Fred Kelly Grant is a native of Hartsville, South Carolina, the home of his all-Irish ancestors.
After his parents moved to Idaho, he spent the summer months with his grandparents and is still a southerner at heart:
“An American by birth and commitment, A southerner by the Grace of God”. Graduating from the Nampa, Idaho
public highschool, he attended the College of Idaho where, inspired by the constitutional contributions to American history
of southerners James Madison, George Washington, and John C. Calhoun, he majored in History with Honors Work in Constitutional
History and Law. After graduating summa cum laude, he attended the University of Chicago School of Law, where, in his
Third Year he was awarded a silver cup for the Best Oral Argument in national moot court competition. He graduated with
his JD degree in 1961, and then spent one year of graduate study and research, focusing on constitutional limitations on government
control of speech and international communications.While in Chicago, Grant worked at Lord, Bissell and Brooke, American counsel for Lloyds of London. He went to Baltimore, Maryland to clerk for Chief Judge Frederick W. Brune of the Maryland Court of Appeals. After admission to the Maryland Bar, he served as assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, then assistant State’s Attorney and later Chief of the Organized Crime Division of the State’s Attorney’s office of Baltimore City. Following his prosecution days, he practiced criminal defense law in Maryland.
After his wife Lodice persuaded him to bring the family home to Idaho, Grant served as counsel in the administrations of Governors Cecil Andrus and John Evans. Then, as deputy clerk to the Board of Canyon County Commissioners, he served as chief of research for the Third Judicial District headed by Administrative District Judge Edward J. Lodge. Grant established and continues to operate Fred Kelly Grant Ltd. where assisted by his paralegal and daughter in law, Staci, and the rest of his family he pursues his work in land use, personnel, zoning, and trial consultation. For three decades he has served as Hearing Officer in personnel disputes, zoning cases and road validation cases.
He consults with Owyhee County, Idaho as its Planning Coordinator, and has helped the County develop a coordination system with federal agencies which has continued to protect the private property rights of ranchers throughout the County. He began consulting with Stewards of the Range in 1997, and currently serves as President of the private property organization.
His writings consist of a Thesis on The Genesis of the Articles of Confederation, a series of law review articles analyzing the need to provide an international process for protecting private property rights of U.S. citizens in foreign naions, a theme in the Deskbook for Prosecuting Attorneys, hundreds of appellate and trial briefs, and articles on private property rights available through Stewards of the Range.
Fred is a loving grandfather, trying to spoil his grandchildren no more than he was spoiled by his grandparents. He counts among his friends all those who truly believe that the United States of America is the greatest, most unique nation in the world. He loves sports of any kind, delights in Disneyland, watches too many police shows on television, and is stimulated spiritually and physically during times spent at the ocean. He blogs about all things legal, as well as all things humanitarian.
Who is Patrick Dorinson?
Patrick Dorinson
Principal
PD
Communications
Patrick Dorinson is a communications strategist specializing in media relations, speech and op-ed writing, public affairs, political communications, crisis communications and government relations He has a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with all sides of an issue and build consensus while acting as a strong advocate for his clients. His career is one of creativity, entrepreneurship, and challenge and his reputation with the media is one of integrity and credibility.
Over the last 15 years, Dorinson has been at the center as an active participant in some of the key issues that have faced California and the nation. During the Clinton Administration, he received Presidential appointments in communications to the General Services Administration, NASA and the Department of Energy where he served with distinction. While at NASA he was a member of a special team that was assigned to work with contractors and government officials to preserve the funding for the International Space Station, which is currently under construction. For his work with this team he received NASA’s Exceptional Performance Award.
Upon his return to California in 1997, he spearheaded development of California ISO Communications Department. The ISO was created by the California State Legislature through its landmark 1996 Electricity Restructuring law to manage California’s electricity grid. With no existing model, he defined the organization’s public affairs persona, policies and procedures. Dorinson was instrumental in establishing strong, professional working relationships with the media. During California’s energy crisis of 2000 – 2001, Dorinson managed global media relations and was the lead spokesperson for the ISO, doing hundreds of interviews with media outlets from around the world including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX News, CNN, the BBC, USA Today and The New York Times. Dorinson and his team won numerous awards for their work from the Sacramento Public Relations Association and the California State Information Officer’s Council.
After leaving the ISO, Dorinson directed public and media relations for the Western United States for Atlanta-based energy company, Mirant, Inc. He provided strategic communications counsel to support the California legislative strategy. These strategies were instrumental in defeating legislation that if passed, would have severely impacted the company’s competitiveness.
During California’s historic recall election of 2003, Dorinson answered the call to once again return to public service. He served on press staff for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign and transition teams. After the election he was tapped by Governor Schwarzenegger to be Deputy Secretary for Communications for the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the largest agency in California state government. In this capacity he directed the activities and provided strategic communications counsel to Public Information Officers for 15 departments. While at the agency he worked closely with the Governor’s office on communications strategies most notably the controversial San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project.
