Silicon Valley Republican Women Federated

NEWSLETTER

Volume 44 - Number 3 * www.svrwf.org * March 2005

 

             

 

 

President: Doris Whitney – 408-997-0581 * 1st VP & Program: Alice Story – 408-733-3248 

2nd VP & Membership: Marie Dominguez-Gasson - * Newsletter Editor: Laura Riffle – 408-263-0990

 

All SVRWF luncheons and dinner meetings are held at the Ramada Inn Silicon Valley, 1217 Wildwood Avenue, Sunnyvale, California – Luncheon Meetings: Social 11:30am, Lunch 12:00 Noon – Dinner Meetings: Social 6:30pm, Dinner 7:00pm – Luncheon: $16.00 – Dinner: $20.00 – For reservations please call Louise Kinney at 408-739-4724 or Alice Wilson at 408-733-6352 or Doris Whitney at 408-997-0581

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

 

Mar. 3              SVRWF Luncheon Meeting Ramada Inn Silicon Valley

                        Lunch Choices: Chicken Cameron or Pasta Primavera

                        Speaker: Dr. Richard Burris

 

Mar. 10            SVRWF Board Meeting, Noontime, Ramada Inn Silicon Valley

 

Mar. 17            St. Patrick’s Day

 

Mar. 18 & 19    Northern Division, California Federation of Republican Women Spring

                        Conference, Napa Embassy Suites

 

Apr. 25 & 26     California Federation of Republican Women Advocacy, Sacramento  

                        Hyatt Regency Hotel with Lobby Day at the California Capitol

 

 

About the speaker on March 3rd …  Dr. Richard Burris of the Hoover Institution served in the Ford Administration and has published the book, “Documents of the American Revolution” in Russian and is distributing 2,500 copies of the books to libraries, government officials and teachers in Russia.  The book includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and Bill of Rights, as well as a descriptive narrative by Dr. Burris.

 

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

 

Editors Note: Due to circumstances beyond her control, our president was unable to submit her monthly letter in time for publication.  I know, however, that she wants to encourage all of us to attend the Advocacy Workshop and Lobby Day.  You’ll find more information on Advocacy / Lobby Day elsewhere in the NEWSLETTER.

Laura Riffle -  Editor - Silicon Valley Republican Women Federated NEWSLETTER

 

Get your NEWSLETTER early… via e-mail… just request to be put on our monthly e-mail list!  Contact Laura.Riffle@comcast.net 

 

 

Silicon Valley Republican Women Federated – Member News – Page 2

 

Text Box: Membership – SVRWF membership dues are: Active Voting Member - $25.00, Associate Member - $15.00, Patron - $40.00 ($25.00 dues plus a $15.00 gratuity to the club). A person can only be a voting member of one federated club but may be an associate member of one or more clubs if she is already an active voting member of a Unit Club. Please make your checks payable to SVRWF and mail to: SVRWF / Doris Whitney 20181 Almaden Road San Jose, CA 95120

 

Please note… the club must pay for meals of people who make reservations but don’t show up.  If you need to cancel, please call Louise Kinney at 408-739-4724 by 9 A.M. Wednesday morning.  If you fail to cancel in time, please send a check to SVRWF.

 
 

 

 

 


"This week the U.S. Navy launched a nuclear submarine named after Jimmy Carter. Experts say the sub will be ineffective for four years but tremendously respected once it's retired." --Conan O'Brien

Gleaned from the Internet:  The elephant has been a symbol of strength since Roman times. Its first use by the Republican Party is believed to date from a printer’s cut (pre-made pictures kept ready to use as illustrations when needed) of an elephant used by an Illinois newspaper during Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 presidential campaign. Thomas Nast was a staunch Republican, and he deliberately chose the elephant as a symbol for his own Party because of the animal’s great size, intelligence, strength, and dignity. It first appeared in his November 7, 1874 cartoon, “The Third Term Panic,” which was a comment on fears that Grant would run for a third term as President that led some Republicans to vote with the Democrats. Nast continued using the elephant thereafter, and gradually it became the Republican icon as it was adopted by other cartoonists.

