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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from KCRP!

THE KITSAP REPUBLICAN

December 2023

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Locate and register for your Precinct Caucus NOW! Click HERE!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for MEETINGS & EVENTS!

 

2024 Precinct Caucuses

Training on Monday, January 8, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at KCRP HQ

Caucuses on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.


2024 Kitsap County Convention

Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

Kitsap County Fairgrounds


Saturday, March 9, 2024

Lincoln Day Dinner with Jason Rantz

Kitsap Golf & Country Club

(see invitation at bottom of this email)


2024 State Convention

April 18-20, 2024 in Spokane


Issues & Board Meeting

1st Monday of every month

6pm Social & Issues Discussion

7pm Executive Board Meeting

Next Meeting: Monday, January 8, 2024

KCRP Headquarters, 6610 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA 98312

 

Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) & Volunteer Meeting

Last Wednesday of every month @ 6pm

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Topic: Caucuses and Conventions!

Cloverleaf Grill, 1240 Hollis St, Bremerton, WA 98310

 

Meetings are open to all Republicans.


Check our calendar!

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Executive Board Member Reports


Juliana McMahan, Chair


Local Precinct Caucuses on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

Every four years Republicans across our state get together with their neighbors by precinct. This is the foundation of the Presidential election process and provides guidance to the party for the upcoming four years. Thanks to volunteers and donors, we are sending out a postcard mailing to identified Republicans in Kitsap County inviting them to attend.


Please plan to attend your local Republican precinct caucus on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., especially if you are interested in being a delegate to the county, state, and/or national conventions. If you would like to be a delegate, but cannot attend your precinct caucus, please email KCRP at caucus@kitsaprepublicans.com and ask for your name to be submitted as a possible county convention delegate during your caucus election. Delegates do not need to be present in order to be elected, but all county convention delegates must be elected during their precinct caucus on January 13.


Kitsap County Convention on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

We have also been very busy getting ready for our county convention on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Delegates can ONLY be elected during their precinct caucus on January 13, 2024, although they do not need to be present in order to be elected.


Delegates to the Kitsap County Convention will:

1.    Endorse our local 2024 Republican candidates.

2.    Discuss and pass our KCRP Platform and Resolutions.

3.    Elect delegates and alternates to the Washington State Convention.

★★★★★

Initiatives Update: All six of the Let's Go Washington initiatives received enough signatures to qualify! Many thanks to the multitudes of supporters who made this happen!

★★★★★

KCRP is looking to hire a full-time employee who will help execute our strategic plan of turning Kitsap County red! If you know if someone who might be interested, please email chair@kitsaprepublicans.com for a job description.


★★★★★


John M. Cameron, Vice-Chair

We continue to have great support at the PCO meet and greet, and appointed nine new PCOs last month. Much is being talked about in regards to getting ready for the Caucuses in January and Endorsement Convention in February.


★★★★★


Keith Houk, State Committeeman

I spoke with several of our local lawmakers regarding the upcoming session in Olympia (which starts on January 8 and is only 90 days long). Critical legislation is being proposed concerning “climate change”—they now want to ban natural gas! Several “hate speech” bills are being considered and additional taxes are always on the table. Contact your local representatives now and make your voice heard!


★★★★★


John Johanson, Bremerton

Hello Patriots! Here’s what I’ve been working on this month in Bremerton:


EP&O Bond and Levy: 1) Created “against” statements for EP&O (Educational Programs & Operations) Bond and Levy; 2) created a committee to oppose these measures (this requires at least three Bremerton residents to form the committee); and 3) filed committee formation paperwork with the County Auditor. Also created and email address for voters who want more info regarding the “against” statement (VoteNOBondAndLevy@gmail.com).


Upcoming: 1) Prepare rebuttal statements; 2) create a website with information on why voters should vote “NO” on the bond and levy (www.VoteNoBondAndLevy.com); and 3) create a design for and acquire fund to print yard signs.


It has taken a good amount of time and effort to complete the tasks that have been done so far. It will take a lot more time and effort to build out the website and get the yard signs printed. I would really appreciate some help on gathering data and creating more content and articles that detail why the bond and levy should not be supported.


