April 2003 Newsletter

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER

Diamond Award Club

April 2003

President: Laura Ann Riffle 263-0990

1st V.P & Program: Doris Whitney 997-0581

2nd V.P. Barbara Ferguson 739-0795

Shirley. Harvey Newsletter Editor (408) 253-1591

It was wonderful to have Bonnie Cohen as our speaker on March 6th. It was gracious of her to fill in for Stan Dickinson, who we hope is recovering well from his stroke. Please remember that our April meeting has been changed to the 17^th and it will be a Regional meeting. Our meeting will begin at 10:00 and end at 2:00 so plan your day accordingly. We will still have lunch at noon so those on limited schedules should plan to arrive by then. Our speakers are Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Tim Reisch, Dottie Van Ekart, President of CFRW Northern Division, Joan Peros, Freedom 21, and Barbara Alby, CRP National Committee Women. Alice Wilson has worked very hard on this event so please plan to attend and bring anyone that might be interested in joining our club.

A note for those who were not at our March meeting, one of our members, Raina Mehrten and her husband Joey have been called up by the Army Reserves and are stationed in Dublin, CA, where they are preparing troops to go overseas. Please keep them in your prayers. The club decided to adopt them as member and associate member and we are covering their dues for this year. This is also a reminder for those who have not sent in their dues to do so.

Donna Courtright, of the Santa Clara County Republican Central Committee, is asking that we staff a voter registration booth once a month at a place of our choosing. The board will be discussing this proposition. Any volunteers? If we get enough volunteers, we could rotate the schedule so any single volunteer might only do it once or twice a year.

By the time you get this newsletter we will probably be at war in Iraq and we need to do all we can to support our President and all of those in our military, after all if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have all of the freedoms we enjoy. Please keep them in your prayers.

On Thursday, March 20^th Shirley Harvey, Doris Whitney and I attended the Executive Board Meeting, which preceded the Spring Conference at the Red Lion Hotel in Redding. The following day forty-one Northern California Clubs were represented as the Conference began. There were sixteen guests and one hundred and nineteen members attending. We were happy that the new President of the Palo Alto RWF, Donna Danna and West Valley Membership Chair & Newsletter Editor Harriet Derossett also attended.

The Conference opened with a beautiful prayer by Dr. Barbara Fair, Northern Division Chaplain, followed by presentation of the Colors by Veterans of Foreign Wars, District 20. The morning speaker was the Shasta County District Attorney, McGregor Scott. President Bush has recently appointed Mr. Scott to the position of U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of California. He said, “The World has changed in the last forty – eight hours. The U. N. is dead, America has again led the way.” He said that the war is about changing the Middle East for the better. He predicted that within the next few weeks we would see American troops marching up the streets of Baghdad and people waving American flags in greeting. He saluted President Bush for intestinal fortitude.

The luncheon speaker was Dave Sterling Vice President, Pacific Legal Foundation. He said that he is so proud of our President and the people he has around him. The title of his speech was “America’s 21^st Century Challenge: Preserving Individual and Economic Freedoms in an Increasingly Collectivist World”. He observed that our constitution grants rights to individuals, NOT Groups. He said that Pacific Legal Foundation (NOT the Attorney General) is the only organization suing to enforce Prop. 209. He said that Affirmative Action equals preferential treatment, and asked, “Imagine the NAACP being required to accept Klu Klux Klan members”. He also observed that the Fifth Amendment provides that the government will not take property without just compensation. However, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects about 1,000 obscure animals and federal regulators have employed the act to allow the Federal Government to take over thousands of acres without payment to the owners.

Friday afternoon, two excellent workshops were presented. Ed Murphy, Manager of Resource Industries Systems. Sierra Pacific Industries presented “Timber Issues in 2003.” Ed said that George W. Bush is trying to bring common sense back with a “Healthy Forest Initiative.” He observed that thinning the forest makes it healthier. He said that 50 to 70% of trees in the San Bernardino forest are dead, creating a big fire hazard. He warned that it is very important to re-elect George W. Bush in 2004. We all heartily agreed!!

