When the Cowboys Rode into the Washington, DC Hilton | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I was there when the cowboys took charge of an environmental policy meeting inside the Washington beltway and thoroughly defeated the liberal, tree hugging environmentalists. This shoot out was done with the same methodical dedication to honor and the American way that Gary Cooper acted out in the movie "High Noon".

    I had the privilege of attending the NACO (National Association of County Commissioners) winter convention held each year during the first week of March. This conference focuses on national policy and how it affects counties. There are about 3,100 counties in the 50 states. Approximately 5,000 county commissioners, attorneys and managers attended this year. Contrary to what a lot of county commissioners want you to believe we spend a lot of time dealing with liberal federal and state mandates.
This image is from back in 2004, back when Commissioner Hood Richardson had hair ... uh, strike that comment: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    There were about 100 voting members of this committee on environmental issues. This committee was deciding lobby policy for the coming year. Westerners are burdened with different but equally as important environmental issues as the rest of the country. Some western issues are endangered species, the sedge grouse, water rights and the latest things the bureau of land management is doing to them. I guess they got tired of being pushed around. Maybe there is hope for some of us. Sitting at the policy table were about 50 men wearing cowboy hats, blue jeans and cowboy boots. They were middle aged county commissioners from almost every western state. Some of t hose states were Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, the Dakotas, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, etc.

    The environmentalists tried to amend resolutions. All amendments were defeated. Calls for the actual counting of votes were made by the environmentalists on every voice vote. The cowboys still won every vote.

    The refreshing message in all of this is that there is an ever so small change in political direction. People are tired of being pushed around by non productive progressives and bureaucrats.

    I sat in another meeting on immigration that was not positive at all. Members were advised to lobby all Republicans for passage of the immigration bill that is in the US House of Representatives. A similar bill has passed the US Senate. That bill provides a path for citizenship for almost all illegals now in the country.

    A US House member from southern California spoke. He supports the House immigration bill as did almost every one of the 75 people in the room. He was careful not to use the word "Tea Party". It was clear the tea party Republicans are holding up the bill in the House. He told us there is a "war" going on among Republicans in the House. His prediction was Speaker Boehner would not be back as Speaker after the November elections. He did not say who he thought would be speaker. He did say Eric Cantor, the number two man in the House, was not on board with Boehner on a most policy issues. Boehner is certainly not liked among tea party types because of his close association with Democrat go along and get along ideas. A this point in time it looks like immigration is dead in this session. Some times success comes from nothing happening.

    Hope and change. There is hope Republicans can gain control of the US Senate and strengthen themselves in the US House. Then there will be enough change to stop this liberal, socialist, violator of our Constitution and architect of totalitarian government, President named Hussein Obama.