Senator John Cornyn in Bexar County: Alamo City Republican Women Event

 Membership Recruitment Reception with Senator Cornyn in February. Your readers may contact me direct for further information at President@ACRWomen.org. Keep up the good work. Freida Wright

 

You are invited to a Town Hall meeting featuring: 

George Antuna, John Lujan & Steve Salyer – Candidates For State Representative District 118

Location: Grady’s Bar-B-Que, 6919 South Zarzamora, San Antonio

Date: January 21  (Saturday)

Time: Networking Reception and Lunch (on your own): 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Program:  12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. (Time Certain)

Cost: FREE

Sponsorships:  Silver $10, Gold $20 and Platinum $50

Please R.S.V.P. to Schuylar Crist at skyskyrider@hotmail.com today.

Joe Solis, SREC 26 and South Texas Republicans are proud to launch our third club in Senate District 26. Westside Republicans was established in 2004. Balcones Heights Republicans was set up in 2005. We continue to reach out to new non-traditional voters in the district.

Logo courtesy of Robert Sanchez.  (“The star came from a photo I took at the World War II Memorial in D.C” – Robert Sanchez)
 

Did you know?  Facts about Retama Park (located in the city of Selma)

“For the year, the track’s total live attendance increased to 223,751 from 210,523 in 1999. Total Live On-Track handle increased from $12,052,391 in 1999 to $12,271,881 in 2000. Average attendance was 2,664 and average total handle was $889,248.”

Source:  http://www.retamapark.com/?cat=31&id=34
 

Saturday, January 7, 2006

10 a.m. to 12 noon with continental brunch

Silver Sage in Bandera

2006 election season kickoff meeting and membership drive

For more info., contact County Chairman, Kim Hesley
 

Attorney General Greg Abbott was sworn in as 50th Attorney General of Texas on December 2, 2002. Prior to his election as attorney general, Greg Abbott served as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as a State District Judge in Harris County. 

As the state’s chief law enforcement official, Attorney General Abbott has made protecting families and values the focus of his administration.    Shortly after taking office, Attorney General Abbott established a Cyber Crimes Unit to arrest criminals who use the Internet to prey upon children; a Fugitive Unit to arrest sex offenders who violate their parole; and an expanded Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to crack down on elder abuse and waste of taxpayer dollars.  Since taking office, General Abbott has collected more than $4 billion in child support for Texas children, setting new records for Texas child support collections.

In his capacity as the state’s lawyer, Attorney General Abbott oversees more than 700 lawyers who represent the State of Texas.  General Abbott has personally appeared in courtrooms around the state and has obtained indictments against criminals charged with offenses ranging from attempted aggravated assault of a child to capital murder.  In March of 2005, General Abbott personally appeared before the United State Supreme Court, where he successfully defended the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments display that adorns Texas Capitol grounds.  By convincing the nation’s highest court that the State’s monument was constitutional, General Abbott has ensured that Texas will continue displaying the Ten Commandments for years to come.

General Abbott’s career in public service began in Houston, where he served as a highly rated state trial judge in the 129th District Court for three years.  In 1995, then-Governor George W. Bush appointed General Abbott to the Texas Supreme Court, where he served with distinction. Twice elected to the State’s highest civil court, General Abbott received more votes than any other candidate for statewide office in 1996 and more than 60 percent of the vote in 1998. His abilities as a legal scholar and outstanding jurist earned him numerous honors, including “Jurist of the Year” from the Texas Review of Law & Politics, “Trial Judge of the Year” from the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists, and “Appellate Judge of the Year” from the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

An active participant in his community, General Abbott has held leadership positions in numerous organizations, including the Central Texas Chapter of Goodwill Industries, the Governor's Committee to Promote Adoption, Justice for All, and the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation. In 2004, General Abbott served as Honorary State Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas.

A native Texan, Attorney General Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and raised in Duncanville. After graduating from the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in Finance, he received his law degree from Vanderbilt University. Shortly after graduation, he was partially paralyzed by a falling tree while jogging. He and his wife, Cecilia, a former schoolteacher and principal, have been married for 24 years. They live in Austin with their nine-year-old daughter, Audrey.

