In a 7-2 Decision The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds a Top-Two Primary Initiative Supportec By Washington State Grange. Washington Votes Will Be Able To Vote For Whomever You Want In The Next Primary!
In 2004, voters in the State of Washington passed an initiative changing the State’s primary election system. The People’s Choice Initiative of 2004, or Initiative 872, provided that voters could choose any candidate, and the top two vote getters for each office, regardless of party prefer­ence, would advance to the general election. The Court of Ap­peals for the Ninth Circuit nullified I–872 stating it imposed an unconstitutional burden on state political parties’ First Amendment rights. Since then the Washington State Grange has been fighting the decision all the way to the United States Supreme Court. On March 18, 2008, the country’s highest court UPHELD the constitutionality of the top-two primary. Finally the votes in Washington will have the opportunity to choose the elected officials whom they believe will best represent them.

The seven U.S. Supreme Court Justices who voted to uphold the constitutionality of the top-two primary were Justice Thomas, who wrote the majority opinion for the court, as well as Justice Stevens, Justice Souter, Justice Ginsberg, Justice Breyer, Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts. Chief Justice Roberts also wrote a separate opinion upholding the two-tier primary that was joined by Justice Alito. Justice Scalia wrote a dissenting opinion, that would have overturned the two-tier primary, that was also signed by Justice Kennedy.

 “Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the top-two primary drafted by the Washington State Grange and overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004 is a real victory for the voters of the state,” stated past Washington State Grange President and current Director of Government Affairs Terry Hunt. “The Court should be commended for agreeing with the Grange’s appeal and upholding the will of the voters of this state,” said Hunt. “We filed this appeal in the Supreme Court because we believed from day one that Initiative 872 would stand up to any and all constitutional challenges, and now the voters of this state get what they want and deserve: a direct line to choosing the elected officials who will best represent what they need,” said Hunt. “And of course, thank you to the members of the Washington State Grange who worked so hard during the I-872 campaign,” added Hunt. “The voters of Washington State made this whole thing possible, and I thank them for their support throughout this process,” he concluded.

In a footnote to the majority opinion, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote favorably about the Washington State Grange:

“The Washington State Grange is a fraternal, social, and civic organization chartered by the National Grange in 1889. Although originally formed to represent the opinions of farmers, the organization has advocated a variety of goals, including women’s suffrage, rural electrification, protection of water resources, and universal telephone service. The State Grange also supported the Washington constitutional amendment establishing initiatives and referendums and sponsored the 1934 blanket primary initiative.”

National Grange Master Ed Luttrell commented, “The National Grange congratulates the Washington State Grange and the voters of Washington on their decisive victory in the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the rights of the people, rather than the political parties, to control the electoral, and therefore, the political process in our country. When the Grange was founded in 1867, there was a widespread opinion held by many Americans that a root cause of the Civil War was a failure of the political parties to provide leadership to the nation that would have avoided the bloodshed, destruction and carnage of our nation’s greatest military conflict. The political parties, as this view went, put their own interests above the interests of the nation. That view solidified itself in the strong prohibitions on partisan activity that were included in the first Constitution and By-laws of the National Grange and which continue to be a bedrock part of our current National Grange Digest of Laws.” Luttrell continued, “The Grange at all levels has never opposed the legitimate purposes of political parties in our democratic process. In fact, Grange members have always been strongly encouraged to participate in the partisan and electoral contest of their choice, without having to face undue influence from any outside interests, including the interests of the Grange itself.” “However,” Luttrell added, “as the length of time and memory of the Civil War faded into the history books, the obvious conclusions of those who lived through that Great Conflict that the political parties had failed the nation, became less prevalent. In the intervening years, the political parties have slowly and deliberately continued to try to reassert their influence and control over the political process, such as through efforts to use the state and federal courts to control which candidates can and cannot appear on a ballot for elective office.” “However,” concluded Luttrell, “in Washington, the Washington State Grange, the U.S. Supreme Court and the voters of the State of Washington have made clear that the people of that state, through the publicly funded primary election process, are the only ones who exercise the final control over the list of candidates who will stand before the voters and seek their confidence to serve in public office.”

