MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 15, 2017
GENERAL MEETING
The August General Meeting of the Lebanon 9-12 Project was held on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at
“All About You Catering” in Lebanon. Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Vice Chairman
Titus Hostetter who also led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Linda Patches gave the invocation telling God our Father we trust our USA to Him and to please send His Spirit to touch the hearts of our leaders so they may follow His path.
BUSINESS
Treasurer’s Report – Sue Rodkey, Treasurer
Sue reminded us of the donation basket on our Literature Table. All donations and membership dues help us to continue the work of our Lebanon 9-12 Project. We have closed our Post Office Box in order to cut back on expenses but we still have to pay for our meeting hall rental, our website and the paper and supplies to print our literature and monthly newsletter. We appreciate all your donations in the past and ask for your continued support.
SPECIAL REPORT
AAUSS (Adopt a U.S. Soldier) – Sue Rodkey, Facilitator
As with our donation basket, Sue reminded us of the donation basket for our adopted soldier Shawn. We need your donations of socks, books, magazines, candy, etc. to help us to continue this worthwhile project. Sue then read the lyrics of a song by Toby Keith entitled “An American Soldier” which she wanted to share with us. Following is one of the stanzas:
I will always do my duty, no matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
I don’t want to die but if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor, ‘cause freedom don’t come free.
May God bless our troops.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership Committee – Harry Fies, Chairperson
Harry welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming in support of their state and country and for their patriotism. Yearly dues remain the same $10.00 for an individual and $15.00 for a couple or family.
He reminded us of our 9-12 Picnic on Saturday August 26th and to come and share with us a beautiful venue, good food and conversation. Also, take a copy of our newsletter and another one to share with your friends. There is also literature on the sign-in table about the candidates for Governor.
He told us about the Indivisible Movement which likes to present the idea that they are grassroots and for the people but they are really an anti-Trump progressive action group run by former Obama staff members. He asked us to pray for President Trump who is facing a tough road and for our divided country.
Education Committee – Sandy Paveglio, Chairperson
Sandy said on September 17th people around the country will be celebrating Constitution Day also called Citizenship Day. She explained the background of this day which honors the creation and adoption of the United States Constitution and all persons who have become U.S. citizens through birth or naturalization. She also recommended the film “The Darkest Hour” about Winston Churchill during WWII and the book “The Big Lie” by Dinesh D’Souza, about the left’s roots in Nazism.
Sandy’s detailed report is in our August Newsletter.
Respect Life Committee – Sandy Paveglio, Moderator
Sandy reminded us of our ongoing project of donating baby item coupons to help the Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services in their work. We have a basket available every month for these coupon donations. She spoke about the article by Technology Review which reported an attempt in the U.S. to genetically modify a human embryo. This means killing unborn children for human genetic engineering experiments. She also again spoke on the Charlie Gard case in which Britain surrendered his fate to the United Nations. These articles are reported in detail in Sandy’s Respect Life report in our August Newsletter. Sandy had a handout available regarding President Trump’s record on life from the PA
Pro-Life Federation’s website.
Media Relations – Jim Rodkey, Chairperson
Jim spoke about the events in Charlottesville and the unfairness reported by the press and those against the “right” and our President. Not that we are in agreement with either side. Both sides had a right to voice their opinion without violence but only the group they refer to as “white supremacists” followed the law and applied for a permit for the right to assemble. The other group did not and they were the ones who ran the barricades and started the melee.
Chair Report/Remarks – Jim Rodkey, Chairperson
Jim said we are in the mess we are today because churches and the scientific community have embraced “Darwinism”. This is a theory of biological evolution which means anybody can come from anything. Salvation can only come from our Divine Savior who came from the seed of woman, which was the Virgin birth. You remove creation and you have no verification for Christ and that’s where our world is heading.
Jim then spoke on the first of several meetings with the candidates for Governor in 2018. The gist of these meetings is to discuss 5 topics: Property Tax Elimination; the pension; 2nd Amendment issues; Immigration Policy; Gender Neutrality issues like last year’s bathroom bills. These meetings involve leaders of grassroots organizations including Ron Boltz, PA Liberty Alliance, Rod Miller and Sam Brancadora from Berks Patriots and Tom Campione from Lehigh Valley Patriots. Jim said he had the pleasure of representing our Lebanon 9-12 Project.