★★★★★


Francis Doyle, South Kitsap

South Kitsap School Board Update: During their regular Board Meeting on December 6, they swore in the two newly-elected School Board Directors Megan Higgins and Jay Villars, and the re-elected School Board Director Kate Espy for four years.

 

They also discussed the recent SKSD Bond which did not pass. They stated that they are going to do a post-mortem and develop a new strategy with the input they received from their “SKSD Election Feedback Community Survey”. Presently they do not plan on running this bond proposition again in February 2024.

 

One topic that surprised me was the board members’ claim of “misinformation” being put out in the public forum, but nothing specific or substantiated was mentioned. I am going to follow up on their claim and see if there is any credence to the statement.

 

The Director of Education gave a good presentation on academic results. Her main goal was to achieve “academic success” through results. They are concerned about the low mathematics scores (Smarter Balanced Assessment) and are committed to change the test results thorough the lessons learned process.

 

As of November, the provided fund balance is $13,259,980 and student enrollment is at 9,171 students.


★★★★★


Volunteers Needed!


If you have been looking for opportunities to volunteer, now is a great time! Below are some key opportunities to help:


Volunteer to help with your Pooled Precinct Caucus registration on Saturday, January 13, 2024. And/or volunteer to help with the County Convention on Saturday, February 10, 2024. To volunteer, please contact Juliana at chair@kitsaprepublicans.com.


Volunteer to help with our upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday, March 9, 2024. The Lincoln Day Dinner is fast approaching. The committee is in need of some assistance. If you would like to help, please contact Shelly at shellypco255@gmail.com. Thank you!


We need auction items. If, after Christmas, you are out and about at the sales consider purchasing some items to create a basket. There are many themes that will be a hit with our attendees. Ideas include:

• A ladies spa/pamper basket (lotions, bath salts, candles, etc.)

• Dog lovers collections (treats, collars, leashes, toys, etc.)

• Gardener’s bucket (gloves, clippers, seeds, bulbs, etc.)

• Movie Nights (theater gift certificates, candy, show memorabilia, etc.)

• Cooking Enthusiast basket (infused vinegar, olive oil, salts, spices, pans, etc.)

• The possibilities are endless.


Maybe you are a skilled craftsman or artist and would consider a donation of one of your pieces or your services. That would be wonderful!


Additionally, we will need to push ticket sales. The ticket sales go live in early January on the KCRP website. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and will finance the bulk of our budget next year.


Volunteer to help on one of the many KCRP Committees. Some key committees: 1) Events chaired by Sean Murphy; 2) PCO chaired by John Cameron; 3) Lincoln Day Dinner chaired by Shelly McKinley-Olson; 4) Website and Social Media committee run by John Johanson and Cerina Murphy; and 5) Election Integrity being run by Francis Doyle. Any and all input from committees is welcome to the newsletter!!!


★★★★★


November PCO Meet & Greet Notes

The meeting was loosely organized. One attendee said, "the Dems are top down, and we are more bottom up and grassroots in our organization." Some seemed to think that was our strength, it made us more diversified, and was not just one person with a covey of parrots surrounding them. The downside was too many ideas and no consolidation of thought and purpose. Several people spoke, and everyone agreed that there was a LOT of information coming at us, like a fire hose.


The party seeks to present facts about candidates, not sway endorsements. We would like to see a committee which vets all of the candidates.


This brought up questions about "what committees DO we have?" You do not need to be a PCO in order to be member of, or to chair, a committee. (See some key committees listed above.)


One issue is the "voting by mail" system, which leaves our state vulnerable to fraud. We can't do anything meaningful about it until we get a Republican Governor and a majority in both the the House and Senate. With the Democrats in total control of Olympia, they won't pass any changes.


PCOs have been asked to send out postcards to Republicans about the upcoming caucus. Many attendees signed up! 


KCRP has been allocated a total of 101 delegates and 98 alternates to the State Convention. They will be spread among our three Commissioner Districts.


