10 pm Update: PSO Update on Storm Outages in Tulsa, 7-24-13

(If you have specific questions about your area, we suggest you call Oklahoma (PSO) Customer Service directly at 888-218-3919.)

Tulsa District – 10 pm 7/24/13 Update from PSO:

As of 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 24, PSO had restored power to nearly half of the approximately 96,000 customers in the Tulsa metro area who lost service in the early morning storm, and it continues its around-the-clock effort to complete power restoration as safely and efficiently as possible.

Rest of 10 pm update here, pluse outage map.

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Tulsa District – 7 pm 7/24/13 Update from PSO:

As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, PSO had restored power to about 20,000 customers who lost service in the early morning storm, leaving approximately 76,300 customers in the Tulsa metro area without electric service. PSO has restored service to 16 main feeder power lines, with 76 still out of operation.

Customer outages continue to be most numerous in the southwestern portion of the metro area.

At present, there are approximately 370 PSO line and tree workers focused on restoring power in the Tulsa metro area. PSO has secured an additional 1,030 workers from other AEP companies and other utilities to support restoration efforts.

Based on damage assessment, and barring any future weather events, PSO estimates it could take until 5 p.m., Sunday, July 28, to complete power restoration to 95% of all customers who can take service. The electric service to many customers will be restored much sooner than that time.

This initial estimated time for completing power restoration will be updated as the storm recovery work progresses.

In accordance with pre-arranged plans, PSO will use a portion of Expo Square for parking the work vehicles of out-of-town crews, for refueling vehicles, and for staging materials.

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OK-SAFE, Inc. – If you live in the northeastern part of the state of Oklahoma, Tulsa in particular, you may be one of the 93,000 without power today.

Last night (or early this morning) winds between 60-80 mph swept through this part of Oklahoma.  The following information is provided by PSO on expected duration of outages, and who to call about your situation.

PSO Link: https://www.psoklahoma.com/outages/details.aspx?stormName=July%2023-24%20Storm

Storm Response Update:  Wednesday, July 24, 2013 – 10:30 a.m.

PSO is dealing with significant weather-related power outages across the Tulsa metropolitan area due to a severe thunderstorm packing 60-80 mph winds that struck in the early morning hours.

OUTAGES AND RESTORATION EFFORTS
Tulsa District
As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, approximately 93,000 customers in the Tulsa metro area were without electric service.  Customer outages are most numerous in the southwestern portion of the metro area.

At present, PSO has approximately 370 line and tree workers focused on restoring power in the Tulsa metro area.  An additional 1,030 workers from other AEP companies and other utilities have been requested to support restoration efforts.

At this early stage in the storm recovery PSO is still assessing damage to the electric system while working to make repairs and restore power.  Initial assessment found that there are a number of Distribution poles that are damaged along with several Transmission structures.  Currently, 93 main feeder lines are out of operation.  PSO hopes to complete damage assessment later today.

Also, later today PSO hopes to issue a “global” estimate of when power will be restored to all customers who are able to take power.  That initial estimated time for restoration will be updated as the storm recovery work progresses.

CUSTOMER MESSAGES
Customers should prepare for a multi-day power outage and are urged to take necessary steps to ensure their health and safety while PSO works to restore power.

For safety’s sake, assume that any downed utility line is energized with deadly electric current.  Stay away from the line and do not touch it with anything.  Report it to PSO at 1-888-216-3523.

INFORMATION
We will continue to provide additional information to you as the restoration effort moves forward.

A “snapshot” view of current outages is available anytime at PSOklahoma.com. Go to the Outages and Problems section of the site and click “View Outage Map.”

Next Update: 07/24/2013 – Approximately 4:30 p.m.

 Oklahoma (PSO) Customer Service
(888) 218-3919

The Precinct: The Most Powerful Office

OK-SAFE, Inc. – By request we are re-posting an item from early in 2011.   The dates have been updated for 2013.

The precinct is still the most powerful office in the party – will you be there this year?

Thursday, February 7, 2013 is the date set for the upcoming Republican party precinct elections, aka “caucuses”.  [Note: If you live in Tulsa County, precinct meetings can be scheduled for Feb. 7th, 8th, or 9th.]

These meetings, by state party rules, are to take place in the precinct on the date designated by the state Republican party chairman.

Tulsa County GOP information: http://www.tulsagop.org/gop-files. For more State of Oklahoma GOP County List information click here.  Registered Democrats need to check here for that party’s information.

