Grassroots News U Can Use

David Whitley is a dismal failure as SOS of Texas

2019-02-07T03:33:00.000-06:00

By Faith Chatham - Feb. 7, 2019

The Texas Tribune reported: State Rep. Rafael Anchia ...wanted to know: Did Whitley know for sure that any of the (95K registered voters) on the list SOS David Whitley had turned over to the Attorney General had committed crimes by voting as noncitizens?

“No,” Whitley answered, according to Anchia.

“And I said, ‘Well, isn’t it the protocol that you investigate and, if you find facts, you turn it over to the AG?”

“I do not have an answer for that,” Whitley responded, according to Anchia’s recollection of the Monday meeting.

The Senate Nominations Committee meets today (Thursday, Feb. 7) at 9 a.m. in E2.106 to consider David Whitely's confirmation as SOS. Gov. Abbott appointed him in mid Dec. 2018 but he must be confirmed by the Senate.

The former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor is in over his head. He has demonstrated that he falls painfully short in performing due diligence before making statements to the press, releasing data to counties and before turning people over to the Attorney General. We need a better candidate for SOS.

See Texas Tribune article:

Sen. Michael Bennet Calls on Senate Republicans to End the Shutdown

2019-01-24T17:23:00.001-06:00

What is Imperfect produce?

2019-01-24T17:11:00.001-06:00

http://imprfct.us/luRDP

What is Imperfect produce?

2019-01-24T17:09:00.001-06:00

http://imprfct.us/luRDP

What is Imperfect produce?

2019-01-24T17:07:00.001-06:00

http://imprfct.us/luRDP

Deborah Peoples declares candidacy for Mayor of Fort Worth

2019-01-17T17:21:00.001-06:00

By Faith Chatham - January 17, 2019
Deborah Whitlock Peoples held "listening sessions" before declaring her candidacy this week for Mayor of Fort Worth. After an illustrious career in the telecommunications industry where she rose to the ranks of Vice President of U-verse Sales at AT&T. When she retired from AT&T after 34 years in 2012, revenue was $127.43 billion. She settled in Fort Worth and ran for Democratic County Chair. During her tenure as County Chair, the Democratic Party voter turn-out has increased significantly. When she assumed office, Tarrant County was seen as a safe red county with a few exceptions where districts were gerrymandered to cram as many Democratic voters together to remove them from other districts to make them safe for Republicans. During the last three election cycles, regions in Tarrant County which previously had been safe for Republicans have gone purple and blue.

Deborah Peoples is not timid about tackling tough challenges. When she sees a necessity, she looks for solutions. When she sees talent, she recruits and develops it. When she sees problems, she faces them head-on. During her listening tour, she heard citizens express frustration and dismay. She recognized gaps in service which must be addressed. She comprehended the pitfalls which exist when citizens lose confident or distrust elected officials.

Historically, when there is a high turnout in the predominately African American precincts, Democrats win city wide elections. When Blacks stay home, Republicans win. We will watch the Fort Worth Mayor's race with interest this year to see if the missteps Mayor Betsy Price has made are great enough to draw enough opponents to the polls to unseat her. She definitely is facing a capable opponent.
Also see: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Deborah-Peoples-Officially-Announces-Shell-Run-Against-Mayor-Betsy-Price-504407211.html

Texas can build that wall for you!

2019-01-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

By Faith Chatham - Jan. 10, 2019

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sucked up to POTUS today. Instead of funding Texas schools, adequately funding teachers’ retirement, giving tax relief to property owners, repairing crumbling roads and bridges, or easing the Lone Star State’s gridlock problems, Patrick offered to help out President Trump. Congress refuses to appropriate money for the wall, so Patrick piped up and said: “Texas can do it. We’ll build that wall and you can pay us back!”

Texas has the highest maternal death rate and the highest infant mortality rate in the nation and refused to expand Medicaid because it would “cost too much.” But Abbott has no qualms about spending taxpayer money to place most of our law enforcement personnel on the border despite 1. It is not the state’s responsibility 2. Illegal entry at the border is low 3. There is less crime on the border than any where in the state. Now the Lt. Governor offers to have Texas finance and build Trump’s pipedream -— er, scheme and mentions that “you’ll have to pay us back.”

Yep. If Congress refuses to authorize funding for the wall, there is no way they will authorize paying a state which builds it. There are many problems: right of way for one. Many of the ranchers on the border have been on that property for generations. They aren’t going to hand over their land without a bigger than Alamo sized battle. Even the Catholic Church and animal rights and environmental groups are standing against it.

