M A Y 2 0 1 4

Next Meeting Date: May 8th, 2014 at 11:30

At Republican Headquarters on the Square

2014 OFFICERS

President, Joan King .......................... 903-489-3918

Vice-President, Leona Bruce ............. 903-675-4202

Secretary, Ann Spitzer ...................... 903-477-6600

PAC Treasurer, Shirley Hornbeck ....... 903-677-1208

Parliamentarian, Fritzi Rizer ................ 903-675-1404

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN

Awards, Caring for America

Campaign Activities, Lee Nutt ............. 903-681-4417

Chaplain, Fritzi Rizer .......................... 903-675-1404

Martha Hardwick .......................... 903-852-6253

Creative Director, Nancy Marshall ....... 903-675-6566

Fund Raising, Betty Herriage .............. 903-677-3209

Historian, Joan Meadows .................. 903-675-1147

Legislative Issues, Christine Hudson ... 903-292-1967

Literacy, Nancy Rogers ...................... 903-677-1605

Annette Trammell ......................... 903-675-5315

Membership, Sara Taylor .................. 903-340-7774

Mary McCreary ............................. 903-425-6462

Newsletter, Sharon Chasey ................ 903-469-4435

Publicity, Nancy Marshall .................... 903-675-6566

Sharon Harding ............................ 903-677-3433

Telephone-Chair: Nancy Rogers ........ 903-677-1605

Sylvia Cleveland ........................... 903-675-6664

Dawn Hennon .............................. 903-292-1281

Joan Meadows ............................ 903-675-1147

Fritzi Rizer.................................... 603-675-1404

Annette Trammell ........................ 903-675-5315

Voter Registration

HENDERSON COUNTY REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS

Betty Holland, County Chairman 112 N. Palestine, Athens, TX 75751

903-675-2829 hctxgop@gmail.com

Regular Meeting Thursday,

May 8, 2014

Republican Headquarters

at 11:30 a.m.

On the Square

Dr. Stuart Spitzer

Kelly Harris

Salad Luncheon will follow the

program and business meeting.

PAC Report April 2014

Balance as of 3/31/14: $3,959.70

Income thru 4/30/14: No Income .00

Total Income: .00

Disbursements thru 4/30/14: Headquarter Rental for March, April & May 90.00

Total Disbursements: 90.00

Balance as of 4/30/14: $3,869.70

Thoughts from your President

Last month I began a sum-

mary of the book “Waking the Sleeping Giant” by Drs. Tomothy C.

Daughtry and Gary R. Casselman. The 1st half of the book

pointed out why the mainstream

Conservatives are losing the battle against far left Lib-erals. The author’s stated why we Conservatives think

all we have to do is vote and go back to our lives, how we dislike confrontation and how the Liberals put us

on the defensive and we take the bait. Today I want to go into the 2nd half of the

book. I am skipping a lot of it that I don’t think really

applies to us. We most likely will not be interviewed by the media or engage in public debates. I will try to

highlight the areas of discussion we are most likely to engage in. While it may take us out of our comfort

zone a little, I don’t think it will keep us from doing

what we need to be doing to keep our Country on a somewhat sane path. Remember the main idea of the

book is that we can only succeed if we are able to “take back the power”. This includes changing or neu-

tralizing the message coming from our schools and universities, news media, government and entertain-

ment. In other words, “the cultural institutions that

determine the political narrative.” The principles laid out are:

1. We are the mainstream and Liberals are the

fringe. Act like It. Never ever fall into a defen-

sive position. “What will we delegate to the gov-ernment and what do we reserve for ourselves?”

Example: In defense of Obamacare – The govern-ment can buy medicine more cheaply than we

can. The same can be said of clothes, food, cars

etc. Point made no debate.

2. We can only change the misinformed peo-ple. Forget the radicals. For the misin-formed:

“Create the impression of a massive movement away

from liberal candidates and policies.”

Example: “I think most people are just trying to sur-vive until the next election so we can get these

radicals out of power and get our country back on a sane course.”

“Emphasize you are talking about sensible positions versus nonsensical positions, not Democrats ver-

sus Republicans.”

Listen for and acknowledge areas of common ground.

Don’t overwhelm them all at once. Ask questions to clarify their thinking.

Example: If they talk about the rich paying their fair

share of taxes: Point out that half the voters don’t pay any taxes at all. They probably don’t

know this.

Ask them whether the purpose of taxation is to fund the government or to redistribute earnings?

Ask who they define as rich? Does this apply to busi-ness owners who have worked for years to build

up a business, taking risks, sacrificing income and stability to keep their people employed.?