Precinct Defined

The precinct, for those who may not know, is the geographical area assigned to vote at a particular voting location;  “a subdivision of a county, town, city, or ward for election purposes.”  Each precinct is to have a committee, made up of citizens elected by other members of that precinct, to conduct the administrative affairs of the party to which they belong (Republican or Democrat, unless and until a third party gets moving in OK.)

The precinct committee is the supreme authority within the political parties.  From the OKRPRules Amended Aug. 2011, pp 4-5:

“Rule 5- Precinct Committees

(a)   Composition and Election: There shall be a Precinct Committee in each election precinct of the state. The Precinct Committee shall consist of a Precinct Chairman and a Precinct Vice Chairman, not of the same gender, a Precinct Secretary, and a Precinct Treasurer, who may be the same person, and who shall have equal right to vote at Precinct Meetings. They shall be elected at the regular biennial Precinct Meeting of the qualified Republican voters of each precinct called by the County Chairman, or as provided in these rules. The same procedure shall be followed at a regular or special meeting, in the event new precincts are created anywhere in any county of the state.

(b ) Authority and Duties: The Precinct Committee is the supreme Republican Party authority of each precinct, subject to these rules, and the direction and control of official precinct meetings. The Precinct Committee of each precinct is charged with the duty of promoting the welfare and directing the affairs of the Republican Party in its precinct. The Precinct Chairman shall be the executive officer of the precinct delegates to any county convention. The Precinct Chairman is not disqualified to be elected or appointed as a delegate pursuant to these rules. Only the Precinct Committee has the authority to remove any duly elected qualified delegate to the county convention.”

Being the most powerful committee within the political parties, the precinct is the starting place for the election of party officials, delegates to party conventions, both county and state, and the committee that will ultimately decide who the delegates are to the National Convention where the participants vote for President. (Presidential election -every four years; party elections – every two years.)

It all starts by being involved in your local precinct election/meeting on February 7, 2013. [Known exception:Tulsa County GOP precinct meetings may be held on 2/7 , 2/8/ or 2/9, per the discretion of the precinct officers.]

Some of the articles below may help in understanding the power of the precinct and why you should participate.

1. The Most Powerful Office in the World is NOT the President of the United States Eagle Forum article: http://www.eagleforum.org/misc/brochures/precinct-committman.shtml
2. Other sources: http://theprecinctproject.wordpress.com/

Excerpt below from The Precinct Project blog – a good place to start:

“Do You Know Who Elects The Party Leaders? Did You Elect Them?

Who elects the leadership of the parties? Do you know? Are you a registered Republican? Guess what? As a “mere” registered Republican voter, without more, you DID NOT have a vote in the election of the present leadership of the Republican Party. Sorry, but those are the facts.

ONLY elected precinct committeemen get to vote for the leadership of the Party. Do I yet have your attention? Ponder the fact that ONLY elected precinct committeemen get to elect the Party leadership. Don’t you want to have a vote in those elections?

About 3,141 counties exist in the United States. Each has a county party organization. And, those county organizations almost always endorse candidates in the party primaries. And, usually, those party-endorsed candidates win. Tired of the kind of Repubican In Name Only Republicans who are winning the primaries? Then DO SOMETHING REAL and become a Republican Party precinct committeeman! Guess what? About half of the Republican Party precinct committeeman slots, nationwide, are unfilled!

Do I yet have your attention? Has the light bulb above your head clicked on yet? In some counties, like the one where I reside, Maricopa County, Arizona, within which Phoenix sits, TWO-THIRDS of the precinct committeeman slots in the Republican Party sat unfilled on Election Day, 2008. Well, it’s now January, 2010, and we’re now at 53 per cent strength instead of where we were a year ago, 31 per cent.

Spend a few moments and picture this in your mind’s eye: thousands of conservatives flock to the Republican Party and join it as precinct committeemen. And, in the next internal party elections, these conservatives (you, me and others) elect NEW, CONSERVATIVE leadership. (Or, instead, these same conservatives (me, excepted) sit behind their computer screens and put first on their priority list, instead of second, writing that next, great blog post that is going to, somehow, save the republic.)”

Save the Date! Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process Training Classes

OK-SAFE, Inc. –  Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process Training classes.

Barring the end of the world, 2013 will soon be upon us.  With it comes the beginning of another Oklahoma Legislative session.

That means it is also time for OK-SAFE’s annual Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process training classes so mark you calendars.

