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The Mountain Home Free Press
Volume 1, Issue 1
Where’s Our Party, Republicans?
What just happened to
the Republican Party
here in Elmore County?
Voters may have noticed
unusual interest in pre-
cinct committeeman races
and a heavy push to un-
seat incumbent State
Senator Tim Corder. The
story behind these events
is interesting indeed, and
it started two years ago
with the Idaho Ron Paul
faction.
Paul, the extremist
whacko and soon-to-be
labeled perennial presi-
dential candidate, could
not gain traction as an
independent or on the
obscure and fringe-laced
Constitution Party ticket,
so he ran as a Republican.
Supporters went to work
filling local republican
committee meetings, and
began the process of fill-
ing precinct committee
seats with Paul zealots, or
convincing those already
there that Paul was the
man to back. Along with
Paul and his supporters
comes the baggage of es-
sential fringe ideology-
that our government is
headed to a UN-
dominated single world
government, a gold-
fringed U.S. flag in court-
rooms is a symbol of ad-
miralty or maritime law
(and thus invalid or a sig-
nal that sinister forces
have taken control), aboli-
tion of the federal reserve
and restoration of the
gold standard, just to
name a few. The merits
of these positions not-
withstanding, they are
advocated by so few edu-
cated and thinking
Americans that they are
usually quickly dismissed
and their advocates mar-
ginalized. So, to advance
these ideologies, and their
candidate, they sought
legitimacy through an
established party that
came with a degree of
automatic respect- the
Idaho Republican Party.
“It's the beginning of the end of the Idaho
Republican Party as we know it.” What’s
at stake? Among other things, your right
to vote.
Rather than adapt their
platform to the ways of
most thinking people, the
Paulites would simply
adapt the existing party
to the Ron Paul platform-
by taking control of the
Republican Party. The
2008 ouster of State Re-
publican Chair Kirk Sul-
livan was the first battle,
and the Paulites won.
Strewn about the battle-
field were moderate plat-
form planks, replaced by
those in the partial list
above.
When the smoke cleared,
however, one casualty lay
unnoticed at the edge of
the battlefield: your
right to vote. In order
to get, and then maintain,
control of the party after
its adoption of such odd
platforms, it would have
to restrict voting in its
affairs to those it consid-
ered loyal. This it set out
to do by attempting to
close the primary in 2008.
Along with restricting
Republican primary vot-
ing to registered republi-
cans, they also enacted a
rule allowing the party to
restrict ballot access to
those approved by the
committee, and allowing
endorsements by the
party in the primary elec-
tion. Also, a couple of
central committees now
currently require those
desiring party member-
ship to take an oath
that they support the
entire party platform-
or they are not allowed to
join the party. If the
party is successful in its
suit to close the primary,
the average Boundary
Week of June 6, 2010
county citizen will not be
able to vote for his incum-
bent representative in the
primary unless he is will-
ing to take the bizarre step
of executing a loyalty oath.
Kind of creepy, huh?
Worse, even if a voter likes
the incumbent and wants
him retained in office, if
the party apparatus doesn’t
like him, the committee
can kick him off the ballot,
or vote to endorse his chal-
lenger, essentially remov-
ing him from office in the
primary without a vote-
and all it would take is 10
out of the 18 precinct com-
mitteemen here in Elmore
county. Ten people, elected
in obscure, unnoticed and
usually uncontested pre-
cinct races may well end up
having the power to deny
ten thousand citizens’ right
to vote for the candidate of
their choice- simply be-
cause many voters refuse to
believe jet contrails are
actually delivering power-
ful mind-control chemicals
to the citizenry.
