comMITTed to Romney!

For fellow conservatives considering Mitt for the first time, it’s important to understand Mitt’s staunch support of the pro-life platform.  The media has tried to downplay and negate Mitt’s position on this.  They’ve managed to stick a big old post-it note on Mitt’s forehead labelled “Flip Flopper” in permanent ink.  They’ve asserted that he lacks conviction.  They’re wrong.  As Governor, Mitt consistently stuck to conservative principles.  On abortion, marriage, health care, economy and other important issues, Mitt consistenly made conservative decisions.  For a great summary on Mitt’s real record, see Ann Marie’s post back in November 2007.

On Monday, the 35th anniversay of Roe v. Wade, Mitt once again committed to overturning this decision:

After 35 years of Roe v. Wade, we are again reminded why this decision should be overturned,” Romney said in a statement provided to LifeNews.com.

“We recognize the worth and dignity of every person, a fact that is ingrained in our hearts and etched in our national purpose,” Romney added. “Unelected judges should not be the final arbiters on these important decisions which define who we are as a people.”

Recently, Romney told Nevada voters that he wanted the high court to overturn the infamous decision allowing virtually unlimited abortions.

“I am pro-life, and I would welcome a time when the people of America concluded that abortion was wrong, but that’s not where America is, and that’s why I believe that the next right step for America is for the court to overturn Roe v. Wade,” he said then.

“That would return to the states and to the elected representatives of the people the ability to set their own laws related to abortion,” he said.

“Today, as Americans from across this country participate in the annual March for Life, my thoughts are with all those whose dedication and compassionate concern have done so much to educate and assist others in creating a genuine culture of life,” he said.

The last phrase is a very telling remark.  As he does with so many issues, Mitt is able to look at the broader implications and ramifications of following a certain path.  When he discusses his decision to become politically pro-life, Mitt often states that as Governor he realized that the effects of Roe v. Wade weren’t just limited to abortion.  They extended to issues like embryonic stem cell research and teenage pregnancy, and to the very basic fabric of our culture.  The question, “Are we a culture of life, or of death,” has strong ramifications for our children, their education, their government, their health, their society and their future.  Mitt understood (and has helped me understand) that the issue of abortion isn’t solely about choice or murder or rights - it’s about the kind of culture, society and country we are creating (or destroying) for the next generation.

If you are unsure about Mitt’s conviction on this or other social issues such as marriage, please DO NOT believe the picture the media has painted.  Please take a few minutes to visit Mitt’s site where he discusses his belief in “promoting a culture of life,” or visit the Encyclopedia Mittanica, where you can scroll down and find Mitt’s answers to just about any question, all neatly alphabetized according to issue. 

Warning:  if you take a few minutes to do this - to objectively look at Mitt’s platform and record, you WILL find he is a true Reagan conservative, and you WILL most likely want to join, sign up, contribute, campaign for, blog and in all other ways become a Mitt supporter!  Let us know when you do - we’d love to hear your story!

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My daughter Jessica and Cousin Devon 11 days apart…

As most of you know by my blog posts over the past couple of weeks, my nephew (my brother’s second oldest child) is dying of —>Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or ALL. It is not likely that by this time tomorrow that he will be with us.

I was so fortunate to speak to him on the phone yesterday morning and hear a strong voice. I was also able to make sure that what I wished for him to have (two packs of orange tick tacks…one of his favorite treats) were given to him. He is a very special boy, one that I will always be honored to have known. I appreciate all of the monetary donations toward his funeral and burial expenses, love, thoughts, and prayers that you’ve embraced my family and me with these past couple of weeks. At this point I would just like to ask for two things, one that you hold those that you love dear and closer than ever (you never know when they might part this earth…Devon is only 11), and that you continue to pray for our family during this extremely painful time. We’re sure going to miss that kid. Thanks to all, and goodnight!