Dear Friends,

It is with much enthusiasm that I "KICKOFF" the New Year as your candidate for the Texas House of Representatives for district 118. My encouragement came from many who agreed that I should be your candidate of choice. WHY? Well, the fact that I have been a life long resident of the district and attained valuable experience at the state legislature as a staffer to then Lt Governor Rick Perry and later as regional director to US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has prepared me for the post. Furthermore, I know the people of the district which has prepared me to be a hands on candidate and legislator.   

I look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail, but more specifically, being able to meet with you one on one and listen to the concerns of those in the district. I will work to bring our citizens "true" property tax relief because it is no longer acceptable that property owners bare the brunt of school finance. I will also work to bring more "good" paying jobs to the district.  I will work to be a consensus builder between the vastness of the district. I believe in the "us" mentality which means there is no "we" or "they".  

Finally, I will need your support because no battle is won alone. Please feel free to contact our headquarters number at 210.818.0766 for details on how you can contribute or volunteer. We have a short sprint to the primary elections and I need your support! 

Please do not forget our "kickoff" fundraiser of January 5th at 5:30 p.m. at Mi Tierra Cafe in Market Square. I have already received contributions even prior to the event and I thank you for your support.  

Sincerely,

George Antuna, Jr.

Candidate for State Rep. Dist 118
 

Please contact South Texas Republicans if you are interested in attending. We are attempting to fill a table. 

Invited guests include Mrs. Ronald Reagan, former President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush, former Attorney General Edwin Meese, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver, former Treasury Secretary James A. Baker, and the other members of the Reagan Cabinet and Administration. 

Additionally, invitations are being extended to many of the national Republican political figures who are considering seeking the Presidency in 2008. This event will highlight the accomplishments of the Reagan-Bush era and allow Reaganites to come together and celebrate the years of accomplishment that marked Ronald Reagan’s leadership of America as our 40th President.

Sally Aiello, Executive Director, Travis County Republican Party, 7801 N. Lamar Blvd, Suite A123, Austin, TX  78736, 512-431-0964

www.TravisCountyGOP.org
 

Small Business Owners for Steve Salyer

6:00 to 8:00 PM

Gretalia Coffee House and Deli

2211 N.W. Military Hwy

Suite 131 in San Antonio

Sunday, 5 February 2006

Republican Women for Steve Salyer

3:00 to 5:00 PM

Home of Steve and Sally Salyer

13507 Demeter in Universal City

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

Medical Professionals for Steve Salyer

6:00 to 8:00 PM

Cha Cha’s

2026 Babcock Road in San Antonio

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

South Bexar County Republicans for Steve Salyer

6:00 to 8:00 PM

Grady’s Bar-B-Que

6919 South Zarzamora in San Antonio

Friday, 3 March 2006

Steve Salyer for State Representative 72 Hour Grassroots Primary Launch

I have been extremely honored to serve as your judge in the 150th District Court for the past 11 years and I want to thank you for your support during that time. I am writing this letter because it appears I will have an opponent in the upcoming election and in order to mount a respectable campaign I must ask for your help.   

Due to the immediacy of the situation I do not have time to send by mail a request for your participation as a host in my upcoming fundraiser. I hope you will accept my appeal by email this time. I am planning a fundraiser January 19 at the Club Giraud from 5:30 until 7:00 pm and would like to include you in the host list on my invitation. 

Please reply by email as soon as possible as your sponsorship is extremely important to the success of my campaign. Thank you for your faithful support; I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Bexar County for another four years.

Sincerely,         

Judge Janet Littlejohn

If you have any questions please call Melynda Gulley at 210-828-9162 or email address at Melynda_gulley@sbcglobal.net

JUDGE JANET LITTLEJOHN 150TH DISTRICT COURT BIO:

Speaker: Bobby Eberle, Director of GOPUSA.com

Did you know GOPUSA reaches 500,000 conservatives every day by e-mail?

Date: Jan. 18th (Wednesday)

Time: Networking Reception and Dinner (on your own): 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Program:  7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

Location:  Karam's Mexican Dining Room, 121 N. Zarzamora, San Antonio; (210-433-0111)

Cost: Only $5

Sponsorships:  Silver $10, Gold $20 and Platinum $50

Please R.S.V.P. to Schuylar Crist at skyskyrider@hotmail.com today.

