Kowabunga

The Townhall meetup group for the Twin Cities area gathered again at our regular watering hole for an evening of discussion. This month's gathering had a bit of a change of pace as Lt. Col. Harold Shudlick (retired) put in an appearance to promote his campaign to receive the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate.

Shudlick is an uncommon man, having served in Vietnam (around 1967 - 1969) where, as a member of the 25th Infantry, he earned the Combat Infantry Badge (awarded for serving under arms in combat) and the Bronze Star for his service in that war.

After Vietnam, he attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN and went on to continue his career in the Army as a Chaplain.

Being both a combat veteran and an ordained minister, Shudlick has had some very unique experiences.

After reading his campaign literature and listening to him speak to our group, I find that a lot of his positions resonate well with me. It goes beyond the standard rhetoric of "lower taxes, less government," and so on. His literature contains the following phrase:

"Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for yourself."

Although Shudlick recognizes he has a big challenge in getting the nomination, especially with Mark Kennedy receiving much of the limelight, both from the media and the MNGOP, I believe having an alternative to Kennedy, and a real choice, is healthy for the political landscape.

Meanwhile, back at the Townhall gathering, we touched on a variety of topics, with some impassioned discourse from the group on the subject of same-sex marriage, border security, and taxes.

Tracy, the fearful leader of the pack, mentioned we are one of the few surviving and thriving Townhall groups. He also looks at it as a 12-step program for liberalism. Stay tuned for the next installment of Townhall.