April 2003 Newsletter

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER

Diamond Award Club

May 2004

President: Laura Ann Riffle 263-0990

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

2nd V.P. Alice Story 733-3248

Shirley. Harvey Newsletter Editor (408) 253-1591

We will have five members attending Lobby Day and Advocacy Workshop so our club will be well represented and resplendent in our red jackets! For me, this is one of the highlights of the year. Since we are quickly approaching our summertime hiatus, there are a few housekeeping items I must attend to:

Our club is tops in renewals for the Northern Division. Let’s give ourselves a collective pat on the back!

Jane Reed will be sending out details on our “Bake-less” Bake Sale fundraiser in May. All are encouraged to participate.

We will be handing out our membership list at the next meeting. Don’t miss it!

Also at our next meeting, we intend to follow the lead of the Santa Clara Republican Party and endorse all Republican candidates in the Silicon Valley area.

PLEASE leave room in your schedule to help with voter registration. Registering new Republicans is the best way to help re-elect President Bush and to elect more Republicans to Congress and the state legislature.

All Republican women should be proud of how Condoleezza Rice handled herself as she testified before the September 11 Commission. Congratulations, Condi!

Debra J. Saunders who is a well known and popular columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle, will be our May 6 Speaker.

Debra spoke at our Northern Division, CFRRW Convention in Carmel in 2001. Her column appears every other day in the Chronicle. (Pick up the SF Chronicle and read her column)

Please tell your friends and acquaintances about our group and encourage them to join us. We now have 7 Patron Members, 55 Regular Members, and 22 Associates.

Thanks to all members who have paid your 2004 dues. If you have not yet paid, please send your check to:

Dates are set for a “Grand Slam” ending of the Marathon season of fun, friends and fund-raising.

May 14^thCouples party 7:30 P.M. at Reed’s home. 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 94087.

Check made out and sent to Jane Reed for $ 17 for reservation to Day Groups I & II luncheon and bridge at The Forum. 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. Reed’s address is 1515 Ashcroft Way, Sunnyvale 94087. Phone (408) 245-2429.

SVRWF VOTER REGISTRATION

SVRWF has been given the opportunity to register voters at Valley Fair Mall.

Valley Fair is the most centrally located, largest and highest traffic Mall in “Silicon Valley”.

SVRWF will be doing Registrations two Saturdays a month. With just 6 months before the election SVRWF will be at a prime location to make a great contribution by adding to Republican Voter numbers.

April 9, 2004

SB 1282 by Senator Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) would require a voter to present proof of his or her identity and residency to a member of the precinct board before receiving a ballot. Specifically, proof of identity may be a California Driver’s License, a California Identification Card, a valid voter registration card, a sample ballot pamphlet for the election with the voter’s name and address printed thereon by the county elections official, a military identification card, a Certification of Citizenship issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, a copy of a birth certificate, or any other form of identification the Secretary of State deems appropriate. Proof of residency may be a California Driver’s License, a California identification card, a valid voter registration card, a sample ballot pamphlet for the election with the voter’s name and address printed thereon by the county election official, a current utility or telephone bill or stub showing the correct name and address, or any other form the Secretary of State deems appropriate.

Voters who are unable to provide proof of identity or residency are entitled to cast a provisional vote.

SB 1370 by Senator Rico Oller (R-San Andreas) would also require a voter to present proof of his or her identity to a member of a precinct board before receiving a ballot. Proof of identity may be a California Driver’s License, a California identification card, a passport, a military identification card, or any other form of identification the Secretary of State determines to be appropriate. Voters who are unable to present proof of his or her identity can still vote a provisional ballot. This provisional ballot will be considered valid and counted only if the voter presented proof of his or her identity to a county elections official within five business days of that election.

According to CFRW Ballot Integrity Legislative Analyst Ruth Gardner, “The predominate means of voter fraud is for impersonators to vote in the place of low propensity voters. The way it works is that the activists check to see who has voted and then the fraud machine sends in the impersonators to vote in the place of people who have not voted. They always go to polls where they will not be challenged. If by some strange occurrence, the shill's identity is challenged, all the county election official can do is ask the shill to raise his right hand and swear under penalty of perjury that he is who he claims to be. If a county election official asks to see ID, it is a felony punishable by three years in prison. It makes no sense that we are asking a group of people who are breaking the law to use the honor system.”

“The shills were paid $100 for the day in the southern San Joaquin Valley in the general election in 2002. They ran a contest to see who could vote the most. The winner voted 23 times.”