If you’re still interested in donating to “The Devon Curling Fund” you still can through the following two methods:

You can donate via credit card to my PayPal account and I will write a big check to be deposited in the fund:

Or you can write a check, and mail to the following:

Write Checks out to “The Devon Curling Fund”
Address:
The Bank of Kentucky
1831 Madison Avenue
Covington, KY 41014
Attn: Lisa Metzger

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As we approach the primary voting season, there are more and more new folks finding their way to our humble blog. The information I found on this blog was extremely helpful to me as I assessed the various candidates in search of “the One.” As such, I thought it would be fitting for me to share why I am a staunch supporter of Governor Mitt Romney in his run for the White House.

In a nutshell, Mitt Romney is the only “full-spectrum” Conservative who can rally the support of all three wings of the Reagan coalition, namely, Social, Economic, and Foreign Policy Conservatives.

For a full treatment of Mitt Romney’s positions, I would refer you to his comprehensive policy book “Vision for a Strong America.” Let me summarize here, however, the highlights across the major issues:

• Foreign Policy
o War against Islamic Fascism: We are engaged in a multi-front war which will require using all of our military, economic, and diplomatic might to win; we must defeat the terrorists and those who aid and abet them as well as help the Muslim people enter the 21st century (click here and here)
o Iraq and Afghanistan: The surge is working and we must do what it takes to help Iraq and Afghanistan become stable democratic allies in the war on Islamic Fascism and support our troops (click here and here)
o Iran: Iran must not be allowed to become a nuclear state; diplomacy and economic sanctions are critical, but may not be enough; the military option must remain on the table (click here)
o Military: Need to increase defense spending to a minimum of 4% of GDP to make sure our armed forces have the equipment they need in the field and the support the need back home; the best ally of peace is a strong America (click here and here)

• Economic Policy
o Taxes: We need to keep the Bush tax cuts permanent, eliminate the Death Tax, and cut taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest to zero for the Middle Class (click here, and here)
o Spending: We need to restrain Federal spending and close the deficit; will veto any budget where non-defense discretionary spending growth exceeds inflation minus 1%; Need to give the President a line-item veto; Strong track record of financial management from Massachusetts where he closed a $3B deficit and turned it into a $1B surplus without raising taxes; carry out a comprehensive review of government spending to increase efficiency and effectiveness (click here and here)
o Entitlements reform: Maintain benefits for current Seniors, but institute fundamental reforms combining slowing the rate of increase for benefits based on income, extending the retirement age, individual retirement accounts, and no tax increases (click here)
o Healthcare: Mitt Romney is the only candidate on either side of the aisle who implemented a universal health care plan; He covered all of the citizens of Massachusetts using market-based insurance without raising taxes; Governor Romney advocates a Federalist state-by-state approach to make health insurance more affordable for everyone (click here)
o Globalization: Continue to trade around the world but make sure we negotiate level playing fields in foreign markets and upgrade American competitiveness through investments in education and innovation (click here and here)

• Culture and Values
o Illegal immigration: Control the border first and turn of the “magnets” that attract illegal immigrants by implementing an employment verification system, no special path for illegal immigrants to become citizens (i.e. no amnesty), no sanctuary cities, increased enforcement by local police agencies (click here, here, and here)
o Traditional marriage: In favor of amending the constitution to keep marriage defined as between a man and a woman; fought the Massachusetts Supreme Court to prevent the state from becoming a destination for same-sex couples looking for marriage licenses (click here and here and here)
o Life: Much has been made of Governor Romney’s switch from being Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life; This is a critical issue for me; I have heard many times why he made this change, and I believe him; I believe that Mitt Romney will fight for the rights of the unborn and be a great leader in supporting Life (click here, here, and here)

The choice of a nominee and President, however, is not strictly a “right-brained” decision based on policy statements and positions. There needs to be something inspirational about a candidate whether it’s the way that they speak to a crowd, interact one on one, or something about their personal story that sets them apart.

Experiencing Mitt through articles and videos really helped seal the deal for me. Below, I have listed some of what I would consider the best of the best articles and videos that helped me come to the decision to support Mitt actively. I’m sure I’m missing some great material, but there is a lot down below. I would encourage you to click through as much of this as you can, and if you have a favorite that wasn’t listed, please leave a link in the comments!

