June 2015

www.Bar-W.org a TFRW Award-Winning Newsletter!

CAN WE DO THIS?

� President’s Corner � Kaci Poindexter

A n informative and engaging evening with our Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on June 8th! Guest

Speaker Sid Miller joins Bar-W to discuss his first months in office. Commissioner Miller's topics will be "Amnesty for Cupcakes, EPA Intrusion & Climate 'Science'". Bring a friend and join us at 6:30PM, Monday, June 8th!

Bar-W 1st VP Programs,

Linda Bartle presents Guest

Speaker Chris Byrd the

book “Trust Betrayed” for

his signature and later

donation to Bulverde/Spring

Branch Library.

See pages 6 & 7 for article and pictures of

the May meeting.

As you watch the news, read articles,

and listen to commentary concerning our nation’s political situation and understand the

ramifications of progressive, liberal decisions and policies, are you concerned? Are you angry, distraught, or alarmed? Does it propel you to action or do you turn away and turn it off? Or does what goes on in government leave you blasé, calm, or unmoved? If you are like most people, it depends on the day, and on the topic. There are those in this country, at all levels of our society, who have convinced themselves government actions don’t affect them. They are too busy living their lives, and they don’t see that anything someone does in Washington or Austin or locally impacts them enough to bother with the effort it takes to ‘do something’. Bar-W members and others in our community who are engaged and informed obviously aren’t in this category of people. But by ourselves, we aren’t enough to put and keep our nation, state, and local governments on the right (i.e., conservative) track. We need help. How, then, do we add one more thing to the myriad list of things we do now to advance our conservative values? One way is to connect. Connect with other people; people who have chosen to either turn away because of anger or a feeling that it’s someone else’s issue, not theirs. When you can truly understand another’s situation and feelings, and empathize to the point where you ‘get it’, you have connection. Then and only then can you use the tools you have as a Bar-W member to inform and educate. Then you can convince someone to change their mind or act when inaction may be their norm. You can show them that they truly do have the power to make a difference in government and they, too, have the POWER OF ONE: one person, one voice, one vote. Together we can do this: take back our nation and keep our state marching to conservative values. Let’s get out there and connect!

Working to Keep Texas Red, Kaci

JOIN BAR-W ON MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015

President .................................... Kaci Poindexter, 210-573-8274 1st VP-Programs ....................... Linda Bartle, 951-609-6189 2nd VP-Membership ................... Cindy Payne, 210-275-4593 3rd VP-Campaign Activities ....... Geri Ray, 703-300-7856 PAC Treasurer ........................... Gloria Hawkins, 830-832-2603 Recording Secretary .................. Fran Carlson, 714-296-5203 Parliamentarian .......................... Terry Rogers, 210-275-2252 Achievement Awards ................ Renita Rabozzi, 830-980-5366 Boutique .................................... Patty Avery, 978-790-4771 Caring For America ................... Linda Bartle, 951-609-6189 Chaplain .................................... Diane Zornow, 830-438-4368 Community Presence Initiative . Kaci Poindexter, 210-573-8274 Directory ................................... Hazel Roman, 830-438-4837 Fundraising ................................ Gloria Hawkins, 830-832-2603

Historian.................................... Marta Dolan, 210-413-2619 Hospitality ................................. Krista Dalton, 830-885-2216 Legislative ................................. Open Seat Literacy ..................................... Fran Carlson, 714-296-5203 Military Liaison ........................ Open Seat Newsletter/The Bugle ............... Open Seat Publicity .................................... Nancy Lewis, 210-204-0844 Senior Americans ...................... Open Seat Teenage Republican Liaison ..... Sandy Hancock, 210-288-1326 Telephone.................................. Rhonda Geiwitz, 210-860-2482 Website ..................................... Caryn Maus, 830-899-2901 Women’s Fitness ....................... Jan Tilley, 830-438-8891

* * * * * * * * * * * TFRW Deputy President - Region IX: Jennifer Lambert TFRW District Director - Senate District 25: Becky Edler

2015 Officers and Committee Chairmen Please contact President Kaci Poindexter at 210-573-8274 to serve as a Committee Chairman on the Board of Directors.

