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I'm supporting Ron Ramsey for Governor of Tennessee, btw. Just to get that out there.

Why, you ask? Glad you did! Three good reasons: 

• Ron Ramsey supports Arizona 
• Ron Ramsey is the Tea Party candidate
• Ron Ramsey is strong in support of the 2nd Amendment. Zach Wamp and Bill Haslam? Not so much.

Ron Ramsey on Obama's decision to sue Arizona...

“Just when you think it unfathomable that Washington can get any crazier, they announce news highlighting just how out of touch they are with mainstream Americans.

“I’ve said before that I fully back Arizona’s efforts to enforce immigration law and secure their borders from the scourge of violence and crime that illegal immigration is causing in their state. In fact, when I am elected the next conservative Governor of Tennessee, I will enact a similar measure.

“The primary function of the federal government is to protect its citizens from foreign threats and if President Obama won’t act, then Governors across this nation will act to protect our citizens.

“We are a nation originally comprised of immigrants and while I support legal immigration, we must never forget that we are a nation of laws and they must be upheld. Those seeking to come to our country through legal avenues are always welcome in America and the state of Tennessee,” stated Ramsey.

Twenty Tea Party organizations endorse Ron Ramsey...

TENNESSEE (July 5, 2010) – An association of twenty Tea Party organizations representing every corner of the state announced today that they are endorsing Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey for the next Governor of Tennessee.

These groups arrived at their decisions following a thorough, three-month vetting process, which included research into the candidates’ backgrounds and voting records, completion of vetting questionnaires, and culminated in a vetting forum near Nashville on June 27th. Republican, Democratic, and Independent candidates were considered for their knowledge, commitment, and record on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, fiscal responsibility, the role of the State and Federal Governments, and protection of the rights of individuals.

Gun Owners of America endorsed Ron Ramsey (the NRA is a bit slower on the draw)...

Gun Owners of America Supports Ron Ramsey for Governor

(Springfield, VA)—Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund today announced the endorsement of Ron Ramsey for Governor of Tennessee.

Ramsey, the current Lieutenant Governor, “Displays a constitutional and historically accurate understanding of the Second Amendment and the threats that face it today,” said GOA Vice-Chairman Tim Macy.

As a strong Tenth Amendment advocate, Ramsey believes that “We must have a Governor who can stand up to federal officials who want to erode our basic rights.”


In 1997, while serving in the state legislature, Ramsey pushed a concealed carry bill that improved the state’s right-to-carry. Ramsey’s bill, which was signed into law, streamlined the application process so honest, law-abiding citizens would not have to wait up to a year to receive their permit.

GOA-PVF noted, in a letter to supporters, that Ramsey’s strong support of the Constitution and the Second Amendment stands in stark contrast to other candidates in the race.

Bill Haslam, mayor of Knoxville since 2003, was a member of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

As a member of the group, Bill Haslam’s name was part of a 2007 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supporting a bill to prohibit the hundreds of thousands of people on the federal government’s so-called terror “watch list” from purchasing firearms.

Under the bill, the Attorney General is permitted to strip away the civil liberties of Americans without due process of law and without the accused even knowing the details of the suspicion.

This provision was part of a larger bill that would have federalized even more gang and gun crimes, which properly belong at the state and local levels.

In 2008, Haslam’s name again appeared on a letter to Reid and Pelosi seeking to close the non-existent and misleadingly named “gun show loophole.” This legislation would have led to the closing down of gun shows and opened the door to complete federal control of private firearms transactions.

“As soon as Haslam announced his bid for governor, he left Bloomberg’s anti-gun group with much haste. If that isn’t the clearest sign of pandering and lip service, then we don’t know what is,” said Macy.

Another opponent in the race, Representative Zach Wamp, was criticized by GOA for “joining forces with Sen. John McCain to put a stranglehold on free speech over his support for the so-called Campaign Finance Reform Act.

“When Republican opposition stymied the bill in 2001, the anti-freedom crowd circulated a ‘discharge petition’ to force it on to the House floor. Zach Wamp joined a handful of other Republican turncoats to help pass a law that made it illegal to publish certain political information within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election.

“Of all the types of speech protected by the First Amendment, political speech was foremost on the minds of the Founding Fathers. Just this year, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that fact and in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (a case in which Gun Owners Foundation participated) undid much of the damage caused by Wamp and his congressional allies.

“In this race for Governor, the choice for gun owners and sportsmen is clear. Ron Ramsey is a proven, effective and constitutionally minded leader who will stand up to all attacks on our right to keep and bear arms,” concluded Mr. Macy.

Good enough for me.

Good Luck and Following Seas, Ron Ramsey.

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