Key videos, speeches, appearances, and articles:
• Articles
o Romney to the Rescue (Newsmax) – Great overview of Mitt Romney
o National Review’s endorsement of Mitt Romney
o The House that Mitt Built (Private Equity International) – Behind the scenes view of how Mitt ran Bain Capital and his leadership style
o The Making of Mitt Romney (Boston Globe) – Reasonably balanced biography of each of the major phases of Mitt’s life starting from his youth through today
o Consultant in Chief (Wall Street Journal) – Interview of Mitt where he talks about how he would fix the Federal Government
o For Romney & Company, Campaign is all Business (NY Times) – How Mitt runs his campaign and what it would mean for his Presidency
o Evangelicals for Mitt statement of support
o Mark DeMoss on why Evangelicals should support Mitt
o Ann Romney Opens Up (People Magazine) – Great interview with Ann; she would be a fantastic First Lady!

• Speeches
o “Faith in America” – Seminal address on the role of religious faith and liberty in our nation
o Address to the Value Voters Summit – Seminal address on culture and value issues
o Iowa Straw Poll victory speech
o Highlights from the Republican debates (click 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th)
o Speech at CPAC 2007 – One of Mitt’s first major addresses to the leading grassroots gathering of Conservatives; one of his best speeches in my opinion
o Presidential Campaign Announcement – Mitt announcing that he’s running and why he’s running

• Campaign videos
o Biographical overview video of Mitt Romney (click part I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII)
o “Path to Victory” webcast – Mitt and Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay) discussing the 2007 campaign and discussing the plan for 2008
o Retrospective of Governor Romney’s campaign in 2007
o Online “Ask Mitt Anything” – For those of us who don’t live in an early primary state, Mitt held an online town hall meeting which provides a really good overview of his key positions
o Christmas 2006 – Behind the scenes look at the Romney family and how they made the decision together that Mitt should run for President; cynics have criticized this video as contrived, but I love the fact that he has held his family together while achieving such exceptional success; you can’t fake this stuff

• Media appearances
o Mitt on Jim Cramer of CNBC’s Mad Money – Great interview by Jim Cramer where he calls Mitt the “Best businessman in America”
o Mitt on ABC News talking about Ann – Great interview of Mitt where he discusses what he loves so much about Ann
o Mitt on Meet the Press – Tim Russert throws everything he’s got plus the kitchen sink at Mitt who proceeds to address each point in a clear, classy, and compelling way

• My favorite TV spots
o “Searched” – Compelling true story of how Mitt Romney shut down Bain Capital and moved all the employees to NYC to search for and find the daughter of one of his partners
o “Choice: Judgment” – Striking contrast ad highlighting Mike Huckabee’s 1,033 pardons and clemencies (more than 2x his three predecessors) vs. zero from Mitt Romney
o “Choice: The Record” – Ad contrasting Mitt’s record on illegal immigration vs. Mike Huckabee’s record of supporting tax payer funded scholarships and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
o “Not Politically Correct” – Mitt’s record supporting life, English immersion education, and traditional marriage
o “Experience Matters” – Ad highlighting the lack of real world, executive experience on the part of Hillary Clinton (and equally applicable to the other Democrats)
o “Ready for Action” – Summary of Governor Romney’s stump speech in 60 seconds; user-generated ad based on a contest that was run back in September
o “Our Home” – Some precious footage of Mitt playing with his children and grandchildren; focuses on the importance of strengthening our families
o “Leadership” and “Energy” – I just love the images of Mitt jogging through the backwoods and the focus on his track record in business; I think he’s the only politician I’ve seen jogging where it looked like he was actually in shape…not just a photo op
o “Ocean” – Ad lamenting the degradation of our culture and Mitt’s thoughts on how he would like to address it; as a parent this one really resonated with me
o “Tested, Proven” – One of his early ads highlighting his track record in Massachusetts
o “I Like Vetoes” – Ad highlights his track record of vetoing excessive spending; no doubt in my mind that he’ll control spending after seeing this ad and other times when he has addressed this topic

Finally, it is one thing to support Mitt with your vote, but I’d like to ask you to consider supporting Mitt in a more active way. Like many of you, I had always followed politics, but never became active in politics (other than voting) until this year in support of Governor Romney.

This year is different. First, this is arguably the most consequential election in over twenty years. The challenges and issues that will be faced by our next President will have far reaching ramifications for our children and grandchildren.