This was the state of af-
fairs as Elmore County
headed into the 2010 pri-
mary season. Armed with
the new power of endorse-
ment, and comfortable with
a process where committee-
men were unnoticed and
unchallenged, factions in
the Elmore County Central
Committee set out to elimi-
nate a six year state sena-
PAGE 2 THE MOUNTAIN HOME FREE PRESS V O LU M E 1 , I S S U E 1

A very clear plan was in full operation…

tor they considered a Republican In The Ron Paul supporters of Ada Canyon, we can virtually control the
Name Only- Sen. Tim Corder. County teamed up with their con- State by sheer numbers. We can
Boosted by the popular anti-Obama servative allies and ended up taking push the old-guard Republicans out
backlash reminiscent of the 1994 control of 50% of the local Republi- of office and give liberty-loving pa-
sweeps, they gained adherents from can Party in 2008 by becoming triots, such as you, a true voice to
“tea party” members and others elected Republican Precinct Com- stand up to tyranny. So what do we
sympathetic to smaller government mitteemen. Our delegation at the need from you? We need help on
by mischaracterizing Corder’s posi- 2008 Idaho Republican Convention two fronts: 1) We need help cam-
tion and votes as liberal. They trot- helped spearhead the creation of paigning for candidates in contested
ted out backroom rumors that he the sound currency plank which is races against establishment Repub-
was pro-abortion, anti-gun, and pro- now on the Idaho Republican Party licans.2) We need you to file for
big government, conveniently omit- Platform. We also succeeded in re- Precinct Committeeman.
ting the fact that he voted with the placing the establishment, Butch We have many of the precincts
Republican majority in the Senate Otter-backed Republican Party already covered, but you might just
nearly every time. Prior to the pri- Chairman with a new Chairman, live in a precinct where we don’t
mary filing deadline of have any applicants. Since we don’t
March 19th, Elmore County want to run two candidates in a
9th Precinct Committeman “If we can succeed in this effort, we single precinct and risk splitting the
Chris Pentico’s friend and vote, we are coordinating the filing
associate Challis Mcaffee can essentially gain control of the process.
(also a former Ada County
republican precinct commit- local Republican Party and with Please print your form from
teeman and district 16 legis- http://www.challism.com/id4l/pcfor
m.html and fill it out (which must
lative chair) wrote this re- control of Ada and Canyon, we can be done in front of a Notary Public –
cruiting piece on his Idaho-
ans For Liberty website: found at your local bank).After fill-
virtually control the State by sheer ing out the form, please mail the
“It's the beginning of the NOTARIZED form to:
end of the Idaho Republican numbers. We can push the old- Challis McAffee, 4210 Edwards St,
Party as we know it. But B o i s e , I D 8 3 7 0 3 .
first a quick history lesson. guard Republicans out of office” If you don’t know your precinct,
please leave that line blank on the
Three years ago an obscure Con- form and we can fill it in for you
gressman from Texas name Ron Norm Semanko.
later. If it turns out that you live in
Paul announced he was running for The Precinct Committeeman a precinct where we already have
President. In doing so, he forever positions which allowed us to have an applicant, we will try to figure
changed the way the game is these great successes are up for out who the best candidate is by
played, and kick-started a revolu- grabs every 2 years, and are decided discussing the matter with all inter-
tion. in the primary election. The pri- ested parties. Please spread this
He changed the way that thou- mary filing deadline is rapidly ap- email to any other political groups
sands of Patriots looked at the Re- proaching for 2010. March 19th is or lists you may be involved with.
publican Party. People started the deadline. WE NEED YOUR Print out multiple copies of the form
looking at the Republican Party for HELP to finish the job we started in and sign up your friends and family
what it could be, not what it was. 2008. members who share your political
Patriots, who previously swore that views. We will win this battle with
We are working on a campaign in your help. If you have any ques-
they would never be a part of a Ada and Canyon counties to retain
hypocritical and corrupt insti- tions about this process or the Pre-
the precinct seats we currently have cinct Committeeman position,
tution like the Republican and to win precinct seats the estab-
Party, were now joining that very please feel free to email me at chal-
lishment/old-guard Republicans lism@gmail.com or call me at 409-
same party, in order to provide po- currently hold. If we can succeed in
litical backup to the one man they 4002. I am not always able to an-
this effort, we can essentially gain swer my phone, so please leave a
felt could save this country. control of the local Republican message. Thank you,Challis McAf-
Party and with control of Ada and
 V O LU M E 1 , I S S U E 1
…and well on its way to success.
fee and Ryan Davidson”
Elmore County Precinct
committeemen began circulating a
nominating petition for Boise
County’s Marla Lawson to challenge
Corder in the primary. The plan
appeared to be to
get an electable
opponent on the
ballot, escalate
vilification of the
incumbent, and
then seal the deal
with well publi-
cized central com-
mittee and legisla-
tive district com-
mittee endorse-
ments of the chal- Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! ary and available
lenger. Combining
that with what
appeared to be growing anti-
incumbent sentiment would almost
certainly have handed Corder de-
feat- his own party disavowing him
with nearly all the sitting precinct
committeemen having signed his
opponent’s nominating petition.
