MAE'S GOVERNMENT PAGE!

GET INVOLVED!!

In today's America, ask a growing number of high school
and college students; their teachers and professors; 
the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men 
and women of all ethnicities, the question, "What is a 
Republican?", and you'll be told "... a rich, greedy, 
egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the 
desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense 
of the environment ... the working poor ....and all whom 
they exploit..." 

I am a Republican ... I am none of those things... 
and I don't know any Republicans who are.

WHAT I AM ... first and foremost, is a loving husband of 
some 52 plus years, the father of four and an American 
who's proud of his country... and his country's heritage. 

WHAT I AM ... is the grandson of immigrants who risked 
everything, including their lives and those of their 
children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom. 

WHAT I AM ... is a man who grew up during the Depression 
and witnessed, first hand, the effects of the Stock Market 
crash and the soup lines that followed. I watched as both 
my parents and grand parents, who had very little themselves, 
share what food they had with a half dozen other families, 
who had even less. 

WHAT I AM ... is someone who worked his way through college 
by holding down three and four jobs at a time and then used 
that education to build a better life. 

WHAT I AM ... is a husband who, at age 24, started his own 
business for the "privilege" of working 60, 70 and 80 hours 
a week, risking everything I had, including my health, in 
search of a better life for myself and my loved ones. 

WHAT I AM ... is a businessman whose blood, sweat and tears...
and plenty of them..., made it possible for me to provide a 
secure living, not only for my family and myself, but also 
for literally hundreds of my employees throughout the years. 
Employees, who in turn, were able to buy their own homes, 
raise their own families and give back to their communities 
and their country. 

WHAT I AM ... is a man who believes in God; a God who has 
blessed this country... and all for which it stands. 

WHAT I AM ... is someone who knows, if you doubt miracles 
exist in today's world, you need only to look into the face 
of those who received them ... and the eyes of those who 
give them. 

WHAT I AM ... is an American who's proud that his President 
embraces a belief in God; proud of a President who understands, 
as "politically incorrect" as it may be, there is evil in this 
world and for the security and safety of all freedom loving 
people everywhere, it must be confronted... and it must be 
defeated. 

WHAT I AM ... is an American who takes comfort in the knowledge 
that our President refuses to allow decisions concerning the 
very safety and security of this nation, to be governed by 
the political whims of foreign governments. 

WHAT I AM ... is tired of hearing from leading Democrats who 
see only negativity in America; racism in her people; class 
warfare in her society and "political incorrectness" in her 
character. 

WHAT I AM ... is a former democrat who now understands that 
it is the soldier and not the reporter that guarantees us 
our freedoms of press, speech and dissent. 

WHAT I AM ... is a man who believes in the sanctity of life. 
A man who is repulsed by the pandering of the political left 
for votes, at the expense of the unborn. 

WHAT I AM ... is a husband and father who believes in the 
sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family unit. 

WHAT I AM ... is a movie go-er who is repulsed by those insecure, 
socially inept, elementary thinking, ego-inflated "entertainers" 
who have appointed themselves "experts" in the fields of national 
security and geo-politics and then use their forum to attack this 
nation, its leaders and its actions.... much to the delight and 
encouragement of our enemies. 

WHAT I AM ... is an American who understands the difference 
between "censorship" and "choice". Evidently, these individuals 
do not, because when these same "celebrities" receive public 
ridicule for their offensive actions, the first thing they yell 
is "Censorship!". What they seem incapable of understanding is... 
the right of free speech and dissent is shared equally by those 
offended... as well as those who offend. I support and will 
continue tosupport those films and performers whom I choose to... 
and refuse to supportthose I don't. It is my right as an American... 
a right I will continue to enthusiastically exercise. 

WHAT I AM ... is a voter, tired of politicians, who, every time 
their voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to 
divert attention from their political and legislative failures 
by accusing their opponents of "attack ads" and "negative 
campaigning".... and the news media who allow them to get away 
with it. 