Patrick is noted for creating wedge issues to fire up his base. Usually he finds those which will not infuriate the deficit hawks. Oh, well. This session will be interesting to watch. I plan to plant myself in the gallery and watch as Senator after Senator from both sides of the aisle brings up his offer to loan money out of the budget to the Federal Government without any assurance that there will ever be authorization for it to be repaid, while he argues against their bills because there isn’t money in the budget to fund them.

If the GOP thinks they had problems in Houston in 2018, take Harvey funds and transfer them to the wall and they’ll find out what electoral problems truly are.

Election Day, 2018 - Why I Write - Purpose - Activism

2018-12-23T23:22:00.000-06:00

By Carolyn Chatham - Wise Woman Press.net - September 2018

I've neglected this site for a spell, as my grandfather used to say. Fall is always a busy time, and this Fall was especially packed. Oh screw it! I just didn't get here and ruminate about anything. Excuses, you know.

Today we see what the future of the nation will be. Will the Republican Party become nothing more than the Trump Party, or will we send a message and set a new course.

Regardless of how the election turns out, even if we take control of the House, this is only the beginning. From now on, Americans must learn to do their civic duty. To inform themselves. To research and ascertain what sources of information are most accurate and fact based. To spend as much time discussing and debating political policy as we do discussing and debating sports. We must make political discourse a sport in America. From now on, we must break the old rule, "Never talk about politics or religion."

We must talk talk talk. We must make sure that our young people understand that either they will be at the table (or their elected reps will be there) or they will beon the table. That the decisions made by our elected and appointed leaders determine their quality of life, whether they can borrow money, whether they can voice their opinions and beliefs, what quality education they and their children can get, whether they and their children can get healthcare, whether their parents/grandparents will continue to receive social security and medicare, whether they will have access to a good income or a subsistence income, even whether they will have clean water and air. We must make them understand that politics is about who gets what, how, when. That either they will let the richest and most powerful continue to hog up the bounty of America and configure the field to their advantage and influence them to act against their own best interests, or they will assert themselves politically and seize the power of the vote, voice, action to rebalance our political system for the welfare of all Americans.

I am very nervous. The past two years have been difficult emotionally and physically for me. Today I pledge to take a deep breath, reaffirm my determination to live a healthier more balanced life, and come out like a warrior for the next two years.

Meanwhile, I recently wrote the first short story I have ever written. It surprised even me! Wish me luck while I look for a place to send it. It's got elements of surrealism, fantasy, mythology, and feminism. Ideas?

Carolyn publishes political and social commentary, literary reviews and poetry on WISE WOMAN PRESS.net

Her book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Elect Dr. McKellar Cornerstone Rally

2018-10-29T17:46:00.001-05:00

Dr Shirley McKellar for US Congress

2018-10-29T17:38:00.003-05:00

Dr Shirley McKellar for US Congress

2018-10-29T17:38:00.001-05:00

Greg Abbott and GOP Controlled Texas Legislature fails Texans economically

2018-10-26T11:12:00.001-05:00

By Faith Chatham - Oct. 26, 2018

As of June 2018, Texas ranks 21st highest (out of 51) in UNEMPLOYMENT. Under Abbott and the GOP controlled Texas Legislature, the annual growth in GDP (5 year increase) has not trickled down to the middle class. Growth in GDP can mask the overall wealth of the average Texan because GDP can reflect wealth which flows through Texas companies to out-of-state or international stock holders. EMPLOYMENT FIGURES reflects wealth actually in the accounts of residents which is available for housing, food, clothing, education, recreation. These are the expenditures which fuel the local economy. Under Abbott, higher percentage of Texans are unemployed than in 30 of the nation's other states. Since Texas is one of the states with the greatest population, 4% of Texans is a much greater number of unemployed people than in any of the other states with higher rates of unemployment.

BOTTOM LINE: Under Greg Abbott's watch, more people in Texas are unemployed than in most other places in the United States. The growth in wealth in Texas is channeled into the bank accounts of a relatively few people instead of being spread out throughout the population. Despite a 1.9% increase in job creation, the majority of new jobs are either not full-time or at pay rates high enough to rank as "living wage pay rates".

