March 23rd - Meeting - Dr. Rich Swier
"The Five Fingers of Islam".
- Speaker - Dr. Rich Swier
- Topic - "The Five Fingers of Islam".
![]() Dr. Rich is a “conservative with a conscience.” He believes that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is not virtue.” His idol is former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was a true conservative who wrote this in his book “The Conscience of a Conservative“:
“I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is “needed” before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents’ “interests,” I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.” We are dedicated to contesting the uncontested absurdities. Ayn Rand wrote, “The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other – until one day when they are suddenly declared to be the country’s official ideology.” This magazine is dedicated to telling the truth, no matter how unpleasant, holding elected officials accountable and telling those stories no one else will. All of our contributors thank you for taking the time to read our musings, liking us on your social media sites and sharing our stories with others. Your comments are always welcome. Please email Dr. Rich with suggestions on how to make our e-Magazine better for you at drswier@gmail.com. |
ABOUT DR. RICH SWIER
Rich holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, a Master’s Degree in Management Information Systems from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Rich is a 23-year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1990. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, and U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Rich was the Founder/CEO of Sarasota Online, a high technology company that was sold to Comcast Cable in 1996. He helped start Backsoft Corporation an enterprise software development company in 1997 whose clients included Coca-Cola, Anheuser- Busch, Hyundai Electronics, Volkswagen, Moen and Goodyear. Backsoft was sold in 2001. Rich twice chaired the Sarasota Better Business Council and sat on the Board of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County from 2000-2009. He served from 2006-2011 on the Sponsorship Advisory Committee to the Sarasota County School Board. Rich served for ten years as the President of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission, was an honorary member of the BRAIVE Fund, and served as Chairman of the Sarasota National Cemetery Advisory Committee for seven years. Rich was the State Editor for RedCounty.com, former radio talk show host of the Dr. Rich Show and former Editor of Watchdog Wire – Florida, an internationally read website dedicated to exposing government fraud, waste and abuse at the city, state, school board and state levels in Florida. |