Endorsements/Testimonials
  United Mine
Workers of America
Galbraith Endorsed by United Mine Workers
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The United Mine
Workers of America has
endorsed Lexington attorney Gatewood Galbraith in next year's
gubernatorial election in Kentucky, a sign that Gov. Steve Beshear has
lost favor with the labor union.
Galbraith, who is running as an independent, said Tuesday he is
pleased to have received the endorsement that sends a clear signal to
Democrats and Republicans that Kentucky's working class is unhappy with
the state's political leadership.
"Mining is one of the most dangerous professions in the world,
and the workers who are involved in it need as much protection as they
can get," said Galbraith, who is making his fifth run for governor.
Galbriath and the UMWA had planned to announce the endorsement later in
the campaign, but word leaked out on Tuesday.
UMWA regional vice president Steve Earle said the Galbraith endorsement
shows frustration with Beshear, who received the union's endorsement in
2007.
"We just had some ongoing issues that weren't addressed,"
Earle said. "The pot had been simmering for some time, and it
finally boiled over."
Earle declined to go into detail about the rift with Beshear.
However, Beshear's choice last year of Louisville Mayor Jerry
Abramson to be his running mate angered some union leaders,
including the head of the Kentucky AFL-CIO.
"We're not the only union in the state that feels aggrieved,"
Earle said. "We take endorsements very seriously, and we plan to put our
legs and shoe leather behind this endorsement."
Beshear political director Chad Aull said the administration has
worked hard to protect miners, and that rank and file miners
recognize that.
"Mine safety and protecting jobs in the mine industry are
priorities of the Beshear administration," Aull said. "That is
why Gov. Beshear has increased mine safety inspectors and mine
permitters despite Kentucky's severe budget woes."
Beshear had to seek a new running mate last year after Lt. Gov.
Daniel Mongiardo entered the race for the U.S. Senate seat now held by
Republican Jim Bunning. Bill Londrigan, head of the Kentucky AFL-CIO,
made a public plea for Beshear not to choose Abramson. Londrigan said
the mayor has not been friendly to unions.
Galbraith called the endorsement bittersweet. "Our obvious joy at this
endorsement is tempered by the tragedy in West Virginia," he said.
An explosion at a West Virginia mine Monday killed at least 25
people in the country's deadliest underground disaster in a
quarter-century.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
“He’s smart and funny and he speaks the truth. He’s a champion for the farmers and the working men and women of the world…"
- WILLIE NELSON
“He is a man who remains steadfast in his defense of
…the Constitution and the Bill of Rights."
- CASPER LEITCH
“Mr.
Galbraith refuses to compromise his affirmation of liberty. He is too
honest to ever be politically correct, and too complex to be chained to
any party line….."
- CHRISTOPHER LARGEN, author of JUNK
My Opinions (For what it's Worth)
I was born in Clay County, Kentucky. My family farm is in Owsley County. I
grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, because there was very little work in the
mountains. One of my grandfathers was a farmer and the other a miner. My
parents did not see a future there so they went to Cincinnati. I went to school
in Cincinnati and spent a lot of time on the farm in the summers and on
weekends. I have a great appreciation for my family farm. My ancestors were
some of the first settlers in Owsley County. The thing I noticed is that the
farm was producing less and less as the years went by. The tobacco base was
getting smaller every year. By the time I was grown, the farm produced so
little that you could not make a living just farming. You had to have another
job to survive. That is why most people left the mountains. They loved it there
but they wanted to do better for their children. We still own the farm but it
produces no crop.
Freedom is very important to me! We are
systematically losing our freedoms. Each little piece of freedom that we lose
adds fuel to those that want to take away our freedom in all.
Each little
piece. Here are just a few:
SMOKING: In some states, and in some areas
of Kentucky, you can own a business but you cannot allow your patrons to
smoke.
SEAT BELT LAWS: I know that it is a good idea to wear a
seatbelt. But I don’t want or need the government to require me to do
it.
GUNS. Yes, guns. If we continue to let our rights be taken away,
anyone who thinks the government won’t take our guns some time down the road is
extremely naive!
WE ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION! Contrary to what some of
our leaders say. We were granted our rights by our Creator. Our leaders should
hold that close to their heart because that is what made this nation great from
the start. People can come to this country and keep their heritage. BUT DON”T
TRY TO TAKE MINE !!!!
THE WAR ON DRUGS: Until the government separates
marijuana from hard drugs, it will never even gain ground, let alone win. And
until that time, our prisons will be overcrowded to the point of collapsing our
penal system. Without a victim, there is no crime. If a person wants to
destroy himself with hard drugs, that’s stupid, terrible, shameful, all the
other words you can put here, but it is not a crime. If he commits a crime to
feed his habit or for any other reason, throw the book at him!
I am a
registered Republican, as was my father, but he told me to always vote my
conscience. That is what I have done. I have voted for Republicans, Democrats,
Libertarians, and Independents. If the candidate shares my line of thinking,
he gets my vote. But I am too often let down once they take office.
