Author Archives: Tom Balek

Sorry, I Wrote Off California

Posted on by Standard 1

As a conservative, and living in beautiful Montana, I admit I wrote off California a long time ago.

I had grown so tired of the lunacy that oozes from the Golden State on a daily basis – sanctuary cities, more-than-equal-rights for gays, barrio gang warfare, brainless Hollywood celebs, Pelosi and Waters and Boxer – I decided that if an earthquake shook the whole state into the sea, oh well.

I have an ex-Montana friend who lives in the Central Valley, and he was sending me daily S.O.S. messages, as his own government officials sold out the entire valley, trashing its economy and destroying thousands of jobs and businesses, by shutting off their water to protect a tiny fish.

I shook my head as the scandals piled on – Solyndra, small-town-mayors with monstrous salaries and pensions, and the $16 billion deficit.

But last month my wife and I took a short trip to California and I had a change of heart.

We found many good, hard-working people there, who were just as baffled and upset about the state’s problems as the rest of us are.  It’s a beautiful place, and in spite of its travails, California still has much talent, energy, and resources to offer the nation and the world.

If the USA is a family, California is our crazy, misguided, hyper little brother.  He might end up a superstar, or could be lying in a gutter soon.  There’s not much the rest of us can do to save him – he will have to learn on his own that he can’t spend money he doesn’t have, and he will have to get a haircut and get a real job.

Either way, he’s still part of the family and we should all keep trying to teach him what’s right.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On The Right Side

“We are all just prisoners here, of our own device.”  Hotel California – the Eagles

cartoon courtesy of Tony Branco – see more of his great work here.

One person CAN make a difference!

Posted on by Standard 1

A few months ago Judy Tankink was struggling.  She had been asked to reorganize and reinvigorate a Tea Party organization that was, well, sagging.  And she worried that she was in over her head.  She didn’t know if she was tough enough.

But Judy was so firm in her resolve that something had to be done, she threw her whole heart and soul into it.

She bought a new computer and installed web design software.  With help from a Tea Party friend (me!), she built a new website.  And then she rolled up her sleeves and went to work.  Judy started attending local government meetings.  She read and studied and learned about the tactics of the left, and their misguided intentions.  She organized meetings and presentations about important topics, from local (the exploding wolf population in Montana) to international (Agenda 21).

Then she learned that her city council was about to implement the Agenda 21 “Complete Streets” program.  Judy mobilized her troops, rallied at a series of presentations and city council meetings, and got the program rejected.  She single-handedly turned an expensive, freedom-threatening, heavy-handed government program on its head against all odds.

Judy, you are an inspiration!

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On The Right Side

Ain’t That Tough Enough?! – the Fabulous Thunderbirds

RightOnLine ROCKS!

Posted on by Standard 2

Oh yeah!  Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, Scott Rasmussen, Jonah Goldberg, James O’Keefe, me . . . all of us conservative superstars (well, some of us are wannabes!) were beaming last weekend at the beautiful Venetian in Las Vegas.

It was educational, inspirational, motivational and a hell of a lot of fun.

Tears were shed and glasses raised in memory of Andrew Breitbart.  New citizen journalists were given swords and marching orders.  Veteran conservative bloggers shared war stories and compared beards.  Except the blog-ettes, of course.

Michelle brought down the house, coyly recalling her smackdown of Juan “I’m a reporter, not a BLOGGER!” Williams.  Sarah cut the competition’s knees off with her incisive, on-the-button analysis of failed policies and missed opportunities.  And James O’Keefe – if you have seen any of his expose’ videos, you know the only thing worse than his pimp costume is his Scottish / Irish accent.  Hilarious and devastating in equal measure.

The Montana contingent included AFP/Tea Party/talk radio raconteur Henry Kriegel, Voices of Montana star Aaron Flint, Bozeman radio ace Mark Allen, legislator and new AFP-Montana chief Joe Balyeat, and yours truly – the newbie blogger and trouble-maker Rockin’ On The Right Side.

Everything good was there in abundance – the rooms were huge and beautiful, the food was magnificent, all of the speakers and presenters were top-notch.  But best of all was the abundance of Optimism.  We learned that the conservative new media is winning on all fronts. And it is driving the effete liberals and the inside-the-beltway good-ole-boys and the dead-tree-writers and the I’m-not-a-blogger pundits CRAZY!

Everyone left the conference energized and motivated.  Hell, I’m so motivated I started a new blog, and you’re the first one to read it!

TOM BALEK – Rockin’ On The Right Side

THE HEAT IS ON!  – Glenn Frey