TRUNK LINE FRESNO COUNTY & CITY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED Affiliated with the California & National Federated Republican Women THE LARGEST ALL WOMEN’S VOLUNTEER POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES
+,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,+ Cheryl Storer, President, 559-325-1525, storer77@gmail.com FEBRUARY 2014 Judy Harlan, Membership Secretary, 559-431-9631, harlan.j@comcast.net Roberta Genini, Editor 559-435-7667, r_genini@yahoo.com
Edition XV, Number 2
Visit us on the web at www.fresnorepublicanwomen.org
Join us for the February luncheon ! Featured guest speaker:
California Republican Party Chairman
JIM BRULTE
“The Future of the California Republican Party” Thursday, February 27, 2014 Ramada Inn University(Shaw Avenue & Freeway 41) Room Shaw A
MENU: Turkey Avocado Croissant Sandwich with Potato Salad and Dessert Check-in starts at 11:30 a.m. with lunch served at 12 Noon. All attendees must register for the luncheon. Luncheon costs $18. Vegan/dairy-free or gluten free options are available if requested at the time of reservation. Payment accepted at the door with reservations. (Please make checks out ahead to FCCRWF for luncheon and dues.) Or pay online at www.fresnorepublicanwomen.org. For more information, or to make a reservation by phone, call Una Freitas at (559) 224-3720 or email resnorepublicanwomen@reagan.com Please reserve by Tuesday, February 25. Cancellations will be accepted until 24 hours before the luncheon.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I am convinced that if the Republican Party is going to survive it will do so because members of the Republican Women Federated are doing the work needed to keep the message of “Liberty for All” alive. There are so many reasons to be a member, for example, monthly meetings with great speakers to keep us informed. And your membership supports the Youth Government Forum (this year’s forum will be the twelfth FCCRWF has organized.) On March 7 it will bring 50-eighth grade students to the Fresno County Hall of Records for a full day of workshops on federal, state and local government, followed by a trip to Sacramento to visit the Capitol and California Highway Patrol on March 11. As a member, you are invited to participate at the monthly Book Club discussions, Movie Club events the first ever NFRW “Campaign School” here in Fresno on Saturday, March 1. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ramada. The cost is $75 per person, $80 after February 21, which includes box lunch and course manual. Local candidates and campaign managers will benefit especially from NFRW’s acclaimed training. The March 1 Fresno session is taught by Holly Roubichaud, nationally recognized GOP political strategist Holly Roubichaud GOP political strategist. You can still sign up for Campaign School by going to our website www.fresnorepublicanwomen.org to make reservations. FCCRWF’s number one goal is to help more Republicans get elected. Please come to FCCRWF’s monthly meetings, where you will have the opportunity to meet all of these candidates! Thank you for your support, and I hope to see you February 27 at the FCCRWF luncheon meeting! Cheryl Storer, President
Look for the ladies offering opportunity drawing tickets at the FCCRWF February luncheon! Celebrate Our American Presidents with patriotic jewelry for sale at the luncheon!
CARING for AMERICA By Mary Heredia, Caring for America Chairman
At the February luncheon, FCCRWF will gratefully receive your tax deductible monetary contributions to Evangel Home, http://www.evangelhome.org/ Evangel Home has been serving homeless women and children since 1955. Your contribution by check made out to Evangel Home will serve as your receipt. When donating to Evangel Home you may rest assured that your contribution is used in the most direct way to help needy women and their families in our local community.
FCCRWF Wants to Cast a Ray of Sunshine Through the Wintry Haze By Connie Silva, Sunshine Committee
Do you know of a member who has had a recent bereavement, an illness, or who could just use a kind word of encouragement? Please let me know at (559) 276-2386 or email me at muffin-gal@comcast.net Do not forget to inform me of contact information for the person who might appreciate a card or other greeting from FCCRWF.
