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Welcome to my blog! Solving our country's problems is going to require national support for local level action. I'm interested in blogging so I can get the word out regarding conservative 47th District Congressional candidate, Rosie Avila. What follows is a recently published article I wrote that expresses my passion:

Our own Orange County Sarah Palin:
Meet Rosie Avila

At the Orange Fair this last weekend, the Republican booth was very busy, and the air filled with excitement! Everyone wanted to talk about Sarah Palin, McCain’s surprise bold pick for VP. I was there to talk about Rosie Avila, candidate for U. S. House of Representatives challenging Loretta Sanchez in Central Orange County’s 47th Congressional District.

I couldn’t wait to share about Rosie, so when there was an opportunity, I jumped in. “Rosie is an awful lot like Sarah Palin!”

Silence ensued and their interest perked. “Rosie is a mother of five with a darling, special needs daughter, born with cerebral palsy. She is a “soccer-mom” and a PTA mom too. Her husband is a blue collar, union man, in a male dominated industry, aircraft mechanics. She is pro-life and and an NRA endorsed, pro-second amendment candidate.

Sarah has spent 15 years in local government as a City Council Member and Mayor. Rosie is a 17 year school board member in Santa Ana, elected four terms. While Sarah defeated an incumbent governor, Rosie beat all three incumbents in her first race and was featured on the front page of the OC Register Newspaper because she took everyone by surprise and no one saw she was coming!

Like Sarah, Rosie fought unethical practices, complaining when she saw architects being asked to give political contributions in exchange for lucrative contracts. After calling a press conference, several unsuccessful attempts to place a resolution on the agenda to end political bribes, she recalled a board member and finally her ethics resolution became the new ethics policy of the district.

‘Saracuda’ attracted John McCain via her ‘Maverick’ quality he sees in himself. Rosie “the-Riveter” Avila (her campaign name) has many times been called a ‘Maverick’, a “Tenacious Reformer” on the Santa Ana school board.

Rosie’s signature issue was to end the failed bilingual educational methods that caused children to be taught for four years in Spanish before they could move forward in English. She wrote an editorial, “Santa Ana Cheats its Hispanic Students,” in the local newspaper and received 200 letters asking her to resign from the board. Undeterred, Rosie called for a study of bilingual education methods, worked to change the law, debating State Proposition 227, “English for Children.” She even debated the architect of Bilingual Education, Steven Krashen, in a televised debate.

When the four Latino Activists Board Members blocked implementation of the law, Rosie helped organize a recall effort of Nativo Lopez, the main ring leader. In the end a Grand Jury Investigation was called to insist that the district implement the new law. Rosie said sometimes I felt like Moses, “Let the children go!”

While Sarah says she was “a community organizer…. with actual responsibility,” the same could be said of Rosie, who worked to bring the whole Santa Ana community together, both rich and poor and middle class. Incredibly, the whole city arose and worked in a united effort on the recall. Some provided funding, others ground troops, and an x-marine coordinated the effort. Even the school superintendent provided the finishing blow.

Like Sarah says don’t mess with “pit bulls with lipstick,” it was the hard work and powerful passion of several angry mothers, that brought down Nativo Lopez. The defeat was complete, the effort won in every precinct by a margin of 2 to 1! The News Stands Hailed the Event. The disgraced Nativo Lopez quietly slipped out of town.

And Rosie did not quit organizing, for ten years she has established her own non-profit organization, to provide positive alternatives to the violent gang lifestyle threatening our inner city young people. The Orange County Youth Commission provides free of charge, academic tutoring, structured sports and character development by linking caring mentors with at-risk disadvantaged youth.

After ten years Rosie and her staff are now serving approximately 800 young people in her 18 after-school programs. Rosie was appointed to the city’s Anti-Gang (EPIC) Commission, working on a long-range sustainable plan to end gang violence. The Santa Ana Boxing Club, one of Rosie’s programs, was featured on Channel 7 Eye Witness News and recently on CNN! According to a full page feature in the Orange County Register Newspaper, “At the Santa Ana Boxing Club lives of youth, once troubled, are being transformed.”

Yes, like Sarah’s government experience, it takes executive experience to run a non-profit organization, to make decisions everyday, preparing board meetings, meeting payroll, paying insurance and medical benefits while creating new wrestling and skateboard programs.

Rosie is a trustee of a 100 year old institution, Biola University, a private Christian Liberal Arts University in La Mirada. As a Santa Ana school board member she has been overseeing a $500 million dollar budget, 6,000 employees, and the education of 60,000 students.

“Well, I see some similarities” replied a listener, “But did Rosie have a child at age 44? “No,” I replied with a winning smirk, “She had her last child at 41.”

“Ok, I bet she never fired an M-16?” he asked. “Well, yes,” I replied, “Rosie went for four days to the Marine Corp. Boot Camp in San Diego. The Marines taught her how to shoot an M-16.

“She cannot possibly have eaten moose stew!” “No,” I conceded,” “but she tells of a grandmother who’s restaurant was known for great rabbit stew.”

At the Democratic Convention, we saw a celebration of the women’s movement as women locked arms, swayed and sang, “We are woman and we have achieved!” Probably most agreed that women most certainly have. Yet, through Sarah, Rosie, and others like them, a strangely silent (until now) faction of women are on the horizon. Some have misunderstood them, as merely “staying at home, pregnant and bare-footed.” But these woman of conviction, who stand strong for “pro-life,” are the lipsticked defenders of the unborn. They are rising to protect America’s Constitution, with low taxes and a less intrusive government in American lives. Yes, this is the year of the woman ----- the year of the Conservative Woman!


Virginia Hart
Bank Vice President, single mother of two

By the way, if you endorse these thoughts, consider that Obama, not matter what else you'd like to think about him, has run an active and effective online campaign that has supported him with volunteers and funding that go beyond the pale. Send this blog link to as many as you can. Changing the nation back to its conservative roots is going to require active and persistent, nationwide support of local efforts!

To learn more, please go to: www.voterosie.com