Welcome to the Queens Village Republican Club where we cherish freedom, liberty, we celebrate our individuality, and encourage all to embrace our cultural diversity. We believe the dignity of a job can help overcome many of our socioeconomic problems. At our April Club meeting you will be hearing from a number of speakers on the topic of Common Core.
Indian American Intellectuals Rally for Narendra Modi’s PM Candidacy
“Getting registered to vote in New York elections and taking political action is the way to be in control of your own destiny, otherwise your destiny will be controlled by others. The Indian people have a powerful voice to control their own destiny here in the City of New York, but they haven’t been using it. ”
Captain James Van Thach: An American Hero
“ It goes back to 9/11. I was in my house studying for my law school classes…. I turned on TV to take a fast break…. I saw the images of the first plane hitting the tower…. then the second plane hit… I learned that my country was under attack from foreign terrorists. I wanted to honor all the people who had been murdered on 9/11 and do my part to protect America from ever again suffering such a heinous attack…. I felt the way to accomplish that would not be by sitting behind a desk, but by fighting the enemy face to face in the battlefield.”
Captain James Van Thach: An American Hero
By Robert Golomb
General David Petraeus congratulating Captain James Van Thach for completing the task of establishing Combat Outpost Shocker in Iraq. November 2007, Baghdad, Iraq,
It can be reasonably assumed that upon their graduation most of the several hundred students of Touro Law School’s Class of June 2002 were preparing to take their upcoming bar examinations and looking forward to starting their careers in the public or private legal sector once (and if) they passed them.
Such as a general rule is the professional path followed by most law school graduates across America. But that generalization has its exceptions, a most notable one is Captain James Van Thach.
Thach, who had served in the Army reserves beginning his 1994 freshman year at St. John’s University, was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1998. In 2002, because he had a law degree, the Army offered Thach the position of attorney within the Army’s legal division.
Lincoln Dinner 2014 Video: John Burnett Delivers Lincoln Day Address
He is a great friend and a great Republican, and if people knew him, knew their history and knew what a Comptroller’s job was, John Burnett would be the New York City Comptroller today.
Historian Jerry Matacotta introduced John Burnett at the Lincoln Day Dinner saying that he is a nice person. But more important than being a nice person, is that John is a man of character and values, not just rhetoric. He is a great friend and a great Republican, and if people knew him, knew their history and knew what a Comptroller’s job was, John Burnett would be the New York City Comptroller today.
Protecting Our Finest
Officer James Li
NYPD Officer, James Li, a rookie officer survived a shooting this week allegedly by a cop-hating fugitive. Two off-duty EMTs helped save his life and he was released from the hospital on Friday. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., a resident of Glen oaks Village, wrote the following letter published in the New York Post, which echoes all of our sentiments and praise for our heroic NYPD and EMS workers.
Captain James Van Thach Featured Speaker at March Club Meeting
“My sacrifice had to be made because of the opportunities given to me from the men and women who sacrificed their lives and died for our country. I had to do the same in their honor, to protect our nation and protect the unborn of this country so that they might live in a peaceful world.”
We are delighted to announce that Captain James Van Thach, U.S. Army (Ret.), a highly decorated United States Army veteran, will be our featured speaker at the March 6th Queens Village Republican Club Meeting. He will discuss his service and sacrifice to our nation as a soldier who was wounded twice in the line of duty in Iraq. He is a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, and is the first Vietnamese-American to become an advisor to the New Iraqi Army. In recognition of his service, Captain Thach was given the honorary title of Brigadier General by the Iraqi government.
Captain Thach, a native of Bellerose, Queens comes from a family with a long history of dedicated military service to our nation. His father, Lt. Col. John Peterkin was recently honored as the Veteran of the Year for his valiant service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, at the glorious Lincoln Day Dinner. Captain Thach was proudly in attendance and used the opportunity to discuss his ideas and initiatives on behalf of wounded veterans with Rep. Peter King, Councilman Ulrich and other public officials. As a Veteran’s Advocate with Wounded Veteran Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), Captain Thach will be discussing some of these initiatives with the Club as well.