Local Republican Congressmen Snubbed by Obama in Fresno Visit Their press release of Feb. 14, 2014, following, expresses the dismayed reaction of Reps. David Valadao, Devin Nunes, and Kevin McCarthy to the ongoing lack of presidential leadership to end the water crisis, in spite of the Presidential visit to Fresno. These Republican Valley leaders were aced out of any opportunity to show the President their concerns in person during his visit: No Valley Republican Congressmen were invited to join the President in his short tour of the areas affected by drought. “The President missed a prime opportunity today,” said Rep. Valadao. “As farmers, farm workers and communities in the San Joaquin Valley suffer, this Administration has chosen handouts and a climate change lecture over real solutions. We feed the world and all we ask for is a reliable, clean water supply. I will remind the President that my constituents are part of the environment too, and the lack of a long-term solution could spell economic and social destruction for the Central Valley.” “To blame the California water crisis on global warming is ludicrous,” Rep. Nunes said. “The state has an incredible irrigation system designed to supply water through five years of drought. But as a result of excessive regulations and lawsuits by environmental extremists, we cannot fully use this system, and billions of gallons of water have been flushed into the ocean that could have supplied drought-stricken farmers and communities. Invoking global warming shows ignorance of California’s irrigation system and of basic math and engineering. President Obama could have taken the lead in solving this crisis, but he is apparently more concerned with placating his radical environmentalist allies.” “The President’s decision to use his visit to California as an opportunity to launch a massive spending initiative to explore the impacts of climate change will simply leave California Central Valley communities dry,” said Rep. McCarthy. “Unfortunately, nothing the President proposed today changes the underlying issue that our communities are not receiving the water they have contracted and paid for; thus exacerbating the impacts of the current and future droughts. House Republicans on the other hand are continuing to work to find a bipartisan, bicameral solution to ensure our communities are not crippled by future droughts. We look forward to coming together with the Senate to find areas of common ground and common sense to finally achieve a solution that allows desperately needed water to flow in our state.”
SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT on Linda Dubbels By Roberta Genini, Editor
Linda Dubbels was born and raised in Fresno, graduated from Fresno State and pursued a career in public elementary education that lasted 38 years. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as the daughter of a ninety-five year old mother. After retiring from teaching five years ago she began to wonder: “What do I do now?” She found herself volunteering at the Meux Home Museum and continues to do so. This fascinating contribution to the community has allowed Linda to participate in displays and tours of what she calls a “truly historic local treasure.” Finding that retirement afforded her time to pay attention to politics, she attended a Tea Party meeting—and learned not only to pay attention, but also to start participating. Next she attended an FCCRWF luncheon. She comments, “I got to know some wonderful, dedicated ladies.” This year, she is serving as chair of the Government Youth Forum. “I feel grateful to be mentored by a group of knowledgeable ladies from the Education Committee,” says Linda. She remarks on the Youth Government project: “This wonderful two-day forum allows local eighth graders a very special opportunity to interact with elected officials and have a meaningful chance to participate in and have a better understanding of our government.”
DO YOU KNOW? Education Committee
. . . that you can find information on the General Plan for Fresno—including the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)—by going to www.co.fresno.ca.us? Under “Government” scroll down to “General Plan”. We need to know more about this plan before another item comes up for discussion and decision. . . . that Sharon Gerardi led a lively discussion at the February 13 FCCRWF Read to Know Book Club? The topic was Paul Johnson’s biography of Winston Churchill entitled, simply, Churchill. The March selection is Mexifornia: A State of Becoming, by Victor Davis Hanson. All women are invited to read the book, save the date (March 13) and come to the home of Adair Murphy at 10 a.m. to share your thoughts about its contents. For details, please call Adair at (559) 439-7094. . . . that the children’s books which many of you donated at Christmastime were taken to the Nelson Elementary School library in Pinedale on February 14 by members of the Education Committee? Making the delivery were Paula Guzman, Chairman, Nancy Enloe, MaryAnn Dews and Adair Murphy. Nancy also donated enough dictionaries for one fourth grade classroom, and MaryAnn instructed the students in their use.
