Posted on 08/29/2006 4:34:19 AM PDT by ELCore
[Diana Irey is the Republican challenger to Rep. John Murtha for the 12th Congressional district in Pennsylvania. As a follow-up to Meet Diana Irey, I talked with her again, Tuesday, August 22. It was more of a conversation than an interview, strictly speaking, so I have left myself out of the transcript here, except to add some general headers and a few bracketed comments to provide some context.]
The Campaign
We have two headquarters: this one in Monongahela and one in Johnstown.
Were close to a thousand volunteers. Were at all the fairs. Weve been door-knocking every weekend. And were hitting a lot of festivals. We were at the Italian Festival in Vandergrift on Sunday [Aug. 20]. And then we went to the Thunder Mountain Native American Festival & Pow Wow [in Saltzburg].
The door-knocking is going great. Every time we go, we get more volunteers. Theyre excited about it and want to get involved in the campaign. Were in parades, too. Weve done a lot of parades. And were doing a lot of radio and TV. We were in Ohio today [Tue. Aug. 22].
Weve gotten contributions from all 50 states. And we get contributions from troops on the ground in Iraq. And some of their letters are incredible.
And one thing else. I went to Walter Reed and visited with some soldiers there. It was a wonderful experience. I sat down individually with I dont know maybe 25 soldiers when I was there. And I asked each one of them, Are you glad you went? Do you wish you hadnt gone? Every one of them was glad they went. The ones who could go back were anxious to go back.
A couple really touched my heart. There was a soldier that had lost both his legs. I was talking to him and thanking him for his service. He said, I was just doing my job, Maam. I asked him what he was going to be doing with the rest of his life. Become a school teacher. He said, I can be a teacher. This isnt going to limit me at all. I can still do what I want to do with my life. There was a fellow that had a hole blown right through his stomach. Hes had 25 procedures. And he was one of the most upbeat men you can imagine.
And the stories go on and on, about how encouraging the troops were to me in my effort. One of them he was a speaking to a number of soldiers around him, when I was thanking him Maam, you dont need to thank us. You just go beat him for us. That is a motivation that will be on my mind 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until I defeat Mr. Murtha on election day.
[Vets4Irey has photos from the visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital.]
Taxes
Should the tax cuts be made permanent? Yes. Why? We have a lot of government waste. I see it from the countys perspective. Monies that are handed down from the federal and state governments to the county. So I know how much waste there is. So I know we can cut back on spending.
Along those same lines, I think the federal government should be required to produce a balanced budget every year. I would support a balanced budget amendment. The people we represent have to live within their means. Government should, too.
Abortion
I am very much pro-life. At this point, nobody has been able to convince me of how exceptions make sense. Exceptions always mean youre choosing one life over another, and I dont know thats our choice to make.
Roe v. Wade I think thats a situation where you have judges legislating from the bench. And I dont think that should have happened.
But I think were talking about its not just abortion, its a life issue. With the Terri Schiavo situation I thought it was a terrible blow to the sanctity of life, that she was denied food, sustenance. It wasnt a medical procedure, it was basically food. You know, were feeding people, were feeding the hungry, and we couldnt feed her. So I think it goes far beyond abortion. That we have to make sure that we place a value on life.
And, you know, that takes you right into embryonic stem-cell research. That makes no sense. Even if you first of all, scientifically its never been shown to be any more beneficial, or even as beneficial, as adult stem-cell research. It hasnt been shown to be as beneficial. Number 2 say it was. Would you be harvesting embryos? At what point do you stop? I mean, it just takes you down a path that I dont think society has thought through what this would mean in the long term.
Supreme Court
[The Supreme Court has taken onto itself a role where its deciding policy.] Its a very scary thought. What it really does is, it blurs the division of power. And our government was created to have that division for a reason. I think Congress is just going to have to make things a little more clear, as to what the role they are intended to have. I think thats the best we can hope for now.
I think Roberts and Alito were good choices. I am pleased with both of those choices.
Eminent domain I am outraged at how this has happened. I mean, this is a basic right, to own property. Its your property, and for anyone sitting on a bench to think that they can change the whole design of our constitution by giving government the ability to take personal property away from someone its just ridiculous.
Weve dealt with this issue in Washington County as well. We have had a number of discussions. In the town of Canonsburg, the council had passed a resolution to take by eminent domain properties that were owned by one gentleman. They wanted these structures torn down, and they were going to turn around and hand the properties over to a developer to build townhouses because they could generate additional tax revenue. We stopped it at the county level. It had to pass before the county, and we said no. We really need to be careful about this. This is a very slippery slope, deciding a distinction between whats necessary and whats not. So thats an issue I take great exception to supporting the government to take your property. That makes no sense at all.
The UN, Israel, and the War on Terror
Im very upset with the UN. The UN is not our friend. We fund the UN you know our funding is a large portion of the monies they receive for their budget. Its like 23%, I believe, the last time I saw.
And Im not happy with the ceasefire that theyve inflicted. Thats something I wouldnt have supported. I think Israel has a right to defend themselves and they should be allowed to defend themselves.