GOPUSA Mission Statement

The mission of GOPUSA is to spread the conservative message throughout America.

The Inaugural Winner Of The "John Tower Award" Is Carole M. "Teddy" Peterson Of Bexar County; SAVE THE DATE: Reception on January 25, 2006

We are pleased to announce that the inaugural winner of the “John Tower Leadership Award” is Carol M. “Teddy” Peterson of Bexar County. Mrs. Peterson was selected because she is a tremendous patriot, a great Texan and one of the founding “mothers” of the Republican Party of Texas. The resume of Teddy Peterson is posted below. You are going to be so impressed when you read that she has been a consistent grassroots Republican for  almost 50 years.

Congratulations!

South Texas Republicans

Do you have a Teddy Peterson story? Write us. We will be collecting and posting political stories in 2006

Congressman Lamar Smith of South Texas will present the “John Tower Leadership Award” to Teddy Peterson on January 25, 2005.

Event details will be published in our upcoming newsletters.
 

By tomorrow we will have the final list of Republicans and Democrats who have placed their names on the primary ballot and those who had a change of heart at the last minute will be history.

With the Express-News political reporters Greg Jefferson and Rebeca Chapa recently shining the spotlight on the apparent meltdown of the Democratic Party infrastructure, let me clarify some points they missed or failed to point out.

First, Chapa reported that Joe Farias was not well known in District 118. Not true. As stated last week, I said he would not do well because he is not that well liked. The Harlandale School District encompasses nearly 65 percent of District 118. Farias served for a number of years on the Harlandale School Board where he recently resigned. That makes him a well-known entity. As far as the Southside Democrats are concerned he is the leading Democrat in the field with lesser-known candidates in the race.

Politics within the boundaries of Harlandale and South San School Districts has been refined as a fine-tuned contact sport. It is home of the “take no prisoners,” mentality. Political careers are sometimes made and lost on the Southside, based on a perceived slight or failure to pay due homage and respect.

The Rodriguez-Cuellar grudge rematch is a perfect example. A large number of fellow Southside Democrats are outraged at Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar for “stealing the election from Congressman Ciro Rodriguez” in a sleaze battle of non-existent, literally comatose and ineligible voters to include dead people. 

They are also steamed that Cuellar votes with the Republicans on most issues to include ratification of CAFTA and most recently giving those who earn over $200 thousand a year, a tax break. In the eyes of Bexar County Democrats, Cuellar is a Republican and a bad one at that.

State Representative Richard Raymond’s early departure has demoralized the Rodriguez staff immeasurably and makes it extremely difficult for Rodriguez to overcome. He was banking on Raymond to split the vote in Laredo and force a run-off. Sorry Ms. Chapa, Victor Morales will do more than entertain; he will likely wound Rodriguez and possibly cost him the chance to regain his seat.

As the incumbent, Cuellar has a 3-1 financial advantage over Rodriguez. A high turnout in South Bexar County is critical for any chance for Rodriguez as well as Carlos Uresti who is fighting an uphill battle to unseat incumbent State Senator Frank Madla. Rodriguez also needs an extremely low voter turnout in Laredo that is not likely to happen.

With the current Bexar County Democratic Chairman Rudy Casias nearing the end of his disastrous term, the optimists believe the situation will improve once he is gone, if it isn’t already too late.

Conventional wisdom says Casias has single-handedly destroyed what is left of the Party. Only time will tell.

That’s the moderate viewpoint, I am the Republicrat.

It will be interesting to see how she leans politically in her future columns. We predict Rebeca will be fair to Republicans and conservatives, but the pieces will lean to the left of center. This is based on the fact that we privately believe that she tends to favor covering Democrats and issues that involve the Democratic party. That is her prerogative now that she is a columnist. 

We wish her the best in her new position.   

