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If you have any news tips, gossip or rumors you would like to share or any ideas for future post. Please send an email to: 6vwts@notsharingmy.info or contact us on Twitter: @IndyRepublicanX

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Showing posts with label Charlie White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlie White. Show all posts

Monday, October 11, 2021

A Few Thoughts on America, Religion and the Future

In contrast to the broad scope of the title of this column. This post will be brief and to the point. We understand and in many ways share the concerns and fears of our fellow Americans in this the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-one. However we also are possessed of the spirit of eternal optimism that has been a part of our American character since the first settlers arrived centuries ago on our shores.

There has been talk recently of many people all over the ideological spectrum about the possible splitting apart of these United States. To this we say: Nonsense! The republic has withstood a civil war and countless threats since the days of the founders. And we will survive today. Another fact that is ignored is that for any breaking apart of the country to occur, enough of us would have to quit watching tv, and go fight. We might be wrong but we see little evidence that will occur. 

Politicians come and go, but the United States remains. We must learn to turn away from politics as a religion and return it to the realm of upholding the constitution and the republic for which it stands. If we repent or rethink our ideas and where we wish to go, we will recapture the best and most true parts of both our spiritual and political traditions. At times we will site various scriptural passages in support of general principles and to show both religious and secular backing for the truths we hold dear and proclaim.

We as Americans have far more control and options than we often give ourselves credit for. We understand why people are frustrated with politics, we are also. Bottom line is that most politicians are selling all of us short. When we all go to our jobs, when we are with our family and friends. We deep down want to achieve greatness, we wish to provide for ourselves and those we love. We want to work productively. We don’t care where our neighbors are from, what the color of their skin is, or even if they disagree with us in radical ways. What we do care about is that others treat us with respect, don’t try to run our lives for us and they let us live in peace. The political establishment of both parties wants to keep us down, they want us to be dependent on them for our food, shelter and fortunes. The sheer size of the federal deficit is the unanswerable argument against allowing politicians to have control over our lives! As it is written: “Let none be ye called masters” Matthew 23:10

If we want to improve ourselves and others we can and we will! We can worry about litter all day, or we can adopt a highway and help keep it clean. We can complain about poverty and hunger, or we can donate food and other goods to charity or even cut out the middleman and give to others ourselves. The sky is nowhere near the limit! 

We won’t lie and say this will be easy. There will be difficulties and as Thomas Paine said “these are the times that try mens souls”. As it is written: “Blessed is he who perseveres under trial” James 1:12 

To all our brothers and sisters in America and around the world. We wish you all long life and happiness. In future posts we will elaborate further on how we best believe we can proceed to but ourselves and our nation back in order. There are policy and ideological issues that are relevant to the great task remaining. However we believe many of the political and spiritual problems facing us are a matter more of temperament than ideology.

We thank you all for your continuing support, we are forever indebted to many wonderful Hoosier patriots: Christine Scales, Paul Ogden, Charlie White and the late, great Gary Welsh. We love you Gary! Your spirit lives still!

Praise be to God! Amen! Hallelujah! Good Golly Miss Molly! 

And with that we leave you with this inspirational tune. The unforgettable theme to “Chariots of Fire” by the inimitable band Vangellis:





Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson Is Calling It Quits


Secretary of State Connie Lawson 

Yesterday the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson has announced she will be resigning from her office in the near future.

The IBJ reported

Lawson did not specify an exact date when she would step down but said the resignation would take place when Gov. Eric Holcomb “selects a successor and the successor is ready to serve.”

Lawson, 71, is the longest-serving secretary of state in Indiana history. She was appointed to the office by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels in March 2012 and was elected in 2014 and 2018.

“I have dedicated the last 32 years of my life to public service,” Lawson said in written remarks. “I have served with all of my heart and soul. It has been an honor to serve, but it is time for me to step down. Like many Hoosiers, 2020 took a toll on me. I am resigning so I can focus on my health and my family.”

Prior to becoming secretary of state, Lawson served in the Indiana Senate for 16 years. In 2006, she was selected as the first woman to serve as majority floor leader in the Senate.

Before joining the Indiana Senate, Lawson served as clerk of the Hendricks County Circuit Court for eight years.

The article goes onto mention that Lawson has not given an exact timeframe as to when she will be resigning. Governor Eric Holcomb showered Lawson with so much excessive praise you would think he was talking about Saint Mary:

“Indiana’s own Iron Lady, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, has long defined what true public service and leadership is and ought to be all about,” he said. “Throughout her time in county, legislative and statewide office, she set the standard for commitment, composure, class and credibility. No matter the year or issues of the day, citizens could bank on Connie Lawson leading the way and inspiring others to follow.

“A trailblazer, holder of state records, even serving alongside three Governors as Secretary of State, through it all, Connie has remained universally respected by veterans and the next generation alike.”


Not everyone would agree with the praise heaped on Lawson by Governor Holcomb. We have previously made mention of Lawson’s ethical and possible legal shortcomings. Needless to say Lawson is not the most ethical woman around. There are rumors swirling as to who Holcomb might appoint to replace Lawson.

