2022 Midterm Elections Are Coming: Vote Like Your Life Depends On It

 

The midterm elections are coming!  The midterm elections are coming!  The midterm elections are coming!  

We saw it happening in 2010 when the IRS became involved in stifling tea party 501C-3 applications.  Not just stifling them, but flat out targeting them by asking for names of members and wanting to 'pre-approve' flyers that were handed out at rallies.  They also wanted website domain information and a whole host of other information aimed at discriminating against those who they saw as enemies of the state.  I wish I was kidding.  I was part of one of the tea party groups that was targeted and I was asked to go to the hearing that investigated those said discriminatory practices and I watched Lois Lerner plead the fifth amendment at said hearing.  I also wrote about that hearing here.  Really, Lois?  

I know that 2010 is NOT the first time that the government has 'come after' law-abiding, tax paying citizens, nor will it be the last.  What's the saying, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.'?  Exactly.  Fast forward to today.  Read the headlines.  The far-left Democrats want to dispose of the Republican party.  Hell, I've wanted to dispose of the Republican party at one time or another, but not so far as wanting to actually kill them.  That's what the Democrats want right now, and they're  not even trying to hide it anymore.

Sure, if they're called out on it, they try to walk it back as in, 'that's not really what I meant'.  Or, 'that comment was taken out of context' or any other attempt to soften the original comments they made.  Folks, words matter and the Bible says that, "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."-Luke 6:45.  I'll give you a few examples of what I'm talking about, but there are more.  

First, Democrat Congressman Tim Ryan ordered that, "we must kill and confront the MAGA movement." 

    “The Democrats aren’t right on everything. And I’m willing to sit down and have conversations about how we can move out of this age of stupidity,” Ryan said during an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Some of those answers will come from Republicans, not the extremists that we are dealing with every single day, we’ve got to kill and confront that movement, but working with normal mainstream Republicans, that’s going to be really, really important.”

I may be asking for trouble here, but I don't recall ever hearing a Republican Congressman or Senator or any other nationally elected official calling for the murder of their opponent.  My goodness.  It doesn't stop there, though.  Another Democrat, a  Senator this time said that the abortion ban is literally a 'call to arms'.  I'm not sure about you, but a call to arms is a call to WAR.  

Even the POTUS, Joe Biden is vilifying the MAGA movement; 

    "MAGA Republicans do not respect the constitution,” Biden said. “They do not believe in the rule     of law, they do not believe in the rule of law, they do not recognize the will of the people.”

    “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards,” he added. “Backwards to an             America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception. No right     to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political        violence.”

That, folks, is called 'gaslighting'.  

Let's also not forget that concerned parents are targets of the left.  Democrat Georgia Representative Hank Johnson brings himself into the fold of those who want to target those who disagree with him as he compares parents to those who descended on the capitol building on January 6th as one in the same.  He's quoted as saying in this Daily Caller article, 

        "People on the local level at effected school board meetings, they won’t forget the MAGA                     Republicans descending on their school board meetings after January 6, like January 6,                     disrupting meetings,” Johnson continued.

Are you seeing a theme here?  So, what can we do about it?  First and easiest thing to do is vote!  Vote like your life depends on it November 8th.  Vote Republican up and down the ballot, especially on those judicial races because those are some of the most important races on the ballot.  We've got rampant crime, inflation, increasing gas prices and a divider in chief and lots of his little minions at the federal level just itching to do his bidding.  Don't let them do it.

Trolling Isn't Just for the Left

Trolling.  You've heard that word before, no doubt and before the internet came along trolling was a word used mostly in fishing.  Trailing a baited line behind a boat, etc.  Now according to the Urban Dictionary, it's defined as, "the art of deliberately, cleverly, and secretly pissing people off, usually via the internet, using dialogue. Trolling does not mean just making rude remarks: 

The most essential part of trolling is convincing your victim that either a) truly believe in what you are saying, no matter how outrageous, or b) give your victim malicious instructions, under the guise of help."

Under that particular definition, I do believe that Ted Cruz has mastered the art of trolling in his latest bill he's introduced to send illegal immigrants to Democrat led cities such as Martha's Vineyard.  IMHO, troll level: expert.  I won't get into all of the details of the bill, but just the thought of what he's trying to do makes me giddy.  It's absolutely perfect and hilarious, but it does have merit beyond the shadenfruede that it makes me feel.  You can check it out for yourself here on the Daily Caller website.

A quote from the article on the Daily Caller says this: "For the past ten months, President Biden and his administration have willingly surrendered the United States’ southern border to dangerous criminal cartels, with no thought given to the South Texas border communities like McAllen and Del Rio, which are running low on resources from dealing with this massive influx of illegal immigrants,” Cruz said in a statement before introducing the legislation.

