BREAKING NEWS! Senator Todd Staples Accepts Personal Invitation From Alamo City Republican Women And South Texas Republicans

We are pleased to announce that Senator Todd Staples will be joining us for a special grassroots reception hosted by the Alamo City Republican Women and the South Texas Republicans. This will be a FREE reception open to all of our grassroots supporters and friends. Our respective organizations will post the location and date of the event in upcoming notices. 

Please let us know if your club or organization would like help sponsor this event. Our sponsorship programs will start at only $20 for grassroots organizations and individuals. Show your support for Senator Staples by attending and possibly sponsoring.

Special Message from Senator Todd Staples To South Texas Republicans

October 12, 2005

Dear South Texas Republicans:

Thank you for the work you do to make Texas a better place to live, work and raise a family. On November 8, 2005, we have an extremely important constitutional amendment election facing Texas voters.

As someone who is at the forefront of citizen involvement, you know the importance of voting and the positive impact it has on our state.

Families make up the backbone of our society. We have already seen the deterioration of the family unit in this country, and it is in our best interest to preserve the important union of marriage. Marriage should be a relationship recognized above all other relationships. The marriage of one man and one woman is being threatened by activist judges and political agendas.

I know many of you are being asked about these important amendments, and I hope the information provided is useful to you.

As the Senate author or sponsor of Propositions 1, 2, 4 and 9, please feel free to contact me if I can provide additional information or answer any questions. I can be reached at todd@toddstaples.com.    

Sincerely yours,
Todd Staples
 

News –Briefs-10/20/2005- The San Antonio Current- ©San Antonio Current 2005

An error in an e-mail newsletter by political action committee the South Texas Republicans inadvertently placed State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) at the center of a maelstrom about Bexar County Democrats and the gay marriage amendment.

On its website earlier this month, the Bexar County Democratic Party posted a notice for voter registrars or volunteers to register Democratic hurricane evacuees for the November 8 election, which includes the proposed anti-gay marriage amendment. “We just wanted people to have the right to vote,” said Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Rudy Casias. “We aren’t telling them to vote for or against Proposition 2.”

Local Dems then alleged Wentworth, in response to the Dems’ voter outreach, sent an e-mail to his Republican constituents on a distribution list, which read in part, “Our Bexar County Democrats have no shame. It is an outrage that the party of President Harry Truman is using these hurricane victims to further their political goals. We encourage you to write your city, state, and federal officials about this brazen and tacky behavior in San Antonio, Texas. It is time to step up and Take a Stand’.”

In turn, Bexar County Democrats sent an e-mail missive of their own, condemning Wentworth and his comments.

But the comments were that of the San Antonio-based South Texas Republicans, not Wentworth.

Joe Solis said his PAC’s newsletter is the source of the e-mail and that it was sent with an old subject line from an event featuring Wentworth, which led the Dems to believe the senator was the source.

Wentworth denied he had anything to do with the e-mail. “I had absolutely no knowledge of the e-mail,” he told the Current, “and I don’t have a distribution list.” Nor, Wentworth said, did he forward the contents of South Texas Republicans’ e-newsletter to anyone, although he did see it.

Casias said he didn’t see the PAC’s original e-mail and that it was sent to him by Mary Cole, a volunteer with the Bexar County Democratic Party. On October 17, Cole sent a correction to party members and an apology to Wentworth. The PAC sent a retraction also.

Commentary:  We apologized last week for the subject line snafu that led to this confusion. We would also like to send our apologies to Senator Jeff Wentworth, who has had to endure the wrath of Bexar County Democrats. Senator Wentworth has been a class act for not giving us a hard time about our mistake.

The Silver Lining: We have observed two very interesting, but not unpredictable, reactions about Bexar County Democrats from this story. 

Reaction 1. If you are confronted with critical commentary, turn the tables and go on an immediate witch-hunt. It is fascinating that local Democrats had to attack Senator Wentworth over an issue he had nothing to do with. This is classic Clintonian spin machine behavior. Attack the person who questions you and your ethics.

Reaction 2. Justify your improper behavior. Local Democrats were clearly embarrassed by our story about their registration of Katrina victims to defeat Prop 2. Within hours of our story, they shut down the web page with the posting. 

Click here to see the original link: San Antonio Lightning

Chairman Casias sanctimoniously claims, “We just wanted people to have the right to vote.” Sure. If that were the case, why would you openly claim that you are registering Katrina victims to help defeat “the proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution, which would ban gay marriage”?

What is our point?  If you are an independent voter or a conservative swing voter, you need to reconsider your long-term involvement with the Democratic Party. How can you be involved in a party that behaves in such a manner? Think change.

One final note: Conservatives get fired up when they see this kind of outrageous behavior. Our readership shot up a staggering 97% when we posted this initial story. One Republican told me last week, “I never vote during these special elections, but I am going to vote in this election because I am so upset about local Democrats registering Katrina victims at Kelly. It’s just not right.”