We are fighting a war on terror and the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror. Some people try to separate the two, but you cant. What youre looking at are terrorists that are bent on destroying our way of life, our culture. For the same thought the same reason theyre bent on destroying Israel. Some of these terrorists groups refer to Israel as the Little Satan and the US as the Great Satan. It think its very clear we are battling people that want to see us destroyed. You know, its just like if you have a bully: if a bully is picking on you and beating on you, what are you supposed to do? Just let him beat on you? No! You fight back you fight back. And thats what America has to do, and thats what Israel has to do.
[One of her staffers, Rob Roth, is in the Marine Reserves and served in Iraq.] What I really enjoy is Rob sharing some of his experiences in Iraq. You know what I learned specifically from Rob? I learned what great lengths our forces take in making sure they dont overreact to a situation. Rob explained to me the escalation of force, the terms of engagement. For example, if a car was approaching and didnt stop coming at you, theyd have to yell Stop! in Arabic first. Then, if it didnt stop, theyd fire two rounds into the ground. If it still didnt stop, theyd fire two or three rounds into the hood. If it still didnt stop, then they could use the escalation of force towards the driver. I wonder how many of our men and women have died as a result of their caution to avoid taking of innocent civilians. And I dont think America really realizes that how careful they are how many precautionary steps they take before the go after suspected terrorists.
Homeland Security
Lets secure the borders. Lets build a very tall fence or wall with a very wide gate. We need to expand our immigration program. We need to revamp it to make it more user friendly so people can become US citizens more quickly. Right now, its a very difficult process. Theres a gentleman who was talking to me about the process it took him six years to go through the process. And thats a long time. So, if maybe we made the program the path to citizenship a little easier, then maybe more people that are coming over are going to want to do it the right way.
But we need to make sure that we never waiver from having the mandatory learning of our language, the English language. I think thats very important.
I dont agree with amnesty. I think its not a solution to the illegal immigration problem. Its illegal what dont people understand? Its that simple.
I think the sharing of information is critical. I think Homeland Security probably had a great deal to do with the plot that was foiled in London.
[About the New York Times revelation of secret government programs, and the recent court decision ruling certain NSA activity unconstitutional.] I think that decision will be overturned. Im not surprised because that judge was a Jimmy Carter appointment. Do I think the ruling was wrong? Yes, I think the ruling was wrong.
And I think that what the New York Times did was shameful. It was detrimental to our nations security. And I still cant understand in any way how they could have thought that was okay.
I dont feel that most Americans feel safe right now. I think most of them believe we will be attacked again. We have to try to have confidence that our government is doing all that it can to prevent that.
House Ethics Scandals
[About recent convictions, charges, and resignations involving members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.] This is one of the saddest states of affairs that you can imagine. Thats because the trust is broken. Relationships are about trust. And when someone participates in this kind of activity when they are sent, when they are elected by the people people put their trust in them, and they violate the trust.
Thats why its very sad. I think thats a reason why we need term limits. For the House and the Senate. I think we need term limits. Im not there yet, but Im thinking 12 years is plenty of time to serve. I think once they get there well, people keep e-mailing me, when you get there, please dont be seduced by Washington. And I think its a couple things. Theyre away from home, away from their family, and they think nobodys looking I can get away with this. And when theyre down there so much, they tend to lose touch with reality, lose touch with the people back home and what real life is all about. What goes on in Washington is quite different than what goes on, you know, back in their homes. I just think the time they spend there should be limited. The people you spend the majority of your time with are the people you build relationships with.
[Does she think she'll hold up well in Washington?] I think Im going to hold up well. My faith my faith is what guides me, my faith is what motivates me to do what I do. I intend on continuing on my faith journey. Im a Christian. I follow Christ. And thats the most important relationship in my life, my relationship with Christ. Thats part of why Im running. For me, this is a calling, something placed on my heart. I intend on being in Washington to do the job I need to do and, you know, as soon as thats done, I plan on getting right home to my family, my husband and my three wonderful children.
Thanks, everybody.
> You're just trying to drive blog traffic, you sneaky debbil!
I am sooooo transparent. ;-)
My favorite part is when the soldier at Walter Reed said to Diana Irey:
Maam, you dont need to thank us. You just go beat him for us.
FReeper FRiends:
Let's help Diana Irey do what that soldier asked her to do.....
'Boot Murtha' on November 7
Please go here and make a donation:
http://www.irey.com/
And come to Johnstown, PA on October 1 to the Boot Murtha Rally......to support Vets for the Truth (VFTT):
http://www.bootmurtha.com/RallyInfo/RallyInfo.htm
'See you on the 1st' bump.
Bump
Hey....Badray....I look forward to seeing you too!
Any poll numbers for this race? I have tried to find and hav not found a single one...
I do not know.
We might need a FR banner to locate each other.
Ditto
Come to the rally and I'll personally give you the results.
Luv that graphic......BUMP
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You should appreciate this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671838/posts
Beautiful post devolve!
Beautiful!!
Thanks. Did you send that link to the campaign?
Yep. Coop got it.
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