“That’s why today I am introducing this crucial legislation to alleviate the massive overload at the southern border by establishing new ports of entry in Democrat-led communities such as North Hero, Vermont, where Bernie Sanders spends his summers, and Martha’s Vineyard, where Democrat elites host their cocktail parties,” Cruz added.

I'm personally looking forward to hearing the left screeching and howling about protecting the borders to their fancy cocktail parties meanwhile they are the ones who have left kids in cages on the Texas/Mexico border.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

They Didn't Let Us In At First, Either: Tea Party vs. GOP

Lots of times I write about my political involvement and my faith and draw parallels between the two.  Well, I'm feeling inspired again to do just that.  I like to get you thinking; share my inspiration with you and hope to get you motivated and involved in some way.

Last Sunday while I was sitting in church, the pastor was talking about how to be a fisher of men.  How to draw others to Jesus and lead them to salvation.  Pretty normal discussion to be had in church, I suppose.  While I was sitting there, however, it hit me that in some ways, those who are GOP or part of the conservative/tea party movement could also be considered evangelists of sorts, spreading the word of limited government and personal responsibility to the masses.

The title of the sermon was "How to Land a Fish".  We could title ours, "How to Land a Voter".  He gives us in step one the instructions, find a pond.  Find a pond?  What does that mean?  It means find a place to fish; not your usual circle of friends or Christians, but those who need desperately to hear the gospel.  Again, same thing with us; find someone who needs to hear the conservative message.

Step two was to develop patience and perseverance.  

The pastor was teaching from Mark 2:1-4.  Here it is for your reference:
"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since the could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on."

Picture it, a room so crowded with people that no one could get in.  People standing shoulder to shoulder and even though they turned and saw the four men carrying the paralytic on their shoulders, they didn't move a muscle.  Hold it right there.  Now, imagine the crowded room is full of establishment Republicans.  They're crowded in there like sardines and they're happy with their stagnant, stuffy ideals.  They love BIG government and the idea that government knows better than the average joe.  Hmph.

Then the tea party comes to the meeting.  Heh.  They've got a heavy load on their shoulders, too.  What is that heavy load, you say?  LIBERTY.  FREEDOM.  AMERICA.  The tea party looks inside and sees there isn't any room being made for them.  Do they give up?  Nope, and neither did the men who came to get Jesus to heal the paralytic.

So what did those men do?  They carried that heavy load, the paralyzed man up on the roof top and they started digging through.  Yeah, they did.  Then they lowered that man on his mat down in front of Jesus.  Right in front of Him.  "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

The tea party did something similar.  We weren't given an easy entrance to the party.  We may have tried to shove our way through the crowd, elbowed a few folks out of the way and began to make a difference.  Then with the heavy load of liberty and freedom on our shoulders, we climbed on the roof top.   That wasn't enough, though.  We started digging.  We started phone banking and block walking, we started running people for office, We elected conservatives to the Senate, Congress and to the state house.    We're not done yet, either.

Now, I realize that by all counts the moniker of 'tea party' is essentially done being used.  I still, however, count myself as a small part of what I look back on as the tea party movement or contingent of the GOP.  Did the tea party make a difference?  I'd like to think so.  Did the direction of the country go exactly the way we wanted?  No.  Does anything ever go according to plan?  No.  I know I'm personally willing to cut my losses and stay involved.  Others may disagree, but that's the freedom that we all share.  The freedom to continue to fight for principals and ideals, as well as the freedom to not.

The pastor also mentioned that fishing is dirty work.  I think we can all agree that the work of maintaining liberty and freedom is dirty work, too.  It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.  Count me in, and I hope I can count you in, too! 

Republicans vs. Democrats: A Culberson Town Hall Wrap Up

Pensions.  Health care.  Tax reform.  Immigration.  All of these issues affect us.  Not just 'you' us, but ALL of us.  Each individual has a story about how each one of these issues affects their lives.  Contrary to what Congress may tell you, there isn't any sweeping legislation that is a one size fits all solution, and I think going forward, legislators and the public need to remember that when we're considering what we're asking for.

Unfortunately, we live in the era of Big Government, and although it's not necessarily a new thing, it's still a thing.  They have this attitude of, "Anything the private sector can do, the public sector can do better."  This is not just an attitude of the federal government; it's a view held by Democrats and leftists alike.  That was never more evident at the John Culberson town hall.

The town hall was hosted at Spring Branch Middle School Auditorium and it was filled to capacity.  Seven hundred constituents flooded the town hall with questions to be asked and confrontations to be had with the Congressman.  The majority of the attendees were Democrats and there was a theme running through them all.  I'd love to tell you it was sweetness and light, but alas, that was not the case.

From the moment that they booed the opening prayer, and left out 'Under God' in the pledge, the mood had been decided. It was clear to me that the folks that were in attendance were out to control the entire town hall.  They were there to intimidate and to shout down and make their noise.  And that, they did.