3. Reframe the narrative – try the etiquette approach. “This is a diverse group, and we

have many points of view. I for one don’t think it’s appropriate to make comments that might be

offensive to some.” This works well for a Sun-

day School class or a party.

Check out our website in process:

Log on to www.weebley.com

Then enter user name

letitia.carpenter1237@gmail.com Password: lsrw2001

Any suggestions/changes, tell Joan King, Letitia Carpenter or

Sharon Chasey.

4. The double bind reframe:

Liberal: “It amazes me that anyone would think Mich-

ele Bachmann is qualified to be president” Mainstreamer: Well, a lot of people are threatened by

strong women.”

If you want to get tough on liberals and education

here is a very abbreviated part of the book: Liberal: Some teachers have to bring their own pen-

cils, etc. Mainstreamer: “How do you justify spending billions

on a political boondoggle like the Department of

Education when we need more money for class-room teachers? And how much of that money

makes its way back into the coffers of the left-wing politicians who are in the pocket of the teacher’s

union?”

Other retorts on education are: Are you willing to fire incompetent teachers? Are you willing to

allow vouchers so that parents can afford to get their children out of failing schools? Are you will-

ing to get the political indoctrination out of our schools so that children can actually learn math

and science?”

“We’ve got the most expensive school system on the planet and the results are dismal and do you

know why? Because the leadership of the teach-ers’ unions only care about their own power, and

they oppose anything that might actually raise

educational standards”. How about a response to the extremism of the

Tea Party: Mainstream Activist: (chuckling) “Oh, the radical left

screams ‘extremism” whenever they don’ t want

to talk about the issues that are important to the taxpayers, and mainstream Americans aren’t fal-

ling for that. But seriously, we have to get con-trol of our insane spending, we have to reduce

the tax barriers to job creation, and we want to see some sanity in our homeland security poli-

cies. The Tea Party has finally given the people

who pay for our government a chance to have a voice in that government”.

Remember: In all cases you want to present yourself as cool-headed, rational, mature and caring.

5. There are no Enemies on the Right. We at times can be our own worst enemies. We can

quibble about the finer points once we get back into

power.

6. Control the Language: Tax cuts should be described as “benefiting

working families”

All tax increases: “Sapping the hard-earned resources of working families and cramping job

creation”.

“Redistribution of earnings – not redistribu-

tion of wealth” Reform: Ex. We are not against health care re-

form but opposed to takeover of health care by

government bureaucrats. Unions: We are opposed to the corruption of

some union bosses and how that corruption is un-fair to the hardworking rank- and- file union mem-

bers. Never criticize teachers. Make a clear distinction

between “hardworking teachers” and “the radical

teachers’ union” and the federal bureaucrats who

make it so hard for good teachers to do their job.

For those who truly want to get into the trenches the authors say find three rallying themes for your cause.

Staying with the subject of education here is an exam-

ple of the 3 R’s:

Recognize: The liberals want you on the defen-

sive: You don’t support education because you are

against raising taxes.

Reframe: When will we get past the tired old

dogma of throwing more money at our problems

to fix them?

Refocus: “Parents are telling us: (fill in the

blank): out of control administrative costs,

teacher’s hands tied on discipline, excessive em-phasis on social work instead of teaching, etc… It

seems grossly unfair to working families to talk about increases while we ignore the concerns of

those who are footing the bill.

The left may control our formal educational

institutions but a lot of education takes place outside of our schools. We are still free to talk to our children

and grandchildren, nieces and nephews about the con-stitution, the myths of open- ended welfare being

good, the importance of family and children having

good male and female role models, and our Christian and Jewish values. Why respect is earned not given

for no reason. The value of voting, what makes a good citizen and the list goes on and on. Ask questions

about what they are studying!

There is so much more in the book, I have

tried to hit some of the high spots. I would be happy to lend the book to anyone who would like to delve

into this in depth.

