​NOVEMBER 2021 ​ They cheated, they lied, and they just weren’t fair This is not the opening line of a country song.  Instead, it’s the way that the Delaware Senate Democrats handled the reapportionment of senate seats and how they cheated Sussex County.  To be clear, this is not a Democrat or a Republican issue.  This is a Sussex County issue and should be of interest to Democrats, Republicans, Independents and anyone who lives in the southern part of our state.  So, here’s what was supposed to have happened.  When the party in the majority reviews the census numbers to determine at how seats will be allocated, there are 4 tenets they are to consider: The district must be formed of contiguous territory Be nearly equal in population Be bounded by major roads, streams or other natural boundaries Not be created so as to unduly favor any person or political party The new configuration of the senate seats meets criteria 1 and 3.  However, criteria 2 and 4 were ignored. Be nearly equal in population The range of the population runs from 44,817 or 4.91% below the mean in Senator Darius Brown’s district to 49,173 or 4.35% above the mean in Senator Bryant Richardson’s district.  That’s a swing of 4,356 people or 9.26%.  8 of the 14 Democrat seats are below the population mean. Every one of the 7 seats held by Republicans is over the population mean. Not be created so as to unduly favor any person or political party Of the 21 Senators in Delaware’s General Assembly, 14 seats are held by Democrats and the balance by Republicans.  Anyone who is paying attention knows that the surge in population that Delaware is experiencing is taking place in the South.  However, the Senate Democrats did nothing to address this.  None of the seats in New Castle County, the Democrat stronghold, were restructured.  If you thought that these elected officials sought office to serve you, sadly you were wrong.  These antics illustrate that holding onto their incumbent seats in New Castle was the primary concern and equity and adhering to the principles of reapportionment was not a consideration.  They did everything they could to avoid having the Democrat Senators in New Castle primary each other.  This is clearly an attempt to favor the Democrat party and maintain power.  The way this was done is in direct opposition to this principle. By tainting the process, the citizens of Sussex County will be underrepresented in the Senate in Dover.  If one looks at the number of building permits that have been issued in Sussex, it is clear that this imbalance will only get worse. It is time to pushback on this egregious power grab.  I am asking you to take a stand and protect Sussex County citizens from unequal representation in the Senate.  We need constituents to voice their concerns.  Send your name and contact information to Sussexgop@protonmail.com.  Put Senate Redistricting in the subject line.  We will be in touch in the next couple of weeks with more information on how you can help stop this outrageous power grab by Senate Democrats. ​Marilyn Booker President November 2021

OCTOBER 2021 MANDATES FOR WE THE PEOPLE? ​ A mandate here, a mandate there! Mandates!  Aren’t we all tired of them?  You must close your restaurant, barber shop/hair salon! You may not go into your office! You may not attend school in person!  You must wear a mask!  You must stay six feet apart from anyone outside of your household!  You must quarantine for 14 days if you go across state lines!  You must comply with contact tracing! ​Each of these was promulgated by various government agencies with the notion of keeping us safe during the height of the pandemic.  For the most-part, we all complied because we were frightened of catching or passing COVID-19 along to our loved ones.  In addition, the death count was frightening.   Now we have a vaccine that is very effective and when it became available, many of us were chomping at the bit to get it - particularly those of us older than 65 as we are the most vulnerable according to the stats. Let me get one issue out of the way right away - I am not an “anti-vaxxer.”  However, I believe to take or not to take the vaccine is a personal decision and should be respected by us all.  There are a number of very valid reasons some are hesitant.  In the Fall of 2020, the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Democrat candidates announced that they believe in science and researchers but didn’t trust any vaccine that was promoted by Donald Trump!  Were dumber words ever spoken?  The press and many social media influencers also denigrated the “Trump vaccine.”   Now, with Biden in the White House, miraculously the vaccines have become safe and effective.  Who knew? ​Some feel that the mRNA vaccines were developed with technology that was too new for them to be comfortable with taking it as these were the first vaccines developed in this manner.  Considering the rapidity with which the vaccine came to market I can understand this hesitancy even though I don’t agree.   Others are concerned that taking the vaccine with their pre-existing conditions may exacerbate these underlying diseases and consequently cause other medical issues. A very valid point since we get new data almost daily, although none of this is from research performed in the U.S. Israel leads in this important endeavor.  I know of one young man who is HIV positive and after a conversation with his physician was advised not to get the vaccine.  He is a college student and his college is requiring him to give very explicit details for why he has a medical exemption.  Why should he have to disclose his HIV status to strangers?  What ever happened to HIPPA?  ​In addition, there are those who are nursing mothers, those who are undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments, those receiving chemotherapy treatments, and some are opposed due to religious beliefs – a 1st Amendment issue. These are all valid concerns to these people. There are many other reasons that intelligent, reasonable people refused to get the “jab.”  But now we have the Federal Government mandating (there’s that word again!) that everyone aged 5 and above receive the vaccine.  This, from an administration that says they “follow the science” but refuses to consider those who have had and recovered from COVID as having immunity at all when in fact their immunity is far better and lasts longer than that achieved by taking the vaccine.  Is the impetus concern or control? An additional issue that should be of concern to all of us is the lack of adherence to the Constitution.  The 10th Amendment states that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”  Vaccine mandates are not delegated to the United States by the Constitution.  If states choose to mandate vaccinations, they have that right, although I don’t agree with this type of mandate no matter where it comes from.  As the Biden administration continues to intimidate employers with more than 100 employees with fines, be prepared for challenges that will likely go to the Supreme Court. Beware! That sucking sound you hear are your personal freedoms being yanked away. Marilyn Booker President October 2021