Jennie Lou Leeder for U.S. Congress, "Our Texas Home"

2018-10-25T17:18:00.001-05:00

Jennie Lou Leeder for U.S. Congress, "Our Texas Home"

2018-10-25T17:17:00.001-05:00

In It Together

2018-10-23T15:44:00.001-05:00

The Political Take Over of Texas

2018-10-21T17:54:00.001-05:00

By Faith Chatham - Oct. 21, 2018

THE POLITICAL TAKE OVER OF TEXAS spilled over into an alliance between those who financed the hit ads in the 2002-2006 election cycles which led to redistricting (gerrymandering) in Texas which solidified Republican control of the state wide offices and judiciary and solid Republican pro gun majorities in both the Texas Legislature and Texas' US delegation to Congress Gregg Abbott has strong ties to the gun advocate groups who fronted as the Law Enforcement Alliance to run hit ads against his Democratic Opponent in the 2002 Attorney General's race.

That has morphed into a take-over of the NRA by right wing political operatives with an agenda much more far-reaching than gun safety. Despite solid evidence that the NRA aligned itself with Russian government sponsored gun rights money interest who funneled (money laundered) millions of Russian rubles into the US Presidential and many US Congressional races in 2016, Greg Abbott refuses to distance himself from the corrupted (actually treasonous) NRA!

This year in Texas there is a sane, gun totting actual law enforcement professional challenging Greg Abbott for Governor. Lupe Valdez is much more closely aligned with the original mission of the NRA (when it actually used membership dues to educate people on gun safety and to get gun owners to lock up their weapons to keep them out of the hands of children) than Greg Abbott, whose entanglement with the NRA is most probably tied to his addiction to their generous monetary support of him.

Valdez does not have her hands and never has had her hands in the pockets of the NRA or any gun lobby like Greg Abbotf does (and has since 2002). She is always armed and supports gun ownership but unlike Greg Abbott, sees gun violence as a problem which must be address by strict background checks, keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and those with histories of violence.

Valdez says: "People who do not settle their disputes without violence have no business being armed." Abbott says everyone has the right to buy any arm they want. Valdez (a retired Captain of a US National Guard Tank Battalion) says: "Some guns are designed for military use - to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. They have no business in civilian use on our streets."

Texans have a clear choice this year. It is between a sane, solid "unbought and unbossed" former law enforcement administrator and an opportunist who uses sound bites to create the illusion which are contrary to what he actually does or promotes.

We need a governor who will face the tough realities of Texas instead of the "pay to play" Abbott whose appointees are usually his campaign donors or former lobbyists who are agents of his campaign donors. Lupe Valdez is the sane choice for Texans this year for Governor.

Who do you trust? Her or Him?

2018-10-20T23:40:00.000-05:00

By Faith Chatham - October 20, 2018

Article 4: Section 7 of the Texas Constitution names the Governor as COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF MILITARY FORCES. "He shall be Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the State, except when they are called into actual service of the United States. He shall have power to call forth the militia to execute the laws of the State, to suppress insurrections, and to repel invasions."

Lupe Valdez - Retired Military officer served as Captain in the US National Guard leading a tank battalion. She also has 17 years of Federal Service as a civilian in addition to being the former Sheriff of Dallas County. She was :

Inspector for the General Services Administration (GSA)
Senior Federal Agent, working undercover in Latin America on drug interdiction and money laundering.

Valdez was elected Sheriff of Dallas County in 2004 and re-elected three times:

She was the first Democrat to be elected county wide in Dallas County in decades.
The only woman or person of color ever to serve as Sheriff of Dallas County.
She was re-elected 3 times before retiring in Dec. 2017 to run for Governor of Texas.

Valdez inherited a department which was out of compliance for jail overcrowding, being understaffed and unsanitary. She had to persuade the County Commissioners and citizens to appropriate funds and seek grants necessary for substantial improvements at the jail. She was not able to solve all of the problems immediately, but once she got the jail into compliance, she kept it that way.She implemented community policing, placing people of color and women in supervisory roles, and redeployed officers so that they more closely represented the people in the neighborhoods. She told her officers: "The first time someone meets you shouldn't be when you are arresting them. Get out there and meet people doing community service."

Valdez says: "Most people in the jail have not been convicted of anything. Even those who have should be treated with respect."

Valdez is accustomed to standing out in the crowd. She was the only Latina Sheriff in the USA and oversaw the 7th largest Sheriff's department in the USA.

Photo from LupeValdez.com

The daughter of migrant farm workers, Lupe Valdez worked three jobs to pay her way through college. She prioritizes education and seeks to give all people in Texas a pathway upward. "I am where I am because this state gave me the opportunity to get an education, to work and to serve. I want everyone to have the opportunities that I've had." She say that "I've got mine, too bad about yours!" is an attitude that too many elected official have which for sake of the people of this state should to stop!