Author Victor Davis
Thank you, President Washington, for Refusing a Crown By Roberta Genini, Editor
I was surprised to learn that Monday, February 17 (as it falls this year) is not officially called Presidents Day. As a federal holiday it is in fact called Washington’s Birthday, albeit not celebrated on his actual birthday, February 22, due to Congressional action in the early 1970’s to move some federal holidays to the Monday nearest the holiday. The prevalence of the term Presidents Day, according to Wikipedia, came from advertisers who felt that this designation lent itself to planning sales around the Monday holidays in February originally intended to honor Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Ronald Reagan’s birthday is February 6, which may have influenced the shift to the generic “Presidents Day” designation. The status of Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays as holidays is, at best, in a state of confusion right now. I sincerely hope Americans regain the rightful focus of these day on the virtues and glories of these two great presidents. George Washington refused both a crown and the title “your highness”, termed himself out after serving nearly eight years, and set the gold standard for the modest citizen president. As some commentators have noted this month, he no doubt would be appalled at the power grab indulged in by President Barack Obama, who makes up the rules as he goes along, apparently considering the Constitutional separation of powers a mere suggestion. Indeed, the amusingly titled Affordable Care Act (neither offering affordable care nor treated by the President as what it is, an act of Congress) is starting to look like the ax in the old joke about George Washington’s hatchet of cherry tree chopping fame: The original item, but with 3 new handles and 2 new heads. George Washington is honored by the careful preservation of his Mount Vernon home, a monument that, thankfully, receives no federal or state funding, and shows it! I highly recommend that everyone who can do so visit Mount Vernon and take the opportunity to marvel at what private foundation funding can accomplish, as my husband and I did a few years ago. In fact, Mount Vernon has refused to take a dime of government funding since opening to the public in 1860. It can and does stay open 365 days a year without any governmental restrictions or interference. Incredibly, it is reported by its fundraising foundation that during the October 2013 government shutdown the National Park Service placed barricades in the visitors’ parking lots at Mount Vernon in the embarrassing assumption that the site was a government monument. They had to be told by docents to remove the barricades!
Help Wanted: Volunteer responsible for selling Republican jewelry at FCCRWF luncheon meetings. Retail sales experience would be helpful.
IN MEMORIAM Delores Howell
December 24, 1927 – January 8, 2014
If interested please contact Jessie Robb, Ways and Means Chairperson, at (559) 284-0913 or jessierobb@comcast.net
Politichicks? - You Will Want to Check This Out! At http://politichicks.tv/ you will find a treasure trove of conservative information. Recently, contributors to the Politichicks website visited a Fresno area Tea Party gathering where local Republican Women enjoyed meeting them.
From L to R, Ann-Marie Murrell, Edie Kassabian, Morgan Brittany, Dr. Gina Loudon, Yvonne Eytchison, Cheryl Storer, and Sandra Lakeman
February is Black History Month With thanks to Lorin Meeks-Harris and Carl Burton
If it were not for the Republican Party there would be no Black History month. In 1862 at the urging of Republican Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Washington, D.C. Emancipation Act written by Senator Wilson that freed the slaves in the District of Columbia. Every Democrat in Congress voted against it. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln, in his opening remarks at the Republican National Convention, called upon the delegates to produce an amendment to the Constitution to positively prohibit African slavery in the United States. Abolishing slavery became part of the Republican Party convention platform. In 1865 all 86 Congressional Republicans voted in favor of passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Only 15 Congressional Democrats voted in favor and 50 Congressional Democrats voted to oppose passage. In 1866 the first Civil Rights Act was passed by a Republican Congress. For the first time, “all persons born in the United States (except Indians not taxed)” were citizens and were given full and equal benefit of all laws. In 1868 it was Republicans in Congress who passed the 14th Amendment with opposition coming from Democrats and their allies. Four principles were asserted in the text of the 14th amendment. They were: 1. State and federal citizenship for all persons regardless of race, both born and naturalized in the United States, was reaffirmed. 2. No state would be allowed to abridge the “privileges and immunities” of citizens. 3. No person was allowed to be deprived of life, liberty, or property without “due process of law.” 4. No person could be denied “equal protection of the laws.” In 1976 President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the toooften neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. Since then each American president has issued a Black History Month proclamation in the month of February. All Americans now recognize the importance of black history in the drama of the American story of life and liberty for all. Also, let us remember it was the Republican Party who was the in the forefront of this transition. The Republican Party will do well to guide its future by these words of President Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address: “…we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
