Donor Will Match Oklahomans For Life Donations

Oklahomans For Life will benefit this Christmas season from a generous donor; he's offered to match the sum raised by the group by the end of the month.

In an email, Chairman Tony Lauinger and Vice Chairman Kevin Calvey wrote, "At this sacred season of Christmas, we have many reasons to rejoice in wonderful pro-life news.

"With the coming legislative session before us, an extremely generous anonymous donor has just pledged to match (double) all contributions made to our pro-life work by the end of December!

"Oklahoma's legislature continues to lead other states in passing pro-life laws, and your constant encouragement is the reason why.

"Can you help us with our expenses by making a contribution of $250, $100, or $50 to Oklahomans For Life today? Your gift by December 31 will be doubled!

"You may contribute by secure credit-card, debit-card, or electronic-check transaction through PayPal on our website, www.OkForLife.org, or by check mailed to Oklahomans For Life, 3105 East Skelly Drive, Room 605, Tulsa, OK 74105. (Contributions are not tax-deductible because a major part of our mission is working to influence legislation.)

"We are most grateful for all you do to defend the unborn child and foster respect for the sanctity of innocent human life. We thank you sincerely for your support for our efforts on behalf of those at the margins of life.

"May He Who came to this earth as a Child in the womb bless you and your family this Christmas."

Tony Lauinger, State Chairman
Kevin Calvey, State Vice-Chairman

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Calvey Passes 1,000 Donor Mark

Kevin Calvey’s campaign for Congress says the Republican has received contributions from 1,039 donors in about eight months of fundraising.

Calvey's campaign reports he has about $259,000 on hand to fuel his race for the GOP nomination for Congress in the 5th District.

Calvey, a former legislator and decorated Iraq War veteran, said, “I am humbled and overwhelmed by the tremendous support I have seen for my campaign. People from all walks of life have made contributions both large and small because they are tired of business as usual in Washington, and they want a true conservative who will help get our country back on track.”

Other Republican candidates are Rep. Mike Thompson, Dr. Johnny Roy and Rick Flanigan. No Democrat has announced.

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Calvey: Obama Policy 'Insult to all Americans'

Fifth District congressional candidate Kevin Calvey, an Army National Guard prosecutor, said today that the Obama Administration’s recently-announced policies regarding interrogations will result in more deaths of US military personnel and civilians.

In particular, Calvey blasted two Obama policies: first, removal of responsibility for high-value terrorist interrogations from the CIA to a newly-created White House interrogation team, which apparently will give Miranda-style rights warnings to terrorists before interrogating them; and second, the recent decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate and possibly prosecute CIA interrogators merely for doing their jobs.

“For the Administration to take our Constitutionally-protected rights and give them to foreign terrorists is an insult to all Americans,” said Calvey. “It is throwing pearls before swine.”

Calvey deployed to Iraq during the troop surge in 2007-2008. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his mission prosecuting al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in the Iraqi court system.

Calvey’s job involved working with military interrogators, FBI agents and Iraqi court personnel to bring terrorists to justice in the Iraqi system.

“I have personally looked into the eyes of over 100 terrorists,” said Calvey. “They hate us and hate our system of government. You will not impress them by giving them the same rights as other Americans. They will merely take it as a sign of weakness.

“This is war, not a US court process. Our enemies are NOT entitled to the rights protected in our Constitution. The only rights to which they are entitled are the rights we choose to give them. Currently, their only rights are the due process rights contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention, which are a legal review within a few days of detention to determine whether they are a security threat, followed by a similar review every six months. Not a trial, not Miranda rights.

“Furthermore, prosecuting CIA interrogators merely for doing their jobs will chill our nation’s ability to continue to collect intelligence on the terrorists who would destroy us. It’s questionable enough that the Administration wants to inhibit future interrogations, but it is a betrayal of loyal Americans to seek prosecution of those who were merely serving our country as CIA interrogators.”

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Political Novice Enters 5th District GOP Race

Bethany businessman and Navy veteran Rick Flanigan said today he's a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District next year.

He joins former Rep. Kevin Calvey, Dr. Johnny Roy and Rep. Mike Thompson in the race.

Flanigan graduated from Del City High School in 1987. He joined the Navy in 1988 and served as a damage controlman.