Most of Lupe Valdez’ adult life has been in uniform. She enlisted in the US National Guard as a young woman, and rose to the rank of Captain over a mostly male tank battalion before entering Federal Service.
Photo from LupeValdez.com

Valdez faces incumbent Greg Abbott in the General Election. Abbott has a war chest, rich with special interest money acquired during decades as a state official, which is 51 times bigger than Valdez's. Abbott continues to raise money and is channeling millions into the campaign coffers of other Republicans (especially those allied with Donald Trump and the Freedom Caucus.

Abbott, a darling of the gun lobby, and Valdez disagree on gun laws. Valdez, who is always armed and has been continually in a profession where being armed is requirement, favors concealed carry. Unlike Abbott, who rose to power through the support of the gun lobby, Valdez sees gun violence as a threat to civil society. Abbott seeks no restraints on gun ownership.

Shootings in schools have the attention of both candidates. Abbott held a highly publicized town hall on School Violence after a recent massacre at a central Texas school. His solution is arming teachers, a proposal very unpopular with most classroom teachers who have concerns about being able to secure a firearm in a classroom of children or teenagers.

Valdez opposes arming teachers.

She says: “We must provide security for the schools. It is the teachers job to teach and our job to keep them safe.” Valdez is emphatic: “Those who cannot settle disputes without violence, have no business carrying a gun.”

Long before the NRA endorsed Abbott for Governor, he forged an alliance with the gun lobby.

Abbott’s history with the gun lobby dates back to 2002 when the gun lobby used a law enforcement front group to quietly help elect Abbott as Texas attorney general. Frank Smyth wrote in 2017: Back then, Democrats still held a majority in the Texas state house and in the Texas delegation to Congress. It was a time when the gun lobby was learning how to reach out to other right-leaning groups, forging alliances that predated both the Tea Party and the Trump campaign. It was the beginning of a redistricting or “gerrymandering” process that has since helped bring the Republican party in Texas and other states to unprecedented political power.

...But ever since he ran for his first Texas legislative seat more than twenty years ago, Abbott has been a steady advocate for expanding Texans’ access to guns. He has earned a 100 percent approval rating from the National Rifle Association, and is proud of it.

Valdez is also an advocate for private gun ownership, however, unlike Abbott, she has no ties to the gun lobby. She favors stronger background checks, keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, domestic abusers and other persons with a history of violence.

She says that ‘some weapons are designed for military combat, designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. Those weapons have no business on our streets.’

Valdez lives simply and her campaign reflects her down-to-earth basic lifestyle. She has driven herself, usually with one staffer, from town to town in her pickup truck this year, being on the road constantly since January when she declared for Governor.

Valdez greets citizens at a campaign stop in Round Rock, Texas Friday afternoon, Oct. 20, 2018. Photo by Linda Brooks

Now she has embarked on a 4700 mile but trip for to make almost 50 campaign stops in ten days this month. She is on bus with other statewide Democratic Nominees (Mike Collier for Lt. Gov,., Kim Olson for Agriculture Commissioner, Joi Chevalier for Comptroller, Justin Nelson for Attorney General and other). When that ends, she will head out again to meet citizens in other towns where they live. They are keeping in touch with supporters through the twitter hashtag: #FairShotTour

Some view Valdez’s campaign with wistful nostalgia. A daughter of San Antonio, this is the Tri-centennial celebration year of the founding of Lupe’s home town. One of her campaign buttons reflects her historic race as the first Latina woman to run for Governor in the history of Texas. A win in 2018 for this San Antonio native would is seen by many as another millestone to celebrate for the Alamo City. It is also the anniversary of Democratic women being granted the right to vote in the Texas Primary. She is the first Latina to win the nomination for Governor in the history of Texas. In the state’s history, only two women have been governor. Ann Richards was the only one who was not the first lady who assumed office after her husband.

Valdez is a native of San Antonio and is running for Governor during the Tri-centennial year of her birthplace.

The polls reflect Abbott’s stronger name recognition and financial might. However, Valdez has always been viewed as an underdog who had little or no chance of winning, yet she has never lost an election. The Dallas Morning New always discounted her, sometimes vehemently opposing her, but the majority of voters have always chosen her. She was shocked when she won her first race as Sheriff and honored all three times she was re-elected.

She was seen as one of the least likely to win of the 9 candidates for Governor in 2018 Democratic Primary, yet came within 2 points of avoiding a run-off. She beat the son of former Governor Mark White, a candidate whose income from his tech businesses gave him many more financial resources than Vadez in the run-off, after coming in first against 8 men in the Primary..

