The Saving of America

On Tuesday (10/3/06) I met Congressman Hobson and the editors of the Columbus Dispatch to present my qualifications, plans and views as I campaign to be the US Congressman from the Ohio 7th District.

I asked my older sister, Julie, to join me at that meeting. As the two of us walked among the tall buildings of Columbus, my mind went back to our childhood. I remembered the day that she and I walked a few paces behind our little sister Kathy down Taylor Street to Warner’s grocery store. Kathy proudly and defiantly wore a skirt she had made for herself. She clutched it tightly lest it fall down again and we laugh once more.

More than fifty years have passed since that day in Kokomo, Indiana. Kathy has raised two daughters, one a county treasurer in the Indianapolis area, and has five fine grandchildren. She is a recognized expert in heart technology applied to children and teaches that technology to other medical professionals. Julie retired last year after more than 30 years as a master teacher. She has completed class work for a PhD and has been tapped several times to serve as a curriculum advisor for the State of Ohio. She has raised six children and has nine grand children all of whom she is rightfully proud. I have completed an Air Force career during which I applied the integrity and courage demanded by our parents to right wrongs, improve organizations, and serve our nation’s best interests. My wife and I have three children and five grand children of whom we are very proud. The die that was cast by our parents so many years ago causes me to recognize and seek to solve the serious problems our nation faces.

I realized as I walked that we are America’s proud past and we with our children and grand children are America’s future. We are what Norman Rockwell sought to capture in his paintings. Our family is unique. But yet, we are the same as millions of other Americans who have their own unique and proud past and hopeful future.

We are all the Americans who step forward when times are bad and our leadership becomes our worst enemy.

As I told the Dispatch editors and Hobson, our Congress is corrupt and Hobson is a leader of that corruption. They have saddled us with an unnecessary war and do not have the integrity, intelligence, or courage to develop an exit strategy. Hobson says it will take time to develop a consensus with all of the Iraqi groups, form a few committees, develop training, apply the training, hope that some of them are dumb enough to graduate, put them on the street, and hope they don’t run at the first sign of trouble. (The previous sentence includes some characterization by me.) Our troops get 8 weeks of basic, hit the streets in Bagdad, and die in place rather than run. If they survive, they settle into the revolving door for four or more tours in Iraq – those tours ever lengthening and the breaks between ever shortening. Our sons and daughters are dying, or suffering life long disabling injuries by the tens of thousands because we are led by wimps with no sense of urgency who are too busy robbing our treasury to care. I have a plan to get us out of Iraq. Even Hobson, at the Dispatch interview, said it ‘might’ work. (I have that on tape.) See ConnerForUS.com.

Led by Tom Delay and lobbyists like Abramoff, Hobson and other corrupt leaders in Congress have developed a well oiled machine to sell out the country to corporate interests and line their own pockets. They have taken large campaign contributions from oil, drug interests, banks, credit card companies, and insurance companies and let those interests write our laws to enrich themselves. They have added tax breaks for the rich which do not aid the economy, but do fuel the Delay built machine of corruption.

As I sat in the Dispatch conference room, I saw, in my mind’s eye, the apparition of my father, seething with anger at the indifference of Hobson to his own acts of corruption and the needless deaths and suffering of our young men and women. I wanted to say out loud, “Dad, I’ll handle it.” I pray that I can.

My father told me this story. A fellow had a mule – the kindest and most obedient ever seen. Great was the affection between man and mule. His neighbors had cantankerous mules. They watched as he scratched the mule’s ear, gave him treats and showered him with affection. They wanted a similar relationship with their mules, but mimicked him without success. Finally, they asked the man for his secret. He walked over to his wagon, pulled out an ax handle, and said, ”This is how I got his attention.” It is instructive that the ax handle was kept in the mule’s view.

We can have an honest Congress which serves the interests of the country and its people. But, we must get their attention. Our “ax handle” is the ballot box. We the voters of the Ohio 7th District must send me to Congress. If we win this election by any margin, I will go to Congress, work toward the goals I outline in my website and based on my past performance, using honest and straight forward methods, have considerable success. But, we can do better than that. We the voters of the Ohio 7th District must send a resounding message to Congress by a landslide vote. This will emphasize what I have laid out in my website and soundly reject the corruption of Hobson and the other Congressional leaders. Then, we must continue to watch the situation, including my performance, and keep the ”ax handle” in full view.

Harry Truman said, “Give the people the facts and they will do the right thing.” I have laid out the facts in my web site, ConnerForUS.com. Our survival will be up to the vote of the people.


Bill Conner