September 2021 Welcome to September!  Schools are opening and our young neighbors are returning to school after a rather dicey two years.  There is a feeling of new beginnings in the air.   There is also a tremendous sadness as we remember the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 strikes in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.  Those of us who were around then will never forget where we were and what we were doing when our nation was attacked by terrorists.  We should not and shall not ever forget! September also marks one of my favorite patriotic holidays – Constitution Day.  September 17, 1787 marks the day that 36 patriots, who were delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, signed the document that became the Constitution of the United States of America.  As the first state to ratify this important founding document, we in Delaware have a special relationship with our country’s governing documents.  Because we are the First State, we also have a special responsibility to defend our Constitution as it is the roadmap for our democratic republic.  September 17th is also known as Citizenship Day when we reflect on what it means to be a citizen of the greatest country on the planet.  Notice I didn’t say a perfect country, for we are not.  As a nation, just like as human beings, we continue to be works in progress.  We contemplate the rights and responsibilities that we as citizens have.  We celebrate our naturalized brothers and sisters who have adopted our country by choice and not just by the happenstance of birth. I encourage you to celebrate the Constitution and your citizenship!  Explain the importance of this holiday to your children and grandchildren.  Fly our emblem, the Flag, proudly that day.  Publicly and unapologetically be one of “We the People!” I realize it sounds weird, but sometimes, there is an interesting wisdom to be found on tee shirts.  My friend has one that says, “The U.S. Constitution.  It doesn’t need to be rewritten; just reread!”  Take some time to reread the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  You will be filled with an overwhelming feeling of pride. You can celebrate with some of your fellow Republicans at the Delaware GOP Constitution Day event on September 17th.  Tickets are $50 each. This is going to be a fun evening with dinner, games, prizes and a cash bar. The event will be held at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover, Delaware.  The cost is $50.00 per person. The event will start at 5:30 with cocktails; dinner is at 6:15. Sponsorships are available by calling the GOP office at 302-668-1954. The featured speaker for this event is Amy Swearer, a Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, where her areas of scholarship include Second Amendment, overcriminalization, originalism, and mental health policy. Marilyn Booker President September 2021

August 2021 Greetings! We are two-thirds of the way through the summer.  This means that children will be returning to school soon - we think?  or should that be hope?  Hopefully this year will be far different from last and all of the children will be present in class every day and not wearing masks.  I certainly don’t blame parents for having this as a concern as the school year approaches.  However, there is another issue that parents should find disconcerting.  I’m talking about Critical Race Theory. On July 29th, Heritage Action for America sponsored a panel discussion about Critical Race Theory.  The discussion addressed CRT in our schools, the military and the workplace.  To provide background and context for this damaging ideology, Jonathan Butcher, a scholar and writer for Heritage, described the history of Critical Race Theory and how it has evolved over the decades.  The panel consisted of parents, a West Point graduate and veteran as well as an employment and labor attorney.  One of the panelists, Xi Van Fleet, drew on her first hand knowledge of how a country can be transformed to an authoritarian nation.  Ms. Van Fleet lived through the cultural revolution in China and was able to outline parallels between what Mao and his loyalists did in China to what we are seeing in our country today. You may hear that Delaware schools are NOT teaching Critical Race Theory.  As usual, the Left is excellent at euphemisms.  If you hear double talk such as "transitional transformative social education;” “social justice;” "culturally relevant teaching;” or “equity” know that  the speaker is talking about Critical Race Theory.  With the passage of HB 198, the General Assembly involved themselves in public school curricula - a very unusual undertaking by elected officials.  This legislation amends the Delaware code to require every public and charter school to establish and implement a curriculum of Black History for grades K - 12.  This law is a the Left’s way of getting Critical Race Theory into the curriculum of our schools without being naming what it is.  Certainly we should all know and understand black history and how this population has enriched our country.  We should also know and understand Asian history and Irish history and Italian history.  In fact every ethnic group has contributed to the story that is the United States.  Our diversity is part and parcel to our success as a nation. If you were unable to attend or live-stream the panel discussion the other night, the link below will take you to a recording of the event.  Please share it with anyone who may be interested in what our children are being taught and in particular, parents of school-aged children. https://youtu.be/grDvnN83gRo Enjoy the rest of the Summer. Marilyn Booker President August 2021