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12/31/2005: "The Grand Old Party Has One On Orcas"

Over 100 attended the annual Republican Christmas party dinner on Orcas. The guest speakers were Sheriff Deputy Scott Taylor and Ri Warren. Deputy Scott Taylor is also an Army National Guard Major who recently returned from duty in Iraq, and he talked about the experiences and impressions he received while in Iraq.

He had two main messages for the assembled crowd, the first was that, for a number of reasons, it was clear to him that the progress and the positive things going on in Iraq are simply not being reported to the folks back home. He gave as an example of the problem by asking what the impression of America would be to the rest of the world, if the only news or knowledge they received about America was the result of a reporter standing in a slum and reporting on the crime and gang violence in the area, but never ventured out of those areas to report on the positive and non-violent areas With respect to the troops, he said he found the moral to be universally high.

The second thing he wished to convey was the importance of letting the men and women over there know that we think and care about them. One of the ways to do that is to send them something from home. Send a pine cone; or a rock; anything that is from here, that will bridge the distance.



The second thing he wished to convey was the importance of letting the men and women over there know that we think and care about them. One of the ways to do that is to send them something from home. Send a pine cone; or a rock; anything that is from here, that will bridge the distance.


Ri Warren brought the audience up to speed on the Comprehensive Plan and the GMA saga on ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units, aka:Guest Houses) that has consumed so much time and energy. Ri reminded the group that the battle is still going on after seven years. With respect to the ADUs, Ri pointed out that even with a county-wide vote in favor of Guest Houses that returned a super-majority result of 73.44 % in favor of them, the Friends (The Friends of the San Juans), under the leadership of now Commissioner Ranker, appealed the Comp. Plan in an on-going attempt to not allow them. According to Warren, 100% of the BOCC, and 33% of the Planning Commission are members of the Friends.

For information on future meetings, or if you would like additional information on the GOP, call SJC Chairman John Evans at 376-4961