The names we have heard so far thrown around are: Brandon Clifton who is Lawson’s chief of staff and deputy Secretary of State. Pacers Vice President Danny Lopez. And former congressional candidate and employee of the Secretary of State’s office. We have heard a few other names but these are the ones that stand out the most. If any of you out there have any insights or ideas as to what is driving Lawson’s resignation or who her replacement will be than contact us by email at 6vwts@notsharingmy.info, reach out to us on Twitter at @IndyRepublicanX, or fill out the contact form on the right side of the webpage of the blog.

Goodnight everyone and God Bless You All!

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

A Contrarian’s View of Senator Dick Lugar


Senator Richard Lugar

We are writing this post in the full knowledge that by doing so we may well come under extreme criticism and will be undoubtedly chastised for speaking ill of the dead. But the truth about who Dick Lugar was is true whether we say so or not. So we might as well say so. Notwithstanding we originally all of us here at IR had decided to say nothing regarding the now deceased Senator Richard Lugar. Given the degree to which the IR gang helped to defeat Lugar in the 2010 Primary. At first we all thought that we had said all we had to say on the man. Upon further reflection especially considering the uncritical and unwarranted adulation that has been bestowed upon the Senator. As well as the damage to our state, and our nation Lugar helped to inflict. We took the advice of George Orwell who said: “telling the truth is a revolutionary act”.  As well as John 8:32 states: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Also to do justice to the memory of the late great Gary Welsh, who like Paul Ogden helped to end Lugar’s 36 year reign in the Senate. And for the fact that Lugar was allowed to escape punishment for potentially 24 felonies, while Charlie White was crucified and convicted falsely on the bogus charge of one count of voter fraud. These facts notwithstanding the death of Senator Lugar MUST be aired. Paul Ogden has penned a good piece today on the Senator’s passing. Paul as always is candid, and honest. Paul has long been a valued friend and ally of all of us here. Paul Ogden and us are usually in agreement on the issues. In regards to Lugar we agree on many points. But we cannot offer nearly as much praise of Lugar as Paul can. 

Gary Welsh has throughly documented Lugar’s falsely claiming to have been an inhabitant of the state for 35 years while he was in the Senate. It is true that Lugar as we, Paul Ogden, grant Lugar did some good work on foreign policy. We strongly disagree that Lugar was a non tribal figure. Especially given his role in launching the political career of “Godfather” Governor Mitch Daniels who is the most tribalistic and cult like person to ever inhabit the Governors Office. Also no amount of good deeds will ever make up for Lugar’s corrupt conduct as Mayor of Indianapolis. Of particular interest is this account from the 1970’s of Mitch Daniels engaging in some questionable actions to shake down city employees to give money to Mayor Lugar’s campaign coffers. 

As lifelong conservatives and republicans we believe in the rule of law. Which has for too long been neglected by the bipartisan cabal that has control of much of the Hoosier state. And the fact that Dick Lugar escaped punishment for his misdeeds is a fact that will have to be acknowledged sooner or later. Seriously Lugar was allowed to cast votes from a house that he had not owned for 35 years, Mitch Daniels cast ballots using the address of the Governors mansion that he admitted he did not reside at. Mike Pence filed tax returns when he was running for Governor in 2012 stating that he lived in Virginia. Even though according to state law to run for Governor he had to have resided in Indiana for the five years preceding the 2012 election. Most laughable is Pence’s having voted from the Governor’s mansion in last years election even though he doesn’t live there. Sorry folks to bring up unpleasant facts. But until the Indiana press and federal prosecutors do their jobs and go after these creeps we are forced to air unpleasant facts.





Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Matt Tully Is Dead

We just received word that our old nemesis Matt Tully of the Indianapolis Star has died of cancer. We had no love for Matt Tully and IR won’t lie and say we thought much of him before or now. We still despise his role in attacking Gary Welsh and Charlie White. But we didn’t want this to happen. Tully every once in a good while wrote decent articles. And by all accounts was a good husband and father. Our prayers to his family and friends. Also Matt sorry you suffered the way you did. But you are at peace now. That’s all that matters. Someday we will bury the hatchet and start again. Good or Bad you kept us on our toes.

Rest In Peace Brother Matthew 

The IR Crew

Thursday, February 22, 2018

We Need More Gadflies Not Less

Gadfly
noun, plural gadflies 
1. any of various flies (such as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock
2. a person who stimulates or annoys other people especially by persistent criticism  
  • a political gadfly


IR, Paul Ogden, Charlie White have all been accused of being gadflies. Usually meant to convey the impression that people like us exist only to irritate or annoy others with our blogging and activism. We will not speak for Misters Ogden and White. Speaking for ourselves we choose to hold public officials and others accountable when they act contrary to the values they are supposed to uphold. If by speaking truth to power we irritate some people we say GOOD! If it was not for gadflies like Paul Ogden and the late great Gary Welsh. Dick Lugar would still be decomposing in his Senate seat from a state in which he has not resided since 1977. A more recent example of the need for gadflies is provided in Paul Ogden's most recent post Indianapolis Terminates Ballard-Era Electric/Hybrid Car Contract; Will Blue Indy Be Next? Paul discusses how after several years of him and the late great Gary Welsh banging the drum against former Indianapolis Greg Ballard's Indy-Vision boondoggle. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has decided to cancel this ill advised deal. Yes it took many years. But the point is that the contract was eventually cancelled. Not all of our heroes share our enthusiasm for being the monkey in the wrench of our political parties. Jonah Goldberg of National Review and host of the outstanding "The Remnant" podcast voiced his opinion of how he feels having to be the political odd man out:



Although we can understand Jonah's frustration we cannot share it to any significant degree. We tend to share the view of The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol in this matter:




On that note we would also say that if we are going to be the skunk's on the Republican Parties lawn we might as all stink together!