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Johnny Roy To Enter 5th District Race

Dr. Johnny Roy, the former chief of surgery at Edmond Medical Center, will announce tomorrow he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District.

The seat is now held by Mary Fallin, who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

Roy finished sixth in a six-person GOP primary for the open seat Fallin won in 2006. He got about 3 percent of the primary vote.

Two other Republicans are seeking the nomination; they are Rep. Mike Thompson and former Rep. Kevin Calvey.

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Calvey Campaign Reports Raising $144,000

The Calvey for Congress campaign reported today the former state legislator raised $144,000 in the second quarter from 474 donors in his campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District.

Combined with fundraising from the first quarter of 2009, Calvey has total receipts of $271,209.13. The sum includes $100,000 Calvey put into the campaign in the first quarter.

After expenses, the campaign reports a total of $257,274.97 cash on hand at the close of the second quarter.

The campaign reported donations from 474 individual contributors this quarter.

Rep. Mike Thompson, also a Republican candidate for the open seat, reported earlier that he has raised about $215,000 from 300-plus donors and has cash on hand of about $180,000.

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Iraq Veterans Endorse Calvey For Congress

Iraq Vets for Congress announced today that it is supporting Republican Kevin Calvey to replace Congresswoman Mary Fallin, who is running for governor.

“Leaders lead by example and Kevin Calvey set a great example,” said Kieran Lalor, Chairman of Iraq Vets for Congress.

“He joined the Army National Guard after the start of the Iraq War, at age 37, when he was already a successful businessman and elected official.

“Calvey's mission in Iraq was to prosecute al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in the Iraqi court system. Kevin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service. Moreover, when a man endures hardships to stand up against terrorists, we know he will also be able to stand up to the special interests who have captured our government,” the group's statement said.

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Thompson To Officially Announce This Summer

A spokesman for Rep. Mike Thompson says the Oklahoma City Republican will have an official announcement about the race for the 5th District seat in Congress in early summer.

Thompson already has formed a committee and is raising money, Jake Parsons of the committee said.

"We have opened a committee for Congress and thus far, fundraising is going very well," Parsons said.

Former Rep. Kevin Calvey has announced he is seeking the Republican nomination and others are known to be considering the race.

Incumbent Congresswoman Mary Fallin has announced she'll seek the GOP nomination for governor next year.

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Playing With Fire: Calvey Campaign Ignites One

There's not much that's more important to a political candidate than his credibility and campaigns that issue misleading fundraising reports quickly learn they are playing with fire.

Commentary By Mike McCarville

Today, 5th District congressional candidate Kevin Calvey has a bonfire raging in his fledgling campaign. Calvey's campaign ignited today's blaze on April 14th with a news release claiming Calvey had raised "over $125,000 in three and a half weeks."

And nine days later, we learn from Republican Calvey's official Federal Election Commission report that the hyper-inflated figure, obviously used to try to show financial strength in his campaign, is based almost totally on Calvey's loan of $100,100 to his campaign. The fact is he's raised just $27,000 from donors, his finance report shows.

Here's the text of Calvey's news release:

For Immediate Release Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Contact: Dustin Gabus, Calvey for Congress 2010 Communications Director OKLAHOMA CITY – The Calvey for Congress 2010 campaign today announced the results for the first fundraising quarter. Kevin Calvey, who is running for the Oklahoma 5th District Congressional seat being vacated by Mary Fallin, raised over $125,000 in three and half weeks. Calvey kicked off the campaign early last month. "We are pleased with the strong response from donors in spite of the current recession and the short time period. Oklahoma conservatives are responding positively to our message of fiscal responsibility and common sense values," Calvey said.

"$125,000 Fuels Calvey Congress Campaign," The McCarville Report Online reported based on Calvey's misleading claim. Turns out the Calvey campaign tank had far less fuel in it than the news release claimed.

Asked today about the claim, Calvey told TMRO, “I’m very pleased with our fundraising performance in the first three weeks of our campaign. I’m proud to have invested some of my own funds into the campaign, and I’m proud to have raised what we did in such a short period. I expect to continue and expand this fundraising pace, and with well more than a year until the primary, I’m very confident that we will have the funds necessary to win the race.”

Calvey's FEC report shows he spent $846.65 in the 1st Quarter and had $126,328 in cash on hand as of March 31st.

