A COUPLE OF OUR INTERNS DID NOT

WANT THEIR IDENTITIES REVEALED!

We have four wonderful young ladies helping with registration, credentials, and hospitality at the National Convention. While I dearly love to tease them, they are a blessing to the delegation. They are so gracious and truly manifest "the fruit of the spirit" in their lives. They are involved in the Character Training Institute program in Oklahoma City. I'm trying to match them up with some good Christian young men- all four are beautiful and are of marrying age, so email me if you think you might be interested- maybe I can stop selling jelly and start a competitive operation with e-harmony.

Sunday August 31, 2008- Midnight

After picking our son Jeremy Fair, a minister from Arlington, Texas at the airport, we rushed back to the hotel and changed clothes to head to the official Welcoming Event at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We "walked the red carpet" and grazed on some "Little Food" as Rodney Dangerfield would say. There was lots of activity at the reception including a display of the former Air Force One- that was retired after George HW Bush. We were able to walk through and tour it. I got my photograph at the door waving and so did Debbie- see above.

I visited with several delegates from other states including a couple from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Their names were Stacy and Eddie Napolitano. Eddie is a Gulf War vet and a big McCain fan. "McCain is a great leader who has character and is a compelling guy," Eddie told me. Stacy and Eddie have been married twelve years and she has been battling cancer ten of those years. He is President of the SE Broward County GOP Club and is an Alternate delegate to the convention. It's his first convention.

I talked with Mary Jones, our State Party Chairman's wife. Mary Jane is a kindergarten teacher in Cache. She said she had enjoyed the evening at Game Works on Sunday evening. The Louisiana delegation had sponsored the event and because of Gustav, they had several extra tickets. Game Works is an adult game place kind of like Chuckie Cheese for adults. Mary works behind the scenes- laboring without recognition. Much of the time no one knows what Mary has done and she likes it that way, but her support of Gary and the party is under appreciated.

I also talked to Rebecca, a volunteer working the red carpet at the Welcoming Event. Rebecca isn't a Republican, she was only volunteering as her "civic" duty. She was gracious and said the Republican delegates had been very nice.

I saw my friend Representative Gary Banz and his lovely wife Linda at the event. Marc Nuttle, a Norman attorney and political operative was at the event and we visited. Marc is a principled man who ran Pat Robinson's campaign for President. Marc is a joy to be around.

After we got back to the hotel, we went to the hospitality suite where I visited with Lukus and Ellany Collins. Lukus is an investment analysis and an Alternate Delegate. He was elected at the 5th district convention. Lukus and Ellany have a beautiful two year old daughter they brought to the convention with them. He was home schooled and is a graduate of ORU. "I decided in the summer that I wanted to get involved in politics and really Ron Paul inspired me to get involved," Lukas said. Lukus worked on a local state legislative race- Andrew Winningham who narrowly lost to Jason Nelson. Collins plans to attend the Rally for the Republic which will be on Tuesday all day at the Target Center. Congressman Paul is speaking, as is Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr.

I also visited with Toby Pedford is a delegate from the 5th district. Toby is married and has two girls and this is his first convention. He works in investments and insurance. Toby is an African-American whose candor and openness was refreshing. "What black people are looking for in politics is liberty," Toby said. "In reality, that's what Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X were proclaiming to African-Americans," Toby said.

"Blacks vote primarily for someone who recognize that blacks are part of the community," Pedford stated. "It's amazing that African-Americans vote for Democrats when so much of what the Democrats stand for- same sex marriage, abortion on demand- the black community does not support," Toby said. I mentioned that former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts had pointed out that Republicans sort of "write off" the black vote and Pedford agreed that is a problem.

Pedford is also a big fan of Congressman Paul and said that Paul's proposal to allow non-violent inmates to retain their right to bear arms would impact the African-American community in a positive way. "It would reduce violence and allow fathers to protect their families," Toby said. Pedford is an intelligent, rational thinker. I I hope he seeks elective office someday. He has the iron rail up the shirt tail necessary to make a difference.

I visited with former Keating Chief of Staff Howard Barnett briefly. Howard is a Co-Chair of the McCain campaign. He said it is a possibility the Senator may accept the nomination via satellite hook-up due to Gustav. Howard is an unassuming, approachable gentlemen with an easy wit and outgoing personality. Too bad he was unsuccessful in his bid for State Treasurer- he would have been a good one.