She has not gotten as much press as Beto O’rourak and did not start the campaign with a Congressional war chest. However, she resonates with “ordinary people” she meets on the campaign trail because she comes from a Texas “working stock” family and understand what it means to not have health insurance when a family member is ill or how hard it is to struggle to work multiple jobs to provide for your family or to pay you way through college. She is a problem solver who looks for ways to improve things for the people she meets. She is plain spoken, down-to-earth, and compassionate. She is a problem-solver who focuses on making things better for the people she meets.

Whatever the outcome November 6th, she has elevated the public rhetoric from the divisive pettiness of Abbott’s previous campaign, shifting the focus to public school finance reform, affordable health care, solving the state’s maternal and infant mortality crisis which is more dire than in any other part of the developed world, and giving all citizens a fair shot at providing for their families. She balances the need to protect our borders with our responsibility to be humane and not separate children from their parents or unfairly vilify border communities which have lower crime statistics than many communities in the state’s interior as “crime ridden communities.”

Lupe Valdez, as governor, would be a breath of fresh air in a state whose legislative agenda has stalled on wedge issue bathroom bills and drastic cuts to public school financing. Lupe Valdez brings strength and common sense to every office she holds. Unlike Abbott who pushed through Campus Carry legislation during a time when school shooting was escalating, Valdez is the voice for balance — respecting the rights of law abiding citizens while calling for policies to curtail the proliferation of arms in the hands of criminals, the mentally ill and those with histories of violence.

As importantly, she would put an end to Abbott’s practice of “Pay to Play Politics” where most political appointees are campaign donors or their agents.

To donate to Valdez's campaign: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lupetx

Lupe's Ad

2018-10-18T21:28:00.001-05:00

Donate at: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lupetx

Lupe's Ad

2018-10-18T21:25:00.001-05:00

Donate at: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lupetx

Jennie Lou Leeder for U.S. Congress, "Our Texas Home"

2018-10-11T12:54:00.003-05:00

Jennie Lou Leeder for U.S. Congress, "Our Texas Home"

2018-10-11T12:54:00.001-05:00

Neutralize Louie Gohmert

2018-04-22T13:18:00.005-05:00

By Faith Chatham - April 22, 2018

Shirley McKellar is fighting to rid East Texas of the stupidity of Louie Gohmert. 

An article in the Longview News Journal during the primary earlier this year, discounted US Texas 1st District Democratic Congressional Nominee  Dr.Shirley J. McKellar, PhD, RN, Maj. (ret) as "just an Army Nurse."

My response is:

McKellar has created more jobs in East Texas than most governmental programs
She is responsible for helping meet the mental health needs of veterans and military families in 12 East Texas counties.
As an officer on the Veterans Administration Mental Health Advocacy Council, she is "at the table" fighting cuts to women's mental health services and at the table fighting to expand mental health services for all veterans.

McKellar doesn't just talk about supporting veterans, McKellar puts her talent and personal resources into helping veterans.

She brings Housing for Homeless Vets to East Texas. Last year, when at a ribbon cutting for a housing complex in Dallas for Homeless Veterans, she asked:"How can we get a similar one in East Texas."She did not let the current party of the majority of Congress or the current occupants of the White House deter her.She pulled together a steering committee of local stakeholders, donated some of her own land, and worked diligently with HUD and the VA to "make it happen."

On March 3rd, 2018 ground was broken for the new complex in Smith County where homeless veterans can use their VA Benefits to buy their own condos.
She prioritizes Education and knows how to enable children to succeed. For 20 years she operated an early childhood education center in Tyler providing care and education until midnight 7 days a week for infants through 13-year olds. It closed when she was deployed to the Middle East, She has tracked the progress of the children they served. EVERY child served by that center has graduated from High School and gone to college. One is currently in law school. That program could serve as a pilot program for how to do it right!

Shirley McKellar understands that the more responsibility you have, the more you don't know which you need to know. She is always learning and improving her skills so that she can serve people effectively.. She has a PhD in nursing, a MS in Criminal Justice and has almost completed another masters in Political Science.

Her expertise in economic development, small business incubation, job creation and non-profit organization equips her to serve the people of this district. During Mr. Gohmert's tenure the unemployment rate and number of persons living in poverty in most of the district has escalated. Under Louie Gohmert's watch one third of the residents of the US Texas 1st District have descended below the poverty line! He seems oblivious and does nothing to combat the deep poverty of the people of this District. He does not listen. He does not act.

