LIBERTY DALLAS » Dallas

A Major Victory for Texas

admin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:07:39 +0000

A Major Victory for Texas

I am pleased to report that last week we received notice that the Texas Department of Transportation will recommend the I-69 Project be developed using existing highway facilities instead of the proposed massive new Trans Texas Corridor/NAFTA Superhighway. According to the Texas Transportation Commissioner, consideration is no longer being given to new corridors and other proposals for a new highway footprint for this project. A major looming threat to property rights and national sovereignty is removed with this encouraging announcement.

Public outcry was cited as the main reason for this decision. I was very impressed to learn that the TxDOT received nearly 28,000 public comments on this matter, and that some 12,000 Texans attended the 47 public hearings held earlier this year. They could not ignore this tsunami of strong public opinion against the proposed plans. I was especially proud of how informed my constituents became on the subject, and how eloquently and respectfully they spoke and conducted themselves, considering how upsetting the plans were for our communities in Texas .

This is a major victory for the people of Texas , and a reminder of what we can accomplish with civic involvement. The informed and active citizen truly is a force to be reckoned with, as we have seen with the defeat of this proposal. We must keep fighting the good fight, and remain ever diligent against the encroachments of big government. We must do this if we wish to maintain our traditional standard of living in this country. As tempting as it may be to simply live our lives with no regard to government, apathy will inevitably be punished by ever more government intrusion. That is what this fight was all about. We can win if we stick together.

However, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. The bittersweet aspect of this victory is that we had to fight at all. We took time away from family and friends, doing other things, to attend these meetings, inform others, write letters, post signs and submit our complaints, and we should not have had to. Government should let us be, if we are peaceful citizens, harming no one. In a perfect world, government could be trusted to act in the best interests of the people without overwhelming pressure of this kind. This is not a perfect world. Constant pressure is needed to keep government in check, and we succeeded this time. But this will not be the last time citizen efforts and involvement will be required. We still face many unreasonable encroachments of big government today, from confiscatory, economy-strangling taxation to creeping disregard of the right of habeas corpus and other Constitutional rights, to thousands of nuisance bureaucratic regulations interfering with our every day lives. We have drifted far from what the founding fathers envisioned for this nation. Last week was just one victory towards getting back on the right path. We must continue to hold politicians’ feet to the Constitutional fire. If I had to guess, they will probably try to implement the NAFTA Superhighway again sometime in the future.

It is a never-ending battle, but it must be fought, and can be won. I am proud to stand with my constituents in this fight, and in the other fights we have ahead of us.

Thermometer 110 Degrees Fahrenheit! Heat Wave in DFW

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:28:26 +0000

Love this guys pictures… this is from a recent post on his blog, link on side.

Debra Medina is winning! The elite are freaking out!

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:22:20 +0000

Debra Medina is winning! She has risen from nowhere to have 24% of the vote in Texas! The elite are freaking out. The gatekeeper dogs have been sent to attack. There is nothing else than that and it is incredibly obvious. Support Debra Medina for TX Governor

Girls4RonPaul

thanks to markdice.com and WACAUSTIN for the clips.
Libertydallas.com
girls4ronpaul.com

GO VOTE!
http://www.medinafortexas.com/

Continued…from: Glenn Beck is Evil, Debra Medina is My Hero! PART 1 thanks to markdice.com and WACAUSTIN for the clips. Libertydallas.com girls4ronpaul.com GO VOTE!

Category: News & Politics

Opinion: Where We Stand

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:09:17 +0000

by Adrian Murray, Fort Worth 912 President on Feb 12, 2010

I was born in Dublin, Ireland 38 years after the 1916 Easter Rising in which a band of Irish patriots rose up against oppressive British rule of their country. After an initial success in taking over the Dublin General Post Office, the rebellion eventually failed. The leaders, heroes to the Irish people, were summarily executed.

When I was young my mother used to sing to me the Ballad of Kevin Barry, “just a lad of 18 summers who proudly held his head up high.” Despite worldwide protests, including a plea from the Pope, Kevin Barry was hanged by the British for refusing to tell the authorities the names of his accomplices. “Men like Barry will free Ireland” goes the song.

I had heard my mother tell the tales of her own mother who manned the barricades outside the General Post Office, bringing aid and comfort to the rebels who were fighting to free their nation. I always thought those stories were fanciful, that mom may have exaggerated the role that Granny O’Hagan had played in the uprising. It’s all true, she told me. She’s listed in the Book of Honor in the Museum of History in Dublin.

When Renee and I went to Ireland on our honeymoon in 2008 we visited the Museum of History. After sifting through some old, dusty archives we finally came across the Book of Honor. It listed all the names, written in their own hand, of the people who participated in the 1916 Rising, the battery they manned and the units they fought with during the rebellion. Although it was against the museum rules, I used my cell phone camera to take a picture of the page I was seeking. There, in clear and distinct cursive, was the name Annie O’Hagan. She was not yet 20 years old.