Bexar Democrats: Thanks for getting us FIRED UP!!! Keep this story alive for us, but leave Senator Wentworth out of the picture. Come after us next time.

Noe Garcia (middle) and Bono in Office of Senator Bill Frist

(The man on the left is unidentified.) We would like to thank Connie Garcia of the Alamo City Republican Women for this image. Her two sons have been amazing Republicans
in Washington D.C. over the past 6 years. They have worked for the White House, the Treasury Department, the Republican National Committee, and Senator Bill Frist. These young leaders will one day make an impact in Texas. You just watch
 

“There is, to say the least, a heavy presumption that Ms. Miers, though undoubtedly possessed of many sterling qualities, is not qualified to be on the Supreme Court. It is not just that she has no known experience with constitutional law and no known opinions on judicial philosophy. It is worse than that. As president of the Texas Bar Association, she wrote columns for the association’s journal. David Brooks of the New York Times examined those columns. He reports, with supporting examples, that the quality of her thought and writing demonstrates absolutely no “ability to write clearly and argue incisively.”

“Some moderate (i.e. lukewarm) conservatives admonish the rest of us to hold our fire until Ms. Miers' performance at her hearing tells us more about her outlook on law, but any significant revelations are highly unlikely.”

“What he can expect in all probability is platitudes about not ‘legislating from the bench.’ The Senate is asked, then, to confirm a nominee with no visible judicial philosophy who lacks the basic skills of persuasive argument and clear writing.”

Commentary:  We were disappointed that within 8 days of the nomination of Ms Miers, Senator John Cornyn wrote a glowing endorsement of Ms. Miers in the Wall Street Journal because he has known her for more than 10 years. Yes, we understand that a senator from the nominees’ home state will tend to advocate for that candidate. That is fair and logical to us.

Senator John Cornyn, however, is doing an injustice to the citizens of Texas by giving Ms. Miers a free pass in his knee-jerk endorsement of her nomination. Our Senators represent EVERY Texan- Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, San Antonio Current readers, and people who actually think Kinky Friedman will be a good governor. Senator Cornyn has an obligation to ask Ms. Miers tough and probing questions about her knowledge of the constitutional law, the Supreme Court, and her interpretation of legal issues in our country.

It is our belief that our two senators should contemplate a decision AFTER her testimony to the judiciary committee. The final decision on this nomination by our senators must occur AFTER the citizens of Texas have heard her testimony and conveyed their thoughts to our representatives. WE must be part of this process in Washington D.C. Why? The results of this nomination will affect us for years to come. 

Senator John Cornyn must challenge Ms. Harriet Miers vigorously and fairly when he questions her as a member of the Judiciary committee.  TEXANS deserve no less. 
 

Web Posted: 10/20/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Gary Martin
Express-News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Governors from Southwest states delivered a stinging rebuke of the federal government Wednesday for failing to stem the flow of narcotics and undocumented immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The criticism came as Congress considers a Bush administration proposal to federalize the first response to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona said bluntly the federal government should secure the borders first.

"That has been a disaster for us," Napolitano told the House Homeland Security Committee. "We've lost operational control of the border in Arizona."

Perry, in a speech to the Heritage Foundation, said an indication of how the federal government would respond to disasters is how it currently responds to the crisis on the border, which is failing.

Despite provisions in the homeland security-funding bill for new technology and additional Border Patrol agents, Perry said it is "not enough."

***
GOV. RICK PERRY'S TESTIMONY TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

"The idea of federalization raises many questions, the first being perhaps the most important: If, from the President on down, we recognize the federal response was not adequate during Katrina, does that inspire confidence that a greater federal role is the solution?"

http://www.rickperry.org/news/display.php?id=138

Commentary:  Governor Rick Perry’s leadership has been amazing during the past few months. The man was superb as he guided our state during the challenging Hurricane Rita period. One person on his staff told me that he was physically drained, but he refused to slow down during those difficult days. Any comparison between Governor Perry and the officials in Louisiana should remind us how blessed we are. 

For the record, we were horrified that Comptroller Strayhorn continued to bash the Governor with radio spots a few days after Rita hit. We simply do not understand how one can waste money trashing the leader who is helping solve a statewide crisis. Those precious dollars could have been spent caring for fellow Texans in desperate need. A caring grandma would have spent her money in a more appropriate and thoughtful manner. Less toughness and more compassion is what we need during difficult times. It’s not ALL about politics.

Please join us for a reception honoring

Wallace Jefferson

Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location: Home of Charles Butt, San Antonio, Texas

Donor Levels: 

$125/$250- Individual/ Couple,

$500- Friend

 $1,000- Patron

$2,500- Vice-Chair and

$5,000- Co-Chair

Contact: For additional information and to RSVPplease contact Susan Lilly at (866) 789-9223, or by fax to (800)433-1387, or by e-mail to susan@lillyandcompany.com by Tuesday, November 1st.
 