OK-SAFE’s training classes are in-depth, un-sissified working sessions.

Classes are broken up into three parts, starting with the basics for beginners, moving on to how and when to lobby, then to the more advanced subjects of how to read a bill with understanding, understanding political doublespeak, and who and what is influencing legislation in Oklahoma.

Attendees will come out of this class better informed, more confident in their ability to communicate with elected officials, better able to track and follow legislation, and more informed about the potential impact proposed legislation could have on this state.

The following dates, times and locations have been confirmed for three training classes.  Class details will be noted in our next newsletter.

Tulsa Area:

• Saturday, January 12, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at Heartland HQ Building, 1008-B N. Hickory Ave., Broken Arrow, OK, 74012
• Saturday, February 2, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at Spirit Life Church, 5345 S. Peoria Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74105

Oklahoma City Area:

• Saturday, January 26, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at The Village Library, 103o7 N. Penn Ave., OKC, OK  73120

These training classes are free and open to the public.  Handouts will be provided; please bring your own notebook computers. A small donation may be asked to offset expenses.

If your group or organization would like to schedule addition training classes please contact OK-SAFE at oksafe@windstream.net.

Hope to see you there.

 

 

Update: Republican-led OK House passes HB 2130, an “ObamaCare” Enabler

Hypocrisy is defined as “the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have, or applying a criticism to others that one does not apply to oneself. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.”

Most, if not all, of the current crop of OK Republicans campaigned in 2010 against what the public often calls “ObamaCare” (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA).  Oklahomans opposed this bill in its entirety, not just the individual mandate. That opposition included the development of state-run exchanges.

Today, however, the OK House passed, albeit narrowly, a controversial piece of enabling legislation authored by Speaker Kris Steele; HB 2130, paving the way for the further implementation of “ObamaCare” in Oklahoma via health care exchanges.

The Republican arguments in support of this idea included citing the Heritage Foundation,  OCPA, and Sen. Tom Coburn as supportive of the creation of these health care exchanges.*

Rep. Glen Mulready, presenting the bill for Steele, claimed at one point that the idea of health insurance exchanges was “highjacked” by ObamaCare.  (The flaw in this logic is that if the exchanges are so “conservative” how did they end up being the cornerstone of the entire PPACA socialized medicine Act, being mentioned 278 times and funded through federal grant money?) Something doesn’t compute, Rep. Mulready.

HB 2130, defining the governance of the HUB responsible for planning and implementing the Health Insurance Exchange in Oklahoma, included an amendment created at a “facilitated” meeting of a Health Information Exchange Stakeholder group held at Shepherd Mall the day before the vote.

The state recently accepted $54 million to develop the IT support system necessary to “reinvent” the health care delivery system, which includes the health insurance exchange.  (The HIE enables the transfer of electronic medical/health records – called EMRs/EHRs – between health care providers.)

The Grim Future

The future of medical care is this: The Health Insurance Exchange will eventually be connected to the “other” exchange – the Health Information Exchange (HIE). [The HIE enables the transfer of electronic medical records – called EMRs – between health care providers.]

We will live with both Managed Care and Managed Competition in an e-health system where invisible “Navigators” help consumers (not customers, consumers) make “appropriate” health care choices online; where actually visiting a real doctor is limited to “qualified” consumers; where everyone has a health ID card tied to their bank; where people are indirectly forced to participate in state-run exchanges in order to qualify for the tax credits necessary to offset their new $24,000/person annual health insurance premiums; and where no single insurance carrier will be burdened with too many sick people.

(“Navigators” are part of the PPACA law, too.)

Oh, and medical advise and/or treatment will be offered online, issued by a software program that has determined your treatment based on analyzing your accumulated electronic health “data”.

A grim future indeed.

The 51 Yes Votes (italics=Democrat, bold=Tulsa county):

Armes, Banz, Billy, Cannaday, Casey, Cockroft, Coody, Cooksey, Denney, DeWitt, Farley, Grau, Hall, Hardin, Hickman, Jackson, Johnson, Jordan, Joyner, Liebmann, Martin (Sc.), Martin (St.), McAffrey, McCullough, McDaniel (J.), McNiel, Mulready, Nelson, Newell, Nollan, Ortega, Ownbey, Peters, Peterson, Pruett, Quinn, Richardson, Roberts (D.), Russ, Sanders, Scott, Sears, Shannon, Stiles, Sullivan, Thomsen, Tibbs, Virgin, Watson, Wright, and Mr. Speaker (Steele).