Most recently, Mr. Dorinson served as the Communications Director of the California Republican Party where he worked closely with the Schwarzenegger for Governor Campaign as well as the other statewide campaigns and coordinating communications strategies for the Party’s Victory ’06 program.
Mr. Dorinson is sought out by clients who have creative writing needs. Whether it is a speech for the CEO of a company or an opinion piece for corporate executives, polical or government officials, he has been recognized for his excellent writing skills. In addition, he is a resident blogger on the website of California business and politics, Fox and Hounds Daily. He is also a regular contributor and has acted as guest host for The David Glass Show on KSRO radio in Santa Rosa, has been a political analyst for KFBK radio in Sacramento, had columns published in the San Francisco Chronicle and has been a guest columnist for Sacramento’s political journal, the Capitol Weekly providing analysis and comment on issues of the day.
Mr. Dorinson graduated from the University of Oregon, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in History. He resides in Folsom, California with his wife Carol. His hobbies include reading military history and the history of California and the American West and horseback riding.
Who is Vicky Davis---
Vicky L. Davis is an extraordinary
researcher and writer who devotes her time to finding and analyzing the important, substantive stories which are ignored by
the popular media outlets. Her reports and notifications of such stories are
dispatched to hundreds daily from eyeswideopen@Yahoo.com.
She is a native Idahoan, born in Hailey, near Sun Valley, and raised in Idaho Falls. Her writing
is seen on her website at www.channelingreality.com where she posts political stories and analysis documentation.
She worked as a Computer Systems Analyst/Programmer who spent 20 years designing and writing
computer systems for large corporations and state and local governments. For
15 of those years she worked as a Contractor which gave her exposure to a large variety of businesses and their internal applications
and operations.
Her outlook on news and events is broad, having lived in 9 states and travelled extensively
during her life’s adventure.
Like many of our contributors, she devotes time to finding these stories because, in her words, “if you really want to know what’s going on these days, you have to go and find out for yourself. But, obviously most people don’t have the time to do that. We’re in a real mess.”
Who is Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D---
Dr. Brasch is an award winning former newspaper
reporter and editor in California, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio. He is professor of
journalism and mass communication at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.
He earned his A.B. in sociology from San Diego State, an M.A. in journalism from Ball State
University, and a PhD in mass communication/journalism from Ohio Univesity.
He has the unique honor, as a professor, of being president of the Pennsylvania Press Club.
Dr. Brasch is the author of 14 books, most of them focused on historical and contemporary social
issues. The books include America’s Unpatriotic Acts: the Federal Government’s Violation
of Constitutional and Civil Rights; The Joy of Sex: America During the Bill Clinton Era; Forerunners of Revolution: Muckrakers and the American Social Conscience;
The Press and the State; and
Social Foundations of the Mass Media.
In addition, he has authored dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, has worked in the film
industry as a copywriter and a political consultant.
Dr. Brasch has won over 100 regional and national media awards from prestigious press organizations
including the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the National Federation of Press Women, the Pennsylvania Press Club
and the Press Club of Southern California. Recognized for his humanitarian work
and his devotion to civil rights, he has won major awards for his work, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished
Humanitarian Service Award in 2004.
The Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D. website, featuring books, columns, favorite links, news, reviews and interviews, is located at www.walterbrasch.com.
Who Is Pamela Geller?
Atlas has broken numerous important stories -- notably the questionable sources of some of the financing of the Obama campaign. Her op-eds have been published in The Washington Times, The American Thinker, Israel National News, and New Media Journal, among other publications.
Atlas began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation of The New York Observer as Associate Publisher. She left The Observer after the birth of her last child, but remained involved in various projects, including American Associates, Ben Gurion University. She has also served as Senior Vice-President for Strategic Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School.
Everything changed for Atlas on September 11, 2001, when she had the veil of darkness violently lifted from her consciousness. She immediately began to immerse herself in gaining a full understanding of geopolitics, Islam, jihad, terror, foreign affairs and the imminent threats to our freedoms that the mainstream media and the government wouldn't cover or discuss. After engaging in various forms of activism in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, she became convinced of the crying need for an alternative to the mainstream media, and began AtlasShrugs.com in February 2005. The site won the 2005 "Best New Blog" Jewish & Israeli Blog Award, was a finalist in the 2005 Weblog Awards, and finished in third place for "Best Conservative Blog" in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Atlas also won the "Grande Conservative Blogress Diva" Award for 2008. She has appeared on the Fox News channel and is a regular on the talk radio circuit.
Who is Tammy Dittenber?
Tammy Dittenber was
born, raised and educated in