A California Conservative in Rhode Island

(Source: YouTube)

Seriously, who is this guy and why is goLOCALprov letting him write his drivel here? Maybe there aren't enough republicans in Rhode Island to write anti-democratic articles so golocal has to import one from 3000 miles away? – Portsmouth Citizen, GoLocalProv.com

So, who is this guy from California, who loves to write about the “right” in Rhode Island and the Northeast GOP? Who seems to have a heart for “losers” and “states in fiscal emergencies”, who believes that the Republican Party is the "New Superman", who thinks that US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse belongs in the “Outhouse”?

This man is a crazy evangelical from CA. Does this site have an editorial board or can any wing nut become a Mindsetter TM? This is a joke. He is the person in a cult.-- Jonathan Flynn

My name is Arthur Christopher Schaper, a life-long Southern California resident. Yes I know, strange indeed. Mark Twain could not invent this stuff, and that’s why he wrote about Connecticut Yankees in King Arthur’s Court. Well, I am no king, but I hate tyranny, especially the tyranny of the left, and any system of government which says “No!” to God and “Yes!” to the state, which impoverishes people in the name of “helping” them, and lets a dedicated cult of special interests rob everyone else in the name of the “public interest.”

A few points for GoLOCAL readers:

1. There is nothing LOCAL about the author. He apparently thinks he knows all he needs to know about RI without ever having set foot anywhere near the Ocean State.

. . .


5. We here in Rhode Island love Roger Williams just as much as anyone, probably more. But, just for the record, the figure most often identified as "the first true freedom fighter" is not Roger Williams, but Judah the Maccabee.—Portsmouth Citizen

Really, it starts with Roger Williams, and so much more.

I have long admired the minister who stood up to the Puritanical-Pharisaical religious hypermajority in colonial Massachusetts Bay, who then founded Rhode Island. I wanted to learn more. He preached the grace and truth of the Gospel, telling people the faith of his fathers, but never ramming it down people’s throats. He supported religious liberty, even while England was burning and churning with Roundheads, Levelers, Monarchists and anarchists killing each other for religious supremacy.

Hey, Arthur. We have open primaries. Worry about your local matters 3,000 miles away before squawking in on our business with your lack of knowledge.—Michael Roles

As for the political interest in writing, it started with the dismay following the 2012 election, in which the GOP failed to take back the US Senate and the White House. Like many conservatives, I wrestled with “Why?” After some (not much) soul-searching, I realized: Romney sucked, sucking any chance for conservative elements to put the country on a “right” course. The Rhode Island Republican Assembly endorsed Santorum rather than Romney (can you blame them?) Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan acknowledged the inadequacy of the Romney campaign, pointing out that the 2012 election was eliciting a “yawn, shrug, meh” from the electorate because neither candidate had the capital to control the problems cratering this country.

In an optimistic post-election (or post-mortem) piece, Boston Globe contributor Jeff Jacoby reminded conservatives to get back to basics, give people a good reason to vote for them instead of bad reasons not to vote for someone else. Ryan Fattman of Sutton, MA delivered in the deep blue Bay State. Why can’t others?

Then I recalled the Democratic losses in 2004 (Good times! Good times!), when Bush won reelection, when the Republicans gained four Senate seats, and liberal crock-umentarian Michael Moore skulked away to sulk in the woods (along with bears, who also do “you know what” when they get there). DNC Chairman Howard (Yeaargh!) Dean enacted a fifty-state strategy for future Democratic wins in swing-states.

With a similar setback for the GOP eight years later, it’s time for conservatives to do what Dean did (without screaming). Noonan exhorted fellow conservatives: “It’s Pirate Time!” Be brash, be bold, a little anarchy is a good thing. National Review contributor Michael Barone wrote about Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s efforts to curb the pension crises sinking the Ocean State. I began following Mr. Travis Rowley’s pieces in GoLocalProv, who recently shared the all too telling connection between California and Rhode Island:

Democratically-run California (one big Rhode Island) recently sent their leaders to Texas for “tips on how to better their economy.”

Aside from extreme geographical differences, Little Rhody and Big Cali have too much in common: union hall-statehouse collusion-corruption; a liberal elite corrupting public education, a lot of unhappy teachers quitting (Stephen Round aired his resignation on YouTube; I wrote to my local paper).

(Source: DbbyFluck, Flickr)

Now, this California Conservative is writing to Rhode Island (and the Northeast) to start a fifty-state for the GOP and spread the Good News.

I enjoyed your column and think that you are doing an excellent job in your internship. You will make an excellent columnist/blogger and I wish you all the best. -- Petr Petrovich

What can I say: I love to write! Thanks again, Go Local readers.