The 34 No Votes (italics=Democrat, bold=Tulsa County):

Bennett, Blackwell, Brumbaugh, Christian, Condit, Derby, Dorman, Faught, Fourkiller, Glenn, Hamilton, Hilliard, Holland, Hoskin, Inman, Kern, Key, Kirby, Kouplen, Lockhart, McDaniel (R.), Moore, Morrissette, Murphey, Proctor, Reynolds, Ritze, Rousselot, Schwartz, Sherrer, Terrill, Vaughan, Wesselhoft, Williams.

The Excused Votes (italics=Democrat; bold=Tulsa County):

Brown, Cox, Dank, Enns, McPeak, Morgan, Osborn, Pittman, Renegar, Roan, Roberts (S.), Shelton, Shoemake, Shumate, Trebilcock, Walker. (That’s a lot of people off the floor for a vote.)

The 51 who voted for this bad bill need to hear from every Oklahoman; the 34 who voted No need to be thanked.

Call OK House Members:1-800-522-8502, 405-521-2711
Email OK House Members: Current List here.

HB 2130 now moves to the Senate where the ‘spin’ on this bill will continue.

*This fallacy, called an Appeal to Authority, is used as an intimidation tactic to quell opposition. “Appeals to Authority (One, Many, or Elite) – A fallacious Appeal to Authority attempts to persuade by leveraging expertise, tradition, boasted credentials, fame, social status, celebrity, etc., when these characteristics do not necessarily pertain to the issue at hand. Even when cited authorities have legitimate expertise in the topic, their expertise itself does not guarantee the truth of the argument under discussion…” and “The fallacy assumes a link between authority and truth that does not of necessity exist.”     Source: Biblical Logic, by Joel McDurmon.

OK-SAFE Meetings Re: Implementing ObamaCare in Oklahoma

Most Oklahomans (and most Americans) objected to the idea of socialized medicine as specified in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (PPACA), aka ObamaCare.  It’s companion law was the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.  Collectively these two laws are referred to as the Affordable Care Act.

It appears that the Henry/Fallin administrations, as well as the Oklahoma legislature, have been, and currently are, engaged in implementing the provisions of ObamaCare, as evidenced by the federal grant applications and legislation, while appearing to oppose ObamaCare via SQ 756 and the national lawsuit.

There will be an open discussion/review of both the grants and the legislation paving the way for the implementation of ‘ObamaCare’ in Oklahoma at two meetings this week.
See details below.

OKC – Wednesday, March 16, 2011 – The Village Library, 10307 N. Penn Ave, The Village (OKC), Oklahoma.  Time 6:30 – 8:00 pm.

Tulsa/Broken Arrow – Saturday, March 19, 2011 – Heartland HQ Building, 1008-B N. Hickory, Broken Arrow, OK.  Time: 10:00 am to 11:30 am.

Currently, HB 2130 by Steele, is a key piece of enabling legislation dealing with the HUB board and the development of the Health Insurance Exchanges.  HB 2130 removes the Insurance Commissioner from oversight of the exchange and puts in his place Dr. Terry Cline, OK Sec. of Health and Human Services, appointed by Gov. Fallin.

This bill is being presented by freshman legislator Rep. Glen Mulready, (HD-68) who apparently agreed to carry this bill for leadership.  Leadership has not done him any favors here – HB 2130 is not a bill one would wish to be associated with in the future.

We are recommending a NO vote on HB 2130.  We also suggest to Rep. Mulready that if he is anxious for approval that he might want to get dog – politicians make lousy friends.

Psalm 118: 8,9 – “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man; It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

Hey, Oklahoma! Precinct Meetings Moved to New Dates

Due to the recent snow storms, many counties in Oklahoma have moved their GOP biennial precinct meetings dates, times, and locations.  (Originally set for Tuesday, 2/1/2011,  many of these meetings have been moved to Tuesday, 2/8/2011.)

NOTE: Not all of the precinct meetings have been moved to Tuesday, 2/8/11, however!

Some precincts are meeting earlier or later, again due to weather concerns or the county’s needs.  (i.e. Precinct 171 in Tulsa county will be having its meeting on Monday, February 7, 2011 at Siegi’s restaurant, 8104 S. Sheridan Rd, from 7-8 pm.  Others in Tulsa County are meeting by House district at a central location on the 8th, or in their homes on the 8th.)