Blessings to all,

Joan

Political ad paid for by Lone Star Republican Women of Henderson County PAC

Lone Star Republication Women of Henderson County

General Meeting April 10, 2014 The meeting was called to order by President Joan King. She stated that Kelly Harris, run off candidate scheduled to speak, had called at 11am saying he had an all day commitment and would not be able to speak today. Opening Prayer: Annette Trammel led us in prayer. Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag and the Texas State Flag: Pledges to flags were led by Joan King. Presentation of donation to South Athens Elementary School: Ann Spitzer introduced Principal Eugene Buford and presented him with the gift of children’s underwear and socks for use of the school nurse when needed. Welcome New Members and Guests: Sara Taylor reported there were 9 guests and 24 members present. The guests stood and introduced themselves. Program: Vice President Leona Bruce introduced the speaker Ken Geeslin, run off incumbent candidate for Henderson County Commissioner of Precinct 4. Mr. Geeslin spoke of his past 39 months in office, the difficult economic downturn and dropping property values. In spite of these difficulties, they have able to fund the county programs and not raise taxes. He has a military background as well as engineering/construction experience in the private sector. He spoke of his miles of road upgrades, maintaining right of ways, drainage issues, equipment purchases, joint ventures with other commissioners, and allocation of grant monies. He has also started a recycling program that includes glass, oil, and will soon include elec-tronics for Precinct 4 in Larue. He has found a more efficient place for tire disposal that all the commis-sioners use, as well as more efficient trash disposal. Sign visibility has been improved on all Precinct 4 FM, US and TX highways. Future budgets will be difficult because of facility upgrades, fair park lighting, library grants, and the Affordable Health Care Act. However, by 2016 Henderson County will be debt free—jail will be paid for. LSRW Business Meeting: Minutes were accepted as being approved and they will go into our records. Treasurer’s report was accepted and filed for end of year approval. Communication: None Reports from Standing Committee Chairs: Literacy chair Nancy Rogers stated they have given the diabetic information to Sheriff Nutt and have ordered another set to give to Police Chief Buddy Hill. She has con-tacted a history professor from TVCC concerning the program Teaching American Teenagers. He thought it would be of more use at the high school level. She is finding it difficult to talk to a teacher at Athens High School. It was decided that she talk with other county schools such as Brownsboro, Eustace, Mala-koff, or Cross Roads. There were no other committee chair reports.

Lone Star Republication Women of Henderson County General Meeting April 10, 2014 (continued)

Special Committee Reports: Judith Austin was asked to report on the Hispanic Outreach. She asked to meet with Joan King later because she is not having much luck getting this going. Judith has con-tacted the PTO President at South Athens Elementary, Teri Kirksey, about a project we could do there as a community service. Mrs. Kirksey is speaking with her board about this. Unfinished Business: None New Business—Plan our May meeting luncheon: Shirley Hornbeck has volunteered to chair this salad luncheon. She will get a few others to help brainstorm and then be contacting the members for help. Joan King has invited our District Director Janis Boulware. Run off candidate Precinct 4 Kelly Harris has asked to speak. Also Dr. Stuart Spitzer, primary winner for District 4 State Representative, will speak that day. Announcements: Joan King, Sharon Chasey, and Leticia Carpenter will be meeting at close of this business meeting to make final plans for our new website. Meeting was adjourned. Ann Spitzer

C L U B C A L E N D A R o f E V E N T S

Regular Club Meeting May 8th, 11:30 Republican Headquarters Dr. Stuart Spitzer Kelly Harris Salad Luncheon after Meeting

Exec. Board Meeting May 22nd, 10:00 Home of Sara Taylor

Have a safe & happy Summer !

T E X A S E L E C T I O N D A T E S - 2 0 1 4

May 19th thru 23rd, 2014 Early voting Primary Runoff Election

May 27th, 2014 Primary Runoff Election Day October 6th

Last day to register to vote for general election November 4, 2014

October 20th thru 31st, 2014 Early voting for General Election November 4th, 2014 General Election Voting

“Socks” & “Undies”

Anne Spitzer, South Athens Elementary Principal, Eugene

Buford, and Joan King.

Presentation of “Socks” & “Undies”

Scenes from

April

Meeting

Ken Geesllin Pct. 4 Commissioner

Legislative Tidbits Christine Hudson

Abuse of Executive Power

The Bureau of Land Management

(BLM), the nation's biggest landlord, found

itself in the spotlight after a high-profile

brawl with Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy

and another dispute with state officials over

the Texas-Oklahoma borderlands. These

conflicts brought a spotlight to a recurring

theme within the Obama administration,

that of abuse of executive power. There

have been many different instances of this

abuse and I will present a few brief facts to

help you understand what is happening a

little more clearly.

The seemingly obscure agency is in

charge of 247.3 million acres of public lands

– about one-eighth of the land in the coun-

try. About 72 million acres are in Alaska

and 44 million are in Nevada. It also owns

700 million acres of on-shore federal mineral

estates. The Bureau of Land Management

was formed in 1946 for the purpose of over-

seeing public land. In the beginning, the

BLM mostly focused on livestock and mines.