                            

Silicon Valley Republican Women Federated – Member News – Page 3

Text Box: Our thanks to Shirley and Jim Harvey who keep an eye on the legislative issues and pass the information on to us for inclusion in this NEWSLETTER

 

CFRW Legislative Weekly Update

February 11, 2005

 

California Federation of Republican Women

 

Martha House, President  -  From the desk of Katie Culliton, CFRW Legislative Advocate

 

Focus on the Assembly

 

Overseas Military Voting

 

AB187  by Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy (R-Monrovia) would allow overseas military absentee ballots to be accepted an additional ten days after an election.  According to Mountjoy, “all of us – “Republicans and Democrats – want every vote to be counted in every election.  The law now requires absentee ballots to be received by Election Day.  While voters who live in California have no trouble meeting that deadline, many military personnel serving overseas find it almost impossible.  Long delays in mail service, especially in the most dangerous parts of the world, mean that ballots arrive after Election Day – to late to be counted under the current law.”

 

Currently absentee ballots for those serving overseas are sent out 60 days before an election.  The California Secretary of State estimates it takes an average of 22 days for a ballot to reach military personnel and another 22 days to arrive back in California.

 

“the only cost to the taxpayer would be printing distinctive envelopes containing a declaration to be signed by the voters that the ballot was completed on or before Election Day. “ Montjoy said.

 

Focus on the Senate

 

Protecting Children in Molestation Cases

 

SB 138  by Senator Abel Maldonado (R Santa Maria) would allow children who have been abused to testify via closed-circuit TV in court.

 

The bill was inspired by a molestation case in Maldonado’s district.  The case was dismissed because the mother of the boy did not want him in the courtroom with thee defendant.  According to Maldonado, “Cole was sexually assaulted and was so traumatized that he was unable to testify” and therefore the man responsible has never been prosecuted.  Currently 39 other state and federal government allow frightened children to testify over closed-circuit television.

 

Moldonado introduced a similar bill last year when he was in the Assembly, but the measure was blocked in committee.  While the California District Attorneys Association and the California Judges Association supported the ill last year the California Public Defenders Association and the ACLU opposed it because they felt it infringed the rights of defendants.  In most cases, testimony of children 13 and under who are alleged victims of sexual molestation or abuse must be made in open court unless the defendant has inflicted great bodily harm, or threatened or is intimidating the child in court—exemptions too limiting-Under SB 138, prosecutors would have to show a judge the child would suffer emotional trauma if the appeared in court.

 

Silicon Valley Republican Women Federated – Other Voices – Page 4

 

Please consider attending the CFRW Advocacy Workshop and/or Monday Conference.  It is the 30th Anniversary of the Advocacy Workshop and… Lobby Day is a lot of fun!  April 24-26, 2005.  Governor Schwarzenegger has been invited to speak! 

 

Schedule Highlights

 

Monday

April 25     LOBBY DAY – GROUP PHOTO on Capitol steps – ADVOCACY OFFICE Open House - SUTTER CLUB event

Tuesday

April 26     ADVOCACY WORKSHOP – STUDENT ROUND TABLE – LUNCHEON (Governor Schwarzenegger invited) – Presentation by members of the CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY

 

Please fill out this information and give it and your check to Doris Whitney…

 

_  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _

 

Name __________________________          Phone Number ___________________

 

Address ________________________          City, ZIP ________________________

 

E-Mail __________________________

 

Additional attendee names:        _____________________________________

 

                                                _____________________________________

 

 

Monday Luncheon                   $33.00 x ____ =          $ _____________

 

Sutter Club Event                     $40.00 x ____ =          $ _____________

 

Advocacy Registration  $30.00 (Paid for by SVRWF)

 

Advocacy Luncheon     $26.00 x ____ =                      $ _____________

 

 

Total amount enclosed ……………………………     $ _____________

 

Make hotel reservations directly with the Hyatt Regency by March 23.

Room rates are $129 single/double - $154 Triple - $179 Quadruple.

Identify yourself as a member of CFRW attending the Advocacy Workshop.

Hyatt’s toll-free number is 800-233-1234 or 916-443-1234

 

Know any students who would like to attend?  SVRWF would like to sponsor them!  Call Doris Whitney for details.