Additionally, we face a set of candidates on the Republican side who represent vastly different positions and perspectives, some of whom threaten to tear asunder the Reagan coalition that has served us so well. Whether it is the socially liberal and sanctuary city defending Rudy Giuliani, the divisive, theocratic, soft on crime and illegal immigration, and fiscally populist Mike Huckabee, or the McCain Feingold, “Gang of 14”, and pro-Amnesty John McCain, there are clear differences in the way that each of these individuals would take the Republican Party.

If you’ve found this persuasive, please do whatever you can to support Mitt Romney’s candidacy. If you’re from Iowa, please caucus for Mitt (get more information here). Winning Iowa is job one between now and January 3.

If you are not from Iowa, please stay informed by checking in here at Elect Romney in 2008 every day. Make a donation to help Mitt win the media air war. Put on a bumper sticker or put up a yard sign (get them here). And most importantly, talk with your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about why you’re supporting Mitt Romney! Personal testimonials from trusted individuals are by far the most effective ways to gain more supporters for Mitt!

If you still have questions or remain unconvinced, leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer your question. Or better yet, if you are also a Mitt supporter, leave a comment telling us why! Thank you for reading!

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I have already posted on this topic; but this article further points out the hypocrisy displayed by Gov. Huckabee on the issue of immigration. Huckabee scolded Gov. Romney when challenged on his policy of in-state tuition breaks for the children of illegal immigrants.   He stated at the time that was not be in favor of punishing children for what their parents had done. He has since decided that it is in fact appropriate to punish these same children

From the Real Clear Politics Blog

posted by Tom Bevan:

Yesterday I posed a question to Governor Huckabee about whether his new immigration proposal punishes children for the actions of their parents - something he decried just weeks ago in an exchange with Mitt Romney. Here’s the response I received last night from Governor Huckabee:

“Under my Secure America plan, immigrants and their families here illegally would have to return to their home countries.”Because we are talking about a policy that has profound implications for people’s lives, I suspect that some people will attempt to use these hard cases to discredit the idea that anything can be done about the problem of illegal immigration. But we have unfortunately reached a crisis point where doing nothing is no longer an option. The policy of de facto amnesty has been a failure which is why we must focus on enforcement and attrition.

“The current system forces people into the shadows and into hiding. There should be no one living in our country with his head down, which is what we have now with an out-of-control immigration system. Although my plan isn’t perfect, I believe it is a fair and compassionate approach to correcting a broken system.”

I read that as a “yes.” In other words, kids who are here illegally and in school - the same kids that Huckabee sought to provide additional opportunity to as governor and who defended that policy by saying we’re a “better country” than to punish kids for the actions of their parents - would be taken out of school and deported.

I also think Huckabee is being either disingenuous or naive by arguing that his “report and deport” plan is going to be better than the current system, which “forces people into the shadows and into hiding.” What sort of compliance does he expect? Millions of illegal immigrants - some of whom have been built lives and families in America over the course of the last few decades - are not going to voluntarily walk in to immigration offices and say “go ahead and deport me” back to a place where they have no job and no home.

It seems to me Huckabee’s plan would therefore have the opposite effect of creating an America where people don’t live with their “heads down.” Even if his plan succeeded in deporting twenty or thirty percent of those living here illegally, for the remaining 70-80% the shadows would be much deeper and the fear much greater.

It is very suspect that Governor Romney is continually asked to answer for statements he has made in the past, while Governor Huckabee is allowed to make overt policy changes in the middle of an election cycle.

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I had heard rumors of this story for a couple weeks, but now there’s confirmation in Newsweek.

As Mike Huckabee gains in the polls, the former Arkansas governor is finding that his record in office is getting more scrutiny. One issue likely to get attention is his handling of a sensitive family matter: allegations that one of his sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. The incident led to the dismissal of David Huckabee, then 17, from his job as a counselor at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Ark. It also prompted the local prosecuting attorney— bombarded with complaints generated by a national animal-rights group—to write a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether David and another teenager had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police never granted the request, and no charges were ever filed. But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas’s state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee’s chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor’s request. Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee’s Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer’s intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee’s office and fired. “I’ve lost confidence in your ability to do your job,” Bailey says Huckabee told him. One reason Huckabee cited was “I couldn’t get you to help me with my son when I had that problem,” according to Bailey. “Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son,” says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a “courageous” and “very solid” professional.

