The picture above and the item below are from the Bexar County Democrat web page featured on 9/24/06. This was the headline:

“Supporters turn out for Peter Sakai at Spurs Brent Barry's house in Terrell Hills”

“During the nearly 3-hour event, speakers included: Erin & Brent Barry, Judge Nelson Wolff, Judge John Specia who is stepping down from the bench that Sakai is seeking, Mary Alice Cisneros, & judicial candidate Peter Sakai who thanked his many supporters who attended.”

Original Source: http://www.bcdpnews.blogspot.com/

Commentary:  

225th District Court Judge John Specia has every right to support any judge for elective office.  All of us do. It is our choice in a democracy.  (For the record, it is also my belief that blind partisanship is not a smart way to approach politics.) 

The race for the 225th district court is very different. Why? Let me explain. 

This campaign is for an open bench that has been held by Republican Judge Specia for at least 8 years. For all of those years, Republican Women in Bexar County have block walked, raised money and voted for Judge Specia. He has been in office because of these strong grassroots women and loyal Republican voters. 

They were there for him.

Judge John Specia could have stayed neutral.

He could have stayed out of this race completely.

What did he do?

Judge John Specia turned his back on his party and the grassroots women who supported him for so many years. 

What should you do?

Rally for Marialyn Barnard for two reasons.

1) She is obviously the best qualified candidate for this bench because of her experience in the business world and her years of community service. Her opponent is selling himself as a Children’s Court judge. He is in the wrong race if you ask me. 

2) Let’s show Judge Specia the power of the grassroots he has betrayed. Republican Women: This is your time to shine for a strong Republican Woman- Marialyn Barnard.

GET INVOLVED IN THIS RACE!!!

Don’t get angry…..focus your energy on helping Marialyn Barnard win!!!


This is a call to ARMS!!!

Look at this image of Judge John Specia.

(The judge is actually posing for a Democrat who took this picture.)

What is this man thinking? Here’s a wild guess…..

“Suckers!!! I used the grassroots to get what I wanted, Ha!!!  What can you do to me now? I’m not running for office again. That is why I am openly campaigning and raising money for a Democrat. By the way, thanks for the nice tax-funded pension plan I’ll be on soon.”

We need an independent judge who will not be beholden to the political bosses of Bexar County. 

Just say NO to Judge Nelson Wolff in this power grab for the 225th court.

Images of Mary Alice Cisneros and Judge Nelson Wolff at the fundraiser featuring Judge John Specia as a speaker.
 

We are proud to announce that South Texas Republicans will be hosting a small business breakfast summit featuring Marialyn Barnard in the next few weeks. This event will be FREE and open to small business owners and citizens interested in small business issues in Bexar County.

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 10th!! 

Location: TBA

Time: TBA

Hosted by Alamo City Republican Women, Joe Solis/ South Texas Republicans, & Quico Canseco

The 225th District Court is a civil trial court that represents all who live in Bexar County. It is one of thirteen civil district courts in Bexar County. There are a total of twenty-five district courts in Bexar County. Each district court represents everyone in Bexar County. Twelve of the district courts handle only criminal cases.

The 225th District Court, like the other twelve civil district courts in Bexar County, handles cases involving the following:
• Families
• Small Businesses
• Homeowners
• Employees and Employers
• Nursing Homes
• Health Care
• Automobile Accidents
• Business Damages
• Taxes
• Contracts
• Eminent Domain
• Municipal Issues
• Oil and Gas
• Complex Business Litigation.

The 225th is a trial court. In fact, it is the highest level of trial court in the Texas Court System. There are jury trials and non-jury trials in the 225th District Court. Non-jury trials are tried before the judge only. In both jury and non-jury trials it is critical that the judge have good knowledge and experience in applying the rules of evidence and procedure fairly in every type of case, no matter who the parties are and no matter how complex the litigation might be.

Most cases never go to trial, but many do. Although the parties file the cases in court, they often settle their cases before the trial date. However, many times there are pre-trial hearings before the judge that are necessary for the preparation of the trial or for the settlement of the case. Pre-trial hearings are common in many cases, and can be very helpful in giving the parties involved the necessary information for working toward a reasonable and fair resolution of their case. Understanding the rules of discovery and the rules of evidence and procedure as applied to the variety of different types of cases is critical to the fair and impartial application of the law for everyone who comes before the court.