“I find it ironic that in Mexico there is a voter ID card that has the photo of the voter, the voter's thumbprint and signature on the front of the card. On the back of the card is a magnetic stripe. The card is swiped when the individual votes and that information is transmitted to all other election computers in Mexico. They can only vote once.” “I have written statements from people that registered to vote and voted that were not qualified to vote in the United State.

“I have proof of Hector de la Torre voting in the General election. His "roommate", Hector de la Orre also voted. Their birthdays are one year and one day apart. One is a democrat, one is a decline to state. I do not know if Hector de la Torre and Hector de la Orre are the same person as the Hector de la Torre, who is the Democrat Nominee for the 50th AD, but the ages are correct for them to be one person.”

CFRW SUPPORTS SB 1282 and SB 1370

AB 1866 by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) would require the Department of Corrections to permit representatives of the news media to interview or visit prisoners in person or randomly, as specified, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions established by the department to ensure security and accommodate efficiency of the interview. This bill would also prohibit the interview of a prisoner or parolee against his or her will and would require the department to permit the news media to receive confidential correspondence from a prisoner, except as specified. Currently, AB 1866 does not address who will pay for the increased security and personnel needed for the media to interview the prisoners. The California Department of Corrections would assume the costs of the interviews at a time when they have already overrun their budget every year. Since the cost of the interviews would vary depending on the number of media visits each month, the CDC would have a hard time budgeting for media interviews.

AB 1866 will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 14th.

AJR 53 by Assemblywoman Sarah Reyes (D-Fresno) would memorialize the President and Congress of the United States to enact legislation to make the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Program permanent.

FOCUS ON THE SENATE

SB 1467 by Senator Pete Knight (R-Palmdale) would require the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America be recited each day during the school year at each elementary and secondary school. The bill would declare a pupil or school employee who does not wish to participate in the recitation may remain silent and seated in the classroom during the exercise.

Currently, public schools are required to conduct daily patriotic exercises. Existing law provides this requirement may be satisfied through giving the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

According to a sponsor of a previous similar bill, "When we pledge allegiance to (the flag), we pledge allegiance to the two centuries of efforts that have brought this country freedoms, and by export brought freedoms to so many peoples around the world... Our children should understand that we are part of a great experiment call democracy, and that the tremendous freedoms and opportunities we have are a result of our commitment to a larger community that the flag represents...”

Although the phrase "under God" is still under Supreme Court scrutiny, the Pledge of Allegiance unites people, and this unity makes our country strong. The Pledge is an oath of loyalty to the nation.

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he would like to make the California Legislature part-time so lawmakers would not have as much freedom to create so many ‘strange bills’."

“The Legislature ‘already doesn't have enough to do,’ the Governor said, adding that full-time status was proving an obstacle to productive, responsible work.”

“I want to make the Legislature a part-time Legislature,” the governor said. “Spending so much

time in Sacramento, without anything to do, then out of that comes strange bills. I like them when they're scrambling and they really have to work hard. Give them a short period of time. Then good work gets done, rather than hanging. That's when they start getting creative with things.”

LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION

The Help America Vote Act requires a Drivers’ License Number or Social Security Number when registering to vote for the first time. When registering people to vote, be sure to use the new forms requiring ID.

According to the California Secretary of State Election Hotline, when registering people to vote, they do not have to show you their ID or Drivers’ License. They can recall their number from memory if they do not have their ID on them or use the last four digits of their social security number.

If you have any further election questions, you can call the Election Hotline at (916) 657-2166.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sen. John Kerry was the "No. 1 Senate liberal in 2003," according to new rankings by the National Journal.

The publication rated all 100 senators' votes on 32 economic issues, 15 social policy issues and 15 foreign policy issues, and found the Massachusetts senator and presidential hopeful more liberal than any of his colleagues.

The magazine noted that Mr. Kerry had the most liberal record three other times in his 20 years in Congress: in 1986, 1988 and 1990.

By contrast in 2003, fellow Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was the 11th most liberal senator, according to the rankings by the weekly, which covers Washington government and Congress.

Mr. Kerry's voting record was less liberal throughout the 1990s, compared to his Senate colleagues. But this past year, he and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the man presenting the most serious challenge to Mr. Kerry for the Democratic nomination, were both much more liberal. Mr. Edwards was ranked fourth most liberal.

It was striking that the two men were so similar, the magazine said, "because during the course of their Senate careers, their ratings have often placed them in different wings of their party."

Their high scores may be due, in part, to having missed so many votes while campaigning last year. Of the 62 votes the magazine tracked, Mr. Kerry missed 37 and Mr. Edwards missed 22. Both men usually returned for the most critical party votes, which probably boosted their liberal credentials.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) sent out an e-mail yesterday listing the 62 votes National Journal used in its rankings, with the subject heading, "Label Him What You Want, Kerry Wrong Choice For America."