★★★★★


Thoughts and stray input

 

The concerns of parents regarding LGBTQ issues in schools, and at what age level, has fallen out of the news cycle. The issues are not GONE. They will probably resurface timed to the Democratic agenda in 2024. The editor suggests that a committee be formed to outline an informed parental approach to what the students at SKHS call "The Queer-Straight Alliance" (apparently a grass-roots group) and how it applies globally to our school systems. Please email the editor if this affects you. Some (even liberal!) parents in the CKSD are deeply concerned about school curriculums in this area. 


★★★★★


National News

Speaker of the House Johnson issued the following statement:

"When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical. Today, we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly as possible to add to the website nearly all of the footage, more than 40,000 hours. In the meantime, a public viewing room will ensure that every citizen can view every minute of the videos uncensored."


https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/update-house-speaker-mike-johnson-officially-releases-january


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sen-mike-lee-calls-investigation-j6-committee-tapes-released-deliberately-hid-us


Official details about the Biden impeachment inquiry may be found at the following GOP site: 

https://www.gop.gov/bidenimpeachmentinquiry


★★★★★


Homelessness

There is NO reason for ANY veteran to be homeless. This is one example from a recent VA newsletter. https://news.va.gov/126141/native-american-veterans-go-homeless-to-housed


Please listen to this message from our State Chairman, Jim Walsh, on the GOP plan to tackle homelessness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wk0JrQnfv0&t=334s


Please contact Republicans Mike Simpson at electmikesimpson2023@gmail.com AND Adrian Wright at adrian4bremerton@gmail.com for any homelessness issues in our county.


Homeless Resources: 

VA homelessness hotline: Dial 877-424-3838 and Press 1

Narcotics Anonymous: https://www.kitsapgov.com/pubdef/Pages/AA-and-NA-Meeting-info.aspx

NA help line: 360-215-2616


★★★★★


Reading List

"Nuff Said" by Tyrus looks to be a good conservative read. Most of us know Tyrus well, and appreciate him for his comedic, home-spun yet modern take on family values. His book apparently tackles MANY of the issues conservative parents face today in our slightly insane world. You can find it on Amazon here.


★★★★★


At the Movies

Under-promoted, a very well made "prequel" to the book/movie series, the movie Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The music was Appalachian (bluegrass) and excellent. Set in a dystopian future, this cautionary tale brings into focus America after the United States has a civil war, nobody wins, and true evil gets control of what's left of the nation. It offers no answers, but paints a stark warning. It is a love story and good drama with a young fresh cast and beautiful cinematography. The author Suzanne Collins seems very libertarian in her writing. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_and_Snakes


★★★★★


City Council and School Board Notes


City Council

Video archives of city council meetings from all over Kitsap County can be found at: 

https://bremerton.vod.castus.tv/vod/?live=ch1&nav=recent


Bainbridge Island School District

School board website: https://www.bisd303.org/domain/44


Bremerton Bremerton School District

School board website: https://www.bremertonschools.org/SchoolBoard

Documents link: https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/wabrsd/Board.nsf/Public


Central Kitsap School District

School board website: https://www.ckschools.org/administration/c_k_s_d_school_board/school_board


North Kitsap School District

School board website: https://www.nkschools.org/about-us/school-board

Advisory board website: https://www.nkschools.org/get-involved/advisory-committees


South Kitsap School District

School board website: https://www.skschools.org/school-board

Board meetings recap: https://www.smore.com/gp6t2


Many parents in the South Kitsap district have found the "Parent Square" app/link to be very helpful in "being connected" with their district. See www.skschools.org for more information. 


Word reached the editor that even liberal parents, and the high school students, are getting a bit "fed up" with the SEL agenda in Central Kitsap. ALL should continue to urge involvement with curriculum, especially SEL, and review with gusto the materials your children are being taught. Stay connected with the educators and school boards.


★★★★★


KCRP Executive Board Contact Info:

https://www.kitsaprepublicans.com/board


Contact other conservative groups in our area: https://www.kitsaprepublicans.com/local-groups

 

Contact Newsletter Editor: josiec5150@gmail.com



YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 

Do you have 1-2 hours a week or month to volunteer in person, at home, or virtually? KCRP needs volunteers in many areas for any skill level.


Volunteer Now!

Check out our website


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