It is important to have a jurist with the broad base of experience necessary to handle the wide variety of cases that come before the court. Marialyn Barnard is the only candidate for the 225th District Court who meets those criteria.

http://marialynbarnard.com/index.html
 

Date: October 2nd (Monday)

Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Cost: FREE

Location: Crowne Plaza San Antonio Airport Hotel; 1111 NE Loop 410 in San Antonio, Texas; 210-331-5307

The Crown Plaza Website

Event Sponsors:

Maria Martinez and Quico Canseco

R.S.V.P. Today:  Schuylar Crist
<skyskyrider@hotmail.com>

As a Senior Fellow of the Heritage Foundation, Peter Brookes’ primary responsibility is to communicate Heritage’s stance on foreign policy and national security affairs through media appearances, interviews, ongoing research and speaking engagements. He is also a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Commission.

In addition, he is a weekly columnist on foreign policy, defense and trade issues for America’s 6th largest paper, the New York Post. Brookes’ column also appears regularly in the Boston Herald, Orange County Register, Japan's Daily Yomiuri, Taiwan's China Post, Townhall.com, RealClearPolitics.com, and Military.com. He frequently appears on TV and radio including FOX, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR and BBC. During 2005-2006, Brookes hosted The Brookes Report on WMET 1160 radio in Washington, D.C. He is the author of A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Rogue States.

Brookes served in the George W. Bush administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he was responsible for the development, planning, guidance and oversight of U .S. security and defense policy for 38 countries and 5 bilateral defense alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. He was a principal drafter of the 2000 GOP foreign policy platform at the Republican convention in Philadelphia and subsequently supported the Bush Department of Defense Transition Team. In 2004, he served on the Bush campaign's foreign policy and veterans’ advisory boards.

Prior to joining the Bush administration, Brookes worked as a Professional Staff Member with the Republican staff of the Committee on International Relations in the U.S. House of Representatives focusing on East and South Asian affairs. He also served with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, focusing on global political affairs, arms control, and weapons proliferation. Just prior to his CIA service, he worked on international economic issues for the State Department at the United Nations, and in the private sector in the defense industry.

He has a distinguished military background in the U.S. Navy, including active duty in tours in Panama and Japan during the Cold War and in support of military operations in Iraq/Kuwait (Desert Storm); Haiti (Restore Democracy); and Bosnia (Joint Endeavor) as a reservist. He has over 1300 flight hours aboard Navy EP-3 aircraft, flying reconnaissance missions in East Asia and the Persian Gulf. He is currently a Commander in the Naval Reserves.

He is a frequent public speaker and has testified before both the Senate and House of Representatives on foreign policy, defense and intelligence issues.

Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is a research and educational institute - a think tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

Note From Schuylar Crist of South Texas Republicans:

I want to express my sincere thanks to you, the supporters of South Texas Republicans. For without you, I would not have been able to attend the Foreign Policy Communications training in Washington, D.C. last May. It was there where I met Mr. Brookes when he came to speak to our group. Shortly thereafter, I was able to correspond with Mr. Brookes via e-mail and invite him to speak to our Rough Riders of Bexar County group.
 

Save the Date: October 4th (Wednesday)

Time: 6pm-8pm (Remarks at 6:45pm)

Location: Mamacita's Mexican Restaurant 8030 I-10W in San Antonio

Hosted by Alamo City Republican Women, Joe Solis/South Texas Republicans, & Quico Canseco.

Justice Karen Angelini has served as a judge on the Fourth Court of Appeals since 1997 when she was appointed by then-Governor George W. Bush to fill a vacancy on the Court. In her nine and one-half years of service on the Court, Justice Angelini has served the court with honor, integrity and fairness, authoring more than 1300 legal opinions in both civil and criminal cases. The civil cases involve all areas of law, including personal injury, family, probate, real estate, and contracts. The criminal cases include all felony and misdemeanor cases from the 32-county district, with the exception of death penalty capital murder cases. The cases the Court decides are vitally important not only to the parties involved but also to the citizens of the district and the State of Texas.

http://www.justicekarenangelini.com/index.html
 

Get ready for a wonderful opportunity to have breakfast tacos with Judge Tim Johnson, County Court at Law, #5. This will be an exciting networking opportunity for those in the business community.