$100,100 of it from the candidate himself, of course.

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$125,000 Fuels Calvey Congress Campaign

Kevin Calvey said today he's raised about $125,000 for his campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District.

The former State House member and Iraq Army veteran seeks the seat being vacated by Mary Fallin, who has announced as a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor.

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Calvey Seeks To Succeed Fallin In 5th District

Former Rep. Kevin Calvey officially announced today he again seeks the 5th District congressional seat being vacated by Congresswoman Mary Fallin. Fallin announced last week she's running for governor.

Calvey sought the GOP nomination in 2006; he lost in the primary.

Calvey deployed with the Army National Guard to Baghdad, Iraq during the 2007 troop surge. Calvey’s mission was to present evidence against al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in the Iraqi court system. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq.

Before deploying to Iraq, Calvey, a Republican, served from 1998-2006 in the Oklahoma
Legislature, where he represented Del City and southeast Oklahoma City. In 2003, as the budget representative for the state House Republicans during a revenue shortfall year, Calvey successfully negotiated 7% cuts in state budgets. In 2005, Calvey authored House Bill 1547, the largest tax relief law in Oklahoma history.

“The politicians in Washington are moving our country in a dangerous direction, with record spending and debt, higher taxes, and one bailout after another. The greatness of our country is not found in bigger government in Washington. It is found in the hard working men and women who pay the bills. That’s who I want to look out for in Congress,” said Calvey.

Calvey’s honorary campaign chairman is former astronaut Lt. Gen. (Ret. USAF) Tom Stafford.

Calvey received numerous awards as a legislator, including “Legislator of the Year” by the
Disabled American Veterans; “Legislator of the Year” by the Oklahoma Rifle Association; and awards from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), State Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, and the Oklahoma County Republican Party.

Calvey’s candidacy is endorsed by numerous 5th District leaders. He also begins his campaign with endorsements from organizations, including the Oklahoma Rifle Association, the state’s NRA affiliate; Chris Simcox, President of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps; and the Club for Growth.

Calvey is a member of the downtown Oklahoma City Rotary Club; Leadership Oklahoma;
Leadership Oklahoma City; Christian Legal Society; the American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW); the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB); the National Rifle Association; the Oklahoma Rifle Association; and the State Chamber of Commerce. Calvey is a church youth class teacher, and volunteers to represent victims of domestic violence in court. Calvey is a graduate of McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City; the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas; and the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Calvey is a small businessman who lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Toni, and their baby daughter, Anastasia.

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Fallin's Decision Stirs Candidate Speculation

The race to succeed Congresswoman Mary Fallin in the 5th District will be a contested one, likely to draw a huge field of Republican candidates.

With word on Friday that Fallin has all but publicly declared her intention to run for governor, the talk about contenders has erupted.

Known to be considering the race are Republicans Kevin Calvey, former House member who sought the nomination in the 2006 primary; Mick Cornett, mayor of Oklahoma City who lost the 2006 GOP runoff to Fallin; Dr. Johnny Roy, who ran last in the 2006 GOP primary; and Mike Thompson, Oklahoma City House member, a Realtor who was an assistant to former Congressman Ernest Istook.

Among Democrats, speculation focuses on State Senator Andrew Rice, defeated decisively in his 2008 U. S. Senate race against incumbent Jim Inhofe. Some say ousted Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth may also consider the race; Roth lost his seat to Republican Dana Murphy last year. Despite his declared gay lifestyle, Roth won election to the Oklahoma County Commission before being appointed to the Corporation Commission by Governor Henry.

Fallin declared her intention to run for governor in a conference call with supporters.

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GOP Lincoln Day Dinner Honors Military

The Oklahoma County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner on April 14th will honor the military with former State Rep. and Iraq war veteran Kevin Calvey (shown on the firing range) as keynote speaker, Chair Pam Pollard said.

A reception begins at 6 pm, followed by dinner at 7 pm in the Petroleum Club in downtown Oklahoma City.

"We will be honoring all men and women who have served in our Military. The '3 Colonels' as they have become to be known, Lt. Colonels, Stuart Jolly, Hopper Smith and Steve Russell will begin our event with the Prayer, Pledge and the National Anthem," Pollard said.