We need YOU! Please contact the Committee Chairman if you would like to serve on a Committee.

page 2

J uly 16, 1987, began with a light breeze, a cloudless sky, and a spirit of celebration. On that day, two hundred senators and representatives boarded a special train for a journey to Philadelphia to celebrate a singular congressional anniversary. Exactly two hundred years earlier, the framers of the U.S. Constitution, meeting at Independence Hall, had reached a supremely important agreement. Their so-called Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise in honor of its architects, Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth) provided a dual system of congressional representation. In the House of Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population. In the Senate, all states would have the same number of seats. Today, we take this arrangement for granted; in the wilting-hot summer of 1787, it was a new idea. In the weeks before July 16, 1787, the framers had made several important decisions about the Senate’s structure. They turned aside a proposal to have the House of Representatives elect senators from lists submitted by the individual state legislatures and agreed that those legislatures should elect their own senators.

By July 16, the convention had already set the minimum age for senators at thirty and the term length at six years, as opposed to twenty-five for House members, with two-year terms. James Madison explained that these distinctions, based on “the nature of the senatorial trust, which requires greater extent of information and stability of character,” would allow the Senate “to proceed with more coolness, with more system, and with more wisdom than the popular[ly elected] branch.” The issue of representation, however, threatened to destroy the seven-week-old convention. Delegates from the large states believed that because their states contributed proportionally more to the nation’s financial and defensive resources, they should enjoy proportionally greater representation in the Senate as well as in the House. Small-state delegates demanded, with comparable intensity, that all states be equally represented in both houses. When Sherman proposed the compromise, Benjamin Franklin agreed that each state should have an equal vote in the Senate in all matters—except those involving money. Over the Fourth of July holiday, delegates worked out a compromise plan that sidetracked Franklin’s proposal. On July 16, the convention adopted the Great Compromise by a heart-stopping margin of one vote. As the 1987 celebrants duly noted, without that vote, there would likely have been no Constitution. Source: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/A_Great_Compromise.htm

THE POWER OF ONE PERSON WITH ONE VOTE

CHAPLAIN’S CHAT By: Diane Zornow, Chaplain

AMERICA IN DANGER... "B e sober; be vigilant;

because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1Peter5:8NKJ Apathy blinds our vision to the enemy's plan to kill, steal and destroy. This applies not only to your spiritual walk but also to our spiritual heritage of America. Our culture is being destroyed by the enemy. You see it in our laws that legalize the murder of babies, fully-formed, in the womb. You see it in the destruction of the traditional family by the recognition of same-sex "marriage". You see it when the courts refuse to use the Constitution as their guide to decide cases instead using precedents or foreign law cases to render

decisions. Where does it stop? Christians are being murdered overseas daily by men and women who believe that Christians are infidels. At what point do you stand up and fight back? When is it enough that you take action? Why are we shrugging our shoulders when we should be flexing our muscles? The enemy is at our door and devouring America! What can you do? Pray, contact your elected representatives, vote, stand up, and let your voice be heard locally as well as nationally. Take back America and our freedom to worship Jesus and to speak the truth of the Word of God in our churches and public life. Take a stand...let your voice be heard...in heaven and on earth!

page 3

HAVE YOU TURNED IN YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS?

V olunteer hours are a tangible representation of the influence Republican Women’s Clubs have in electing Republican candidates. Every hour we spend working for a candidate, to include block walking, handing out signs, making phone calls, etc., count as volunteer hours. The time we spend planning and attending fundraisers, campaign rallies, candidate forums, leadership and special events count as volunteer hours, if the intent of those events are to elect Republican candidates and further the Republican platform. Volunteer hours are counted if we

work in the Republican Party Headquarters, or get training as Poll Watchers, Election Judges,

and Election Clerks. You may not count the hours you spend at our Bar-W meetings, but you can count and report the time it takes to prepare for (e.g., baking for a meeting) and travel to and from

the meetings. For more information on what

counts and doesn’t count, please get in touch with 3rd VP Campaign Activities Chairman Geri Ray at barwinfo@bar-w.org and report those hours!

Birthdays

Garrison Maurer .......................................... 1 Vickie Ammann ........................................ 10 Betty Kight ................................................ 11 Linden Sisk ............................................... 13 Angela Goral ............................................. 14 Doug Miller ............................................... 14 Dale Wilken .............................................. 14 Tony White ............................................... 15 Judy Wilken .............................................. 15 Fredna Barg ............................................... 19 Colette McDermott .................................... 19 Nan Dillard ................................................ 23 Valarie Gatti .............................................. 23 Linda Hanan .............................................. 27 Judy Krup .................................................. 27 Riddle Steddum ......................................... 29 Sherry Humphreys .................................... 30 Don Hensz ................................................. 31

