instigator of a laugh-out-loud joke or a deadly serious discussion about history and warfare. Bill is different from the common image of a soldier. Bill was an intellectual and a scholar warrior. He even wrote a book. I will miss Bill Hecker tremendously, for the impact he made on my life. Bill is the type of man that exemplifies the people fighting to keep attacks like the one which killed him in Iraq instead of on our home streets. I salute you and thank you Bill Hecker.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Press Release Archive

Richard Disney has "Quote of the Day" on Nevada Newsmakers

Reno, NV - Jan 09, 2006 Richard Disney is listed on Nevada Newsmakers "Quote of the Day" webpage as saying: “I would like to repeal the state part of the gas tax, I don’t think most Nevadans know this, but we pay the second highest gas tax of any state in the nation. I think Sharron Angle and Don Gustavson were right, I don’t think all those (tax) increases from 2003 were necessary and that is shown in our eight hundred million dollar surplus right now.”

Richard Disney was invited to appear on the Nevada Newsmakers television program a few weeks ago and the program was published on the internet January 4, 2006 if you want to see it yourself. The segment was also broadcast on KKOH Radio 780 on Sunday January 8, 2006.
Richard Disney speaks on his core beliefs
When asked what he planned to do in the Nevada State Assembly, Disney replied that he was dedicated to repealing two bad laws for every new bill he brings to the floor.

Disney was quoted on BattleBornN ews.com as saying, "I appreciate the opportunity to appear on Nevada Newsmakers and get my message out once again that Nevadans are overtaxed and overregulated. We need less taxes, less spending and fewer laws, not more. When appearing as a guest on a television program, one does not have any control upon which statement will be quoted after the fact. I applaud Nevada Newsmakers for choosing a quote which is at the core of what I stand for and what Nevadans need."

Learn more...
About Richard Disney

Disney served as a captain in the U.S. Army. His service includes Operation Promote Liberty in Panama and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.
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Richard Disney on Nevada Newsmakers

Reno, NV - Jan 02, 2006 The Nevada Newsmakers program was announced in today's issue of the Reno Gazette Journal as follows: Today: Host Sam Shad, co-host Ray Hagar, Reno Gazette-Journal; Marilyn Newton, photojournalist for Reno Gazette-Journal and author; Andrea Robb- Bradick, Reno resident and owner of the Jim Butler Motel in Tonopah; Richard Disney, candidate for state Assembly; Anjeanette Damon, statehouse bureau chief for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Details: "Nevada Newsmakers" airs 12:30 to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday on KRNV-TV News 4.

If you miss the televised broadcast, you can still see Richard Disney's segment through streaming video at the Nevada Newsmakers website www.nevadanewsmakers.com.
Richard Disney speaks on his core beliefs
This is an excellent opportunity to find out what Richard Disney stands for and what he will do when elected to the Nevada State Assembly. Disney states once again that he will fight to repeal two bad laws for every new bill he brings to the Assembly floor.

Learn more...
About Richard Disney

Disney served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. His service includes Operation Promote Liberty in Panama and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.
Website: http://www.richarddisney.com

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For Immediate Release Contact: Richard Disney
December 2, 2005 775-321-9651

Disney Takes the Lead Against New Taxes
Challenge to Opponents Results in All Candidates in 26th District
Signing No-New-Taxes Pledge

(Reno, NV) Richard Disney (R-Nevada) was the first candidate for the Nevada State Legislature to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and challenged his opponents to do the same. Disney is pleased to announce his challenge has resulted in all Republican candidates in Nevada’s 26th District signing the pledge.

Now, Disney wants to issue a challenge to all Republican candidates running in Nevada to sign the No-New-Tax Pledge. To find out more about the ATR No-New-Taxes Pledge or to see if the candidates in your district have signed the pledge visit www.atr.com.

Coining the term “Harry Reid Republicans”, Disney is taking his commitment to conservative values to the next level and creating a “Harry Reid Republicans” list on www.richarddisney.com. The “Harry Reid Republicans” list will be a weekly post of candidates and legislators who support issues against the core Republican values of lower taxes, less government regulation, and family values.

“I’m one of those disappointed Republicans in Nevada,” commented Disney. “I have heard candidates tout Republican endorsers for their campaigns that also endorsed Sen. Harry Reid! Let’s hold those Harry Reid Republicans accountable for their actions against the Republican party.”

Disney served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. His service includes Operation Promote Liberty in Panama and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.

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For Immediate Release Contact: Richard Disney
November 21, 2005 775-321-9651

Disney Pledges to Oppose New Taxes
Challenges Opponents in the 26th Assembly Race to Sign No-New-Taxes Pledge

(Reno, NV) Pledging to never vote for new and higher taxes of hard working Nevada families, conservative Republican Richard Disney (R-Reno) signed the Americans for Tax Reform “No-New-Taxes Pledge” and encouraged his opponents to do the same.

In a challenge to all declared candidates in the 26th Assembly District, Disney called for the end of new taxes in Nevada and encouraged all Republicans to step up to the test. In addition to signing the pledge, Disney supports the principals of limited government and vowed to introduce bills to repeal two bad laws for every new bill he introduces.

Richard Disney is the only Nevada State Legislative Candidate to sign the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" and is surprised that he is alone in his stand. Disney said his aim is, "...to restrict the growth of government at both ends, taxes and spending."

“Disney has committed to protecting Nevada Taxpayers by signing the No-New-Taxes Pledge and encouraging other candidates to sign as well” commented Eric Odom of the Nevada Independent Conservatives. “He continues to demonstrate the leadership ability necessary to oppose and fight any efforts to increase our taxes.”

Richard Disney served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. His service includes Operation Promote Liberty in Panama and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.

To find out more about the ATR No-New-Taxes Pledge or to see a copy of Disney’s signed pledge visit www.richarddisney.com.

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