The program will begin with retired Major General Rita Aragon, Oklahoma's first woman general, relating her experiences in the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

Kevin King, USS Oklahoma webmaster, has prepared a video of all the sailors of the USS Oklahoma, featuring the survivors and their families reflecting on December 7, 1941.

The keynote address will be given by Calvey, an Army captain who just returned from serving a year in Baghdad helping prosecute Iraqi terrorists.

Tickets for the event are $50/person for dinner, $100/person dinner and reception.

For more information, contact Elayne at 946-1494 or email chair@okcountygop.com.

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Kevin Calvey Update From Iraq

Army Captain Kevin Calvey, former member of the State House, reports that he's been unable to blog for a month because his Internet service "in my hooch" has been down. Calvey, serving a year in Baghdad as part of the U. S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, said he is well.

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Calvey Escapes Baghdad Mortar Blasts

Army Captain Kevin Calvey, former member of the Oklahoma House and 2006 congressional candidate, blogs from Baghdad that a pair of mortar rounds fell near him and injured a friend: "A few days ago, I was out in the Red Zone one morning, as usual, when two mortars hit us nearby. I was in an Iraqi building, about 100 feet away, when they hit. I heard and felt them hit, and looked out the heavy-glass window of the building in the direction from which the BOOMs came, just in time to see the dust rising from the points of impact. We evacuated the building. I soon learned that a friend of mine in my unit had been outside when they hit. Schrapnel from the mortars had ripped a hole through his bicep. A trail of his blood was evident on the ground as we walked out, and a pool of blood lay on the floor where he had run inside after getting hit. He had been evacuated immediately." (Read all of Calvey's post at http://blog.newsok.com/calveyiniraq.)

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Calvey Blogging Again

Former State Rep. Kevin Calvey, now a U. S. Army captain stationed in Baghdad, is once again blogging on The Oklahoman's site, www.newsok.com. The link to his blog is on the right side of this page; if you wish to note the address, it is http://blog.newsok.com/calveyiniraq.

Calvey had been posting regularly until July 6th. A change in duty station and R&R prevented him from blogging, he reports. He is now posting regularly.

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Blogger Updates: What's With Calvey, Istook?

Lots of questions about two relatively new blogs, those featuring U. S. Army Captain Kevin Calvey, former state representative stationed in Iraq, and former Congressman Ernest Istook. Posts on the two blogs have been few and far between; Calvey hasn't posted since early July and Istook since mid-July.

Calvey apparently has issues with The Oklahoman over its changes to his blog, including the format and links. He tells us he'll get back to blogging when he takes a leave before long.

Istook's site was down for a while, he said, for changes to be made. Since then, a few changes have been made but posts have been irregular.

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Calvey: U. S. Is Winning War In Iraq

Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives enjoyed a rare opportunity to communicate with a former colleague today, as former state Rep. Kevin Calvey, now serving in Iraq, joined House members via telephone.

"This was an opportunity for House members to express our appreciation to Captain Calvey for his incredible service to our country," said Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah. "Serving in the Legislature may be demanding, but it's obviously nothing compared to service in an actual war zone, and we wanted to say thanks."

Lawmakers spoke to Calvey by phone in the House chamber today. Calvey said his days start early and run long, averaging about 78 hours of work each week, with just a half-day off each week. "Working or sleeping or working out, that's about all we do," Calvey said. He told lawmakers the United States is winning the war in Iraq and an "overwhelming majority of Iraqis, 70 percent or more, don't want us to leave right now" due to the threat of chaos if the United States withdraws immediately. He said other countries, such as Iran and Syria, would likely attack Iraq should American troops withdraw before the nation is fully stabilized.

Graphic courtesy The Oklahoman

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Calvey Tries Out Democrat Ammunition

Army Captain Kevin Calvey blogs from Iraq that he's tried out the kind of ammunition Democrats in Congress want to provide the troops. Pretty salty photo. To read Kevin's blog, check on the link at right.

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Support Troops, Ponca City Mother Urges

Mary Anne Potter, a Ponca City mother whose daughter now serves in Iraq, offers poignant thoughts on military service in a guest posting on Army Captain Kevin Calvey's Iraq blog today. To read of Mrs. Potter's personal reaction to her daughter's wartime service, click on the link to Captain Calvey's blog on the right side of this page.

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