Gary Jones and I went to the ballroom to check it out for tomorrow night's events when Grace Hickman, the 1st District GOP Chair cornered me and said that Wolf Bitzer from CNN was staying at our hotel and I should interview him. We waited in the lobby for thirty minutes until someone with a CNN badge came by. She is a producer for CNN and while she said I could not publish her name due to my blogging for Fox, she was candid and engaging. As we began the interview, others joined in until finally I was writing as fast as I could. She asked the following question:

What was our reaction to McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for Vice President?

State Representative Sally Kern said, "If you heard her speech on Friday, you understand this lady has passion and conviction." "She is not afraid to go after the good old boys," Kern concluded. Gary Jones, State GOP Chair, said "Palins primary assets are her integrity and judgement." Don Burdick from Tulsa pointed out to the CNN producer, "You note that none of us have mentioned Palin was picked because she is a woman." "She was picked because she has the ability to lead."

The unnamed producer pressed the point about Palin's inexperience, but with multiple voices attempting to point out that Palin's resume has more executive experience than McCain, Biden or Obama and that Obama's resume is thinner than a fruit rollup, I could not list all the names of those pointing that out. Over thirty people gathered in the lobby listening to the discussion. It was civil and gracious. During the discussion, Donna Brazil, a CNN contributor and a Democrat Super Delegate, listened in. Brazil publicly thanked the Oklahoma people for their response to Katrina and offers to help with Gustav. "I love Oklahoma and their people. I will continue to love them until after Gustav and when they play LSU," Brazil joked.

Several people asked the CNN producer about her political views, but her journalism training kept her from tipping her hand too much. "As a journalist, both tickets bring a historical perspective to the equation," she concluded. We never did see Wolf Bitzer- perhaps he was out howling at the moon.

The day was long and the events fun, but the highlight of the day was the spontaneous gathering in the lobby that had delegates stating their opinions in a civil way. As Toby Pedford had said earlier in the evening, "Sometimes we have to agree to disagree." But allowing people to express their opinions and listening to others speak about their political philosophy forces one to defend their own opinions- that's not a bad thing.

Sunday August 31, 2008- 4pm

Gustav has impacted the Convention schedule. It's been announced that we will not have a Monday evening session. We will have a short afternoon session to convene the convention. The schedule for the convention is up in the air at this point. It's also been announced that "W" will not be attending, nor will Cheney. That's disappointing, but the political experts say it will help McCain because Obama is trying to tie him to Bush. This will make it harder.

I attended the FoxNews.com Video Blogger meeting at The Local in downtown Minneapolis. Fox News will have 30 video bloggers on the floor of the convention. We just shoot video and interview people and then drop it off at the Fox News studios at the convention. I met several folks at the reception. One is the current Secretary of State of Kentucky- Trey Grayson. Trey is a Harvard educated attorney who is in his fifth year as SOS of Kentucky. Tall, good looking, articulate, intelligent- Trey reminds me a lot of myself. He lives in Independence, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati which is an hour and half from the state Capital. He said he might run for US Senate if Senator Jim Bunning decides not to run for reelection in 2010. Very engaging young man.

I also visited with Steve Baines who is running for Lt. Governor of Montana. Baines is a former Proctor & Gamble associate, so we talked consumer products for a while. In Montana, the Governor and the Lt. Governor run as a team and Steve and Roy Brown, the former Majority Leader of the Montana House, are running against Governor Brian Schweitzer- the guy who fired up the Democratic crowd right before Senator Hillary Clinton spoke in Denver. Steve is optimistic in his race, but he said it's going to be a fight.

I also visited with Ellen Lai, a Producer for Fox News. Ellen said that we have total control on what we film on the floor- be as creative as we want to be.

The Oklahoma delegation is slowly drifting in. We have a hospitality suite where most of the delegation gathers to visit.

The Minnesota Pioneer Press reported that five people had been arrested who planned to puncture the tires of Convention delegate buses, throw urine on police officers and generally disrupt the convention. It appears Gustav has done a more effective job than they would ever be able to.

