January 27th, 2024
Shots Fired in the Senate
“A week is a long time in politics” - Harold Wilson
As many of you are aware, Initiative Petition Reform, as it is known, has been a priority for conservatives in Missouri for some time now, extending back to at least the last Missouri Senate session. At the beginning of last session, Caleb Rowden and Cindy O’Laughlin promised conservatives the Senate would “get to it” before the end of session. They did not.
At the beginning of this session, it became obvious to members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus immediately that, once again, IP Reform would not be a priority to the leaders of the Missouri Senate, even though it is the number one priority to the vast majority of the rank and file Republicans in our state. Unfortunately, given that there is now a concerted effort this year by the pro-abortion lobby to repeat the efforts of Marijuana proponents to get a pro-abortion amendment on the ballot, time is essentially up. As it stands, a pro-abortion Constitutional amendment can easily pass with just the populations of the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, which is exactly how the Marijuana initiative passed. If the right IP Reform legislation does not pass this session, abortion will very likely get enshrined in our Constitution, and once that happens, it will be extremely difficult to reverse it, especially with the makeup of our current “super majority” that really isn’t.
Fast forward to this week. The Missouri Freedom Caucus decided enough was enough, and they took action. Using any and every procedural tactic available to them, up to and including a filibuster, the Freedom Caucus made it clear to Caleb Rowden and Cindy O’Laughlin that if IP Reform was not the priority, nothing else would get done. The demand was simple. Refer IP Reform legislation to committee, or we will shut down the Senate. I cannot tell you how proud I am of every member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, as well as Mike Moon, for standing their ground on our behalf. Unfortunately, Caleb “Crybaby” Rowden, and Cindy “Stompyfoot” O’Laughlin decided that rather than simply utilizing the tools available to them to make IP Reform the priority, as it should have been, they lost their minds. Why? In their own words, because the Freedom Caucus dared to challenge the timing of their “process”.
In an unprecedented move, “Crybaby” Rowden and “Stompyfoot” O’Laughlin took the following actions against members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus this week:
Denny Hoskins lost a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairmanship of the Economic Development and Tax Policy Committee.
Bill Eigel, a candidate for governor, was removed as chairman of the Veterans, Military Affairs and Pensions Committee.
Rick Brattin was removed as chair of the Select Committee on the Protection of Missouri Assets from Foreign Adversaries and vice chairmanships of Veterans, Military Affairs and Pensions Committee and Education and Workforce Development.
Andrew Koenig, a candidate for state treasurer, was removed as chairman of the Education and Workforce Development Committee.
In addition, their parking spots were taken, and rumor is that if the Freedom Caucus doesn’t “fall in line”, they may take their office furniture, stop paying their staff, and “Stompyfoot” O’Laughlin was heard also calling for the expulsion of Senator Bill Eigel from the Senate entirely.
If you haven’t already, and you care to review the dueling press conferences this week, here they are in chronological order (YouTube links):
Missouri Senate Majority Caucus Press Conference from Jan. 23, 2024
Missouri Senate Freedom Caucus Press Conference from Jan. 23, 2024
Missouri Senate Majority Caucus Press Conference from Jan. 25, 2024
Missouri Senate Freedom Caucus Press Conference from Jan. 25, 2024
Taking a page out of the democrat playbook (hmm…), “Crybaby” and “Stompyfoot” are getting in front of every camera they can to accuse the Missouri Freedom Caucus of precisely what they themselves are doing.
How have members of the Freedom Caucus responded to all this? See for yourself…
Not surprisingly, shortly after all this began to play out, several Republican Committees have come out in support of the MO Freedom Caucus, including “Crybaby” Rowden’s own district: Boone, Camden, Cass, Clay, Franklin, Perry, St. Charles, Saline, and Vernon.
Freedom Principle MO has an online petition to demand senators remove “Crybaby” Rowden and “Stompyfoot” O’Laughlin from their leadership positions. Please add your voice to the call. The only way this has a chance is if we get thousands of signatures!
https://www.freedomprinciplemo.org/
There is also a protest/rally to support the Missouri Freedom Caucus on the second floor of the Capitol in Jefferson City, Tuesday, January 30th, at 11:00am. If you can, make a road trip to the capitol, and stand with your Freedom Caucus against the tyranny of “Crybaby” Rowden and “Stompyfoot” O’Laughlin!
I’m sure this situation will continue to develop, and quickly. In fact, by the time this newsletter goes out, there could be significant developments I missed. While we wait, here is a little humor, courtesy of your Missouri Freedom Caucus: Parking Lot Podcast Ep. 1
To all the members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, Thank you, and hold the line!
Cass County Republican Caucus
Just in case you still haven’t heard, Missouri is not doing a Presidential Primary this year. There WILL be other primary elections, just not one for President of the united States. There will be a caucus to determine who the Republican Presidential candidate is for the state of Missouri. The caucus will be on March 2nd, and doors open at 9:00am and close at 10:00am to begin the process. This date and time is the same across the entire state of Missouri. For additional details, please download the file below, Things To Know About Caucus V 2.pdf.
You can also go to the Missouri GOP website to get even more information about the caucus here.
To pre-register for the caucus, please go here. If you need some help walking through the process, I have created this helpful document below to walk you through it.
If you STILL have questions, please feel free to reach out to me, and if I cannot answer your question, I can either find out, or put you in contact with someone who can.
Texas, The Border, and The Supreme Court
On Monday, the SCOTUS vacated an order against the DHS that stopped the Feds from cutting down razor fencing along the border. Contrary to what corporate media is claiming, that is not the end of the story, or even the whole story. The Federalist covered the facts pretty well:
Texas Isn’t ‘Ignoring’ The Supreme Court, It’s Upholding The Law
Regardless, states across the country are issuing various levels of support for Texas defending its own border, thereby defending the rest of us. Given the Biden administration’s insistence that both border security NOT be enforced, but absolute lawlessness be allowed to go unchecked, the argument could easily be made that a Constitutional crisis exists. Unfortunately, it is one of many.
Personally, I think the American people need to educate themselves on the concept of Nullification, because contrary to popular opinion, the SCOTUS is NOT the highest authority in the nation when it comes to Constitutional authority. The states are. My book recommendation down below dives deep into this concept. Regardless, the situation in Texas is extremely tenuous, sits on a razor’s edge (pun intended), and could go very bad, very quickly. Please pray for everyone involved.
Book Recommendation
Did you know that there is a “rightful remedy” to the countless unconstitutional laws being passed by the federal government, unconstitutional powers being invented by federal agencies, unconstitutional executive actions being taken by Presidents, and unconstitutional decisions being made by the Supreme Court of the United States? Thomas Jefferson coined the term “Nullification”, and it is as valid today as it was when it was used against Jefferson in the early 1800s.
If you are tired of the Supreme Court getting it wrong, and all three branches of the federal government usurping expansive powers never intended in the Constitution, this book contains a detailed explanation of Nullification, and how the states can use it as a hedge against an out of control federal government.