ACTION ITEMS
for FEBRUARY
With thanks to “Capitol Update”, Feb. 14, Allison Olson, CFRW Advocate
SB 1 (Steinberg, D) would create Sustainable Community Investment Authorities, with no voter oversight or approval, in effect repackaging redevelopment agencies with the power of eminent domain for the creation of small, walkable transit communities with focus on clean energy manufacturing sites. SB 1 only needs one more senate vote to pass to Governor Brown’s desk. Please continue to call your senators and ask them to VOTE NO on SB 1! Silly Bills Last week, Senator Bill Monning (D) introduced legislation that would require soda and other sugary drinks to include a label on their packaging that warns of sugar leading to tooth decay, diabetes and obesity. The current language of SB 1000 states the label would apply to beverages containing over 75 calories of sugar per 12 ounce serving. Monning admits that the support for a tax on these beverages “isn’t there,” but failed to mention the potential loss of California beverage manufacturing companies if they do not comply with altering their labels. Another bill to watch is SB 837 (Steinberg, D), which would create universal transitional kindergarten for California. These transitional kindergartens would bring 4-year-olds to school a year before they begin kindergarten. This would only expand union memberships for the already extremely powerful teachers unions and put children in increasingly liberal public schools, to begin indoctrinating our children at younger ages. Studies have shown that students do perform better in the first year or so, having gone through transitional kindergartens first, but there is no difference in performance for students in later grades whether or not they attended transitional kindergartens. What California needs is more efficient funding to California schools and more local control, not more union members to contribute to the billions of dollars in unfunded public pension liabilities! The CFRW is following these bills and will have official positions shortly. Please stay tuned!
STUDENTS IMMERSED IN READING Nancy Enloe and Paula Guzman enjoy the students' reaction to FCCRWF's book donations.
WITH STUDENTS AT NELSON ELEMENTARY Paula Guzman and MaryAnn Dews chat with Nelson Elementary students.
CALENDAR
PLEASE MAKE PLANS! February
March
April
May
June November
10 through March 7 - Candidate filing period. ............. This is extended to March 12 for races where ............. incumbent is not running for re-election. 27 ......... FCCRWF Luncheon Meeting @ Ramada 6 ........... FCCRWF Board of Directors Meeting 7 ........... Youth Government Forum at Hall of Records 11 ......... Youth Government Bus Trip to Sacramento 13 ......... FCCRWF Book Club, “Read to Know” 27 ......... FCCRWF Luncheon Meeting @ Ramada 3 ........... FCCRWF Board of Directors Meeting 10 ......... FCCRWF Book Club, “Read to Know” 14 ......... FCCRWF Education Committee Meeting 24 ......... FCCRWF Luncheon Meeting 1 ........... FCCRWF Board of Directors Meeting 5 ........... First day to vote by mail (former absentee). ............. This is also the day most vote-by-mail ballots are mailed. 19 ......... Last day to register to vote for June 3 Primary 27 ......... Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot by mail. 3 ........... Primary Election Day in California 4 ........... General Election Day in the U.S.
“The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m president of the United States of America.” - Senator Barack Obama, March 31, 2008
+,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,+ FRESNO COUNTY & CITY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED 1486 W. Menlo • Fresno, CA • 93711
CFRW Central Division 1st Place Newsletter-- 2008 & 2009, Large Clubs
+,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,++,+ Inside This Issue . . . NFRW Campaign School Comes to Fresno March 1! Youth Government Forum Will Enlighten Eighth Graders. Water Follies and a Presidential Visit. Start Setting Your Sights on June and November Elections! Celebrate Black History Month. Is Agenda 21 in Fresno’s Future?
Fresno County and City Republican Women Federated Membership Application
Name_______________________________________________Date_________ Mailing Address____________________________________________________ City&State_____________________________________________Zip________ E-MAIL______________________________________Phone________________ (Please print e-mail clearly and notify us of changes. This is our preferred communication.)
Make check payable to FCCRWF Dues: $30.00 active member $15.00 associate member
Active membership is for all women with FCCRWF as their primary membership. Associate membership is for women with other Republican Women memberships, and men. Associate women please specify your other current active membership_______________
Who referred you to us?_________________________________________________ For more information, please visit our website at www.fresnorepublicanwomen.org or email us at www.fresnorepublicanwomen@reagan.com Mail completed application and check payable to FCCRWF to: FCCRWF Membership Secretary PO Box 27590 Fresno, CA 93729-7590