The paper also listed eight planned protests by various groups in their publication. It included the times, where to meet and the details of the protests. St. Paul city fathers have been worried about protesters, so over 3,500 police officers plus volunteer or reserve officers, federal officers or the National Guard. The largest protest is planned for Monday and 50,000 people is expected.

When coming back from the Fox News meeting, I followed a small SUV with Nebraska plates. In the vehicle were five men. The four bumper stickers on the Rodeo were (1)OBAMA 2008, (2) ALLAH WILL ALWAYS SUPPLY OUR NEEDS, (3) I BUY WHERE I LIVE- A United Communications Workers Bumper Sticker, and (4) SOMALIA. I'm fairly confident these five guys were not delegates to the GOP Convention.

Some of the Oklahoma delegations went to an exclusive showing of An American Carol. Because of my Fox News meeting, I was unable to do it.

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

BRING ON THE MOOSE STEW!
by Steve Fair

“It’s very easy to underestimate Sarah Palin- she’s unabashed.” Those words come from John Binley, Palin’s former opponent for Governor of Alaska. When John McCain picked Governor Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate, most thought- who is Sarah Palin? I admit she was on my radar screen, but because Alaska is a solid red state, I didn’t think McCain would pick her. But McCain’s maverick streak came to the surface and he picked the first woman to be on a major ticket since Geraldine Anne Ferraro back in 1984.

Palin was born in Idaho to a family involved in education. Her dad was a teacher and track coach- her mom a school secretary. When she was just a baby, the family moved to Alaska. Her dad loved to hunt and Palin and her dad would get up at 3am to go hunt moose. She also ran in 5K and 10K races with the rest of her family.

Palin was head of the FCA and played point guard on her high school basketball team. In fact, like Ollie from Hoosiers, she helped her team win the state championship in 1982 by hitting a critical free throw in the final seconds. What she didn’t know was that she had an ankle stress fracture at the time. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play and was the leader of team prayer before games.

Palin finished second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant and won a college scholarship. She earned a BS degree in journalism from the University of Idaho. Palin worked in broadcasting and as a sports reporter for an Anchorage TV station while helping her husband run a commercial fishing business.

Palin, 44, and her husband of twenty years have five children. Palin gave birth to her youngest child, Trig, on April 18, 2008, while in office as governor. Her pregnancy is reported to have surprised Alaskans, including her staff; she didn't tell her staff that she was pregnant until March 5--seven months into the pregnancy She returned to the office three days after delivering the child. The baby has Down syndrome. Palin and her husband knew that before the child was born, but elected to have the baby. The pro-life community applauded the decision.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world wrote about Palin’s decision on his blog less than a month after the baby’s birth. Mohler wrote, when he was told the baby was likely to have Downs, Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

The Palins never considered aborting the baby. That means that Trig Palin is now is a very rare group of very special children, because it is now believed that the vast majority of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth are being aborted.

Mohler goes on to say, “Modern diagnostic tests are driving a "search and destroy mission" to eliminate babies judged to be inferior, disabled, or deformed. Some experts now believe that up to 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed as having a likelihood of Down syndrome end in abortion.”

What does Palin say about her five-month-old son? She loves her baby boy and is proud of him. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin told the Associated Press. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Palin recognized life is precious and is a gift of God. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Governor Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

And it’s not just Sarah Palin’s stance on abortion that impresses. She’s a leader with the courage to shake up Washington. She has that frontier spirit that we is familiar to Oklahomans. She is not afraid to take on the good old boys. One of her political opponents says of Palin, “she’s driven by an inner feeling of right and wrong and is willing to suffer the consequences of doing what she thinks is right.” “She doesn’t mind going up against the system.”

With all their talk of change, Obama’s campaign picked a Washington insider Senator Joe Biden to be their Vice Presidential pick. McCain chose a woman with a frontier spirit that is strong on conviction and courage.

Palin speaks on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. As a delegate, I will be in my chair listening to what this remarkable woman has to say. Step aside Hillary-America’s first woman President will likely be from the union’s largest geographic state. Bring on the moose stew!