Its mission shifted in the 1970s when it took

on the role of mediator between commerce

and conservation in regards to its holdings.

This latest push is a result of states who

have renewed their concerns about the

amount of land controlled by the BLM and a

desire to see the return of control over fed-

eral lands to individual states. Congress

also recently weighed in, with House law-

makers passing a bill in February that would

prevent the BLM from buying new land.

The BLM is also responsible for man-

aging a wide spectrum of natural resources.

The federal agency regulates logging, min-

ing and fracking practices across the coun-

try. It also administers close to 18,000 per-

mits and leases a year held by ranchers who

graze their livestock on land managed by

the federal government. The permits and

leases they issue usually last a decade and

can be renewed. In 2009, regulation of

public lands in western states generated

$6.2 billion. Gov. Rick Perry said on Fox

News that the federal government should be

returning control of many federal land hold-

ings to the individual states.

Besides issues of federal control, other dis-

cussion regarding the abuse of executive

power is focused on the signing of executive

orders by President Obama. Many of these

executive orders are signed when Congress

is not in session. The defenders of these

actions say that the President needs to by-

pass Congress because Congress is slow to

act. However, the writers of the Constitu-

tion were very intentional in their desire to

have a balance of powers between the ex-

ecutive, legislative and judicial branches.

These defenders also seem to con-

centrate on the number of executive orders

signed by other Presidents, as though num-

bers provide justification. It was stated on

the fix.gov blog written by John Hudak on

January 30, 2014 that “not all executive or-

ders are created equal. Some are quite

forceful, making dramatic changes to policy.

Others are more routine, housekeeping is-

sues. To say that one president issued more

executive orders than another tells us little

about the scope of those orders or the im-

pact they have on policy. Also, executive

orders are just one type of executive power

and do not necessarily reflect the true might

(Continued on page 8)

Legislative Tidbits (continued) Christine Hudson

Surrendering America

of the president. Presidents can issue signing

statements, presidential memoranda and

presidential proclamations, engage in rule-

making (regulatory) authority, reassign ap-

pointees, influence budgeting decisions, and

use a host of other means of influencing out-

comes.”

One can easily dig into the details of

orders, which are available on line at The

American Presidency Project.

Obama’s use of executive orders is question-

able for several reasons. He is using them to

alter his own legislation that he has already

signed, most notably, the Affordable Care

Act. He has also used executive orders to

prevent the legislature from acting as he did

in 2012 when he changed implementation of

immigration legislation by his executive order

regarding the Dream Act so that Congress

would not have the opportunity to pass the

version being recommended by Senator

Marco Rubio (FL). Another abuse is the con-

tradiction seen in Obama’s use of executive

power, such as when Obama makes claims

that he has no power over NSA surveillance

programs. The Heritage Foundation pointed

out that “in the case of environmental regula-

tions, immigration law, No Child Left Behind,

the auto bailout, the selective enforcement of

voting rights laws, and the regulation of the

Internet (among others), the Obama Admini-

stration has in fact enacted its agenda via

legislative fiat time and time again.”

No specific provision in the U.S. Constitution

and no statute explicitly permits or governs

executive orders, and on these grounds alone

the “strict” constitutionalists insist that none

are ever warranted. Executive orders are

valid so long as they don’t violate other provi-

sions and rights. Not until 1952 were specific

rules and guidelines given for what a presi-

dent could or could not via executive orders.

A Supreme Court decision in 1952, invali-

dated Truman’s decree to nationalize steel

mills, on the grounds that he was attempting

to make law (a legislative function), not

merely carrying out (or “executing”) existing

law. Presidents since that decision have tried

to cite the specific laws they are acting un-

der, when issuing new executive orders.

One other tidbit to note is the information

sent out by TFRW in the April Bullet-Point

Memo that can be useful in understanding

Texas legislative issues, for which I have pro-

vided very little analysis over the past year.

There is a new link at www.tfrw.org website

called the Online Legislative Research

Resource that is located at:

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?

e=001h5JWvHvTp0Y86EiVwQ_ug5zDclpl5q25

bsWMko9Sc0azQlSM4SI4NgXmj69GjcB_8i6Lx

c30HTNlsotAMc4dv09m6On6WhlfoLz_bTmpc

8Ca3AVdbGaDI7JldG8e29fa

No more worries about remembering numer-

ous web addresses to find committee hear-

ings, to listen online or to follow legisla-

tion. You can now go to TFRW website and

find the above link to Legislative Research

pages under Programs/Legislative tabs.