Pennsylvnia Federation of College Republicans

Fellow College Republicans,

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who evaluated the two candidates put forward to lead our country and like I believed John McCain was the better person for the job. I want to thank those of you who volunteered your time throughout this tough election season. The undeniable truth is Republicans had an uphill battle from the beginning. Our efforts were not by any means a failure. Although our presidential candidate, John McCain, did not win we did have some victories such as Jim Gerlach, former PACR chairman/CRNC Co-Chairman Nick Miccarelli, and others.

This is a time of reflection and a time of rebuilding for our party. I truly believe that within 4 years, even better by the 2010 elections, people will realize that a liberal philosophy is not what our country needs, especially in the current economic status. Furthermore, democrats have essentially a free pass to spend as much as they want and tax as much as they want without any checks or balances, which I think will hit voters quickly once their taxes increase and/or if they loose their jobs because their small business is downsizing due to getting drilled with tax increases.

This is when our party needs us most, we are the obvious future for the party. Our party right now is looking for young leaders, leaders like you, so please contact your schools chapter chairman and join the Pennsylvania College Republicans. If you do not have a chapter at your school feel free to contact us and we will start the easy process of starting a chapter at your school.

Thank you all,

Anthony Pugliese

Pennsylvania College Republicans

State Chairman

Philadelphia – Pennsylvania College Republican (PACR) State Chairman Anthony Pugliese is pleased to announce his appointment of Jourdan Frain to lead the PACR Support the Troops effort. Jourdan is a decorated veteran of the Iraq War. “Jourdan has a unique experience which gives him the motivation to help his fellow soldiers. The PACRs support candidates who support the troops, but it’s important that we support them directly as well. That’s where Jourdan will excel.” 

Jourdan was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in combat and was also awarded the Purple Heart. During active duty, he was wounded a total of three times. Army policy states that any soldier wounded three times may return home, but Jourdan refused and remained with his unit for the duration of the tour. 

Frain has an impressive record of accomplishment in veteran organizations. He was awarded the Liberty USO Servicemember of the Year Award in addition to being the recipient of the General Norman Schwarzkopf Scholarship by the Sergeant Major of the Army. “I was fortunate enough to recover from my injuries, but many of the troops coming home need help getting back on their feet. That’s where I want to concentrate my efforts.” Frain explained, “These troops have answered the call to defend our nation, and it’s important that we stand up for them now.” 

Frain put out the call to veterans to get on board. “We are going to hit the ground running. We’ll be on every campus in this state by next year recruiting volunteers and promoting our events. We need all the support we can get.” 

For more information or to get involved, please contact the PA Federation of College Republicans at: pacollegerepublicans@gmail.com .

The Golan Heights in my opinion is the most strategically important area I have ever seen. When Syria had it prior to the 6 day war they on a daily and hourly basis fired cannons and rockets in to Israel. Not at military bases, but at cities and homes where men, women, and children live. It is for these reasons Israel took it from Syria, demilitarized it, and as of now refuses to give it back to Syria. It became incredibly clear to me, along with as far as I know everyone on the trip (Republican and Democrat), how crucial it is for Israel not to give this territory away. When I stood on top of the Golan Heights I could see a few things. Looking towards Israel on a clear day you can see nearly the entire country. I am not being sarcastic when I say this either, Israel is about the size of New Jersey so at this altitude and location you can truly see nearly the entire county. Therefore, with cannons that can fire hundreds of miles hundreds of thousands and towards the end of the war millions were at risk of being shelled. Looking towards Syria, I saw Syrian tanks pointed right at me. These were not abandoned tanks either; these were Syrian tanks that I have no doubt were simply awaiting the order to attempt to retake the Golan Heights. It would not take Syria long to re-militarize the Golan Heights either, as there is a fortified Syrian bunker on top of the mountain, which is not just used for tours. This bunker is still intact and you can see where all of the cannon and gun locations Syria once had pointing at Israel.

In my opinion ISRAEL MUST AND CANNOT GIVE BACK THE GOLAN HEIGHTS TO SYRIA!! 

Here is the big one, Iran, specifically Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon. This is a very difficult and complex situation, which neither I or to my knowledge anyone really has a perfect solution to. I think I could write a small book on this topic, but instead I will do my best to briefly touch on some of the major issues.

First off, Iran as I have stated in numerous other posts is the major problem and issue for Israel, America, and the rest of the peaceful world.

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Lebanon is an interesting situation, and in many ways is in a pickle of sorts. As of now you have Iran and Syria controlling the country. Iran and Syria made an agreement of sorts. Iran said to Syria you can milk Lebanon and its natural resources for all its worth, you can tax the citizens as much as you want, just let Hezbollah into the country and leave them alone. Syria agreed and that’s essentially where we are today. Today Iran gives Lebanon approximately 1 billion dollars to keep the economy afloat and treats Lebanon as its backyard. It is for these reasons President Bush has listed Lebanon in the “Axis of Evil.”

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You first need to understand a little about Iran in order to fully understand the situation and what I am about to say. Iran is run by the Shiite, which historically hate the Sunni, similar to how to Sunni historically hate the Shiite. Historically these two have committed terrorist acts against each other, exiled each other, and all around have a bad relationship.

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Israel is in a very unique situation. They are right in the middle of several countries that want to do nothing more than to wipe the country and citizens of Israel off the map. Specifically, but not limited to Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.

While I was in Israel many of you may have heard about the terrorist attack in Jerusalem where an Israeli-Arab hijacked a bulldozer from a construction site and began running into people on the street, cars with children in it, and tourist buses. In this attack 57 were injured and I could be wrong but I believe there were at least 3 killed, one of which was a very young girl not older than 12.  I had been on that very street in that very same spot not more than 48 hours before. When I heard about the attack I and the other Americans on the trip were shocked, one girl even cried. However, our Israeli guards were not nearly as shocked as we, not because they do not care, but because this attack and pointless attacks like these are not uncommon in Israel. I know just reading this Israel may sound like a scary place and you would think that the Israeli people might live in fear, but this is not the case. Even with rockets being fired into Israel, bulldozers being hijacked for the purpose of murder, or suicide bombers, Israelis live their life. Even after rockets are fired they are very hesitant to retaliate, because they unlike many of the Arab terrorist committing these unthinkable acts care about life, and look for any and all other alternatives before a military response.

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On July 6 I returned from an 11 day trip to Israel. I was taken by an incredible organization call AIPAC and would encourage all to join and participate in AIPAC activities. What I will do is post this shorter into, then post info on specific topics so it is not just one enormous post and will be easier to navigate through.

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