Huckabee called Bailey’s account “totally untrue” and described him as a “bitter” exemployee. “I asked him to resign because he had so alienated the entire state police,” he said. “It had nothing to do with my son.” Brenda Turner, Huckabee’s then chief of staff, and Kevin Crass, the Huckabee family lawyer, also disputed Bailey’s account, although both acknowledged talking to him about the dog killing. “I asked him, ‘Is it normal for the state police to … investigate something that happened at a Boy Scout camp?’ ” Turner says. “We wanted the same treatment that anybody else would get.” (Animal cruelty in Arkansas is a misdemeanor, not a felony.)

The details of the incident remain murky. The Animal Legal Defense Fund got an anonymous fax that summer alleging that David Huckabee and another youth had been involved in the hanging of a stray dog at the camp on July 11. A local animal-rights activist, Joyce Hillard, later contacted the camp director. Notes of Hillard’s report to the defense fund read, “Boys confessed & were fired. Dir. is making excuses, saying dog was sic & boys were putting him out of his misery.” (The director told NEWSWEEK only that a stray dog was “put down” and that the counselors were fired for violating the Scout credo to be “kind.”) The father of the other counselor was quoted by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in August 1998 as saying that his son found the dog “hung over a limb and choking.” David Huckabee did not respond to requests for comment. (In April of this year, he was arrested—and paid a fine—when he forgot to remove a loaded gun from his carry-on luggage at Little Rock airport.) His father told NEWSWEEK that his son did not engage in “intentional torture.” “There was a dog that apparently had mange and was absolutely, I guess, emaciated.” A campaign official says David “regrets” the incident and notes that he later made Eagle Scout.

I’ve said it about Rudy, and I’ll also say it about Huckabee. Do we really want this kind of drama representing our party and potentially in the White House?

Contrast that with the Romney boys.

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The Democrats want to take your baby and offer birth-control to your 12 year old. This is a statement ready made for good, old-fashioned propaganda except for one thing. It’s true and it has already happened.

Just last week the Anaya family of Omaha, Nebraska filed a lawsuit against the state health department director and two people who oversee the newborn screening program. The Anaya’s had religious objections to having their newborn son undergo a state-mandated blood test. Nebraska, like 3 other states in the country, has no provision for parents to opt out of the test. So earlier this month, a judge signed an order and sheriff’s deputies entered the Anaya’s home and forcibly took the 5 week-old infant. The baby was not returned to his family until the state received the results of the test, six days later.

This story comes just on the heels of the controversy over the King Middle School Health Center decision to offer contraceptives to students who admit to being sexually active. While a parent permission slip is needed to use Health Center services, doctors are not required to notify parents if a child seeks help for sex, drug, or mental health issues.

The health care system of our nation has become a major issue among presidential candidates. The Democrats are falling all over themselves promising bigger and more lavish government health plans than the one before. John Edwards has already proposed that every person in the US be required to attend a health check-up once a year. If they can take a baby from his home for a required blood test, what will they do to an adult who misses his government-mandated annual check up?

Even some of the Republicans seem to want in on the action of proposing to fix health care problems. Earlier this year Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed an executive order mandating that all girls from the sixth grade up be given vaccinations against cervical cancer. (A parental opt-out was included in the mandate.)

In my estimate, his position on health care is one of Mitt Romney’s biggest weaknesses. He speaks with glowing pride of his accomplishments with the health care of Massachusetts. And with some reason. In the first place, he worked with a Democrat controlled state legislature and he was able to implement the plan without raising taxes. In the second place, his approach shows a new train of thought about the problem of governments role in the health care process.

However, the answer to any problems with the health care of this nation are not going to be fixed by more government involvement. If they are to be fixed at all, it will need to be with less government regulations and restrictions. Much of this is tied up in the tax code. The way that health insurance is bought and sold in this country revolves around the tax benefits, or penalties, associated with it. Changing these laws so that the health insurance market can operate in a more traditional marketplace setting would be a great advantage to the American people.