I, Schuylar Crist, still need your financial support to make a very important trip to our nation’s capitol February 9th-11th. The 33rd Conservative Political Action Conference is a project of the American Conservative Union Foundation along with Human Events and the Young American’s Foundation. Thanks to the great support I have received from several of you, our loyal readers, I need only $500 more to meet all expenses for this very important trip! I have paid the conference registration fee, and my flight costs have also been taken care of. This leaves only my lodging to be taken care of.

While there, I expect to:

1.) Recruit nationally recognized speakers for our Rough Riders of Bexar County Educational Series

2.) Build new relationships with national conservative organizations and individuals for South Texas Republicans, P.A.C.

3.) Utilize these contacts to gain support in terms of resources and finances for the P.A.C., and our South Texas Candidates at the state and federal levels

4.) Demonstrate the strength of the Republican Party in South Texas at the grassroots level

Checks can be made out to Schuylar Crist, and mailed to:

9570 Autumn Shade

San Antonio, Texas

78254

You may also reach Schuylar by phone at (210) 663-6093 or via e-mail at skyskyrider@hotmail.com

To find out more about the conference, go to cpac.org
 

Discusses Limiting Federal Spending To Cover Costs for Hurricanes

…Senator also calls for 10 percent administrative cuts  

WASHINGTON -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called for a 10 percent cut in administrative costs for all departments, excluding the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. She also attended a bicameral leadership meeting with President Bush to discuss options to limit federal spending as Congress works to pay for the costs associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  

 “No one can honestly claim that with all of the waste in the federal bureaucracies we cannot trim 10 percent from the departments administrative budgets,” Sen. Hutchison said. “The hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast and displaced thousands of Americans demand a more intensified approach to reigning in spending. We have endured a monumental tragedy that requires a historic response to pay for recovery and rebuilding efforts.”

Focused on further spending cuts, Sen. Hutchison also called to reduce the size of the Highway Authorization Bill by eliminating $6 billion from “above the line” spending. Furthermore, she called to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in mandatory spending programs.  

“Why are governments so painfully slow at adjusting to change? Why are their agencies always obsolete? The basic reason is that governments are not customer driven. Governments almost always grant monopoly status to their own operations so they won’t have to compete. Look at public education.”
 

                                          


Keynote speaker: John Merrifield, College of Business at University of Texas at San Antonio

Date: Thursday, November 10th

Time: Networking Reception and Dinner (on your own):  6:15pm-7:00pm
Program:  7:00pm – 8:15pm

Location:  Grady's BBQ; 4109 Fredericksburg Road

Cost: $5

Sponsorships will be available

Rough Riders of Bexar County Logo Courtesy of Robert Sanchez-www.sanchezforcongress.com
 

“Did you know when they build the 281 north section and, yes, move out the "feeder" lanes to accommodate they are actually going to add EXTRA lanes? There will be 3 FREE lanes going in each direction AND they are building a FREE flyover at one of the crossover streets... think it's the Bulverde intersection.”

“Anyway, keep up the good work. See you soon!”

Commentary: TXDOT Commissioner Hope Andrade wrote a piece for South Texas Republicans several months ago. TXDOT is losing the PR battle in a big way, in our opinion. Where are the grassroots leaders who are behind toll roads?  We know where the developers stand on this issue.
 

When:  Monday, November 14th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Details:  Please contact Katie at 512-327-3345 or katie@susancombs.com

For political or non-official inquiries:
Friends of Susan Combs Committee
P.O. Box 160956
Austin, Texas 78716
Ph: 512-327-3345
Fax: 512-328-2194
www.susancombs.com
 

“One of the greatest things about Lou Tower [wife of Senator John Tower] was when I was working in Senator Tower’s phone bank and she visited. She asked everyone to come and bring his or her spouse. When she came to shake hands with my husband, she would always say, ‘Tom, I want to thank you so very much for letting your wife do all this work for my husband.’ Not very many candidates’ wives thought of doing that sort of thing. They don’t stop to think that he was giving something for me to do that. A lot of times, I wouldn’t feel like fixing dinner when I got home because I was tired. That was just super for her to do that.”
 

Where:  Main Building, Room .0104 (U.T.S.A.)

Time:  5:30 pm 

www.utsacr.com
 

Time:11:30 a.m.  

Location: San Antonio Country Club; 4100 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio (210) 824-8865

Guest Speaker:  Lt Col (ret) Dave Howell

Sponsorship Levels:

Councilman  $25.00   

Congressman  $40.00

Senator  $55.00 

Silent Auction & Door Prizes!!!

The following clubs will be holding important events and South Texas Republicans encourages participation by local activists:

Do you have event information??
You can reach Schuylar either by phone at (210) 663-6093 or via e-mail: skyskyrider@hotmail.com

Click here to view the calendar for details on these and other events