I
have researched Gatewood Galbraith thoroughly and have come to the conclusion
that he most closely holds my interests as an American and Kentuckian. If he
is able to legalize hemp, our farms will be active and alive again. The people
in the mountains will be able to make a living without having to leave home to
do it.
I will soon be 50 years old. In my lifetime, Kentucky’s economy
has never been good enough to ensure that every region of the state had the
opportunity to grow and prosper. Opportunity! That’s all Kentuckians need! We
can handle it from there! We can build an education system that takes a back
seat to no one, a system that empowers young people to shape their own
futures!
We need to rebuild our agriculture, our economy, and our school
system. We also must protect all the freedoms we have and regain the freedoms
that we’ve lost. That’s why I am supporting Gatewood Galbraith for Governor of
Kentucky in 2011.
Thank you,
Dennis Moore
LaGrange,
KY
Dear Gatewood...
It
is the night before the Kentucky election and I know you are anxious
for the big day to come and go. I will vote six o'clock in the morning
and the people I have registered to vote on your behalf will vote
sometime throughout the day. We intend to get together and watch the
primary’s return on television. No matter what the outcome, you will be
the only winner.
As I reflect on the way I and my friends
behaved during the campaign period, I look back ashamed. We had got the
idea to put 10,000 Choices in our local paper yet it always seemed like
too much money and we were afraid to do it because you had to give your
name to the paper to get it inserted. Yet you were not afraid. We made
hand-made posters using the slogan "Gatewood for Me” and ”Gatewood for
Freedom", but as soon as we would put them up someone would tear them
down. Why are we afraid? Don’t they realize that when my freedom goes,
so will theirs? I have heard you speak and I have you on tape and I
honestly believe if not tomorrow then one day you will lead Kentucky
and maybe even the United States away from its path of self destructive
fascism that has swept across the country.
You have sacrificed
so much for those who have sacrificed so little. But you have shown
that to live in fear of the modern day Nazis is just as bad as being
held prisoner by them. The fight will go on. Many of us have found new
courage. We must win, they must not. We must not let them win, because
if they do, our grandchildren will lose. I will not, we must not ever
stop the fight for freedom. You have paved the way and we will never
turn back, NEVER.
My name is William, and I am proud Kentuckian, and supporter of your 2011 run for Governor of the state of Kentucky. I am interested in helping your campaign in any way possible. I am a 28- year-old native Clark Countian, and a graduate of the geology program at Morehead State University.
As I see it, we have two years to get your ideas and policies out to the people of Kentucky so they can make an informed decision when they go to the polls. I feel you are a man of integrity, who can neither be bought nor sold, and this is why I am extending my efforts to aid in your campaign. It is time our fine state is ran by a true statesmen who will fight for the people and not for the special interests behind the purse strings. I am seeking no monetary compensation for my efforts. Please give me the honored opportunity to help in your campaign. If you would like to direct me to your campaign manager please do so.
Sincerely,
William
Mr. Galbraith,
I
am a public school teacher who had the pleasure of meeting you recently
at an event where you distributed free copies of your book. I have no
previous experience in politics but, after reading your book, am eager
and willing to work on your 2011 campaign for Governor.
When do we start?
You have my vote,
Steve
Gatewood,
I
would like to thank you for speaking to our group on Saturday evening.
The vast majority of attendees enjoyed and agreed with most everything
you said. I was more than impressed to watch you as you spoke, nearly
an hour without a note, a chart or anything to prompt you. I think it
shows a man who knows his subject, is comfortable with the argument and
has spent years studying and learning the topic.
Again, I want to thank you for coming to Ewing.
Good Luck as you start the next campaign. You have a supporter in me.
Thanks again.
Wally
Hey Gatewood,
I
live in eastern Kentucky. Near southern West Virginia. Close to
south-western Virginia. Our government treats us like red-headed
step-children. I'm fed up. All my friends are fed up. All my family
is fed up. Everyone I know is fed up.
"Governments
derive their just powers from the consent of the governed... Whenever
government becomes destructive to life, liberty, or property [i.e., the
pursuit of happiness], it is the right of the people to alter or to
abolish it... It is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
— American Declaration of Independence (1776)
I
would be glad to help. My friends would help. My family would help.
Everyone I know would help. But we need leaders like you.
Johnny
Gatewood,
I feel that I can call you by your first name after reading your book.
I read it while I was on my TN Air National Guard "summer camp" during
the last two weeks. I'm 55 next month and have two more years to
retirement. I, also, am a public school teacher in Tennessee - 8th
Grade Social Studies (even though I'm a Kentuckian - my family settling
here in 1780). KERA is and was a nightmare, and I refuse to teach under
its guidelines.
Thanks for sharing your views and I stand with you on almost all of
them. I ran for the US Senate against "Mitch" in 1996 - came in third
out of five that year with nearly 10,000 votes state wide. The KET
Debates is were I got most of my exposure and was well received by all
those who saw and listened to what I had to say......
I just wanted to send you a note of encouragement and to thank you for
all you have sacrificed for this country and especially Kentucky. All
government is local government! Until we can awaken the people of
Kentucky to that fact we are doomed to destruction.
God Bless You For Caring and Trying,
"Denny" Lee
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