Released 09/23/98

Pelphrey to Renew Debate Challenge at Press Conference 10amFriday

Letter to Gingrich Has Drawn No Response in Three Months

Sixth District Congressional candidate Gary 'Bats' Pelphrey will hold apress conference at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 25 at the Theater in the Square (11Whitlock Avenue SW, Marietta).

A major topic of the press conference will be Pelphrey's challenge tohis opponent, Rep. Newt Gingrich, to debate the issues before the voters. Return-receiptletters were delivered to Gingrich's local and Washington offices in mid-June, around hisbirthday; to date, the Gingrich camp has not replied.

Gary will discuss his positions and answer questions on areas ofgeneral interest, including:

Considerate campaigning to benefit the community and restore voters' faith in the system.

Reform of campaigns and campaign finances, and Gingrich's vested interest in fighting these reforms.

Integrity of elected representatives, and the true meaning of 'public service'.

How Gingrich's actions conflict with the Constitution B especially relevant in the current Clinton situation, since September 17-23 is Constitution Week.

Released 9/20/98

Is This Any Way to Celebrate Constitution Week, Newt?

"In 1952, to commemorate the signing of the Constitution , the U.S. Congress authorized an annual Presidential proclamation designating September 17 as Citizenship Day. Later, on August 2, 1955, the Daughters of the American Revolution proposed and Congress approved a second resolution authorizing the President to designate annually the week of September 17-23 as Constitution Week ." (Senate B Extension of Remarks by Senator Bond, September 4, 1996)

We are now in the middle of Constitution Week. The document which defineshow we govern ourselves was passed by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.It is still a firm foundation of our way of government. But not since the 1860s has itbeen in as much jeopardy as it is today.

Here's what the Constitution (at http://www.law.emory.edu/federal/usconst.htmlon the Internet) says about our current situation:

Article I, Section 2, Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Article I, Section 3, Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

That's it. Nothing in the Constitution about polls, or nationwidereferenda B or the Speaker force-feeding thepublic every vile thing he can collect about an elected official, to turn people's hearts(and stomachs) in his chosen direction and claim their support for doing what he alreadythinks is in his own political best interests.

If you really want to get scared, go take a look at:

http://www.PlebisciteUSA.com/pages/plebiscite.htm

I have no idea where this group got the idea that the Declaration ofIndependence offered a source of law which somehow overruled the Constitution B or what their authority is for stating that 51% ofthe votes in 35 states would be enough to win a plebiscite and throw out the wholeshebang.

I leave it as an exercise for the voters of the Sixth District to compareand contrast that movement with the past week's pronouncement that the Christian Coalitionintends to distribute 45 million copies of an election guide before our election thisfall. This was the same group whose convention Mr. Gingrich addressed last week.

If too many cooks spoil the broth, too many outside-the-system efforts to'fix' our problems can lead us dangerously close to anarchy.

And that is exactly where Mr. Gingrich is headed, judging by his decisionto splatter all over the world the lurid details in the special prosecutor's report. (AsMolly Ivins notes, it's a good thing the Supreme Court struck down the CommunicationsDecency Act B or Newt might have to arresthimself for the long-distance smut-peddling he's done.)

Mr. Gingrich has shown that he is afraid to trust his colleagues topreserve the confidentiality of sensitive, not to mention disgusting, information. He isclearly afraid to follow the Constitutional process to address alleged offenses of apopular President.

I will not take partisan advantage of Mr. Gingrich's aberration byattributing it to the Republican philosophy of government. Most Republicans I talk to findthese tactics as offensive as I do. This incident is just one more barrage of Newtonianpolitics B or, if you prefer, a heavy-handeddose of a Newtonian physic, forcibly administered to the American people.(Apologies to Sir Isaac Newton.)

Nor will I let the conservative movement be sullied by the acts of itsself-styled head. Mr. Gingrich has decided the Constitution is insufficient in the presentsituation, and he's trying to re-write it to suit himself. He's using pornographic calumnyas the oar he sticks in to try to paddle the ship of state to the shore of his choice.

Odense cheap hotelsI stand against this radical change in course, away from ourConstitutional processes.

My record as the founder of "Students for Ike" in my Kentuckyhigh school as a Navy veteran and a small-business owner as a firm believer in, anddefender of, our Constitutional form of government stands as more conservative of thebenefits and obligations of our Constitution than does the record of Mr. Gingrich'sdisgraceful actions in this matter and, in fact, throughout his career.

The people of the Sixth District don't want Mr. Gingrich's kind of liberalinterpretation of the Constitution. They believe in the supremacy of law, as do I. Theybelieve in common decency, as do I.

And I think they also share my belief that not only is it being a bully tokick a man when he's down, it's also unfair Band could wind up weakening or destroying this vital Constitutional process.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Gingrich went to visit Bill Gates possibly hoping toadd to the $200,000 Microsoft had already given the GOP this year. While there, Gingrichdeclared, "The purpose of the American government is to strengthen American companiesin the world market."

It's good when our country prospers...but there's nothing in theConstitution about helping contributors get richer, or intervening in legitimategovernmental legal challenges to their operations.

France accommodationThe Constitution is clear on what our government is for:"to form amore perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the commondefense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves andour Posterity".