And all this might have come to
pass- looking to the casual observer
like a groundswell of fed-up voters
had ousted an incumbent, rather
than a carefully orchestrated be-
hind the scenes effort to replace the
party apparatus with strident ideo-
logues and to punish recalcitrant
non-adherents to the Paul mental-
ity.
All of this was happening out of the
spotlight, and unknown to most.
But Senator Corder sensed some-
thing was afoot, and had related
that concern to Mountain Home
City Councilman Geoff Schroeder in
November. At some point 6th Pre-
cinct Committeeman Larry Heinen
approached Mountain Home Mayor
Tom Rist with the party’s intent to
unseat Corder, which Rist refused
to support, and when the Mayor
mentioned it to Schroeder, Schroe-
der realized Corder’s suspicion was
THE MOUNTAIN HOME FREE PRESS
correct- not only had Corder been
targeted, but the party had already
begun its effort. Schroeder hap-
pened upon 3rd Precinct Commit-
teeman Jack Streeter and asked
him outright if the Elmore County
Republican Party
intended to en-
dorse Corder’s
challenger, and
Streeter confirmed
that was their in-
tent: Corder,
Streeter said, was
a “socialist.”
State Republican
Party Rules, did not file. After the March 19th
adopted in Janu-
on the State Party opponents, and the Paulite faction
website, created that the plan to endorse the oppo-
the potential for this obscure local
party machine, rather than the vot-
ers at large, to effectively control
the county’s representation in the
state legislature. And the current
“Why? Because Corder’s a
socialist.”
Former Republican Precinct Committeeman
Jack Streeter describing Republican State
Senator Tim Corder
local party machine was well on its
way to exercising its newfound pow-
ers.
Every one of the 18 precinct com-
mitteemen’s seats was up for elec-
tion in the primary, and they typi-
cally were of low interest to either
voters or candidates- indeed, five of
the 18 precincts had no candidate
file. (Atlanta, Prairie, King Hill,
Glenns Ferry, and Pine). Realizing
PAGE 3
what was at stake, four challengers
to this new plan filed to run in their
respective precincts to try to temper
the ideologues’ influence in the
party apparatus: Jay Brown filed
in precinct 1, and was effectively
elected since incumbent Hal Franck
did not file for his seat. Art Nelson
ran opposing longtime Committee-
man John Barrutia in Precinct 2.
Schroeder filed to challenge incum-
bent Jace Prow in Precinct 4, while
in Precinct 5, longtime resident
Sumner Price filed a challenge to
Jim Martin, the intended heir ap-
parent to Pentico associate and fel-
low Ron Paulite Jeff Broome, who
filing deadline, it would become ap-
parent to the party chair, Corder
nent and unseat Corder would no
longer be operating under cover of
darkness. At the first meeting after
the filing deadline, each of the re-
publican candidates was asked to
speak. Schroeder
explained part of the
purpose of his filing-
to ensure that those
who supported re-
taining Senator
Corder in office had a
voice in the county
central committee
process. Many of the
Republican candi-
dates in the room
that night were also
moderates (in the
sense they hadn’t been followed to
the meeting by black helicopters full
of jack-booted, bucket-helmeted gov-
ernment thugs). They, too, would
learn of the effort on the part of
their party’s apparatus to remove
Corder from office- and the chilling
implication of that reality- that they
could be next on the ideologues’ hit
list. Nicely punctuating this reali-
zation was the pile of Marla Lawson
yard signs Committeeman Heinen
had sitting behind him during the
meeting, ready to be handed out.