WHAT I AM ... is a Catholic who loves his God and his Faith... 
and who's been taught to respect all religions whose teachings 
are based in love, peace and charity. As such, I am embarrassed 
and ashamed of those individuals, in both private and public 
life, whose decisions and actions are devoid of any sense of 
character or morals; individuals who are only driven by what's 
best for them ... rather than what's right ... often times at 
the expense of many .... including our national security. 

WHAT I AM ... is a realist who understands that the terrorist 
attack that murdered hundreds of innocent Russian children 
could have occurred here, in our heartland. That's why I 
sincerely believe America needs now, more than ever, a 
President who sees with a clear and focused vision and who 
speaks with a voice when heard by both friend and foe alike, 
is understood, respected and believed. 

WHAT I AM ... is eternally grateful to Ronald Reagan for having 
the bravery to speak out against Communism and the courage of 
his convictions in leading the fight to defeat it; and George W. 
Bush for the vision, courage, conviction and leadership he has 
shown in America's war on terrorism amidst both the constant 
and vicious, personal and political attacks both he and his 
family are made to endure. 

WHAT I AM ... is a human being, full of numerous faults and 
failures, but a man nonetheless, who, though not always 
successful, has continually strived to do "what's right" 
instead of "what's easy". A man who is challenging the 
religious leaders of all faiths, to not only preach to 
their congregations the fundamentals of "what's right" 
and "what's wrong", but to also then hold them accountable 
for their actions in both the public and private sectors. 

WHAT I AM ... is disgusted with the Courts who, on one hand, 
call the murder of a pregnant woman a "double homicide" but 
then refer to the abortion of her baby as, "pro-choice". 

WHAT I AM ... is someone deeply troubled by a political party 
which embraces a candidate whose primary "leadership" qualities 
center around his protesting of the Vietnam war and his labeling 
the honorable men and women who fought in it, (50,000 of whom 
gave their lives in that action), as rapists, and war criminals. 
That same political party then stepped forward this year to block 
the appearance of a true Vietnam war hero, retired Admiral and 
former United States Senator, Jeremiah Denton, (a man who spent 
seven years and seven torturous months in a North Vietnam prison), 
from speaking before an open session of the California legislature 
as part of that state's 4th of July celebration. The reason 
Democrats gave for refusing to allow this American hero to speak 
before their state legislature was because of the "conservative" 
nature of his views. As an American, that troubles me deeply ....
as well it should you. 

WHAT I AM ... is a man who feels the need to spend, $104, 655.60,
(tax paid) of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in 
order to set the story straight. Some may say this money would 
have been better spent feeding the world's poor. At the risk of 
sounding self-serving, as an American and as a Republican, for 
the last six decades of my life, I have done exactly that... 
and more. Following the examples of my parents and grand parents, 
I have used my earnings to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, 
provide housing for the elderly and medical care for the sick...
and continue to do so... and I'm not alone in that work. 

WHAT I AM ... is someone who is paying for this announcement, 
at my sole expense, in hopes of opening the eyes of those led 
blindly by ill-informed elements of our great nation, who, 
through either ignorance, or malicious intent, repeatedly attack 
and belittle those of us who belong to a political party that 
holds true to the belief, "... the rights of the governed, exceed 
the power of the government". For those interested, I am speaking 
only as a tax-paying individual who is in no way associated with 
The Republican National Committee, nor with any of its directors, 
or delegates. 

WHAT I AM ... is a man who understands, "the American way of life" 
is a message of self-empowerment for all. 

WHAT I AM ... is an American who is grateful that our nation gives 
each of us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to 
benefit from the fruits of self achievement. 

WHAT I AM ... is an American who wants to preserve that way of life 
for all who seek it. 

WHAT I AM ... is blessed to be an American... and proud to be 
Republican. 

George J. Esseff, Sr.
george@esseff-foundation.org 

For a free reprint of this "Open Letter," go to http://www.whatiam.net

WAY TO GO, GEORGE!  America needs more people like you!