Shirley McKellar listens to people.
Shirley McKellar observes, verifies and researches.

Shirley McKellar collaborates and brings solutions that serve people. 

This is the leadership we need in Congress.

Someone with the Longview News referred to her as "just an ArmyNurse!"

She is "just an army nurse" who implemented much of the women's health care for the US Military in the European Theatre.
She is "just an army nurse" who established the only comprehensive breast center in the US Military serving men and women.
She is "just the army nurse" who partnered with UT Medical School to determine why the mortality rate for men and women of color who have breast cancer is significantly greater than for white women and to look for treatments which give better outcomes.
"She is "just the army nurse" who co-founded (with UT Medical School) the African American Breast Cancer Awareness and administers a $5 Million grant for finding solutions for people with breast cancer..
She is the "just an army nurse" who got 61.9% of the 2018 Primary vote in a contested primary where she was outspent nearly 3 to 1 by her opponent.
She is "just the army nurse" whom East Texan know and trust because she is always there serving beside them, working with them and fighting for them.

The best outcome for East Texas in 2018 

is for Louie Gohmert to be replaced

 with this "just an army nurse!"

Please donate to Shirley McKellar for Congress to enable her to continue building the infrastructure necessary to turn the First District Blue. She does not need to match her opponent dollar for dollar. She has demonstrated that she knows how to stretch your contribution. Let's give her more to stretch. Let's give her a better shot at ridding the U.S. Congress of the stupidity of Louie Gohmert.

HELP SHIRLEY NEUTRALIZE THE TOXICITY OF LOUIE GOHMERT IN CONGRESS.  

Texas 2018 Possibilities

2018-04-13T16:12:00.003-05:00

By Faith Chatham April 13, 2018
So refreshing to see the national pundits seeing Texas Democratic Nominees for Congress as Possible!. The first thing which makes it POSSIBLE is that for the first time EVERY DISTRICT will have a Democratic Nominee. You can't win if you don't run. This year folks are running and GOP incumbents without opposition will not look strong by default.

2. With numerous GOP incumbents resigning or not running for reelection, the incumbent advantage is not operative in a considerable number of districts!

3. For the first time in decades a significant number Democrats challenging GOP incumbents for Congressional seats reported raising $200K+ by Dec. 31 of 2017! Yikkes. Folks you cannot imagine how big that is. In Texas in 2014 the average non incumbent Democratic Nominee had less than a nickel per registered voter to spend in the Primary and General Election combined. This year there are several candidates who have funds to truly communicate with votes.

4. Candidates ran in contested primaries with other Democrats running from the top to the bottom of the ballot in contested primaries. This means that the media covered those races. When a candidate runs unopposed, they usually do not even get mentioned on voters guides. It is difficult enough to build name recognition, but if you aren't even mentioned during the primary, it is much more difficult to get enough before the end of the General. This year Democratic candidate ran in contested primaries and got some of the spotlight which previously only went to GOP nominees.

5. We have good candidates running. We've had good candidates running in previous years too. But this year we have MORE of them and they are raising money and many nay sayers are ceasing to spout off their old wet blanket lines which discourage volunteers and donors from stepping up to help Democratic Nominees Win!

6. A New York Times article mentions a few. However, we have many more which are exceptionally impressive. Some have run previously and have already build campaign organizations. Jan McDowell is one who should be watched carefully. She may continue to astound folks with her low key, grassroots, persistent, solid reasoning and well managed campaign. In districts which are exceptionally difficult for Democrats like East Texas, Shirley McKellar is not running as the lone candidate this year on many of the ballots. It is difficult to win if you are the only candidate of your party running in that region except for the top of the ticket. Retired Army officer McKellar persistently builds her organization and base. Each year she draws more supporters to her ranks and her volunteers and staff grow and level the playing field. Everywhere she goes, she creates opportunities for East Texans. This race is based on helping more East Texans understand that she is already doing more for them than most incumbents. She is the person who brought mental health services for veterans and military families to 14 counties which were not served. She is the person who is bringing housing for homeless veterans to East Texas. She is the person who has brought a medical training program and nursing program to an East Texas college which had none. She is the person who has already brought jobs to East Texas. Her strategy is to continue doing what she knows is right and communicating with others. Might not be the "sexiest" strategy but it is an honest strategy by an incredible Texan.