I have often thought of Annie O’Hagan, dead now over 30 years, in the days since I took that picture. What was she thinking when she manned that barricade, as British tanks rumbled through the streets of Dublin, firing their cannons point blank into the Post Office where the leaders of the rebellion, her friends, lay bleeding? What courage does it take, what commitment to freedom and country and cause must one summon at so dear an age to risk all for liberty. I wondered then and still wonder now whether I would ever have the resolve to face the bullet, to stand down the tank, to stand before the gallows.

For the past year we have struggled to cope with a government just as potentially threatening as that which Annie O’Hagan faced. No, we are not going to be summarily executed but we do face the uncertainty of never knowing what tyranny has in store for us. We face the great unknown of rule by elites. We have gone from Father Knows Best to Government Knows Best in the blink of an eye.

There arose among us in the past year someone who offered us hope, someone whose voice and vision registered with ours. Someone, we believed, who spoke for us and our values. She was running for office.

I first met her last May at the Old South Pancake House in Fort Worth, which for reasons beyond me is a favorite meeting and dining place for local politicos. She spoke for 40 minutes or so and although her delivery was not yet refined she spoke with a truth of conviction and belief that resonated. I said to Renee when we left that I agreed with everything she has to say. Too bad she doesn’t have a snowball’s chance of winning, I said.

As the months passed we followed her and her message sharpened and became more refined as she gained confidence that her ideas were resonating with the people. We marveled as the crowds coming to hear her swelled from 25 or 50 to 100 to 200 to 1,000 or more. We found great joy as her poll numbers moved from nothing to 4% to 8% to 12% to 24%. She could actually do this, we began to believe. She could actually win.

Unfortunately, others had the same belief: This woman, this upstart, might actually win. But for them the feeling was not one of joy, no sense of triumph for the common man. It was one of fear. This was not part of the script. So she was drawn into an ambush and attacked. One only has to remember the story of another Irish hero, Michael Collins, to understand exactly what went on that day. The royalty must be preserved, the bloodlines must go on, no matter the cost.

So an alleged populist hero sold his soul in a Faustian compact with the power elite. He must be so proud. Sadly, such things happen all the time and history is rife with false icons. Welcome to reality. But we must never forget, painful though the lessons might be, that true belief begins first with self. Believe first in what you know is right and let your own instinct be your guide.

What do we do? Give up? Run away? Support the power elite? I think Granny O’Hagan would look down at me from heaven with a disapproving scowl and remind me of the song of Kevin Barry, that lad of eighteen summers whose death did free Ireland. Kevin Barry, too, was a Republican.

In Mountjoy jail one Monday morning
High upon the gallows tree,
Kevin Barry gave his young life
For the cause of liberty.
Just a lad of eighteen summers,
Still there’s no one can deny,
As he walked to death that morning,
He proudly held his head on high.

If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the barricades surrounding Debra Medina.

Adrian Murray
President, Fort Worth 912 Project

Texas’ 30th Congressional District

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:10:29 +0000

February 8, 2010 In this MegaVote for Texas’ 30th Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor House: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act Upcoming Congressional Bills House: Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act House: Intelligence Authorization Act, FY2010
Recent Senate Votes
M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor – Vote Confirmed (60-37, 3 Not Voting) The Senate confirmed Patricia Smith to be the Labor Department’s solicitor, despite concerns that she gave contradictory statements during her confirmation hearing. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison voted Not Voting……send e-mail or see bio Sen. John Cornyn voted NO……send e-mail or see bio
Recent House Votes
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act – Vote Passed (233-187, 14 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would raise the federal debt limit to $13.029 trillion and enact pay-as-you-go budget enforcement rules aimed at cutting the government’s deficit. It now goes to the president for his signature. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson voted YES……send e-mail or see bio
Upcoming Votes
Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act – H.R.__ House is expected to vote on a bill that would lift the health insurance antitrust exemption. Intelligence Authorization Act, FY2010 – H.R.2701 The House is also likely to vote on the stalled fiscal 2010 intelligence authorization bill.

Prof Runs GOP Debate Focus Group on Campus: Sad Turnout

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:01:29 +0000

Prof Runs GOP Debate Focus Group on Campus

Since I’m a SMU grad and I’m very disappointed in these ratings. I expected students at my Alma mater to recognize true liberty… Debra Medina is the ONLY choice, and owned the other 2 in the debates! What’s going on since I left?

One of the dial tests used in Friday night’s debate focus group.

By Elisabeth Brubaker
ebrubake@smu.edu

SMU Professor Dr. Rita Kirk held a focus group in Umphrey Lee Friday night to study the Republican reaction to the Belo debate. Kirk recruited 30 Republicans- both first time and repeat voters to participate in the focus group during the GOP Debate.

Kirk has been doing research for over 20 years. CNN first hired Kirk for the debates during the presidential election primaries. This past weekend she brought her research back to the Hilltop only one day after going to Ohio to dial test the President’s State of the Union address.