Weiss Hired as Public Relations Consultant
The National Grange is pleased to announce the hiring of Richard Weiss as a Public Relations Consultant for the Communications Department.

Dick was Chief Operating Officer of the National Grange from January 2002 to May 2007. For seven years prior to that, he was sole proprietor of The Weiss Consultancy, an issue management and communications firm. The Grange was a communications client from 1999 to 2002. Weiss was Senior Vice President for Public Relations from 1990 to 1995 at the National Dairy Board, the dairy industry’s educational and promotional check-off program. From 1980 to 1990 he was Director of Public Relations for the National Paint and Coatings Association, the paint manufacturers’ trade association.

Weiss has held marketing positions with consumer products companies such as the Keebler Company, Abbott Laboratories Consumer Products Division and the Alberto-Culver Company. He lived and worked in the Caribbean and South America for seven years.

Weiss is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature and an MBA from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.

He has two daughters and six grandchildren.

eiss commented on his hiring. “I look forward to working with the Grange again as a consultant. I feel I can continue to help the organization achieve its goals.”

FFA Officers Meet with President Luttrell, Discuss Agricultural Education & Grange Policy
On Monday, March 10, 2008, six national officers of the National FFA Organization were treated to breakfast with National Master Luttrell and members of the National Grange staff.

Founded in 1928, the National FFA Organization was formerly known as Future Farmers of America. With more than half-a-million members and record growth over the past three decades, the organization seeks to promote agricultural education throughout the country.

The six student officers of the FFA visited the National Grange’s Headquarters as part of a nationwide tour.

Reminiscing about his own FFA days, Master Luttrell shared with the students about the importance of the Grange now more than ever.

“In this country in today’s world, we are all interdependent. What’s going on in rural America is important—regardless on if you live in a city, the suburbs, or in rural areas.”

The breakfast provided an opportunity for the young officers to share their own good news about the National FFA Organization. The FFA is at a 29 year high in membership and growing, and it continues to achieve its goal of expanding job opportunities in agriculture.

Beyond their own encouraging news, the FFA officers had their own questions for Master Luttrell and Legislative Director Leroy Watson, both of whom were obliged to give students an insight into the work of the National Grange. The students learned about the historical achievements and legislative priorities of the Grange, including the Grange’s role in the woman’s suffrage movement and bringing rural-free mail delivery into existence.

Master Luttrell also gave the students encouragement in their academic pursuits towards making agricultural education more widespread.

“The future of this country depends on young people like you. I will assure you that there’s no other organization that can better reach those core values of agriculture.”

Finally, he closed with his own challenge to the students.

“When you finish your year and enter the real world… when you do that, seriously look at the Grange in your local areas. If there isn’t one, call the National Grange and ask, ‘How do I start one?’”

Lana Wheeler Grange Month T-shirt Contest Winner
The National Grange is excited to announce the winner of the first annual Grange Month T-shirt Contest! The winner for 2008 is Lana Wheeler, from West Minot Grange #42 in Maine. Honorable mentions include Sheila Abels, Silverton Grange in West Virginia, and John & Shirley Lawson, Rumford Grange #52 in Rhode Island.

Back in January, members were called upon to get their creative juices flowing by designing a t-shirt for the National Grange, which would include our theme for the year, “Moving Forward.” The winner would receive 2 tickets to the Celebration Banquet at the 2008 National Grange Convention in Cromwell, Connecticut; recognition in a future issue of The New Grange; one of their t-shirts signed by all of the National Officers; and the honor of knowing that Grangers across the country are wearing their shirt for Grange Month!

The National Grange received 23 entries from around the country, from Grangers of all ages. Lana’s special edition design is being produced as a t-shirt that will be on sale through the Grange Store for $12, beginning March 13, 2008.

To order t-shirts for your members, visit the Grange Store online at www.GrangeStore.org. For the direct link to Lana’s shirt, go to http://www.grangestore.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=392&=SID. You may also contact Samantha Johnson in the Sales department at sjohnson@nationalgrange.org or 1-888-4-GRANGE, ext 109.