Sunday, September 17, 2017

Ethics Complaint filed against Congressman Todd Rokita


Todd Rokita wondering if his political career is dead

As if Fake Republican Congressman Todd Rokita didn't have enough problems. IR just received information that the liberal American Democracy Legal Fund has filed an ethics complaint against Rokita. The complaint in question deals with allegations leveled against the congressman for allegedly "pressuring" members of his staff to perform political work for him on government time. The complaint dated September 14th, 2017 points out that pressuring or intimidating a congressional staffer into performing political work on government time is a crime. Which is punishable by a fine and/or up to three years in prison. You can click here to read the full complaint.

Accusations of misusing office staffers and resources are nothing new for Todd Rokita. As we and Gary Welsh have pointed out here, and here. Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White filed a complaint with Indiana's Inspector General's Office years ago. Stating that he had found evidence that Rokita had made use of the Secretary of State's office resources and employees illegally to help his 2010 congressional campaign. To the best of our knowledge the IG's office has never even acknowledged that such complaints have been filed! Perhaps now would be a good time for the local and national media to actually look into this story they have been sitting on for over half a decade! But finally Todd Rokita is getting some long overdue media scrutiny! INDY REPUBLICAN is not under any illusions that we ourselves have anything to do with good old Todd being on the hot seat. But we have to believe that at least some of the reason some more light is being shined on Rokita is because of Gary Welsh, Charlie White and the IR Legionaries consistent pounding away at Todd Rokita's House of Sand! 

Well we look forward to see what else will be coming OUT concerning Todd Rokita. Gary Welsh maybe gone physically from this world. But his work and crusade have barely begun!

So to all of you would be parasites who wish to destroy and plunder these United States. Here is a little message from Gary Welsh from the great beyond for you:




Saturday, September 9, 2017

Anti-Elite Todd Rokita's Meeting the Elite!


Todd Rokita

It seems that man of the people Todd Rokita just can't seem to catch a break. In last Friday's Indianapolis Star September 1, 2017 Brian Slodysko reported more on Congressman and Senate Candidate Todd Rokita's management style both as a Congressman and former Indiana Secretary of State. IR recently reported on Todd Rokita's treatment of his drivers here. We are curious to see what other insights are to be gleaned about a man who desires to be a United States Senator. Also we will be delving a little bit more into some aspects of good old Todd's background that he would perhaps prefer people avoid. But as Mr. Rokita is seeking an office of great public trust. And as his allies have seen fit to start off by using scorched earth tactics against his Senate Primary opponent Congressman Luke Messer. We shall see if Rokita can take it as well as dish it out.

Brian Slodysko reporting for the Associated Press writes:

Staffers in tears. Pay cuts for small mistakes. Aides who walked out of the office — and never came back.

Working for four-term Republican Rep. Todd Rokita of Indiana is an exacting job with long hours, made more difficult by a boss known for micromanaging and yelling at his staff, according to 10 former aides who spoke to The Associated Press.

All but one of the former staffers spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern of retribution from the congressman. They include five former congressional staffers, three who worked for Rokita when he was Indiana’s secretary of state and two who worked on his political campaigns.

But even in Congress, where ambition and ego can go hand-in-hand, Rokita’s behavior is outside the norm, according to the former aides, most of whom have worked for other elected officials.

“Todd’s a hard boss to work for. He’s got some staff turnover issues,” said Tony Will, who was a constituent service representative for Rokita for nearly three years. “But he is a very hard worker.”

One moment Rokita could charm at a GOP fundraiser. The next he would belittle his aides or question their competence over the route they took to the next event, or their choice of parking spot, three former staffers said. Some say he turned angry over small details, like the kind of letterhead used on office or campaign documents.

A Jasper County teacher asked Rokita to leave his high school civics class in November 2016 after a talk that was supposed to be about the Constitution got off on the wrong foot, according to two students.

Rokita had asked the class if they were taught about “American Exceptionalism.” But when a number of students seemed puzzled by the concept, he had a testy exchange with their teacher, Paul Norwine, whom he criticized for not including it in the curriculum, the students said.

“Mr. Rokita got very angry and said, ‘You have an American congressman in your class, what are you doing?’” said Marcus Kidwell, 19, a Donald Trump supporter who was a senior at the time. “He seems like a pretty hot-headed guy. That disappointed me because he’s a Republican and I was pretty excited to meet him.”

A review of records maintained by the Congress-tracking website Legistorm shows the rate of turnover in Rokita’s office is roughly double that of his fellow Indiana Republicans in the congressional delegation. The analysis excludes temporary workers, interns or employees who are shared by multiple members of Congress.

At least two staffers were fired after they said they intended to quit, according to three people with direct knowledge of the firings. Rokita also docked the pay of at least two congressional aides for mistakes, like a minor error in a news release, according to three former aides with knowledge of the actions. Another two staffers simply walked out on the job, according to four former aides.

