Just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in the Indian River County Republican Executive Committee. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive REC emails. If you do unsubscribe you will not be able to use the same email address if you want to once again receive emails from us. CHAIRMAN, Jay Kramer * 772-321-7724 * [email protected] VICE CHAIRMAN, Lamarre Notargiacomo * 772-559-1968 * [email protected] SECRETARY, Linda Anselmini * 609-577-5139 * [email protected] TREASURER, Steve Gagne * 772-480-6671 * [email protected] STATE COMMITTEEWOMAN Elly Manov 772-696-1665 [email protected] STATE COMMITTEEMAN Shawn Frost 772-264-4373 [email protected] IRC REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN Jay Kramer We are living in a world where democracies have been turned on their head. Simply put the difference between an authoritarian government and a free society, is in which direction do society’s values and norms flow? There has been a distinct change in the directional flow of those values and norms. Our government is now dictating our principles, standards, and morals for us. That did not come from an outcry from the citizenry. There was no large-scale demand for masks, school and business closings, higher gas prices, out of control inflation, unprotected borders, and ineffective vaccine mandates across the country. Locally, we have seen this playout with regard to school instructional materials and library books. Who would ever have thought that pornographic materials in K-12 schools would be acceptable? These are all values and norms pushed down on us from an authoritative source. The root cause for this is the integrity of elections; when the government does not fear the vote, the vote has no power and the people no voice. We, as citizens cannot express our values and norms to our government without the power of the vote. This is our time to ensure that our elections are fair and to make it known to the government that it is our values and norms that matter in this great country. Ours, not theirs! Jay Republican Headquarters: 865 20th Place Vero Beach, FL 32960 Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Phone: 772-492-8394 "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest of laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt." Samuel Adams THE PEOPLE'S CONVOY CONTINUES TO CIRCLE THE BELTWAY The People's Convoy - END MANDATES EVERYWHERE (thepeoplesconvoy.org) GOOD NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS Supreme Court Decision on Redistricting Leaves Democrats Reeling – RedState RNC Registering New Republican Voters at Gas Stations The Republican National Committee is hitting Joe Biden where Joe Biden is hitting Americans the hardest, at the gas station, with the RNC rolling out a voter registration effort at America’s filling stations as gasoline prices keep rising. “Don’t like the #BidenGasHike? Vote!” tweeted RNC chair Ronna McDaniel. “Republicans are coming to gas stations nationwide to register voters! #LeadRight.” The White House is trying to convince people that raging high gas prices were the result of the war in Russia, not any policies followed by the Biden administration. Americans however are not buying it. They believe that it’s Biden’s anti-energy policies that are really behind the increase in prices, not just in gasoline. Republicans are counting on voters to continue to blame President Joe Biden for the surge in gas prices, rather than believe the hype that gas prices are going up because of the war in Ukraine or price gouging, as alleged by some Democrat lawmakers. The trend in rising gas prices started at the same time that Joe Biden was inaugurated, and although the Russian war hasn’t helped, it was clear previously that oil prices were going to continue to go up especially as the US enters its summer driving season. And since Americans see it as a Biden-imposed price hike, expect the RNC to continue to show up and register voters aggressively at gas stations. GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS "In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education. We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools." Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Friday that requires Florida school districts to be transparent in the selection of instructional materials, including library and reading materials. As a part of the “Year of the Parent,” a commitment DeSantis has made to prioritize parental rights, DeSantis signed HB 1467, which includes several protections for parents, such as requiring school districts to allow parents to review all books in the school library, all required classroom book lists, and any instructional materials teachers use. “In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education. We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools. I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures curriculum transparency,” DeSantis said. “While teachers, school administrators, and school board members have a tremendous amount of authority over what and how our kids are taught in school, at the end of the day, parents – not schools – are responsible for raising children," Senate President Wilton Simpson said. "Florida parents are seeking greater involvement in many aspects of our education system, and this legislation speaks to that effort. The