2008 Speakers
Our guest speaker was Steve Wampler, who was making his third appearance before The Conservative Forum. Steve previously spoke in November, 2005 and May, 2006. Steve is very thorough with his documentation of his talks. He spoke about the situation in Iraq and also made comments about the presidential campaign for 2008.
February 2008 - Dr. John Lott Jr.
Our speaker was Dr. John Lott, who offered a very professorial analysis of politics and economics in the United States. His main thesis was that the more free enterprise and potential profitability is restricted, the less societal benefits we will get. He provided scores of examples, but none more glaring than pharmaceutical products.
Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, drew 135 attendees. Tom lived up to the attraction. As president of Judicial Watch for ten years, he convinced one-and-all that Judicial Watch is one of the most important organizations in the United States. First, Tom discussed the vast corruption of politicians, indicating that Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt politician in the United States in more than a century.
Larry Greenfield, California Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, may very well have been the most dynamic speaker in our four-year history. He began with a tribute to William F. Buckley, Jr., the father of the modern conservative movement in the United States. He then described the "American Way" as one of limited government, self-government, a moral people, private property and checks and balances.
Bill Whalen, Hoover fellow specializing in politics, covered national and state politics from stem to stern. On the presidential level, he pointed out that this is the first time since 1952 that the incumbent president or vice-president was not on the ballot. Despite many of the indicators point to a Democrat election, Bill pointed out that there are many things working against the Democrat candidate.
Over 200 people were impressed at the June meeting with the wisdom and brilliance of Dr. Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum. His main topic was radical Islamic extremism. Dr. Pipes indicated that the first thing that needs to be done is to recognize who the enemy really is.
July 2008 - No Event
As 100 Conservative Forum members and guests looked on, Tom Del Beccaro told the crowd that this was the most important election in the United States since 1932. Tom told us that the founding fathers did not particularly want the government to be very effective. Their roots were based on being controlled by King George, and we were subjected to taxation without representation. Our recourse back then was the Boston Tea Party and revolution.
Our guest speaker for our September meeting was Eric LaMoe, special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He discussed the various terrorist groups, and their widely different backgrounds. He indicated that the job of the FBI was to clearly identify potential terrorists, follow them, and then arrest them with enough evidence to convict them. He indicated that many of the terrorists live lives of crime, so often they are prosecuted on grounds other than terrorism.
Our October meeting started an hour earlier than usual so that 90 of our members could watch the presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Following the debate, Steve Frank, a very experienced political consultant, discussed the debate; and then shared with us what is going on in politics nationally and in the state of California.
November 2008 - Global Warming Debate
"Global Warming - The Debate," on November 18th was the first debate sponsored by The Conservative Forum of Silicon Valley, and 660 people attended, with 260 paid attendees and 400 students in attendance. In good conservative fashion, all four participants were treated in a fair and balanced manner. Two college professors and two local scientists squared off.
December 2008 - Discussion Groups
Our December meeting was an opportunity for camaraderie, fellowship and political discussion. We had an abundance of wonderful light hors d'oeuvres and other refreshments, and six round table discussions.