Mr. Slodysko's citing that Rokita has a much higher staff turnover rate than Indiana's other congressmen lends credence to the allegations that Rokita has a problem managing his staff. If Rokita does have such a huge problem managing his own staff than one has to question his suitability to be a senator. Also for a man who claims to not be an elitist, his attitude towards his workers is confusing. Tony Cook wrote a piece for the Indianapolis Star on August 24th, 2017 titled "Indiana's anti-elite Senate candidate Todd Rokita to hold swanky California fundraiser". 

Here are some excerpts from Tony Cook's article:

U.S. Senate candidate Todd Rokita, the Indiana congressman running on an anti-elite campaign theme, is holding a swanky fundraiser in California next week.

An invitation to the Aug. 30 event  requests contributions as high as $5,400 — the maximum allowed for federal elections — and the luncheon will be held at Wayfare Tavern, a restaurant founded in 2010 by celebrity chef Tyler Florence of Food Network fame.

"With the news of Rokita's list of rules for chauffeurs and now this exclusive California fundraiser, maybe Congressman Rokita should change his catch phrase to 'meet the elite,'" said Jason Kneeland, a Messer campaign advisor.

Our staff in the course of our research came across two interesting observations made about Todd Rokita by the late great Gary Welsh on his Advance Indiana blog back in 2006. We thought we would share them with you all. 


Gary Welsh also had this to say about both then State Senator Brent Waltz and Todd Rokita: "There are those among us who think that Rokita and Waltz have a distinctive similarity, but their OUTward appearance is not one of them."

We are not sure if Gary was privy to some information about Todd Rokita and former State Senator Brent Waltz's private lives or not. But based off of rumors that all of us have heard over the years about Waltz and Rokita. It wouldn't surprise anyone here if Gary was onto something about these guys. 







Sunday, July 30, 2017

Indy Republican Gives Awards for Helping to Fight The Good Fight

To give credit where credit is due. The writers of Indy Republican have decided to show our appreciation to the following people who have helped to pickup the torch that the late great Gary Welsh lit in 2005.

So to the following individuals IR is proud to induct you into a august order of men and women who have exemplified the qualities that were shown by Gary Welsh. This order is called The Welsh Saints! After all your names have been listed you will all see the Welsh Saints Coat of Arms which we pray that you will all enjoy!

So here are the new members of the Welsh Saints: Charlie White, Charles Navarra, Eric Morris, Christine Scales, Paul Ogden, Jon Easter and Matt Stone.

Gentleman and Lady, our most sincere thanks for all you do. Now behold your Welsh Saints Coat of Arms! Display it with pride:



Welcome to the Club!

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Todd Rokita-Luke Messer Primary Battle getting nasty Part II of II

                   
Luke Messer                            Todd Rokita 

As promised we are continuing our coverage of the Messer-Rokita brawl. Yesterday Congressman Luke Messer announced that he is running for the US Senate. So far no word from Congressman Todd Rokita on whether or not he will throw his hat into the ring for the Republican Senate nomination next year. Earlier this week Tony Cook of the Indianapolis Star reported here on some unusual activity that has been occurring on Luke Messer's Wikipedia page.

Cook reported:

A slew of recent edits to Rep. Luke Messer's Wikipedia page closely align with his likely primary opponent Todd Rokita's campaign attacks, setting off a new round of finger pointing in what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races in the country.

Over the past month, Messer's page has been edited to emphasize his work as a lobbyist, his decision to move his family to Washington, D.C., and a controversy involving his wife's lucrative part-time legal work for the city of Fishers.

The edits were made under user names that make it difficult to identify the person behind the changes. But Wikipedia editing logs show that Messer's page is the only one they've edited, suggesting they are more interested in influencing Messer's image than providing objective information.

The Rokita campaign has routinely criticized Messer in recent months as a "lobbyist turned politician" who left Indiana for "one of the wealthiest suburbs of Washington D.C."

Messer's campaign, meanwhile, has shot back, accusing Rokita of peddling negative stories and attacking Messer's family.  At one point, an official with the Messer campaign told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that “Rokita has a history of making unhinged comments."

In response to inquiries from IndyStar, the Rokita campaign denied editing Messer's page, suggesting instead that the Senate seat's current occupant, Democrat Joe Donnelly, was behind the changes. 

"Joe Donnelly and his allies are clearly good at editing websites ... ," Rokita campaign spokesman Tim Edson said. "That said, most of what they’ve posted about Luke Messer’s record seems accurate."

Donnelly campaign manager Peter Hanscom laughed at the assertion that Donnelly's campaign was behind the edits.

"We have absolutely nothing to do with it," he said. "It's childish behavior. This is not the way you win a United States Senate seat."

Indiana Democratic Party spokesman Will Baskin-Gerwitz also said party members were not behind the changes.

According to Cook's article the Messer campaign does not believe that Senator Donnelly's campaign is behind the editing of Messer's Wikipedia page. 

Tony Cook continues:

Messer's campaign said the edits — which include a new section about immigration intended to make Messer sound less conservative — are obviously geared toward a Republican primary audience.