Date:  October 5th

Time: 7:30am-9:00am

Location: Mama Margie's/9950 I-10H at Wurzbach

Info at www.votejudgejohnson.com.

Did you know that there are only 2 Republicans and 10 Democrats in the Bexar County Courts of Law system? 

Hosted by Alamo City Republican Women, Joe Solis/South Texas Republicans, & Quico Canseco.
 

Please Join The Republican Business Women Of Bexar County At Their October Meeting

Honored Guest Speaker: U.S. Senator John Cornyn

Date: Thursday, Oct 12, 2006

Time: 11:00 a.m. (lunch 11:30 a.m.)

Location: San Antonio Country Club

Cost: $17.00

Please make reservations by Oct. 9, 2006 with Dee Brame at 210-493-5512 or email deeb@satx.rr.com.
 

Congressman Lamar Smith discusses Congressional ethics reform during a news conference at his district office in San Antonio.

Washington, D.C. – A House subcommittee today approved Congressman Lamar Smith’s (TX-21) “Open Government Act” (H.R. 867). The legislation improves public access to information by strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is the bill’s sponsor in the Senate.

“The Freedom of Information Act performs a vital check on the federal branch. It protects our open system of government and ensures that the government responds to the American people,” said Congressman Smith.

“Unfortunately, the process for obtaining government information is overly burdensome and federal agencies have become less and less responsive to requests for information,” Smith noted. “This deters citizens from seeking information.”

“Taxpayers should be able to obtain information quickly and easily. This legislation will greatly improve the public’s right to know what the government is doing in their name,” said Smith.

The bill does the following:

Creates a broader definition of “news media” so that all types of news media, including smaller, non-traditional outlets, can obtain government documents at minimal cost;

Allows more individuals to recover attorneys’ fees when they are on the winning side of litigation to get information from the government;

Tightens up time limits for government agencies to respond to FOIA requests;

Requires government agencies to implement a system that enables individuals to track their request for information; and

Creates a new Office of Government Information Services to ensure that FOIA requests in all government agencies are promptly and thoroughly handled.

“I am encouraged by today’s developments and hope to see the bill approved by the full House soon,” concluded Smith.
 

Cost: FREE

Speaker: Congressmen Lamar Smith

Contact: Tom or Naila Goodro, Membership Co-Chairs Republican Club of Comal County 830-438-5012
 

Please join the Alamo City Republican Women and surrounding areas on

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

11:00am - 1:30pm at the Oak Hills Country Club, 5403, Fredericksburg Road

Keynote Speaker: The First Lady of Texas, Anita Perry.

Special Guest Speaker: Susan Howard, NRA Board Member, Actress "Dallas" TV Show

Payment in advance is recommended. Mail checks to Sharon Kemp, 2014 Adobe Trail, San Antonio, TX 78232, payable to ACRW/PAC by October 19th.

Space is limited. Deadline for Reservations Noon, Friday, October 20th.

Contact: Carolyn 493-6210 or Barbara 342-5482

OR Email reservations to: Reservations@ACRWomen.org

ALL E-MAILS MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: your full name and phone number.
 

Sponsor a Screening!

San Antonio filmmaker Bill Molina unveiled his documentary "Truth Be Tolled" Wednesday night (hopefully you caught some of the tv coverage). This film needs to be seen by as many voters as possible between now and November 7. If you are part of a group or organization and are interested in sponsoring a screening, go to the TruthBeTolled.com web site and click on "sponsor screening" for information. There's also a link to TruthBeTolled.com from the SATollParty.com web site (check out our new home page). Dates and times for future screenings will be posted on the web site as well. We're taking it on the road with a screening in Austin next Saturday with Houston and Dallas soon to follow.

This powerful documentary follows the process as citizens utilize their most important power as members of a democracy: freedom of speech and exercising their right to vote, especially when government goes awry and arrogantly ignores the will of the people.

View the trailer and send everyone you know to view the trailer and film preview here: www.truthbetolled.com.

TxDOT releases parts of secret contract; A victory for the PEOPLE and open government!