I've got to say, I didn't blame the constituents for their frustrations, although they could have been much more civil about it.  I and others have felt similar frustrations with Congressman Culberson over the years. The only difference between myself and the Democrats is that going into any conversation or meeting, THEY would KNOW that they're going to disagree with the Congressman and that he's not going to represent their interests very well.

I think that the Congressman could have handled the crowd a bit better than he did.  Each time someone rose to ask a question, he often responded with "That's a very thoughtful and important question."  On the surface that might sound good, but it came across as very condescending.  The constituents recognized it and often followed those words with 'boos' and began chanting, "do your job'.  It was embarrassing.

I went there as an observer.  Full disclosure, I have been a long time skeptic and critic of the Congressman, but I went there really wanting to hear what he'd have to say.  There was one few thing he really stood strong for, like being against a single payer healthcare system which I was glad of.  Others, like something that he kept repeating, "Keep politics out of science and art.", that I wasn't so sure of.  Sounded good for the crowd he was in front of, I guess.

Another constituent was there, Mary Jane Smith, precinct chair and long time GOP activist, and this is what she had to say about the way the Congressman handled himself; " He was misinformed on several points. I was disappointed, although not surprised, when he said to the opposition that he was going to vote for same ole funding for National Institute of Health, (NIH), increased funding for education, public broadcasting, and was against Trump's decrease funding of the Dept of State."

The Republican constituency that lives in Congressional District 7 didn't show up for this town hall.  Hell, they didn't show up for the general election!  CD-7 went for Hillary!  I have news for them and for whomever is reading this, the Republican leaders, activists and voters had better not get comfortable over the next four years. The opposition is alive and well in even the most conceivably conservative areas in Harris county. The GOP still has to make OUR voices heard in the legislative process and the election process!  The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Trump Logic Translated into Mom Logic

For those of you who are supporting Trump and can't possibly understand why others don't join in with you, I'd like to explain it from a mom point of view.






"Kids, tonight, we're going to make homemade pizza for dinner!"
"Mom, you've never made homemade pizza before..."
"I know, but it's gonna be the most beautiful pizza you've ever seen!"
"We don't have any of the ingredients here at home, Mom."
"I know, but it's gonna be GREAT! It's gonna be better than Papa John's, Little Caesar's AND Ci Ci's Pizza! We're gonna make pizza great again!"
*sigh*


Please, go and vote on Tuesday, but NOT for Trump!

Jared Woodfill: Tenet vs Track Record

In Proverbs 22:1, it says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold."

What are some of the qualities that are important to you when considering a candidate for public office?  Do you consider their past voting history?  How about their stance on gay marriage?  Maybe their willingness to regulate and spend the taxpayers money without regard for the future generations?  What about their stance on abortion?

Whichever one or two qualities that you may have picked that are important to you, whether I listed them above or not, do these qualities, or lack thereof, impact their ability to carry out the duties of the office they seek?  For example, would you hire a tax cheat to run the U.S. Treasury?  Would you vote for someone to be the Sheriff if they had a criminal record?  I would think that those kind of things would be important when considering a vote for someone to represent me.

What if I told you that someone who continually lost elections for a county party was hoping to be put in charge of a state party?  What if I told you that same someone had problems raising money and maintaining the trust of the donors once he actually received the donations?  What if I also added that he squelched the grassroots by ignoring them and putting his own cronies in place to benefit himself and his buddies?  How about if I told you he couldn't then and still can't even manage his own personal finances, what would you say to that?

Enough with the ambiguity, I'll tell you who I'm talking about, if you haven't already figured it out: Jared Woodfill.  Jared is a nice enough person, but no amount of pleasantries and good personality is going to change my mind about his qualities and abilities to hold any kind of elected position.  EVER.  Unfortunately, he still has a following of sorts and those that support him seem to be completely blind to his inability to manage people and finances and win elections simply because of one thing; he's Pro-life.

Great, he's pro-life, and yes, it's a good, Biblical quality to have.  The Bible tells us we should not murder and in my opinion, abortion IS murder.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret, though.  The Bible also talks about paying debts, too.  Now, I know that generally speaking, we all have some debts; mortgages, credit cards, student loans, car notes, etc. and I'm not saying that having debt is evil or wrong.  There are, however, consequences for not paying those debts.

Let us not forget about Jared Woodfill’s $30 Million lawsuit gamble and tax problems.   Woodfill was sued in New York for defaulting on a nearly $30 million “questionably ethical” loan.  Not only that, but The Houston Business Journal and the Chronicle recently reported the IRS has placed a $40,000 lien on the Woodfill Law Firm for unpaid taxes.  If you're not a subscriber, you may not be able to read the link, but the information included is this:  
Name: Woodfill Law Firm PC, Address: 3131 Eastside St. Suite 450, City: Houston,State: TX, Zip: 77098, Amount: $40,214, Tax Type: (941), File Date: 2014-11-24, Rec Date: 2014-12-10, Rel Date: 0000-00-00.  You can Read the Chronicle article here.