 "Of course it's Rokita," Messer campaign spokesman Jason Kneeland said. "Typical of the level of ugliness we've seen from him. Nobody has declared in the Senate race, but Todd has already established he will say or do anything to get elected. I just don't think that works long-term here in Indiana."

Cook writes that their have been some edits to Todd Rokita's page as well. But Tony Cook states that the changes to Rokita's page have been "mostly positive". 

If the Wikipedia drama is not enough to pique people's interest. Another plot twist emerged today on the "Luke and Todd Show." Kaitlin Lange over at Indystar.com wrote a piece called "Trump and Pence camps at odds over best choice for U.S. Senate: Messer or Rokita?"

As Ms. Lange reports it appears that the President and Vice Presidents key Hoosier supporters are splitting over who to back for the Senate.

Lange writes:

Associates of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appear to be at odds over the best candidate to run for a hotly contested U.S. Senate seat in Indiana.

For months, multiple people close to Pence, along with his brother Greg Pence, have thrown their support to Rep. Luke Messer, R-Shelbyville, as the Republican choice to run against Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly in the 2018 election.

On Thursday, Rex Early, the Trump Indiana State Chairman, and Tony Samuel, the vice chairman, joined the fight, sending a letter suggesting support for Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Indianapolis. 

“Of the members of Indiana’s congressional delegation, Todd Rokita is the only one that actively and specifically campaigned for candidate Trump — never wavering and never jumping on and off the Trump Train,” the two said in the letter.

It was a clear jab against Messer. But Early and Samuel went on to say they weren’t endorsing a candidate yet, adding there are multiple qualified people considering running.

It is important to remember that Todd Rokita still has not yet officially entered the U.S. Senate race. So far only Luke Messer has. But all indications are that Rokita will enter the race eventually. We can't see any other reason why Rokita's people would be lining up the endorsements and fundraisers they are unless they plan to run for the senate. Kaitlin Lange goes onto report the following response from the Messer for Senate campaign quoting Vice President Pence's brother Greg Pence:

"I can say I know and like both Rex (Early) and Tony (Samuel). While, I respect them, there are some inconsistencies in this statement. In fact, Congressman Rokita endorsed Sen. (Marco) Rubio (for president),"  said Greg Pence, who is also the chair of Messer's finance committee. 

IR has previously reported on Greg Pence's possible run for congress here. Since then Indy Republican has heard conflicting stories about whether or not Greg Pence will run for his brothers former congressional seat. So at this point we are not sure what to think. Anyway getting back to Messer and Rokita.

Lange continues her report:

Messer's campaign also pointed out Rokita's recent opposition to Trump's Federal Aviation Administration reforms, as well as policies Messer supported that they say line up with Trump's agenda, such as finding funding for a Mexico border wall by eliminating tax credits for illegal immigrants. 

Messer supported Jeb Bush for president early in the primary and gave money to Rubio's campaign.

Trump's approval rating is low in general, but he still has a 86 percent approval rate among Republicans, according to Gallup. Rokita's campaign is trying to appeal to those Trump supporters.

While Rokita himself has been a Republican office holder since 2002, he may not have as much support from the party establishment. The Indiana Republican State Committee passed up Rokita when he attempted to become the party's gubernatorial candidate after Pence dropped out of the race last year. Instead they chose Gov. Eric Holcomb, whom Pence endorsed.

In 2011, Republicans rewrote congressional boundaries following the census and ultimately wrote Rokita out of his own district.

Lange also cites a political scientist for their take on whether being associated with Donald Trump will help a candidate running statewide next year or hinder their campaign.

Andy Downs, a political scientist at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, argued having the support of those with Trump ties may not be as helpful as it was during the election year. 

"Feelings about Trump change very rapidly, but there are still a fair number of people who like Pence," Downs said.

So far we have one candidate for senate and one probable candidate who have each lined up notable supporters and fundraisers. IR is not as yet ready to make an endorsement in next years GOP Senate Primary. We can say with great confidence that we will not support Todd Rokita should he decide to run. We have never really thought well of Congressman Rokita and the likely conduct of some of his supporters in throwing the kitchen sink at Luke Messer shows that there is good reason to believe Rokita is trying to keep others from looking into his past.

IR has in the past cited a blog post written by the late great Gary Welsh in which he cited allegations made by former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White about information he discovered about his predecessor Todd Rokita's conduct as Secretary of State. Welsh wrote:


Gary Welsh was referring to how Todd Rokita is alleged to have used employees of the Indiana Secretary of State's office to perform campaign related work for his 2010 congressional run. Just like former Indiana Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett was alleged to have used some of his employees to due political work for him on government time. Something tells us that if Todd Rokita should pull the trigger on a run for the Senate this and other issues will pop up to bite him in the ass! At the very least they should!



Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Todd Rokita-Luke Messer Primary Battle getting nasty Part I of II


Congressman Luke Messer


Former Indiana Secretary of State now Congressman Todd Rokita 

Indy Republican has been asked by many of our readers to cover the ongoing feud between Congressmen Luke Messer and Todd Rokita in their potential battle for the GOP Senate nomination to take on incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly next year. This feud is even more bizarre given that neither Mister's Messer or Rokita have officially filed to run in next years Senate primary. 
IR apologizes for our delay in covering this slug fest. But due to the myriad of twists and turns in this case we felt a need to gather more information before proceeding to write about this in depth. So we have decided to do our first two part blog post. The Rokita-Messer dispute stared back in May of this year attacks started to appear in the press on Luke Messer's wife Jennifer over a contract she has to perform legal tasks for the City of Fishers for which Mrs. Messer is paid $20,000 per month. 