Lincoln Dinner 2014 Video: Dan Bongino, American Patriot of the Year
Dan Bongino is a former NYPD officer and a former United States Secret Service agent who worked for three presidents. He is the current Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 6th District. He was honored as the American Patriot of the Year at the Lincoln Day Dinner on February 9th at Antun’s of Queens Village. Dan said: “The fight is here.” He encouraged us to stay in New York and fight for our liberties and values which are slowly being dissipated day by day.
Assemblyman Al Graf: Leading the Fight Against the Common Core Curriculum
According to Graf, CCSS (Common Core), unless stopped, will do irreparable harm to students in NYS and across the nation. “ This {CCSS} is state sponsored child abuse”, he stated. “ It’s is predicated on the one fits all curriculum and testing practice, which all research has found inhibits rather than enhances the ability of students to grow socially, emotionally and cognitively. And, as if to add injury to insult, if you take a look at the {CCSS} curriculum, you will find a host of grammatical errors…. What a horrible example for the students, whose education they claim to care so much about.”
Come to the free public event on Common Core, March 5th hosted by Nassau County Federation of Republican Women. “Rotten to the Common Core,” all you and your family need to know about Common Core in NYS and beyond!” Click here for details.
Assemblyman Al Graf: Leading the Fight Against the Common Core Curriculum
By Robert Golomb
When I interviewed New York State Assemblyman Al Graf (RCI, 5th AD, Suffolk County) in his Holbrook District Office last Thursday, I planned as my first question ask him about the controversial Common Core Curriculum, because, Graf, who serves in the Assembly’s Education Committee has become known as one of its harshest and most visible critics. But the two- term, fifty six year old Assemblyman- whose district spans the townships of Brookhaven and Islip- beat me to the punch.
“ Can you locate the area known as Mesopotamia on a world map or globe and identify it as part of Asia’’, he asked me with the sound of total seriousness in his voice. And then he quickly followed up with a series of additional questions: “ Do you know that this is the first question, and the next 80 are much tougher, that students in the first grade, yes the first grade, have to answer in English Language Arts as part of a so called listening and learning strand following the guidelines of the New York State Common Core Curriculum? Does this make sense to you? Do you think that these questions are age appropriate? Should a student’s promotion from one grade to the next be based on the ability to answer questions that are so age inappropriate? Should teachers face disciplinary actions if their students are unable to correctly answer such questions?’’
Lincoln Dinner 2014 Video: Businessman of the Year, Sridhar Munirathinam
Sridhar Munirathinam (Sri) was honored at the Queens Village Republican Club’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Sunday February 9, as the “Businessman of the Year.” Historian Jerry Matacotta presented the award saying that he and his wife were seeking new dining experiences and befriended Sri when he discovered they share the same values of love of country and love of the values of America. Sri came to America to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant and today his restaurant, Southern Spice in New Hyde Park has been recognized by NY1 and New York Times, and has won awards as one of the finest Indian restaurants in Long Island. In fact, in October 2013, Newsday declared Southern Spice the #1 Asian restaurant in Long Island. Learn more about Sri and Southern Spice on the Queens Village Republican Club’s website.
Lincoln Dinner 2014 Video: Veteran of the Year Honoree, Lt. Col. John W. Peterkin (Ret.) U.S. Army
“Support our troops in the field, and that goes for the active military as well as the Reserves and the National Guard…..They are willing to put their lives on the line to support the principles upon which our country was founded.”
Lt. Col. John W. Peterkin (Ret.) U.S. Army, a decorated war hero who served in WW II, the Korean War and Vietnam, was honored with the “Veteran of the Year” award at the 139th Anniversary Lincoln Day Dinner of the Queens Village Republican Club. Additionally, New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich, Chair of the Council Veterans Committee presented a City Council proclamation to LTC Peterkin, who sacrificed so much for his country.
LTC Peterkin accepted both the award and proclamation in the name of all our men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. You can read LTC Peterkin’s complete bio on the Queens Village Republican Club website.
