News

Back to News

Pickering gives ‘State of the Party’ address

Mar 19, 2010

Charles Pickering, former 5th Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals, spoke to a throng of supporters Wednesday at the Jones County Republican Women’s monthly meeting at Western Sizzlin.
“It’s hard to believe it was five years ago that the Senate through a Democratic filibuster forced me to retire over the issue of abortion,” said Pickering, who noted he hadn’t spoken to the group in 20 years.
“For 14 years, I could not participate in politics,” he said. “I couldn’t go to Chip’s events. A judge is supposed to be impartial. But, for years before that, as a member of the Mississippi State Senate and chairman of the State Republican Party, I was frequently in front of the Jones County Republican Women.”
Pickering noted that the Republican Party has taken great strides since he entered state politics in the 1970s.
“They accused the Republican Party in Jones County of being a country club party and said we could meet in a phone booth,” he said. “There were two Republican senators out of 52 in the state. We’ve made tremendous progress since 1970. All but one state office is held by a Republican, but we haven’t done that well on the local level.”
Pickering related the story of a speaker, who was traveling through Mississippi by train for a speaking engagement in Starkville. The speaker had requested to be woken up at a station, and was surprised when woke up in New Orleans.
“Likewise, if George Washington and the founding fathers came back today, they would believe that they had gotten off at the wrong station,” he said. “Many Americans feel like they’re getting off at the wrong station.”
Pickering noted a couple of recent examples including the raising of the national debt ceiling by Congress.
“They are making the debt of your unborn child or grandchild $40,000 when they enter the world,” he said.
Pickering also discussed a pending lawsuit in California regarding same sex marriage. He noted that Ted Olson and David Boies, who opposed each other in Bush v. Gore, have joined together to make same sex marriage legal in California.
“The judge the case is being tried in front of is openly gay,” he said. “I do not expect the plaintiffs not to win.”
Pickering said he expects the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to also allow same sex marriage.
“They’re the ones who deemed the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional,” he said. “Our only hope is the Supreme Court. That’s why who is elected President in 2012 and each congressional district race is likewise important.”
As an example, Pickering used the decision in 2001 by former U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) to leave the Republican Party.
“If he hadn’t switched, I would have been confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals as well as 20 other Bush appellate nominees,” he said.
Pickering said America should get back to the ideals of the founding fathers, their spirituality and the “Spirit of 1776.”
Also on Wednesday, the Jones County Republican Women launched a fundraiser in conjunction with Paulette’s Fashion & Gift Shop, located at 3164 Audobon Drive in the North Laurel Shopping Center.
The club is selling $10 tickets that include information cards and a 20 percent off coupon for new merchandise from Paulette’s. A drawing will also be held at 1 p.m. March 26 for a $500 Easter shopping spree at the store.
The proceeds will benefit the Jones County Republican Women’s many Caring for America projects that include:
• Charitable organizations such as the Christian Food Mission, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army
• Scholarships for area students
• A cell phone recycling program for phone cards for the military, as well as care packages
• Books and DVDs for local schools and the Laurel/Jones Co. Library, and many others
Tickets are available from any Jones County Republican Women member or by calling Stella Hall at 601-649-5345, Karon Pickering at 601-763-8672, Ann Rose at 601-477-3636 or Betty Anderson at 601-729-2921.

Copyright © 1999-2010 cnhi, inc.

Back to News