I do not pretend to be an expert on health insurance or taxes. But this seems to be pretty apparent. In the first place, health insurance purchased through an employer is purchased with “before-tax” dollars. This means that taxes are not deducted from the money going to pay for your health insurance. Should you purchase health insurance from another source, the money is considered taxable income and the government expects a percentage of it.

In the second place, as your salary goes up, so does your tax rate. Not only your personal tax rate, but also the taxes that the company who employs you is expected to pay on your behalf. So it is in the company’s interest to pay you less cash and, instead, offer you benefits that are not subject to taxation. This, in essence, raises your salary without raising your taxes. In the instance of health care, however, it limits you to whatever plan or plans your employer wishes to offer.

Naturally, overhauling the tax code is messier work and more difficult to explain to voters than simply promising that no matter what the government will make sure they have health insurance. But as Romney points out, making promises without explaining the costs rings hollow in the ears of the American people.

In this case, the cost will not just be in money and increased taxation, but in the quality and availability of health care for everyone. We have examples of socialized medicine readily available for study in Canada and in the UK. In both countries, wait times for routine procedures are ridiculously long and delays for life-saving treatments cost people their lives. People from these nations with serious illnesses are coming to the US in large numbers because they cannot depend on the government system at home to give them the kind of care they need to save their lives and restore their health. To paraphrase a famous quote: to implement the same policies and expect different results is insane.

But most of all, allowing the government control, any control, over our health care system means giving up personal freedom. The freedom to care for our health and the health and well-being of our children according to our own desires and beliefs.

The Anaya family is not seeking any money in their lawsuit against the State of Nebraska officials. Instead, they simply want to make sure that none of their children can be taken from them again for following their religious beliefs. And for that matter, none of your children either.

Additional Reading:
Journalstar
MSNBC
Rush Limbaugh

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Last week Cindy and I traveled with our friends Kevin and Jill Anderson to New England for a fall colors trip. While there we decided to see if we might be able to visit the Romney for President headquarters offices. We arrived there early evening, Friday, 10/12. Rachel, a cheerful, professional intern agreed to meet us there. We got lost in route and she patiently awaited our arrival and was most gracious to take us on a tour of the office from about 5:30 to 6:45 on a Friday night! She was joined by Bethany, also a very professional intern.

Rachel and Bethany are standing just outside the door of Governor Romney’s office. Small details impressed me about the offices and team: Every office door I saw, whether for one person or a team, had a small sign outside the door indicating the function of the area (Finance, Communications, Political, etc.); none of them had the name of any person and there were several offices of important people we all know of in the campaign. That impressed me as a team environment above all, with no apparent egos out front. The other thing that impressed me was the fact that this was a Friday evening and about 60% of all staff were still working at the offices when we left at almost 7pm! And on the first night of the Sox/Indians playoff game at Fenway Park! Everybody was very friendly, but also focused.

One of the rooms we came across was the “War Room.” In it are approximately 25 TV monitors with about five people sitting a room smaller than a typical bedroom. Apparently they constantly monitor the mainstream media programs as well as all the cable shows. I saw a cartoon on along with Chris Matthews. All seemed to have head-phones on and all were concentrating on the various programs. IMPRESSIVE! Here are two shots; one with a flash, and one without.

Just about every hallway wall had some photograph of the Romney family, Governor Romney in various official settings, his father George as governor, etc.

Stephen Smith heads up Internet work for the campaign. I do not know Stephen’s official title, but I believe his many responsibilities include monitoring and responding to Internet information about Gov. Romney and his competition and liason work with those outside the campaign (I wonder if one would be allowed to work in this environment if one were a Yankee’s fan? — yeah, probably a silly question).

Marian heads up marketing responsibilities. I had the privilege of meeting Marian a few weeks ago when Ann Romney hosted the Orange County “Rally for Romney.” When I made this photograph, we were on our way out of the building and Marian was coming back to work around 7pm! She once called me from Boston at around midnight her time as she diligently prepared for the OC event. I asked her to stand next to a wonderful photograph of Governor George Romney in the Oval Office chatting with President Nixon.