RECIPE FOR MOOSE STEW

Cut moose into chunks. Add some bacon fat to the Meat Place in pot with water to cover. Add Celery, Onion and Carrots. Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano sugar and accent. Remove vegetables and blend. Be sure not to over-cook as this will dry out your game meat. Side dish of boiled and buttered carrots. Side dish of boiled and buttered onions. Side dish of potatoes

Directions

Brown moose and sausage in a large pot, add all vegetable and sauté till lightly browned. Add red wine, broth and seasonings. Let simmer 30 minutes. Remove meat. Blend sauce and vegetables from the pot to to thicken. Put thickened sauce back into pot or serving dish and serve.

Serves five

Sunday August 31, 2008: 9am

Gustav is dominating the buzz at the convention. It's being reported that President Bush will not attend the convention due to the hurricane's likely path to New Orleans. The talking heads on TV are saying this is a real opportunity for Obama. It's amazing that politicians would exploit a national disaster for political gain- yeah right. We are praying the storm will shift and hit a more sparsely populated area than New Orleans.

The overall opinion of most delegates on McCain's pick for VP- Governor Sarah Palin- is positive. She is a lot like an Oklahoman. She loves hunting, fishing, has a frontier spirit and firm convictions. Obama's campaign team may try to make experience an issue, but how can they when he starting running for President after just 143 days as a U.S. Senator. Some are saying she reminds them of my friend Brenda Reneau, Oklahoma's former Labor Commissioner. That is a good thing- Brenda did a great job as Labor Commissioner. I actually had Palin on my radar screen, but because she was from a safe Red State, I didn't think McCain would select her. Just goes to prove that McCain is a maverick and "thinks outside the box." With all the Democrats "historical talk" during the primary, McCain may have trumped that card with this selection. Stay tuned- I'll keep you updated on what's happening in the Twin Cities.

Saturday August 30, 2008:

Debbie and I arrived in Minneapolis-St. Paul around 3pm this afternoon. Northwest was on time and while the Twin Cities airport is not the most user friendly in the country, it's not the worst either. We arrived at the Four Points Sheraton around 4pm. Ironically Gary Jones, the GOP State Party Chair was unloading luggage for some of the interns helping out as we drove up. We checked in and then changed clothes and then Debbie and I headed to Bethlehem Baptist Church. John Piper is the pastor. He is a very well known Christian writer and pastor. I had researched when he would be preaching this weekend and 5:30pm Saturday was the only time. We made it just in time- thanks to my Magellan GPS. The music was a little too contemporary for an old man, but the message was outstanding. Piper's subject was "Spiritual Wisdom." His text was Philippians 2:4 which says LET EACH OF YOU LOOK OUT NOT ONLY FOR HIS OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTEREST OF OTHERS. Here are some notes I jotted down from the message.

• Wisdom is the ability of of the soul to discern God glorifying, Christ exalting, Gospel spreading, and People serving ways to live with the knowledge we have.
• Until you are stunned by the grace of God, you will go through life with a sense of entitlement.
• Humility is the opposite of entitlement.
• Philippians 2:4 should be the Charter of a Christian's life.
• Republicans & Democrats will all bow their knee to the King of Kings.

Piper is leaving tomorrow to travel to England to preach a four day series on the book of Ruth. The thousand plus crowd reflected a diversity of races and cultural backgrounds. Debbie and I introduced ourselves to Dr. Piper and congratulated him on his newest grandson. After a trip to the church bookstore- which cost me close to a $100, we headed out to eat.

We ate at Ichiban Japanese Steak House in Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The food was good, but the company was a little suspect. A man of middle eastern origin was in the company of three "ladies of the night" who shared our table. Thankfully, we had a couple from Iowa also at the table who afforded us some normal conversation. The quartet at the other side of the table were crude and vulgar- I'm sure the girl's mothers would have been proud. One heard my southern twang and said, "you're from down south aren't you?" I replied, "I'm from New York City." Either I am very funny or the Saki was working well, because she and here companions roared with laughter.

We have several receptions and meetings tomorrow. Getting to bed early so we can rest up for the rest of the week.

LIVE FROM THE GOP CONVENTION!

Starting on Saturday August 30th, I will be blogging from the Republican National Convention. I have also been selected to blog for Fox News, the Oklahoma Gazette, KOCO channel 5 and several newspapers. If you want to know what's happening on the floor, check this blog or those listed above. BY THE WAY- Great choice Senator McCain on Governor Sarah Palin as the VP nominee- a solid conservative and way prettier than Joe Biden.