The second Workshop, “Fight Terrorism, Drill for Oil In America”, was presented by Steve Wampler, KCBC, Right On Talk Radio”. Steve said that the Republican Party is the party of ideas. He said the USA needs to fight terrorism by drilling for oil in Alaska, which has enough oil to replace imports for 30 to 40 years and that we are not drilling because of environmental extremism. He urged us to cal 1-800 648-3516 and gave us the names of Republicans who voted against drilling for oil in Anwar, they include John McKain, Peter Fitzgerald, Gordon Smith, Lincoln Chafe, Susan Collins, and Olympia Snow.

At the banquet, Wally Herger, Congressman, 2^nd Congressional District was delayed in Washington, but his charming wife, Pam spoke in his place. She shared some interesting stories with us about raising their six children and being a Congressional wife in Washington D.C.

A lovely Champagne and Strawberry President’s Reception was held after the banquet.

Saturday morning, Doug La Malfa, Assemblyman, 2^nd Assembly District spoke. He said that he is excited about his new job (he has been in the Assembly for only three months). Doug discussed the budget problems and said that even though there are problems there is room for optimism. He thinks the recall petition will qualify for the ballot but said we must pick one candidate and get behind him.

It was a great conference! Regional Director Gina Kullrich, her co-chairman, 1^st Vice President Sandy Pope and the Clubs of Region I are to be Congratulated!!

We have four excellent speakers scheduled for the Region VIII Conference, Tim Risch, Vice Mayor of Sunnyvale will welcome you to Sunnyvale and give a short talk on our redevelopment project. Our wonderful Northern Division President, Dottie Van Eckhardt will speak next. Our third speaker will be Joan Peros, Freedom 21, Santa Cruz, who will discuss environment extremism. Barbara Alby, California Republican Party National Committee Woman will be our keynote speaker after lunch. She is an inspiring speaker. Even if your schedule does not permit you to attend the whole conference, come for lunch and to hear Barbara Alby speak.

The Conference would be a good way to introduce prospective members to the Federation. So bring friends and husbands and, come to the Region VIII Conference on April 17^th. Send your check in today!

Our monthly Newsletter is a way of keeping in touch with our members. Renewing your membership assures you of all the activities of the Club so renewals are still ongoing.

MEMBERS WHO HAVE NOT RENEWED WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE ROSTER. THE ROSTER WILL BE PRINTED IN APRIL, LET’S INCLUDE EVERYONE!

Please welcome four new Associate Members who have joined our Club. They are:

Raina and Joe Mehrten are writing a new chapter in the history of SVRWF. Both are members of the U. S. Army Reserve and have been called to active duty with the 91^st Division at Camp Parks. Joe, who is a West Point graduate, is serving in the headquarters section, and Raina has gone from a stay at home Mom to a full time soldier playing alto sax in the Division Band. They have many major adjustments in their lives, the lives of their two young children, their parents, and their friends. We feel so much pride in their dedication to our Country. We will keep you all posted on their activities.

SVRWF thanks all the pairs who participated in the 2002 - 2003 Bridge Marathon.

This season has been a "Good Deal" of fun, a "Good Deal" for making friends and a "Good Deal" for SVRWF fund - raising.

The "End of Season" celebrations are all set. Special thanks to Helen White for making arrangements at the Forum.

The following is a Calendar of upcoming events:

May 10^th Couples party. RSVP 245-2429. Tell Jane your choice of bringing either a dessert or hor d’ oeuvre to share. Please bring $ 1 each for evening prizes. Reed’s address is 1515 Ashcroft Way, Sunnyvale.

May 16^th Check made out and sent to Jane Reed for $ 17 for reservation to Day Groups I & II luncheon and bridge at The Forum. 245-2429. Indicate with your check your choice of lunch. 1. Chicken Salad with fruit, or 2. Chicken Cacciatore. The $ 17 includes Lunch, Tax, and Tip. Please bring $ 1 for day prize.