The National Grange fills the position of Sales, Benefits, and Programs Manager
The National Grange is pleased to announce the promotion of Samantha Johnson to the Sales, Benefits, and Programs Manager position previously held by DoriAnn Gedris.

Samantha has worked at the National Grange office for the past year and a half as the Administrative Assistant to the Legislative and Marketing & Sales Departments. Samantha is excited by this opportunity and looks forward to this new challenge.

The National Grange is pleased to announce the appointment of Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade as National Grange Youth Director.  
Charlene lives with her husband Matt and son Evan in Bainbridge, Pa. where they operate a dairy farm with Matt's parents. A fourth generation Granger, she belongs to Elizabethtown Grange #2076 in Lancaster County where she serves as the Youth Director and the Assistant Steward. She also has an associate membership with Oriental Grange #165 in Wyoming County. Matt and Charlene served two terms as the Pennsylvania State Grange Young Couple,  2005-2006, 2006-2007.

Charlene received a B.S. in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and a minor in Communication Studies. She is employed as Special Sections Editor for Lancaster Farming newspaper.

Other agricultural accomplishments include: 2005 Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Excellence of Agriculture award winner. She and Matt represented the state in the Excellence of Agriculture contest at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Jan. 2006. In Nov. 2006 she was the  Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Discussion Meet state winner. In Jan. 2007 she competed in the AFBF contest, making it to the final four and was recognized as a national finalist.

Charlene's other agricultural/community service membership highlights include: Wyoming-Lackawanna Counties Dairy Princess Committee pageant chair; advisor for the Dickenson College Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta; Wyoming-Lackawanna Counties Farm Bureau and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau member; Elizabethtown Fair Dairy Show chair; and a member of the American Guernsey Association and National Holstein Association.

Dr. Sullivan's "Symphony of Healthcare Delivery" Speech Now Available on DVD
The National Grange Legislative Department will be offering free DVD copies of Dr. Louis Sullivan's "Symphony of Healthcare Delivery"  address that was presented at the 141^st Annual Convention in Reno, Nevada. Dr. Sullivan, the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, encouraged delegates attending the National Grange Convention to continue pressing to make health care more accessible for rural residents. Dr. Sullivan pointed out several necessary reforms in order to make sure all patients receive the best possible treatment.

President George H.W. Bush appointed Dr. Sullivan U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is a graduate of Morehouse University in Atlanta and he received his medical education at the Boston University School of Medicine. He has taught there, at the Harvard University School of Medicine, and served as the first president of Morehouse University School of Medicine.

To see a preview of the speech, please go to www.youtube.com/nationalgrange.

Rusty Hunt is a third generation Grange member and a graduate of Whitworth College in Spokane, WA. He was a District Youth Director and became a State Officer in 1995. He eventually worked his way up through the ranks and now serves on the Washington State Grange Executive Committee. He was appointed Co-Membership/Leadership Development Director in 2000 and has gained lots of experience through the years working with the Granges around Washington State.

Rusty is excited about the new challenges that are before him in his new position with the National Grange as Membership/Leadership Director and is looking forward to meeting and working with Grangers all around the country.

To view a video message from Rusty, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/nationalgrange

Attention All Grange Artists!
In honor of Grange Month 2008, the National Grange is offering a T-Shirt Design Contest! This contest is open to all current Grange members (except for staff.) The theme for this year is “Moving Forward,” so please create your design incorporating that idea. President Ed Luttrell, with the help of the Communications Department, will select the winning design. That design will be used on a T-shirt offered for sale to Grange members for Grange Month- April 2008.

The winning T-shirt Designer will also receive:

How to Enter:

Email an attached .jpg, .tiff, .gif, .pdf, .eps or .ai file (150dpi or better) of your artwork with a limit of up to 3 colors to jdugent@nationalgrange.org.

or

Mail a hard copy of your artwork with a limit of up to 3 colors to:

Grange Month T-shirt Contest
Attn: Communication Dept.
1616 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and name of Grange.

All designs must be postmarked or e-mailed by March 1, 2008 for consideration.

**All participants of the Grange Month 2008 T-shirt Contest give the National Grange full permission to reproduce their artwork.