At this meeting Jim spoke with Paul Mango and his campaign staff member Cody Brown. He was pleasantly surprised by the open, frank and candid manner in which Paul Mango addressed the questions before him. He presented himself as a solid conservative who is pro-life and said education is one of his priorities. The two topics he spent the most time discussing were the property tax and pension issues. Jim addressed all the concerns he had with SB76 and by the end of the discussion Mango signed a pledge of support for 76 stating emphatically he would sign the bill into law if elected Governor.
This was the first of these meetings. The next meeting will be with Scott Wagner. Once all the candidates have been interviewed a paper will be available regarding where the candidates stand on the issues that were presented to them.
Jim said tonight there is a town hall on property tax elimination in Senator McGarrigle’s district. There are more town halls set up to take place in the next months including one in Lancaster, Northern Pittsburgh and Blair County.
We are so fortunate to have strong and solid advocacy for 76 by Mike Folmer in the Senate and Frank Ryan in the House. Lebanon County is becoming the leading legislative force in the advocacy for 76 in the General Assembly. A planning meeting for stategical purposes with Ron Boltz, Jim, Frank and Mike will take place next week. So get ready!
BREAK
Jim introduced our speaker for the evening Sheriff Bruce Klingler who will speak on concealed carry.
Below is an excerpt of Sheriff Klingler’s presentation. A video of his entire presentation is available on our website www.lebanon912.com
Sheriff Klingler said he wanted to thank us for the privilege and honor to be invited to speak tonight. He said sometimes he thinks concealed carry is a Lebanon County thing because of the number of people who have applied for licenses. Of the 138,000 people in Lebanon County, 18,000 have a license to carry and each one of these licenses have been issued through the Lebanon County Sheriff’s Office.
Some people ask what is the difference between concealed carry and open carry? In PA you have a right to carry open but we don’t recommend it because you draw attention to yourself and this could lead to a dangerous situation. We recommend you carry concealed because the only person who really needs to know you carry is you. When you carry concealed you are not advertising you are carrying and can enter most stores. The only time you may not enter a building or business if you carry is if there is a sign posted on their door which reads “no weapons permitted”. This is something to keep in mind.
Sheriff Klingler then spoke on the differences between those who are approved for a gun license and those who are denied. The main reason for being denied a license is if you have a charge of violence on your record. If you conceal that information on your application and it is found out you can be charged with another crime - “defrauding the Sheriff’s office”.
The Lebanon County Courthouse Fee for a gun license is $20.00. This includes your picture which makes your license as good as a driver’s license for identification purposes. Your license to carry expires after 5 years but the Sheriff’s office will send you a notice for renewal.
Sheriff Klingler said gun and concealed carry licenses used to be requested mostly by men. But in the last few years there are just as many women applying for gun and concealed carry licenses as men so this isn’t just a “man thing” anymore.
He said as a Sheriff of PA one of things he likes the most is giving people their license to carry because it is not only a privilege but their right. He ended by saying if we ever have any questions on concealed carry we should call his office. He brought license to carry applications for anyone who would like one and he would be happy to answer any questions we might have.
A Q&A followed.
Jim thanked Sheriff Klingler for his informative presentation.
He encouraged us to vote in favor of the amendment bill to double the homestead exclusion from 50 to 100% of the assessed value of one’s property. If we don’t vote in favor of this, the opposition will say 76 is dead because we voted down property tax elimination. This is why Jim feels a no vote on the amendment can have unintended and disastrous consequences. They didn’t think we would be smart enough to figure this out.
Jim heard from Frank Ryan and some other legislators that our conservative side seems to have fallen off when it comes to contacting their legislators. The other side is aggressively writing and calling but they hear very little from us. They said from every one call they get from us they get 70 from the other side. So please pick up your phone and contact your legislators and talk about the issues that are important to you.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Birli, Secretary