Wedding Anniversaries Audrey & Mark Cheatum ....................... 1-__ Sherry & Travis Humphreys .................. 1-01 Fredna & Fred Barg ............................... 3-__ Nancy & Weston Lewis ......................... 3-93 Judy & Gary Charlton .......................... 15-03 Teri & Nathan Dawson ........................ 15-11 Cynthia & Stephen Smith ..................... 16-78 Jen & Michael Crownover ................... 17-99 Cathy & Tom Talcott ........................... 18-__ Nan & Mike Dillard ............................. 18-65 Judy & Dale Wilken ............................. 20-77 Denise & Jim Kern ............................... 20-79 Deb & Fred Wall .................................. 24-78 Erika & John Sykes .............................. 26-97 Michael & Edward Pryor ................... -28-__

�

Our Sympathy to

Janie Goliszewski on the loss of her Mother

and to

Kathleen Stephens on the loss of her Father

�

If you know of a Bar-W member

who would benefit from receiving

a special event, get-well

or sympathy card, please contact:

BarWinfo@Bar-W.org

page 4

HONORARY SENATE PAGE AT THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL By: Grady Payne, Bar-W Affiliate Member

L ast month I served as an Honorary Senate Page at the Texas State Capitol. I applied for the program through the office of my State Senator, Dr. Donna Campbell. Senate Pages report to the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms and work alongside Senate Messengers. During my morning shift as a Senate Page, I made deliveries to Senate offices and worked the Senate Floor delivering documents to the Senators’ desks. My favorite part was meeting and talking with Senator Donna Campbell.

To participate as a Senate Page, you must be between six and

eighteen years of age. And all Senate Pages must dress in business attire, which includes a coat and tie for gentlemen. The Texas State House of Representatives also offers an Honorary Page program. Two years ago, during the 83rd Legislative Session, I

served as an Honorary Page through the office of Representative Lyle Larson. During my morning shift on the House Floor, I listened to debate on STAAR testing, watched the huge boards light up and ring as votes were taken, and gaveled the

passage of a resolution. The House Floor is a much noisier and busier place than the Senate Floor!

On the Senate Floor with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and State Senator Donna Campbell. Grady is a Bar-W Affiliate Member. Affiliate Membership is available to boys and girls thirteen to seventeen years old.

BAR-W BOUTIQUE AT WORK IN THE COMMUNITY – AGAIN!

By: Patty Avery, Boutique Chair

B ar-W recently participated in two of our local community events, the Bulverde Spring Chicken Festival and the Bulverde/Spring Branch Chamber of Commerce Spring Market Day. We had lots of people stop by our booth not just for some shopping, but to talk politics with our Bar-W President and the numerous other Bar-W members and volunteers who came out to

help. During Spring Market Day, two new members joined Bar-W! Thank you to all who participated in the events, and to those who helped with the set up and breakdown of our booth. Please remember that the

Boutique has some great new items for purchase and we are showcasing our new Bar-W monogrammed shirts! We have a couple of the shirts on hand and can also order one just your

size. Come by and see us at the next meeting!

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

(as of go-to-press time) Glenn Breitung Lyn Jones Dale Jones Beth Moore Linda Wieland Billie Wieland Shirley Wilcox Ted Wilcox Pam Yarnold Roy Yarnold Millie Young Rodney Young

page 5

I n 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial

Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. 273 fallen law enforcement heroes

were added to the Memorial year in 2015, sixteen of whom were from Texas. On May 12th, Bulverde Police Department conducted a ceremony to honor those officers and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Bar-W expressed our appreciation of local law enforcement officers and staff

by attending the ceremony and presenting a certificate of appreciation and a basket of treats to the officers. The moving ceremony was well attended by Bar-W members, along with the Bulverde Mayor, members of the Bulverde City Council, and families of Bulverde Police.

COMMUNITY PRESENCE INITIATIVE By: Linda Bartle, Committee Member

“In 1973, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS, its practitioners and the important work they do in responding to medical emergencies. Back then,

EMS was a fledgling profession and EMS practitioners were only beginning to be recognized as a critical component of emergency medicine and the public health safety net. A lot has changed over the last four decades. EMS is now firmly established as a key component of the medical care continuum, and the important role of

EMS practitioners in saving lives from sudden cardiac arrest and trauma; in getting people to the hospitals best equipped to treat heart attacks and strokes; and in showing caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments.” Source: https://www.naemt.org/ems_agencies_audience/ems-week/celebrate-ems-week On May 19th, Bar-W presented a certificate of appreciation to the Bulverde/Spring Branch EMS along with two baskets packed with treats. In attendance were President Kaci Poindexter, 1st VP Programs Linda Bartle, and Bar-W Members Judy Millspaugh, Gwen Pain, and Lindy Sisk.