Brian Slodysko reported for the Associated Press on May 11, 2017 "Fishers pays Rep Luke Messer's wife 20K/month" had this to say: 

A burgeoning Indianapolis suburb has paid the wife of an influential congressman $580,000 since 2015 for legal consulting she largely does from the Washington, D.C., area, an unusually large sum even in a state rife with highly paid government contractors, according to a review by the Associated Press.

Jennifer Messer, the wife of Republican Rep. Luke Messer, makes $20,000 a month working as a contract attorney for Fishers, according to the AP's review of public documents. That's drastically more than either of the city's two staff attorneys are paid — or many other government lawyers in Indiana.

In a statement issued late Thursday (May 11th, 2017), Luke Messer defended his wife's job, calling her "the brains of the Messer outfit" and pointing out that her work as a lawyer predated his political career.

Both Jennifer Messer and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a rising Republican star in Indiana, say the arrangement has been beneficial to the city and helped usher in an era of "unprecedented" economic success in the growing suburb of about 85,000 people.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness responded by defending his city's contract with Jennifer Messer. John Tuohy reported Mayor Fadness's response in the Indianapolis Star's Hamilton County News section on May 12th, 2017. Mr Tuohy reported the following:

Amid a torrent of criticism on social media, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness on Friday defended his $240,000 per year hiring of Jennifer Messer, the wife of U.S. Rep. Luke Messer, to handle city legal business from Washington, D.C.

Fadness said the contract with Messer saves the city money, and he has no plans to drop her. Messer said the implication she was being paid gratuitously for little work was "straight-up sexist."

"She has worked with Fishers since 2010, well before her husband was in Congress, and authored every major economic deal we've completed for the past several years," Fadness said in an interview with IndyStar. "I looked around and concluded she was the most qualified and experienced outside lawyer we could hire."

If anyone is interested click here to look at Jennifer Messer's contract with Fishers.

Jennifer Messer also responded to criticism of her legal work for Fishers in an Op-Ed published on May 15th, 2017. Mrs. Messer's wrote:

Last week I (Jennifer Messer) was featured in a news story about the fact that I provide legal services for the city of Fishers. The story was unfair, intellectually dishonest and straight-up sexist. You know the charge — congressman’s wife (by the way I have a name; it’s Jennifer Messer) gets paid too much for not really doing very much — leaving the presumption that me and the local municipality are doing something wrong.

Well, these are the facts:

• I (Jennifer Messer) have worked with Fishers for nearly eight years, and Fishers was my client two years before my husband was elected to Congress.

• I am paid well for my legal services but the city is paying less today for legal services than it was before its contract with my firm.

• I work diligently for Fishers and have never, in eight years, taken my job for granted. My job is a privilege — not just because I love the economic development work that I do, but because I work with a group of rock-stars. These are people who wake up every day and want to make Fishers a better place for its residents, potential residents and businesses.

• There are simply no facts suggesting that Fishers has received anything as a result of my husband being a member of Congress. Put simply, the premise of the entire Associated Press story is false.

Before we proceed to the most recent developments in the Messer-Rokita Smackdown. We all would like to comment on Jennifer Messer's Op-Ed.

Indy Republican does not necessarily believe that the criticism's of the City of Fishers contract with Jennifer Messer are completely unwarranted. We don't know. But as far as we have been able to discern Jennifer Messer is absolutely right in stating that there is no evidence her contract with Fishers has anything to do with her husband being in Congress. The fact that she was hired two years before her husbands having been elected to congress would seem to undercut the allegation that she was hired because of her husband. Legitimate questions could be raised as to whether her contract with Fishers is a wise use of taxpayer money. But that is a matter for the municipal government in Fishers it has nothing to do with Congress. Our suggestion to Todd Rokita's campaign or whatever parties are involved in these pieces designed to damage Luke Messer is: Confine your criticisms to actions that have been performed by Congressman Messer himself. Leave Jennifer Messer out of this. You may regret attacking Jennifer Messer. God knows we would!

In Part II we will continue our coverage by discussing some interesting alterations that have been done on both Luke Messer and Todd Rokita's Wikipedia pages.

To be continued........





Thursday, July 20, 2017

In Defense of the "Armchair Sleuth", we wouldn't need them if the ISP had a better image!


Exhibit A: Unsolved murder of "Pixie" Grismore shows why we need "armchair sleuths"


It was reported in yesterday's Indianapolis Star that the Indiana State Police wanted people on Facebook to stop posting pictures of men that the users think bear a resemblance to the composite drawing of the suspect in the February murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams. The two were murdered in February east of Delphi. The article is entitled: "ISP to Facebook users: Stop "armchair sleuthing" on Delphi murders".

Vic Ryckaert reports:

Indiana State Police are urging users of the social media platform to stop posting pictures of men alongside the composite sketch of the Delphi murder suspect.