The subject of candidate endorse-
ment would be on the agenda for
the April 22nd meeting- the last
before the May 25th primary. The
notion of party endorsement for a
primary, let alone the notion of en-
dorsing a challenger over the
party’s own incumbent, was shown
to be so unpopular by candidates at
that meeting that it failed even to
get a motion- only because the plot
had been exposed to the more ra-
tional elements of the party. Had
that idea, and three incumbent
committeemen, not gone unchal-
lenged the party may well have en-
dorsed the challenger before the
primary, as Heinen, Pentico,
Streeter and Broome clearly had
intended.
The time from that April 27th meet-
ing until the primary was filled
with very active campaigning for
Corder’s challenger by Precinct 6
Committeeman Larry Heinen and
Precinct 9’s Chris Pentico. In at
least one instance, a land owner
was approached by someone “from
the Republican party” who asked if
they could put up Republican candi-
date campaign signs. The land-
owner granted permission, and the
operatives put up Lawson’s sign
and no others. When the landowner
was asked by Corder about his sup-
port for Lawson, all he knew was
that he had given “the party” per-
mission and had not in fact in-
tended to support Lawson. Com-
mitteemen Heinen and Pentico
were present at a candidate’s forum
at the Senior Center, where Heinen
was again actively supporting Law-
son while appearing to be the
Party’s representatives. Lawson’s
supporters appear to have hurt her
in the case of at least one voter, who
wrote on his website how her
“unofficial campaign manager” cost
her his vote by answering for the
candidate instead of letting her
speak for herself and being, among
other things, “…one part buttin-
ski.”
Heinen, an Elmore County Deputy
Sheriff, surfaced again on election their right to vote for the candidate
night. His role: in uniform, trans- of their choice. Attend County Cen-
porting sealed ballot boxes from tral Committee meetings– the last
polling places to the courthouse to Thursday of the month, 7 PM– at
be counted. As a practical matter, it the new County Jail facility. Make
is virtually impossible for anyone, your voice heard– if you don’t,
even with intent, to alter enough someone else will do it for you– and
ballots in the limited time and it may not be what you wanted to
space available to change the elec- say. Your elected Elmore County
tion outcome. But the role of the Republican Precinct Committeemen
Sheriff’s office in transporting ballot are:
boxes isn’t about preventing actual
fraud as much as it is about appear- 1– Jay Brown
ances and public perception. Voters
2– John Barrutia
see the boxes hauled by Sheriff’s
deputies and have a sense of confi- 3– Fred Horn
dence that they can trust the proc-
ess to be fair. 4– Geoff Schroeder
The presence of the gun and badge 5– Sumner Price
serves also to deter those who would
6– Larry Heinen
disrupt the process by hindering or
delaying delivery of the boxes. But 7– Arlie Shaw
much of the intent of inspiring voter
confidence by presenting at least 8– Barry Peterson (County Chair)
the appearance of integrity is lost
when the guy with the gun and the 9– Chris Pentico
badge is not only himself on the
Prairie- Carlene Braithwaite
ballot, but has just spent the last
several months and at least a hun- Mayfield– Carlene Lord
dred of his own dollars publicly
advocating another candidate on Hammett– Megan Blanksma
every one of the ballots he is trans-
Camas– Bunni Farnham
porting.
Chattin Flats– Donna Bennett
The results of the primary election
were clear: Corder won, by an over-
whelming margin in Lawson’s home
county, and by a substantial margin
in Elmore despite the damage done
by operatives of his own party. The Mountain Home Free Press is pro-
Schroeder and Price prevailed in duced as a public service by the Ministry of
their committeeman’s races, and Information, edited by Geoff Schroeder
Nelson, relatively unknown, suc-
This week’s article was writ-
cumbed to the instant name recog-
ten by Geoff Schroeder.
nition of Barrutia.
Article submissions, com-
What else can be done now that the ments, letters, suggestions
primary is over and the voters, not and questions may be sent to:
ten committeemen under cover of
darkness, were allowed to choose editors@mhfreepress.com
who will run in the general elec-
tion? Committeemen work for the
voters in their precincts. Voters See our webpage at:
should determine who their precinct
committeeman is, contact him or www.mhfreepress.com
her and let them know they will be
held accountable in the next pri-
mary election if they choose to act
in a way that deprives citizens of