Glen Caroline, the newly elected chairman of the Loudoun County Republican Committee, recently held a meeting of a small group of Republican activists to discuss his and their goals for the Republican Party in Loudon County. A few years ago I lost interest in the LCRC when the meetings I attended turned into the equivalent of a food fight. This recent meeting was not a formal LCRC meeting but rather Glen’s opportunity to repeat his views, which he expressed in his acceptance speech, on the newly organized Committee, and to get a feeling about how best to help Republican candidates.
Glen impressed me as someone who could chair an efficient meeting of many strong willed individuals who are not reticent about expressing their views. He focused on the common beliefs of most Republican. “Respect” was a word I heard him use often. Glen quoted Abraham Lincoln and clearly espoused Ronald Reagan’s “Big Tent” philosophy of welcoming all who share the core beliefs of Republicans such as limited government, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and a strong national defense. Social issues were not discussed, for which I am glad, as these are the issues that are the most divisive.
As word spreads about Glen’s leadership, I predict membership in the LCRC and the Republican Party will grow, and in time, so will the success of Republican candidates. With new leadership, and a strong positive message, the Republican Party and the Loudoun County Committee will have a message that will inspire and attract liberal, moderate, and conservative Republican to the big tent. If you want to be inspired, play this Video put together for the new LCRC website by my good friend Dave D'Onofrio.
While working out at my gym recently and listening and watching the news on an overhead TV, a short segment on CNN caught my attention - maybe because it was a very different story than the usual pieces on politics, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was an interview with a young marathon runner in Philadelphia who is helping the homeless get back on their feet.
I must admit I have never been one pursue the challenges of working with the homeless. However, I do admire those that help anyone who is down on their luck and struggling to put their lives back together. For some reason this story really struck a chord with me.
Anne Mahlum, the Philadelphia marathoner and the founder of Back on My Feet, hands out running shoes, hats, and other running gear to homeless individuals who are clean, sober and live in a shelter. Moving everyone’s life forward, homeless or not, is their goal.
Last year there was a lot of NIMBY angst in the press and elsewhere about Good Shepherd Alliances' Center of Hope homeless facility in Ashburn. Perhaps running in the morning with doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, and the homeless as happens in Philly, might benefit everyone in Loudoun County.
Our daughter Inslee is a talented artist. Since she was five years old, she has been sketching and drawing pictures that have amazed her mother and me. Every year for the last sixteen years she has designed our Christmas cards. 
Many friends have saved every one. It was no surprise when many of her college classmates asked her to create sketches for special events, invitations, etc. This sparked the idea of designing note cards for a web-based business. The note cards she designed were in color. Finding a printer that could print high quality cards in high quality color in a relatively low volume at a price we could afford proved challenging - until we discovered Colorcraft in Sterling, Virginia. Their staff was as intrigued with Inslee’s work as we were. They were able to take her drawings, convert them into digital images, and print them on a digital press.
On March 26th the President visited Colorcraft and saw a postcard printed especially for him on their digital press - the same one that produces Inslee’s cards. The next day I jokingly asked our account executive, Bryan Koons who lives in Purcellville, if he shook the President’s hand. The answer was, “yes.” The President shook the hand of every Colorcraft employee, answered questions and told personal stories like why his father, Bush I, decided to make a parachute jump after he left The White House.
The President’s visit was front page news in the local papers. He told Jim Mayes, the president of Colorcraft, that the economic stimulus bill he had just signed would help companies like Colorcraft that are capital intensive. Accelerating depreciation on expensive presses and software the company needs to grow and maintain their competitive position will help the local economy and create more jobs. The President was pleased to hear that Colorcraft is sensitive to the environment using soy based ink, recycled paper and other green processes when ever possible.
My family had already discovered Colorcraft and had experienced first hand the fine work they do. (Pardon the commercial – you can too, by going to Inslee’s website) If you go to Colorcraft’s website, you will see examples of the work they do. Look carefully and you will also see several of Inslee’s images on their website.