"Those are of no value and take up investigative time," said Capt. Dave Bursten, ISP's chief public information officer.

Investigators have received more than 500 new tips since they released the composite sketch of the man they believe killed 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams.

The girls disappeared  Feb. 13 while hiking near Monon High Bridge in a wooded, remote area east of Delphi. Their bodies were found the next day about a half-mile from the bridge.

Bursten on Wednesday cited a growing problem of "armchair sleuthing" by people who have combed websites to find mugshots of random men who resemble the sketch. Some people post their dubious detective work on Facebook, he said.

"A person that does that may open themselves up to some civil liability," Bursten said. "They will have to suffer the consequences of their own stupidity."

"They are placing themselves in legal jeopardy, and they are doing absolutely nothing to help the investigation," he said.

Tips, legitimate tips that is, on the murders should go to the hotline, (844) 459-5786, or abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com, Bursten said.

First IR would like to express our most sincere sympathies to the friends and families of the two women killed in the Delphi murders. And if anyone out there has information about this case please call the police.

Contrary to the statements made by Captain Dave Bursten. The reason we need "armchair sleuths" is exactly because of the distrust many people  have regarding the ISP. Longtime readers of Gary Welsh's Advance Indiana blog might recognize Captain Bursten's name. Gary first made mention of Bursten back in May 2011 in his post about the unsolved 1978 murder of Mary Beth "Pixie" Grismore of Marshal, Indiana whose death is rumored by some to have been a political cover up. Grismore who was found murdered in Ohio in 1978 was rumored to have had an affair with former Senator Birch Bayh. Welsh had pointed out how although the Ohio Attorney Generals website has Grismore's case mentioned on their cold case website here. That the ISP didn't not list the case on their website. 

Welsh did here from Captain then Sergeant Bursten of the ISP. Welsh wrote in 2011:

UPDATE: Sgt. Dave Bursten, public information officer for the Indiana State Police, has confirmed the Grismore case is still an open investigation. He said the closing of the Terre Haute post and revamping of the agency's website is why her case is not listed as a cold case file. Bursten said anyone with information or tips regarding the case should telephone the agency's hotline at 1-800-453-4756.

Two months later in July 2011. Gary Welsh posting about the still unsolved disappearance of Indiana University student Lauren Spierers. Welsh mentioned that the ISP still had not put Pixie Grismores case on their cold case website.

Welsh had this to say in his July 2011 post:

The Indiana State Police don't even have her case listed on their website as a cold case file, a fact a police spokesman told me was simply due to an oversight during a revamping of the department's website. Nearly two months after I raised the question, the omission has still not been corrected. Her case is listed on the state of Ohio's cold case list, even though all investigatory leads led them right back to Indiana. No, the Indiana State Police have no intention of trying to discover who actually murdered Mary Beth Grismore. Let's hope Indiana police are truly interested in solving the disappearance case of Lauren Spierers.

Unfortunately as of this writing no trace of Lauren Spierers has ever been found. 

Welsh last all of us can tell mentioned Bursten in a 2014 post regarding an investigation the ISP was conducting at the request of the Marion County Prosecutors Office. 

Here is the master's last known mention of Bursten:


Indy Republican's staff recently checked the ISP's cold case website and even after six years the Grismore case is still not on their cold case list. This hardly inspires confidence in Captain Bursten that after six years they still have apparently done nothing to solve Pixie Grismore's murder or the disappearance of Lauren Spierers. Also the forcing out of the ISP's former corruption commander Sgt. Ryan Harmon after Harmon kept pushing on a sex scandal at Martinsville High School click here for more information on Harmon's case. There is also the questionable conduct of Indiana State Police Detective Paul Hansard regarding the railroading of former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White. Click here for information on Paul Hansard.

Our position is unless or until the ISP shows a willingness to take steps to salvage its reputation among Hoosiers. Then we say  to Captain Bursten that if he the ISP keeps giving the impression that they are not able or willing to investigate crimes committed in Indiana. That he should get used to their being a lot more "armchair sleuths", not less. 

So to all the fellow "armchair sleuths" out there we salute you!





Thursday, May 11, 2017

Mike Pence and Indiana Secretary of State Connie "Freeloader" Lawson to be part of Voter Fraud Commission

Earlier today that lovable gadfly Paul Ogden wrote an article called Vice President Pence Damages His Reputation in Conveying False Narrative About Comey Firing. IR continues to be impressed by Paul's writing. And we all here welcome his contribution to the cause of freedom. Around the same time today as Paul Ogden's piece appeared. News broke that President Trump had signed an executive order to investigate claims of voter fraud said to have occurred during last years presidential race. David Jackson & Deborah Barfield Barry of USA Today wrote in Mike Pence, Connie Lawson to study 'voter fraud' as part of Trump commission:

The commission will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, who will be joined by up to 15 other members, including Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has advocated for some of the most restrictive election laws in the country, will serve as the commission's vice chair.

"The president's committed to the thorough review of registration and voting issues in federal elections,'' said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. "And that's exactly what this commission is tasked with doing.''

The order calls for the commission to study the "vulnerabilities in voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting.''

The advisory commission  set up to "promote fair and honest federal elections'' will hold public meetings and meet with federal state and local officials as well as election experts, according to the order. The commission is expected to present a report to the president next year.