page 6 FIGHTING MILITANT ISLAM AND JUDICIAL JIHAD IN TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES By: Nancy Lewis, Publicity Chairman

B efore a crowd of 110 Bar-W members and guests gathered at the GVTC Auditorium on the evening of May 11, 2015, attorney J. Christopher Byrd delivered a gripping presentation on the topic of American Law for American Courts (ALAC). Attorney Byrd is currently advocating for the Texas State Legislature to pass constitutionally sound legislation requiring that Texas courts adhere to US law when deciding family law cases. Mr. Byrd, who is currently a trial lawyer, brings a varied background to his role of advocate for the ALAC legislation. In addition to his JD, he has earned a Master’s in Business Administration, is a CPA, a former judge, a former national bank examiner and was a risk manager for Diamond Shamrock Corporation. In practicing trial law, Byrd is in a position to observe and be very disturbed by the encroachment of Sharia Law into the American court system, and he believes this encroachment is the single greatest attack on our freedoms as Americans.

According to Mr. Byrd, our country has been at war with Islam from the day the Thirteen Colonies first won their freedom from England in 1786 until now. And while we are all acutely aware of the threat of Islamic terrorism in the Middle East and undoubtedly are concerned about the potential for violent attacks within our borders, it is likely few of us know of the threat posed by judicial jihad through the insidious advancement of Sharia Law in the U.S. The word “Islam” means

submission. It should therefore be no surprise that under Sharia Law, every aspect of the individual’s life is governed by

the Islamic version of theocracy. According to Byrd, one goal of Militant Islam in the U.S. is to force trial courts (and subsequently appellate courts), to choose between Sharia Law or U.S. Constitutional Law in deciding (mostly) family law cases involving Muslim. Although trial courts do not establish precedents which can affect future legal decisions, appellate courts do, and so far there have been over 146 appellate cases

from 32 states in which courts have granted substantial conformity to Sharia Law. As appellate courts decide in favor of Sharia, case law which can be applied to non-Muslims is established and becomes part of our jurisprudence. Left unchecked, this will over time pose a very real danger to our legal system. The goal of Mr. Byrd is for Texas to join ten other states in passing constitutionally sound ALAC legislation which would require any Texas court to not apply foreign law in settling family disputes if it violates either the US or Texas Constitutions. The successful passage of this law will help stem the tide of Sharia Law in the United States. Attorney Byrd’s purposeful activism is an example of the eternal vigilance necessary to preserve our democracy, and to protect and defend our Constitution.

page 8

S chool may be out but that is when the Literacy Committee starts their work. For the upcoming school year we will once again have the opportunity to provide Dictionaries and

Constitutions to eight Comal ISD schools. The projected enrollment numbers for students in third and fifth grade for the school year 2015-2016 have been received. The Constitutions and corresponding teaching materials have already been ordered and received. They will be distributed to local schools during the first week in September to allow adequate teacher preparation for Constitution Week (September 17-23). The Dictionaries have been ordered and will be delivered to Bar-W in July (only a month away!). Last year over half the cost of the dictionaries was covered

by personal donations from Bar-W members and associates. A box of 24 dictionaries can be purchased for $36.00, ($1.50 per dictionary). By purchasing a box of dictionaries, you may choose to personally sign each dictionary in the box. If you prefer not to do this, you can assign the box to another Bar-W member or associate or just have them signed by members attending our general meeting in August. This year we are also offering the opportunity to supply a classroom (25 students) with pocket Constitutions and corresponding teaching materials for a cost of $25.00. There is still plenty of time to purchase YOUR box of Dictionaries or to provide a classroom with Constitutions. Or make us really happy and buy both for only $61.00! Checks should be made out to Bar-W and earmarked for the purchase of Dictionaries or Constitutions. If you have any questions, please call Fran Carlson at 830-438-7053.

DICTIONARY DRIVE CONTINUES… A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT!