Rebeca Chapa: 2006 races boast Kinky, 'everyman' and one kooky grandma

Web Posted: 12/28/2005 12:00 AM CST, San Antonio Express-News

A recent article in the Express-News highlights a widespread problem in government agencies, failure to comply with Open Records laws

((Express-News Article)). If you'd like a glaring example of violation of Open Records laws and abusing the request for an Attorney General's opinion in order to stall the process, look no further than the Texas Department of Transportation! I made a request for information in August for toll feasibility studies for Bexar and Comal counties and did not actually receive the information until November! I made another request on September 8 and STILL have not received the majority of the information. 

In fact, for both requests, TxDOT tried to charge me over $400 simply to VIEW the documents on a computer at their offices! This is against the law! After getting an attorney involved in October, they finally agreed to let me view them in Austin at no charge, but not in San Antonio and I may not have hard copies of ANYTHING without paying $ .10 a copy (above the going rate at any copy store) plus personnel charges of $15/hour. They will not supply any documents to me on disk or via email without charging me in excess of $400. How is this freedom of information? 

Texas law (Government Code 552.267) allows fees to be waived for matters of public interest. As the Regional Director of a grassroots group of concerned citizens regarding the toll plans for Bexar County, the majority being those who live directly in the affected area, clearly this information stimulates public knowledge and public debate and is purely in the public's best interest. Perhaps Senator Wentworth, who authored the bill to make it easier for the public to get information, will come to the aid of one of his own constituent's and see to it the public gets "public' information in a timely, affordable way. 

As part of my request, we asked for the bids/contracts with foreign companies to build toll lanes on existing highways in Bexar County. Shockingly, the Attorney General has allowed the CDA contracts (comprehensive development agreements, or public-private partnerships) of Cintra-Zachry and Macquarie 1604 Partnership to remain closed from the public. What good does it do the public if we cannot see these contracts or give input into this process, including the negotiation of toll rates (taxes), the degree of control of the free lanes, and the amount of maintenance of the free lanes versus the toll lanes BEFORE THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED? TxDOT and members of the tolling authority have already signed non-disclosure agreements and cannot discuss what's in the contracts with the public, not even with the county commissioner who appointed them!

The Governor's shift to privatize our public FREEways is largely being done under the cover of darkness (under the shadow of legal protection and political cover) without the public having input or access to the most crucial aspects of the contract negotiations. This secrecy breeds corruption, defies the transparency necessary for privatization projects, and violates the public trust. If privatizing our FREEways and slapping toll lanes on existing highways is the best deal for San Antonio, why can't the public see what's in these contracts and have a say on these whole new tax rates?

--Terri Hall

Regional Director 

San Antonio Toll Party

http://www.satollparty.com
 

Each week (that Congress is in session) you will receive:

Key votes by your two Senators and U.S. Representative.

Links to send e-mail to your members of Congress using pre-addressed forms. Upcoming votes for your review and links to offer e-mail input before they vote.

Your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than to create and send to you your custom MegaVote. Simply Click the image below, or here: South Texas Republicans  to start receiving this valuable information in your inbox!

BELOW:  This is one example of what residents of Congressional District 23rd would have received last week.  Sign up today!!  This is a statewide initiative courtesy of South Texas Republicans. Let us do the research and reporting for you.

December 27, 2005

In this MegaVote for Texas' 23rd Congressional District:

Editor's Note: Congress has completed its work for the year. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on January 18, 2006. The House is scheduled to reconvene on January 31, 2006.

Recent Senate Votes:

Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005 - Vote Agreed to (50-50)

With Vice President Cheney casting the tiebreaking vote, the Senate passed this budget reconciliation bill that is intended to trim $40 billion from the deficit over five years.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Cornyn voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Cloture Motion; ANWR Drilling - Vote Rejected (56-44)

The Senate fell short of invoking cloture on the Defense spending bill that contained a provision allowing for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Cornyn voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Defense Appropriations Act, FY2006 - Vote Agreed to (93-0, 7 Not Voting)

Following the removal of the ANWR provision, the Senate passed this $453 billion bill funding the Department of Defense for the 2006 fiscal year.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Cornyn voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

They have been archived for those of you who may have missed our recent issues. We are slowly growing our web page features. We encourage you to visit our web page for easy access to elected officials. Our service is free and open to the public.