The focus groups are used to “dial test” a particular speech or event. Each participant is given a dial to record their perceptions of the candidates (or the President) at any moment throughout the speech or debate.

Kirk loves analyzing the data afterwards. During the candidates’ closing statements Kirk was able to see who did the best overall. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison had the highest rating with 73 out of 100. Governor Rick Perry got a 67 and Debra Medina got a 63.

Some participants offered their opinions of the dial testing and candidates after the debate. Watch the videos for their reactions.

(Editor’s note: Elisabeth Brubaker is a student assistant for Dr. Kirk’s research study.)

One participant said this about the “jeopardy” portion of the debate:

Another participant discussed how she reads the candidates.

Rick Perry Pulls Out Of “Value Voters” Straw Poll (huffingtonpost.com)
Prof Runs GOP Debate Focus Group on Campus (smudailymustang.com)

Old Guard Caught Off Guard

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:53:05 +0000

In Texas, Relative Unknown Medina Shakes Up Race With Perry and Hutchison

By LESLIE EATON

DALLAS—An obscure candidate with backing from the “tea party” movement threatens to deny a decisive victory to either Texas Gov. Rick Perry or Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the battle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Texas.

Little-known Debra Medina made a splash two weeks ago in a televised debate. She criticized the governor for “painting a rosy picture that doesn’t exist” about the Texas economy and said her rivals’ “squabbling isn’t getting us anywhere.”

Mrs. Medina “stole the show,” said Harvey Kronberg, longtime editor of the Quorum Report newsletter in Austin.

Associated Press

Debra Medina

On Friday night, Mrs. Medina will try to prove that her debate showing was no fluke.

A nurse and former Republican Party leader in Wharton County, in south Texas, Mrs. Medina is running on a platform of small government, states’ rights, and the elimination of property taxes and gun-registration laws.

While she appeals to many of the same primary voters as Mr. Perry, she has been trying to tap into Texans‘ anti-incumbent fervor. Mr. Perry has been governor since 2000 and is seeking a third full term; Ms. Hutchison has served in Washington since 1993.

The winner of the March 2 primary is likely to face Bill White, the Democratic former mayor of Houston, in November.

A Rasmussen Reports poll of 831 likely Republican voters, taken three days after the Jan. 14 debate, gave Mrs. Medina 12% support, a jump from the 4% or so she had in earlier surveys. She appeared to have drawn new backing from undecided voters as well as from the Perry and Hutchison camps.

To be sure, Mrs. Medina remained far below Mr. Perry’s 43% and Ms. Hutchison’s 33% voter backing.

And though she has raised $100,000 since the Jan. 14 debate, according to her staff, bringing her total to more than $360,000, the establishment candidates have raised millions of dollars and have already started funding ad campaigns.

They also outpace her on the endorsement front. Sarah Palin is slated to campaign for Mr. Perry in Houston on Feb. 7, and last week former President George H.W. Bush came out for Ms. Hutchison.

Mrs. Medina said her goal was to win the primary, and that victory wasn’t out of reach. “I believe we are fighting the very same battle the Founding Fathers fought,” she said.

View Full Image

Associated Press

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison last week

Her current level of support wouldn’t be enough to win her a place on the November ballot, but it could keep the other candidates from receiving the 51% of the vote needed to avoid an April runoff.

“As long as Medina is in double figures, you have to figure that a runoff is pretty imminent,” said James R. Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, a program at the University of Texas in Austin that does nonpartisan polling and research.

Spokeswomen for the Perry and Hutchison campaigns predicted their candidates would win outright on March 2.

Mrs. Medina is critical of both Mr. Perry and Ms. Hutchison, calling them “two sides of the same coin.” But she has reserved some of her sharpest jabs for the governor, whom she described in an interview as the “jumpy, fidgety frat boy sitting on stage with me two weeks ago.”

In response to Mrs. Medina’s remark, Catherine Frazier, a spokesman for the governor, said: “Under Gov. Perry’s leadership, Texas is the strongest state in the nation. If that is what she thinks about where Texas is headed, that’s unfortunate.”

Dr. Henson of the Texas Politics Project was among the political mavens who thought Mr. Perry would prevail in a runoff, because he was most likely to capture Mrs. Medina’s voters.

But others thought Ms. Hutchison would benefit from the extra campaign time a runoff would afford and from Mrs. Medina’s attacks on the governor, which the senator encouraged during the first debate.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more fire coming in from Gov. Perry in the direction of Debra Medina,” said Ken Emanuelson, a leader of the tea-party movement in Dallas, which worked to ensure that she was included in both debates.

The showdown in Texas GOP governor’s primary (tech.bl0x.info)
Texas GOP gov candidates clash over taxes, jobs (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Perry Leads Hutchison by Double Digits (politicalwire.com)
Perry Rakes in the Money (politicalwire.com)