In Romans 13:7 it says "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." 

When you don't pay for your car, the bank repossesses it.  When you don't pay your house note, the bank kicks you out of your house.  So why shouldn't there be consequences for those seeking elected positions?  If you've proven yourself a failure in an area that your position needs you to excel in, why would anyone want to put you in that position, pro-life or no?

State Republican Executive Committee to Select New State GOP Chair March 7th

This just in: Texas remains a red state!  After the November 2014 election, Republicans see victories all over the state!  Okay, well, maybe it's not as recent as I made it sound, but it's still a fact worth celebrating.  Think about who we have to thank for that victory?  Well, lots of devoted volunteers from around the state, that's who.  GOP County Chairmen are the immediate leaders of each county in Texas and their boss is our State Republican Party Chairman, Steve Munisteri.  Without a clear plan in place, our state party and each county party might not have done nearly as well in this last election, and I almost hate to do this, (almost), but I need to bring your attention back to my ground zero; Harris County.

In March 2014, Harris County elected a new county party chairman.  Jared was the ousted 12 year incumbent,  from the spot..  Although you'd think that someone who had been in the position for that long and kept getting re-elected MUST have been doing a great job, right?  WRONG!

Sadly now Steve Munisteri is resigning as our State Party Chairman after five great years of service to us.  We will miss him, but know he's going on to bigger, better things.  That leaves the position open and since his resignation comes before the next state convention, the job of electing a new chairman falls to the State Republican Executive Committee or SREC for short.  There are four candidates in the field, Robin Armstrong, former State Vice Chairman, and current National Republican Committeeman for Texas, Wade Emmert, current chairman for Dallas County GOP, Tom Mechler, current State Party Treasurer and of course, Jared Woodfill, the recently unseated Harris County GOP Chairman.

Let's take a look back at some of the highlights from Jared's tenure as Harris County GOP Chairman:

Jared Woodfill Led the Decline of Harris County Republican Dominance

• The Harris County Republican Party delivered Harris County for the Republicans in every presidential election from 1968-2004 and Gubernatorial elections from 1994-2006.

• With no county party organization and a lack of leadership from Woodfill, Obama and the Democrats won Harris County in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

For 12 Years Jared Woodfill Failed to Grow the Grassroots
• Over 600 of Harris County’s 1,064 precincts did not have a Republican Precinct Chair.

• 20 years ago Harris County had over 700 Republican precinct chairs. When Woodfill left office there are fewer than 460.

Jared Woodfill Lost the Trust of Grassroots Donors
• A review of Texas Ethics Commission documents show that in 2012, under Jared Woodfill’s leadership, the county Party spent $.78 of every dollar raised on consultants and paid campaign
advertisements with only $.01 going to grassroots activities.

Jared also mismanaged his own personal finances and The Houston Business Journal recently reported the IRS has placed a $40,000 lien on theWoodfill Law Firm for unpaid taxes.  Hmm...

Now, let me ask you if you think that this resume that I've shared qualifies Jared to be the state party chair?  Jared dutifully ignored the development of the grassroots, and pandered to a select few he surrounded himself with at the peril of the party.  He spent more money on high dollar consultants and he let the pay-to-play slates take over Harris County which allowed candidates for any and all offices to be chosen by a few top paid endorsers!   

We've come so far as a state, we cannot afford to let Jared take the helm and repeat what he did in Harris County to the State GOP.  The election will take place on March 7, 2015 at the next quarterly meeting of the SREC.  Let me tout some of Steve's record: From his resignation announcement:  
"It has been my honor to serve as RPT Chairman since June 2010 and oversee our party’s efforts during the last three election cycles. I am proud that by working together, we have had a net increase of 1,182 Republican officeholders during my time in office, representing an increase from 45% of all state officeholders to 67%. We have also set the all-time record for most number of elected Republican Texas State Representatives and Republican Texas Congressmen, as well as tying the record for most number of Republican State Senators.
At the same time, we paid off the party’s debt to $0 for the first time in 18 years and have remained debt free since November 2010 while bringing in over $22 million in revenue. This would not have been possible without the support of literally tens of thousands of grassroots activists and donors, for which I will be forever grateful."

Debt paid off to $0.  A net increase in Republican officeholders and an all-time record for most number of elected Republicans in the State House and State Senate.  Texas can't afford to go backwards.  The vote is scheduled for March 7th.  Contact your SREC representatives and let them know who you support.  Just say 'no' to failed leadership!