The only way to find out for certain is to call your precinct chairman or vice-chairman for details.  If you do not know who these people are, or you do not have a chairman for your precinct, contact your local county party office for details of the precinct meeting date, time, and location.  Volunteer to be precinct chairman until you can be properly elected.

By the way, when you attend this meeting, suggest moving the precinct meetings to April! It’s warmer.

Listed below are a few county sites to check for precinct meeting information.  A complete list of county information and contact detail is available on the state GOP website.

State GOP –http://okgop.com/

Tulsa County GOP – www.tulsagop.org – Keep checking back for updates on Precinct meeting locations and dates.

Oklahoma County GOP – www.myokgop.com/oklahoma

Cleveland County GOP – http://clevelandcountygop.com/ – Note: Cleveland County’s information on precinct meetings, precinct chairman, etc.  is virtually non-existent. It appears that in Cleveland County Republicans have to register online to see a meeting location.  Not sure what is wrong in this county;  perhaps they need new leadership or someone who knows how to utilize a website and communicate a bit better.

Payne County GOP – http://paynecountygop.org/ – No information about precinct meetings, but Groundhog day is noted  on the calendar.  Wake up, Payne County!

Rogers County GOP – http://rogerscountygop.com/ – Lots of good information here.  Precinct Meetings appear to be moved to Feb. 17, 2011.  See their website for details.

Wagoner County GOP – http://www.wagonergop.org/ – Good information here.  Click link at bottom to see chart of meeting locations.

Washington County GOP – No website.  Check here for info. Precinct meetings rescheduled for Monday, February 7, 2011,  at Arvest Bank, 4225 SE Adams RD in the Community Room at 7 p.m.  “All registered Republicans are encouraged to attend.” 

Again, please check with your county GOP offices to verify the exact meeting dates, times, and locations.  The precinct chairman and committee are the ultimate authority within the precinct so check with them first, then check with the county.

Also, for those who would like some reading materials while stuck at home, try reading the State GOP Rules.  Might want to change  Rule 16 to clearly state that the GOP precinct meetings need to be in April when the weather is better. (Only have to worry about tornadoes then.)  Also, suggest offering these resolutions at the precinct meeting.

OK-SAFE Training Sessions – Tulsa

The Oklahoma Legislative Session begins on Monday, February 7, 2011, runs for 16 weeks, and ends on May 27, 2011.

Building on last year’s citizen training, OK-SAFE will be conducting 2 training sessions entitled Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process. (NOTE: The OKC session was conducted 1/15/2011.)

These meetings are subject-specific, and graduated by level of ability and interest. 

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own computers, note-taking material, and refreshments as these are working meetings.

• Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011
• Time: 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
• Location: The HQ Building, 1008-B N. Hickory Ave., Broken Arrow, OK.    

Preliminary Agenda is detailed below.

1st Hour –

• Introductory – The Basics. 1) Overview of the OK Legislative Process; 2) Identifying your legislator; 3) Contact information and lists; 4) Writing emails; 5) Making the OK Legislature and OSCN websites your home pages.

2nd Hour – 

• Intermediate -Building on Hour 1. 1) The legislative process, including interim studies, introduced bills;  bill committee assignments; 2) The committee process; when to advocate for a bill; 3) Creating group email lists for House and Senate committees; 4) Understanding the role of Speaker/ Pro-Temp, Floor Leader, and Whips.  

3rd Hour –

• Advanced – Taking off the Rose-Colored Glasses. 1) How to read a bill with understand; which OK titles of law to examine; 2) Understanding political doublespeak, i.e, smaller, smarter government, small business, advanced, quality job, knowledge-based economy; 3) The Quality Jobs Program Act; PrimeWIN; OSU-UML, the ‘contract verifier’ for OK; 4) Tax incentives/earmarks; who is benefiting from the passage of legislation.

These meetings are free and open to the public; however, we are asking for a small donation to cover the cost of printed material and room rental. 

Psalm 118: 8,9 – “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man; It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

The Precinct: The Most Powerful Office. Get Involved – Elections 2/1/2011!

OK-SAFE, Inc. – By request we are re-posting a blog item from early in 2011.  We have updated the dates from 2011 to those for 2013.

It is still true – the precinct in the most powerful office in the party – will you be there?

Oklahoma – Tuesday, February 1, 2011 Thursday, February 7, 2013 is the date set for the upcoming Republican party precinct elections, aka “caucuses”.  [Note: If you live in Tulsa County, precinct meetings can be scheduled for Feb. 7th, 8th, or 9th.]