Even out in District 11 there is life this year. Jennie Lou Leeder is running in a district which runs just west of Dallas all the way to the New Mexico Border. It takes over 7 1/2 hours to drive from one side of the district to the other. They haven't had a Democratic candidate jump in and attempt a serious campaign there in decades. Jennie Lou is a 2nd generation High School coach and school counselor. She is also a former Democratic County Chair. Folks know her there and she understands them. She carried every precinct in her home county in a contested primary. She knows that there aren't enough Democrats on the voter rolls to win. That is not a deterrent to her. Her strategy doesn't rely on just reaching the few folks who have voted Democrat in a district where frew Democrats have run. She is building political infrastructure and she might astound everyone and win this one.

7. One advantage few people mention is that when incumbents have not been truly challenged in a while, they forget how to run. They stop paying to train their campaign staffs if they don't have to fight to win. Give them enough free rides and they end up like first time candidates, having to build a campaign organization in one election cycle.

Truly, anything can happen in the Lone Star State this year. It won't be easy. The districts are still gerrymandered. The distances to travel are greater in several districts than the land mass of six to nine states combined. There are 22 media markets and most districts include many different media markets. However, this is Texas. Things are rarely easy in Texas. Watching these folks run is a better show than watching most H

Wise Women Won't Wait Any More: Wow! What an Army Nurse!

2018-02-15T16:39:00.001-06:00

By Faith Chatham Feb. 15, 2018

An article in the Longview News Journal earlier this month discounted US Texas 1st District Democratic Primary congressional candidate Dr. Shirley J. McKellar, PhD, RN, Maj. (ret) as "just an Army Nurse."

My response is:
McKellar has created more jobs in East Texas than most governmental programs. In addition the two businesses mentioned in this article, she is responsible for helping meet the mental health needs of 12 East Texas counties military families and veterans. As an officer on the Veterans Administration Mental Health Advocacy Council, she is "at the table" fighting to restore cuts to women's mental health services and to expand mental health services for all veterans.

Instead of just talking about supporting veterans, McKellar puts her talent and personal resources into helping veterans. Last year she attended a ribbon cutting for a housing complex in Dallas for Homeless Veterans. She asked: "How can we get a similar one in East Texas." She did not let the current party of the majority of Congress or the current occupants of the White House deter her. She pulled together a steering committee of local stakeholders, donated some of her own land, and worked diligently with HUD and the VA to "make it happen." On March 3rd there will be a ground breaking for the new complex in Smith County where homeless veterans can use their VA Benefits to buy their own condos.

For 20 years she operated an early childhood education center in Tyler which provided care and education until midnight 7 days a week for infants through 13 year olds. When she was deployed to the Middle East that facility closed. However, she has tracked the progress of the children they served. EVERY child served by that center has graduated from High School and gone to college. One is currently in law school. That program could serve as a pilot program for how to do it right!

Shirley McKellar understands that the more responsibility you have the more you don't know which you need to know. Therefore she is always learning. She has a PhD in nursing, a MS in Criminal Justice and has almost completed a masters in Political Science.

Her expertise in economic development, small business incubation, job creation and non-profit organization equips her to serve the people of this district. During Mr. Gohmert's tenure the unemployment rate and number of persons living in poverty in most of the district has escalated. Shirley McKellar listens to people, verifies and researches, collaborates and brings solutions that serve people. This is the leadership we need in Congress.

Someone with the Longview News referred to her as "just an Army Nurse!"
--She is "just an army nurse" who implemented much of the women's health care for the US Military in the European Theatre.
--She is just an army nurse who established the only comprehensive breast center in the US Military serving men and women.
--She is just the army nurse who partnered with UT Medical School to determine why the mortality rate for men and women of color who have breast cancer is significantly greater than for white women and to look for treatments which give better outcomes.
--She is also the Army Nurse who co-founded (with UT Medical School) the African American Breast Cancer Awareness.

Somehow, I think the best outcome for East Texas in 2018 is for Louie Gohmert to be replaced with this "just an army nurse!"

Donate to Shirley McKellar for Congress at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/justarmynurse?refcode=ArmyNurse

Their Eyes Remain the Guiding Star of My Conscience

2017-05-12T05:56:00.000-05:00

By Faith Chatham - May 7, 2017

It amazes me how my thoughts parallel those of others without collaboration. I went on a twitter storm day before yesterday on immigration and other things. Then my sister in San Antonio sent me an exquisitely expressive poem she wrote about a mother crossing the border with her child strapped to her back. It is a very sad and vibrant word picture. It won't be shared *yet" online yet because it is an unpublished work and most publishers require that it be submitted before publication and they consider even posting on Facebook or small blogs publication. However, it expresses what I was feeling. She also included a poem about a relief worker in Honduras who did not save for her retirement. Both hit "close to home" for me.