By Fran Carlson, Literacy Chairman

MAY 9, 2015 LOCAL AND SCHOOL ELECTION RESULTS

page 9

Only the dead have seen the end of war. – Plato

M emorial Day is the day we honor those who have died in this nation's wars. It is appropriate to think about the casualties of war, as the casualties of conflicts the United States is currently engaged in are different. In World War I and World War II, the ratio of the wounded to the dead was around 1.5 to 1. In the current conflicts, the ratio is around 9.7 to 1. The difference is attributable to several factors, which include faster casualty evacuation, improvements in battlefield medical care, better personal protective equipment, i.e., body armor, and much better surgical care in hospitals. All of that is good, of course – it is better to be living than dead. However, I think we might wish

to give more thought to honoring those who were wounded in our wars, as well as the dead. Traumatic

amputations as a percentage of

those wounded have risen enormously. Even as more casualties have resulted from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), better body armor protects the warrior's core and sophisticated tourniquets which can be applied with one hand are increasingly used. This, in conjunction with better methods of treating severe arterial injuries, means that more of those so wounded will survive. And now some of those “men” are women. As of April of 2013,

approximately 150 women have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. While there might be an

argument about the wisdom of including women in the ranks of the nation's elite infantry forces – witness recent experiments evaluating the performance of women in the Marine Infantry Officers Course, as well as a current evaluation of including

women in the Army Ranger School – the fact that women are present on the battlefield in numbers higher than ever before means that they will inevitably be among the casualties. There is not space here to treat those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It would be naive to believe that the armed forces of the United States will not continue to be engaged in armed combat for the foreseeable future. So, perhaps on this and future Memorial Days, as well as Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day, we might give a thought not only to the dead, but

honor as well those who have given their well-being, physical and mental, to defend our country.

We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm. – Origin obscure

MEMORIAL DAY THOUGHTS: THE CHANGING FACE OF WAR By: Lindy Sisk, Bar-W Associate Member

TEXAS COLESLAW WITH PECANS & CHILE

DRESSING By: Jan Tilley, Women’s Fitness Chair

Type: Side Dish Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Serves: 12

Ingredients • 1 medium head cabbage, shredded (about 8 cups)

• 1 cup shredded carrots • 2 tart green apples, cored and thinly sliced

• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion • ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

DRESSING • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon sugar • ½ teaspoon each cayenne pepper and ground cumin

• ½ cup light mayonnaise • juice from 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

• ½ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 1. Place cabbage, carrots, apples, onion and pecans into a large bowl; toss and set aside. 2. In small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, cayenne, cumin, mayonnaise and lemon juice. 3. Season with salt and pepper and pour dressing over cabbage mixture. Toss well to coat and serve.

page 10

Political ads are paid for by the candidates or their committees and DO NOT constitute an endorsement by the Bulverde Area Republican Women.

If you are running a six-month Business Card ad, now is the Time to Renew. If you do not currently run an ad, now is the time to place one.

Send your check for $45.00 made payable to Bar-W to: Bar-W PAC Treasurer

20725 Hwy 46 West, #220 Spring Branch, TX 78070

- or - Hand deliver to RavenHome Gifts

inside the Bulverde HEB (Hwy 46 & Hwy 281) 830-980-5366 Please do not staple or paperclip your Business Card.

If you have your ad on your computer, please e-mail it to BarWinfo@Bar-W.org

page 11

The following political ads are paid for by the candidates or their committees and DOES NOT constitute an endorsement for or against by the Bulverde Area Republican Women.

Mail To:

Politi

cal ad

vertis

ing pa

id for

by Bu

lverde

Area

Repu

blican

Wom

en - P

AC

Not e

ndors

ed by

any c

andid

ate or

cand

idate’

s com

mitte

e.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

All General Meetings: GVTC Auditorium

at 6:30 PM

June 4 .................................. Board Meeting

June 8 ............................... General Meeting Speaker: Sid Miller, TX Ag Commissioner Topic: Amnesty for Cupcakes, EPA Intrusion and Climate “Science” July 4.............................. Independence Day July 9................................... Board Meeting

July 18....................... Bar-W Summer Social Graciously hosted by Cari and Randy Gray Sept 10-12 ........ NFRW Convention, Phoenix Nov 5-7 .... TFRW State Convention, Lubbock

20725 Hwy 46 W, #220 Spring Branch, TX 78070

Contact Editor at: BarWinfo@Bar-W.org

Opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily the opinions of Bar-W.

page 12 BAR-W AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

TO SMITHSON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

Congratulations to Seniors Trevor Perkins and Katy Barger

2015 MEETING DATES Please mark the following dates on your calendar today and enjoy the programs we have planned. June 8 -------------------------- 2nd Monday July 18 Summer Social ------- 3rd Saturday August 10 --------------------- 2nd Monday September 14 ----------------- 2nd Monday October 12 -------------------- 2nd Monday November 9 ------------------- 2nd Monday December TBD -------------- Party Time