These meetings, by state party rules, are to take place in the precinct on the date designated by the state Republican party chairman.

Tulsa County GOP information: http://www.tulsagop.org/gop-files. For more State of Oklahoma GOP County List information click here.  Registered Democrats need to check here for that party’s information.

Precinct Defined

The precinct, for those who may not know, is the geographical area assigned to vote at a particular voting location;  “a subdivision of a county, town, city, or ward for election purposes.”  Each precinct is to have a committee, made up of citizens elected by other members of that precinct, to conduct the administrative affairs of the party to which they belong (Republican or Democrat, unless and until a third party gets moving in OK.)

The precinct committee is the supreme authority within the political parties.  From the OKRPRules Amended Aug. 2011, pp 4-5:

“Rule 5- Precinct Committees

(a)   Composition and Election: There shall be a Precinct Committee in each election precinct of the state. The Precinct Committee shall consist of a Precinct Chairman and a Precinct Vice Chairman, not of the same gender, a Precinct Secretary, and a Precinct Treasurer, who may be the same person, and who shall have equal right to vote at Precinct Meetings. They shall be elected at the regular biennial Precinct Meeting of the qualified Republican voters of each precinct called by the County Chairman, or as provided in these rules. The same procedure shall be followed at a regular or special meeting, in the event new precincts are created anywhere in any county of the state.

(b ) Authority and Duties: The Precinct Committee is the supreme Republican Party authority of each precinct, subject to these rules, and the direction and control of official precinct meetings. The Precinct Committee of each precinct is charged with the duty of promoting the welfare and directing the affairs of the Republican Party in its precinct. The Precinct Chairman shall be the executive officer of the precinct delegates to any county convention. The Precinct Chairman is not disqualified to be elected or appointed as a delegate pursuant to these rules. Only the Precinct Committee has the authority to remove any duly elected qualified delegate to the county convention.”

Being the most powerful committee within the political parties, the precinct is the starting place for the election of party officials, delegates to party conventions, both county and state, and the committee that will ultimately decide who the delegates are to the National Convention where the participants vote for President. (Presidential election -every four years; party elections – every two years.)

It all starts by being involved in your local precinct election/meeting on February 1, 2011.  February 7, 2013. [Known exception:Tulsa County GOP precinct meetings may be held on 2/7 , 2/8/ or 2/9, per the discretion of the precinct officers.]

Some of the articles below may help in understanding the power of the precinct and why you should participate.

1. The Most Powerful Office in the World is NOT the President of the United States Eagle Forum article: http://www.eagleforum.org/misc/brochures/precinct-committman.shtml
2. Other sources: http://theprecinctproject.wordpress.com/

Excerpt below from The Precinct Project blog – a good place to start:

“Do You Know Who Elects The Party Leaders? Did You Elect Them?

Who elects the leadership of the parties? Do you know? Are you a registered Republican? Guess what? As a “mere” registered Republican voter, without more, you DID NOT have a vote in the election of the present leadership of the Republican Party. Sorry, but those are the facts.

ONLY elected precinct committeemen get to vote for the leadership of the Party. Do I yet have your attention? Ponder the fact that ONLY elected precinct committeemen get to elect the Party leadership. Don’t you want to have a vote in those elections?

About 3,141 counties exist in the United States. Each has a county party organization. And, those county organizations almost always endorse candidates in the party primaries. And, usually, those party-endorsed candidates win. Tired of the kind of Repubican In Name Only Republicans who are winning the primaries? Then DO SOMETHING REAL and become a Republican Party precinct committeeman! Guess what? About half of the Republican Party precinct committeeman slots, nationwide, are unfilled!

Do I yet have your attention? Has the light bulb above your head clicked on yet? In some counties, like the one where I reside, Maricopa County, Arizona, within which Phoenix sits, TWO-THIRDS of the precinct committeeman slots in the Republican Party sat unfilled on Election Day, 2008. Well, it’s now January, 2010, and we’re now at 53 per cent strength instead of where we were a year ago, 31 per cent.

Spend a few moments and picture this in your mind’s eye: thousands of conservatives flock to the Republican Party and join it as precinct committeemen. And, in the next internal party elections, these conservatives (you, me and others) elect NEW, CONSERVATIVE leadership. (Or, instead, these same conservatives (me, excepted) sit behind their computer screens and put first on their priority list, instead of second, writing that next, great blog post that is going to, somehow, save the republic.)”