Many people went to Honduras following Hurricane Mitch and we had our perceptions and hearts transformed. Those who cross the US border are usually fleeing from the crime and terror and abject poverty/ They are not faceless to those of us who were on the ground several decades ago. The crime was enormous then and it is many times greater now. We were not allowed out after dark for any reason whatsoever and every time we left the cathedral compound the Bishop sent us out with an armed guard. This was a shock to our north American sensibilities. Seeing an armed guard with a machine gun at the entrance of the cathedral was quite different to us. Yet the school, clinic and relief supplies within the compound made it a target.

During that time, donors sent several new automobiles to missionaries in Honduras. Every auto was hijacked at gun point within a few weeks of its arrival. The military government (responsible for those many "disappeared persons" during the Reagan administration} had just been overthrown when Hurricane Mitch (a series of hurricanes which stayed stationary over Honduras for over a week dumping massive rains at the same time as an earthquake) occurred, devastating the entire country. Because the government was so corrupt, and the country was in such need, NGOs and religious institutions became the conduits for relief and development during that post Hurricane Mitch recovery period instead of the government.

My memories of the mega shelters are acute. They were military tents with concrete floors. Each family had about an 8-square foot section of living space with a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The cooking was in the aisle outside the tent by kerosene camp stoves and the sinks were tubs with a water hose. There were no locking doors on those tents in this country so terrorized by the former military who now operated as criminal banditos. These families lived for extended times in tents in a country where the Bishop required everyone who served to stay in the hotel or cathedral or at home after dark and to travel with armed guards! The children in those mega shelters grew up in tents which did not have locking doors. Most families were in the mega shelters for 9 to 28 months. San Pedro Sula is high in the hills and it is cold there much of the year.

The Episcopal Church and other folks acquired land (a rare commodity in that international fruit company controlled country) and built houses. Because all a man had to do to divorce his wife was to kick her and the children out of the house, the Episcopal Bishop placed the titles to the homes they built into the name of the wife so that if the man chose to leave, the family could retain the home! However, being legally the owner does not solve the problem of being able to retain the home if the husband is abusive and there are no authorities to enforce the law.

When we had an influx of children crossing the Rio Grande a few years ago from Honduras it struck me that the parents of these children were the children who were in the Mega Shelters following Hurricane Mitch. Those children woke up one day and every one of them lost people who were close to them -- either parents, friends, teachers, neighbors, school mates, grandparents, siblings. Over 11,000 people died that week in Honduras. Small children were uprooted from their homes and families and displaced. The Government was unable to process paperwork or police the communities or jail criminals to a sufficient degree to establish order. Crime and gangs were already high and escalated following Hurricane Mitch. Women and children were the most vulnerable people in that society They had no rights. Rape was /is common.

Murder is normal. Running for your life becomes the sane choice. Once North, they are viewed as economic illegal aliens instead of assault victims fleeing for their lives. If American foreign policy had not played such a key role in destabilizing Central America in our Cold War Communist/ Capitalist era struggle, the plight of these generations of Central Americans would not be as acute. We do not like having the fruits of our sins arrive on our shores. We want to ignore our roles in creating and sustaining the terror that these women and children and young men are subjected to. We choose to label them criminals for coming here or sending their children here so that they have a better chance of surviving. This is what it is about when folks say they come for a better life. Usually it means that they are coming to try to survive period fleeing a place where the realities of being beaten by terrorists with machetes is normal.

I supported Hillary Clinton because I trusted her to work for solutions to help those who remained in such countries and for those who fled to our shores. I don't think that when our ancestors arrive here is nearly as important as the fact that people are human beings and we are all deserving of the opportunity to expect to survive each day and find a way to eat and work and care for our children and learn and be human. If we weighed the cost of terror as highly as we value economic selfishness our world would heal. I still see the eyes of the children I met in Honduras. They are part of the north star of conscience which guides me.

NOTE: Hurricane Mitch hit Oct. 22, 1998. Any US immigrant from Honduras born between 1978 and 1998 were children when it hit. Those born after 1998 in Honduras have never known a stable community where the streets and homes are reasonably safe. It was the most-deadly hurricane to hit the Western Hemisphere in over 200 years Over 11,000 persons died in a small Central American country and there was over $5 Billion in economic loss in a country where most of the wealth was held by absentee landowners and a very few resident elites.