If the intention of the commission really is "to promote fair and honest federal elections". Than Mike Pence and current Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson should be removed from this group immediately. It has been given little attention so far by the Indiana or National Media so far. But a cursory look at both Mike Pence and Connie Lawson's electoral careers shows that there are serious questions about their voting and residencies. We are not saying there is anything illegal. But given the legal and public beating inflicted on Lawson's predecessor former State Secretary of State Charlie White for allegedly voting in the wrong precinct one time in his entire life. Justice demands that Pence and Lawson's conduct as office holders and candidates be examined in the same manner.

Mr. Charlie White has written online and spoken on his podcast series at length about both Pence and Lawson's issues.

Writing on his Facebook page Mr. White has this to say:

October 3, 2015

The State of Indiana is a backward 'state of men' and not of law.  The "law" shifts, alters and is "suspended" depending upon "who you are"...It is akin to driving down the street and the state changes the posted speed limit to give you a ticket, after which they abruptly change it back for the benefit of others.  Its like trying to kick a field goal in football and they move the uprights as the ball is in the air so the ball doesn't go through. Be on notice that the word "shall" for statutes that provide you rights & privileges really means "may" and "may" really means "shall".  Legally defined words in the code are ignored and words not defined in the code have shifting meanings depending on the day.  Im really getting sick of "Tricky" Dick Lugar holding a court order saying he can continue to vote from an abandoned farm house with no water or sewer while he "lives" in Virginia after the AG Greg Zoeller said he could vote from a strangers house for 36 years (because Greg Zoeller did it too!!) Or Gov. Mike Pence living off the SAME ROAD (Olio road) in Fishers as me, enrolling his daughter in HSE schools as he votes from Columbus?!  Of course, pampered Gov. Pence didn't feel compelled to disclose on his campaign reports that Indiana Builders Council board member Bill O'Gorman provided the $400K Fishers house for "the convenience of (Pence's) family". Of course, the media doesn't like talking about them, Mitch Daniels, Evan Bayh or the judges who live in one county/state and vote in another over their "intent" because they know damn well someone with a 5th grade education can see that something doesn't line up. If you mention anything about this, see how quickly people suddenly lose the ability to speak and want to change the subject or simply lie about the facts of these kingpins. If you value your liberty and you are dumb enough like me to ask public officials in your own grand old party to stop taking lavish free vacations in exchange for road and bridge projects, run out of Indiana as fast as you can.  Everyone, not just me, deserves fair notice on what the law is...and we all deserve equal protection under the law where folks are similarly situated.  Indiana, unfortunately, changes law "retroactively" (ex post facto) to make legal behavior 'illegal'..even if its temporarily illegal to get one person.  If mandatory statutes and 100 years of published case law are no longer valid, it would've been nice to know.

I think you see that its a free for all.  Secretary "Freeloader" Lawson and her husband had homesteads in Hendricks Co., Marion County and in Arizona all at the same time!! If that were us we would be crucified...but she is one of the elites.  Mitch Daniels claimed a homestead in Hamilton County in his special mansion he told the world he wouldn't build it bc it was in a county where he legally couldn't reside as governor. Pence claimed a homestead in columbus while living down the road from me in fishers in 2012 as he enrolled his child in HSE schools. 

If what Mr. White says is accurate especially in regards to Connie Lawson having had multiple simultaneous homestead exemptions in Indiana and another in Arizona. Then she has some serious explaining to do! As far as we are aware you can only claim one homestead exemption period! So why did Mrs. Lawson have different homesteads in Indiana and Arizona? There might be an answer for them. But unless Connie Lawson is willing to explain whether or not this is true she should either step down from the advisory commission or be tossed from it! 

As for why Mike Pence is not the man you want in charge of cleaning up voter fraud. As IR pointed out not that long ago Mike and Karen Pence listed on their 2011 tax return that they lived in Arlington, Virginia. Which is very problematic considering that Pence ran for and was elected governor of Indiana in 2012. The reason this is an issue is because according to the Article 5, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana:

Section 7. No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor, who shall not have been five years a citizen of the United States, and also a resident of the State of Indiana during the five years next preceding his election; nor shall any person be eligible to either of the said offices, who shall not have attained the age of thirty years.

Here is a shot of Mike and Karen Pence's 2011 tax return:

 


Now if as Mike Pence's tax return from 2011 states that he was living in Virginia that year. Than how could he have possibly resided in Indiana for the five years preceding the 2012 Gubernatorial election to legally qualify to run for Governor? If his  Form 1040 that is signed under penalty of perjury is to be believed than he could not and did not meet the eligibility requirements to run for and be elected Governor in 2012. So either his 2011 tax return address was in some way wrong, or his voter registration and homestead in Columbus, Indiana was in error. One of these maybe true but one of them has to logically be wrong! 

In light of the already cantankerous political atmosphere of today's world. Mike Pence and Connie Lawson should have had there backgrounds checked out further. We can already see the Democrats going after Pence and Lawson right now in order to gain more of an edge in next years midterm elections. We agree with Paul Ogden that Pence has destroyed his credibility. We would argue however that Pence trashed his credibility decades ago and he should be sent into political retirement.