Later, RNC spokeswoman Christine Iverson said, "John Kerry's record speaks for itself, and we've been saying that all along and will continue to say it."

The National Journal's voting record list included the senator's votes on trade agreements, abortion, Medicare, tax cuts, spending and efforts to end filibusters on confirming some of the most contentious judicial nominees.

Other groups also rate Mr. Kerry as more liberal on the political spectrum, though not the most liberal senator.

The American Conservative Union (ACU) gave him a 13 rating on its conservative scale for 2003, with 100 being the most conservative. His rating was higher than the 10 rating or lower scored by Mr. Kennedy and 13 other Democrats. This was partly because Mr. Kerry missed three votes, which boosted his average.

Mr. Kerry has a lifetime career rating of 5 from the ACU, slightly above the group’s lifetime career 3 score for Mr. Kennedy.

The Americans for Democratic Action, a prominent liberal advocacy group, give Mr. Kerry a lifetime career rating of 92 on a 100 point being the most liberal. Mr. Kerry’s rating is higher than fellow Democratic candidate Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Democrat.

The buildings that AREN'T burning in Iraq. "They have a saying in the news business," Geraldo Rivera related this week. "Reporters don't report buildings that don't burn." And with that introduction, he told a TV audience about the story that is being systematically denied to our entire nation: the success story of post-Saddam Iraq.

Are we losing some soldiers each week? Yes. Is there some frustration in the public about electricity and water service? Yes. Are some Saddam Hussein loyalists throughout the land, making trouble? Yes. Has this opened a window for some terrorist mischief? Yes. But that's ALL we hear. No wonder the country is in a mixed mood about Iraq. If you hear about the buildings that are not burning, though, it is a different story indeed.. Rivera is no shill for George W. Bush. But Bush, Condi Rice and Colin Powell together could not have been as effective as Geraldo was Thursday night on the Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes program. "When I got to Baghdad, I barely recognized it," he began, comparing his just-completed trip to two others he made during and just after the battle to topple Saddam. "You have over 30,000 Iraqi cops and militiamen already on the job. This is four months after major fighting stopped. Can you imagine that kind of gearing up in this country? Law and order is better; archaeological sites are being preserved; factories, schools are being guarded." But what about the secondhand griping that the media have been so efficiently relating about power, water and other infrastructure? "To say that Iraq is being rebuilt is not true," answered Rivera. "Iraq is being built. There was no infrastructure before; we are doing it. I just think the good news is being underestimated and underreported." At this juncture, one must evaluate how to feel about the voices telling us only about the bad news in Iraq, whether from the mouths of news anchors or Democratic presidential hopefuls. At best, they are under informed. At worst, their one-sided assessments of post-Saddam Iraq are intentional falsehoods for obvious reasons. If I hear one more person mock that "Mission Accomplished" banner beneath which President Bush thanked a shipload of sailors and Marines a few months back, I'm going to spit. That was a reference to the ouster of Saddam's regime, and that mission was indeed accomplished, apparently to the great chagrin of the American left. No one said what followed would be easy or cheap, and that's why the dripping-water torture of the cost and casualty stories is so infuriating. Remember we pay our soldiers whether they are in Iraq or in Ft Bragg, North Carolina. We should all mourn the loss of every fallen soldier. But context cries out to be heard. Our present news media is not performing this task. As some dare to wonder if this might become a Vietnam-like quagmire, I'll remind whoever needs it that most of our 58,000 Vietnam war toll died between 1966 and 1972, during which we lost an average of about 8,000 per year. That's about 22 per day, every day, for thousands of days on end. Let us hear NO MORE Vietnam comparisons. They do not equate. What I hope to hear is more truth, even if we have to wrench it from the mouths of the media and political hacks predisposed to bash the remarkable job we are doing every day in what was not so long ago a totalitarian wasteland. Local elections are under way across Iraq, Rivera reported. "Where Kurds and Arabs have been battling for decades, things have been settling down. Administrator Paul Bremer is doing a great job." So does Geraldo think his media colleagues are intentionally painting with one side of the brush? "I'm not into conspiracy theories,..but there's just more bang for your buck when you report the GI who got killed rather than the 99 who didn't get killed, who make friends, who helped schedule elections, who helped shops get open for business, who helped traffic flow again. "The vast majority of Iraqis are very happy to have us there. I would like to see a bit more balance." This needs to be reported to the American Public who are presently being duped. I expect the dominant media culture to nitpick and attack Bush, and Democrats to blast him with reckless abandon. But when that leads to the willful exclusion of facts that would shine truthful light on the great work of the American armed forces, that level of malice plumbs new depths.