From Assemblyman John Campbell:

In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the state Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor. These "celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the House and often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years have seen substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla), St. Patrick's Day (for the patron Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year's Day, among others. But never once have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July.

So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison...

The Democratic leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor and there will be no 4th of July celebration. A memo from the Democratic speaker's office said "problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony." Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the "separation of church and state" and they didn't like the policies he supported as a United States Senator and therefore they would not allow him to be on the Assembly floor or to speak.

Upon hearing about this, Governor Schwarzenegger offered his meeting room last Monday for a ceremony with Admiral Denton. The room was overflowing with people. Only one elected Democrat was in attendance. A number of veterans of the last 4 wars were present. Admiral Denton gave a very moving speech about the 4th of July and about the undeniable commitment of our founding fathers' to their faith in God. He talked about how the war on terrorism may be the most difficult war we have yet fought. And he went on to say that he fears that partisan attacks on our mission and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan sound too familiar to what he experienced in Vietnam. Following his speech, The Governor came out to personally spend time with him.

And, here's the email sent out by Democrat Speaker Fabian Nunez:

"Problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony on June 28th. More importantly this celebration was intended to celebrate the Fourth of July. The celebration was represented as one resolution, a couple of speakers on each side of the resolution and a song. It has now turned into a ceremony more in line with Veterans Day and with ideological overtones that were not presented or agreed to. We are hoping these issues can be resolved - if not I doubt the Speaker will ok the proceedings."

Part of the Democrat's problem is certainly caused by partisanship. However, confusion probably also plays a role. Many of these Democrats are simply confused over which country they represent.

If you'd like to send a polite message to Nunez, here's his contact information:

Capitol Office
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0046
(916) 319-2046

District Office
320 West 4th Street
Room 1050
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 620-4646

Assemblymember.Nunez@assembly.ca.gov