Bethany and Rachel stand next to Governor Romney’s office door.

Rachel, Bethany, Jill and Kevin Anderson

While in the Boston area, we decided to visit Hyannis Port, located about two hours south of Boston on Cap Cod. Since my youth I have studied much of the Kennedy era and his administration and as a photographer I have always been fond of the many family photographs taken in and around the Hyannis Port “Kennedy Compound”, as it is called. So I decided to see if we couldn’t find the home and photograph it. Many people in the area said we would not be able to locate it, let alone photograph it. We did find it by walking around the point on the beach.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “I always go to Hyannisport to be revived, to know again the power of the sea, and the Master who rules over it and all of us.”

In the above photograph, see the porch in the home at the top left?; that is the same porch in the photograph I made last week just below (the porch is at the far right of the home). The above Kennedy family portrait was made in 1931 at their Hyannis Port home in Cape Cod. L-R: Bobby, Jack, Eunice, Jean, Joseph Sr., Rose with Pat in front of her, Kathleen, Joe Jr., and Rosemary. I absolutely love this photograph!

The wooden stairs, through which I made this photograph, are those used to access the beach from the back yard and is the likely place the Kennedy family has walked to the beach for decades. It is probably right at this exact spot the above family photograph was taken. I was told that Senator Kennedy resides in this home when in Massachusetts.

Above is the beach immediately in front of the Kennedy compound. At the far right of the image you can see part of the wooden stairs leading directly into the yard where the above photos were taken. Here you see a lady walking her dog on a blustery, drizzly Cape Cod day. This day fit the image of a windy Cap Cod fall or winter day with white caps and noticeable exposure to the elements. But what a beautiful location! I recommend that Governor Romney purchase the estate (one home owned by Bobby Kennedy’s son is for sale right now) and keep it in the “presidential family” for American history.

This photograph was made at the beach in front of the Kennedy home in Hyannis Port.

This is a side view of the compound with the ocean to the left. The tent structure must be semi-permanent as I saw the structure in a coffee-table book at the JFK Library/Museum.

This photograph was made in Hyannis Port home on the beach side of the home. It is a reunion of the Jack Kennedy’s PT-109 crew from World War II. Above and right of the men is the back porch with the Kennedy sisters chatting.

As we approached, we noticed a rainbow above the home. This is a good, public view of the home from the beach. My guess is that the Kennedy compound sits on about 10 acres.

This same day we visited Salem; just up the road from Boston. We attended a play reenacting the indictment of the first witch at the Salem witch trials. We, as the audience, were the “grand jury” as she was questioned by the Puritan constable. To clear one’s name as a witch, a test was offered. Here the alleged witch was asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As she did, she omitted the phrase, “deliver us from evil” providing proof to us and the constable that she was very likely a witch and therefore was to stand trial as a witch. We all voted (I voted to let her go) and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of sending her to trial. She was the first of about 19 witches tried and hanged in Salem. Incidentally, we confirmed with a number of merchants in the town that about 20% of all residents of Salem today are pagans either passively so or are actively involved in the occult. It was interesting to be in that town near Halloween. It made me not want to have anything to do with Halloween. By the way, the Puritans of Salem also executed other Christians such as Quakers if they did not leave the town upon request. The Puritans came to North America for religious freedom and at least in those early years, they practiced religious freedom as long as it was their religion you practiced. The local church that traces its roots to the early Puritans is called the “Unitarian (founded in 1629)” as shown on a sign out front.

We visited the JFK Library (museum) while in Boston. Just above is the actual CBS console used at the time of the famous televised debate between JFK and Nixon. There were many great exhibits from the Kennedy administration. Don’t miss the presidential museum if you are ever in Boston. They say to set aside two hours; I say three.

Just below is the view of Boston from the JFK Library.

This photograph was made last week in Vermont.

~ Vic

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Boston, MA – Tonight, Governor Mitt Romney delivered remarks at the Family Research Council’s “Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit.” In his address, Governor Romney proposed a 12-point conservative plan to strengthen families in America. Below is the full text of Governor Romney’s remarks as prepared for delivery. More »

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