books our kids are reading in schools need to have proper vetting.” The new law also establishes a 12-year term limit for school board members. Adding term limits, House Speaker Chris Sprowls said, “helps to weaken any political motives and shifts the focus of school boards back to the best interests of our children, as it should be.” The new law requires school districts convening for the purpose of selecting instructional materials to post meeting notices and make them open to the public. They must also provide access to all materials at least 20 days prior to the school board taking official action on instructional materials, according to the new law. The Department of Education will also be required to publish a list of materials that have been removed or discontinued by school boards as a result of an objection and disseminate the list to school districts for their consideration. School district library media center materials and assigned school or grade-level reading lists must also be reviewed by a district employee holding a valid educational media specialist certificate and require the DOE to develop an online training program for librarians and media specialists. Additionally, the superintendent of schools in each district must certify to the DOE Commissioner that all school librarians and media center specialists have taken this training. "I hadn’t been involved with the school board prior to COVID. It got us paying attention,” Rebecca Sarwi, a Volusia County parent, said. “Our first time showing up in person at the school board meeting, I, along with 6 other mothers, were trespassed from the location for a whole year due to not wearing a mask and they silenced our voice from public comment." “It has been an eye-opening experience to the lengths that they would assert their power,” she added. “But since COVID restrictions made us acutely aware of the power behind the school board, we are now paying attention to their meetings, agendas and curriculum and so many other concerns were coming to the surface now that we are paying attention.” Other parents expressed concerned about sexually explicit material in libraries and classroom reading lists. “The Year of the Parent” comes after the U.S. Department of Justice last year announced it would be investigating parents who protest at school board meetings, potentially considering them domestic terrorists. The DOJ did so after the National School Boards Association sent a letter to the DOJ likening parents protesting the teaching of so-called critical race theory, mask mandates and other local school decisions to domestic terrorists and requested federal intervention. The association, to which state school board associations pay dues, later apologized. But 26 state school board associations distanced themselves from it, including Florida's. Within months of the NSBA’s DOJ letter, the Florida Schools Boards Association unanimously voted to end its association with it over “concerns surrounding NSBA’s governance, leadership, transparency, and failure to embrace non-partisanship.” However, the DOJ has not changed its stance, and 14 Republican attorneys general sued. Led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, they want the DOJ to drop its directive to investigate parents and to respond to letters and Freedom of Information requests that multiple attorneys general submitted last year. Last month, the Florida Legislature also passed a parental bill of rights that requires schools to teach children age-appropriate material. It also requires that parents be able to access their children’s records and involve them in the decisions about mental health and other services offered for their children. It also allows parents to sue schools over violations. Governor Corrects the Record in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday issued a proclamation declaring Sarasota native and Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant the "real winner" of the 500-yard freestyle event at the Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships last Thursday. Weyant, a freshman at the University of Virginia, finished second to Lia Thomas, a man who identifies as female and takes cross-sex hormones. According to the university, Weyant finished the race with the third-fastest time in UVA history, as well as her own fastest career time. But Thomas beat her by 1.75 seconds, becoming the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA Division I title and the first man to do so in a women's event. But Thomas' victory was controversial, as critics like DeSantis say men have biological advantages over women that makes direct athletic competition between the two sexes unfair. "By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud," DeSantis said Tuesday. "In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle." At a press conference Tuesday, the Republican governor praised Weyant as a tough competitor and announced he would sign the proclamation declaring her the actual winner of the NCAA competition. “If you look at what the NCAA has done by allowing basically men to compete in women’s athletics, in this case, the swimming, you had the number-one woman who finished was from Sarasota. And then Weyant, she won the silver medal, she’s been an absolute superstar her whole career,” DeSantis said. “She trains, I mean, to compete at that level is very, very difficult. And you don’t just roll out of bed and do it. That takes grit, that takes determination, and she’s been an absolute superstar and she had the fastest time of any woman in college athletics.” He accused the NCAA of trying to "destroy women's athletics" by allowing gender-dysphoric men to compete against women. “They’re trying to undermine the integrity of the competition, and they’re crowning somebody else the woman’s champion and we think that’s wrong ... we’re going to be doing a proclamation saying that Emma is the best female swimmer in the 500-meter freestyle, because she earned that," DeSantis said. ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY Did you know that robotexts are now outpacing robocalls in terms of total messages received? Last year, more than 87 billion automated texts were sent nationwide compared to 72 billion robocalls. These automated messages often contain spam, malware or may even be connected to scams. This week, I released Scams at a Glance: Robo-texts and Robocalls. This new resource is full of information about both scam robotexts and robocalls, and what to do when you receive one of these messages. It’s important to know how to identity problematic messages, as Americans lost more than $10 billion dollars to robotext scams in 2021 alone. General tips from our Scams at a Glance: Robotexts and Robocalls brochure include: Do not click on links in text messages from unknown numbers, as the messages may contain malware or lead to malicious websites. Avoid answering texts from unrecognized senders. Responding to, liking or clicking these messages shows the scammer that the targeted user is active and could lead to more frequent scam messages. Never answer calls from unknown numbers, nor provide personal or financial information to unexpected or unsolicited calls. Consider downloading text and call-blocking apps to further prevent scam texts and calls from reaching a mobile phone. To download the brochure, available in both English and Spanish, simply visit MyFloridaLegal.com/ScamsAtAGlance. By knowing how to spot robotexts and robocalls, and avoid scams associated with these fraudulent messages, you can help us build a Stronger, Safer Florida.  Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Rubio in Leading Letter Urging DOJ to Take Immediate Action to Counter CCP Espionage Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio and colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to formally recognize and reprioritize the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to the national security of the United States. The letter follows the DOJ’s misguided and dangerous decision to terminate the China Initiative, a national security program established in 2018 to defend against CCP espionage occurring across the nation, but especially at our leading research universities and government agencies. Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE. ​Unity - The only way to win!  As we approach the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 presidential election, and in light of the abject failure of the Biden administration, we know that the very survival of our republic depends on the outcome of those elections. Therefore, we must stay unified. Never lose sight of who our political opponents are… the progressive left Democrats who are taking our country off a cliff with the active help of Big Tech and the old-line national news media. Our fellow Republicans are not the enemy! HAPPENINGS IN DATE ORDER FYI The notice sent out about the cancellation of the Posey-Mast event last week was not at all about support for these two Congressmen. The decision to postpone the event had been made weeks earlier and through an oversight it had not been announced publicly. Stay tuned for future information. IMPORTANT NOTICE Tickets to see Governor Ron DeSantis at the April 4th Lincoln Day Dinner are sold out, but we are maintaining a wait list. If you have a paid ticket for inside dining but for some reason can no longer attend, please let the Lincoln Day Event committee know of your change of plans. Those on the waiting list may be willing to purchase your ticket and reimburse you. Thank you. Lincoln Day Event Committee MARK YOUR CALENDARS Vero Beach Gun Shows at IRC Fairgrounds June 25-26, 2022 ​Sept 24-25, 2022 Nov 5-6, 2022 Volunteers will be needed! Contact Jeff Mosesso at [email protected] WAKE-UP AMERICA Join Robin Pelensky and friends waving the flag on Friday nights 5:30-6:30 PM on the Barber Bridge. It is a Wake-Up America event each Friday. It's so encouraging and important to remind people to pay attention and get engaged and it's really fun! AMERICAN FLAG WALK Join Barbara DeFrino to flag wave at 10:00 AM Saturday mornings on the Barber Bridge. CONTRIBUTE TO RE-ELECT GOVERNOR DESANTIS www.RonDeSantis.com ‌ Paid for by the REC of Indian River County. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. Next REC Meeting: April 13, 2022 Be sure to visit our website: www.ircgop.com Linda M. Anselmini Secretary Indian River County Republican Executive Committee Indian River County Republican Executive Committee | www.ircgop.com ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Indian River County Republican Executive Committee | P.O. Box 6569, Vero Beach, FL 32961-6569 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!