 Read about it on the blog: http://satollparty.com/post/?p=416

"Hands Across the Corridor"

The "Hands Across the Corridor" event took place on September 30 and it’s when rural and urban residents against this shift to tolls symbolically stood shoulder to shoulder at county courthouses along the "blue line" of the proposed Trans Texas Corridor. In San Antonio, we took a stand against overbearing government that’s out of touch with the PEOPLE at the Alamo.

Citizens brought a cup of rich Texas topsoil and a message for Rick Perry... "You're not gettin' my land or Texas roads without a fight." Gubernatorial candidate, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, attended five of the 37 county events and stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Texas!
 

This is a series by an anonymous political insider in Bexar County. The views of this author do not represent the views of South Texas Republicans. 

Fundraisers and endless meet and greet forums, meet the candidates etc. are currently the name of the game, as we get closer to the November election.

There are so many candidates and not enough space to write about them in this column this week.

Today we talk about the lesser-known candidates who we do not mention very often. Well, what do we know about them anyway?

First and foremost is the fact that they are under the radar screen. That should tell you something already. You could conclude that their campaigns are nonexistent, mirages, or outright finished before they started. Lack of name ID is one problem many of them have and still others have name ID and that is their problem.

Take for instance, judicial candidate Milton Fagin. What do we know about him other than the fact he has run 4 or 5 times unsuccessfully and his name ID is associated with the term “loser?” 

I am sure his opponent is ecstatic in the fact that since he drew an opponent, Milton Fagin was the one to have. Even Bruce Davidson of the Express-News has pointed out his losing streak and has written Fagin off as a perennial. How bad is it when Bruce Davidson dismisses you?

Democrats disrespect Fagin as much as Republicans do. Fagin has way too much baggage to be a serious contender. Placing your name on a ballot does not make you a serious candidate.

Then there is the sweet, good-natured and good-hearted Ina Castillo, who is challenging long-time veteran Judge Tim Johnson. Her only chance of winning is for Judge Johnson to fold or implode. That is not going to happen. Taking on one of the longest running Judges in Bexar County is not a good strategy unless lawyers dislike the judge and are not happy with him. That is not the case. 

Perhaps next cycle she can challenge again and hope for an open seat. It is obvious she would make a good judge.

That strategy worked for Judge Barbara Nellermoe who lost the first time around. She came back strong to win a seat on the District Court. Socially, Nellermoe is seen everywhere. She is very affable, gracious and friendly. That is her strong suit.

That leads us to Larry Noll, one of the most well-respected and well-known challengers making his second bid for Judge. Party regulars know him as the one who should have won the first time. His chances are much better this go round since he is challenging Judge Richard Price who doesn’t mingle well with fellow Republicans.

Speaking of lack of social skills, we have Republican Judge Mark Luitjen who has a reputation for arrogance and condescending attitude around women.  His challenger is Democrat Catherine Torres-Stahl who comes across as lady-like, classy and soft-spoken.

Then there is Democratic Judge Paul Canales who normally is under the radar, which surprisingly enough works extremely well for him.

Then we have Democratic judicial candidate Gloria Saldana who is quiet as well and not very aggressive. Her mother’s recent death has slowed her campaign down. She faces an extremely popular Judge Rene Diaz who while has made a few blunders, will not suffer for it at the polls. You remember she crashed his party and he allegedly crashed a Tejano Democrats function only to be innocent of the charge. However, Democratic Judge Karen Pozza accused him of plagiarism. Go figure.

Either way, he is very popular with lawyers to include Democratic lawyers and as they say, “this too shall pass.”

We move on to judicial candidate Ray Olivarri who started extremely slow but picked up momentum on the way. He beat the first challenge by easing out a popular sitting Judge Phil Meyer in the Democratic primary.

Now he faces former Judge Wayne Christian who lost when his little sister was involved in brouhaha with a boyfriend who later became her husband. The winner is anybody’s guess.

Both candidates are likable and it depends on who gets out his base come November.

Finally we mention Democratic judicial candidate Laura Salinas who has been absent from the political scene since she beat popular Democratic Judge Oscar Kazen by 12 votes in the Democratic primary. With no opponent in the November election, she just has to wait for Election Day and she is in.

Noticeably absent is Judge Kazen who has disappeared from sight all together since his humiliating defeat to an absolute unknown.

There are so many candidates and not enough space to write about them in this column this week.

That is the moderate viewpoint. I AM the "Republicrat"!